It begins before the hammer drops.

Before the heat, before the fire roars, before iron meets anvil, there is the quiet ritual of preparation. The forge is cold, its tools in place. The bellows hang slack. Dust floats in the still air. But every blacksmith knows that this stillness is not peace. It is potential. Tension waiting to be shaped.

So too with enrollment.

For decades, the field of enrollment management operated under the illusion of equilibrium. The furnace seemed well-fueled. The molds, tested. Student behavior followed familiar timelines. Applications surged with inquiry buys. FAFSA deadlines held steady. Predictive models hummed along, tuned to past data and regular cycles. The work was never easy, but it was knowable. Shape the class, balance the aid, hit the targets, and reset.

But then the draft shifted.

Get full access to DysArtisanal Innovations at dysartisanalinnovations.substack.com/subscribe