The Next Big Thing in Enrollment Management

By John M. Baworowsky. I often wonder what the next big thing in enrollment management might be, and how changes in technology, communication, and information consumption will change how American colleges and universities reach prospective students. And I look to diverse sources for direction and inspiration. Recently, I ran across an article in Hemispheres magazine that featured an interview with Fareed Zakaria, the well-known Time magazine and CNN commentator. Zakaria suggested that “the ability to interact openly, without any kind of constraint,” is the key to innovation.  I also recently read a white paper on change and innovation written for Kelmscott Communications by Kathleen M. Cross, called “Six Great New Ways You Could Be Using Facebook for Student Recruitment.” Cross, a student-search expert, discusses how social media can be used in recruitment. Social media and the Web more broadly are the most open systems of communication available. I believe they fit Zakaria’s definition of an open environment without any kind of constraint, and consequently hold great potential for innovation. The problem is that at this moment social media are primarily the turf of the traditional college-age population, and we, the enrollment managers, need to improve our skill at using those tools. Read more...