Determining best practices for graduate enrollment requires continuous dedication by graduate enrollment personnel to identify innovative and relevant recruitment strategies to attract potential graduate applicants. The dynamic landscape of higher education creates further complexity as these best practices must also align with institutional…

Many professions necessitate a graduate-level education, and research conducted by graduate students is integral in many fields, particularly those in the life science programs like ecology and environmental sciences. However, practices for recruiting and selecting graduate students are inconsistent among and within institutions. Although some…

There is a pressing need for American Indian and Native Alaskan professionals who have the preparation necessary to address the quality of life and natural resource issues in Native communities. We assert that universities should adopt proactive strategies that build pathways for Natives to obtain advanced degrees.

The college enrollment landscape has changed vastly in the last couple of decades. As such, regional public universities (RPUs) have had to become increasingly strategic in how they recruit new students to attend their institutions. For example, total college enrollment has declined from 2010 to 2017, and this population continues to become more…

At every college and university, students enroll with expectations and aspirations about the kind of experience and the kind of outcomes that the institution delivers. When those expectations are met and exceeded, students are satisfied and likely to remain committed to their college choice. When their experience falls short of their expectations,…

A 4 Ps framework for student retention strategy is a construct for reframing the retention discussion in a way that enables institutional improvement by challenging some conventional wisdom and prevailing perspectives that have characterized retention strategy for years. It opens new possibilities for action and improvement by suggesting that…

The increasing competition for the desired quantity and quality of college students, along with the rise of for-profit institutions, has amplified the scrutiny of behavior and ethics among college admissions professionals and has increased the need for meaningful ethical guidelines and codes of conduct. Many other areas of responsibility within…

In this article, the author illustrates how three campuses have, in their own way, attempted to bring coherence to the student experience and enrich that experience by more closely matching what was promised to what each student actually experiences while enrolled. Fulfilling students' expectations that were purposefully articulated in the mission…

As a topic of study, disability is not new at institutions of higher education. Psychological and intellectual disabilities have been of interest in psychiatry and psychology at least since the late 1800s and early 1900s. The post-World War II era, in particular, witnessed the rapid expansion of academic programs in special education, vocational…

Building undergraduate and graduate programs simultaneously highlighted the tensions between disciplinary-based undergraduate programs and interdisciplinary graduate programs.

Competition is eroding the compact between higher education and the public, pushing higher education toward institutional self-interest and away from serving public needs.

Steps taken by institutions to have a greater impact on their student enrollments are referred to as enrollment management. Organizational implications are defined and enrollment management is defined as a process that influences the size, shape, and characteristics of a student body. (MLW)

Often necessary to meet enrollment goals in a competitive age, student recruitment from new sources requires a sound knowledge of marketing, solid research, effective organization, and institutional activities that will attract the desired populations. Experience at Westminster College (Utah) illustrates that the process is not particularly…

Discussion of effective college admissions recruitment considers new methodology, including electronic media, student information systems, statistical technologies, and increased use of geodemographic tools. Stresses the importance, however, of traditional principles, such as personalization and timing of nonprofit marketing. (DB)

Too many college presidents do not realize that interpreting and promoting the college program are as important as rethinking its content or structure, suggests one president. The academic program is part of the appeal of any college and should be explained to potential students. (LBH)