Enrollment Insights Podcast

This is a recording of a webinar discussing the results of the Niche/TCS survey of seniors in the fall about their college search. Jeremy Tiers and Will Patch discuss five key results and answer audience questions.

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this episode, you will hear from Jennifer Webb. Jennifer is the Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at Flint Hill School. She has 15 years of experience in progressive enrollment management roles spanning from Junior Kindergarten to doctorate programs. She has a demonstrated record of leading strategy development and execution to consistently surpass quantitative and qualitative enrollment goals. The foundation of her approach is prioritizing a culture of data collection and analysis to inform strategic enrollment management decisions. She uses data to inform work in areas such as developing strategic enrollment plans, drafting enrollment projections, developing funnel goals, honing in on mission-aligned fit, strengthening brand messaging, informing program development, cultivating markets, team-building, resource allocation, attrition intervention, and retention planning, educating the community about enrollment management, visit experiences and more. Jennifer is inspired by the impact of education at all levels and the power of collaboration across campus departments, organizations, and industries.

0:00 - Introduction

3:05 - Make sure you have the right systems to execute your vision for enrollment management

4:12 - If you have to force something to work you may need to stop and rethink it

6:08 - Brainstorming by persona and funnel stage

9:50 - Inquiries and family who are closer to enrolling have different lists of must-haves

10:35 - Jennifer's observations about the differences between higher ed and K12 admissions

14:03 - In K12, "fit" isn't just about the students—it's about the whole family

15:29 - Who you need on your team to be positioned for success with data collection

16:18 - Even if you can't hire an FTE, write data collection and analysis into the job descriptions for the people who will own those processes

16:50 - Flint Hill's unicorn position for driving enrollment

21:50 - The (many) ways Jennifer's team uses enrollment data

38:25 - "Every year we're taking a look at how can we hone in more on fit?"

39:05 - Sharing enrollment data with cross-functional teams

39:35 - Marcom + Admissions = a match made in heaven

42:10 - Using registration data for admission pre-event briefings

43:45 - "We use data to build relationships."

45:30 - Connecting with Jennifer

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students and families, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

This is a podcast version of a Niche webinar discussing some of the key results from the 2022 Niche State of Enrollment & Marketing Survey. We cover enrollment trends and priorities, how marketing tactics are shifting, and take questions from the audience.

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students and families, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

This is a podcast version of a Slate Dive Deeper webiner presented by Will. We take a look at the pain points students face in the inquiry and application process and how to remove those barriers. We also dig into direct admissions and how to turn interest into enrollments more efficiently while better serving students. Learn more about Niche Direct Admissions at niche.bz/directadmissions.

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this episode, you will hear from Milyon Trulove. Milyon is the Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Reed College. His work in admissions started as a student worker during his time at St. Olaf College. Diving into enrollment leadership early, he started in the profession as the director of full-time MBA admissions at the University of St. Thomas followed by a Director of Admissions position at Hamline University and culminating in the position of Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid before moving west to Reed.

Most importantly, and you'll hear this in our discussion, Milyon always tries to consider the student’s perspective. If the college is producing information, he wants to ensure that students are able to understand it and benefit from it. He is passionate about fairness and about advocating for those who cannot do so for themselves, ideals that are invaluable in his role as Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid.

0:00 - Introduction

1:19 - Say no to copy-paste policies

3:33 - There's not enough true innovation in enrollment management

4:05 - How to improve brainstorming by not brainstorming

5:55 - Reframing the admission process using context

9:08 - How the consideration of application materials has changed, and why it's building a better community

16:38 - "The ACT or SAT never stopped us from saying 'yes' to anyone." - Reviewing applications looking for reasons to say yes rather than no

20:00 - Rethinking policies for the future and how math can predict success

26:44 - Standardizing a qualitative review with a national draw

31:02 - Every reader has a voice - "It's your job to speak up."

33:55 - Barriers for staff preventing them from doing their best work and the 3 year commitment rule

37:04 - We're in good hands with young staff, they're deeply empathetic

39:47 - The power of consortiums for supporting each other

42:50 - Closing thoughts

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this episode, you will hear from Jake Sturgis, APR, Founder and CEO of Captivate Media.

Jake brings nearly 20 years of experience in education and strategic storytelling to the Captivate team. After working directly in school PR for over a decade, he launched a full-time business in 2014. His work has garnered national attention, leading to multiple awards and public speaking engagements on visual storytelling and authentic student engagement.

:32 - Meet Jake!

1:18 - Something Jake tried that didn't work and what he learned

3:29 - Jake's approach to brainstorming with a shout-out to Duncan Wardle

6:50 - Captivate's Voices Framework and the internal challenges it can help with

9:31 - Bridging the perception gap between students and adults

12:14 - "Some of the most difficult work in schools is changing adult mindsets"

14:41 - Positioning student voice work internally for buy-in

16:12 - The importance of rooting student voice work in broader strategic planning

19:08 - "What's best for students isn't always what's best for adults."

20:20 - Questions to consider at the start of a student voice project

22:04 - How to choose students to participate in a student voice project

26:07 - "This is heart work and this hard work."

27:24 - How student voice videos are used once the cameras are turned off

32:40 - Jake's reflections on the impact of student voice work and what happens when students feel seen

34:10 - "There are systemic things that need to change, but there are individual things we can all do."

34:48 - How to connect with Jake and Captivate Media

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

Will took the show on the road to the NACAC Conference in Houston! He asked people to answer one of four questions:

0:15 - What have you learned at the conference?

7:28 - What is your go-to NACAC conversation starter?

9:59 - Where do you think the future of enrollment and recruiting is at?

12:10 - How should the application process be simplified?

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

Thank you to guests:

Angie Cooksy

Ryan Barbauld

Jamon Pullium

Sean Whitten

Suzanne Lepley

Heather Yush

Michelle Snape

Michelle Stanley

Michael Stephenson

Mary Napier

Anni Judkins

Michelle West

Heidi Clark Smitley

Jessie Gougeon

Jose DeJesus Gil

Matt Dolan

Eric Mena

Mac Macaulay

Bo

Linda Owens

Matt Hames

Sara Urquidez

Michelle McDowell

Ashley Hardy

Sarah Gammans

Kathy Pivonka

Ashley Terry

Errol Wint

This is a recording of a Niche webinar discussing how schools can reveal what makes them one of a kind and position themselves for enrollment success in 2022-23.

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

In this episode, you will hear from RJ Thompson, Director of Digital Marketing in the Katz Graduate School of Business and College of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh. Before joining Pitt, he was a tenured Assistant Professor of Graphic and Interactive Design in the Department of Art at Youngstown State University, and before that he also taught at Carnegie Mellon University, La Roche University, and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and he continues to teach at Point Park University and the Community College of Alleghany County. He is also a National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” grant recipient, a “Best of Marketing Award” from the Ohio Economic Development Association winner for his work with rebranding Youngstown Ohio, and was honored with the Ohio Governors Award in the Arts in Community Development, the state of Ohio’s highest recognition in the arts.

0:00 - Introduction

1:37 - Reusing failure to capture success

6:35 - Putting on your student hat to build campaigns

7:48 - Starting campaigns with keywords and emotions

9:49 - Leading design thinking charrettes

10:45 - Even if you're not "student-facing" you should be engaging with students

12:43 - Digging into emotion-first marketing "Artists don't want to create art because they want to. Artists create art because they have to."

15:18 - How do you give students a "why": Why should they care, why should they take action, why are you different?

19:20 - "No one wants to go to college alone."

19:58 - Why you may not need, or want, to tell students to visit for programmatic recruitment

22:29 - Students aren't interested in online education, but what about online with dorms as living/learning space away from home?

23:43 - Professor Thompson teaches us about persuasion using self-concept

28:53 - Want to be a better marketer? Spend more time with students.

31:41 - Where best to use storytelling in comm flows

35:32 - Marketing continues after enrollment

38:15 - Let's frame budgets and digital spending differently

40:04 - Using proof points in marketing

44:56 - What happens when outcomes aren't defined in a program

46:47 - How does the comm flow change post-application and enrollment to make it more welcoming

49:11 - The "Helpers" in higher ed and what has kept RJ in education

54:18 - The overlap of marketing places and institutions

57:59 - RJ's 3 goals

59:26 - Where to invest resources to support students further, regardless of role

1:01:24 - A Ron Swanson appearance

1:02:26 - One thing marketers should stop doing

1:03:47 - It's time to level up - we're wired to learn so why do we need to advertise?

1:05:28 - Lean into ABCD - Asset-Based Community Development, your location and community

1:07:24 - Get in touch with RJ

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.

This is a podcast version of a Niche webinar discussing some of the key tactical results from the 2022 Niche Senior Enrollment Survey.

Show notes are available on the Enrollment Insights Blog at niche.bz/podcast.

In the Enrollment Insights Podcast, you'll hear about novel solutions to problems, ways to make processes better for students, and the questions that spark internal reflection and end up changing entire processes.