SEMQ Volume 13, Issue 3 (October 2025)

While many have sought to uncover the SEM silver bullet, it has remained
elusive. This is because there is no single approach that works for all
institutions. Each institution faces unique challenges and opportunities
related to their region, institutional mandate, and the students they serve.
This issue of SEM Quarterly speaks to how current SEM practitioners are
increasing our understanding of how SEM can be applied in a diverse
postsecondary educational environment. It increases our understanding of
faculty SEM perspectives, the impact of entrance awards on student enrollment,
the use of SEM at community colleges, the enrollment planning to
implementation barriers, the pitfalls of onboard digital platform
implementation, and transfer student engagement and transition.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which required students, staff, and
faculty to study and work remotely is well known; however, it is believed that
perspectives vary among campus stakeholders. Jennifer Passenti and Luke
Schultheis conducted a qualitative study involving faculty members to learn a
faculty perspective on enrollment and retention success during the pandemic.
It followed a prior study that presented the perspective of administration.
Three emergent themes were identified related to enrollment, retention, and
institutional strategies.

Student financial aid entrance awards are frequently used to enhance yield
rates among postsecondary institutions, sometimes focused on specifically
targeted student populations. Alexander Ondrus and Ashmita De examined the
impact of entrance awards on yield rates in a business program. They found
that, after adjusting for model bias, the observed yield among students who
were offered a merit-based entrance award significantly exceeded predictions.

Enrollment management approaches to enrolling and supporting postsecondary
students is increasingly becoming more common place. Joseph Mews describes
shifts in the enrollment outlook for community colleges, and explores
enrollment management opportunities for these institutions, emphasizing
strategies that expand access and improve student success. He also highlights
the critical role of community partnerships and workforce development,
aligning enrollment management strategies with institutional mission and local
labor market needs.

Institutions who are beginning their SEM journey often experience difficulty
in moving from planning to implementation of their SEM plans. Josh Hibbard and
Ediz Kaykayoglu examine effective strategies for transitioning from SEM
planning to execution by exploring the essential components of effective SEM
implementation, from planning and project organization to measurement,
leadership, and budget alignment.

Much of the literature on student engagement and transition focuses on the
experiences of first-time, first-year students. Tessa Benedict-Philipp and
Jaclyn Leigh Thalassa Duerr describe an approach developed at UC San Diego,
called the Triton Transfer Hub, that created an adaptable mentorship program
focused on engagement in a way that met transfer students’ individualized
needs and built their sense of belonging.

The pitfalls of onboarding digital platform implementation are well known to
most of us in higher education. Amanda Coltri and Ane Turner Johnson, using a
university case study, lay out some of the most frequently encountered
struggles surrounding new technology implementation and highlights key
opportunities for addressing these issues. They suggest that the success of a
digital onboarding platform relies on a well-designed and executed
implementation and adoption plan.

We also include one book review. Tammy Johnson introduces us to
SEM Core Concepts: Leading Toward Learner Success and Campus Enrollment
Health
(2024), which is the latest book in AACRAO’s SEM planning trilogy. The
authors, Jody Gordon and Stanley Henderson, present the theoretical tenets and
practical applications essential for campus enrollment health and learner
success. It is a must read for those new to SEM.

As the SEM community addresses today’s challenges while planning for the needs
of a new generation of learners, we must continue growing our scholarship and
sharing best and promising practices. Hopefully, this SEMQ edition
will provide research and insights to help us achieve student success and
institutional health.

Happy reading.