By Maureen O’Mara Carver, AACRAO Senior Consultant.
One of the most powerful tools for increasing enrollment, retention, and progress to graduation is an efficient and effective one-stop-shop for student services. A successful one-stop-shop is student-focused and designed to enable the graceful navigation
of complex administrative processes that are often barriers to enrollment.
For a one-stop-shop to be successful, a clear mission and vision for the area must be the first priority. To articulate a mission and vision statement, some questions need to be considered, such as:
- How will the one-stop support the mission and goals of your college?
- Whom will your one-stop serve?
- What will be the scope of your services and how will these services be delivered?
Implementing a one-stop-shop is not something that happens in a silo; planning must include participation and input from all levels of your college. It is important during the planning phase that the needs of your students remain the primary focus, and
that processes and systems do not distract from that focus. However, it is not rash to say that technology can make or break a one-stop-shop, but technology needs to be treated as a multi-purpose tool, not as an immovable force.
Successful one-stop-shops have many of the following characteristics in common:
- They recognize that their first priority is service to students.
- They have a clear understanding of their core services.
- They have the right team with the right skills in the right positions.
- They integrate services, both technologically and student facing in order to simplify processes for students.
- They measure everything that can be managed and improved, and embrace the need for continuous improvement.
- They recognize the need for continuous training and offer growth opportunities for their staff.
If you are considering a one-stop-shop for your college, or if you have one already, there are some key questions you need to answer to set a path to success:
- What outcomes are you expecting from your one-stop-shop?
- If you have multiple campuses, do you need different models for each campus?
- What skill sets are needed to have an effective operation?
- What depth of knowledge is expected from student-facing staff? Narrow and deep or wide and shallow? What are the implications of either choice?
A successful one-stop-shop does not happen overnight, but with thoughtful planning and a focus on delivering outstanding service to your students, it can be a reality.
Interested in learning more? Visit AACRAO Consulting and explore the variety of services offered to help institutions recruit, admit, improve efficiency, develop strategy, and more.