Enrollment Growth Through Data-Driven Strategy

This clip frames institutional strategy. It reveals a surprising business logic at elite institutions. * They often have an abundance of one type of talent. * Therefore, they aggressively pursue the skills they *currently* lack for strategic balance. * It's supply and demand playing out in higher education! This challenges us to consider where our unique, non-obvious strengths fit in the market. Where is *your* specialized, underrepresented skill most needed right now? Let's discuss! \#BusinessStrategy \#TalentAcquisition \#SkillDiversity \#CareerInsights \#HigherEd \#MarketGap

A friend recently asked me, “What do you do when you’re feeling down?” I said, “I identify the problem and I work to solve it.” She asked, “What if there isn’t a problem to solve? What if you just have to sit with it?” To that I responded, "No, thank you" and we laughed. But, in in my experience, feeling “down” is usually data. It is a signal that something requires attention. As I reviewed the year, there were outcomes I wasn’t satisfied with. Some decisions slowed momentum. External factors, including a significant increase in operating costs (shout out to Daryl Perry II, Bow Tie Guy for walking me through open enrollment with all of the craziness going on), forced an honest look at the business. None of that felt good. But this is where professional growth lives. End-of-year assessments are not about self-criticism; they are about clarity. What worked. What didn’t. What decisions need to change. What systems need to be strengthened. What strategy needs to be refined going into the new year. I allowed myself a moment of reflection. Then I did what leaders do. I shifted into problem-solving, strategic thinking, and planning forward. Feeling the weight of a year does not mean you are failing. It means you are paying attention. Assessment leads to adjustment. Adjustment leads to strategy. Strategy leads to progress. Onward. #CHRO #DethraSaid #DethraSpeaks #ThatsNotWhatISaid

Enrollment and program size don’t just shape campus operations, they shape compensation expectations too. Larger institutions and programs often bring: • Higher student counts • More complex operations • Greater fiscal and leadership responsibility Smaller programs may require different structures, scopes, and pay strategies, but context matters just as much as the number itself. That’s why comparing salaries without factoring in enrollment and program size can lead to misleading conclusions. At Acadexis, we help higher education leaders apply the right context to compensation data so their pay decisions are defensible, transparent, and aligned with institutional reality. Benchmark With Confidence. 💬 Message us to see how your institution compares. 🌐 Or visit acadexis.com to learn more. #HigherEducation #CompensationStrategy #SalaryBenchmarking #Acadexis

Everyone talks about #enrollment numbers but Very few leaders ask what those numbers are actually trying to say. When I was working as a Director of Academic Affairs, responsible for enrollment and institutional reporting, I stopped treating admissions data as a dashboard and started reading it like evidence. What I found was uncomfortable but powerful. The data revealed how the market truly perceived us. It exposed policies that were quietly delaying decisions. It explained why strong applicants disengaged while others converted quickly. Once we used admissions data as a strategic input, not a compliance report, the impact was immediate. Leadership conversations became sharper. Programs aligned with real demand. Policy decisions became faster and more student-centric. Admissions teams are not back-office processors. They are your most underused source of market intelligence.If leadership listens, enrollment stops being reactive and starts becoming intentional. How is your institution using admissions data today? #AdmissionsStrategy #HigherEducationLeadership #InternationalEducation

📈 Median pay for Vice Presidents of Academic Programs peaked in 2020. Since then? Modest movement, despite significant shifts in enrollment strategy, academic delivery, and institutional risk. For executive leaders and boards, this raises important questions: ➜ Are compensation structures keeping pace with role expansion? ➜ Has internal equity outpaced external competitiveness or vice versa? ➜ Are market benchmarks being revisited often enough? Executive compensation decisions are only defensible when grounded in current, role-specific market data. Explore the trend and ask whether your benchmarks still hold. 🔗 acadexis.com  #Acadexis #salarybenchmarking #highereducation

Before recommending any recruitment or retention strategy, I ask education organizations three questions: What problem are you actually trying to solve? Who is impacted by this problem at each stage of the pathway? What existing structures can be strengthened rather than replaced? These questions often slow the conversation, but they also create clarity. Without clarity, even well funded initiatives struggle to gain traction. Effective consulting is not about providing quick answers. It is about helping leaders see their systems more clearly and make decisions that align with long term goals. When organizations take time to define the problem precisely, the solutions become more strategic and sustainable. #EducationConsulting #StrategicPlanning #OrganizationalLeadership #WorkforceSolutions

January isn’t about new initiatives. It’s about truth. Behind the scenes, districts are reviewing: - Attendance patterns post-holiday (and who didn’t come back) - Which students are still disengaged despite interventions - Whether current vendors are actually moving outcomes or just checking boxes No announcements. Just honest questions. Because by February, those reviews turn into decisions. And by March, timelines get tight. January may seem quiet, but it’s decisive. If you’re in district leadership, this is the month that shapes the rest of the year. Subject

1.     Which of the following statements explains the process of psychographic segmentation? a.      The qualitative element of geodemographic analysis b.     Grouping people according to their values, interests and lifestyles c.      Grouping people according to the amount they buy d.     Considering a customer’s psychological weaknesses when selling them products. https://lnkd.in/gQ4wGtB8

As we move forward to 2026, it is important to reflect on the past year’s success stories and lessons learned. 🔍📚 Five Wisconsin executives shared the business lessons they learned throughout 2025, and how it led them to better practice. 🚀 - Raynetta H., executive director, Historic King Drive, BID #8#8#8: “In 2025, I learned that consistency is a true growth catalyst… I also learned that when your operations and service are genuinely strong, they can withstand market shifts.” - Daniel W. Jackson, Ministry Market CEO, Ascension Wisconsin: “2025 reminded me that the only constant is change.” - Eli Rivera, head of community and operations, Toffi: “When support systems scale, everyone benefits: job seekers, workforce partners and the businesses ready to hire them.” - Victor Sanchez Bande, president, Tech Electric Company: “Businesses that don’t shift from selling products to selling solutions will be left behind as success hinges on focusing on consumer-centric outcomes, not output.” - Jim Popp, president and CEO, Johnson Financial Group: “The world is changing faster than ever before, so we must be open to new and innovative ways to solve old problems.” Learn more about what these five executives took away from 2025 at the link in the comment section. #BusinessLeadership #ExecutiveInsights #LeadershipLessons #WisconsinBusiness #BusinessStrategy #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalGrowth #ChangeManagement #BusinessTrends #BizTimesMedia

As a leader in your organization whether it is a university, Fortune 100, or small start-up do you consistently convey clarity on what needs to be measured? If not, employees will be left confused around what needs to be done and how to proceed. Think about what you are measuring and why?