By Jody Gordon, Senior Managing Consultant, AACRAO Consulting
Dear AACRAO Consultants,
Last year, we completed development of our Strategic Enrollment Management plan and are actively implementing it. But we need advice on the key components to sustain this institutional effort. What do we do over the longer term?
Signed,
SEM Plan Lead
Dear SEM Plan Lead,
SEM is not a finite project but rather an ongoing journey, as my co-author and I detailed in our book, SEM in Action. Below are five essential elements for sustaining SEM on your campus to ensure the long-term viability of your plan.
Encourage a Culture of Wonder, Not Blame: Wisdom Works advocates for a “culture of wonder” in which effective problem-solving begins with asking, “What else could be true?” This approach encourages a proactive stance, moving beyond impulsive responses to problems, and instead promotes hiring and rewarding curiosity.
For instance, a campus might establish an “innovation start-up fund” to provide seed money for new ideas aimed at achieving enrollment and learner success goals.
Alternatively, a campus could host “data days” where specific trends in learner success data (for example, the trend indicating that a significant number of learners are lost within the first three to six weeks of their first semester) are presented, inviting the campus community to brainstorm solutions for addressing these trends.
SEM motto: We ❤️ and reward a sense of wonder.
Be Data-Inspired, Not Just Data-Informed: As my colleague Alicia Moore recently articulated in “Ask a Consultant About Data,” a “data-inspired approach utilizes data as a starting point for inspiring new directions, innovation, and creative thinking. In other words, data is the prompt, but it does not dictate direction.” Data was instrumental in driving the plan's development, guiding its implementation, and informing its assessment. Consequently, continuous engagement with data will ensure the plan's sustainability.
SEM motto: We ❤️ data.
Engage Departments and Colleagues Campuswide: SEM should not be narrowly perceived as an enrollment plan solely pertaining to the recruitment and admission offices. It is fundamentally an enrollment and learner success plan, requiring involvement from every department across campus. Therefore, learner success should consistently appear as a topic on department meeting agendas, at campus governance meetings, at town halls, and other relevant forums. As the saying goes, it truly takes a village.
SEM motto: We ❤️ campus-wide engagement.
Abandon the “Quick Fix” Mentality: If there is one consistent truth in SEM, it is the absence of quick fixes. Success is not achieved through a single solution, but rather requires numerous smaller, coordinated adjustments that work in concert.
SEM motto: We ❤️ the saying “success is the sum of small efforts.”
Cultivate Ongoing Leadership Support: Robust support from campus leadership was indispensable during SEM’s development phase and remains equally crucial for its sustained success. Leadership plays a vital role in managing expectations regarding the outcomes of the plan's strategies and tactics.
For example, goals related to learner success, such as improvements in retention rates or increases in graduation rates, typically require time for positive results to materialize, often over an 18-24 month cycle. Having strong leaders who comprehend the long-term nature of SEM ensures that outcome expectations are reasonably managed across the institution.
SEM motto: We ❤️ supportive leadership.
As 2025 comes to a close, we wish you continued success in your ongoing journey with SEM.
Signed,
Jody, AACRAO Consultant
AACRAO members, do you have a question for our team of higher education consultants? Send your "Ask a Consultant" question to consulting@aacrao.org.
For more information on how AACRAO Consulting can assist your campus with the development of SEM and sustaining this effort, visit our website or contact us via email at consulting@aacrao.org
Also, visit the AACRAO SEM Resources and AACRAO Bookstore to order the SEM trilogy of books: