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New Dean of Enrollment Coordinates Offices Affecting Student Recruitment, Retention, and Marketing

<<< Dean of Enrollment Jane Brown answers the question on the campus community's lips: "What the heck is enrollment management, anyway?"

Dean of Enrollment Jane Brown had only been on campus a few days when people started asking, "What exactly is enrollment management?" Although the position is new to Mount Holyoke, it's an increasingly common way for colleges to coordinate the efforts of those in charge of recruiting and keeping students. "In the best of all possible worlds, those offices would integrate all their functions perfectly, but I have yet to see that happen at any college," says Brown. "That's because each office is necessarily focused on getting its own job done. Someone needs to pull these essential efforts together in a strategic planning process that considers both internal and external influences." That's her job. "I want to find ways for people in every area of the College to think cross-institutionally to achieve the College's enrollment goals."

Brown came to MHC this month from Emerson College, where she was vice president for enrollment. During more than twenty years there, she taught about communication disorders, and held a variety of administrative positions in admission, career services, continuing education, and other areas. At MHC, she oversees admission, communications, financial aid, institutional research, the Frances Perkins Program, and summer and January Term programming.

Guided by research data such as the Admitted Student Questionnaire (which asks why individuals chose to attend or not attend a college), Brown considers how to maintain and improve on admission and retention. "I want to support the admission staff in continuing their tremendous work in increasing the applicant pool and improving students' academic profile, to launch a retention study to learn how well we're meeting current students' needs, and to continue analyzing how we can most effectively use our financial aid resources," she says.

Research can identify how the College is perceived by prospective students, and indicate points of overlap between the educational experience MHC offers and the students interested in that kind of experience. "Enrollment isn't about convincing students to attend Mount Holyoke, it's about identifying the College's values and looking for individuals who share them."

"Even though enrollment management has a high marketing component, I come at the task from an educator's point of view," Brown says. "I'm committed to this task because there is an extraordinary educational experience happening at Mount Holyoke." In her first year on the job, Brown says she wants to find out how the marketplace views the institution and clarify what sets us apart from our competitors. "People not only need to know about Mount Holyoke, they also need a deeper understanding of how the College is distinctive."