Handbook of Strategic Enrollment Management

Praise for Handbook of Strategic Enrollment Management

"This incisive volume brings together the latest empirical research on student access and choice, coupled with lessons gleaned from experienced practitioners of college admissions and financial aid. The book is essential reading for those responsible for college budgets and enrollment management, and also for students and faculty in graduate programs of higher education administration."
David W. Breneman, university professor and Newton and Rita Meyers Professor in Economics of Education and Public Policy, University of Virginia

"Strategic enrollment management is the hot–button topic right now. Hossler and Bontrager represent the best knowledge of this topic, both theoretically and practically, to provide synergy to this group of experts as they guide administrators through the SEM maze."
Nancy G. McDuff, associate vice president for admissions and enrollment management, University of Georgia

"Hossler and Bontrager distinguished SEM researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders team to provide an outstanding and comprehensive book that will benefit the entire field of strategic enrollment management."
William Serrata, president, El Paso Community College

"Nowhere else could you find such a thorough and accurate introduction to one of higher education′s newest professions. This Handbook draws lessons from the most recent and important research in the field to help SEM professionals enhance and advance their university′s mission."
Nicholas Hillman, assistant professor, University of Wisconsin–Madison

"I have no doubt that the Handbook will become the bible for chief enrollment officers and those who want to become chief enrollment officers around the country. Hossler and Bontrager provide all the tools needed to enroll, retain, and graduate a diverse student population at a wide range of institutions."
Michael Bastedo, associate professor and director, Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, University of Michigan School of Education

"The Handbook captures the full sweep of historical developments in enrollment management as a powerful driver in higher education and bridges the gap in practical knowledge between research and strategic decision–making."
Robert S. Lay, dean for enrollment management, Boston College

Preface xi

About the Editors and Contributors xvii

About AACRAO xxiii

PART I: SETTING THE CONTEXT 1

1 Origins of Strategic Enrollment Management 3
Don Hossler

2 Understanding the Context 18
Bob Bontrager and Don Hossler

3 Successful Strategic Enrollment Management Organizations 31
Don Hossler, David H. Kalsbeek, and Bob Bontrager

PART II: CHOICE, MARKETS, AND ADMISSIONS 47

4 Understanding Student College Choice 49
Eunkyoung Park and Don Hossler

5 Markets and Market Niches 77
David H. Kalsbeek and Brian Zucker

6 Admissions and Recruitment Marketing 103
Tom Hayes

7 Understanding Transfer and Articulation: Implications for Enrolling Transfer Students 124
Bruce Clemetsen, Lee Furbeck, and Alicia Moore

8 How Admission Decisions Get Made 147
Jerome A. Lucido

PART III: PRICING AND FINANCIAL AID 175

9 Economic Perspectives on Pricing and What It Means for SEM 177
Gabriel R. Serna and Matthew Birnbaum

10 Understanding Financial Aid and Its Effects on Student Enrollments and Institutional Finance 196
Jacob P. K. Gross

11 Using Campus–Based Financial Aid Strategically 213
Stephen Brooks

12 Budgets, Aid, and Enrollments 228
Guilbert L. Brown and Jacob P. K. Gross

PART IV: STUDENT RETENTION, PERSISTENCE, AND SUCCESS 245

13 New Context for Retention and Persistence 249
Doug Shapiro and Afet Dundar

14 Models of Student Retention and Persistence 268
Amy S. Hirschy

15 Students at Risk in Residential and Commuter Colleges and Universities 289
John M. Braxton, Harold V. Hartley III, and Dawn Lyken–Segosebe

16 The Persistence of Students of Color 311
Willis A. Jones

17 Nontraditional Students and Student Persistence 333
Mary K. Hutchens

18 The Role of the Institution in Increasing College Student Persistence 351
Mary Ziskin, Jerome A. Lucido, Jacob P. K. Gross, Donald Hossler, Emily Chung, and Vasti Torres

PART V: THE IMPORTANT BACK ROOM 375

19 Delivering Effective Admissions Operations 377
Jennifer DeHaemers and Michele Sandlin

20 The Registrar of the Future 396
David M. Sauter and Howard E. Shanken

21 The Role of Financial Aid Operations in Fostering Student and Institutional Success 408
Tom Green

22 The Role of Technology in Supporting SEM 427
Wendy Kilgore and Brent Gage

PART VI: DATA, POLICY, AND STRUCTURES 447

23 Campus–Based SEM Research 449
Darin Wohlgemuth

24 Tracking SEM Policy Trends 471
Mike Reilly and Michelle Mott

25 Strategic Thinking Enrollment Organizations 490
Adam J. Herman

26 Emerging SEM Organizations for Graduate and International Students 508
Jay Goff and Monique Snowden

PART VII: PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER 529

27 Strategic Enrollment Planning 531
Bob Bontrager and Tom Green

28 Trends in Strategic Enrollment Management 549
Don Hossler

29 Ethics and Strategic Enrollment Management 565
Marc M. Camille

30 Summing Up: The Present and Future Tense for SEM 585
Don Hossler and Bob Bontrager

Name Index 591

Subject Index 603

DON HOSSLER is a professor of educational leadership and policy studies at Indiana University at Bloomington.

BOB BONTRAGER is senior director of Consulting and Strategic Enrollment Management Initiatives for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).