SEMQ Volume 12, Issue 4 (January 2025)

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (2024) recently reported
that 44 states saw enrollment growth last year, which included growth in
freshmen, community college students, dual-enrolled high school students, and
graduate enrollment. But while these enrollment gains give us poise for
optimism, enrollments remain below pre-pandemic levels, leaving us to remember
that we need to always remain vigilant in our approach to recruiting and
retaining postsecondary students. This issue of SEM Quarterly speaks
to how current SEM practitioners are increasing our understanding of these
topics and what we can do to enhance our practice.

We often talk about the need for a presidential charge in the development of
strategic enrollment management. Randy Weber, president at Rogue Community
College, writes about how community college presidents can embed SEM into
mission fulfillment by emphasizing the importance of setting a vision,
ensuring adequate resources, and fostering collaboration by leveraging
data-driven strategies and continuous improvement.

Summer melt, the phenomenon where students who have been accepted into college
do not enroll in the fall semester, is a continuing and long-held concern of
senior enrollment officers. Gail Ledezma introduces us to a quantitative
study, conducted from applicants to a California community college campus,
that explores the predictive factors associated with students’ likelihood of
melting. Findings provide valuable but preliminary insights into the melting
phenomenon in the community college context.

Academic advising is often touted as an essential student success tool. Kal
Srinivas and Hope Smalling discuss Syracuse University’s initiative to
transform student success by overhauling advising practices to better serve
students, a process that included improving advisor training and coordinating
advising across the institution, as well as integrating advising with career
services. This led to supporting the university’s strategic plan goals of
serving the whole student as well as sustaining an inclusive campus
environment.

Financial aid is seen by many as one of the key ways to encourage and sustain
student enrollment and to influence student decision-making related to the
value of American higher education. Daniyal Saud, Meghan Grace, and Micah
Kamrass discuss implementation of a no-loan initiative at a highly-selective
NCAA Division 1 private literal arts college. Their study shows the
differences in student experience and student success through the evaluation
of student life experiences, academic experience, and experience with
financial aid and work study between the cohort of students who receive
financial aid packages that contain loans and work study and those who do not.

Decreased enrollment in graduate education programs poses a significant
challenge for the ongoing development of educators, administrators, and
learning professionals across various domains, including PK–12, higher
education, and corporate settings. Alex Fronduto and Heidi Bishop report on a
quantitative study that identified unique growth opportunities and
partnerships for student recruitment to enhance graduate education enrollment.

In a leadership piece, Jerry Ross introduces us to the book,
Leadership in Higher Education (2019), which highlights the five key
practices of effective postsecondary leadership including: model the way,
inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act,
and encouraging the heart. He suggests that applying these leadership
practices to enrollment management divisions will help to create a “motivated,
innovative, and mission-driven team” that contributes to institutional
success.

We also include a book review. Christopher Tremblay provides us with a look
into
A Comprehensive Guide to Graduate Enrollment Management: Advancing Research
and Practice (2024), which provides a thorough examination of graduate enrollment
management (GEM), from foundational terminology to advanced topics. Highlights
include an in-depth exploration of legal issues, marketing strategies, and
financial aid, as well as practical case studies and research insights.

The higher education landscape is always changing. While we can learn much
from what we have accomplished, it is important to look ahead to the new
challenges the SEM community faces. Hopefully, this SEMQ edition will
help you find your way to student and institutional success.

Happy reading.