Scannell & Kurz Enrollment Management Blog

What do parents most want to know during their sons’ and daughters’ search for the right college? And how do they want to get the information? There was a time when many parents’ interests boiled down to questions like: “What will my child learn?” “Will they be safe?” “Will they be happy?” But now that concerns about the job market for new college graduates have seemingly overridden all others, the question “Will they be able to get a job?” has risen to the top of the list. So how are colleges doing in providing answers to this question? Here are a few suggestions for responding to this need: Easy-to-find information on institutional costs – tuition, fees, room and board Easy-to-find information on the affordability…Read more

In early summer Kathy Kurz wrote a blog about the media frenzy surrounding student loan debt reaching $1 trillion. Now that fall has arrived and new statistics are available, I thought I would share a few. According to the Project on Student Debt, an initiative of the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), here are some interesting statistics on student debt for the Class of 2011, those who graduated from four-year public and not-for-profit colleges and universities: 1 in 3 students graduated with no student loan debt. That’s $0 debt. For the two-thirds who did borrow, average debt compared to the class of 2010 increased 5.3%, from $25,250 to $26,600. Unemployment for college graduates, a contributing factor to the concern…Read more

  Across Down 4. Original acronym for Perkins 5. Alternative to clock hour 6. COA minus EFC = 8. Original acronym for PELL 9. Things you sleep in or process 12. Precursor to FWS 13. Which Senator originally proposed Constitution Day 14. All aid officers dread a program _____ 16. It is all about _____ and cents 18. If he is elected, bank-based loans may return 19. Senator Pell's first name 20. Original precursor to FAFSA 21. Theme of this puzzle 22. Interview required at graduation for loan borrower 24. Original name for student loan program now called Direct 26. Considered in IM but not in FM 27. What did the D in NDSL originally stand for? 1. What allowance is determined by the age of the older parent 2. Kathy Kurz's graduate…Read more

When are more applications not a good thing? We recently visited a campus that had increased its applications for admission five- fold over the last few years. That sounds like a good thing, right? But there can be some risks involved. First, if your internal processes and infrastructure aren’t prepared for the increase in volume, application processing will be log jammed and turnaround time will be poor. This can make an institution that purports to be small and personal feel like the DMV. Second, if your sales force is now all consumed with application review, they won’t have time to sell. Building relationships and taking the time to make the case for value is critical to high conversion rates, especially at high- cost, private institutions,…Read more

Whether you are a counselor, a director, a vice president, or even a president, you are reporting to someone, and here are seven pointers for building a good relationship with that person or group. Come to them with possible solutions, not just the problem. Ideally, you will have gathered some data about the issue, brainstormed for some ideas to address the core challenge, and thought about the pros and cons of each approach. Play well with others. Often you will need to work with staff outside your own unit. Be proactive in working across office lines to enhance processes, service to students, or develop strategies to support enrollment and revenue goals. And, within your own unit, be a team player. Be transparent and think about your…Read more