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This article seeks to make the case for how relationships are essential to meeting the tapestry of student needs by examining experiences and challenges of several student threads in that tapestry, using both two-year and four-year institutional perspectives. How faculty, staff, and administrators respond—or don’t—in building rapport and connections that help students feel they belong ultimately ensures institutional enrollment health, the core aim of SEM. This article also examines how the 2020 pandemic has disrupted our ability in the twin pillars of SEM—recruitment and retention—to meet student needs, not just with transactional services but with the deeper bonds of belonging.

Author(s)

henderson-s-e--smStanley E. Henderson retired from the University of Michigan-Dearborn where he served as Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Student Life from 2005–2015. In that role, he provided leadership to campus enrollment efforts that resulted in
record enrollment and championed a spirit of community to grow student engagement to new levels.

Henderson has long been a national leader in developing new models for universities to better recruit and retain students. His leadership in designing an enrollment facility at the University of Cincinnati helped to create a widely studied model
of one-stop service and integrated recruitment and retention delivery.

He served as associate provost for enrollment management at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign from 2003–2005 and as associate vice president for enrollment management at the University of Cincinnati from 1995 to 2003. Previously, he was
director of enrollment management and admissions at Western Michigan University and director of admissions at Wichita State University. His roots in enrollment began as an admissions counselor at Michigan State University in 1970–1971.

He also has been deeply involved at the national level of AACRAO, where he served as the association’s first vice president for enrollment management in 1991–93 and as president in 1995–96. He was a founder of the association’s national SEM
Conference, now in its 30th year. He is a frequent contributor to AACRAO publications, including the first history of enrollment management, as well as a frequent presenter at state, regional, and national levels. He is also a recipient of the
Distinguished Service Award and the Founders Award for Leadership. In 2014, AACRAO presented Henderson a Lifetime Achievement Award for “Outstanding Leadership in the SEM Profession” and awarded him Honorary Membership in 2015. He continues to
serve the association as a senior consultant for AACRAO Consulting.

Henderson earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Michigan State University in 1969 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and a master’s degree in government from Cornell University in 1971. He also completed course work in the doctoral
program at the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign.

pollock-k--smKevin Pollock, Ph.D., is President at Central Carolina Technical College and an AACRAO Senior Consultant. Prior to these roles, he served as the fifth president of Montgomery County Community College. Dr. Pollock has more than 38 years of
education experience at four-year private and public colleges as well as community colleges. His diverse roles include college administration, strategic planning, leadership, and enrollment management. He is a national expert on student success
models, a frequent national speaker who has spoken more than 130 times at conferences and colleges, and has authored more than 20 book chapters and articles.

At Montgomery County Community College, Dr. Pollock where he oversaw the implementation of a new core curriculum and the creation of pathways for all college programs. During his tenure, the college created a new vision, mission, and strategic
plan, and updated its brand and marketing strategies. The college implemented an integrated holistic advising approach, developed through the Gates Foundation iPass grants. In addition, the college enhanced its student success models by creating
short-term enrollment goals, moving to a virtual bookstore platform, and creating a 24 x 7 tutoring model.

Before arriving at Montgomery County Community College, Dr. Pollock served as president of St. Clair County Community College in Port Huron, Michigan, from 2009–2016. During his tenure, the institution experienced record enrollment, embarked on
new student success initiatives, created early and middle college programs, increased its grant funding, became a leader in green initiatives, and strengthened its connections with the community. The institution also adopted a new vision, mission
and data informed strategic plan, that was tied to national best practices.

Prior to assuming a presidential role, he spent nine years as vice president of student services at West Shore Community College in Scottville, Michigan. He also held a number of leadership roles in admissions and recruitment, and he taught middle
and high school English early in his career.

Dr. Pollock holds a Ph.D. in Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University and a Master of Arts in Education and Bachelor of Science in Education from Central Michigan University.

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