2024 NACAC Annual Conference

The impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action changed the ground rules of enrollment. Without the ability to consider race in the admission process, campuses with diversity goals are placing an even higher premium on building more diverse applicant pools. In addition, they are making the necessary investments to encourage yield among the groups they wish to enroll. Hear from leaders of four highly mission-oriented institutions: Boston University, Santa Clara University, Texas Christian University, and University of Dayton as they reflect on their experiences championing diversity at their respective campuses in this new era. Each panelist will discuss how they navigated the first admission cycle post-SCOTUS and invite a conversation around the continued work that must be done to ensure their missions can be fulfilled.

Test-optional policies existed long before the onset of COVID-19, but the pandemic inspired rapid adoption. And some schools like the University of San Diego took it a step further, adopting a test-free policy, prohibiting the consideration of test scores when making an admission decision. As we return to pre-pandemic norms, campus leaders must evaluate whether their testing policy still supports their strategic direction and mission. To do this, they must have clear measurements of the success of their current policy. In this session, hear from three experts about the proactive steps they’re taking to prepare for conversations about the future of testing requirements (or lack thereof) at their respective institutions. Specifically, Chapman University’s Marcela Mejia-Martinez will discuss what the data tells us about students who submit a test score versus those who do not. Jason Hale will reveal findings from Texas Tech University’s research on test-optional policies and their connection to courses taken, hours completed, retention, and performance. You’ll also hear from Stephen Pultz about the positive impact its test-free policy had on enrollment and retention of underrepresented minority students.

Aligning program offerings with students’ changing academic interests is imperative to meeting enrollment, revenue, and retention goals. For campus leaders to make decisions about expanding academic programs, they must first understand how academic interests are evolving, not just on their own campus, but across the market. Informed by both market data and data specific to each presenter’s campus, this session will highlight which academic interests garner the greatest (and least) net tuition revenue, how income profiles of enrolling students vary by program of study, and what enrollment leaders can do today to meet the evolving interests of the next generation of college students.   During this session, Matt López will share the cutting-edge data and strategies he uses to find right-fit students for the more than 800 undergraduate and graduate degrees, minors, and certificates offered at Arizona State University, the largest university in the United States. Additionally, James Miller of Seattle University will share a private institution’s perspective on revenue and retention’s connection to academic interests, and Washington State University’s Michelle Lewis will lead a discussion around staying competitive through academic program expansion.

With the Pell population being a highly sought-after group for achieving a variety of institutional goals – increasing diversity, creating greater opportunity for first-generation students, climbing in rankings, and more – colleges and universities are quickly evolving to expand access for lower-income students. In this session, we’ll explore how a group of diverse campuses have had success recruiting, enrolling, retaining, and graduating Pell-eligible students. This includes how Bellarmine University has evolved their enrollment and aid strategies to appeal to these students in preparation for the impending demographic shift. Additionally, we’ll assess the impact of the Better FAFSA’s expansion of Pell grants, discuss some new strategies Missouri State University is using to identify and serve these students, and provide an early preview of research on low-income students conducted by Mount Saint Mary’s University to understand their consumptive habits, psychographic characteristics, and motivations for going to and choosing a college.

It’s no easy task to step into a new VPEM role. Whether it’s your first time in the position or you have past experience at a previous institution, the learning curve can be monumental and overwhelming from a variety of perspectives. However, taking an analytical approach is a proven way to streamline the transition. Hear from a panel of leaders who have been at their current campuses for only one cycle to gain insights on how they navigated their first year, including how they’re leveraging data to quickly understand their students, their markets, and where their biggest opportunities exist. Featured speakers include Monica Ingram from Seattle University, Evelyn Thimba from American University, Emily Roper-Doten from Clark University, and Mark Steinlage, Jr. from Rockhurst University, who will share their formulas for success when stepping into the challenging VPEM role.