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ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES

ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES. College Board Middle States Regional Forum February 13, 2008 Atlantic City, New Jersey. COMMUNITY COLLEGE…. “…a great place to make some mistakes”. COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTS (courtesy American Association of Community Colleges).

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ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES

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  1. ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES College Board Middle States Regional Forum February 13, 2008 Atlantic City, New Jersey

  2. COMMUNITY COLLEGE… “…a great place to make some mistakes”

  3. COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACTS (courtesy American Association of Community Colleges) • 46% of all US undergraduates (plus another 5 million non-credit students) • 39% of all international students in the US • 50% of all new health care workers and 80% of firefighters, police and EMT workers educated at community colleges • $400K more earnings in a lifetime than a HS grad

  4. SO IF YOU’RE SO SMART… • …why aren’t you going to a community college?

  5. FIVE COMPONENTS OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT • Marketing • Recruitment • Financial Aid • Retention • Completion

  6. MARKETING – WHO DO WE REACH, HOW AND WHEN? • Not a name brand • Prospective students aren’t all centrally located • Many prospective students haven’t even been thinking about college – needs beyond the traditional high school to college path • Media coverage of higher ed trends – focuses on 18-year-old students and four-year colleges

  7. MARKETING SOLUTIONS • Go beyond communicating with high schools – find your non-traditional students, learn where they get their information • Center of the community – arts, family events, programs for all ages, municipal functions – keep the name out there • Flexibility – scheduling, starting new programs, Continuing Ed, multiple locations • When to market? For next term’s registration? At the time of the decision? For special events? • Always keep an eye on the local economy • Recruiting other schools’ students for summer/winter courses to get caught up, save money, graduate on time – a win/win/win

  8. RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES • Perception that CC’s are only for students who can’t be admitted to four-year colleges • Limited territory • Being compared to four-year schools that put more emphasis on the “wow factor” • Lack of cost factor awareness

  9. RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS • Sell the school’s quality and the concept to students through guidance counselors and parents • A Bachelor’s Degree is a Bachelor’s Degree, no matter where the student started • Make those outside the county aware of unique programs • Some mimic 4-year schools – dorms, honors programs, even Bachelor’s Degrees – more “WOW” appeal • Don’t ignore college fairs – be a player • Partner with four-year schools – not just articulation agreements – and high schools (dual enrollment) • Make sure recruiters can address cost and aid questions • Re-recruit! Many CC students take 2 years off after HS

  10. FINANCIAL AID AND COSTS • CC’s should always play up the affordability angle • Difference for two years at a CC can be tens of thousands and much less debt, but… • $1000 is still a lot of money to high need families • Have to keep things clear and simple – aid recipients tend to be first generation, single parents, recent immigrants, etc. • Make information readily available in as many languages as your student body needs

  11. CAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES MAKE STRATEGIC USE OF FINANCIAL AID? • Answer is YES! • Strategic, but not necessarily just a recruitment or yield device • If payment is required when students register, FAO must be highly proactive • Aid can encourage desirable enrollment behaviors • NJ STARS – state merit scholarship for community colleges with a continuation for years 3 and 4 at a state four-year college

  12. RETENTION AND GRADUATION • Most community colleges’ #1 challenge • Political pressure, USNWR mentality, a “one size fits all” accountability • Identifying students’ goals is difficult – might not be a degree • Making education a priority is a challenge • Classes the students need, when and where they need them – identified by Noel-Levitz as CC’s biggest delivery gap • What does an Associate’s Degree give a student? • Students need both quality instruction and advising

  13. COMPLETION – HOW DO WE GET STUDENTS INTO CAPS AND GOWNS? • Advising, tutoring, outreach, flexibility, lots of hand holding • Learning communities • Make the information students need plain and simple, make sure it’s where they look for it, and repeat it often • Put emphasis on long-term goals • Transfer and life experience credits

  14. David Sheridan • Dean of Enrollment Management • Union County College • 1033 Springfield Avenue • Cranford, NJ 07016 • 908-709-7516 • sheridan@ucc.edu

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