Colleges are working hard to bring in additional students. And there is such a cost to bringing in each student, that you don’t want to lose them through an enrollment and registration process that is confusing or simply takes too long. Or as Kevin Pollock, the president of St. Clair County Community College, remarks pointedly, […]
This Second Edition of our popular diagnostic, Improving Customer Service in Higher Education, includes additional samples of some of the tools discussed — including a sample policy and procedures audit and sample columns from Susan Leigh’s chart for tracking and anticipating stresses and pressure points for students over the course of the academic calendar. Explore the full edition: […]
Student financial literacy remains top of mind at many institutions, and for good reason. With student default rates on the rise and retention a greater challenge than it’s ever been, colleges and universities throughout the sector are looking for ways to make financial literacy education available for their student population. The University of North Texas, […]
As enrollment in online programs continues to grow, administrators across higher ed are faced with the challenge of providing targeted support to help students succeed. Many opportunities to address this challenge exist within the vast amount of student data that is collected through enrollment and participation in online courses. That is why leaders in online […]
Our interview with Dennis Pruitt, vice president for student affairs at the University of South Carolina, suggested the need to direct attention to something that is often overlooked: the need to review and audit institutional policies and procedures that delay students in progressing toward their degree. “Historically, many have assumed that if students get over their […]
Improving customer service isn’t only an opportunity in enrollment management. Academic support services often face similar structural, procedural, and training barriers to improving service to students. Cindy Barnes, director of advising and retention at West Texas A&M University, developed a one-stop student success center for the institution. We reached out to her recently to learn […]
In November 2012, Academic Impressions surveyed professionals from 79 institutions of higher education, asking them to grade their institution’s level of customer service and to comment on the challenges faced in improving it. The responses were revealing. A “C” in Customer Service 29 of our respondents rated their institution with a “B” letter grade for […]
by Daniel Fusch (Academic Impressions) August 2014. In recent articles, we’ve commented on the fact that there are immediate steps colleges and universities need to take to ensure compliance with Title IX and with new OCR guidelines for grievance procedures in cases of harassment and sexual assault. For complimentary resources on this, see: Title IX […]
In her new book The 4 Pillars of Donor Relations, Lynne Wester of Donor Relations Guru® helps you rethink donor relations practices and offers specific tips for more powerful acknowledgements, stewardship and impact reporting, recognition, and donor engagement. Get this comprehensive guide to donor relations for your shop today, and transform the way you steward, recognize, and […]
Many institutions are not fully aware of the compliance expectations for their electronic and information technology (EIT) and often fail to meet accessibility requirements which can result in costly lawsuits and pesky OCR audits. EIT compliance is complex, yet manageable, and institutions have a duty to comply with the most recent OCR guidelines laid out […]
