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Abstract
The creation of enrollment management divisions in higher education has become more prevalent than in the last decade. Enrollment management as a term was coined in 1976, but the use of the work associated with the term continues to expand the role of enrollment managers on college campuses. This multiple case study sought to answer the question, why are institutions creating an enrollment management division. Guided by the institutional theory, resource dependency theory, and principal-agent theory, four propositions are presented:
Proposition 1: Enrollment management divisions are created out of a belief that formal structure will allow for more control and efficient navigation of modern complexities.
Proposition 2: Enrollment management divisions are created due to isomorphic pressures originating from a desire to be seen as legitimate, and to avoid internal analysis.
Proposition 3: Enrollment management divisions are created in response to a competitive marketplace and a dependence upon environmental factors for success.
Proposition 4: Enrollment management divisions are created to meet the performance goals set by governing agencies and tied to public funding.
The purpose of the propositions was not to serve as an exhaustive list of possibilities for why an enrollment management division is created, but to acknowledge existing research in enrollment management and consider the theories undergirding the research.
The cases are three newly created enrollment management divisions, having been established within the last decade. The three enrollment management units’ function within three differently classified institutions, but they are located in the same state higher education system. Using multiple case study research methods, administrators were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol. After transcribing and coding the data, cross-case and unique themes made themselves known.
I found that the decision to create enrollment management divisions on college campuses is more complex than I thought. In every case, there were multiple interconnected justifications for creating the new division. Retention and graduation rates, as opposed to recruitment efforts, were the focus of the interviews. The institutions faced different challenges, but the reasons for deciding to create a new division were more similar than different.