On-Demand Webinar
Solving Enrollment Challenges at a Private Institution: How Elmira College Enrolled Their Best Class in 10 Years
Like many small private colleges, Elmira College was struggling in an increasingly difficult higher education environment in the post-pandemic period. Then the FAFSA delays hit in early 2024, presenting a daunting enrollment challenge that could have derailed the college. But instead of freezing from the FAFSA disruptions, the enrollment management team at Elmira got aggressive and put together a plan to continue to engage students with enrollment and aid conversations despite the FAFSA issues.
The result? Elmira College's best class in 10 years.
Hear from the members of Elmira College's Enrollment Management Leadership team as they share how they achieved tremendous success in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. The team discusses how they:
- Worked around the FAFSA delays by continuing to engage students on merit and non-need strategies until they could fill in the FAFSA gaps later.
- Implemented a deposit management plan with weekly tracking to stay on target for their goals.
- Empowered the Enrollment Management Leadership team and worked to break down silos with key enrollment stakeholders in Admissions, Financial Aid, Institutional Research, Academic, Athletics, and Marketing.
- Assessed their enrollment strategies to optimize which ones were working best and formulate new strategies such as a virtual orientation for transfer students.
- Have set themselves up for continued success in 2025 and beyond.
Watch now
Who You’ll Hear From
Dennis Kelly
Vice President of Enrollment Management, Elmira College
A higher education professional with more than 30 years of experience, Dennis Kelly came to Elmira College in January 2024. He previously served at Cheyney University, Notre Dame University of Maryland, Cabrini University, Georgian Court University, Marywood University, and Wilmington College, where he enrolled two of the largest classes in the college's history. He is the only enrollment officer to win two RNL Excellence Awards for marketing and recruitment (at Marywood) and student retention (at Georgian Court).
Patrick Gillette
Director of Admissions, Elmira College
Patrick Gillette has nearly 20 years in higher education in both student life and enrollment management. In his more than 15 years of Elmira College, Patrick has experience in a variety of responsibilities including recruitment, data integration, CRM implementation, marketing, publication design, and more. He directed incoming new full-time fall 2024 enrollment, the college's largest since 2014.
Penelope "Penny" Appenzellar
Director of Financial Aid, Elmira College
Penny Appenzellar offers almost a decade of experience in higher ed, with seven years in financial aid. She oversees the financial aid staff at the college with packaging, compliance, and the distribution of Federal, State, and Institutional aid. In addition, Penny brings 15 years in copyrighting, advertising, and marketing to the Elmira team.
Brian Fortman
Vice President, RNL
Brian Fortman has worked with Elmira College during their successful 2024 year. A 20-year veteran of higher education, he works with campus enrollment leaders to find solutions to their challenges ways to continuously achieve their goals for enrollment and next revenue. He previously served in enrollment positions at Stetson University, Presbyterian College, and Goucher College.
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