Prepared by the Strategic Enrolment Management Team | March 2024
Executive summary (preamble)
Strategic Enrolment Planning is a necessary and critical foundational function for every post-secondary institution.
Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) can be defined as an organizational concept and a set of systematic activities designed to enable educational institutions to exert more influence over student enrolments. Organized by strategic planning and supported by institutional data and research, enrolment management activities focus on measures and concepts such as:
- student institution choice
- transition to college
- student attrition and retention
- student outcome
Strategic Enrolment Management looks at institutional program mix and delivery over the entire student life cycle.
SEM is not a quick fix or an overnight process. It is about establishing clear goals for the number and types of students needed to fulfill the institutional mission. And it is about promoting student academic success by improving access, persistence and graduation.
VIU has been building and enhancing our understanding and use of SEM concepts and strategies for the last few years. In 2019, a SEM Committee with broad representation from across campus was created. The SEM Committee produced data and information from various working groups. The terms of reference for this committee were revised in 2021 and its leadership team drafted a report which forms the foundation of the current SEM plan.
As part of a renewed focus on SEM, in 2023 VIU contracted the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) to produce a report on SEM activities at VIU. The recommendations included enhanced collaboration and communication between the recruitment team, admissions and advising. The report also recommended viewing SEM within a larger planning process. And it stressed the importance of comprehensive endorsement of a SEM plan by leadership, faculties, and support units.
Following on this work the Provost and Vice President Academic tasked a SEM committee to complete a high-level Strategic Enrolment Management Plan for VIU. This plan would advance the important work that was initiated by the 2019 SEM Committee. The newly formed SEM committee met weekly beginning in September 2023. The committee consulted with several areas including:
- the Office of University Planning and Analysis
- the Office of Indigenous Education and Engagement
- the Office of Future Students
- Deans
- Brand and Marketing
In support of the Strategic Plan: People, Place and Potential, the SEM plan builds on the creativity of our people and enhances the impact of our place in our region, province, nation and globe, while facilitating VIU’s considerable capacity to thrive. The SEM Plan will guide decisions around strategic investment of funds and effort in areas such as recruitment and retention to achieve its goals.
