Colleges and universities are facing increasing pressures to adapt in a turbulent competitive environment. We can no longer assume that enrollment growth will balance the budget. Location, reputation, student experience and surrounding demography all influence which institutions will continue to grow, necessitating the development of a sustainable approach to combat pressing challenges.
Strategic enrollment planning culminates with a finely tuned, data-informed, five-year strategic enrollment plan that addresses pressing challenges such as:
- Adapting recruitment and retention strategies to rapid market changes
- Responding to changing demographics and supporting diversity
- Aligning academic and co-curricular trends with institutional capacity
- Preparing graduates for changing demands of the modern economy and workforce
- Responding to increasing calls for accountability
- Managing student and campus revenue needs as costs outpace federal and state support for higher education
- Maximizing net tuition strategies
About the presenters
Dr. Lewis Sanborne, Vice President, RNL
Dr. Lewis Sanborne is RNL's leader in strategic enrollment planning. He offers nearly three decades of experience in higher education and enrollment management, with a range of expertise including annual and strategic enrollment planning, student success and retention, quality service, and organizational development. Additionally, he recently edited the second edition of the book: Strategic Enrollment Planning: A Dynamic Collaboration.
Debi Gaitan, Vice President for Student Success, Northwest Vista College
Ms. Debi Gaitan is the Vice President for Student Success (VPSS) at Northwest Vista College, where she has served in various leadership roles for more than 20 years. Ms. Gaitan is an advocate for community colleges and has made it her life work to promote higher education and create an engaging environment for students to flourish and discover their passion for learning.
Dr. Ryan Gower, Chancellor, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges
Dr. Gower began his professional career at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the College of Applied Health Sciences. After two decades of work on the faculty and in academic affairs, he was named the President of Lincoln Trail College in 2016 where he spearheaded numerous capital campaigns which resulted in significant growth and expansion of the campus. He was appointed to serve as the Chancellor of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, a multi-college system including Frontier Community College, Lincoln Trail College, Olney Central College, and Wabash Valley College, in the spring of 2020.