Prioritizing Enrollment Management: Effective Practices and Strategies for Student Success and Completion

By blending norm-challenging, robust discussion on enrollment management with practical guidance for administrative and academic leaders, this book seeks to tackle long-standing issues of recruitment, retention, persistence, and completion in higher education. Traditional service delivery and the notion of “what we have always done” is no longer adequate for a new generation of college students within the evolving landscape of higher education. This text will redefine current approaches, strategies, timelines, and infrastructure for encouraging student success, communication, and delivery of student services in unique campus settings. Readers will be challenged to adapt to the shifting paradigm of enrollment management as a constant priority for university leaders who seek to shift, create, or revise enrollment planning. Discussion and recommendations in this book will reveal how a collaborative enrollment model that remains in sync with the academic enterprise can increase recruitment yield, improve student success outcomes, and impact generation of revenue. This text will provide a relevant and practical framework that guides campus policymakers to integrate academic prioritization, strategic enrollment planning, student services, and policies while emphasizing collaboration to achieve long-term and measurable outcomes.

Table of Contents:
1. A Paradigm Shift: The New Normal for Enrollment Management in Higher Education 2. Focusing on the Core Component of EM: Alignment with Academic Programs 3. Hiding in Plain Sight: Context for Critical Collaborations and Partnerships 4. Not Just an Administrative Matter: Creating and Sustaining Faculty-Centered Initiatives 5. Investing in a Culture of Persistence and Completion 6. CRM and Automated Communication Strategies 7. Not the Way We’ve Always Done It: Student Service Delivery in a New Era 8. Refining Admissions Culture: Leading Persistence-Focused Recruitment Models 9. Innovative Approaches to Student Success: HBCU Recruitment and Retention Strategies 10. Leveraging Residence Life as a Partner in Student Success and Completion Strategies 11. Thinking Beyond Revenue: Building Infrastructure for Graduate and Undergraduate International Recruitment and Retention 12. The Role of Campus Leaders in Recruitment, Retention, and Completion Culture 13. Facing Our Future: Effective Student Success Practices

About the Author :
Jason L. Meriwether is Vice President of Enrollment Management and Assistant Professor of Education at Campbellsville University, USA.

Review :
"This volume seeks to challenge the traditional approaches used by colleges and universities to influence the size and composition of the student bodies they serve. It does so through the vehicle of 13 chapters authored by a wide range of authors including a university president and a professor of higher education. These chapters center attention on such topics as academic programs, the critical role of faculty, the delivery of student services, the role of residential life, and the role of the central leadership of a college or university. Attention to the recruitment and retention strategies of HBCUs and international students constitute bonus chapters to this volume. This volume should become the primary resource for colleges and universities striving for a proactive approach to their own futures." John M. Braxton, Professor Emeritus, Vanderbilt University and Senior Resident Scholar of the Tennessee Independent College and University Association, USA "There are relatively few books that provide a comprehensive look at the work of enrollment management. This is an excellent resource for enrollment professionals who are in the early stages of their careers. It is an excellent resource that provides a thorough examination of the strategies associated with EM as well as the various functions across a college or university that are an essential part of enrollment management efforts. A strength of this volume is the extent to which it emphasizes the need for collaboration and teamwork across a wide array of administrative and academic functions. Repeatedly, and correctly, the authors discuss the need to work with faculty, with student life professionals, with academic advisors, with residence life staff, and so forth. In addition, it covers some topics that other enrollment management books fail to address. It includes a chapter discussing EM at HBCUs. In addition, it discusses enrollment management at the graduate level and for international students. It’s a resource that belongs on the bookshelf of every enrollment management organization." Don Hossler, Provost and Sonneborn Professor Emeritus, Indiana University, USA, and Senior Scholar Center for Enrollment, Research, Policy, and Practice, University of Southern California, USA "Dr. Jason Meriwether provides an insightful and transformational overview of the importance of data-driven enrollment management. The power of partnerships with faculty and key campus collaborators, crucial strategies to drive recruitment, and retention and persistence initiatives are discussed. This work on combining these 21st century practices promotes excellence in higher education. This volume offers fresh perspectives from a talented group of contributors and merits attention from campus leaders who are committed to improving outcomes of access and student success." Javaune Adams-Gaston, President, Norfolk State University, USA "Dr. Jason Meriwether epitomizes the concept of practitioner/scholar in today’s higher education with an exceptional combination of three skills rarely found in such seamless alignment. As a very competent administrator, he has acquired a wealth of knowledge about helping students successfully matriculate. As an accomplished writer, he has been able to share his knowledge broadly with the higher education community; and as a gifted collaborator, he has assembled teams of other highly proficient individuals to help him reach these first two achievements. This book is the latest example of how he brings these skills together to benefit us all." Michael J. Cuyjet, Professor Emeritus, University of Louisville, USA "Dr. Jason Meriwether is insightful, precise, and comprehensive in his treatment of the necessary scaffold for successful strategic enrollment management. He and the book’s contributors clearly establish the case for and process of developing and maintaining an enrollment enterprise emphasizing student success as a key priority in higher education in the 21st century." Brendan B. Kelly, President, University of West Georgia, USA "This new book presents spot on, practical strategies for optimizing student recruitment and retention. Dr. Jason Meriwether and this group of experienced contributors provide tangible action plans for enrollment success." Diana Lovell, President, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, USA "Prioritizing Enrollment Management: Effective Practices and Strategies for Student Success and Completion masterfully shifts the focus from traditional enrollment services to a far more dynamic model of enrollment management. This insightful book challenges the status quo, reminding us that common practices are not always best practices. Serving as a playbook of sorts, this new volume advocates for purposeful collaboration between enrollment management and the academic enterprise, a synergy that promises to significantly increase yield, reduce melt, boost belonging, ensure success, and raise revenue. It's a must-read for higher education professionals committed to innovating and improving their enrollment management strategies in an ever-evolving landscape marked by new norms." Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, Professor, Director of the Center for the Study of HBCUs, Virginia Union University, USA "In a time when higher education faces unprecedented challenges, this book brings innovative thinking and practical strategies for improving student success and institutional sustainability. A must-read for any university leader committed to making a meaningful difference in student outcomes." Julie Edstrom, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Southern Connecticut State University, USA "Prioritizing Enrollment Management is a timely and practical guide that should be at the bedside of every leader in higher education. Dr. Jason Meriwether, an accomplished enrollment management professional, has curated a compilation that higher education leaders will want to read. This book illuminates the changing higher education landscape and implications for sustainable enrollment management that privileges student success. Nor surprisingly it underscores the fact that effective enrollment management is a collective activity. I especially appreciated the piece about centering the role of faculty. The book is a gem, a must read for student affairs, enrollment management and academic affairs leaders. Read it and share with your teams." Mary Oling-Sisay, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, California State University San Marcos, USA "To quote an exceptional University President and cherished mentor, 'Enrollment drives revenue, revenue drives the budget, and the budget drives everything else'. Dr. Jason Meriwether and his collaborators breathe fresh life into the art and science of attracting, retaining, and ultimately, preparing students to compete successfully in their chosen fields. For faculty and administrators, the code has been cracked. We are challenged to reexamine rules, norms, and expectations, for all college students, closely held for nearly a century. As an "Academic Village, we must set aside traditional differences, put students first, and collaboratively execute these recommendations. Student Success is a mission imperative." J. Preston Jones, Dean, College of Business, Economics, & Technology, Campbellsville University, USA "Through this volume, Dr. Jason Meriwether and his team of contributors create a 'one-stop shop' for higher education leaders who want to implement enrollment strategies that truly “connect the dots” from recruitment to retention to graduation. Dr. Meriwether’s experience at both public and private institutions allows him to communicate insight that is unparalleled." Donna Hedgepath, President, Wayland Baptist University, USA