If you care about survival and success of small colleges, this session will pull the curtain back on what effective leadership looks like at financially strong small, private institutions.

Small, private colleges and universities are in trouble. Every few weeks we see a new story about a small, private, nonprofit institution in financial trouble closing or "merging" with a much larger and wealthier neighbor. The higher education marketplace is more competitive than ever, as flagship publics and highly selective, well-endowed private institutions continue to see increases in enrollment and media attention.  How can small college survive in today's higher education landscape?

Learn how three financially successful small, private, moderately selective colleges have made their way swimming with the sharks. Based on 19 in-depth interviews with executives, faculty and trustees at these three campuses, you will learn the tactics and strategies employed by senior leadership at these institutions that have achieved strong financial results. You will leave with real insights from leaders at financially strong small colleges and the lessons they learned - all of which can be replicated on your campus.

In an admission world that's constantly shifting, data isn't just helpful—it’s your secret weapon. This session will show you how to take the guesswork out of recruitment travel and territory planning by using real data from your institution and partners. We’ll break down how to turn reports and dashboards into smart, strategic moves that make your travel work harder (and smarter) for you.

You'll leave with fresh ideas to help you become more fiscally responsible, avoid burnout, and make the most of your time on the road. Whether you’re new to the field or a seasoned pro, this session is perfect for anyone looking to be more efficient, effective, and extraordinary in their recruitment strategy. Ideal for counselors ready to balance impact with intention—and prove that when used the right way, data doesn’t just inform your decisions—it transforms them.

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The higher education market is not getting any easier, challenging demographics, weakening governmental support and an increasingly skeptical public for the value of a college degree. Whereas the state flagships and premier private universities have less concern, they to have upped their game. Regional and smaller universities need to accelerate their competitive posture and initiate aggressive change to win in this market. These institutions, public or private, have a unique opportunity to find the “Goldilocks” position of not being “too big” or “too small” but “just right,” but taking advantage of it, is always the challenge.

This presentation will look at some of the obstacles of building an integrated SEM structure to support this market position and offer some options for action-based campus-wide strategies to create campus understanding of the “Goldilocks” position, how to aggressively sell its value, achieve its value expectations, and finally validate its proof points to complete the cycle.

For years, these smaller and mid-sized universities have squandered their opportunity to grow market share through levels of complacency and an aversion to institutional change. Currently there is no choice, it’s Time to Kick It Up a Notch!

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Enrollment growth is more than new student headcount. This session will go over how the restructuring of reporting lines at the senior leadership level has led to an increase in enrollment over the past three years. The Chief Operating Team: Provost, VPEM, and VPSE have combined to review various processes that used to lead to higher summer melt and lower retention of first-year students.

Hear how past experiences, combined with the new internal leadership, increased first-year retention almost 10% over three years and decreased summer melt.

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Small colleges often bill themselves of functioning like a family, but as we all know, families have their own dysfunctions (at worst) and tensions (at best). One way this can manifest is in the typical faculty-staff divide. This is problematic when faculty and staff depend on each other for reaching critical enrollment goals. How can you bridge this divide and get your PhDs to be ‘Pretty Helpful Delegates’ in your enrollment efforts?

Through creating structures to promote communication and relationship building amongst faculty enrollment staff and outlining clear expectations for faculty participating in enrollment activities, Franklin College saw a record incoming class last year. This session will explore insights from a VPAA to help you better understand the mindset of your faculty and use that information to create strategies to incorporate faculty into your recruiting initiatives.