Mental health care at community colleges has in the past been hampered by a lack of funding and the fact that many older students live off campus. Recently, community colleges have been developing new mental health programs in an effort to raise awareness and boost overall student success, says Martha Parham, senior vice president of […]
The challenge: Reduce summer melt for incoming freshmen at Georgia State University. The method: Use an artificially intelligent chatbot to help students complete pre-enrollment tasks, such as submitting transcripts and taking care of immunization requirements. The results: Summer melt for 2016-17 was 21 percent less than in the prior year. The hero: Pounce the text-based […]
In higher education, social media isn't a project, it's a process—a function like customer support, but open 24/7 and always waiting for a crisis to blow up. The strong dichotomy at the core of social media often leads to opposite views and experiences of the channels. There are rarely in-betweens with social media. In the […]
In my last article, I discussed how digital media channels can reach prospective students and build a pipeline of candidates. This time, we'll focus on nurturing those prospects to bring them closer to application and deposit. Whether you are recruiting undergrads, degree completers, adult professionals or parents of prospective students, it's getting harder and harder […]
The traditional, nail-biting wait for an admission offer has, at some colleges, given way to a process offering immediate gratification for prospective students: the instant decision day. This admission recruitment strategy—involving applicants getting an on-the-spot admission decision during a scheduled event—has gained a lot of traction, particularly as a way for colleges that aren't Ivies […]
After working in an antiquated mailroom in a windowless basement of a dorm, Linda Barrows was thrilled to occupy space in the brand new, centrally located Center for Communication and Creative Media on the campus of Champlain College in Vermont. Her process has been upgraded as much as her digs. In the "old" days, her […]
Now more than ever, enrollment leadership requires a coordinated campus team to respond to emerging internal challenges as well as shifting external forces. One college president likened the job of chief enrollment officer to a pilot flying the plane while building it. In short, the immediate drive to fill enrollment goals today competes with the […]
I became president of Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, in July. A long-established private university proud of its mission and compelled to deliver the kind of education our community and world desperately need, Capital was on the cusp of something great. The university is in transition—in a good way—and that likely is the new normal […]
Meredith College, celebrating its 125th anniversary, recently adopted a new brand—"Going Strong"—that reflects its reputation, enrollment and financial strength. While Meredith's fundraising and application rate are the highest in our history, several other women's colleges have recently either gone coed or closed. Questioning the relevance of women's colleges is a bit obvious—and not so easy […]
When a school hears from the FBI, the news is not likely to be good. Two years ago, FBI agents informed Maricopa County Community College District administrators that data from the 10-college system in Arizona had been posted on the internet. With a possible data breach underway, the system's website was shut down immediately and […]
