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Enrollment management has always been an imperative to keep colleges and universities alive and well, but pandemic- and demographic-related challenges have thrust the topic to the forefront for college and university leaders in recent years.
According to a new WittKieffer report, the “dynamic and disruptive times in higher education call for transformative leadership in enrollment management.” Based on their comprehensive survey of chief enrollment management officers (CEMOs) — conducted every four years — the report highlights unprecedented demands on enrollment staff and the resulting increased levels of burnout. A whopping 61% of CEMOs said they are personally experiencing burnout, while 56% said their staff’s quality of work was impacted by burnout. Stress and burnout is one reason that half of CEMOs reported that they are either currently seeking new opportunities or will be sometime in the next 36 months.
According to the report, “Reasons they gave that would prompt them to leave ran the gamut from retirement to looking for greater compensation with a less stressful role to leveraging their skills to support student success.”
“We learned that enrollment management officers face much greater challenges and expectations than even four years ago,” says Amy Crutchfield, WittKieffer senior partner and one of the report’s authors. “One of the key reasons we conduct this report is to provide quantitative data to support the anecdotal information that has been shared among colleagues, allowing enrollment leaders to benchmark with other institutions as the field undergoes transformation.”
Burnout and mental health were among the top staff management challenges, second only to compensation. “We put an enormous amount of responsibility on staff, but compensation is not commensurate,” one enrollment leader said. These two challenges were followed closely by talent acquisition and retention.
Fortunately, since the CEMO role has become increasingly demanding, enrollment managers are seeing some salary increases, with 9% making over $300k (vs. only 1% making this amount in 2014).
The survey also revealed key insights on what makes CEMOs successful. Not surprisingly, “data-informed” was the top skill listed, followed by “strategic” and “change management.” These choices reflect the growing need for clear, effective plans and data-driven decision-making.
Despite the many challenges they face, “People in chief enrollment management officer positions are incredibly resilient,” says WittKieffer consultant Shelley Arakawa, J.D., the report’s other author. “They are adept at creative problem-solving and are extremely resourceful. They take great pride in the success of their institutions and the impact of their work on students. But they’re not fairy godmothers. They cannot wave a magic wand and fix everything overnight. Perhaps this report can help institutions better understand what might be needed to support these professionals in order for them to do their best work.”
To that end, the report outlines key action items for colleges and universities to recruit and retain talented enrollment leaders, including:
Set realistic expectations and offer support. Everyone at the university should share responsibility for enrollment. The enrollment office doesn’t bear this burden alone. We can all contribute to retention and support enrollment goals. Focus on training employees on how they can do their part.
Get the compensation and resources right. Enrollment management is a difficult field to be in right now. CEMOs and other enrollment staff need to be properly compensated for their work.
Feed the CEMO pipeline. With 16% of CEMOs reporting they would be retiring soon, we must prepare others to step into these roles and equip them with the proper resources and training opportunities.
Advance DEI priorities across the institution. We need CEMOs who will continue the critical work of supporting historically underrepresented student populations.
For more information, read the full report from WittKieffer.
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