Trying to figure out enrollment?

Balancing competing demands has always been a foundational part of enrollment management. Evolving markets, changing demographics, eroding public confidence, and shifting student and parent behavior are making it harder.

You need someone to help you navigate both traditional and emerging obstacles to enrollment success.

I’m Jon Boeckenstedt, and I’ve practiced in admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management for over 40 years.

I’m here to help.

Is this you?

  • Your trustees mean well, but think the answers to your enrollment challenges start with, “Why don’t we just…” They could use some industry context or data to help them frame the situational analysis.

    You could use someone to translate complexity into clarity.

  • Sometimes financial aid makes no sense to people with a background in accounting. Why is discount going up while enrollment falls? Are we allocating our aid correctly?

    You could use someone to help make sense of it all using nothing but a spreadsheet.

  • You’re new to the job, and you’re discovering that things are more complex than you might have thought. And you need to help the president or board chair see things differently.

    You could use a coach to get you through the rough spots.

  • You know how to code and you can make Power BI or Tableau sing. But you can’t figure out why your dashboards never seem to be what the VP is looking for.

    You could use someone who speaks both languages.

  • You have ten people on the search committee, and no one knows how to screen out candidates for the VP EM position.

    You could use someone to help you interview candidates, or put their experience into context.

  • Are your processes and systems working for you, or against your enrollment goals? Can you fine tune, or do you need to start from scratch?

    You could use an experienced professional to take an objective look at how things work.

  • It’s clear: Your university wants it all. But you’re not sure people understand the tradeoffs implicit in every goal they put to paper.

    You could use someone to help you cut through the clutter.

This is me

Jon Boeckenstedt, Principal, Enrollment VP

I’ve been practicing Admissions, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management for over 40 years, and have worked in three time zones at the widest possible range of colleges and universities you might imagine: Small, private and non-selective; small with a niche market; a large, urban private universities with a public mission, one of America’s original public land grant universities; and a highly selective liberal arts college.

I write a lot about the professions I’ve been in, and the data that enrollment management professionals can and should use almost every day on my two blogs: Admitting Things and Higher Ed Data Stories.

I’ve written for Slate, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Academic Impressions, in a textbook for graduate students in higher ed, and in the Washington Post. I’ve been interviewed by the New York Times, NPR, This American Life, and dozens of podcasts. I’ve been featured in a best-selling book on college admissions, spoken to and interviewed thousands of students, and I’ve given more presentations at professional conferences than I can attempt to count.

It’s likely I’ve dealt with the exact challenges you’re experiencing, and it’s likely I can help.

Your free, 30-minute, no-obligation discussion starts with a click.

Experienced

Over 40 years as a practitioner in Admission, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Management

Data-driven

More than 20 years of experience using Tableau software to help people understand college data

Solutions-focused

Practical advice and recommendations based on your enrollment needs.

FAQs

  • The answer, of course, is that it depends. Short operational audits or other small projects start at $7,500 plus travel expenses, if any.

  • During over 40 years in the profession, and over 20 as senior enrollment officer, I've consulted with several colleges on a variety of enrollment challenges.

  • I only take a few consultations per year, to ensure you get my full attention. I don't work from templates, recipes, or pre-determined products or solutions.

    While I may make recommendations, I don't take referral fees from any other consulting firm or vendors.

  • Send me an email, or fill out the form to schedule your free, no-obligation discussion.