Over the next 18 months, Sheridan will be doing some important work on Strategic Enrolment Management or SEM.
SEM has been widely adopted by post-secondary institutions throughout North America. It provides institutions with a coordinated and evidence-based framework for enhancing student recruitment, retention, and the student experience. SEM helps institutions to find and admit students who are the right fit for its programs, to focus on quality vs. quantity, and to improve engagement with the student body. Success requires the involvement and participation of multiple units, not just those typically involved in recruitment and admissions.
At Sheridan, our goals for SEM are to: sustain overall domestic enrolment; focus on quality in domestic applications; allow for moderate growth and diversification in international student enrolment; align program costs with market demand and institutional capacity; and, expand our comprehensive student support system.
To fuel this effort, Sheridan has partnered with JL Research, a Canadian firm with deep expertise in SEM. Our lead consultant, Dr. Lynda Wallace-Hulecki brings more than 35 years of experience in working with colleges, universities and government agencies in both Canada and the US and has served as an SEM consultant, strategic planner, registrar and institutional researcher.
Dr. Wallace-Hulecki will begin her work at Sheridan during the week of September 25. During this first ‘discovery’ phase of her work, she’ll be meeting with a variety of stakeholders to conduct a situational analysis of Sheridan’s current enrolment planning and management relative to best practices in SEM.
From November, 2017 – February, 2018 she’ll assist us to formulate our desired vision and goals for our future state, leading to the development of an SEM framework and an actionable, three-year SEM plan.
Finally, for the year following, Dr. Wallace-Hulecki will support us with our initial implementation of the SEM plan.
The SEM initiative is sponsored by Dr. Janet Morrison, Provost and VP Academic and Ian Marley, VP, Student Services and IT, and is supported by a SEM Steering Committee and SEM Project Management Team. Victoria Bomben, Director, Digital Strategy has assumed the role of SEM Initiative Lead and will work closely with the Steering Committee and consultant to facilitate the SEM planning process.
SEM is a key component in the three priorities set forward by President’s Executive Council for the next 18 months, which include implementing our Academic Plan, acting as stewards of Sheridan to ensure its long-term operational sustainability, and supporting our people. The new framework equally serves to reinforce our commitment to the core pillars articulated in our Academic Plan 2017-2022, which include quality, character and accountability.