Accountability in higher education most often concentrates on what and how to measure performance, but less often on how it can be used for planning, managing, and teaching. Besides serving higher education's consumers, accountability measures should also serve those who plan and manage institutions, especially those engaged in managing…

This report summarizes the most recent (December 1998) long-range statewide forecast of fall enrollment and average annual weekly student contact hours (WSCH) in California Community Colleges. The annual fall survey of college registrars shows that fall 1998 enrollment is up 1.8 percent over fall 1997. The office forecasting model projects an…

There is no right way to forecast college enrollments; in many instances, it will be prudent to use both qualitative and quantitative methods. Methods chosen must be relevant to questions addressed, policies and decisions at stake, and time and talent required. While it is tempting to start quickly, enrollment forecasting is an area in which…

Comprehensive enrollment management (CEM) ensures that academic, student, and fiscal planning are done in concert in order to acknowledge the turbulence confronting an institution. A four-phase model of CEM has been developed that can be replicated at any college or university. In phase 1 of the model, the past 25 years of institutional enrollment…

Enrollment simulation and planning (ESP) is centered on the use of statistical models to describe how and why college enrollments fluctuate. College planners may use this approach with confidence to simulate any number of plausible future scenarios. Planners can then set a variety of possible college actions against these scenarios, and examine…