Focus on enrollment works
SMC Enrollment here for the winter session has increased by 3 percent over last year, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign and a new department dedicated specifically to recruitment and retention, college officials said.
At the beginning of the enrollment period, Santa Monica College officials noticed a 20 percent drop-off in the number of students signing up for classes this winter.
That sparked a series of e-mail blasts, phone calls and postcards, which coincided with the creation of a new department — Enrollment Development — in charge of keeping students on campus while making sure they have the classes and supplies needed to succeed.
While it may be too early to tell if the new department is having a significant effect on enrollment, there is excitement about what the future may bring.
“I’m a methodologist, so I hate to confuse correlation and causation,” said Susan Aminoff, chair of the SMC board of trustees. “It is very easy to say that the increase in enrollment and the new department are related. But we really don’t know.
“The board is very pleased that efforts are being concentrated under one roof.”
The department is the brainchild of SMC President Dr. Chui Tsang, who consolidated enrollment efforts last fall, identifying a need to bring students back after the college was forced to make deep cuts in programs because of the state budget crisis.
Since the state bases funding on the amount of growth, Tsang felt it was imperative to create the department as a way of expanding the college, said Bruce Smith, public information officer for the college.
“What we are seeing is a whole institutional change,” said Smith. “Everyone from the professors up to the administration are taking a great role in increasing enrollment, which is critical given community colleges across the state are struggling to maintain or slightly increase enrollment.”
SMC recently lowered tuition for students by $6 a unit — to $20 — as a way of enticing students to sign up for classes. The winter session was also expanded, with approximately 900 classes, including 90 online courses. In the spring, SMC will offer a full curriculum, with 2,800 courses, including approximately 190 online classes.
Roughly 30,000 students attend SMC, which has an annual budget of $161.2 million.
By increasing enrollment, the college is hoping to increase the level of funding received from the state. So, while 3 percent may seem small, it is really significant, said Smith.
“Our strategies for recruitment and enrollment are much more campus-wide, with everyone playing a role,” Smith said.“It’ not just administrators, but teachers and students as well.”
To oversee efforts, Tsang appointed Teresita Rodriguez as head of Enrollment Development, where she is now in charge of enrollment services, admissions and records, financial aid, outreach, matriculation and assessment, among other duties.
Rodriguez previously served as the assistant dean and then dean of enrollment services and matriculation for the last six years at SMC.
“This was sorely needed,” Aminoff said. “We were performing all of these functions, but in various departments, so this is an effort to streamline and concentrate all of the efforts in one place. We will continue to monitor enrollment for the spring and with that, measure our progress.
“But again, it’s not just about making sure we retain students, but also provide them with the tools they need to be successful, whether that be transferring to a university or receiving their certification.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 16, 2007. Read the original PDF.