Like most first year grad students, I have various academic
interests. Due to my previous collegiate and professional work experiences,
I’ve become interested in service-learning, institutional advancement, first
generation students, college accessibility for undocumented students, civic
engagement, cross-cultural experiences, and study abroad.
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And Buffy. Always
Buffy. Which, let’s be honest, can totally be classified as an academic
interest.
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But here’s the thing about graduate school – it leads you down the
most unexpected paths. (And I’m only in the second month!)
Case in point: I have discovered a deep fascination with
enrollment management.
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This is me
studying Enrollment Management for the first time, and being all “…this is…intriguing”
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You see, in our HESA program we are required to take 2 classes the
first semester (Student Development Theory & Research and Intro to College
and University Administration) and then we get one elective. There were a ton
of interesting classes to choose from involving international education,
gender, philosophy of education, and more.
But then I saw Enrollment Management and thought “HMMMM”. I mean,
I thought Admissions was interesting and it was going to be taught by Don
Hossler (an expert on this subject). Plus, if you know the trends in higher ed,
then you know that enrollment management is the
“sexy & exciting” functional area of the decade, with institutional advancement
right underneath it (remember: the power players in any organization are the ones who bring in revenue). So I decided
to take the class.
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| Enrollment Management: Sexy & exciting, indeed…Hmm, sadly this was the most exciting EM image the internet could find. My mission is clear: I must create as sexy & exciting image for EM... |
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“Numfar,
do the dance of Enrollment Management!”
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AND NOW I LOVE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT.
Our professor’s breadth of knowledge is fascinating and leads us
through the most interesting discussions. Our T.A. is fantastic, bringing his
small private college admissions experience into the classroom (I admit, I know
little about private institutions so it’s great to learn from him) and I loved his lecture on Affirmative Action (I have a much better understanding of it now). My peers
include both first and second year HESA cohort members, which helps to give our
discussions different layers, plus it’s a nice change to socialize with the
second years. The readings are great. I certainly did not realize, prior
to our class, just how much EM encompassed and how the priorities are
changing as the student population changes in America.
Even better, this week we had John Lawlor of the Lawlor Group, a well-known
firm that specializes in small private university enrollment management
consultation, speak to our class. (He even declined a video interview for our class and flew here on his own just to teach us for a couple hours. That is the kind of amazing program I am in at IU.) I took 15 pages of notes during his speech –
it was fantastic to hear examples from different institutions and national
trends.
Plus, when I said my interest was in policy and our professor stated that only the doctoral class would cover that topic, I asked if I could attend the
doctoral class on the day they discussed policy. He said yes and I did (this also included a great talk on the walk home with an international doc student who explained higher ed policy in her country). So yeah, you
know I must really love the topic if I was excited to attend an extra 3 hour
class and do extra readings for said class…
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| Or I’m just crazy. |
When I think about it, my interest in EM really should not be
surprising. It involves high-level strategy over an entire organization, has
multiple layers, includes marketing and policy, and carries with it a sense of
competition (with other institutions). I have experience in all of these areas,
and have always enjoyed my work with them. I like to think about the Big
Picture but also enjoy considering the small details that take us there. My political science background and work with BGSU's Governmental Affairs office has inspired my love for higher ed policy. Also, I’m
reminded of when I served as Director for Teen Central and managed all the
functional areas, including marketing and strategic planning. The teen center
was one of my best jobs and I would love to return to a challenging position
like that again.
Luckily my Enrollment Management course is providing a great
foundation of knowledge if this is the path I’m meant for. I guess we'll see what the rest of my two years brings.
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Thanks, college. You know,
sometimes you’re alright!
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References (Student Affairs
for non-SA folks & Pop Culture References for Everyone!)
*Enrollment Management's mission at an institution is to enroll new students, retain current students - all the while ensuring there is enough net revenue for the institution's operating expenses, carrying out social justice by working to diversify the student body, obeying mandates issued by policy makers, following public policy funding changes, and more.
*Buffy the Vampire Slayer: As in, my favorite show since I was in
the 7th grade. And there actually are/have been collegiate courses
on Buffy, so it is also, like, totally an academic interest ;)
*Sexy & exciting – a phrase to describe anything
trend-a-riffic. (Usually not used literally.)
*Numfar: Cameo appearance by series creator Joss Whedon in Angel whose
(S2,ep21 “Through the Looking Glass”). A
running joke in the fandom is having Numfar expand on his “Dance of Joy” to
become the dance of whatever the viewer wishes. YouTube reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XXjj0lNi48&noredirect=1
*The Lawlor Group: http://www.thelawlorgroup.com/
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