Archives: Blog Posts
What a high-impact Strategic Enrollment Management plan looks like
In higher education, few phrases are as common or as inconsistently defined as “Strategic Enrollment Management.” Many institutions have a Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) document. Fewer have a cohesive SEM strategy. And fewer still have an enrollment operating model that truly aligns mission, market, margin, and student success. The difference is not rhetorical. It is […]
What I heard at AASA—and why it should change how districts operate
Last month, I attended AASA’s National Conference on Education in Nashville, where district leaders from across the country gathered to share how they are approaching some of the most persistent challenges in K-12. As always, the conference offered plenty of opportunities to connect through roundtables, informal conversations, and a few lighter moments (calling all claw […]
Beyond go-live: How to lead lasting change in ERP transformation
When colleges and universities embark on the journey to modernize core enterprise systems, the focus often narrows to “go-live day.” But as higher education leaders gathered for EAB’s Leading Change Beyond “Go Live” virtual event, it became clear that launching a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is just the first step in a much longer […]
Marketing teams are stretched thin. Here’s what the data says to do next.
If you talk to enrollment marketers right now, one theme comes up again and again: “We’re being asked to do more. But we’re not getting more resources to do it.” In fact, 65% of the higher ed marketing leaders we surveyed said they are facing higher goals with flat or shrinking staffs and budgets. At the same time, AI is […]
Turn alumni engagement into long-term giving
Picture an alumnus of your institution. Let’s call him Daniel. As a student, Daniel engaged early: he attended career workshops, had an alumni mentor, and completed a donor-funded capstone. At graduation, Daniel felt connected, but he didn’t yet see himself as a donor. Six months later, he attended a regional alumni event where he made […]
4 key trends shaping graduate business enrollment in 2026
At a recent gathering of business school deans at our Washington, DC headquarters, one theme came up again and again: the graduate business market is entering a new phase. Student affordability concerns are rising, AI is reshaping how prospective students discover and compare programs, and international demand is becoming more volatile year to year. Classes […]
Five tips to recruit community college students for this fall (and beyond)
Fall enrollment strategy is less about late-cycle yield tactics and more about early-cycle influence. By the time students are ready to enroll, many of their decisions have already been made. Community colleges that treat fall recruitment as a year-round strategy instead of a seasonal push are far more likely to protect and grow their pipeline. […]
The data behind leadership giving in higher education
To find success in today’s advancement landscape, leaders need to focus on strategies that support current fundraising goals while also building for the future. It’s not enough to focus only on annual giving participation, and it’s not sustainable to concentrate solely on major gifts. So where can teams find reliable growth that strengthens performance today […]
Whose departure hits philanthropic revenue hardest: advancement leaders or presidents?
Chief advancement officer (CAO) and presidential turnover isn’t just a personnel problem—it compromises fundraising performance. Without stable leadership, campaigns stall, donor cultivation suffers, and fundraisers lose clarity on priorities. Data from EAB’s Advancement Benchmarking reveal that leadership turnover carries a steep price tag for advancement. CAO departures: A double-digit revenue hit When chief advancement officers […]
5 steps graduate enrollment teams can take to reduce manual work
It’s a tale as old as time: graduate enrollment teams today are being asked to do more with less—more outreach, more personalization, more reporting, and more coordination across decentralized programs. All while navigating shrinking pipelines, longer decision cycles, and persistent staff burnout. Manual work has quietly become one of the most significant barriers to graduate […]
