Enrollment Management Planning

1
Enrollment ManagementPlanning

• 2006

Department of Technical and Adult Education The
Technical College System of Georgia
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Enrollment Management Planning Committee
DTAE

• Charge to the Committee
• Identify possible internal/system reasons for
  enrollment decline
• Review policies and identify real and perceived
  barriers to enrollment growth
• Identify policy and practices that can influence
  enrollment growth

3
Discussion
DTAE

• External factors impact student enrollment
• Complex, multi-faceted
• Competition from proprietary schools
• Escalating costs
• Focus should be on systemic and internal factors
  on which DTAE can have an impact policy,
  procedures, strategies, practices
• Enrollment Management must encompass planning,
  recruiting, and retention

4
Methodology
DTAE

• 2006 DTAE Enrollment Management Decline Study
• Focus groups of students, staff/administrators
  from 9 colleges chosen for diversity
• Information from survey of college presidents

5
Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• HOPE cap. Detriment to seamlessness and
  retraining. Impacts dual enrollment.
• Recommendation Advocate for the removal of the
  HOPE cap, particularly for high school students.

6
Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Relevancy of Programs and Services. Flexibility,
  responsiveness, adaptation, and speed are
  critical to todays student.
• Recommendations
• Revise Probe and IFCC procedures
• Strengthen distance education programs and
  support services
• Change processes to emphasize student-centered
  practices

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Funding Constraints. Funding declines directly
  impact enrollment faculty, recruitment,
  competitiveness, and currency of offerings
• Recommendations
• External - Advocate strongly for funding formulas
  that provide parity with BOR two-year
  institutions.
• Internal - Revise fee structure for high cost
  programs.

8
Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Technology Fee. Cost prohibitive and perceived
  negatively by students
• Recommendation Advocate for HOPE legislation
  revision to pay technology fee

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Image and Brand. Statewide campaign is needed
  funding constraints at local level inhibit
  marketing efforts
• Recommendations
• Initiate a statewide marketing campaign
• Advertise more aggressively and in broader venues

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Seamlessness between DTAE and BOR Institutions.
  Transfer issues are both critical and confusing
  to students. Transferability has strategic value
  for DTAE colleges.
• Recommendation Expand current transfer
  agreements with BOR colleges where applicable.
• Orientation/catalogue should clarify issue

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Wait Lists. List currently exceeds 10,000. HOPE
  cap deters students from continuing education
  while waiting for program entry.
• Recommendation Revise tuition structure for
  high-cost programs to support additional classes
  that will reduce wait times.

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Retention. Retention is a statewide issue 50
  rate from 2005-2006. Retention and recruitment
  services have suffered under budget cuts.
• Recommendations
• Conduct further study on underlying reasons
• Provide training on retention and recruitment to
  all staff
• Recognize the role and impact of funding as a key
  factor and identify ways to restore funding

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Customer Service. Efficient and student-focused
  admissions procedures are critically important to
  students. Flexibility and innovation in class
  scheduling and students services are impeded by
  funding declines.
• Recommendation Identify best practices for
  possible state models. Review all processes for
  efficiency and student focus.

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Enrollment Management. The issue encompasses a
  dynamic integration of multiple factors related
  to recruitment and retention. System-wide focus
  and systemic practices will influence enrollment.
• Recommendations
• State-wide training from leaders in the field.
• Establish best practices with strong
  recommendations for implementation at local
  level.
• Provide state-level leadership position to guide
  efforts.

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Special Support for Rural Schools. Unique
  characteristics apply to northern and southern
  rural colleges that impact enrollment and
  retention.
• Recommendation Establish a committee to identify
  strategies for rural areas that will influence
  enrollment.

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Rules and Procedures. Program review and
  curriculum modifications need a rapid response
  process to be competitive. The IFCC process
  should be reviewed to insure competitiveness at
  the local college level
• Recommendation Establish a committee to drill
  down into rules and procedures and identify those
  that inhibit clarity, flexibility, and
  responsiveness
• Recommend options

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Policies to Review
DTAE

• Assessment V.B.2.
• Rationale.TCCs offer short-term programs of
  study. Admissions and placement exam regulations
  stifle flexibility in admissions and
  responsiveness to training needs.
• Recommendations. Clarify placement testing
  requirements for TCCs. Allow waiving of placement
  testing requirements for TCCs over 25 credit
  hours.

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Policies to Review
DTAE

• Articulation and Transfer IV.J.
• Rationale Transfer and advance credit issues are
  critical to students seamlessness and
  transferability between DTAE and BOR are hindered
  by testing regulations seamlessness is hindered
  by out-of-date mini-core agreements.
• Recommendations
• Clarify and standardize DTAE transfer and
  articulation credit policy standardize
  procedures to guide local colleges.
• Expand mini-core agreements for SACS accredited
  schools.

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Findings and Recommendations
DTAE

• Overall, impediments to enrollment management are
  not policy driven.
• Recommendations
• Identify the procedures most critical to
  enrollment management and review for efficiency,
  responsiveness, flexibility, and student-centered
  focus.
• Disseminate revised procedures statewide provide
  support at every level of execution.

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Conclusion
DTAE

• No single solution will correct enrollment
  decline
• Although policies need to be closely reviewed
  (other than the 2 identified), it is when they
  are operationalized at the campus level (and
  become procedures) that the student-focus seems
  often to be weak
• Multiple and state wide approaches working in
  dynamic interaction are needed to reverse the
  decline.
• System-level support and leadership are critical.
• Effects of decreased funding and budget
  reductions have had a negative impact on
  recruitment, enrollment and retention.