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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Enrollment; Student Financial Aid; Organizational Objectives; Goal Orientation; Competition; Enrollment Management; Advantaged; Team Sports; Income; Public Policy; Student Recruitment; College Admission; State Aid

Abstract:
How colleges determine who is recruited, who merits admission, who receives student aid and of what variety, which classes are offered and when, and what kind of assistance is provided to students all comprise a complex system and an emerging field known as enrollment management. Outside of the world of higher education administration, however, the term enrollment management has little meaning. But as the United States looks to increase the percentage its population entering and graduating from college, this larger process must be more fully understood. That colleges manage their enrollments only makes sense. After all, enrollments make up the bulk of institutional revenue at universities and colleges and students bring the energy, diversity, and talent that comprise the potential for learning and academic success. So it is to be expected that colleges and universities will manage enrollments to meet their particular missions, needs, and interests. What can be said, however, about the way college enrollments are managed on behalf of the public and national interest? This paper addresses this question by examining institutional enrollment goals and the enrollment decisions and strategies that are used in service to them. Further, the paper addresses how institutional goals may be directed in greater measure toward the public interest. In doing so, a framework is provided for better public information and more informed public policy with respect to college enrollment in the United States. Specifically, this paper begins with a focus on the imbalance in higher education results in relation to the educational-attainment needs of the country. Next it identifies fundamental conditions to which institutions respond when establishing enrollment goals and highlights the strategies that enrollment managers employ in balancing the competing demands of equality of opportunity with institutional ambitions and revenue requirements. The paper establishes that enrollment strategies favor economically advantaged students and identifies public disinvestment, poor economic conditions, and the highly competitive positional marketplace of higher education as factors that drive enrollment strategies and lead to lopsided educational results for the nation. It then takes a novel turn by adapting the unlikely example of the National Football League as a promising model to moderate harmful competition, regain public trust, and focus on educational results as measures of quality, as opposed to the present rankings-centered emphasis on characteristics of the incoming student body. It's common knowledge that the NFL establishes rules that temper competitive practices that could harm the game of football and its member franchises. The intent of these rules is to focus competition on the field of play, contain costs, and permit small-market teams to compete with those teams with greater resources. Drawing on this example, this paper develops the concept of a "league" of member institutions to establish mechanisms of public information, public policy, and institutional goal setting in order to focus attention on educational results and broaden the service of higher education to the nation. It also calls on education policymakers and others to provide favorable conditions to allow such cooperation to occur. Specifically, this paper suggests that American higher education would be more inclusive and results driven if colleges and universities formed a league to establish rules of competition and progress in the public interest. The goals of this "Higher Education League" would be broader participation, increased rates of success, and reduced costs. This paper concludes by suggesting that higher education leaders, public policymakers, philanthropic foundations, corporate entities, and others engage in and support the exploration, formation, and start up of the league. (Contains 35 endnotes.) [This paper was written with the assistance of Sandy Baum, Robert Frank, Don Heller, Don Hossler, David Kalsbeek, and William Tierney.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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College Bound Students; College Choice; College Preparation; Admissions Counseling; College Admission; Student Financial Aid; Feedback (Response); Usability; Testing; Focus Groups; Paying for College; Graduation Rate; Debt (Financial); Costs; Communication Research; Communication Strategies; Information Dissemination

Abstract:
The White House will soon unveil a final version of its "college scorecard"--an online tool giving college-bound students and their families a hype-free snapshot of reliable information about any U.S. campus: real costs, graduation rates, student debt statistics, and earning potential of graduates. The college scorecard is a good idea and it has the potential to make college-bound students smarter consumers. The scorecard is part of a major effort by the White House and the U.S. Department of Education to understand and improve the college selection process. Though policymakers are working diligently and conscientiously to design a scorecard that will help students and families, the college scorecard has not been subjected to systematic testing by actual students and parents. At the White House's invitation, many college admissions and financial aid experts, including some from CAP, are weighing in on the college scorecard design. These experts are making every effort to put themselves in the shoes of prospective college students and are scrutinizing the draft scorecard for potentially confusing language or missing information. But designing an effective information sheet about college costs, debt, and graduation rates is hard without feedback from actual users. This report uses the government college scorecard project as an opportunity to explore how testing might lead to more effective disclosures. The authors took the college scorecard to college-bound high school students, asking them for feedback on design, content, and overall effectiveness. In this paper, the authors discuss the findings of these focus groups, make recommendations specific to the college scorecard project, and draw some overall recommendations for improving the readability and usability of government disclosures. Principles of disclosure design are appended. (Contains 12 figures and 22 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Scholarships; Paying for College; College Bound Students; College Choice; Decision Making; Student Costs; Grants; Computation; Web Sites; Access to Information; Need Analysis (Student Financial Aid); Student Financial Aid; Privacy; Fees; Tuition; Colleges; Federal Legislation; Educational Legislation

Abstract:
By providing early, individualized estimates of college costs and financial aid, net price calculators can help prospective college students and their families look past often scary "sticker prices" and start figuring out which colleges they might be able to afford. These online tools, currently available on almost all college websites, can help students discover that their dream school may be more (or less) affordable than they thought--"before" they have to decide where to apply. After entering information about their finances, academics, or other factors, students and their families can view the full cost of attendance, the amount of grants and scholarships they are likely to receive, and the "net price"--the remaining amount that they would have to save, earn, or borrow to attend a particular college. Nearly all U.S. colleges were required by law to post net price calculators on their websites by October 29, 2011. In a March 2011 issue brief, "Adding It All Up: An Early Look at Net Price Calculators," the author and her colleagues analyzed 16 calculators that were posted before the deadline. Now that the deadline has passed by nearly a year, this report takes a more in-depth look at the net price calculators from 50 randomly selected colleges. While they found some positive practices that were not evident at the time of their previous report, net price calculators are still not reliably easy for prospective college students and their families to find, use, and compare. Appended are: (1) List of Colleges in the Sample and Their Net Price Calculators; and (2) Profile of Fictional Students Used for Analysis. (Contains 12 figures, 2 tables and 40 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; College Choice; Student Recruitment; Enrollment; Admission (School); College Admission; College Students; College Bound Students; Enrollment Management; High School Students; Admissions Officers

Abstract:
On-campus admissions events are the secret weapon that colleges and universities use to convince students to apply and enroll. On-campus events vary depending on the size, location, and type of institution; they include campus visitations, open houses, preview days, scholarship events, admitted student events, and summer yield events. These events take months to plan, and admissions staff members spend endless hours ensuring that event details are executed efficiently and effectively. The purposes of this article are to identify four challenges institutions must overcome when planning and implementing on-campus admissions events and to provide specific suggestions for addressing these challenges in a proactive manner. The four challenges are: (1) scheduling around conflicting events; (2) marketing and advertising efforts; (3) budgetary constraints and cost concerns; and (4) involving faculty and academic department staff. Certain key components can help ensure admissions events' success, including the avoidance of problems through careful planning. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
College Admission; Educational History; Consumer Economics; Role of Education; Higher Education; Student Recruitment; Competition; Student Financial Aid; Educational Trends; Credit (Finance); Government Role; Access to Education; Educational Legislation; Politics of Education

Abstract:
The premise of this work is simple: the history of college admission since World War II is a consumer history. The way in which this history unfolds is far more complex. College admission is a contested good. It is simultaneously a consumable good (students purchase a college education for personal and familial reasons) and a social good (various governments and eleemosynary organizations pursue a variety of funding strategies to achieve desired enrollment patterns for specific social ends). In this same market, however, colleges are at once producer and consumer. They are producers in the sense that they offer the college education that students consume. Yet, the colleges are consumers when they compete against one another for students--a scarce input (particularly when speaking of highly-talented students) that allows the college to compete in secondary markets tied to prestige. In this formulation of the market, students have increasingly come to see themselves as producers who can package their saleable product (their future academic and professional selves) in order to achieve optimal outcomes. Likewise, while government and eleemosynary organizations can be thought of as consumers when they act to achieve specific social ends, they are also producers who sometimes benefit from the sale of things like student loans, the marketing of college preparation products and the administration of standardized tests. The process of college admission thus exists in a highly-contested marketplace. Given the complexity of the marketplace, the way in which assumptions about college admission are articulated through government policy becomes particularly important. Further, given that much of the government aid provided to students historically has come from student loans, the history of college admission since World War II is inextricably linked to the growth of a credit culture. To a very real extent, it is the profound influence of the credit culture and not government action that has created the modern admission marketplace. (Contains 1 figure and 13 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
State Legislation; Educational Legislation; Postsecondary Education; Community Colleges; Public Colleges; Student Financial Aid; Educational Facilities; School Policy; Social Discrimination; Sexual Orientation; Educational Assessment; College Transfer Students; Faculty Development; Educational Strategies; Accountability; Feasibility Studies; Bachelors Degrees; Pilot Projects; Data Collection; Tuition; Fees; College Admission; Private Colleges; Distance Education; Bids; Budgets; Academic Achievement; Contracts; Meetings

Abstract:
This report updates the status of bills that the California Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) is tracking. It has positions as adopted by the Commission at its June 14, 2011 and earlier meetings. A matrix of bills tracked by CPEC staff is included.

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Descriptors:
College Admission; Adult Education; Foreign Countries; Community Colleges; Access to Education; Comparative Analysis; Student Financial Aid; Educational Finance; Financial Support; Economic Climate; College Role; Nontraditional Students; Postsecondary Education; Student Recruitment; Educational Policy

Abstract:
In an era of financial constraint, this article gives attention to the role of "community college global counterparts" by comparing colleges of further education in the UK with community colleges in the US. It points to similarities between the two and the ways in which budgetary constraints impact on them--and, in particular, on access opportunities for different groups of students, such as those from non-traditional backgrounds. It is suggested that admission is not so much an issue of selection, but one of social, cultural and economic capital, and how this plays out in terms of getting into college, staying in college and differential progression into higher education or higher-level occupations is considered. (Contains 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Policy; Student Financial Aid; Federal Aid; Rewards; Public Policy; Moral Values; Incentives; Federal Legislation; Educational Legislation; College Admission

Abstract:
Thirty years after the creation of federal student financial aid programs through the Higher Education Act of 1965, the link between moral character and student financial aid programs is once again influencing the public policy debate. A careful look at the debate, though, shows that the nature of concerns has shifted. In the past, the question was, "What good character in students is needed for receiving financial aid?" Today, the question is increasingly becoming, "Is receiving financial aid good for students' character?" According to the author, the answer to that question is yes. Almost without qualification, financial aid has been shown time and again to be accomplishing most policy objectives the programs were designed to achieve. The arguments and concerns about the moral impact of student aid awards made by liberals and conservatives alike are burdened by many myths. What then should one conclude about the relationship of moral character and student aid? Need-based programs of federal student aid have operated over many decades with little evidence of having evolved into a dysfunctional system of perverse rewards. The current preoccupation with the question, "Is receiving financial aid good for students' character?" thus seems largely to be an ill-founded concern. Moreover, questions and arguments of this nature, whether from liberal or conservative viewpoints, detract attention from other moral considerations such as the question, "Is college itself good for students?" (Contains 12 endnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Strategic Planning; Community Colleges; Graduation; Educational Attainment; Graduation Rate; Academic Achievement; Outcomes of Education; Outcome Measures; Equal Education; Access to Education; Accountability; Adult Education; Budgets; Disabilities; Mathematics Achievement; Student Financial Aid; Educational Improvement; Educational Quality; Enrollment; Federal Legislation; Educational Legislation; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Reading Achievement; Vocational Education; Early Childhood Education

Abstract:
This Fiscal Year 2011-2014 Strategic Plan (this Plan) addresses the key outcome-oriented goals below, focusing on reaching the President's 2020 goal. These goals focus on improving student achievement to increase high school graduation, college completion, and educational attainment--all measures of how the country is performing and how far it has to go. This Plan sets forth a strategy that focuses on improving these "national outcomes" for all groups of students. Because these outcome measures will not change overnight, the Department has also outlined a set of performance measures, closely linked to the Department's own activities, that can serve as indicators of the country's progress. The specific years referenced in the measures vary because they reflect the most recently available data and comparison years that are available and appropriate for each measure. (Contains 57 footnotes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Standardized Tests; Access to Education; Educational History; Admission Criteria; College Admission; Educational Quality; Accountability; Educational Policy; Policy Analysis; College Entrance Examinations; Alignment (Education); Articulation (Education); Integrity; Ethics; Equal Education; Educational Practices; Change Strategies; Educational Change; Comparative Analysis; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes; Negative Attitudes; Semi Structured Interviews; Social Change; Politics of Education; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
This article presents a comparative-historical analysis of access to higher education in Georgia. It describes the workings of corrupt channels during the Soviet and early post-Soviet periods and the role of standardized tests in fighting corruption in higher education admission processes after introduction of the Unified National Entrance Examination (UNEE) in 2005. The discussion traces the development of higher education access policies, specifically standardized testing, with attention to the quality of their implementation, the degree of their transparency, and how they have impacted the level and forms of corruption. I likewise consider the social equitability of entrance examinations throughout the decades. In concluding, I argue that the introduction of the UNEE spurred more equitable access to higher education, increased the quality of secondary school instruction, and furthered the alignment of secondary education with higher education entrance requirements. (Contains 1 table.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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