1 What We Know about Enrollment Management in American Higher Education By J. Fredericks Volkwein Center for the Study of Higher Education Penn State University

2 The Importance of Enrollment Management E. M. has become a key strategic planning ingredient. The financial health of public and private institutions alike are substantially enrollment-driven. Student recruitment, admissions, enculturation, and education are expensive activities that become even more costly under conditions of high turnover. E. M. serves as an important mechanism for promoting student-institution fit. E. M. has become a means of accomplishing institutional effectiveness. Volkwein, Penn State: CSHE

3 Introduction and Integration Persistence, Graduation, Success Attracting, Admitting, and Enrolling Students ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT MODEL Volkwein- Penn State, CSHE THREE-STAGE

4 Attracting, Admitting, and Enrolling Students THE TRADITIONAL CORE Student College Choice and Fit Admissions Marketing Applications Management Tuition Pricing Financial Aid Packaging Strategic Niche Building Volkwein- Penn State, CSHE Stage 1

5 Introduction and Integration Volkwein- Penn State, CSHE THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE Orientation Advisement Curricular Access Remediation Support Services Stage 2

6 Persistence, Graduation, Success Volkwein- Penn State, CSHE INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Student Learning and Academic Performance Satisfaction and Institutional Commitment Student Tracking and Retention Campus Climate Alumni Studies Improvement Stage 3

7 Relative Attractiveness Applicants Admits Enrollments Financial Resources Proportion of apps admitted New Student Quality Academic Reputation The backbone of the Enrollment Management process can be depicted by a flow from Applications to Admits, to Enrollees, to Financial Resources. Financial Resources are increasingly enrollment dependent at public and private universities alike. Student selectivity (the admissions rate or proportion of applicants admitted) drives the fundamental self-reinforcing process of university attractiveness via academic reputation and New Student Quality indicators like SAT/ACT scores and high school rank. Dynamic Hypothesis: The admit fraction is a leverage point – adjusting the admit fraction is a short- term control on the number of admits and also has longer-term implications for the university’s overall Relative Attractiveness via its inverse relationship with Freshman Quality Indicators—the lower the proportion of admitted applicants, the higher the Indicators, and the stronger the Academic Reputation. System Dynamics Model of University Enrollment, Financial and Faculty Resources An “Influence Diagram” Developed by Bruce P. Szelest, University at Albany with Assistance from J. Fredericks Volkwein, Penn State University and George P. Richardson, University at Albany.

8 Relative Attractiveness Applicants Admits Enrollments Financial Resources FT Faculty & Adjuncts Instruction & Related Activity Student Retention Breadth & Depth of Academic Programs Proportion of apps admitted New Student Quality Academic Reputation Perceived Quality & Success Financial resources enable the institution to purchase a mix of Full-time and Part-time Faculty that perform Instructional & other activities (e.g., advisement, mentoring) which influence Student Retention and Student Success. These faculty instructional activities thus exert influences, not only on the number of current Enrollees, but also on future enrollments by influencing Institutional Attractiveness. Increasing the number of faculty enables the institution to increase the breadth and depth of its academic programs, as well as to increase instructional quality. More resources enable the institution both to buy more faculty (thus lowering the student/faculty ratio) and to pay them higher salaries (thus raising faculty quality by hiring the best full-time and adjunct faculty that are available in the marketplace). Full-time Faculty provide more instructionally related activities than do Adjuncts, so the mix of Adjuncts & Full-time Faculty will therefore have implications for student retention. Dynamic Hypothesis: Instruction and Instruction-Related Activities are a leverage point - increasing these activities can increase student retention and success, the enrollment level, curricular diversity, perceived quality, and relative attractiveness.

9 Relative Attractiveness Applicants Admits Enrollments Financial Resources FT Faculty & Adjuncts Instruction & Related Activity Student Retention Breadth & Depth of Academic Programs Proportion of apps admitted New Student Quality Academic Reputation Perceived Quality & Success Academic Governance & Service Faculty may also invest their time in Academic Governance, Program Review, and other University Service Activities (e.g., honors programs, teaching and learning centers, faculty senates, curriculum committees). By improving the quality of instruction and strengthening educational policy, these activities eventually influence student retention and the perceived success of graduates, which affect university Relative Attractiveness. Thus, Faculty Academic Governance and Service activities can influence both current students (via retention) and prospective students (via attractiveness), thus increasing enrollment and financial resources.

10 Relative Attractiveness Applicants Admits Enrollments Financial Resources FT Faculty & Adjuncts Instruction & Related Activity Student Retention Breadth & Depth of Academic Programs Proportion of apps admitted New Student Quality Academic Reputation Research & Scholarly Activity Indirect Cost Recovery Research Infrastructure Perceived Faculty Quality Perceived Quality & Success Academic Governance &Service Spending on Research Infrastructure, which positively influences Research Activity, competes with spending for Adjuncts and Full-time Faculty. Research and Scholarly Activity also competes for the time of Full-time Faculty, and influences overall Relative Attractiveness by increasing Perceived Faculty Quality and Academic Reputation. Research Activity also promotes Indirect Cost Recovery which contributes positively to Financial Resources. Dynamic Hypothesis: Expenditures on Research Infrastructure are a leverage point. Expenditures on Research Infrastructure positively influence Research and scholarly activity as well as indirect cost recovery. Faculty instruction and academic governance service exerts the greatest influence on current students; and faculty research and scholarship exerts the greatest influence on perceived faculty quality and academic reputation. Both sets of faculty activity increase the attractiveness of the institution to prospective students, thus strengthening enrollment and financial resources.

11 Relative Attractiveness Applicants Admits Enrollments Financial Resources FT Faculty & Adjuncts Student Retention Breadth & Depth of Academic Programs Proportion of apps admitted New Student Quality Academic Reputation Research & Scholarly Activity Indirect Cost Recovery Perceived Faculty Quality Perceived Quality & Success Other Financial Expenditures Outreach & Public Service Exp. Other Financial Expenditures include investments in External Outreach and Public Service (especially common in fields like agriculture, business, education, engineering, public administration, and distance education). Spending for Outreach and Public Service competes with spending for Faculty and Research Infrastructure. Public Service and Outreach Activity also competes for the time of Full-time Faculty, and also influences Academic Reputation via Perceived Faculty Quality that is associated with successful societal problem solving. Instruction & Related Activity Research Infrastructure Academic Governance &Service

12 Relative Attractiveness Applicants Admits Enrollments Financial Resources FT Faculty & Adjuncts Instruction & Related Activity Student Retention Breadth & Depth of Academic Programs Proportion of apps admitted New Student Quality Academic Reputation Research & Scholarly Activity Indirect Cost Recovery Research Infrastructure Perceived Faculty Quality Perceived Quality & Success Academic Governance & Student Support Services Student Centered Service Capacity Other Financial Expenditures Outreach & Public Service Exp. Other Financial Expenditures for Student Centered Services and Programs increase Student Integration and Retention and positively influence the current Enrollments, Perceived Quality of the student experience, and Relative Attractiveness. Student Centered Service Capacity competes with other expenditure categories for Financial Resources, and indirectly influences enrollment and overall Relative Attractiveness.

13 Relative Attractiveness Applicants Admits Enrollments Financial Resources FT Faculty & Adjuncts Instruction & Related Activity Student Retention Breadth & Depth of Academic Programs Proportion of apps admitted New Student Quality Academic Reputation Research & Scholarly Activity Indirect Cost Recovery Research Infrastructure Perceived Faculty Quality Competition-Oriented Financial Aid & Fund Raising Exp. Perceived Quality & Success Academic Governance & Student Support Services Student Centered Service Capacity Other Financial Expenditures Outreach & Public Service Exp. Other Financial Expenditures channeled toward Competition Oriented activities positively affect the university’s overall Relative Attractiveness to prospective students (e.g., financial aid, intercollegiate athletics, attractive recreational and other facilities, marketing and recruitment, and private fund raising infrastructure). Some of these activities also generate operating revenue, private gifts, and endowments for the institution. Dynamic Hypothesis: Expenditures on Competition Oriented Activities are a leverage point. Spending on these activities positively influences the Financial Resources and Relative Attractiveness of the institution to prospective students. These expenditures compete for Financial Resources with investments in Faculty, Research Infrastructure, Student Services, and Public Service/Outreach activities.

14 Research on Student Choice Tuition Pricing Analysis- Enrollment Projections Revenue Projections Student Tracking Admissions Marketing Studies Feedback from alumni and employers Research on Attrition/Persistence /Graduation Studies of Campus Climate Evaluating Support Services Financial Aid Packaging Enrollment Management Admissions Yield Research Assessing the student experience Orientation & Integration Volkwein- Penn State, CSHE

15 Mission / Age / Size Wealth / Resource Deployment Faculty Salaries & Recruitment Admissions Selectivity & Financial Aid Faculty Research & Scholarly Productivity Alumni Attainment & Guidebook Ratings Reputation & Prestige Student Outcomes