Landing on an Aircraft Carrier
“I had more control over things as a fighter pilot.” That’s what a colleague said to me recently—and he wasn’t kidding. Before coming to enrollment management, he flew combat aircraft […]
Read moreTag: Enrollment Management
What I Learned Since We Last Spoke
Last month, I presented a plenary session to the Board of Trustees at Centre College. That may not sound unusual — except that Centre is where I served as Vice […]
Read moreIt (Probably) Isn’t Your Vice President for Enrollment
When enrollment falls short, the instinct is immediate and understandable: something must be wrong in the Admission office. Maybe it’s time for fresh leadership. Maybe a new face will change […]
Read moreFederal Student Loan Policy Changes: Implications for Enrollment, Student Success, and Institutional Strategy
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, represents the most sweeping overhaul of federal student loan policy in decades. Beginning July 1, 2026, […]
Read moreOpening Comments for CIC National Career Center Design Thinking Workshop – Chicago – March 5, 2026
I have had a wonderful career in college enrollment, mostly as a Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission at four CIC member institutions — at Furman, Centre, Rhodes, […]
Read moreYield is Brand
Why the work of enrolling a class begins the moment a student first hears your name There is a moment when a student first has a real connection with your […]
Read moreGeneration Alpha is Almost Here
A few years ago, I attended a conference where a demographer presented enrollment projections for the next decade. The data was sobering, but one slide especially caught my attention: Generation […]
Read moreThe New Playbook
Private colleges and universities face unprecedented challenges. The demographic cliff isn’t coming; it’s here. Public skepticism about higher education’s value is real. The business model seems broken. Competition for students […]
Read moreStrategic Board Oversight
The enrollment report arrives in board packets or posts on BoardEffect. Applications, deposits, class size, discount rate. Trustees review numbers, ask clarifying questions, move forward. The assumption holds: enrollment is […]
Read moreFinding Your Leverage Points
Demographic headwinds. Discount pressure. Market erosion. Presidential urgency. Board questions. Faculty anxiety. You seem to have responsibility for institutional sustainability without authority over most factors determining it. You didn’t create […]
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