Author: Dwyer Education Strategies

Terry Stine came to St. Louis Christian College after an extremely successful tenure as the President at Boise Bible College. He returned to his Missouri roots to take the Presidency during an extremely difficult period of declining enrollment and decreasing revenue. Stine brought his passion for the mission of the institution and his leadership experience to a college in need of transformation.

For nearly thirty years, we?ve written extensively on higher education best business practices for College Planning and Management and Enrollment Manager. We?ve also shared important thoughts as publishers via a major national presidential thought series, President to President.

These are trying times for many colleges and universities.? The spate of headlines regarding retrenchment and closings in recent years is alarming.? Pressure is being felt by public institutions, religious-affiliated colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and myriad private schools.? Media headlines tell the story

Presidential transitions often precede campus transformation, ushering in new periods of growth and visibility for the institution. ?Effective presidents and their teams take full advantage of a new CEO?s arrival, the ?honeymoon? period of good will and excitement, and opportunities to prepare for success while evaluating current conditions.

Demonstrating to all students and their families how they can afford to pay for college is extremely important.? Colleges and universities must make sure that they have financial aid processing operations that guarantee that both currently enrolled students and prospective students are packaged in a timely manner.

Retention and completion are real challenges at so many colleges and universities. Institutions serving large numbers of at-risk students face daunting obstacles. In my experience, systematic tracking, professional academic advising and active intervention can make a material difference in retention, completion and graduation rates. Unfortunately, implementing such an approach requires investments and many schools just do not have sufficient resources to introduce these initiatives institution-wide immediately. Tracking software is necessary to monitor academic progress, participation in co-curricular activities, financial aid application rates, outstanding balances in the Business Office or missed payments, class attendance and more. Individuals will need to be […]

At the time of this writing, Congress is in the process of making significant changes to federal tax laws and several could negatively impact students and/or higher education institutions

In this issue of Enrollment Manager, we focus on the role of the president in the enrollment equation, and how sustainable, quality growth continues on many campuses resulting from sound enrollment practices led by a fully engaged president.

A winning enrollment strategy starts at the top with a president fully committed to a comprehensive enrollment plan based on an overarching vision for the institution. The Board must understand and visibly support the setting of large but realistic goals and sustainable viability to be achieved by the president?the primary spokesperson and advocate of the strategy?and his or her team.