EAB experts Alexa Silverman and Meacie Fairfax examine why traditional student-advising approaches and early alert systems may be perceived negatively by students of color. Meacie and Alexa offer suggestions on ways to build trust and engagement with these students early on, so they are more receptive to offers of support. The two also discuss the importance of enlisting multicultural student groups as advocates in helping to normalize conversations with university officials about academic, financial, or emotional hurdles that students may need help to overcome.

EAB experts Meredith McNeill and Ben Court examine recent data on K-12 learning disruptions and their impact on college readiness. The two share tips on how to prepare to serve students who may present a broader range of needs and abilities than those from years past. Meredith and Ben also discuss the data on adolescent mental health and the kinds of support today’s students will need when they arrive on campus.

EAB experts Kate Cudé and Dr. Jenna Dell discuss the recent rise and long history of student activism. They explore the power of social media to amplify student demands and offer reasons why this technology presents both challenges and opportunities for university leaders. Kate and Jenna also share strategies for advancement teams on how to approach difficult conversations with major donors when their convictions do not align with institutional values.

EAB Experts Brett Schraeder and Sarah Le Duc provide insight into how financial aid optimization (FAO) works and how universities leverage FAO strategy to balance institutional goals. The two separate fact from fiction and explain how schools use FAO to optimize revenue from wealthier families so they can afford to be more generous in awarding financial aid to students from historically underserved populations. Finally, Brett and Sarah share advice for the 99% of institutions that depend on FAO to diversify their incoming class, improve student retention, and generate enough revenue to fulfill their mission.

EAB’s Madeleine Rhyneer and Lex Ruby-Howe share strategies to help admissions teams boost yield by identifying students within their admit pool who are highly likely or highly unlikely to enroll, versus those who are genuinely undecided. By leveraging simple surveys and more advanced analytics, schools can focus their resources and tailor their outreach efforts to greater effect. Madeleine and Lex also touch on the importance of being nimble in adjusting financial aid strategy as another critical lever for converting the undecided. Finally, the two discuss the value of virtual tours and other digital platforms your institution should be using to help applicants make authentic connections with other admits, current students, and faculty before they ever set foot on campus.

EAB’s Meacie Fairfax and Ed Venit explore pandemic ripple effects that will continue to impact student persistence at colleges and universities for the foreseeable future. They cite studies showing that student feelings of isolation, disengagement, depression, and other mental health challenges—a growing concern for years—have all worsened during the pandemic. They also point to learning challenges that have plagued K-12 students during the pandemic, as well as the recent plunge in community college enrollments as additional headwinds that four-year institutions will be dealing with for years to come. On the positive side, Meacie and Ed highlight the opportunity facing higher ed leaders who have little choice but to modernize their approach to student retention and success.

IUPUI Chief Enrollment Officer Dr. Boyd Bradshaw joins EAB’s Owen Crean to talk about the importance of strategic enrollment management and the challenges of getting everyone on the same page within a distributed leadership structure. Dr. Bradshaw outlines the structure of a modern enrollment management program and talks about how to break down silos that can hamper recruiting efforts. Finally, he and Owen share tips for engaging campus stakeholders to fix data inconsistencies, set realistic goals, and apply a consistent framework that guides all recruiting efforts.

Rowan University has emerged as one of the fastest-growing research universities in the country with two medical schools and nearly double the total enrollment they had in 2012 when Dr. Ali Houshmand became its president. Dr. Houshmand talks with EAB’s Hersh Steinberg about the power of partnering with businesses and other institutions in ways that keep them invested in the success of your school. The two also discuss Rowan University's support of 3+1 programs and how the launch of their own hot sauce enterprise offers hands-on business experience and helps reduce college costs for Rowan students.

EAB’s Brittany Motley and Meacie Fairfax share what they’ve learned from working with the ten schools (so far) that have signed on to EAB's Moon Shot for Equity and dedicated themselves to eliminating equity gaps by the end of this decade. We also hear from front-line staff at those institutions about how they’re integrating Moon Shot initiatives into their workflow, about challenges and unexpected blessings they have encountered along the way, and about how they are engaging other campus leaders to join the effort.

President Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon of Carleton University and Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Carol Henderson of Emory University discuss how universities across Canada and the United States are reckoning with their historical ties to slavery, indigenous dispossession, and racial oppression. This discussion was excerpted from a November 2021 EAB webinar moderated by EAB’s Kurubel Belay. The webinar was the first in a series of engagements EAB is leading as part of a new research effort exploring authentic and productive ways for institutions to address and heal from their legacies of racism.