Current Issue: Recruitment & Retention Practices

"Strategies that succeed at one college might not work for a competitor. There's no guarantee they'll even work at the same college for long." - Eric Hoover & Beckie Supiano

     An article in the Chronicle the other day, entitled "In Admissions, Old Playbook Is Being Revised," caught my eye. Not because it was a surprise - most professionals in and scholars of Higher Education are aware of how enrollments have gone "bonkers" these past few years. They're up, they're down, they're more diverse, they're orange, but whatever they are, they are not what were expected. I was interested to read this article and see who was recommending what to make expectations come closer to reality.

     The chart about two-thirds of the way through the article - Pros and Cons of Key Enrollment Strategies - gives away the rest of the text. No one can definitively recommend anything. Part of this is that the problem transcends most, if not all, strata of institutions; large state schools, small private schools, for profits, and everything in between and beyond all need better enrollments in some cases. What works for one will not necessarily work for the other, if at all. Moreover, as the title alludes, what used to entice students does not look as appetizing anymore. 

     My guess is that this latter element of the issue stems from a combination of growing student debt and a change in character of the applicant pool. (Yes, this is meta-reflection, as I am a millennial). Students, as evidenced by the comments on St. Mary's survey, want and almost expect that very personal, connected admissions process. They want to be able to text admissions officers, post questions on a Facebook page, and see what is new with the process on Twitter. Not providing that could mean providing another school the opportunity to make that more personal connection.

     An additional aspect of this article that spoke to me was the emphasis on retention. As the authors indicate, many admissions offices forget that the number of students still enrolled in their second or third semester matters much more than the number of students enrolled on day one. They need a reason to stay, or the reasons that they came mean almost nothing. While the idealist in me is conflicted on the needs-aware admissions that University of Denver has begun employing, I think that it is an appealing solution to growing student debt and thus better for both the student and the school in the end. Again, schools want the students walking in to only walk out having completed a degree.

    I have learned a lot about how my position as a Hall Director can and does affect retention, and I won't lie - it adds some pressure. Students who live on campus can gain a sense of community here in the hall. They can gain leadership positions. They can study in the lounges. Such aspects of residence life give them a reason to stay, not only in the halls but at the university. These can also factor into a positive effect on their grades, giving them a sense of accomplishment in their studies and thus a desire to continue. Something I require the RAs I supervise to do is have one of their events per month be either bringing their residents to a campus-wide event or bringing in a campus partner to meet and present to their residents. Again, this plays into retention, as such events build better connections with the campus at-large. Hopefully they will connect to campus and stay enrolled.

Article Citation: Hoover, E., & Supiano, B. (2013). In admissions, old playbook is being revised. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from: http://chronicle.com/article/The-Admissions-Playbook-Is-Up/141625/

Photo By: My wife, Jenn :) Enrollment numbers seem to be delicately balancing, much like that rock on the right!

Current Issues - Tiffin University's Ivy Bridge College

"News of the investigation comes just weeks after Tiffin's accreditor ordered the university to halt new enrollments at Ivy Bridge, an associate-degree program designed to serve working adults that has been recognized as an innovative model by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other organizations. More than 90 percent of the program's students received Pell Grants." - Goldie Blumenstyk

     I will be honest that I am only just catching-up on the news on Ivy Bridge College, but what a saga it seems to have been. You can find the article about the Justice Department's recently-opened investigation here, but if you want more background you should select the links within the article or even read the links below first:

• Initial article reporting on the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) order for Ivy Bridge College to stop enrollments
• Follow-up article HLC defending its decisions
• Article on HLC permitting Tiffin University to bring Ivy Bridge into its own online Associate's Degree program
• Almost most importantly - the Ivy Bridge College Facebook Page

     To summarize the "issue" at hand: The HLC of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools - a regional accreditor (basically decides what education is and should be) - told Tiffin University to stop enrolling students in Ivy Bridge College, its joint business venture with for-profit company Altius Education, Inc., the purpose of which is to offer online Associate's Degrees. Ivy Bridge's students appear to be primarily working adults from traditionally underserved populations. The HLC had originally ordered that all students must transfer either to another Associate's program or to Tiffin's Bachelor's program, but then alleviated some of the strictness in saying that they could continue in the online Associate's program originally offered by Tiffin before it created with Ivy Bridge. It is difficult to tell what, if any, of that has changed with this new investigation.

     The rest seems to be a battle of subjectivity and "he said, she said." There is disagreement as to the crux of why the relationship originally needed to end - the top reasons appear to be (1) The HLC having stricter rules governing such partnerships, (2) Tiffin University withdrawing its accreditation application for Ivy Bridge, or (3) The HLC's order, which it retroactively defended with claims of lacking academic integrity and oversight by Tiffin - but the primary reason depends very much on to whom you are speaking. Many words have been exchanged between and said about the HLC, Tiffin, and Altius Education, and most can be read on the articles and Facebook page. On one hand, we have a university that could have been a degree mill, simply taking Pell Grants to pay for pieces of paper. On the other, we have an innovative approach - regarded as such by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - to providing education to those who simply do not have any other option than this relatively inexpensive, online medium of academics.

     The issues of academic integrity and oversight bring us to the new investigation. Prompted under the Federal Claims Act, which covers the misuse of federal funds, the investigation seems to be primarily concerned with what recruitment measures were used by Tiffin for Ivy Bridge and what Tiffin's true role was in the administration and education occurring through Ivy Bridge. These factors play into whether or not the College followed federal-aid guidelines.

      I would like to bring some focus back to the students. The Chronicle's articles were at least decent in their profiling the students enrolled at Ivy Bridge, but more is deserved. These are mostly non-traditional students. They provide care and have dependents relying on them. Most are receiving Pell Grants. No matter what decision is arrived at, a disservice has been done unto them. If the DOJ decides that mismanagement occurred with their funding, I am confident in saying someone should be ashamed of their actions. If they decide nothing is wrong, then these students have been put through frustration for the second time in two months - not knowing if they will have to transfer (some of them for the second time, according to Facebook), not knowing if their degree is or will be worth something, or even attainable. One can only hope that their advisors are helping them each step of the way.

Article Citation: Blumenstyk, G. (2013). Justice Dept. opens investigation of online program at Tiffin U. The chronicle of higher education. Retrieved from: http://chronicle.com/article/Justice-Dept-Opens/141289/