Notes from the field

If earnings become the primary measure of a degree's worth, what happens to the programs built around calling instead of compensation?

This one is for the cabinet. Every enrollment and marketing team has people on staff who know exactly what's broken. The information exists. It just doesn't travel. Summer is the window to change that — before the next cycle starts carrying the same weight the last one did.

Kentucky’s proactive admissions law is officially on the books — and it raises questions that go well beyond policy. Who’s already in your pipeline? How do you sort a new population you’ve never recruited before? And is your CRM actually ready? Here’s where to start.

An outside agency ran its application generation campaigns. The emails ran out. And then nothing. Square One built a reengagement campaign that reached students months into a decision they hadn't yet made, and brought 120+ of them back into the funnel.

Hotels solved the 'almost booked' problem years ago. Here's what enrollment teams can steal from hospitality to move students toward “yes”.

You can say you’re affordable, inclusive and supportive. But if what students see doesn’t match, they won’t believe you. That disconnect is cognitive dissonance—and it’s quietly driving students away. Here’s how enrollment marketers can align messaging, experience, and behavior to build trust and keep students engaged.

When the new vice president of enrollment arrived, she discovered there was no yield campaign in place. None at all. With admitted students already in the pipeline and a narrow window before May 1, the institution needed a full yield strategy built and deployed in weeks.

The best campus visits don’t happen by accident — they happen by design. In Part 2 of this series, we dive into how retail and hospitality brands use the five senses to shape emotion and memory, and how your admissions office can do the same. From scent and sound to comfort, taste, and visual identity, discover the small changes that transform your visit experience into something students feel long after they leave your campus.

In this first post of a three-part series, I share how the simple act of watching visitors enter our building changed everything about our campus visit design and why the first five minutes matter more than any tour script.

After nearly two decades in higher education, I realized the biggest barrier for first-generation students is not access, it is understanding. The words we use, the tone we take, and the way we ask shape whether a student feels college is for them. The TRUST Messaging Framework — Teach, Respond, Understand, Simplify, Talk, was born from thousands of real emails and conversations. It is a tool any campus communicator can use to build clarity, compassion, and connection across

Financial aid should open doors, not close them. But for many first-generation families, aid letters, portals, and payment plans read like a foreign language. This post unpacks why the money conversation is so confusing, how that confusion erodes trust, and what colleges can do to make financial aid communication clear, consistent, and genuinely first-gen friendly.

Instead of urgency, what if colleges used encouragement to help students complete applications? A dedicated “Momentum Week” could work.

We say it all the time: “Parents are important,” but how often do our actions actually reflect that? Walk through specific, tangible strategies for making parents feel seen, heard and empowered to help their student say yes.

What if college apps adjusted in real time to help students finish with confidence? A more intuitive, student-friendly process is possible.

This time of year, someone is going to pull up last year's messaging and ask: are we still saying this? Before you answer, it's worth understanding the patterns that show up again and again in higher ed enrollment marketing — what makes them tempting, what they unintentionally signal, and how to make them work harder without starting over.

Students abandon clunky inquiry forms. Here’s how to fix yours fast and capture more leads—without a major overhaul.

If undecided students retain at lower rates, what can enrollment do? Help them explore majors before they enroll. Here’s how.

Parents aren’t just influencers in the college search—they’re co-decision makers. Here’s how to build a parent communication plan that works

Campus tours shouldn’t feel one-size-fits-all. The 15-Minute Flex Stop lets visitors personalize part of their tour—choosing an extra stop t

Could sending an email with the wrong name—on purpose—grab attention and reinforce personalization? A creative risk with potential rewards.