Section 6 - Enrollment Objectives, Strategies and Tactics

The DEM Strategic Enrollment Plan is represented in the form of strategies and tactics. Each is defined below:

• STRATEGY: An overarching plan of action designed to achieve one or more of the six major objectives.
• TACTIC: Specific actions or steps being undertaken to support one or more of the strategies.

Enrollment strategies and tactics have been formulated to assist in meeting Goal 4: Optimize our Enrollment Management. The strategies are aligned to objectives, which indicate key priorities for the Division of Enrollment Management. The process includes, the Division of Enrollment Management incorporating the strategies into its daily operation or into an action plan. Action plans are intended to move strategies forward that require a more in-depth analysis. Key considerations include:

1. Enrollment Impact
2. Return on investment (ROI)
3. Likelihood of success/risk
4. Campus readiness for implementation
5. Mission fit

In the case of action plans, divisional leaders will champion and assemble action plan teams as deemed appropriate.

1. Create opportunities to support enrollment planning with schools and other enrollment stakeholders [O1, O3, O5]
   1. Host an annual Strategic Enrollment Management Summit focused on enrollment management best practices.
   2. Assist in the creation of strategic enrollment plans (SEP) for school and other enrollment stakeholder's delegation teams that align to the overall campus plan, including recruitment and yield strategies that elevate our pursuit of access and equity among minoritized populations.
   3. Continue to incorporate progressive, innovative management of the admissions funnel from prospect to enrollment by targeting applicants and maximizing matriculation rates.
   4. Assure continued alignment with school and other enrollment stakeholders’ through data informed engagement data around recruitment and yield strategies focusing collective attention on IUPUI enrollment goals.
   5. Share best practices for data collection and benchmarks for target pipeline programs to establish consistent tracking data points across campuses.

2. Increase collaborations with campus and community partners to improve access and recruitment and retention efforts [O2, 04, O5, 06]
   1. Coordinate pipeline and community outreach efforts within our campus communities with key stakeholders, such as, the Office of Community Engagement and Schools, where possible.
   2. Create a comprehensive diversity plan ensuring access that coordinates and streamlines initiatives and resources in a complimentary manner, gaining support from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Schools and the Division of Enrollment Management.
   3. Develop collaborative strategies across campuses, Schools, DOSA, DUE, OIA, and DEI (e.g., current DOSA/DEM collaborations) to support student recruitment, admission and success.
   4. Establish working group objectives for the Fostering Student Achievement and Engagement Council (AEC) to improve coordination, ownership and effectiveness of community outreach initiatives and ensuring alignment with enrollment goals.
   5. Enhance Indiana's college readiness pipeline for underserved populations through strategic partnerships and early outreach initiatives, such as the Mid-North Promise Program and early outreach events like the IPS Showcase of Schools, to promote the State of Indiana's college readiness programming (learnmoreindiana.org).
   6. Working with the new Center for Transfer and Adult Services, continue efforts toward a seamless transfer student experience from initial inquiry, timely course articulation through graduation.
   7. Collaborate with Schools on classroom renovation initiatives to assure creation of innovative, active-learning classrooms with appropriate technology and furniture to support creative teaching and effective learning.
   8. Establish ongoing partnerships with community-based organizations to recruit prospective students.

3. Develop a coordinated recruitment and retention communication scheme across DEM and the schools to support recruitment through graduation [O2, O4, O5]
   1. Create a more formal process to evaluate marketing and communications- related partnerships that could benefit multiple offices or campuses (i.e., IUPUC, IUFW).
   2. Create a comprehensive communication plan that coordinates the various efforts currently underway across campus to enhance impact/reach and eliminate redundancy.
   3. Effectively communicate to prospective students the numerous high-quality support programs available along with the delivery formats of these programs across IUPUI/IUPUC/IUFW with the desired outcome to tell the accurate, best story of each campus.
   4. Review new and existing communications across DEM to ensure that we are best utilizing our student data to effectively segment and personalize communications for target recruitment populations.
   5. Assist in implementation of vended CRM tool for enrolled student communication.

4. Assist schools in the development and planning of new, attractive degree programs that are based on market and workforce demands [O2, O4]
   1. Provide market and demand analysis to academic units as new degree programs are envisioned.
   2. Participate on the Academic Programs Committee (APC) to review potential new degrees and free-standing certificate programs for student demand, potential financial viability, potential conflict with existing programs, and alignment with school and campus strategic plans. Provide relevant feedback on the development of potential new degree programs.
   3. Review, assess and implement processes to gain efficiencies and decrease time to implementation of new degree programs and assure concurrent development of related student success tools like degree maps and academic advising reports (AARs).
   4. Work collaboratively with campus, state, and IU central partners to maintain accurate program data that matches with the ICHE Approved Program Inventory (API), drives the IUPUI degrees/major’s website, and performs as the source behind efficient student registration and enrollment processes.

5. Continue development of a comprehensive plan to support student financial need [O4, O5, O6]
   1. Work in coordination with the Beyond Financial Aid Steering Committee and Student Experience Council working group to enhance education and coordination available to serve special populations, such as students with food and housing insecurities, DACA students, under-served populations, etc. to enhance access and retention. Best practices and lessons-learned will be shared across all campuses of IUPUI.
   2. Continue discussion, development and implementation of campus-wide initiatives related to tuition & fees transparency; housing, meal, transportation, books/supplies, and childcare costs; faculty awareness of ways to support under-resourced students; emergency resources; and the benefits of on-campus employment and internships.
   3. Develop data-driven plans to package financial aid effectively, including institutional aid and scholarships, to enhance the success of all students, particularly those with high levels of unmet need.
   4. Launch the scholarship resource center, within the Division of Enrollment Management and in partnership with the Division of Undergraduate Education, to provide comprehensive guidance and support for all students seeking financial assistance as a pathway to get financial aid money to the right students.
   5. Provide proactive and effective financial aid education and counseling to students.
   6. Assess and coordinate existing diversity-based scholarship programs across campus to develop a comprehensive strategy to recruit and retain students of color.

6. Align collective resources by partnering with campus colleagues (including DUE and others), to remove administrative barriers to student enrollment, persistence and completion [O2, O4, 06]
   1. Complete initiative with THRIVE program to assist affected students (foster children, children of guardianships, etc.) in quickly establishing their in-state residency status to support initial and continued enrollment.
   2. Coordinate process with AES and UITS to assure visually impaired students register early to provide the required lead time to have their textbooks appropriately altered/updated to be available at the beginning of class.
   3. Explore options related to academic standing (good, probation, dismissal, etc.) to find more efficient way to upload and report across campus. Develop inventory of divergent academic standing policies across campus (focus on probation, dismissal) in an effort to harmonize policies as much as possible.
   4. Find and implement new ways to promote and ease enrollment for students (providing eAdd workflow for students without initial enrollment, adjusting the Pass/Fail and audit deadlines to accommodate more students, etc.).
   5. Collaborate with SPAN and other early college program initiatives like Reaching Higher and Project Lead the Way to enhance student recruitment and transition to college.
   6. Make use of AAR programming to code minors in a way that leads to reduced false positives of students who "appear" to be enrolled in courses that don't count for financial aid. This effort reduces the number of students who are identified in a Financial Aid audit to determine if their courses are financial aid eligible.
   7. Complete proposal and secure required approvals to open grade rosters early so that student with completed courses prior to term end (1st 8-week class, etc.) may receive official grades early to document successful completion.
   8. Consult and administer course management business practice with every academic unit using pre-requisites to assure each is built correctly and maintained so that student enrollment is affected in the way intended. Need to assure students are restricted from classes for which they are not prepared and/or allowed to enroll in those for which they have succeeded in the pre-requisite.
   9. Participate in development of new eDrop/eAdd workflow to include student drop reasons for review by advisors who might pre-empt irrational drops and provide longitudinal data with respect to why students choose to drop classes so that related obstacles may be addressed.
   10. Reduce transition barriers for past and present U.S. military service members by reviewing and developing programming that will assist them in achieving their education goals.
   11. Develop effective and sustainable programming for spouses and dependents of U.S. service members.
   12. Revisit existing/historical policies and practices to determine if they need to be changed or removed as a result of the changing landscape. Address systemic racism and the post-pandemic era to better coordinate inherently siloed offices/services. 
   13. Review current student data disaggregation to ensure all student populations are being best served and to increase our ability to expend and allocate resources in ways that will better achieve our enrollment goals.
   14. Review existing IUPUI campus-based student support programs that can be expanded/mirrored on the Ft. Wayne and Columbus campuses while exploring partnership with unique community-based programs in all three cities.

7. Enhance DEM employee onboarding, diversity and inclusion training and professional development [O1, O5, 06]
   1. Assure every staff member establishes a professional development plan.
   2. Identify and utilize research and literature findings to guide professional practice.
   3. Include in departmental agendas literature review and presentations about the directions of the profession.
   4. Coordinate professional development training along with the Division of Student Affairs about Cultural Competency, Implicit Bias, and other diversity-based trainings recommended by Spectra Diversity in response to the division-wide diversity awareness employee assessment.
   5. Coordinate awareness among DEM offices on services provided by each department and/or the employees within to gain a better understanding of roles and how each area contributes to and impacts the overall mission.
   6. Review DEM hiring and onboarding processes to acclimate new staff to our culture and expectation of diversity, equity, inclusion, innovation, and entrepreneurial mindsets.
   7. Establish a staff awards/recognition program that supports excellence in service, enrollment innovation, and transformational leadership.
   8. Provide mechanism for better staff training of current technologies available and more deliberate investment in getting current systems across various offices to work in unison.
   9. Review and leverage lessons learned from our history/experience and from the recent COVID challenges along with incorporating best practices from elsewhere (e.g., other institutions, AACRAO, EAB) to make ongoing improvements to DEM activities and student service. This includes analysis of policies/practices across the IU system as well as best practice recommendations seen through state and national partners.