Policies and Strategic Enrolment Management

I see my friend and colleague, David Wood of Mount Royal College in Edmonton, Alberta has written a fine article in the most recent AACRAO SEM Newsletter. You have to be a member of AACRAO to read it, but here’s the first bit to pique your interest:

February 2009

Academic Policies: Barrier or Support to Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success?

By: David WoodBackground
Those of us who straddle the two worlds of strategic enrollment management (SEM) and day-to-day practical decision making must learn to work effectively in a place where the rules don’t always apply. In the abstract, institutional values are connected to SEM outcomes through the development of polices and their implementation through procedures. For better or worse, we do not live in a world of absolutes so a “kinder and gentler” organization will attempt to be flexible in the application of rules. This article explores some of the factors involved in the consideration of bridging the abstract area of policy development to the concrete reality of SEM outcomes and student success. Mount Royal College’s policy on late withdrawals and some case studies will provide further focus.