Buies Creek, N.C.-Enrolling in a college or university can be a scary prospect. Creating a course schedule, walking into that first class, and adjusting to the study and skill requirements necessary to be successful in college is sometimes daunting. That’s why many higher education institutions are adopting an Enrollment Management model, facilitating a student’s success from recruitment and admission to graduation. According to Dr. John Roberson, vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Campbell University, the model is an increasingly essential concept in higher education.
“Recruiting new students and retaining current students are important issues at all colleges and universities,” Roberson said. “Enrollment Management will propel Campbell forward in these critical areas of concern. This model has the potential of taking the university to new levels of success.”
Enrollment Management shapes the enrollment of an institution and meets established goals through strategies and tactics designed to benefit all students. It is a campus-wide initiative to ensure the support and retention of students from every aspect of university organization-Admissions and Financial Aid to academics, student services, even the cafeteria.
“It is a strategic framework that encompasses the mission, values and vision of the university,” said Roberson. “Not only is there a big push to bring students in, but a huge emphasis on retaining those students and ensuring their success from start to finish.”
The Enrollment Management concept seeks to accomplish this goal through various methods, including competition analysis, evaluation and assessment of the university’s position in the market, admission policies, enrollment goals, recruitment and retention plans, student aid and scholarship funding, staff development and training and many more.
“Every area of the university impacting the successful admission of a new student or the successful progress toward graduation of a continuing student must be carefully evaluated and assessed,” said Roberson. “Wherever necessary, strategic change must be considered to ensure students are receiving the best possible service and education the university can offer.”
In fall 2008, Campbell recorded one of the highest enrollment figures in the history of the university with a total of 4,489 attending classes on the main campus in Buies Creek and 1,587 enrolled at Campbell’s four extended campuses-Fort Liberty and Pope Air Force bases in Fayetteville, N.C.; Camp Lejeune/MCAS New River, N.C.; and Research Triangle Park in Raleigh. A total of 614 degrees were conferred at Campbell’s winter graduation service on Saturday, Dec. 13. Of those, 459 were undergraduate and 155 were graduate degrees.