First and Ten, Do It Again

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 this year in the NFL with rookie head coaches who are already experiencing success, the door opens for others. Is that door as open to untested entry level enrollment VPs in the higher ed arena?

University enrollment VPs and their staffs, not unlike headcoaches and coaching staffs of NFL teams, are charged with? running an operation like a business in addition to what is the more obvious or perceived purpose of their work. For the NFL coach, bringing a team together, developing cohesion and matching individual and team talent to winning offenses and defenses is aligned awkwardly with the business concepts of bottom-line profit/loss and managing the salary cap. So, even the best team member as broadly defined to include alignment with values and individual attitude, may be released because of salary cap or profit/loss calculations. The primary expectation for the NFL coach is not necessarily to develop the best TEAM, but to develop the most entertaining and winning program. It is no longer really about how the game is played ? it is about winning and losing?more specifically winning.

For the enrollment VP, the grand purpose of matching individual student needs and expectations with institutional opportunities is often overshadowed by a requirement for numbers and resultant revenue. It may not be as much about how well students and colleges match up as it is about how many students you can get in the door?.even better, how many full pay students are among the new recruits.

While NFL coaches are charged with filling the seats in stadiums, enrollment VPs are charged with filling the seats in classrooms. Both must accommodate fickle audiences and both must manage special interest groups like booster clubs and legacy programs.

The reality is both NFL head coaches and enrollment VPs are involved in big business that requires making decisions and executing on plans that can make or break organizations and institutions. No wonder it is hard to consider putting an unproven (meaning having never held the position before) person in charge. Inevitably the same group of proven leaders are recruited and rotated through position after position.

It appears we are ready as a country to support leadership that demonstrates more possibility than direct experience. Perhaps it is time also for higher ed to open its doors to new blood in the enrollment VP arena. I believe there are a lot more qualified and untapped professionals out there who can bring new energy and ideas to the enrollment game. They have learned admissions in the trenches and are ready to learn the business of higher ed enrollment. Here?s my thought. They just need a little mentoring to develop that side of their experience base. What some of us who have been in the profession for a while and are part of that rotating group could do is actively mentor new enrollment VPs.

I want to give back to higher education. I want my next best self to weave my values into my work more openly. To that end I have been fortunate enough to be able to create my own business which I have named InterimWin. The main purpose of InterimWin is to provide interim executive leadership while colleges and universities search for their next strategic hires. In addition, I provide, through InterimWin, mentoring for new enrollment VPs. I believe I can teach new VPs how to successfully take on senior-level management and the business of higher ed enrollment. I believe with coaching they can become their next best administrative selves and I can give back to higher education!