Recently I was invited to deliver the keynote at the 2024 West Virginia Associate of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (WVACRAO) conference where the conference them was Better Together. WVACRAO is a non-profit organization that aims to increase access to higher education and other post-secondary opportunities for students in West Virginia and beyond. I decided to share that message as my blog post. Caveat: the pressure was put on me by the organization’s president as he prepared them for my “sense of humor”.
Keynote
Good evening, everyone! It’s great to be here this evening at the WVACRAO annual conference, especially since it’s right here at Marshall University. I have to give a huge shout out and thank you to Billy Biggs for inviting me to be your speaker and for the rousing introduction. However, when he first asked me to deliver this message, my initial thought was, sure, but you are putting me between them and dinner? Ouch.
I have to say, it’s a little surreal standing up here as your keynote speaker—especially when I think back to my days as a student, those individuals that each of you care so much about today. Back then (yes, we had calculators, just not the internet) I was more focused on perfecting my swing against lefthanded sliders so that the likes of Billy Biggs could never strike me out. Well, Billy never did, but you see where I am today. And for the record, he’s a couple of years younger than me so we never faced each other.
Like many of us, I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up, honey, have I grown up yet? Billy did warn you guys about my sense of humor right? I was serious enough about my education to realize I was here on an academic scholarship and needed to keep my GPA high enough to maintain that scholarship because the Cubs weren’t going to be calling any time soon. Irony… they did in 1994 and I spent 3 years in their organization…. As a groundskeeper.
Now, I’ll admit it took me 5.5 years to finally graduate. I like to think I was just being thorough. But in all seriousness, those years of uncertainty, of not knowing which major to stick with, were formative. They taught me the importance of finding a direction, having a goal—a North Star, if you will.
Let me tell you a little bit about my journey. I grew up right across the river in southern Ohio, and came to Marshall University on said academic scholarship, but wanted to play baseball. Like many students, I was full of ambition but short on clarity about my future. I changed my major multiple times—from education to math to computer science. I initially thought I didn’t want to follow in parents’ footsteps and be a teacher. Oh yeah, I only spent 23 years doing that and loved it. Each change represented a search for meaning, a search for what would fulfill me. And while I eventually found my path, it wasn’t without a lot of trial and error.
Today, students don’t always have the luxury of time—or the finances—to explore in the way that I did. With rising tuition costs and the increasing pressure to graduate on time, we need to be more intentional in guiding our students toward clear career goals from the start. Will we have 100% success in 4-year graduation? No, but the more we guide, the better off our results.
Who here has heard of the enrollment cliff? Kidding. We are all aware of the challenges facing higher education today, especially here in West Virginia. One of the biggest issues we are grappling with is the so-called ‘enrollment cliff.’ Simply put, the number of college-age students is declining, and this trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. This means fewer students are entering our institutions from our great state.
But it’s not just the available pool of students that is concerning. There’s also a growing skepticism among students and their families about the value of a college education. Many are questioning whether it’s worth the investment, especially considering rising student debt and stories of graduates struggling to find meaningful employment and it’s this decline, ie, the going rate of high school graduates, that is even more concerning to me.
This is why it’s more important than ever for all of us—registrars, admissions officers, recruitment professionals, IR, and high school counselors—to work together. We are all part of the same team, and we have a shared goal: to ensure that our students not only come to our institutions but also thrive here and leave with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their careers.
How can we do this? It starts with collaboration. We need to break down silos between our universities and work together to develop strategies that support students from the moment they express interest in our schools to the day they walk across that stage at graduation, which is indeed why we are all here this week. We need to share data, insights, and best practices. We need to learn from each other’s successes and failures. Brad and Gordon have figured it out. Has anyone been to an event where they speak? Universities United. It’s no longer about WVU or Marshall but it’s about the state. If a student attends your school, WV wins and that honestly is how I think it should be.
So, what can we do to address these challenges? Here are several strategies that we can consider and I want to leave you with this evening:
- Improving Career Counseling and Advising: We need to start talking to students about their career goals from day one. And not just in a general sense, but really diving deep into what they are passionate about, what the job market looks like, and how their education can help them achieve their dreams. This means investing in career counseling services and ensuring that advisors are equipped with the tools and information they need to guide students effectively. And that can spur conversations between enrollment management and academic affairs as it’s you who has pulse of the recruiting classes and their needs/wants.
- Flexible Degree Pathways: Today’s students demand flexibility. They come from a period where they spent a year of their lives being told what to do and with whom and that was a very formative year. Now they do not want rigidity. We should consider offering more interdisciplinary programs that allow students to explore multiple fields without feeling like they’re wasting time or money. We should also explore options like stackable credentials or certificate programs that provide immediate value and can be built upon for a degree.
- Re-Engaging Stopouts: One of the sessions during the conference is about re-enrolling students who have stopped out. This is critical. We know that life happens—financial pressures, family responsibilities, and other challenges can cause students to leave before they finish their degree. But we also know that many of these students want to come back. It’s our job to make that as easy as possible for them. This means reaching out proactively, offering flexible scheduling options, and providing financial support where possible and encouraging them to attend a school of their choice.
- Marketing the True Cost of Education: Another session focused on HEPC’s ‘Student Loan Dashboard.’ This is a fantastic tool that can help us demonstrate that a college education is more affordable than students and parents many think. Of course, we all have to publish the cost of attendance, but these dashboards help show that it’s not always $20K/year for their student. We need to be transparent and upfront about costs, but also about the value of what students are getting. The narrative shouldn’t be about how expensive college is but about the return on investment—how education here in West Virginia is a pathway to a prominent future.
- Strengthening Partnerships with High Schools: Building stronger partnerships with high schools is crucial. This can include additional dual enrollment courses, college readiness workshops, and campus visits to familiarize students with the college environment early on, not just telling them what majors you offer. These partnerships help demystify the college experience and encourage more students to see higher education as a viable path.
- Leveraging Data Analytics for Better Decision-Making: We can and should use analytics to identify at-risk students early in their college journey. By analyzing patterns in student behavior—such as attendance, grades, and engagement—universities can intervene proactively to offer support before students decide to drop out. Data can also help tailor the recruitment and advising processes to meet specific needs.
- Promoting Mental Health and Well-being: We must also address the growing mental health crisis among college students. Providing robust mental health services on campus and creating a supportive environment where students feel comfortable seeking help is essential. This can significantly impact retention rates as students who feel supported are more likely to stay and complete their degrees.
- Increasing Financial Literacy Education: Integrating financial literacy education into the student onboarding process is another strategy. Educating students and their families about managing debt, budgeting, and understanding financial aid can alleviate fears around student loans and the cost of college. I wish that every high school taught this, but they don’t. This makes our jobs harder, but such education would help students make more informed decisions about their education and reduce the anxiety associated with financing it.
- Fostering a Sense of Community and Belonging: Creating a sense of community on campus is vital, particularly for first-generation and underrepresented students who may feel isolated. Initiatives like peer mentoring programs work toward helping students feel welcome and valued.
- Developing Strategic Enrollment Management Plans: Developing comprehensive enrollment management plans that go beyond admissions to include retention, graduation rates, and post-graduate success is also key. These plans should be regularly reviewed and updated based on current trends and data, ensuring they are responsive to the changing landscape of higher education.
In closing, I want to leave you with this thought: We are all in this together. The challenges we face are real, but they are not insurmountable. If we commit to working together, to sharing our knowledge and resources, and to always keeping the needs of our students at the forefront of what we do, I have no doubt that we can weather this storm and come out stronger on the other side.
Let’s continue to innovate, to push boundaries, and to be the champions our students need. Let’s be ‘Better Together’—not just as a conference theme, but as a guiding principle for everything we do.
Thank you, and I look forward to the work we’ll accomplish together.
—
And THAT is how I truly feel! Let’s continue to shape higher education’s future with data!
Brian M. Morgan
Chief Data Officer, Marshall University