Blog

One of the more interesting aspects of working in the higher education space is the amount of change and innovation that has been occurring in recent years. Dual-enrollment programs is one of the more exciting ways that schools are re-thinking how they engage with students.

The Higher Education User Group's annual conference wrapped up this Wednesday. It was incredible to catch up with old friends, discuss challenges and trends faced by small and large institutions, and discuss how they are adapting to the changing world inherent in the industry. Here are some of my reactions and observations.

2 months ago (May, 2022), the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center put out a report about the recent drop in upward transfer enrollment. This is a significant issue for institutions who are already seeing drops in enrollment.

After participating virtually in 2021, it was refreshing to reconnect with old colleagues and make new connections at the 2022 FACRAO Annual Summit in Daytona Beach last week. 

This past April many community colleges across the county joined in celebrating Community College Month (#ccmonth). The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) coordinated a grassroots campaign to “increase awareness and understanding of the value of community colleges both locally and nationally.”  As we followed the celebration around the country, we wanted to share some highlights and takeaways from the great work these two-year institutions are doing.

After two years of being virtual, it was great to reconnect with HEUG colleagues in-person at Alliance.

Stealth applicants have always been a challenge for institutions. However, the pandemic amplified those challenges as institutions had to adapt processes, like going test-optional, and college fair and campus visit opportunities were limited due to pandemic-related restrictions and safety concerns. Although pandemic-related restrictions are being lifted, allowing more open on- and off-campus events, many institutions are not changing their test-optional policies.  

Spending nearly a decade as an enrollment management professional until recently, I experienced the challenge that the impending traditional enrollment cliff presents for universities and colleges. I was often faced trying to find solutions to the same recurring questions: 

Is your institution having challenges reaching your enrollment goals for certain groups of students?  Perhaps you have initiatives for online curriculum or competency-based education that are not getting traction. Your institution’s culture could be setting you up to fail and you may not even be aware of it. 

If you work in the higher education industry, you probably don't need a report to tell you that 2020 was a challenge for colleges and universities.  However, the most recent report put together by the National Student Clearinghouse (link here) gives insight into how COVID has affected enrollment in each type of school and demographic -- and it's not all doom and gloom.