At this year’s NACAC, the MARKETview team connected with partners and new faces from across higher ed on the subjects that are top of mind for enrollment leaders. We’re recapping the highlights coming out of the conference, touching on some of the “buzziest” topics from an inspiring few days in LA.
Up Against the Pace of Change
One overarching theme in every session was the pace of change. The state of the higher ed world is evolving and shifting rapidly, and that presents new challenges for enrollment leaders to tackle and discuss together at a collaborative space like NACAC. Donnell Wiggins, Associate Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission at University of Dayton, encouraged his colleagues to look to the future.
“In these complex times, we have to challenge ourselves to think about the pace of our work … What we are up against as an industry is pace. This is something we need to think about — how do we continue to evolve?”
Donnell Wiggins, Associate Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission, University of Dayton
While institutions wrestled with finding ways to keep up with the pace of change, a few questions permeated every conversation and session: ‘How can I be proactive to protect my institution?’, ‘How do we communicate the value of higher ed to students and families?’, ‘How can we invest in the future of our institution?’
Making Higher Education Accessible for All
Not surprisingly, how to make higher education more accessible, especially for disadvantaged and underrepresented demographics of students, was very much top of mind. This theme was woven into all the main-stage sessions this year and was amongst the most talked about subjects on the conference floor.
A big part of the conversation was the anti-DEI legislation that’s been on the rise, and most significantly the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action in college admissions. One panel featuring Dr. La Jerne Terry Cornish, president of Ithaca College; Art Coleman, founding partner of EducationCounsel; and Dr. Shaun Harper, Provost Professor at the University of Southern California, focused on following institutional missions of promoting diversity despite these new restrictive laws.
Another presentation on this topic that generated a lot of buzz was ‘Reflections from our First Post-SFFA Admissions Cycle’, hosted by Donnell Wiggins; Eva Blanco Masias, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Santa Clara University; and Heath Einstein, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at Texas Christian University. They discussed how they’ve continued to keep diversity goals at the forefront post-SFFA, using unique data to build relationships with diverse students earlier while remaining compliant to the new court rulings.
FAFSA Anxieties
There was a very stressful subject that was looming over the attendees of NACAC — FAFSA. The disastrous rollout of the new form played a huge role in the shared challenges many enrollment offices faced last cycle. With the Department of Education’s recent announcement that this year’s FAFSA would once again be delayed, anxieties about another difficult admissions year were ever present throughout the conference.
Discussions centered on how to be proactive to keep up with these FAFSA changes. Were schools going to lean fully into an alternative option such as CSS Profile? One solution was making a lot of waves: MARKETview’s SAI Estimator. This new financial aid service allows institutions to collect financial aid data from their inquiry pool and receive an accurate estimate of each individual student’s Student Aid Index (SAI). This new concept generated a lot of chatter as a reliable option for protecting enrollment offices from another FAFSA fiasco.
Questions Surrounding the Perceived Value of Higher Ed
A persistent concern within the industry that got a lot of focus this year was the shifting attitudes about the value of higher education from students and their families. NACAC attendees discussed new ways to remind students that college is affordable, and worth the price. A common sentiment was echoed throughout the conference — ‘We are in this together’. Eva Blanco Masias described why enrollment leaders need to rally together to create a unified message about the value of college.
“It really takes a collective voice … There is a very concerted effort to dismantle and diminish the value of higher ed. For those who don’t have the possibilities, who don’t have the parents to show them the way, [higher education] is more important than ever before.”
-Eva Blanco Masias, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Santa Clara University
A Lakers Legend Shares His Story
For many, the highlight of NACAC was the keynote speech, delivered by legendary NBA star and philanthropist, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson. He shared his own personal story of how a college counselor helped him change the trajectory of his life and achieve his college and professional basketball dreams.
What left attendees with the most lasting impression was a simple message Johnson shared with the audience: “We need you.” With those three words, he encouraged and challenged the conference to keep going, despite the constant change and disruption in the marketplace. The vital work of everyone at NACAC is necessary for helping countless students achieve their college dreams and better their future, just as Johnson’s counselor did for him. His speech ended the conference on a high note, energizing the higher ed community with a renewed sense of purpose and vision.
MARKETview partners had a big presence as featured speakers at NACAC this year — find out why so many of higher ed’s enrollment experts are talking about our proprietary, comparative data platform by scheduling a live demo with our team!