Applying a consumer satisfaction model to higher education program administration provides the manager with a systemic view of satisfaction, related variables, and postpurchase (alumni) actions. By manipulating the variables leading to consumer satisfaction, the institution can satisfy its consumers and increase the likelihood the consumer will…

A model using four categories of college applicants (enrollment deposit paid, deposit not yet paid, applicants not yet admitted, and those who have not yet applied) that allows forecasting of freshman enrollment from any point in the admission process and simulates the effects of trends and strategies on enrollment is outlined. (MSE)

The process of project management is illustrated through application to one activity, development of a new brochure, within the admissions program of a fictional college. The project life cycle is described, and a work responsibility schedule, project completion schedule, and critical path chart are used as planning and implementation tools. (MSE)

A marketing information system approach for college admissions is outlined that includes objectives, information needs and sources, a data collection format, and information evaluation. Coordination with other institutional information systems is recommended. (MSE)

The concept of student-institution fit includes much more than institutional searches for students with predetermined characteristics based on the characteristics of graduates. It requires a broad interactionist perspective, links with an institution-wide student retention plan, realistic information dissemination, and response to existing…

The Georgia Southern University admissions office implemented Total Quality Management (TQM) principles to control the quality of information management. It is suggested that, although TQM is used best on an institutionwide basis, it can also be useful in improving quality, reducing cost, increasing productivity, and achieving competitiveness on a…

The movement to enhance the freshman year experience by changing the way institutions treat, welcome, assimilate, support, and inform freshman students is discussed and illustrated. The potential importance of the movement to admissions officers and registrars is emphasized. (MSE)

The University of Massachusetts/Boston's program of short- and long-term orientation, organizational communication, career development, and professional recognition for administrative support staff is described. (MSE)

A survey of 17 registrars in colleges and universities using narrative evaluation of students instead of traditional grading investigated the types of institutions using the method, number of narratives generated, variations in form of narrative, history of the systems, methods of collecting and processing, control and limitations, costs, and…

A discussion of student-employee management in the college admissions office looks at the philosophy underlying student use in this function, employee recruitment and hiring practices, training and compensation, monitoring of student-employee performance, and the personal and professional rewards of working with student employees in this context.…

At Brigham Young University, the admissions office organized its staff in teams and built a computer software system to support the teams. An improved worker sense of responsibility and increased emphasis on human factors resulted in dramatically increased productivity as measured by number of admissions applications processed and completed.…