Institutions that have a solid strategic enrollment management (SEM) plan are in a better position to handle unpredictable events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, said Tom Green, Ph.D., AACRAO’s Associate Executive Director of Consulting and SEM, at the 2021 AACRAO SEM Conference.
Green hosted a workshop on how to create a SEM plan that works within an institution’s context and addresses its particular needs. A SEM plan is “not a one-size-fits-all plan,” said Green, who has built more than 100 SEM plans at various institutions over the years.
Green discussed SEM as a “linked strategic plan,” which fits among the institutional strategic plan (covering vision, budget, and governance) as well as operational plans, including academic, student affairs, facilities, long-range budget, and marketing plans. “These are all interacting and overlapping at some time,“ Green said. “The SEM plan has to be able to interface with all those different strategic planning elements.”
The workshop—the first of two on this topic offered at this year’s conference—covered the enrollment management perspective, the SEM transition model, SEM planning and organizational frameworks, SEM plan processing steps, and communicating a SEM plan. Green also highlighted six steps in developing a SEM plan:
- Set the course (identify the broad size and shape of the institution in 5-10 years and who is responsible?)
- Develop key enrollment indicators (student type cohorts and success metrics)
- Make the case for SEM (conduct an environmental scan, enrollment behavior research, and enrollment modeling)
- Create enrollment goals that are specific, focused, and limited (3 or less)
- Identify the best strategies
- Create tactics and work plans
As enrollment practitioners near the completion of a SEM plan, Green recommended they look at AACRAO’s SEM Core Competencies, which are helpful for identifying and understanding where there might be gaps.
“SEM planning does not follow a linear pattern,” Green said.
Want to learn more about SEM planning? Visit AACRAO's enrollment management page to see other resources, upcoming webinars, and meetings.