Paul M. Orehovec: Enrollment Management & Higher Education

History of Enrollment Management at the University of Miami

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The History of Enrollment Management

at

The University of Miami

25 Years of Evolving Success

By Paul Orehovec & Associates

April 8, 2011

For more than 25 years, enrollment management has developed, grown, and helped create the University of Miami as it is known today.  The early seeds of enrollment management at the university started in the mid 1980s, and the success has brought the established theory of enrollment management to new heights.  The University of Miami is a much different place today than it was in the 1980s because of the enrollment management theory that came into play.  Enrollment management development at the University of Miami has not stopped; it is continuously evolving and the enrollment management culture for the next decade is still to be determined.

In so many ways, the University of Miami led the nation with its approach to enrollment management.  There were many milestones set by the enrollment management team that were later replicated at other universities.  For many universities, enrollment management was defined by an organizational structure.  At the University of Miami, enrollment management represented a culture; a culture that went well beyond the enrollment management division.  This document traces the history of enrollment management at the University of Miami.  A few of the influential players and champions of enrollment management will be noted, but most individuals who played such an important role will probably not be mentioned.  There just is not enough time to mention everyone.  However, the names are not as important as the evolving culture that makes this a great university.

Enrollment Management

A Working Philosophy

The concept and approach of enrollment management has been evolving for quite a number of years.   In 1974, Frank Campanella and Jack McGuire introduced the concept of enrollment management as an organizational system supporting the integration of activities associated with the overall enrollment process. Enrollment management has emerged as a comprehensive, integrated approach toward enhancing and improving the recruitment, retention and graduation of students.

In 1982 in an article titled The enrollment crisis: Factors, actors, and impacts (Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education), Kemerer, Baldridge and Green wrote, "Enrollment management implies an assertive approach to ensuring the steady supply of qualified students required to maintain institutional vitality." In effect, this early definition focused directly on recruiting and admitting students.

In 1984 in an article by Don Hossler titled Enrollment Management: An Integrated Approach (New York: The College Board), he expanded on the definition: "Effective enrollment management not only requires the marketing of the institution and the selection of students but also involves more broadly based and all-encompassing activities."  With this definition, the concept of enrollment management had begun moving beyond recruitment to a much broader vision.

Chief among the critical elements of effective enrollment management are leadership; teamwork; strategic planning; comprehensive programming; knowledge about the competition; critical timing; accurate, secure and available data along with appropriate support systems; clear and workable strategies; and the necessary resources.

True enrollment management is both concept and process. Organizational reporting structures become transparent, while integration efforts between offices and divisions work synergistically to improve services and allow for the strategic management of the enrollment process. Enrollment is a "cradle to grave" process that starts at the first point of student contact (the prospect) and continues through (and beyond) graduation. After all, alumni can and should play an integral role. In the traditional sense, enrollment management involves marketing, recruitment, pricing, financial aid, financing, student employment, academic registration, student life, housing, career development and placement, minority student affairs, international student affairs, research, and market research. In the nontraditional sense, it includes many functions that cross office and divisional lines. Recruitment, retention, and student success are jobs for everyone within the university.

Orehovec and Ingold

The Early Seeds 1984-1986

In 1984, the seeds for enrollment management were being laid at the University of Miami.  Many converging events were coming into play which opened the door for the creative beginnings of enrollment management.  There was a 1,000 student shortfall in 1981 and in 1982, Admissions, Financial Aid and the Registrar were reorganized and reported through the Provost Office.  On January 1, 1984, the University of Miami won its first national football championship.  This created significant name recognition around the country.  Around that same time were other significant events including:  the university's first public strategic plan; Hecht Residential College, the initial Residential College is built; placing admissions, financial aid and registrar's offices organizationally under Jim Ash, the Associate Provost.  In the winter of 1984, Jim Ash met with Paul Orehovec in Chicago to discuss financial aid and enrollment modeling.  In 1985 and 1986, several members of the administration attended the Nantucket Enrollment Management Institute.  In 1986, Jack McGuire (McGuire and Associates) conducted a major research project which presented one of the first major observations that the administration had to address:  students outside a 100 mile radius of Miami thought the University of Miami was (1) a state school, (2) was a huge 40,000-student campus, and (3) was located in Miami.  Thus, with all of these things coming together, Jim Ash, along with Debbe Perry, the Director of Admission, started laying the groundwork for an enrollment management foundation that would evolve into the leading effort in the country.

In response to the revelation that the university's image was so dramatically different from reality, a series of "Road Shows" were conducted in which many faculty and administrators made presentations at a variety of key cities around the country.  These Shows were very effective in marketing a more accurate picture about the University of Miami around the country.  It also represented a major effort for faculty and administration to work together.  Many faculty members, especially faculty masters (faculty who lived in the residential colleges) became "regulars" on these Road Shows.

Setting the Organizational Foundation 1986-1992

Subsequent to the McGuire study in 1986, there were several new appointments that represented the first effort to move away from the "silo mentality" to one of building synergy among the various offices that assisted students through the enrollment process.  Paul Orehovec was hired as the Director of Financial Assistance Services.  Then in the next year or so, Thompson Biggers was named the Registrar.    Debbe Perry was appointed the Dean of Enrollments while the Office of Admissions was led by Mary Conway and Terri Lahti.  This small group of Perry, Orehovec, Biggers, Conway and Lahti, along with Jim Ash and Mary Sapp, Director of Institutional Research, spent the next several years as a team focusing their attention on recruitment and retention.  Thus the first enrollment management team evolved into a significant force working on enrollment issues.

During this time, there were many issues that had to be addressed.  Among them were (1) financial aid stability and predictability, (2) additional funding opportunities for students, and (3) enhancing the residential college opportunities.

It was during this time that several financial aid models were built and linear programming (LP) enrollment models were developed.  Much of this came on the heels of a major financial aid miscalculation in the early fall of 1986.  This issue brought about the first major thrust for data collection in financial aid, enrollment and pricing. The models that were developed were quite successful in projecting financial aid expenditures, enrollment and student quality and were used for years to come.

In an attempt to address the issue of increased student aid funding, the Miami Commitment Program was born.  Grisel Valdes (Director of Student Employment), Paul Orehovec and Michael Deggs (student) designed a student employment program that went well beyond the typical student job on campus.  The theory was to bring career development into the student employment program.  The basic idea was to match students and employers in a much different way.  Students were asked two questions:  (1) What skills and qualities do you possess? (2) What skills and qualities would you like to develop?  Then employers were asked:  (1) What skills and qualities do you need for this position? (2) What skills and qualities will you teach?  The best way to illustrate this theory is to look at Michael Deggs, the very first Miami Commitment student.  He explained that he had significant spreadsheet skills.  He also explained that there were many things he would like to learn including (1) be responsible for a significant project, (2) supervise people, and (3) write a publication.  His supervisor outlined a position in which Michael (1) would help design the very first LP enrollment model, (2) he would supervise other students in writing a publication, and (3) would help design the Miami Commitment Program.  Michael's experience became the template for the national award winning Student Employment Program.

There was also continued growth of the Residential College system during this time period.  A new Residential College was added each year until all of the traditional dorms became Residential Colleges.  These Residential Colleges each had three faculty families living in them.  This faculty was tenured, experienced and had a great grasp of the University of Miami.  With the intent to provide new students with an opportunity to attend classes close to where they live and meet other new students with whom they reside, an effort was made to schedule new freshmen for specified classes in their respective residential colleges. 

The growth of the Residential Colleges along with the significant number of Road Shows brought about increased networking, discussion and collaboration among faculty, Enrollment Management administrators and Student Affairs administrators.  This collaboration planted many seeds for future cooperation as the enrollment management culture was beginning to develop.

Early Roadblocks

This was also the era of a series of events that caused negative images of the university and the city of Miami.  Some of these images hold true today and have represented the single most significant challenge facing the Enrollment Management Team.  Drugs, crimes and thugs became the image of Miami around the country and around the world.  At the January, 1987 Fiesta Bowl, the University of Miami football team decided to wear battle fatigues as they disembarked from the plane.   From this single gesture was born a negative image that has been difficult to overcome.  Where the 1984 Orange Bowl brought out great name recognition and a positive feeling about UM, this 1987 game did just the opposite.  Along with player arrests and other negative events, the University of Miami became known as a place for thugs.  The City of Miami was having its own difficulties with images of drug lords and crime.  The Miami River Cops case was getting worldwide attention.  There were a series of German tourist attacks on the streets of Miami that also gained national and international attention.  The Enrollment Management team set on a path to counter these images, but it was a most difficult time.  To this day, the first question that arises at receptions around the country is, "Is it safe in Miami and at the university?"

New Era of Enrollment Management 1993-2011

1993-1994

 

Description

Prior Year (Fall 92)

Current Year (Fall 93)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

79,346

84,119

+

Applications *

7,771

7,122

-

Enrollment **

8,584

8,352

-

Mean High School Rank *

78.2%

79.0%

+

Mean High School GPA *

3.5

3.5

No change

Mean SAT *

1,160

1,137

-

Retention *

81.6% (91-92)

79.0% (92-93)

-

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

 

In 1993, following Hurricane Andrew (August, 1992), the concept of enrollment management continued to evolve as a new leadership team was developed.  Paul Orehovec was selected as Vice Provost and Dean of Enrollments (later named Vice President for Enrollment Management), and a new team was assembled that included Scott Ingold, who came to UM as Registrar in 1990, Edward Gillis, who came to UM as Director of Undergraduate Admission in 1992, Grisel Valdes, Director of Student Employment and Martin Carney, Director of Financial Assistance Services (later replaced by Jim Bauer).   Enrollment Management, as it is more closely associated in the present day, was established and this EM team remained together until the fall of 2010.  The early 1990s was a difficult time for Enrollment Management as the university was still recovering from Hurricane Andrew, the number of high school graduates had been on the decline, and there had been a rash of European tourist attacks that affected the perception of safety within the community.  Coupled with these changes, the Faculty Senate was pushing for improved credentials of the student body. The new Enrollment Management team set out to focus most of their attention on this goal.

To that end, in the summer of 1993, a group of 25 staff members from the Enrollment Management Division set out to develop its first Strategic Enrollment Market Plan.  In an all-day retreat, the foundation was established for this first effort as it was determined how the process would unfold.   The retreat organizers created a series of stages that needed to be developed and reviewed.  It was determined that the following stages would be processed (on an annual basis):

  • Current Position
  • Internal Environment
  • External Environment
  • Forecast
  • Problems and Constraints
  • Goals
  • Strategies

In later years, two more steps were included in this review:

  • Financial Plan
  • Assessment and Evaluation

A second goal for the enrollment management team was to improve communication with academic units including schools/colleges and faculty.  As part of the effort, Paul Orehovec and Edward Gillis visited with each dean of the undergraduate schools and colleges.  The purpose of each meeting was to solicit ideas about marketing goals and strategies from the deans' perspective.

Another strategy to improve this communication was for Paul Orehovec to meet with the Faculty Senate leaders to solicit their ideas.   In addition, Orehovec wanted to get out the message to the Faculty Senate that (1) the Enrollment Management Team was going to do everything it could to improve the quality of the incoming class and (2) to constantly talk about improving the quality of the incoming class.  This second comment was to address the faculty concern that no one ever seems to talk about improving student quality. 

A third important communication effort was the introduction of the "Benchmark Presentation," a time for the Dean of Enrollments to review benchmarked data with all who wanted to attend, including the faculty.  This annual presentation became very popular and continued throughout these years.

With the Retreat, the dean visits, the meetings with faculty leaders, and the benchmark presentation, a new era was born.  An era, that would focus attention on student quality and later, retention and student success.  There were many bumps along the way, but the team was passionate about what was to take place.  Failure was not an option.

The challenge that first year as well as in subsequent years was to improve student quality while maximizing tuition revenue.  The major effort that first year was to increase the number of student inquiries in the admission process.  It was felt that if the number of inquiries could increase, then more applications could be obtained and therefore the process could be more selective.  By being more selective, then the quality would improve.  In theory, it made a lot of sense.  But how could the number of inquiries increase?  The most significant early strategy was to purchase more prospect names.  The University of Miami was historically the leading purchaser of names from Educational Testing Service from the SAT and PSAT exams.   It was decided to increase the number of purchased names for fall 1994 from 170,000 to 300,000 by purchasing names from alternative vendors.  There was a focus on ACT, NRCCUA, summer SAT, and the Puerto Rican SAT.  The strategy paid off.  For that matter, it exceeded expectations.   For the fall class of 1993, the university received 84,119 inquiries.  With the added vendors, there was hope that the inquiry base could be increased to 95,000 for 1994.  The number of inquiries that was actually received was 117,597.  That boosted applications from 7,122 in 1993 to 9,044 in 1994, an increase of 27% resulting in a higher quality class.    The mean SAT increased by 12 points to 1,149. The mean GPA increased from 3.5 to 3.6, and the average rank-in-class rose from 79.0% to 80.1%.  This was only the beginning, but this initial success supported the belief that a much improved student body was quite achievable. 

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

There were many other strategies that were initiated that year.  The Miami Circle Volunteer Admission Network, which came into existence in the mid 1980's, was significantly enhanced.  This allowed alumni of the university to play a more active role in the recruitment of students.  The Circle has grown considerably over the years with members in virtually every major market in the United States as well as many international countries.

The Office of Admission opened on Saturdays.

Publications were improved, especially in the area of informing prospective students about financial aid and financing.  Just seven years earlier, in the mid to late 1980's, there were virtually no publications on financial aid options and now a well-rounded series of brochures and booklets that better describe these processes exist.

The high school guidance counselor program was enhanced, and the number of counselors was increased from 30 to 60.  In later years, this would increase to as many as 90 counselors from around the world visiting the campus.  Over the years, this has proved to be one of the most successful marketing strategies ever conducted by the Enrollment Management team.

It was determined that the older, traditional Road Shows were not cost effective, and they were eliminated.  The original concept of taking large numbers of UM faculty and administrators to receptions around the country was important in the early 1980s in order to spread the name of the university.  There was no question, that with the Road Shows, the university was doing something much different than other universities.  Students and parents noticed and attended the events in large numbers.  However, research showed that the yield of these very costly programs was not very good.  It was determined that smaller receptions, interviews and increased mailings to prospective students would pay off more in improving the quality of the student body.

It was also decided to decrease the number of high school visits.  The research showed that high school visits did not yield an adequate number of students.  Visiting major feeder schools and local schools remains an important strategy for the university, but smaller, out-of-state schools have been cut back.

Smaller on-campus events were being replaced by larger Open Houses.  These proved to be very successful.  Because of their size, they were seen as "events."   It appeared that students liked to be a part of something special, and these large events sent just that message.

The research showed that the communication sequence was much too late in the process to be effective.  Because of this, communication with students began much earlier - in fact, the communication sequence actually started with high school freshmen.

Research, market research, and market testing started to become a major part of the strategies to improve student quality. With market research comes testing, evaluating, designing new strategies and testing all over again.  Understanding the impact of everything that had been done was important.  One of the first major market tests that was conducted involved the student search mailing approach. For the fall 1994 class, the prospect list was divided into three parts. It was important to make sure all three groups were similar in their makeup.  The first group was sent the more comprehensive and elaborate prospectus type of brochure.  The second group was sent a much less elaborate pamphlet.  The third group was sent a personal letter.  In all three cases, a response card was included.  The Prospectus mailing yielded an 11% response for more information.  The brochure also generated an 11% response, which meant costs could be brought down in future years if using this type of brochure was implemented.  However, the real marketing success came from the personal letter.  It generated a 24% response.  Thus, there were twice as many inquiries from the personal letter as there was from either of the two other approaches.  This type of market testing paid great dividends over the next 18 years.  This type of testing, along with all of the data generation produced is the hallmark of the Enrollment Management theory.

The Division was busy with efforts to develop, encourage and support enrollment managers.  The Professional Development Program for the Division was coordinated by Grisel Valdes from approximately 1994 to 2005.  The following training and career opportunities were created and offered to new divisional employees:

  • Master in Science Degree in Education/Enrollment Management: A 30-semester hour (10 courses) one-of-a-kind postgraduate program with a concentration in enrollment management exclusively endorsed by the College Board.
  • Certificate of Enrollment Management: A 12-credit certificate in Enrollment Management designed for professionals who already have a graduate degree.
  • New Employee Orientation: Held at least twice a year, participants are introduced to each of the division's areas in order to gain a better understanding of each office's responsibility in the recruitment and retention mission of the university.
  • Excellence Training Program: Staff members are invited to a wide range of workshop presentations, which support the service excellence mission of the Division.
  • State of the Division Address: Conducted by the Dean of Enrollments, all division members convene to review the accomplishments and challenges of the prior season and help establish the new goals for the upcoming year.
  • Strategic Planning Session: An annual opportunity for all divisional staff to contribute to the strategic planning process for the upcoming year.
  • Meet with the Dean: A handful of employees from each of the areas are invited to an informal lunch meeting to encourage frank and open conversation, which may be the basis for important policy and/or procedure changes in the division.
  • Dean's Mini-Grants: If an office has an idea or would like to test a new strategy, the Dean's Mini-Grant program affords the opportunity to request those funds each year.
  • Information Technology End User Support Group: Staff can enroll in courses offered by Information Technology to enhance their technical skills.
  • University of Miami's Professional Development and Training Office: The Division of Enrollments encourages the staff to review the annual training offerings and determine the sessions that would be of interest.

Market Research Project(s) this year included:

  • Focus Group Study: Academic Advising

1994-1995

 

Description

Prior Year (Fall 93)

Current Year (Fall 94)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

84,119

117,597

+

Applications *

7,122

9,044

+

Enrollment **

8,352

8,046

-

Mean High School Rank *

79.0%

80.1%

+

Mean High School GPA *

3.5

3.6

+

Mean SAT *

1,137

1,149

+

Retention *

79.0% (92-93)

79.0% (93-94)

No change

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

The goal of increasing the quality of the incoming class continued this year. A decision to increase the number of purchased names to 300,000 for fall 1994 really paid off.  Inquiries jumped to 117,597, which boosted applications from 7,122 to 9,044.  The mean SAT increased by 12 points to 1,149. The mean GPA increased to 3.6 and the average rank-in-class rose to 80.1%.

In addition to improving the quality of the incoming class, there were two issues that needed to be addressed: (1) funding new strategies, including the purchase of more prospect names, and (2) expanding the enrollment management culture.

Based on the market test from the previous year, all prospects were sent a personal letter.  The savings paid for additional mailings to the increasing inquiries, and more names were purchased.  This led to the further designing of market testing which would become an important ingredient for the development of the enrollment management culture. 

As the number of inquiries increased, the cost of recruiting students also increased.  Budget constraints required that new approaches be developed.  Mailing costs seemed to be a good place to begin looking for some efficiencies.  To that end, it was decided to test whether the use of "windowed envelopes" could provide cost savings without detracting from response rates from students.  Conventional wisdom suggested that windowed envelopes should never be used in the recruitment process.  That theory would be challenged.  For the next year's class, a sampling of prospective students was sent their personal recruitment letter in a windowed envelope.  The response rate for the windowed envelope turned out to be the same as the closed face envelope.  The cost savings was significant.  Keep in mind that for the closed face envelope there were three major steps:  (1) type the letter including the address, (2) type the address on the envelope, and (3) place the letter inside the envelope, making sure that the right letter got in the right envelope.   For the windowed envelope, there are only two steps:  (1) type the letter including the address, and (2) stuff the letter in the envelope making sure the address shows through the window.  Although this seemed somewhat trivial to many, there is significant cost savings when you are sending out hundreds of thousands of letters.  The test was successful and the savings were then reallocated to other strategies in the recruitment process.

To address the issue of expanding the enrollment management culture on campus, two gatherings were established.  The Friday Enrollments Meeting has grown into being an integral part of the enrollment management process.  Each Friday, the Vice President for Enrollment Management convenes a meeting with many of the administrators that are involved in enrollment issues.  This includes the directors (or their representatives) of admission, international admission, financial aid, institutional research, market research, registrar, student employment, technical operations, housing, food service, student account services, multicultural student affairs, international student affairs, intensive English and Study Abroad, and others who have an interest in enrollment issues.  The attendees share enrollment related data and discuss relevant enrollment issues.  These weekly meetings help the Division of Enrollment Management, as well as other offices, work on strategies on a continuous basis to ultimately improve the credentials of the student body and increase student retention while maximizing tuition revenue.

The second gathering is convened by the director of admission.  He calls together the recruitment officer from each undergraduate school and college on a monthly basis.  This group of admission "liaisons" discusses issues related to recruiting undergraduate students.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

A linear programming predictive model was developed for the School of Music.  Since music students had audition results play a part in the admission decision, there was a need to build a separate enrollment model for them.

Increasing the contact with different influencers was attempted.  There was so much success with bringing high school guidance counselors to campus that allowing other high school contacts to help was considered.  The Division worked with the School of Continuing Studies and the Rosenstiel School to establish a special summer course for science teachers.  This effort was conducted for two years.  The science teachers loved it, but there was no evidence that it helped recruit students.

To be considered a top private university, the University of Miami needed to act more like a highly selective private college.  This is one of the reasons why a Wait List was initially used the prior year.  The next step in this process was to become a member of the Common Application group.  The best private colleges and universities in the country used the Common App, and the University of Miami was now one of them.

Because the student interview process was so popular and successful in small and medium-sized markets around the country, using the interview process in a major city was tested.  Boston was selected, and this proved to be quite successful.

In the early 1990s, very little correspondence was sent to parents.  Research showed that parents were not always supportive of students attending the University of Miami.  The first real effort to start bonding with parents came with what was termed the Letting Go Mailing.  Letting Go is a published book which addresses the issues that face students and parents when the student departs the home and heads off to college.  The book was sent by the Vice President for Enrollment Management along with a survey, a Need Help card, and a cover letter.  The message that was being sent was that the university really cares about its students.  It was important to make sure parents understood that.

There was a continued effort to pursue a method to give parents more four-year cost of education information, particularly when financial aid was involved. This has been a concern that was often noted by parents.

There was a need to enable students greater access to their educational records.  The EASY system was developed so that students could easily access their academic and biographical records online.

The Offices of Admission and International Admission continued on a daily basis to dispel the notion that Miami was an unsafe city.

Within the next year, the Enrollments division moved toward the purchase of "image processing". With this technology, offices accessed files more quickly and reduced the space necessary for file management.

At this point, students were carefully selected from the Admission waitlist by basing decisions on academic potential and ability to pay.  Staffing among the offices of Admission, Financial Assistance and Student Accounts was coordinated to facilitate a more harmonized enrollment process from the student's perspective.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Using Transfer GPA as an Early Indicator of UM Performance
  • Analysis of Fall 1994 Completion Rates
  • Transfer Student Experience at UM
  • Focus Group Study: Student Orientation
  • Focus Group Study: Financial Registration
  • Parents' Survey: Letting Go
  • Focus Group Study: Feedback from Black Students

1995-1996

 

Description

Prior Year (Fall 94)

Current Year (Fall 95)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

117,597

170,573

+

Applications *

9,044

10,564

+

Enrollment **

8,046

7,923

-

Mean High School Rank *

80.1%

81.3%

+

Mean High School GPA *

3.6

3.7

+

Mean SAT *

1,149

1,155

+

Retention *

79.0% (93-94)

79.4% (94-95)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

 Because of the success of the previous year, the number of prospect names purchased was increased to 400,000.  This continued to be the major strategy influencing the goal to improve student quality.  This again paid dividends for the class entering fall, 1995.  Inquiries increased to 170,573; applications increased to 10,564, selectivity improved from 59% to 58% (it was 76% two years earlier and 80% the year before that), and quality improved once again.  The mean SAT increased from 1,149 to 1,155; the average rank-in-class improved from 80.1% to 81.3%; and the average high school GPA was 3.7.

Another major goal for the year was enhanced strategic planning.  The 1995-1996 Annual Plan document developed by the Division of Enrollments expanded considerably from the initial plan in 1993. As noted by the Vice Provost, "It represents an excellent benchmark of where we have been, where we are, and where we are going.  It will expand even further in future years and will become the working document for each office in the division.   After all, as the great American philosopher, Yogi Berra, once said, ‘If you don't know where you're going, you could wind up someplace else.'"  

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

In AY 1995-1996, the university was seeing an increase in the number of transfer students applying.

There were also increasing numbers of commuter students due to the perception that living off-campus was less expensive. 

Current trends showed that students were applying to more schools and "comparison shopping".  They were more closely evaluating their list of schools and many did not have a "first choice" school.

The Guidance Counselor Weekend proved to be so successful that a third weekend was added by bringing the total counselors from around the world to 90.

The division attempted the first parent group meeting in Chicago.  This retention strategy was held in Chicago where 25 parents of current students came to listen to the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management speak about the current status of the university.

Since the "customers" expect UM to keep up with technology, the Enrollments Division completed a multi-phase network installation. One network was installed to service the offices of Admission, the Registrar, and Student Account Services. The second network was installed in the Office of Financial Assistance Services.  In addition, voice response technology was implemented in the Office of Financial Assistance Services as well as the Office of the Registrar.

Due to the changing federal financial aid application procedures, the process of sending out financial aid awards was examined.  A method to obtain FAFSA records electronically from the Federal Aid processor was implemented. This enabled the Office of Financial Assistance Services to begin sending financial aid award letters six weeks earlier than previous years.

Some of the research projects included:  Analysis of fall completion rates; Transfer Student experience at UM; Student Orientation; Financial Registration; Images of UM by high school juniors; Time it takes for FAFSAs to be completed and processed through the federal government.

Many efforts were made to publicize the Miami Commitment Program.  This very unique student employment opportunity won two national awards this spring.  The first, sponsored by Sallie Mae, was for financial aid administrators ("Making Work Study Work").  The second, sponsored by USA Group/Noel Levitz, was for retention excellence (The Miami Commitment Program: A Model of Retention").

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Focus Group Study: Financial Registration
  • Focus Group Study: Images of High School Juniors (Spring 1995)
  • Focus Group Study: Images of High School Juniors (Spring 1996)
  • Focus Group Study: Learning Communities-"Influences of Psychology and Public Relations on Cinema and Society" and "Why are your parents so weird: The 1960's"
  • Focus Group Study: Learning Communities-College of Engineering's IMPACT Program

1996-1997

Description

Prior Year (Fall 95)

Current Year (Fall 96)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

170,573

185,511

+

Applications *

10,564

10,112

-

Enrollment **

7,923

7,957

+

Mean High School Rank *

81.3%

80.8%

-

Mean High School GPA *

3.7

3.7

No change

Mean SAT *

1,155

1,147

-

Retention *

79.4% (94-95)

79.5% (95-96)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

 The student quality goal continued this year, but for the first time since 1994, the quality dipped.  The number of prospect names purchased was increased to 475,000.  This did helped increase the number of inquiries to 185,511 for the fall of 1996.  However, the number of applications decreased slightly to 10,112, and the mean SAT dropped to 1,147 with a mean rank of 80.8%.  The GPA remained at 3.7.   It is important to note that this was the only year between 1993 and 2011 that applications decreased.

A second goal for the year was to use market research to (1) better understand summer melt, (2) find out what students were thinking, and (3) develop a probability model for freshman retention.

A statistically based predictive model, based on historical data was developed to estimate a student's probability to enroll at UM after paying an enrollment deposit.  The model was quite successful in predicting students who enroll and those who "melt."  However, there were no effective strategies to reduce the melt.

A wide range of on-campus focus groups were held to gain feedback from students regarding issues from within and outside the Enrollments Division. In addition, comparison of UM's top competitors (both private and public institutions) were evaluated. Attributes included pricing, admission and financial aid deadlines and protocols, product and presentation.

One of the most important probability models developed over the years was successful in identifying at-risk students.  This allowed the division to develop strategies to monitor and affect student retention.  This effort helped increase the freshman retention rate from 79.5% to 82.1% in one year.

The Enrollment Management Team had discussed the concept of an Enrollment Center for many years.  The plan for such a center became the third major goal of the year.  After much discussion, a paper was written recommending a unique concept of an Enrollment Center.  The Center would have two "front doors." One would be for prospective students, and the other would be for current students. Currently, the Enrollments Division is spread around the campus, which has a negative impact on how the students are served.  Space limitations are part of the problem. The new Enrollment Center would bring together in one location the operations of admission, registration, student records, financial aid, student accounts and student employment, streamlining the entire enrollment process for students, faculty and staff.  A well located Enrollment Center would alleviate the confusion prospective students and parents face when arriving on campus.  The plan was completed, but the Center never materialized.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

 For AY 1996-1997, there was a decrease in the number of transfer students applying.

UM was attracting more international students and more Florida students (primarily from the tri-county area).

More students were applying for financial aid and debt increased for students and parents.

There were more high-level university administrators, faculty and alumni recruiting overseas as well as an expansion occurred in the number, size and scope of recruitment tours.

Exposure to the Miami Commitment Program continued with many efforts to work with colleagues from the Admission Office and the Career Planning Office as well as off campus employers.  A video outlining the benefits of the Miami Commitment Program was produced and distributed to 150 students admitted to UM through the early action process.

Several financial aid and scholarship market tests were conducted during this year.

The Division of Enrollment Management and the Residence Halls Office coordinated their efforts to examine admission and residence halls data to determine students who would probably enroll (or not enroll) for the fall term.

The Office of Financial Assistance Services established the Financial Assistance Services Time-Saver (FAST) line which allowed a quick response for students to check on the status of their aid applications.

The University of Miami Financial Aid Application was eliminated after the Financial Aid Form (FAF) was not required by the federal government.  This was done to make the financial aid application process as simple as possible for students and families.  Publications were rewritten and made more user-friendly and less technical.

Programming the Registration Voice Response System was completed for the grade and schedule components.  This continued to expand student access to their records.

A push was on to enhance the Miami Commitment Summer-At-Home program.   Students worked with a student employment advisor to locate a summer job in their home town.  However, this program was more than just job placement.  The program was particularly important for students who wanted to expand network opportunities for employment after graduation.  The students met with Miami Commitment staff to discuss topics such as targeting specific industries, the initial telephone call to a company, telephone interviews, informational interviews, and networking tips in social settings.

 

The Miami Commitment Program also offered an early start for newly admitted students.  Local new students were offered the opportunity to start working in the Early Miami Commitment Program during the summer prior to their enrolling at UM.

 

A special focus was placed on the highest caliber applicants.  The first step was to develop an honors program brochure, outlining prestigious graduate-level scholarships.

 

In 1996, the Wellness Center opened its doors for the first time.  Norm Parsons, the director of the program worked many years with students to make this facility a reality.  It provided students access to a facility that promoted physical well-being and general good health.  The Wellness Center was an instant success.  This became the natural meeting place for students, faculty and administrators.  The Enrollment Management Team walked prospective students through this facility and started using it for Open House events. 

 

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Parent's Survey
  • Accepted Student Telephone Survey
  • New Student's Survey 1996

 

1997-1998

 

Description

Prior Year (Fall 96)

Current Year (Fall 97)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

185,511

159,954

-

Applications *

10,112

11,036

+

Enrollment **

7,957

7,955

-

Mean High School Rank *

80.8%

82.2%

+

Mean High School GPA *

3.7

3.8

+

Mean SAT *

1,147

1,155

+

Retention *

79.5% (95-96)

82.1% (96-97)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

 

The student quality strategies were back on track.  The additional names purchased helped raise the SAT mean to 1,155 (from 1,147), the rank-in-class to 82.2% (from 80.8%) and the high school GPA to 3.8 (from 3.7).

Freshman retention was a specific goal for this year.   The university had many different effective retention programs, but the division recognized the importance of having one area coordinate retention efforts and take ownership of retention issues.  One important factor was to communicate more frequently and effectively with the parents of the students.  A good step in the right direction was the Provost's letter to parents of continuing students as well as the Dean of Enrollments' letter to the parents of incoming freshmen, which included the Letting Go book and a questionnaire requesting feedback.  Additional retention strategies were implemented such as the "Three-Week Checkup" to help smooth the transition for new students, the development of statistically predictive models for "at-risk" students and four types of personalized academic warning letters.  In conjunction with the Provost's office, a targeted mailing was sent to those students receiving academic warnings during the course of fall and spring semesters. This allowed for lines of communication to be established with these students as well as in some cases, with their parents. These strategies, along with others developed over the past couple of years had a major impact on retention.  Retention took a precipitous jump in the fall of 1997.  After hovering around 79%-80% (for 4 years), the freshmen retention rate jumped to 82.1%.

Another goal was to bring together systems staff in the various enrollment offices.  During 1998, System Analysts and Programmers for the offices of Admission, Financial Assistance Services and the Registrar got together and formed the Office of Enrollment Systems. This merge allowed collaboration among all three student systems when it came to new solutions and/or implementation of strategies from the beginning of student recruitment all the way through graduation.  Also, data interfaces among all three systems were successfully enhanced after cross training was completed and staff was aware of changes happening within their individual student system.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

All future term inquiries were invited to all information sessions. 

The Jenkins Scholarship was initiated.  This full scholarship program funded through Publix Charities focused attention on students with hardships who demonstrated perseverance in overcoming financial and personal hardships.  This is just the type of program that assists the Enrollment Management Team in ensuring diversity on campus.

Also introduced for the 1997-1998 academic year were the three-quarter tuition Bowman F. Ashe and one-third tuition Alumni and George E. Merrick scholarships.

For the first time, names were purchased through Phi Theta Kappa, which is an academic honorary on Community College campuses.

President Clinton's America Reads work study program was implemented in 32 elementary schools selected by Dade County Public Schools.  Included in the 1998 federal budget, President Clinton reflected his vow to make education the "Number 1 priority" of his second term.

The Community Service Program component of Federal Work Study (FWS) was established at the University of Miami with a requirement of 5% of the total FWS allocation having to be spent in community service efforts.  This percentage was later increased to 7%.  The new requirements brought about systematic and programmatic changes to the Office of Student Employment.

There was a growing uncertainty about the future eligibility of financial aid for legal residents.

The number of colleges/universities to which students apply was clearly increasing.

The use of the internet during the admission and financial aid process had increased.

A slow growth in international students existed for US colleges and universities.  Factors contributing to this trend included the rapid growth of universities in developing countries, the opening of foreign universities in host countries, a lack of funds to support study abroad and increased competition from other countries in recruiting international students.  The University of Miami felt the effect of the decreased student flow from Asia, but there was an increase in student enrollments from China at the graduate level.

The first academic course in Enrollment Management was offered through the School of Education in the spring of 1998.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Aerobics/Fitness Classes Study
  • Housing Cancellation Survey
  • Focus Group Study: Students Moving Off Campus
  • Focus Group Study: At-Risk Students and Persisters
  • Architecture Survey and Report
  • Focus Group Study: Learning Communities
  • Focus Group Study: Dade County Students Moving Off Campus
  • Telephone Survey of Students Who Moved Off Campus
  • Focus Group Study: Feedback From Resident Assistants
  • Enrollment Management Survey
  • Employer's Views of College Students: A Survey of Perceptions and Hiring Practices

 1998-1999

Description

Prior Year (Fall 97)

Current Year (Fall 98)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

159,954

179,132

+

Applications *

11,036

11,418

+

Enrollment **

7,955

8,016

+

Mean High School Rank *

82.2%

82.6%

+

Mean High School GPA *

3.8

3.8

No change

Mean SAT *

1,155

1,170

+

Retention *

82.1% (96-97)

82.5% (97-98)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

The goal of improving student quality continues with the primary strategy to increase the purchase of prospect names to over 600,000. This helped generate 179,132 inquiries and 11,418 applications.  The recruitment and retention strategies continued to be successful.  Retention moved to 82.5% from 82.1%.  The quality of the incoming class improved with the SAT moving from 1,155 to 1,170, the rank-in-class from 82.2% to 82.6% and the high school GPA remaining at 3.8.

Another goal for the year was to increase activities and scope of the Miami Circle alumni recruitment organization.  In this particular year, enhancement of the International Miami Circle Program was assisted by including 250 international members in the program.

Increasing transfer student interest in the University of Miami was a third major goal for the year.  A concerted effort was made to increase recruitment activities.   A newsletter for transfer students was designed and mailed this year. There were also a series of luncheons held around the state for transfer counselors.  Some local road shows were held at community college campuses, but these road shows did not prove to be successful.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

In 1998, faculty and administrators were used again to recruit in selected cities.

This was a time when the university was experiencing an increase in the building and renovation of new facilities including the Academic Development Center, the Storer Auditorium, the James W. McLamore Executive Education Center, a large addition to the School of Business, a new athletics center, the Wellness Center, the Toppel Career Planning and Placement Center, the L. Austin Weeks Music Recital Hall, and a multi-story parking garage and administrative building.

The academic reputation has improved over the past 15 years.   This was due to a smaller and more selective undergraduate student body, an increase in the number of applications, the rise in ACT/SAT scores, an expanded scholarship program and the start of a wait list.  Abroad, the academic reputation has been made stronger due to the fact that the top programs are in important and prestigious fields.

A special effort was made in the telecounseling program for students with incomplete applications. The telecounseling effort was quite successful.

A brochure detailing the Federal Work Study Program was developed and mailed to all new work study eligible students, which helped to provide more information about the student employment opportunities at the university.  A Student Employment at the University of Miami folder was created, which included a brochure of each program, a general brochure on services and the Miami Commitment application.

From the Office of Financial Assistance Services, personalized letters were sent to financial aid applicants introducing them to their financial aid advisor and emphasizing the deadline dates.

The Office of Financial Assistance Services website established direct links to the top five preferred lenders.  An automated loan processing system was developed and promoted, which enabled staff to process hundreds of loan applications daily.

The use of EASY was expanded by adding other departmental functions and including new services for students and faculty.

An enhanced division-wide orientation program was developed.  A New Employee Orientation handbook was created and the division conducted a spring semester day-long orientation for all new employees.  A series of workshops were developed that focused on goal setting, time management, developing a professional image and change in the workplace.  Each office in the division developed official mission statements.

The first California grant strategy was piloted with special grants awarded because of the long distance required to attend UM.  This strategy did not prove to be successful and was eliminated the following year.

University of Miami students benefited from Florida's newly established Bright Futures Scholarship Program.  In its first year, 1997-1998, the program distributed almost $71 million in merit-based awards to about 40,000 students. The Legislature agreed to raise spending by $45 million for AY 1998-1999.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Housing Intervention Project
  • Focus Group Study: Students Living On Campus
  • Mail Survey of Students Living On Campus

1999-2000

Description

Prior Year (Fall 98)

Current Year (Fall 99)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

179,132

204,362

+

Applications *

11,418

12,264

+

Enrollment **

8,016

8,235

+

Mean High School Rank *

82.6%

83.8%

+

Mean High School GPA *

3.8

3.9

+

Mean SAT *

1,170

1,171

+

Retention *

82.5% (97-98)

82.9% (98-99)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

 The student quality goal was met successfully due to an increase in freshman applications.  This time it was a 7.4% increase to 12,264.  The SAT moved up a point to 1,171, the rank-in-class moved up just over a percent to 83.8% and the high school GPA moved from 3.8 to 3.9.

There were two strategies in the area of financial aid that addressed a goal of increasing financing opportunities for students and parents.  A scholarship website was established that assists students to search for scholarship opportunities.  Initially, scholarships that came through the Office of Financial Assistance Service, the Office of Student Account Services, and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs were listed on the website.  This amounted to more than 250 scholarships.  In addition, links to individual UM School and College scholarships were added.  Lastly, links to over 1 million outside scholarship opportunities were included.

There were several loan program enhancements this year.  First, the PLUS Loan application and the Signature Loan application were included in the Office of Student Accounts Services' alternative financing packet mailing to students.  This proved to be very successful.  Second, UM collaborated with USA Group and Chase Manhattan Bank to improve their websites so students could conduct entrance interviews and exit interviews on the web.  Both sites were improved and links to the Office of Financial Assistance Services and the Office of Student Accounts Services were established.  Third, a loan processing page was established on the Office of Financial Assistance Services system which automated loan processing for new students.

A goal to establish enrollment management as an academic discipline was met when the Division of Enrollment Management, the School of Education and the School of Business Administration collaborated and establish a master's degree program in the School of Education.  This interdisciplinary master's degree program with courses in the School of Education and the School of Business Administration was the first of its kind in the world.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

A more intense focus began on the efforts to recruit Early Decision applicants, since they had the highest yield rate, followed by Early Admits and then Regular Decision.

A separate email communication sequence was created for the international applicants.

The email communication with applicants was enhanced in order to encourage application completion.

An email address directory of approximately 75% of students was now available in the system.

The EASY system now allows students to gain access to learn about course availability.

A relationship with the National Student Clearinghouse was established to automatically process student enrollment information to federal and state agencies and to financial lenders, which enhanced services to the students.

A page was added to the Office of Admission website, which included information about specific transfer student concerns.

The delivery of job information to a student was improved by offering student employment services on the web.  The Office of Student Employment also rearranged their reception area, reorganized staff responsibilities and obtained two additional computers for student use.

The Office of Student Employment facilitated the placement of students enrolled in the program into graduate assistantships. Students were able to test firsthand some of the knowledge acquired in the classroom, while the offices, mostly in the Divisions of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, benefited greatly from the students' contributions to a good number of projects.

The Enrollment Management Library was established in the Office of the Dean of Enrollments.

The Dean of Enrollments Office developed the "Latin American Trend Analysis" document which reviewed the Economic, Educational, Social and Political trends in each of the Latin American countries.   This data was critical in further developing the strategies in Latin America.  This document was discontinued after two years because other sources of information were located.

Market Research Projects this year included:

  • Comparison of Enrolled and Not Enrolled Transfer Students 1996-1998
  • Fall 1999 Image Focus Group Study
  • New International Student Survey
  • Mail Competition Review
  • Family Survey

2000-2001

Description

Prior Year (Fall 99)

Current Year (Fall 00)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

204,362

186,689

-

Applications *

12,264

13,080

+

Enrollment **

8,235

8,576

+

Mean High School Rank *

83.8%

83.9%

+

Mean High School GPA *

3.9

3.9

No change

Mean SAT *

1,171

1,183

+

Retention *

82.9% (98-99)

82.3% (99-00)

-

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

 Although the student quality remains the highest priority for the division of enrollment management, freshman retention had a slight drop, where it would remain for two years. 

An additional 50,000 prospect names from PSAT of current juniors in high school were purchased. Additionally, 100,000 high quality search names from ACT of current juniors were purchased. Lastly, an additional 20,000 prospect names from Summer Search SAT were purchased.  All of these additional names had a positive impact on the quality of the incoming class.  There was a 6.7% increase in applications from 12,264 to 13,080. The selectivity improved from 55% to 53%.  The SAT improved from 1,171 to 1,183.  The high school rank remained around 84%, and the GPA remained at 3.9.

A second goal for the year was to address specific communication strategies for the highest quality inquiries.  A "Signature Series" communication was developed.  This series was in addition to the normal direct mail sequence.  The series included:

  • Academic Excellence brochure focusing on undergraduate research, "hands-on early-on" opportunities, honors program and learning communities
  • Residential College brochure for parents
  • Letter from a prominent alumnus

This series was well received and assisted in recruiting a higher quality freshman class.

A third goal for the year was to enhance electronic communication with students.  This was represented by a series of specific strategies:

  • Much time and effort was being spent on responding to email inquiries with the goal of creating innovative, effective communication sequences with students.
  • A process was designed which allows students to request transcripts online as well as apply for graduation. With the goal to better serve students, all Registrar functions were centralized by merging records and registration staffs and services into one location.
  • UM launched its Spanish language website in April 2001, becoming one of only a handful of US schools offering online information in a foreign language. The new website was an effective way of serving not only Latin American students but also their families.
  • Sending an email to 22,000 prospects was tested. The electronic mailing was done concurrently with the traditional direct mail approach. The test was deemed very successful.
  • Video-streaming technology available in the School of Communication was used to present information sessions, open houses and other admission events online for prospective students. The admissions video was also streamed.
  • With email becoming prevalent, an email communication sequence was added to the traditional mail communication sequence.
  • The Office of Student Employment developed a Miami Commitment Listserv to improve the communication sequence and reduce mailing costs. UM Works, an employer newsletter, was developed and distributed.
  • The development of an Enrollment Management website was initialized. The website included a link to the electronic Enrollment Management Library as well as a link to the Enrollment Management Program in the School of Education. The site featured the Dean and the work that has gone on for the last 13 years in Enrollment Management at the University of Miami.

As part of a goal to establish new tuition revenue streams, a new admission concept was developed.  For some students who applied for fall but were placed on the wait list, the option of a spring admission was offered.  This strategy had limited success in the beginning, but would eventually expand and generate additional revenue.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

An ongoing analysis was being conducted to examine the decisions of transfer students who did not come to UM after paying a deposit.  The goal was to build a statistically based model for indentifying the cohort.

 During Orientation, information sessions were provided about EASY, student email and PINs.  As a result, these sessions dramatically increased student access to email and the EASY system.  In addition, a process was established to provide new students with their PINs prior to their arrival on campus.  This helped students find information on their own.

The America Reads program was established.  Up to 100 students were placed in local elementary schools as reading tutors.  The program included a training component, as well as intense work in the community to ensure positions are available to UM students as UM competes with other institutions for those spots.

A mechanism was developed whereby faculty could submit grades electronically.  In addition, a training session for the faculty was developed.

A successful process was developed to establish the Summer VISTA program, targeting 5 UM undergraduates to become AmeriCorps workers for a summer stipend and scholarship.  The Summer Vista (VISTA) Associates worked eight to 10 weeks beginning in June, on a full-time basis. 

The Office of Financial Assistance Services and the Office of Student Employment began imaging student records. The goal eliminated the hunt for paper documents when needed to respond to a telephone, email or walk-in inquiry. Imaging began in 2001.

The Office of Financial Assistance Services changed its preference from paper to electronic financial aid applications. The office had been dealing with extremely high call volume each year beginning in January, immediately after the FAFSA could be filed. The vast majority of the call volume consisted of requests for assistance in resolving application problems or rejects, most of which would have been dealt with in edits found in the web-based application. Call volume dropped precipitously beginning the first year and an emphasis was placed on electronic filing. 

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • New Student Survey (Fall 1999)
  • Student Employment Survey
  • University Excellence Survey
  • New Student Survey (Fall 2000)
  • Family Survey
  • New International Student Survey
  • International Admission Web Focus Group
  • Image Focus Group Study: Spring and Fall 2000

2001-2002

Description

Prior Year (Fall 00)

Current Year (Fall 01)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

186,689

203,412

+

Applications *

13,080

14,716

+

Enrollment **

8,576

9,020

+

Mean High School Rank *

83.9%

86.0%

+

Mean High School GPA *

3.9

4.0

+

Mean SAT *

1,183

1,202

+

Retention *

82.3% (99-00)

82.0% (00-01)

-

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

The focus on improving the quality of the credentials for the incoming class continued.  Applications were up 12.5% from 13,080 to 14,716.  This dropped the selectivity under 50% for the first time in UM's history.  The selectivity was 46.2%.  The quality improved once again with the SAT increasing 19 points to 1,202, the first time in history it was over 1,200.  The rank-in-class went from 83.9% to 86.0%, and the high school GPA rose from 3.9 to 4.0, the first time in history it reached the 4.0 level.

This was a year of enhancing everything electronic.  Technology at UM was advancing rapidly.  A "Wireless Cloud" was implemented allowing anyone with a laptop and a special network card to have the ability to surf the web while on campus either indoors or outside.  An eManager was appointed within the division to help develop and organize the division's web pages.  An emphasis was placed on the university's audiences, rather than its offices.  To help affect yield, the "FutureCanes" site was developed and implemented for accepted students.  A number of campus events, including the UM campus video, an Office of Admission Open House, and last spring's commencement, have been streamed for viewing on the web.  A personalized web portal for students, faculty and staff was being investigated.  UM's website was awarded the Standard of Excellence Award in the university category in the Web Marketing Association's 2000 WebAward Website Competition.   As of fall 2001, more than half of the general purpose classrooms were equipped with the latest in visual and computer resources to assist in students' learning.

Several university offices, including the Registrar, Financial Assistance Services and Student Employment, were using Document Management, the process of electronically capturing and storing documents to improve productivity and response time while reducing the need for filing space and copying of documents.

All of these efforts assisted in the recruitment and retention and improved efficiency dramatically.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

The Office of Admission sent an email to all accepted transfer students prior to May 1 to remind them about the deadline and the enrollment deposit.  Additionally, a brochure was developed for transfer students from Florida to educate them about available state funds.

Different types of student mailing lists such as using new vendors as well as obtaining the names of community college graduates throughout Florida for a direct mail campaign were tested. 

A new UM Admission video was created with lively, student-focused content depicting life at UM.  The video was streamed for viewing on the web.

An email cycle calendar was established as part of the overall communication sequence calendar.  As a result, more than 165,000 emails were sent in a variety of different forms to students in various stages of the college search.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • New International Student Survey
  • Student Employee Satisfaction Survey
  • Fall 2001 Impressions Study
  • Miami Commitment Focus Group Study
  • Retention Cohort Study
  • "Save List": A Compilation of Cases

2002-2003

 

Description

Prior Year (Fall 01)

Current Year (Fall 02)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

203,412

209,127

+

Applications *

14,716

15,903

+

Enrollment **

9,020

9,418

+

Mean High School Rank *

86.0%

87.7%

+

Mean High School GPA *

4.0

4.0

No change

Mean SAT *

1,202

1,216

+

Retention *

82.0% (00-01)

86.5% (01-02)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

Pushing the primary goal of improved quality continued in the fall of 2002, and it was a successful year. Applications increased 8% to 15,903.  The SAT jumped from 1,202 to 1,216 and the rank-in-class increased from 86.0% to 87.7%.  The high school GPA remained at 4.0.  As successful as the recruitment activity was, freshman retention had a huge increase rising from 82.0% to 86.5%.

A second goal was to rebound from the tragedy of 9/11. International students and their parents throughout the world expressed concern about security issues in the United States after September 11th.  As a result, universities in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany focused their recruitment around this issue, stressing their perceived advantage of a safe environment.  September 11th forced the cancellation of recruitment trips scheduled by the Office of International Admission.  However, independent schools in the Northeast were visited to try to ameliorate the effects of the 9/11 tragedy, which deemed highly effective. In addition, a group of key Middle Eastern advisors/counselors were invited to a campus visitation program in May 2002, which was extremely successful.

A third goal was to hire two retention advisors and develop strategies to increase retention and ultimately, graduation rates.  The advisors focused on case management while developing and employing university-wide strategies to affect the freshman-to-sophomore retention rate as well as the six-year cohort graduation rate. As a result, a timeline of interventions was developed that ultimately effected systemic change at the university.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

 In an effort to improve communications to students, the Division of Student Affairs, with the assistance of Information Technology and the Division of Enrollment Management, launched Ibis News.

A team of Admission Counselors proposed a new communication sequence and themes for publications. With input from the Office of the Dean as well as all divisional offices, an outside vendor was hired to develop UM's brand and create a new prospectus and a road piece for recruitment trips.

The important "brand" messages were incorporated onto the web from the Viewbook. Included were Faculty profiles and examples of faculty-student research collaborations for prospective students and their families.  A website was developed that allowed interaction between prospective students and the President's 100 students, which included photos and descriptions of campus, faculty and friends that were produced by the P-100s.

The Office of Financial Assistance Services improved their ability to respond to student inquiries about data or documents submitted for review as well as the movement of these documents through the process, by implementing document imaging. The office also continued to improve the timeliness of student awards by reducing or eliminating unnecessary and redundant data and document collection.

By moving the Harambee program, a program aimed at recruiting African-American students, to the weekend of the Accepted Open House, it offered a more positive environment and resulted in a higher percentage of African-American students enrolling at the university.

The Office of the Registrar redesigned student schedules to include helpful information, such as the names of classroom buildings.

In preparation for a new generation of communications from the division, information was gathered from high school students, current students, and incoming freshmen and their families to help focus the "message" and image, and to ensure these themes are carried throughout the publications.

FERPA training was instituted for faculty and staff throughout the university to support efforts to keep student record information confidential.

The Legacy Admission Program was implemented to encourage the children and grandchildren of UM alumni to consider the University of Miami.

The new name, the Division of Enrollment Management, was born and represented a timely reflection of the national leadership in Enrollment Management and the important role in UM's School of Education's ground-breaking academic Enrollment Management program.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Mail Competition Review Report
  • Freshmen Survey
  • Miami Commitment Focus Group Study
  • Image Focus Group
  • University Logo Recognition

2003-2004

Description

Prior Year (Fall 02)

Current Year (Fall 03)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

209,127

226,850

+

Applications *

15,903

16,844

+

Enrollment **

9,418

9,636

+

Mean High School Rank *

87.7%

88.2%

+

Mean High School GPA *

4.0

4.0

No change

Mean SAT *

1,216

1,230

+

Retention *

86.5% (01-02)

86.6% (02-03)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

 The goal to improve quality continued.  The fall of 2003 brought another nice increase in freshmen applications.  There was a 6% increase to 16,844.  This helped bring in the highest quality class with the SAT up 14 points to 1,230, the rank-in-class at 88.2% and a high school GPA remaining at 4.0.  Freshman retention had a slight increase from 86.5% to 86.6%.

With the success of the retention advisors, it was important to establish a better way of focusing on students who needed assistance.  An entirely renovated logistic regression model was produced to ensure that it would assist in targeting new groups of at-risk students for retention strategies.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

On June 1, 2003, Paul M. Orehovec became Vice President for the Divisions of Enrollment Management and Continuing & International Education.  Immediately following, a "Marketing & Communications" office was formed.

The international recruitment efforts expanded in the Caribbean, Scandinavia and South Asia.  Attendance occurred at a Tri-Association Conference in Mexico to meet with counselors from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela. This event deemed to be extremely productive.

In order to raise the selectivity in the Early Decision and Early Action pool, a category of students who would have been admitted previously was eliminated.

With the goal of publicizing other opportunities for employment, a communication series was developed for students not admitted to the Miami Commitment Program.

Based on findings from a focus group conducted by Market Research, it was concluded that the Miami Commitment Program needed to be a smaller group to maintain quality and ensure that the "commitment" to students can be kept. To that end, it was planned to offer the program only to Early Decision students.

The process was re-evaluated by which schools/colleges schedule classes to ensure students greater access to classes needed for graduation.

A professional photographer was hired to capture special events on campus and in the classroom that were previously missing from the domestic prospectus, which helped to build a substantial photo library.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Continuing Education Survey: Weston
  • Miami Commitment Focus Group Study
  • Registrar's Freshman CD Focus Group
  • Subsequent Enrollments of Minority Students

2004-2005

Description

Prior Year (Fall 03)

Current Year (Fall 04)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

226,850

218,418

-

Applications *

16,844

18,490

+

Enrollment **

9,636

9,741

+

Mean High School Rank *

88.2%

88.5%

+

Mean High School GPA *

4.0

4.1

+

Mean SAT *

1,230

1,250

+

Retention *

86.6% (02-03)

87.3% (03-04)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

The emphasis for the division of enrollment management continued to be student quality.  There was another nice increase in freshmen applications with a 10% increase to 18,490.  The selectivity dropped to 42%, the lowest in UM history.  The quality improved once again with the SAT increasing 20 points to 1,250, the rank-in-class moving up to 88.5% and the high school GPA moving up from 4.0 to 4.1.    Freshmen retention improved from 86.6% to 87.3%.

Last year's goal of improved retention efforts continued into this year.  Outreach grew as more sources referred students to the Retention Office.  Full-time students with fewer than 90 credits who requested academic transcripts were contacted with regularity. A new Withdrawing Student Responsibility form was created to help identify why students leave.  It was discovered that many of these students wanted UM to stay in touch with them.  Over time this resulted in an increase in retention/persistence through graduation.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

An in-house application was devised by the Office of Admission and implemented by Technical Operations and Information Technology, eliminating the need to outsource at a cost of around $5 per application.   Students can complete the entire application online including submitting the application fee, writing the essay and listing extra-curricular activities.

A search engine service was purchased to maintain UM's web presence in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean.  An organized tour of India was undertaken for the first time. A new letter was written in three Asian languages for insertion in the International Admission Guide.

Student awards were delivered earlier than ever.  Enhancements to EASY allowed students to readily find award information.

A new "Earning Experience" brochure was developed to promote advisory and guidance roles and career-building strategies for students seeking jobs.  A communication sequence was created to prepare first-semester sophomores for off-campus internships and career-related jobs in their junior year.

Transcripts in microfilm archives were converted to digital documents and this process was under way with the student folders as well. The Bulletin was converted to electronic and PDF formats to reduce mail costs and decrease dependency on paper documents.  A student resource CD was introduced at UM's Orientation in fall 2003.

The Division of Enrollment Management migrated to the central server, helping provide sufficient data storage for employees, automated backups, anti-virus protection, improved PC support and Windows updates.

Efforts were organized and activities were held for the first time by the Professional Development team representing both Enrollment Management and Continuing & International Education.  Activities included: The UM Bus Tour, Brown Bag Lunches, Monthly Conference Talks, Book Club, Technical Training and the Distinguished Speaker Luncheon Series.

In an effort to streamline an office-centric document imaging process within the division, a collaborative decision was made to merge these functions into one coordinated operation.  The proposed centralization of hardware and personnel, and cross training, allowed the commitment of all imaging resources to the disparate peaks in demand. The Enrollment Document Management Area (EDMA) began operations in Rhodes House in July 2004, serving all division offices except the Office of Student Employment.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • New Freshman Survey Report Fall 2004
  • Engineering Trends 1989-2004
  • Advanced Placement Report

2005-2006

Description

Prior Year (Fall 04)

Current Year (Fall 05)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

218,418

220,273

+

Applications *

18,490

18,810

+

Enrollment **

9,741

10,132

+

Mean High School Rank *

88.5%

88.8%

+

Mean High School GPA *

4.1

4.1

No change

Mean SAT *

1,250

1,258

+

Retention *

87.3% (03-04)

89.2% (04-05)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

Although freshmen applications did not increase very much this year (from 18,490 to 18,810), the quality push continued as the SAT jumped 8 points to 1,258.  The rank-in-class slightly increased to 88.8% and the high school GPA remained at 4.1.  The freshman retention increased a few percentage points to 89.2%.

The goal for improved retention continued this year.  The retention team conducted a telephone survey of new freshmen during the first few weeks to illuminate concerns and provide assistance earlier in the transition to college.  This project was successful in helping to identify issues affecting new students.   The distribution of the "Need Help?" card was a valuable resource for students and parents since the information gathered from this process contributed to the increased ability to address retention related issues in a timely manner.  Retention improved.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

The Miami Commitment Program revised the Career Stages model to further incorporate other university resources, in particular from Toppel Career Center, such as CaneZone. Each stage provided activities and programs that addressed the four career development components:  1. Commitment to orientation and adjustment.   2. Commitment to career exploration and reaffirmation of career goals.   3. Commitment to Career Action, and finally, 4. Commitment to goals after graduation. 

One of the admission officers was assigned to be primarily responsible for electronic communication with prospective students and coordinate incoming emails, chat rooms, etc. more efficiently and proactively.

An email was sent in late May/early June to rising high school seniors encouraging them to apply online,   which resulted in a 67% increase.

The ability to allow students to pay their enrollment deposit online was implemented.

A Miami Commitment website was developed that is distinct from Student Employment and an online program application was added.

EASY was enhanced to include a verification screen displaying side-by-side information from the FAFSA and verification documents, allowing students to see the differences between the original and verified data.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Retention Case Studies
  • Open House Survey

2006-2007

Description

Prior Year (Fall 05)

Current Year (Fall 06)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

220,273

206,917

-

Applications *

18,810

19,031

+

Enrollment **

10,132

10,190

+

Mean High School Rank *

88.8%

89.7%

+

Mean High School GPA *

4.1

4.1

No change

Mean SAT *

1,258

1,269

+

Retention *

89.2% (04-05)

89.6% (05-06)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

With student quality as the most important goal for the division, the fall of 2006 saw a small increase in applications, going from 18,810 to 19,031.  While the rank-in-class improved one percent to 89.7%, the high school GPA remained at 4.1.  The SAT improved 11 points to 1,269.  The freshman retention increased to 89.6%.  When rounded off, retention would remain at 90% for the rest of the decade.

The other major goal for the year was to expand awareness through the Miami Circle program.  The domestic Miami Circle expanded its coverage by holding 12 information meetings around the country. A mailing occurred that resulted in 75 new members, parents of current students were actively recruited, membership increased from 179 to 297 members, and Miami Circle covered 165 vs. 121 college fairs.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

By integrating content from EASY and the UM website, the new campus portal, myUM, was launched. 

Parents were incorporated into communication sequences that were appropriate and a newsletter specifically directed to parents was created.

In order to maintain diversity while continuing to improve the quality of the incoming class, recruitment was expanded and focus was on inner city schools. 

A high-volume monthly newsletter, Eye on Miami, was launched to thousands of prospective audience subscribers, including parents, guidance counselors, transfer students and international students.

With the intent to motivate campus visits, refute myths about location, tout opportunity based on the location and increase applications, a "Plan Your Visit" site was created.

An "important dates" email was created and sent to all students and faculty to remind them about critical deadlines during the semester, which was successfully received by the university community.

The Student Employment Online Training Program project was completed and made available to students.  It includes eight separate training modules ranging from customer service to career planning.  The program is required for Miami Commitment students and opened and encouraged for all student employees.  A Supervisor Training module was also developed and made available to all student employee supervisors, focusing on mentoring and retention strategies for supervisors.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Secret Shopper Project: Admission
  • Orientation/Registration Parent Interviews
  • New Freshman Survey Report Fall 2006
  • Secret Shopper Project: Schools/Colleges
  • Secret Shopper Project: Financial Aid
  • UM Web Site Questionnaire

2007-2008

Description

Prior Year (Fall 06)

Current Year (Fall 07)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

206,917

236,795

+

Applications *

19,031

19,809

+

Enrollment **

10,190

9,997

-

Mean High School Rank *

89.7%

89.3%

-

Mean High School GPA *

4.1

4.1

No change

Mean SAT *

1,269

1,275

+

Retention *

89.6% (05-06)

90.4% (06-07)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

Applications saw a 4% increase to 19,809.  The SAT moved from 1,269 to 1,275 while the rank-in-class had a slight drop and the high school GPA remained at 4.1.  The freshman retention increased from 89.6% to 90.4%.  The goal of improved student quality continued.

Social networking and other means of communicating electronically with students was a major goal for the year:

  • As a means to enter the social network world and advertise to prospective audiences, several videos about the University of Miami were uploaded to YouTube. Unfortunately, this also included negative press submitted by current UM students that needed to be counteracted. Therefore, content about UM's eight undergraduate schools and colleges, academics in general, student life, sports and activities, and presentations from information sessions were all uploaded.
  • Between September 2006 and May 2007, the Office of International Admission in conjunction with the Office of Admission hosted 9 chats for students at different stages of the funnel. International students were invited to participate in the chats as well.
  • The Office of Admission created a group called "Future Canes" on Facebook, which was a private group for accepted students only.
  • The Office of Admission coordinated the first private online social network for accepted students. This was a password-protected portal that would facilitate admitted students, current students and university personnel to connect through a social platform similar to Facebook.
  • E-Communications launched the first current student, news and photo blogs from the university, aimed at communicating with prospective audiences using this relatively new form of electronic communication.
  • E-Communications coordinated the university's first-time participation in CollegeWeekLive's virtual college fair. Prospective students were invited to attend an online college fair with hundreds of participating colleges/universities and their booths.
  • Created and launched instant messaging for prospective students and parents on Thursdays from 3-5 pm, generally hosted by the eManager for E-Communications.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

In order to decrease the summer melt of transfer students, the Office of Financial Assistance Services worked with 25 transfer students who indicated their primary reason for not enrolling was cost/financial assistance. Ultimately 7 students, out of the 25, enrolled.

The names purchased were increased from 800,000 to 900,000 for direct mail purposes.  In addition, 5,500 Hispanic Merit names were purchased.

In order to enhance the experience the visitors have, the Admitted Student Open House at the Convocation Center was held as a test.

The campus visitation program was evaluated and revised.  The division continued to test via a student poll to help determine which photo would be best to use on the cover of the Prospectus.  The division was even tested by becoming a secret shopper of the following areas at UM: Admission, Financial Aid, and Schools and Colleges.  Results included the analysis of phone responses and email inquiries, time lag in response, type of response, and content of response.

The Singer Scholarship competition was implemented, which was successful and allowed more high quality students in the freshman class to enroll.  A website for the Singer Scholarship Competition was also created.

The askUM link was placed on the website to create the ability for students to let the university know if they needed help immediately.

Due to a request to enroll 100 freshmen each spring, a strategy was implemented to admit students from the fall waitlist and offer them spring admission.

Students outside the United States no longer were required to submit SAT scores.

Management of undergraduate endowed scholarships was moved from the individual schools and colleges to the Office of Financial Assistance Services. The intent was to use them "strategically" by incorporating them into the financial aid strategy.

Market Research Projects this year included:

  • Singer Scholarship Competition Analysis
  • New Freshman Survey 2007
  • myUM Online Registration Survey
  • OFAS Web Site Usability Interviews
  • Eye on Miami Mini Surveys - How Heard and Preferred Communication Method
  • Student Case Studies
  • University Logo Recognition and Perceptions
  • Student Employment Survey
  • Admitted Student Questionnaire Analysis - African-American Respondents

2008-2009

Description

Prior Year (Fall 07)

Current Year (Fall 08)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

236,795

226,042

-

Applications *

19,809

21,774

+

Enrollment **

9,997

10,008

+

Mean High School Rank *

89.3%

89.6%

+

Mean High School GPA *

4.1

4.2

+

Mean SAT *

1,275

1,282

+

Retention *

90.4% (06-07)

90.4% (07-08)

No change.

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

The goal of improved student quality continued and the results were successful.  There was a 10% increase in freshman applications this year to 21,774.  The selectivity was 38.6% which helped improve the quality of the freshman class with the SAT increasing to 1,282, the rank-in-class improving to 89.6% and the high school GPA increasing from 4.1 to 4.2.  The freshman retention remained at 90.4%.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

 A freshmen-to-sophomore retention model was developed and used to identify students at-risk of withdrawing from the university.

A steady increase in applications occurred from international students. China was the major source of increase with a record number of over 250 applications for FY09.

For the first time, the online common application became more popular than the online UM application.

Due to the changes in technology, the college search process was affected resulting in stealth applicants no longer becoming traditional inquiries, which increased the need for more web presence.

For direct mail purposes, 100,000 names were purchased with a focus on senior AP names as well as African American students.

The international version of the "At a Glance" brochure was developed for use with students on all recruitment trips and college fairs. A Chinese version of "At a Glance" was developed for use on a joint recruitment trip to China with the Intensive English Program in October 2008 and again in April 2009 as part of the yield visits. It was distributed to independent counselors throughout China to be used in their advising offices with prospective students and their families. 

Before each international recruitment trip, each admission officer sent counselor packets ahead of their visit.  In total, 273 counselor packets were delivered throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

An online job assignment confirmation process was completed and implemented for employment assignments, improving the accuracy and speed of communication between the Office of Student Employment and employers.  This process reduced printing costs by 20%.

Student Employment Training Courses were successfully set up and organized on Blackboard.

The Office of the Registrar enhanced communication between the students and faculty by sending more personalized emails, automating the grade change notification process, and clarifying the differences between degree completion and commencement participation.

In an ongoing effort to better understand the brand, Market Research conducted a "blind" logo study that helped determine the images the audiences have with the University of Miami's green bar logo and the "U".

The Registrar website was changed from audience-focused to topic/subject-focused.  This new format made it easier and quicker to help internal and external customers locate information.  The academic calendars were also reformatted to provide internal and external customers to quickly and easily find dates and deadlines.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Singer Scholarship Competition Analysis 2008
  • New Freshman Survey 2008
  • Student Case Studies
  • Letting Go Survey
  • 2008 Freshmen Phone Campaign
  • Student Employment Survey
  • Focus Group Image Perceptions of Photos
  • Admitted Student Open House Survey

2009-2010

Description

Prior Year (Fall 08)

Current Year (Fall 09)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

226,042

203,817

-

Applications *

21,774

21,845

+

Enrollment **

10,008

9,855

-

Mean High School Rank *

89.6%

88.5%

-

Mean High School GPA *

4.2

4.2

No change

Mean SAT *

1,282

1,273

-

Retention *

90.4% (07-08)

89.6% (08-09)

-

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

This was one of the most challenging years in history for the Enrollment Management Team.  The bottom fell out of the economy, and unemployment increased to record levels.  Office budgets were cut by 7%, virtually all building projects were on hold and salaries were frozen.  The fact that the enrollment budget was met and the discount rate was kept around 30% is close to a miracle.  This year of economic worries pushed the Enrollment Management Team to the brink of brainstorming and establishing quick, on-going strategies that paid significant dividends.   Although student quality started out as a major goal, it quickly became secondary to making budget targets.   There was only a slight increase in applications for the fall of 2009.  The applications went from 21,774 the previous year to 21,845.  The enrollment management team had to go into the wait list in huge numbers.  The SAT fell 9 points to 1,273, the rank-in-class fell a percent to 88.5% and the high school GPA remained at 4.2.  The freshman retention slightly dropped from 90.4% to 89.6%.  To be able to "hold our own" was a significant feat.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

 Initial Freshman Financial Aid Award alerts were delivered to students for the first time via email, allowing the reader to view the award content through the secure myUM site. Use of this method, combined with the absence of any confidential data in the alert, allowed a copy of the alert to be sent to the parent's email address provided on the FAFSA.

Availability of private education loans has constricted with fewer participating loan providers using more stringent credit criteria and charging higher fees and rates.

During the early part of 2009-2010, there was an increased demand for student employment jobs, which is believed to be caused by the economic situation.

This was the first year in university history where Chinese students made up the largest group of international freshmen.

All freshmen residing on campus were not allowed to have an automobile.

All undergraduate students were given the opportunity to register for their courses online.  The Deans from each of the schools and colleges finally supported this significant change.

A letter campaign was implemented to high school counselors congratulating them on the stellar students they already referred to UM as well as asked them to continue to refer students in the future with the same academic caliber.

In June 2009, the fully functional Virtual Tour was completed and available to prospective students to explore the campus and encourage them to visit in person.

In 2009, the university moved to a new web Content Management System.  E-Communications, in conjunction with other Enrollment Management departments, was integral in launching the top-tier pages of the university website, namely the pages relating to Admission, Academics and Parents. 

By surveying the new freshmen, the division was able to identify the key reasons the new students enrolled at the university as well as the similarities/differences amongst certain demographic groups such as high quality students versus the overall population.

Through the use of primary and secondary research, key attributes that are most important to prospective students were identified so that a cohesive communication strategy could be put in place for the Enrollment Management Division.

Pin codes were implemented for market research surveys which provided more respondent information and ensured greater efficiency in emailing non-responders.

Personalized in-person visits for high quality prospective juniors and seniors was developed and implemented.

Midway through the year, international students who were not fully proficient in English were assigned a new admission status; "F" to denote "conditionally admitted."  For the first time in many years, students who were enrolled in IEP were no longer eligible for on-campus housing.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Singer Scholarship Competition Analysis (Long & Short version)
  • Freshmen Phone Campaign - Fall 2009
  • Student Case Studies - AY 2009
  • Fall 2009 New Freshmen Survey
  • Campus Tour Experience Survey
  • Winter Open House
  • Focus Group Study Image Perceptions of Photos (Boston & Houston)
  • Cane 4 A Day & You at The U 2010

2010-2011

Description

Prior Year (Fall 09)

Current Year (Fall 10)

Change (+ / -)

Inquiries *

203,817

183,906

-

Applications *

21,845

25,899

+

Enrollment **

9,855

9,903

+

Mean High School Rank *

88.5%

89.1%

+

Mean High School GPA *

4.2

4.2

No change

Mean SAT *

1,273

1,293

+

Retention *

89.6% (08-09)

89.7% (09-10)

+

* Data = New Freshmen.

** Data = Total Degree Seeking Undergraduates.

Although the economy was still in a questionable area, along with continuing high unemployment, the Enrollment Management Team reestablished student quality as its highest priority.  The Team had another challenging year ahead of them.  Yield rates were almost impossible to predict based on the previous year's experience.  Having said all that, it was a very successful year.  Applications jumped 19%, and quality jumped right along with it.  The SAT increased by 20 points to 1,293, the highest in UM history.  The rank-in-class was at 89.1% and the high school GPA remained at 4.2.  The freshman retention increased slightly from 89.6% to 89.7%.

Other Miscellaneous Strategies and Events

 More students were admitted from the waitlist than at any other time in UM's history.

UM is now listed as a top tier institution in U.S. News.

This is the second year in university history where Chinese students made up the largest group of international freshmen (43).

Graduation rate is the highest ever, at 79.5% (rounded to 80%) for the 2003 cohort; and, the preliminary graduation rate for the 2004 cohort is 80.1%, also the highest ever.

A sophomore-to-junior persistence model was developed to identify those sophomore students at risk of leaving the university.

Online registration for all students resulted in a rise from 34% of the undergraduates registering online to 80% in the fall semester and 86% in the spring semester.

General purpose classrooms were distributed to the respective departments based on efficient space utilization.  Enrollment was matched to classroom capacity.

A master calendar was created to reflect the specifics of how prospective students are contacted.  The document shows communications sent by the Division of Enrollments as well as the Schools and Colleges.

An online face-to-face interview session via Skype with an admission officer was developed to provide additional application resources for the international students.

To help target melt during the summer months, the division identified students' interest and extra-curricular activities (included in the admission application) and developed a process to match those with existing UM organizations, clubs and extra-curricular activities.

The Office of Retention developed an email campaign aimed at those students who are "inactive" for the current semester.

Various assessments were completed including Facebook-Undergraduate Admission, the Virtual Tour and askUM.  The results are being used to develop or enhance marketing strategies to further attract and engage prospective students.

An online survey of current sophomores to assess their level of academic and social involvement and commitment to UM after they finished their first year was conducted. 

A Market Metrix was developed for the Division of Enrollment Management, which provided another perspective on the market, competition and the environment.

Market Research Projects this year included: 

  • Focus Group Current Students
  • Competitive Analysis from the Perspective of the Prospective Student
  • Focus Group Stealth Applicants
  • Singer Scholarship Competition
  • Freshmen Phone Campaign - Fall 2010
  • Case Study Summary Report
  • Sophomore Survey

Taking Enrollment Management Theory to the Classroom

There were many internal discussions in the eighties and nineties about developing a Master's Degree program in Enrollment Management.  Scott Ingold and Paul Orehovec talked often about young professionals in the field and their lack of understanding enrollment management.  In the mid nineties, the higher education program was looking for some change.  Most of the students in the program had their tuition covered through a tuition remission program, and the School of Education could not sustain the program without increasing the number of students who would pay tuition.  In 1997, the department chair, Tom Angelo called for an all day working colloquium for current faculty, current students, alumni and administrators with a focus on developing strategies to enhance the program offerings and thus, increase revenues for the program.    Out of that retreat came the concept for the development of the Enrollment Management program.

Paul Orehovec and Scott Ingold searched the nation for similar type programs.  None could be found.  The closest venture into Enrollment Management was at Georgia State University where Ernie Beals had an outline for a program.  However, due to budget constraints the program was never implemented.  Orehovec and Ingold began to develop an enrollment management based curriculum for a Master's Degree program.  Critical to the program development was the desire to provide an interdisciplinary component with coursework in Education as well as in Business.  Research was also a central theme in the development of the curriculum.  A third major ingredient was the teaching of enrollment management through case study management.  The case study approach would be taught in the introductory enrollment management course, and it would be the focus for the advanced course, a one semester long case study.  This was the capstone project for the entire program.

There were several internal political issues surrounding the initial stages of the program.  At first, the Dean in the School of Education did not want to start the Enrollment Management program.  The concept was then presented to the Dean in the School of Business who liked the idea very much.  However, he felt it should be in the School of Education.  He contacted the Dean in the School of Education, indicating that he was very supportive of this interdisciplinary graduate program.  At the same time, the faculty in the School of Education was lobbying for the program with their Dean.  The Dean of Education then decided that it would be appropriate to pilot the program since no additional faculty would need to be hired.   If the program could generate revenue in the first couple of years, he would consider establishing the program on a more permanent basis and allow for the hiring of a full-time instructor.  This was critical because, during that same time, Tom Angelo had announced that he was leaving the university.

The initial program was a 30-credit, 10-course Master's program in Higher Education with a concentration in enrollment management.  It included two required enrollment management courses, two required research courses, two required education courses, two required business courses and two elective courses.  Degree candidates also completed a comprehensive exam.

The cognitive criteria embedded in the program were as follows:

Enrollment Management Component

1.       Be able to demonstrate their knowledge about:

•a.      Historical foundations of enrollment management

•b.      Organizational approaches in enrollment management

•c.       Leadership issues in enrollment management

•d.      Assessment and evaluation processes

2.       Have a thorough understanding about the components and process involved in the development of a strategic plan

3.       Understand the relationship of marketing and market research in the recruitment and retention of students

4.       Understand the role of evaluation and assessment in enrollment management

5.       Be able to develop enrollment models

6.       Understand the relationship between pricing and enrollment

7.       Be able to develop a comprehensive enrollment market plan

Research Component

1.       Have a thorough working knowledge of appropriate research designs

2.       Understand the basic components of statistics

3.       Understand the relationship between research, data, and statistics with marketing and modeling

4.       Be able to use research in decision-making

Education Component

1.       Understand the relationship between student characteristics and demographic trends

2.       Be conversant in theories and models dealing with student development

3.       Be conversant in theories relating to organizational development

4.       Understand the role that student values, needs, and goals play in the retention of students

Business Component

1.       Develop knowledge and skills relating to marketing and management

2.       Understand the role that service plays in determining product value

3.       Understand the relationship between data analysis and operational initiatives

4.       Be conversant in theories relating to management theory

Orehovec and Ingold taught the very first course, an introductory survey course in enrollment management in the spring of 1998 as an elective in the higher education program.  The first cohort for the full Master's program started in the fall of 1998.  At a later date, the four-course Certificate in Enrollment Management was offered for colleagues who already attained Master's, Specialist or Doctoral degrees.

During those early years, because Tom Angelo left the university, Bob Gropper and Anne Hocutt were the School of Education professors of record who took on the academic oversight of the program while Paul Orehovec, Scott Ingold and others were adjunct professors who taught the Enrollment Management and higher education courses.  In subsequent years, Carol-Anne Phekoo was hired as a full-time professor to oversee the program.

There were many students, faculty and administrators involved in developing the strategic enrollment market plan for the program, and the implementation of the effort was coordinated by Colee Splichal.  The recruitment process was underway, and it was quite successful.  The program has had many fewer tuition remission students thus turning a nice profit, and the academic credentials of the students have been very strong.  Most importantly, the graduates of the program have gone on to be quite successful in their enrollment management careers.

Roadblocks Along the Way

There were certainly roadblocks to success over the 25 years of developing the premier enrollment management organization in the country.  A critical part of the enrollment management process was the on-going practice of strategic planning.  As a part of the process, the enrollment managers would carefully review the internal and external environments impacting the recruitment and retention of students.  This is a review of a few of the most critical issues that were dealt with throughout the years.

External

Miami Vice:

From 1984 to 1989, one of the most popular television shows was Miami Vice.  Each week Crocket and Tubbs would solve criminal cases in Miami.  From a marketing standpoint, this represented a major hurdle for the enrollment management team.  Each week there was a reminder that Miami was a very unsafe place to be.  The image was that crime was everywhere.  This image continues today with the first question oftentimes asked at out-of-state receptions is about the safety of coming to Miami.

Miami River Cops Case:

On July 28, 1985, three bodies were discovered floating in the Miami River.  This led to one of the largest police corruption and cocaine cases in the country.  National media portrayed this case on a nightly basis ensuring that the nation understood that Miami was a very dangerous place where drug lords and dirty cops were present.  This added fuel to the image already set by the Miami Vice TV program.

European Tourist Attacks:

In 1993, there were a chain of European tourists killed on the streets of Miami.  In most cases, the tourists, renting cars, got lost on the streets or were caught in a "bump-and-rob" ploy.  The media coverage was worldwide, and Miami was once again portrayed as a very dangerous place to be.  The enrollment management team spent much of their time during these years developing media pieces and message points to counter the awful (but in many cases true) image of Miami being a dangerous place.  There were three major message points regarding the university in those days (and still true today).  Most people saw UM as a huge, public university in Miami.  Much was done to alter this image to one of medium size, private and located in Coral Gables.

Federal Student Aid Computers Break Down:

There was a year when the federal processor of federal financial applications could not get the machinery working.  Instead of the normal January start to providing financial aid eligibility, the notices were not sent out until summer (June/July).  While other colleges were waiting for the documents to arrive, the enrollment management team at UM decided to design, mail, receive and analyze its own proprietary document.  Thus, aid awards could be sent out to prospective students starting in February while other colleges were waiting until summer.  This took some imaginative, strategic planning with a lot of risk. However, it was determined that there was greater risk of waiting until summer like the competition.  Prospective students and parents, along with high school counselors just couldn't believe that UM could get aid awards out while other colleges could not.  This was a great example of taking a major crisis and turning it into an opportunity, a quality that the UM Enrollment Management team oftentimes accomplished.

Hurricane Andrew:

On August 24, 1992, as new students and parents were arriving on campus, Hurricane Andrew hit Elliot Key with 165 mile-per-hour winds.  This was a category 5 hurricane. Fortunately, the university did not get the brunt of the storm, but it was surely impacted.  Students were sent home until the campus could be shored up.  As much as the campus could be fixed, and in some cases improved, the faculty and staff were impacted personally.  In some cases, it took years to rebuild homes and rebuild lives.

For the Enrollment Management team, it was a huge challenge.  Enrollment models and econometric models were developed to try to project the impact on fall enrollment and revenue.  The Enrollment staff and student affairs staff worked tirelessly at communicating with students and parents in hopes of minimizing any loss of enrollment.  The senior leadership of the university did an outstanding job of leading through this devastation.  The Enrollment Management team was exemplary as was the Student Affairs staff.

One of the most fascinating enrollment events happened when students returned to campus.  Telephone campaigns and other market research efforts projected a 5-10% loss in enrollment.  As it would turn out, there was a net plus 5 of students for the semester.  The one thing the team could never have anticipated was the fact that many local students changed their minds and decided to attend UM rather than go out-of-state.  Some had already started attending other colleges.  These students wanted to be home to help their families rebuild their homes and their lives.

9/11:

On September 11, 2001, the world forever changed when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked commercial airliners, two of which struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact on the university was significant because of the international student population on campus.  The Intensive English program was devastated.  The enrollment dropped precipitately and faculty had to be laid off.

Undergraduate enrollment for international students was impacted, but not as severely as Intensive English.  Mark Reid and his colleagues, along with the Enrollment Management team were able to develop strategies that contained any loss. Where other universities saw a major drop, the international student population on campus dropped less than five percent.   Where it took years for the Intensive English Program to build its enrollment back to pre-9/11 levels, the undergraduate enrollment shortfall was short-lived.

Economic Downfall:

In the midst of recruiting the class of fall 2009, the country experienced the most severe economic downfall since the Great Depression.  For the Enrollment Management team, it meant meeting daily to find out the answers to the following questions:

  • Will many students delay college?
  • Will many students forego private colleges for public colleges?
  • If the Ivy League colleges have to dig deeper into their pools, will it impact UM?
  • Will there be enough financial aid to assist families?
  • Will current students transfer to public universities?
  • Will any current students "stop out" until the economy improves?
  • Will the yield dip?
  • Will more students have to be admitted in order to hit the enrollment targets?
  • Will the makeup of the student body change?

Throughout the spring and summer months, the market research arm of the enrollment management team focused all of their attention on these questions.  The enrollment management team met daily to analyze data in order to make the best decisions possible.  Changes were made on a daily basis all the way up to the start of classes (and beyond).  It might have been the most successful Enrollment Management effort in the history of the university.

Stealth Applicants:

With the coming of social networks, a new phenomenon of inquiring evolved.  Many students no longer contacted the university to request materials and information.   Rather, they used every electronic means available to them to learn more about the university.  For the marketing team, this meant the university could no longer control the message to prospective students.  Gail Blyden, the enrollment manager responsible for market research, brought together Market Research, eCommunication, Publications and Assessment in an effort to monitor and utilize social network opportunities in the recruitment process.  Their efforts were extremely successful.  As formal inquiries started decreasing, applications were increasing.  The enrollment management team found ways of communicating with students beyond the formal inquiry process.

Internal

Decision to get much smaller:

In 1980, the Mariel Boatlift brought 125,000 Cubans to the US, most of whom came to Miami.  This brought about worldwide media exposure to this part of the country.  President Tad Foote saw that this would impact enrollment and made the decision to announce to the world that UM would become smaller and better.  This wise decision was probably the first significant event leading to the improvement in student credentials at the university.

UM Football:

The 1983 football team won their first national championship game.  It came at a time when the city needed a lift, and the team delivered.  For the Enrollment Management team, it provided "name recognition" throughout the US.  This was a very positive day for the marketeers of the university.

At the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, the football team was playing for another national championship.  The players walked down the steps from the airplane wearing army battle fatigues.  They lost the game.  The image of those fatigues, along with other behaviors at the Fiesta Bowl, continually hindered the image of the athletic program and the university to this day. The image of the University of Miami conjured up either feelings of love or hate.  Over the years there continued to be questionable behaviors by players and fans that further reinforced the "thug" image around the world.  Although the program has changed significantly over the past few years, the image of "thug U" will continue to be alive in the minds of many.  For the Enrollment Management team, it was quite a challenge (1) to disassociate the academic program from the athletic program, and then later (2) to educate the world that this was no longer a place for thugs.

Recruitment Efforts in the Convocation Center:

Perhaps one of the greatest marketing and recruiting ideas developed by the Enrollment Management team was never implemented.  On January 4, 2003, the University of Miami Convocation Center opened its doors. This was a one-time event and would represent a great opportunity for the Enrollment Management marketing team.  In the years preceding the event, the Enrollment Management team spent significant time outlining a strategic marketing plan to take advantage of the Center.  The team understood that they had to be involved in the Convocation Center right from the beginning in order to take advantage of the opportunity.  In simple terms, the team would purchase one of the suites, in addition to 10 reserved seats in the main bowl.  For each game (or public event), representatives from a local high school would be selected to join the UM Enrollment Management team and attend.  Focus would be on the high school principal, head teachers and counselors - those who could influence the enrollment of their students.  The suite would be decorated with memorabilia recognizing the respective high school (which means it would be changed for each event) as well as with University of Miami memorabilia.  The focus would be on academic achievement, which would include the identification of University of Miami graduates who also attended the visiting high school.  The message would be about the success attained by those students due to the influence of the university.  Joining the enrollment management leaders and their guests would be current university students who attended the hosted high school.  These students would attend the pregame, halftime and postgame discussions in the suite.  During the game, they would go back to the student section.  Faculty would also be invited to join in the discussion, particularly faculty who have been productive scholars and have recently published a book.  They would be introduced to the high school representatives, and a copy of their book would be included in the "goody" bags.  This event would focus on academics, student success and faculty expertise. 

Unfortunately, this concept was rejected by the senior leadership team. 

Student Employment Systems:

The university has never wanted to build or purchase a computer system for student employment.  Instead, it always imposed the university HR and Payroll systems on the student employment program.   This has always created roadblocks because student employees have different schedules, needs and requirements than are provided through systems for full-time employees.

Enrollment and Visitor Center:

Some would say it is a miracle that UM Enrollment Management has been successful considering the fact that the reception area for prospective students is lacking and the enrollment related offices are spread all over campus.  Many years ago, a proposal was forwarded to senior management outlining what an enrollment center might look like.  It was a concept where there would be two front doors; one for prospective students and one for current students.  It would be located in a location that was convenient for current students and simple for prospective students to find.  Although recognized as a good idea, money could not be found to support the proposal.

There was an opportunity to develop a visitor center when the new alumni building was being designed, but this never took hold.

Football Player Murdered on Campus:

In April of 1996, a UM football player was bludgeoned to death on campus in Apartment 36C.  This was by far the most tragic day in over the past 25 years. To the best of everyone's knowledge, this was the first murder ever to happen on campus.  To add to the challenge for the Enrollment Management team was the fact that it happened in early morning hours on the day for the annual Open House Yield Program, where admitted students from around the world were on campus to take one last look at the university.  President Foote did a masterful job as the keynote speaker.  He knew that families staying in hotels may have seen the morning news; and if not, would certainly hear about it later in the day.  He put the topic right at the top of his presentation.  He told the audience as many of the facts as he knew them.  Although it was unsettling for everyone in attendance, they understood that it was a "love triangle" that could not have been prevented by the university.  It could have happened anywhere.  And yet, the Enrollment Management team understood that there would be a severe impact on recruitment.  The Market Research arm of Enrollment Management immediately began to measure (1) the awareness of the incident, and (2) the potential impact.  There were four distinct cohorts to look at:   (1) current students, (2) prospective students who were visiting that day, (3) prospective students not visiting that day who lived in Florida, and (4) prospective students not visiting that day who were out-of-state.  Communication strategies were designed for each cohort group.

Changing Administrative Culture:

Over the past few years a new administrative culture developed, which created a significant amount of control by some of the senior leadership.  This control culture has produced a significant set of bureaucracies that has resulted in a dysfunctional organization.  This structure has made it very difficult to accomplish important strategies on a timely basis.

Taking Donor Scholarships away from Schools and Colleges:

Senior leadership decided to take all donor scholarships out of the hands of the schools and colleges.  It was felt that the deans were not awarding funds strategically.   The donor funds represented a very small percent of the overall aid awarded.  Deans resented this change, and this made it quite difficult to continue a positive, ongoing relationship with the schools and colleges.

  

Look at the Data

 

What a remarkable run it has been over the past 25 years, especially since 1993 when the Division of Enrollment Management set out to significantly improve the credentials of the freshman class and freshman retention.  Just look at the data.  From 1993 to 2010:

 

  • Freshman inquiries increased from 84,119 to over 200,000
  • Freshman applications increased from 7,122 to 25,899
  • Freshman selectivity went from 75.6% to 39.2%
  • The Mean SAT went from 1,137 to 1,293
  • The Mean ACT went from 25.1 to 29.5
  • The mean high school rank-in-class went from 79% to 89%
  • Students in the top 10% of their high school went from 41% to 68%
  • Students in the top 5% of their high school went from 24% to 46%
  • The mean high school GPA went from 3.5 to 4.2
  • The students from out-of-state or international went from 50% to 63%
  • Transfer student applications increased from 1,994 to 4,637
  • Transfer student selectivity went from 64% to 35%
  • The mean college transfer GPA went from 3.0 to 3.3
  • Fall-to-fall freshman retention went from 79% to 90%
  • Six year graduation went from 61% to 80%

 None of this was an accident or circumstance.  The Enrollment Management culture through its data driven decision-making, creative energies and strategic enrollment market planning helped bring about much of this success.

      

Enrollment Management Theory and other important developments

The Next Important Position on the Enrollment Management Team

One of the more unique aspects of the UM Enrollment Management Team has been the giving up of positions in various offices in order to help the overall effort.  In effect, directors would look at each new open position to determine if someone new had to be hired to fill every new opening.  In most cases, the position was filled, but in many cases, the director would determine that because of efficiencies or other changes, the position did not need to be filled.  Thus, they would donate the position to the Division of Enrollment Management.

At the same time, the directors, as a group, would always discuss the "next important position needed on the Enrollment Management Team."  These new positions were rank ordered, and when a position was donated from an individual department, the new position was filled.

This became a critical trait for the Enrollment Management Team.  Without this team effort, the growth of the Enrollment Management Team could never have taken place.  It is estimated that over 20 positions were started because of this effort to reallocate resources.  Here are some of the newly created positions:

  • Market Research Analyst
  • Manager of eCommunication
  • Assessment Officer
  • Several lines in Technical Operations
  • All lines in the newly created office of the Enrollment Document Management Area (EDMA)

Hiring of a "Creative Thinker and Doer"

In 2000, a Creative Thinker and Doer was hired.  This role may have been one of the most important new positions established at the time.  His role was to look at everything the Enrollment Management Division does, especially in the area of electronic communication, and come up with creative ways in which recruitment and retention could be enhanced.  The first person in this role was a very creative person who graduated from the UM Higher Education Program in Enrollment Management.  This was a perfect example of taking someone from the Program and hiring them on the Enrollment Management Team. 

Wonderful relationship with Student Affairs, Student Accounts and the Schools/Colleges

When Colleges and Universities establish enrollment management divisions, it can oftentimes be threatening to other offices and divisions within the organization.  It was apparent there were some concerns initially about enrollment management at the University of Miami.  However, the concept of enrollment management was very inclusionary and was not focused on the organizational chart.  This was especially true after 1993.  Rather, the attention was focused on the development of an Enrollment Management Culture on campus, regardless to whom an individual or office reported.  Thus, it was about trying to get everyone on campus to see that recruitment of high quality students and retention was everyone's job.  That's easy to say, but difficult to pull off.  It is about establishing a culture.  As the culture grew at the University of Miami, and people were not threatened by the organizational model, the relationships developed in ways that could only be imagined on other campuses.  Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, Schools and Colleges, Student Accounts, Institutional Research and Institutional Technology really worked together to bring about an Enrollment Management Culture.

Three of the key players in helping develop the EM culture were Patricia Whitely, VP for Student Affairs, Alan Matthews, Associate Treasurer, and Lew Temares, VP for IT.  Without their support of this new evolving EM culture, success could never have taken place.

The Future:  Enrollment Management's 10-Year Plan

The future looks very bright for the University of Miami.  One reason is that the framework for an outstanding enrollment management model is firmly in place.  The enrollment management culture is alive and well-focused on campus.  This is evidenced by the way staff from across the university take ownership in the array of recruitment and retention issues that are so important to the university.

In fall 2006, the Enrollment Management team, through its annual strategic enrollment planning process, established 10 year goals.  The following shows (1) where the university was in 2006 as far as enrollment management issues were concerned, (2) where it is in fall 2010, and (3) where it hopes to be in 2016.

                                                                                                                       Goal

                                                                Fall 2006               Fall 2010               Fall 2016

US News: Rank                                             54                           47                           45          

US News: Peer Assessment                           3.2                          3.2                          3.4

Mean SAT                                                  1269                         1293                       1310

Rank-top 10%                                             67%                        68%                        80%

Acceptance Rate                                          41%                        39%                        36%

Percent Full-Time Faculty                              87%                        88%                        87%

Percent Classes under 20                             45%                        53%                        52%

Percent Classes over 50                                7%                          7%                          7%

Freshmen Retention                                     90%                        90%                        94%

Graduation Rate                                          73%                        80%                        85%

Alumni Giving                                              16%                        18%                        24%

 Only four years into the plan, the university is well on its way.  As the Enrollment Management team recruits better and better students, other factors like retention and graduation should improve.  All this is being done while the discount rate has held steady at around 30% over the last decade and the diversity of the student body continues to be quite unique in higher education.

Conclusion

This story allows the reader to realize that much of the overall success of the University of Miami right now is all because of what the early pioneers of enrollment management have accomplished over the past 25 years.  Where would the University be today if the enrollment management culture was never implemented?

Enrollment Management professionals are change agents.  They must always look ahead, question what they see and determine the best approach.  Like the tides of the ocean, the internal and external environment is always changing.  As our colleague Debbe Perry used to say in the late eighties, "UM is the type of place that will always have to move a little faster and jump a little higher."  That was true in the late eighties, and it continues to be true today.

There are so many people who have played a supportive role in the success of the Enrollment Management efforts at the University of Miami.  The difficulty in listing individuals is that someone will invariably be left out.   The Faculty Senate encouraged the EM team to improve quality. Members of the ADAC committee brought the enrollment management culture to the academic units.  Many of the deans played a very supportive role.  Suffice it to say that without the many faculty, staff, students and others researching, analyzing, planning and performing, the success would have fallen quite short of our expectations.  Thanks to you all.

Milestones

To truly understand how EM evolved over 25 years at the University of Miami, one only needs to look at the numerous milestones that took place.  Each and every one of these had some impact on developing the EM culture, a theoretical culture like none other in the world. Some of these milestones might seem somewhat inconsequential, but rest assured that each was significant in its own right.  Others were so monumental that they continue to impact the university today.

1981       1,000 student shortfall

1982       Admissions, Financial Aid and Registrar reorganized and report through Provost Office

1982       President's 100 volunteer student ambassador program started

1984       Initial enrollment management ideas are being discussed at the University of Miami

1984       Hecht Residential College (an Honors College and the first of the residential colleges) is built

1986       McGuire and Associates conduct a major enrollment research project for the university

1986       A major surprise financial aid overrun causes some rethinking about organization

1986       Graduate School is decentralized and International Admission takes on a graduate international position

1987       Associate Provost, Director of Admission, Director of Financial Aid, and Director of Institutional Research come together to develop an enrollment pricing model

1987       Admissions and Financial Aid are brought together organizationally as an Enrollment Management team

1987       There were significant efforts to improve the financial aid process for students

1988       The Miami Commitment Program is established

1988       The Registrar joins the Enrollment Management Team

1989       The first Linear Programming (LP) enrollment model is developed

1989       The first Cross Training Program is held

1993       The Enrollment Management Team is restructured

1993       The single focus mission to improve student quality is announced

1993       The first Strategic Enrollment Market Plan was developed

1993       The start of Geodemographic Research

1993       The first major Market Test

1993       The Vice President's Benchmark presentations begin

1993       The Vice President's State of the Division presentations begin

1993       The Honors Program tripled in size

1994       Increased the Guidance Counselor Weekend to 60 counselors

1994       The first out-of-state "personal interviews" in secondary and tertiary markets

1994       The first formal Market Research Report; topic was Focus Groups on Academic Advising

1994       Established the Wait List

1994       Established Early Action admission process

1994       Established the Market Research Analyst position

1994       Restructured the High School Honors Program

1994       The first effort to market younger inquirers (high school sophomores)

1994       Established the telemarketing team

1994       The first EM internet address was established

1994       Admissions website was established

1994       Developed an electronic transcript process

1995       Increased the Guidance Counselor Weekend to 90 counselors

1995       The initial Quality Initiatives Report

1995       Established the school/college liaison meetings

1995       Joined the Common Application

1995       Conducted the first student interviews in a major market (Boston)

1995       Sent letters to high school Guidance Counselors informing them that their previous student(s) recently graduated from UM

1995       Initiated the Letting Go mailing to parents

1995       Initiated the three week checkup of new freshmen to see how they are doing

1995       Established the EASY system allowing students to access academic and biographical information

1995       Established the Miami Commitment Hometown Program, which was later called the Summer-At-Home program

1995       Established the Friday Enrollments Meeting

1995       Developed the Linear Programming model for recruiting Music students              

1995       The Annual Plan document is established including the Strategic Enrollment Market Plan

1995       Established a joint recruiting position between International Admission and the Intensive English Program

1996       The Wellness Center is built and it is used for major Open House events

1996       The initial White Paper is presented for the building of an Enrollment Center

1996       The Miami Commitment Program wins two national awards

1996       The first major predictive regression model to measure summer melt was developed

1996       UM aid application is eliminated

1996       The freshman at-risk retention model was developed

1996       Established a website for the Office of Student Employment

1996       The Office of the Dean of Enrollments created the Campus Guide and Walking Tour brochure

1997       Open Houses held in the new Wellness Center

1997       All future term inquiries were invited to all information sessions 

1997       Started special mailings to students with academic warnings

1997       Purchased transfer student prospect names through Phi Theta Kappa

1997       Established a website for the Office of Financial Assistance Services

1997       Incorporated the geodemographic data elements into the "at-risk" model

1997       The Academic Development Center is added to the University Center

1997       Presented a paper entitled "The Development and Implementation of a Predictive Model to Identify New "At -Risk" Freshmen" at The Eighth Symposium of the Marketing of Higher Education in Boston. An article based on this presentation also was accepted for publication in The Journal of Marketing for Higher Education

1998       Digital pictures, sophisticated software and enhanced security were added to the Cane Card

1998       Established a website for the Office of the Registrar

1998       Student System Analysts and Programmers got together and formed the Office of Enrollment Systems

1999       Added 250 International Miami Circle members

1999       Established the Scholarship Website

1999       Merged records and registration staff and services to one location

1999       UM was recognized by the Templeton Guide: Colleges That Encourage Character Development as being one of the best colleges in the country for developing strong student leaders

2000       A "Signature Series" communication sequence for high achieving inquiries was developed 

2000       Initiated video streaming of information sessions, Open Houses and other admission events

2000       The email communication sequence was established

2000       Established the Enrollment Management Website

2000       The first class of fall applicants admitted for the following spring

2001       Sending email was tested, along with the traditional mailing to 22,000 prospects

2001       Mechanism established for faculty to submit grades electronically

2001       Financial Assistance Services and Student Employment begin imaging student records

2001       Financial Assistance Services changes its preference from paper to electronic financial aid applications

2002       The first Retention Advisor was hired and due to such success, a second was hired within several months of the first

2002       The Legacy Admission Program was implemented

2003       The new name, the Division of Enrollment Management, was made official

2003       Dean of Enrollments was made the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Continuing & International Education

2003       Office of Marketing & Communications was formed

2003       SEVIS System implemented for tracking all "F" and "J" Visa Students

2004       The Enrollment Document Management Area (EDMA) was launched

2005       Developed an online system that requires students to annually update their contact information

2005       The online student information website "EASY" transitions to the new "myUM" system, which has a new look and new functionality

2005       Federal Stafford Loan Cohort Default Rate for the university falls below 1%, to .4%, from a 1986 high of 6.7%

2007       The successful "Secret Shopper" was created and implemented

2007       The Office of Admission held the first ever scholarship competition enabling students to compete for the full-tuition Singer Scholarship

2007       Implemented flat amount scholarships for all four years

2007       Undergraduate endowed scholarship management transferred from the schools and colleges to the Office of Financial Assistance Services

2007       Flicker account was created to share photos

2008       Office of Admission developed the Future Canes Network, a private online network for admitted students to interact with university personnel 

2008       An online registration was implemented

2008       "Inactive Status" was made available to students during fall 2008

2008       UM Facebook was created by Admission and subsequently transferred to University Communications

2008       YouTube channel was created for sharing video content

2008       Expansion of Hammond Scholarships

2009       UM Admission Facebook and Twitter were created

2009       Completed the Virtual Tour

2010       Improved the US News & World Report ranking by 20 positions over the past 14 years: from 67 in 1997 to 47 in 2010

 

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Orehovec Consulting  Phone: (305) 498-3983 porehovec@enrollmentmanagement.org

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