Enrollment or Enrolment: Implementing SEM in the Canadian Context

Enrollment or Enrolment: Implementing SEM in the Canadian Context Pre-conference Workshop June 25, 2008 Halifax, Nova Scotia

Presenters Susan Gottheil, M.A. Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Management Mount Royal College, Calgary, Alberta, Canada Senior Consultant, AACRAO Consulting sgottheil@mtroyal.ca Clayton Smith, Ed.D. Vice-Provost, Students & Registrar University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada Senior Consultant, AACRAO Consulting csmith@uwindsor.ca

Let’s Meet You! Introduce Yourself:-Name-Institution-Title-3 top SEM issues/concerns for you/your institution

Workshop Goals • Establish a common understanding of SEM • Identify similarities & differences between U.S. & Canadian SEM practices • Use a case study to apply SEM principles in the Canadian context • Present recent trends, best practices & emerging Canadian SEM issues • Review key components of a SEM Plan • Ensure lots of discussion and sharing of challenges & best practices

The Booklet • Copies of PowerPoint presentation • SEM Audit • Canadian Context SEM Case Study • Article on Canadian vs. U.S. SEM • SEM Plan Web Sites • Bibliography

SEM Audit

A bit about SEM…

Prospects Inquiries Applicants Admits Matrics The Classic Admissions Funnel

Enrolment Management Enrollment management is an organizational concept and a systematic set of activities designed to enable educational institutions to exert more influence over their studentenrollments. Organized by strategic planning and supported by institutional research, enrollment management activities concern student college choice, transition to college, student attrition and retention, and student outcomes. These processes are studied to guide institutional practices in the areas of new student recruitment and financial aid, student support services, curriculum development and other academic areas that affect enrollments, student persistence and student outcomes from college. - Don Hossler, 1990

Promoting Student Success:The Student Success Continuum Recruitment / Marketing Classroom experience Co-curricular support Degree/goal attainment Orientation Student’s college /university career Financial support Academic support Admission Retention

The Student Success Continuum Traditional Enrolment Perspective Classroom experience Co-curricular support Recruitment / Marketing Degree/goal attainment Orientation Student’s college /university career Financial support Academic support Admission Retention

The Student Success Continuum The SEM Perspective Degree/goal attainment Classroom experience Co-curricular support Recruitment / Marketing Orientation Student’s college /university career Financial Aid Academic support Admission Retention

What is SEM? • SEM is a comprehensive process designed to help an institution achieve and maintain optimum enrolment, where optimum is defined within the academic context of the institution. Michael Dolence (1993) • Strategic enrolment management is a concept and process that enables the fulfillment of institutional mission and students’ educational goals. Bob Bontrager (2004)

Physical Capacity Ethnicity Undergrad/ Grad Majors Academic Profiles Residency Special Skills Program Capacity The Concept of Optimum Enrolment Institutional Mission

The Purposes of SEM are Achieved by… • Establishing clear goals for the number & types of students needed to fulfil the institutional mission • Promoting student academic success by improving access, transition, retention, & graduation • Promoting institutional success by enabling effective strategic & financial planning

The Purposes of SEM are Achieved by… • Creating a data-rich environment to inform decisions & evaluate strategies • Improving process, organizational & financial efficiency & outcomes • Establishing top quality student-centred service • Strengthening communications & collaboration among departments across the campus to support the enrolment program -Bontrager (2004)

No One Way “Myths about enrolment management are abundant, yet one truism has emerged…there is no single way to implement enrolment management.” -Jim Black (2004)

What SEM is Not • A quick fix • Solely an organizational structure • An enhanced admission & marketing operation • A financial drain on the institutional budget • An administrative function separate from the academic mission of the institution

Institutional Mission &Enrolment Goals Are Determined By: Programs offered Current competitive status Range of influence Niche Aspirational status Weaknesses Strengths Historical status …with consideration to institutional differentiation!

The Enrolment Funnel is Different for Different Students • Student Type: • Aboriginal Students • New Canadians • International Students • First Generation Students • Northern Canadians • Rural Students • Students with Disabilities • Dislocated Workers • Francophone Students • Sole Support Mothers • Low-income Students • Visible Minority Students • High-Achieving Students

Determine your niche, focus on it, and deliver on it as well as you possibly can . . .

Enrolment Goals:The Classic Conundrum • All may want better students • Administration may want more students • Faculty usually want fewer students • Access vs. Quality -Adapted from Henderson (2005)

“Capacity Development Loop” “Delivery Loop” Programs & Courses Offered Courses Taught + + + = + or - + + + Programs & Courses Developed & Approved Demand for Programs & Courses + Reasons For Not Continuing + Courses Enrolled Student Attrition Programs & Courses Completed Students Graduated, Transferred, Hired + + = + + = Gov’t Approval For Credit Programs + - Tuition & Other Sources Of Revenue Student Retention + + + = Gov’t Grants & External Funding Source: P. Seto, 2008

Enrolment Management System Student Characteristics Environmental Factors Institutional Goals Institutional Objectives Institutional Strategies Desired Outcomes Enduring Effect Enduring Behaviour Quantitative Goals Qualitative Goals Diversity Goals Persistence Goals Capacity Goals Net Revenue Goals Student headcount Admission average Transfer GPA Visible minorities, Aboriginal, international Retention rates, Student Satisfaction, graduation rates Classroom capacity, adequate sections, Class size Financial aid discount rate, international enrolment Student enrolment behaviour Demographic trends Competition Public Accountability (loan default rate, graduation, Accessibility, retention) Student geographic draw Economic Trends Off-campus employment availability Federal & provincial polices Member of underserved student group Beliefs & values Academic preparation Motivation to learn Educational aspirations Self-discipline Adaptability Interpersonal skills Peer involvement Ability to pay Study habits Family & peer Support • Marketing • Recruitment • Admission • Financial aid/pricing • Orientation • Residence • Athletics • First Year • Experience • Advising • Supplemental instruction • Service learning • Learning communities • Academic support • Peer support • Teaching & learning approaches • Student engagement • SEM organization • Data mining Awareness Interest Commitment Enrolment Persistence Satisfaction Education Relationship Institutional Loyalty Institutional Image Source: Kuh et al , 2007; Black, 2003

SEM in Canada vs. the U.S.…some things are the sameAND some things are different…

Values/History • Different cultures, history, values & systems of education • Social justice vs. market orientation • Serving the public good; equitable access to basic goods & services; education as a civic virtue • Vs. business orientation – focus on pricing & meeting financial targets • Historical immigration patterns • Privacy issues • Equity/affirmative action

Educational Systems • Provincial control in Canada; state & federal control in U.S. • Number & size of institutions • Canada has fewer institutions (230 colleges & universities vs. 3,500+), more homogeneity • Vary in size, not quality • Private, faith-based & for-profit institutions • Commuter vs. residential institutions • Quebec: Cegep system • Tiering of institutions has been apparent in U.S., beginning to emerge in Canada

Educational Systems (cont'd.) • Higher educational participation rates in Canada • In 2003, 76% of Canadians aged 22 – 24 attended a PSE; in 1999 proportion was 62% • Proportion of high school graduates increased from 75% in 1999 to almost 90% in 2003 • In U.S. only 2/3 of high school graduates go on to PSE • Collaboration between colleges & universities • Developed unevenly in Canada; varies from virtually none to highly articulated (B.C. & Alberta) • School spirit, role of athletics greater in U.S.

Changing Environment • Constrained resources & tuition dependency • Increasing competition for students • Rising fees & increased student debt loads • Growing concern with educational costs & financial aid • Changing demographics

Changing Environment (cont'd.) • Access to higher education an important public issue • Rising concern re: lack of academic preparedness of entering students • Focus on student success & student engagement • Increased use of merit aid/decrease in needs-based aid

Changing Environment (cont'd.) • Increasing number of part-time students & students working longer hours • Increase of e-services and on-line learning • Pressure for public accountability (KPI’s, NSSE, CUSC) • Millennial generation & “helicopter parents”

Millennial Students The letter was very direct. The student was offered an entrance scholarship to woo her to …but the young woman expected more and went straight to the top to get it. She sent a letter to our president – not the admissions officer, not the dean – but to our president. It basically said, “Before I make my final decision, is there anything else you’d like to put on the table?” And the university did sweeten the package! -National Post (2004)

Emergence of SEM in Canada • Slower emergence of SEM in Canada • Driven by funding cuts, lack of revenue, heavier reliance on tuition, changing demographics

Emergence of SEM in Canada • Many Canadian institutions have now adopted SEM in name, practice or both • We’re attending webinars, workshops & conferences • Some of us are working with consultants • What can we learn from our U.S. SEM colleagues? • What makes us different & unique? • Are there different approaches we might/should consider in Canada?

SEM Organization Data Mining & Analysis SEM Plan Marketing Recruitment Admissions Financial Aid Student Services Retention Major SEM Components

SEM Organization • Lack of clarity as to what SEM is (e.g. setting enrolment targets, renaming of registrar’s function, conceptual framework, organizational structure?) • Most manage SEM from the Registrar’s Office • Some institution-wide committees • Some matrix management • EM title becoming more common

SEM Plan • Many institutions use enrolment management strategies • Many tactics fundamentally marketing activities • Few have a SEM Plan • Beginning to develop comprehensive & strategic plans – but most PSEs don’t have the organizational structure to support it

“Without data you’re just another person with an opinion.” - Unknown

Data • What puts the “S” in “SEM”; basis of SEM plan • Transactional data • Recruitment & retention analysis • Course & classroom scheduling • Assessment of strategies, services & outcomes • Canada: no federal education office, no common data set, until recently (CMSF, Educational Policy Institute) little research • U.S.: IPEDs, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education

The Enrolment Data Agenda Enrolment Strategies Alumni engagement Active Alumni Graduated Engaged, Satisfied Retained Enrolled Deposited Applied/Admitted Prospective Students Alumni Research Graduation/ Career Development Placement Data Graduate Rates Retention Data Student Surveys First Year Exp. & Retention Programs Financial Aid Analysis Yield Yield Data Admission Statistics Recruitment Competitive Analysis Market Research Marketing Creating a Data-Driven Enrolment Plan

Marketing • Purpose: to gather broad, initial interest in institution • “Suspect” direct mail used extensively in U.S. • In Canada more difficult due to privacy legislation to target prospective students • Goedemographic profiling not used widely • But increased focus on capturing & managing inquiries • Plan events to capture names (grades 9 – 11) • Request for info cards/on-line requests • Student e-mails/phone calls

Marketing (Cont’d.) • Greater use of mass media advertising in U.S. (larger population makes it less expensive) • Greater use now in Canada • Branding, positioning initiatives widespread

Recruitment • Purpose: To attract the “right” students into specific programs • Move from “liaison” to “recruitment” • Historical collegial approach…too many students for too many years • Shifting regional demographics & variability across Canada . • Atlantic Canada: demographic decreases coupled with large number of institutions • Ontario: projected demand for new university in Toronto GTA • Alberta: changing high school demographic, in-migration, hot economy • B.C.: had more demand for seats; university-colleges created as high school population declined – now universities as province cuts funding to PSE system

Recruitment (cont'd.) • College search process a “bigger deal” in U.S. • Starts in Grades 9 & 10 or earlier • Most Canadian students (¾) attend their local university • Little student mobility between provinces • Those not traveling far for college twice as likely to be 1st generation • Student life not a large factor in recruitment • Use of current students & alumni limited • Importance of campus visit

Targeted Recruitment Initiatives • Declining enrolment  try to find students who haven’t traditionally enrolled (low-income, Aboriginal students, first-generation, rural, international) • 2003: fewer than 1/3 of 19 year olds from Canadian low-income families attended university • One half of those in same age bracket from high-income families enrolled

Targeted Recruitment Initiatives • CMSF: 81% of 18 to 24 year olds whose parents have a university education participate in PSE, compared to 53% for young people whose parents didn’t go past high school • Specialized academic programs (e.g., Aboriginal Education) • Métis Criminal Justice program at Lethbridge College • U Cape Breton: program in Aboriginal Science integrates Aboriginal & western views of natural world • Summer camps, bridging & transition programs

Targeted Recruitment Initiatives • Community-based activities/partnerships/mentorships • School boards, churches, First Nations • Boosting campus visits (bus-ins, fly-ins, etc.) • Marketing in other languages, in community & ethnic-based publications • Targeted web microsites

International Student Recruitment • More than 2/3 of Canadian universities actively market educational products & services internationally • ¾ of Canadian universities now have education & training programs outside Canada

Admissions • Purpose: To use differing strategies, processes & policies to maximize yield • Basis of admission • Primarily high school marks in Canada (Grade 12, now some Grade 11) • U.S.: array of indicators (3-year high school average, class ranking, SAT/ACT scores, essays, interviews, AP courses) – now being questioned • Intentional segmentation of “the class” in U.S.: legacy, athletics, demographic, ethnicity

Enrollment or Enrolment: Implementing SEM in the Canadian Context