Author: Dwyer Education Strategies

Michael A. O’Grady Vice President of Sales Oventure Technologies I remember about 17 years ago, I was attending a university-wide ?town-hall? meeting at a large state university where I was working in financial aid and admissions. All faculty, staff and administrators of all levels were required to attend. As usual the president held forth and gave accolades to those aspects of the university he thought were going well, and forcefully admonished those he believed weren?t. The routine was always the same. The president would welcome questions after the admonishment and there would be the usual dead silence. And just as […]

Bill Smith President Think Ahead, LLC Web-based financial aid calculators have been available for several years, and many colleges have incorporated them into their outreach and marketing programs. Other colleges have avoided them, fearing that the posting of a financial aid calculator will open a Pandora?s Box. Aid officers sometimes fear calculators will create questions for users, resulting in increased call volume to explain calculator results. Others are concerned they?ll bind their hands, creating the expectation of an unofficial commitment to prospective students. And some worry that their aid packages will appear meager when exposed via a calculator.

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. ? Ensure that faculty take attendance every day and establish a mechanism to report students who do not attend class. ? Test or quiz within the first ten days of class for all courses enrolling new students, especially freshmen. ? Package currently enrolled students as soon as they apply for financial aid. Do not wait until the end of the Spring term.

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. The United States is facing one of the most significant economic downturns in recent history. It is too early to tell how much worse it is going to get, but at a minimum it is likely that most families are very concerned about the national economy and their own financial situations. Uncertainty will create immediate challenges for colleges and universities. The current economic situation may impact college and university retention rates this term. Institutional leaders would be well-served to consider addressing possible attrition issues in the next couple of months.

April Clark CAS CAS is a full service direct marketing service bureau that handles all data processing services from direct mail to telemarketing to email marketing. Direct mail services include list acquisition, list hygiene, database enhancement, letter shop services, data entry and database building. Telemarketing data processing includes adding telephone numbers to databases and lists, scrubbing lists for ?do not call? flagging, eliminating deceased people from databases and other related services. Email marketing services include providing email prospect lists and broadcasting, appending/adding email addresses to databases, ECOA to update email addresses and handling the broadcast of email messages to your […]

Marcia Nance President InterimWin, Inc. Does anyone else identify an eerie similarity between higher ed enrollment VPs and NFL head coaches? It seems like the same NFL head coaches simply rotate among teams. Not unlike head coaches in the NFL, the same group of enrollment VPs in higher ed seem to rotate among colleges and universities. It is next to impossible for an individual who has not been a head coach or VP to break into the ranks of either of these exclusive clubs. If someone is willing to take a chance on the unproven head coach as was evidenced […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Everyone says they understand the importance of financial aid in the enrollment management process. As the costs of higher education continue to climb, most pay at least lip service to the vital role of financial aid. Unfortunately, many speak of it but few have really examined their own aid policies and procedures to ensure that they are responsive to the needs of current and prospective students and their families. ? Have your current paper requirements been seriously evaluated to eliminate all necessary forms? If you require more than the FAFSA for students […]

Roosevelt University Increases Freshman Enrollments by 70% in a Single Year John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Mary Hendry has earned a fine reputation in Illinois higher education. Her long career in enrollment management has been stellar and many top administrators throughout thestate and beyond owe their careers to her training and mentoring. Active involvement in professional associations over the years has provided another outlet for her to share knowledge and encourage young people new to the profession. Mary serves currently as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Under her leadership and with the […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Leaders in enrollment management divisions can do more to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprints. ? Carefully examine admission travel, including attendance at college fairs and high school visits. With a national emphasis on reducing dependence on oil, eliminating unnecessary travel can save significant dollars and energy. Some institutions have been able to reduce recruitment travel by as much as 80% with no impact on inquiry generation or yield. ? Save the forests by eliminating all forms in the financial aid process not specifically required by regulation. Consider using technology to have […]

John W. Dysart President The Dysart Group, Inc. Ferrum College in Virginia has experienced huge growth under the leadership of Dr. Jennifer Braaten. She implemented a new admission and financial aid plan in 2004 and students really responded. In just the last four years: ? Admission applications have increased by 89%. ? New student enrollments have increased by 82%. ? Total undergraduate enrollment has increased by 45%. ? Ferrum College has expanded its geographic reach by attracting students from eighteen states and five countries.