1. New Frameworks for Strategic Enrollment Management Planning
AACRAO San Francisco
April 16, 2013

2. Presenters Bob Bontrager, Ed.D.
Senior Director of AACRAO Consulting and SEM Initiatives
Institutional roles: Vice President for Enrollment Management, Director of Admission and Orientation, Assistant Registrar
Oregon State University, Eastern Mennonite University, Arizona State University
Tom Green, Ph.D.
AACRAO Managing Consultant
Institutional roles: Dean/Vice President for Enrollment Management
Eastern Michigan University, Seton Hall University and several others
I changed the order here to be consistent in alphabetical order.

3. What is Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM)?
Strategic enrollment management is a concept and process that enables the fulfillment of institutional mission and students’ educational goals.

4. SEM Planning Framework
Tactics
Strategies
Campus Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes

5. SEM Organizational Framework
SEM Steering Committee
Long-term enrollment goals, securing the approval of strategies through appropriate institutional channels, communication with Executive Cabinet
Recruitment Council
Develop 3-4 strategic goals for new student recruitment; review and approve sub-committee action plans; recommend to SEM Steering Committee
Retention Council
Develop 3-4 strategic goals for retention and graduation; review and approve sub-committee action plans; recommend to SEM Steering Committee
3-4 Committees
Action plans, time lines and metrics for each strategic goal
3-4 Committees
Action plans, time lines and metrics for each strategic goal
How can institutions arrange the resources?
This is a broad template that needs to be customized to each institution’s existing organizational structures and pressing needs.
Address the need to segregate recruitment and retention issues.
Talk a bit about each of the groups’ roles in this process but not too much, as they need to see the process, as well.
Data Team
Environment scanning, student enrollment behavior research, enrollment models, provide data to councils as needed

6. Additional requests, clarifying questions
SEM Process Framework
New or revised goals
Data gathering and assessment:
Internal culture/ environment, student enrollment
behaviors and scan of external environment
Process steps
Performed by
Smaller group of staff and faculty
adept at economics and data use
Use data results to establish
focused goals each for recruitment, retention,
service, etc., and enrollment projection models
Goals recommended by SEM Recruitment
and Retention Councils; models developed
by Data Team
Approve strategic goals and enrollment projection models
Executive leadership,
SEM Steering Committee
Develop action steps, accountability, and metrics
SEM councils and sub-committees
Implement action steps
Appropriate staff and
faculty departments
Monitor progress,
Report results to campus and executive leadership
SEM Steering Committee,
Chief Enrollment Officer
Additional requests, clarifying questions
to goals
Changes
Mid-course adjustments
Align institutional strategic plan with
broad enrollment targets and desired mix of students
The “performed by” will change somewhat, depending upon how these groups are named and deployed (see prior slide)
This process aligns with the pyramid, where it starts with broad strategic goals, assesses data and moves toward greater detail.
The process is iterative, where the process of establishing goals may lead to some additional questions of data.
Focusing down to a few goals is really tough – a good area to consider some facilitation.
Data collection and analysis, as well as facilitating the discipline for limited goals, as some of the areas where institutions find it very helpful to get external advice.
Data collection and assessment includes external (environmental scan) with internal (enrollment behavior) research.

7. SEM Planning Framework
Tactics
Strategies
Campus Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes

8. SEM Planning Framework
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes
Tactics
Strategies
Enrollment Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan
Clarity of institutional mission, vision, goals
Core competencies
Strategic direction
Aggregate enrollment goals

9. SEM Planning Framework
Student categories: first year, transfer, graduate, certificate, continuing ed, face-to-face/online, etc.
Desired student groups: racial/ethnic diversity, academic ability, special skills, family income
Geographic origin: local, regional, national, international
Recruitment, retention, completion
Institutional capacity
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes
Tactics
Strategies
Enrollment Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan
This is the start of a definition of the enrollment mix and more informed by mission and overall plan and yet to be sharpened by data and scanning

10. SEM Planning Framework
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes
Internal benchmarks: KEI numbers over the past 3-5 years
Environmental scan
Demographics
Economics
Market opportunities
Competition
Institutional research plan: designated reports and production schedule
Tactics
Strategies
Enrollment Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan

11. SEM Planning Framework
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes
Tactics
Strategies
Enrollment Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan
5-10 year SEI targets
Focus: the institution’s desired future
Based on: mission, data, and environmental scanning
This is a sharper definition of the KEI’s in the earlier slide, informed and shaped by data

12. SEM Planning Framework
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes
Staffing: skill sets, strategic deployment
Systems: policies, procedures, technology
Capacity for making effective enrollment decisions : positions, reporting lines, committees
Tactics
Strategies
Enrollment Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan

13. SEM Planning Framework
Increase new students of specified types
Increase retention rates, specifically by student types
Expand into new markets
Utilize emerging technologies
Financial aid/scholarships
Academic programs: mix and delivery systems
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes
Tactics
Strategies
Enrollment Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan

14. SEM Planning Framework
Marketing/branding initiatives
Academic program review
Multilingual recruitment materials
Targeted interventions for students in high risk courses
Enhanced academic advising
Streamlined admission procedures
Purchase a new CRM system
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes
Tactics
Strategies
Enrollment Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan

15. SEM Planning Framework
Consistently meeting goals over the long term
Enabling more effective campus-wide planning
Revisions to the institutional strategic plan
Academic planning: curriculum, faculty needs
Facility planning
Financial planning
Achieving the institution’s desired future
Sustainable
Enrollment
Outcomes
Tactics
Strategies
Enrollment Infrastructure
Strategic Enrollment Goals
Data Collection and Analysis
Key Enrollment Indicators
Institutional Strategic Plan

16. Questions / Comments?

17. Resources AACRAO SEM Conference, November 10 - 13, Chicago
New SEM Quarterly journal
College & University journal
AACRAO books (
SEM and Institutional Success (2008)
SEM at the Community College (2010)
SEM in Canada (2011)
SEM: Transforming Higher Education (2012)

18. Thank you! Bob Bontrager Tom Green bontrager@aacrao.org