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Article Type

Professional Proficiency

Article Abstract

Related Issue:

We, as educators, expect students to connect the dots and experience our institutions through a variety of lenses; we must organize ourselves in a way that places synergy, collaboration, and data-driven decisions at the center of our operations. Over the past three years, Ramapo College has worked diligently to ensure that strategy drives the structure of a student’s experience by placing student success at its core. This work has been successful only because of the collaboration and connections that exist between the divisions of Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs, and the faculty. In those three years, the college has implemented a mandatory advisement system involving faculty and staff, expanded student-academic affairs partnerships in a first-year seminar course, instituted a new early alert program with 77% faculty participation and ultimately maintained and grown slightly its enrollment outcomes while increasing the diversity of its incoming class. This article will describe the partnerships and processes that facilitated these changes and offer suggestions to inform other institutions moving toward a more institutional approach to student success.

Author(s)

Christopher Romano is the vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Ramapo College of New Jersey. In that role, Christopher leads the division of Enrollment Management, including the Offices of Admissions, Advising and First-Year Experience, Career Services, Financial Aid, Marketing and Web Administration, Registrar, Residence Life, and Continuing Education, as well as the Division of Student Affairs. In his role, Christopher chairs the Strategic Enrollment Management Planning Committee and is responsible for the development and maintenance of Ramapo’s SEM plan aimed at defining targets for rates of enrollment, persistence, and graduation, but also developing strategies to help the college reach its optimum enrollment levels. He serves as a member of the president’s cabinet as well as other administrative bodies to ensure that institutional conversations and decisions take into account the impact not only on incoming student enrollment, but also on the way those decisions impact the perception, experience, and ultimate success of current students. Prior to serving as the associate vice president, Christopher served as the special assistant to the president of Ramapo College, where he was responsible for strategic planning, resource allocation, and institutional effectiveness. Christopher earned his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Saint Joseph’s University (PA) and a master’s in higher education administration from Harvard University. He has presented nationally on the student engagement project at Ramapo, marketing/branding, and utilizing data and modeling to predict student retention. His professional work concentrates on strategic planning, student engagement, and using data to drive decision making.

Joseph F. Connell is the director of Student Success at Ramapo College of New Jersey. In this position, Joseph leads the functional areas of academic advising, new student experience, early alert, and placement testing as part of the College’s Strategic Enrollment Management Team. Before coming to Ramapo, Joseph held positions as the director of Academic Services and Testing at Dutchess Community College, assistant director of the Education Enrichment Center at William Paterson University, and the coordinator of commuter students in the Office of First-Year Programs and Leadership Development at Marist College. In addition to his administrative roles, Joseph has spent time teaching applied psychology, career development, first-year student success, peer leadership, and college preparatory courses. Joseph earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lycoming College and a master’s in college student personnel from Miami University (OH). He has presented, served, and received awards for his work in several national higher education organizations including ACPA, AACRAO, NACADA, and NASPA. His professional work concentrates on educational access, retention, and success.

References

Dolence, M. G. 1993. Strategic Enrollment Management: A Primer for Campus Administrators. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

Kahan, S. 2010. Getting Change Right. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Kotter, J. 1996. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Kuh, G. D. 2009. What student affairs professionals need to know about student engagement. Journal of College Student Development. 50(6): 683.

Pascarella, E. T., and P. T. Terenzini. 2005. How College Affects Students: Vol. 2. A Third Decade of Research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sevier, R. 2012. STAMATS Integrated Marketing Workshop. Chicago. Presentation.

Whiteside, R. 2001. Models for successful change. In Strategic Enrollment Management Revolution, edited by J. Black. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

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