Enrollment Management Concentration

This course provides a basic foundation in administration of colleges and universities in
modern-day America, including an exploration of the role and purpose of various functions,
departments, and major organizational constituent groups (e.g., faculty, students,
administration/staff, board) as well as the different types of institutions and their
organizational models. Current and emerging issues affecting college and university
operation are reviewed and the impact of state and federal policy on institutions is explored.
In this course students will write a life purpose paper marking their program entry, learn or
hone their APA writing skills, examine critical issues from the perspectives of key
stakeholders, apply organizational models to analyze institutions, and interview campus
staff to develop a unique case study paper.

The college campus has undergone vast changes in the last century. While access to
higher education has been broadened significantly, the challenges that result from the
diverse students and student groups have impacted college services and the educational
process. At the same time, a diverse student body creates many benefits for a campus
community. In this course students develop an understanding of the characteristics,
experiences, and outcomes of increasingly diverse students (including traditional and non-
traditional students) in higher education today. They examine varied higher education campus environments and their impact on student learning, the impact of technology on course delivery models, and various cultural contexts which shape and influence student
life. Specific attention is given to administrative practices within colleges and universities,
including student affairs, enrollment management, academic affairs, and marketing.
Students apply their knowledge to several projects, including conducting a student
interview to analyze and apply concepts related to students’ diverse experiences in higher
education today.

This course is a comprehensive overview of the field of enrollment management. It examines how enrollment management strategies shape the recruitment and retention practices within educational institutions. Students will learn or deepen their understanding of concepts, practices, and techniques associated with successful enrollment management. Students will create a written analysis of an actual enrollment plan that includes marketing, communication, recruitment, and retention strategies.

This course is an introduction to critical student services and student affairs practice in
higher education. Students in this course examine the historical, philosophical, and
theoretical roots of the profession as well as the nature of the work student affairs
professionals perform, the skills and competencies underlying the work and the most
current standards of the profession. They explore various aspects of student services, the
roles and functions of professionals in the field, the populations served, and the college and
university structures where these services are performed. Students will apply critical
thinking and analysis to current and emerging issues in student affairs; explore the
principles of equity and multiculturalism; live interview current administrators and students;
assess their own capacity for student services work; and will demonstrate their learning
though original presentations.

In this course students develop a conceptual overview of the history of higher education
and the forces which shaped it, and an understanding of how this history directly impacts
our institutions of today. Specific attention is given to the broader political, social, cultural,
and economic context within which higher education was established and continues to
develop today. In this course students also examine financial, economic, and budgetary
issues, resource allocation and control, and learn how higher education leaders make fiscal
decisions. Students apply their knowledge to several projects including a budget committee
member simulation in which they allocate institutional resources in alignment with campus
needs and values.

Students will explore how targeted communications and marketing strategies support an institution’s enrollment management goals. Students will apply marketing best practices and research to enrollment management, examine the use of different technologies in marketing to prospective students, and explore methods for evaluating a strategic enrollment plan. Students will create communication goals and strategies, integrate technology tools into an enrollment communications strategy, and assess the effectiveness of a strategic enrollment communications plan.

This course is designed to give students the opportunity to facilitate meaningful change in
higher education through the creation of an original applied research project. During the
course, each student will design a significant project (applied independent research)
pertaining to a specific higher education management issue or problem of their choosing.
They will write a purpose statement and research question, write an introduction to the problem, research and write a review of literature, develop a framework, and outline a methodology for the proposed study which they will carry out in the subsequent MHE 670
course.  MHE 650 and MHE 670 are complimentary "sister" courses to be taken as a
sequence. Prerequisites: ten concentration track courses are required before the 650
and 670 courses can be taken.

In this final course, students conduct an applied research project of their choosing which
they designed in the preceding 650 course. Building on their drafted plans, students
develop a survey or interview protocol, apply for review by the university’s IRB, collect
original data in the field, analyze and interpret their data, and draft original
recommendations for practitioners in the field. This research project provides students the
opportunity to demonstrate their ability to apply content, investigative methods, data-driven
problem-solving, and original critical thinking to a specific management-related issue,
problem, or challenge. Each student will complete and publicly present the results of their
applied research project, and will also complete a program learning outcomes ePortfolio.
Prerequisite: MHE 650