Higher Ed Think Tank at Saint Rose Draws National Enrollment Leaders

Facing the challenges and opportunities in higher education enrollment head-on and emerging as a leader in the discussion, The College of Saint Rose hosted the first-ever “Grass Roots Think Tank on the Future of Enrollment Leadership” at the College on August 8. The daylong think tank was organized by Saint Rose Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing Mary Grondahl in partnership with Patricia Maben, president and co-founder of 3 Enrollment Marketing, a higher education marketing firm.

Attendees hailing from colleges and universities around the United States, as well as other professionals in the sector, gathered to discuss the role of enrollment management leaders in ensuring institutions and students thrive during the next 15 years. The discussion was guided by the College Board’s 2019 monograph “The Future of Enrollment Leadership.”

Enrollment management leaders in attendance came from Saint Rose; Williamette University in Oregon; Mercy College in New York; Ursuline College in Ohio; Occidental College in California; Southern Methodist University and Concordia University in Texas; Saint Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania; Rutgers University in New Jersey; Fairfield University in Connecticut; and Worcester Polytechnic Institute an Emmanuel College, both in Massachusetts. Other professionals in the sector took part, including Maben and Jim Scannell, the retired president of Scannell and Kurz.

“I am as excited today about the transformational work we do in higher education as I was when I began in the field more than 30 years ago,” Grondahl said. “As economic and demographic forces press down upon our sector, we must find the best strategies for navigating these shifts and preserving our important mission of changing students’ lives. I am proud that Saint Rose is a leader of these discussions.”

The attendees were welcomed the night before the think tank during a reception hosted by Saint Rose President Carolyn J. Stefanco at the President’s House.