Strategic Enrollment Management Plan
The VCU Strategic Enrollment Management Plan 2025 lays the groundwork for developing a comprehensive enrollment and student success strategy. This foundation will maximize VCU’s capacity to fulfill its mission of providing a transformational student experience that prepares diverse students for their professional, community, social and personal lives. In partnership with five SEM planning councils, we assessed our enrollment organization, mapped new directions for the future and are now working to turn plans into action.
SEM Plan 2025 ensures that we will stay focused on the entire student lifecycle, from recruitment and admission through the educational experience (academic, cocurricular and student life) and post-graduation. The key to our success is broad engagement from the VCU community, including students, faculty and staff. You are invited to learn about our planning process, read a high-level version of our plan, and track our work and progress here.
VCU student lifecycle
SEM 2025 planning process
Over 90 VCU faculty, staff and students served on five councils to guide the development of:
- Broad-based university goals that will allow VCU to strategically increase enrollment, student success and net tuition revenue over a six-year period
- Clear metrics for success to establish key performance indicators for the success of the plan
- Broad-based action plans that outline timeline, responsible parties and anticipated resource needs
VCU SEM planning framework
SEM Planning Council membership
Steering Council
- Gail Hackett, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Provost's Office
- Karol Gray, vice president, Finance and Administration, President's Office
- Charles Klink, senior vice provost, Student Affairs
- Tomikia LeGrande, vice provost, Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success
- Aashir Nasim, vice president, Inclusive Excellence
- Deborah Noble-Triplett, senior vice provost, Academic Affairs
- Monal Patel, associate vice provost, Institutional Research and Decision Support
- Marsha Rappley, vice president, Health Sciences
Data and Research Council
- Scott Bauer, associate director, technology, Admissions
- Katherine Drumm, director, strategic initiatives, Student Success
- Mike Flanigan, director, academic technologies and operations, SEM
- Jeremy Gilbert, associate director, financial aid information technology, Financial Aid
- Anjour Harris, associate vice provost, enrollment services, SEM
- Alex Henson, chief information officer, Technology Services
- Amy Hutton, senior applications and data analyst, SEM
- Elise Kepus, senior associate registrar, Records and Registration
- Gokhan Yucel, executive director, Institutional Research and Data Support
Undergraduate Recruitment Council
- Ashlyn Anderson, executive director, University Academic Advising, Student Success
- Sheila Blair, program advisor, interdisciplinary sciences, Humanities and Sciences
- Lesley Bulluck, assistant professor, biology, Life Sciences
- Carrie Connolly, associate dean and director, recruiting and admissions, Honors College
- Kim DiJoseph, director, Office of Student Success, Social Work
- Angela Duncan, associate dean, student affairs, Health Professions
- Nick Garcia, director, undergraduate services and student advising, Wilder School
- Rebecca Halligan, assistant director, VCU LEAD
- Sybil Halloran*, senior associate vice provost, SEMSS
- Amber Hill, director, international student and scholar programs/English Language Program, Global Education Office
- Nadia Hyder, product owner/strategist, University Relations
- Alison Jones, assistant vice president, Health Sciences
- Jenna Lenhardt, recruitment specialist, Education
- Vishon Luck, director, recruitment, Admissions
- Kayla Lupino, product owner/strategist, University Relations
- Jessalyn McCartney, first-year student, student representative
- Mark Meadows, director, recruiting services, Engineering
- William "Tres" Morley, assistant director, Military Student Services
- Justin Moses, associate vice provost, Student Affairs
- Chris Norris, arts administrator, Art Foundation Program, Arts
- L. Katherine Oliver, senior director, communications and marketing, Business
- Monica Orozco, executive director, Online@VCU
- Constance Relihan, dean, University College
- Zaid Shaikh, treasurer, SGA, student representative
- Jackie Van Dao, advisor, Nursing
- Kevin Wade, senior associate director, administrative services, Residential Life and Housing
- KaToya Wagner, director, Student Financial Management Center, Financial Aid
*Chair
Undergraduate Retention Council
- Andrea Becker, associate director, residential initiatives, Residential Life and Housing
- Kristian Carden, access specialist, Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity
- Ann Cherry, director, recruitment, Center for Teacher Leadership, Education
- Kyle Dailey, associate dean, Student Affairs
- Carmen Day, first-year student, student representative
- Katherine Drumm, director, strategic initiatives, Student Success
- Shelli Fowler, associate dean and director, Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Program, University College
- Greta Franklin, director, Office of Multicultural Affairs
- Nathan Hanger, creative director, integrated marketing, University Relations
- Sofia Hiort-Wright, associate vice provost, academic support and executive associate athletic director, Athletics
- Micol Hutchison, director, program development and student services, University College
- Maya Mangum, second-year student, student representative
- Kimberly Matthews, instructor/faculty, VCU LEAD
- Danielle Mitchell, director, Student Accounting
- Shannon Mitchell, associate dean, undergraduate studies, Business
- Sarah "Brianne" Morrison, senior academic advisor, undergraduate, Wilder School
- Ananda Newmark, director, B.S.W. Program, Social Work
- Ben Plache, director, advising, Honors College
- Daphne Rankin, associate vice provost, SEM
- Juliana Rasnic, director, advising, Humanities and Sciences
- Jennifer Rivers, director, student services, Engineering
- Haley Sims, interim director, Career Services
- Michael Smart, advisor, Nursing
- Seth Sykes, associate vice provost, Transfer Initiatives, Student Success
- Jody Symula, assistant dean, student affairs, Arts
- Stephanie Tignor, director, Education Abroad, Global Education Office
- Maggie Tolan*, senior associate vice provost, Student Success
- Marc Vernon, executive director, Financial Aid
- Catherine Viverette, assistant professor, Life Sciences
- Student, student representative
- Student, student representative
*Chair
Graduate Retention Council
- Michael Abelson, interim associate chair, Department of Focused Inquiry, University College
- Pam Arnold, digital creative director, University Relations
- Julia Bailey, first-year M.Ed., graduate assistant, student representative
- Sonya Barnes, senior advisor, pre-professional health, Student Success
- Doug Boudinot*, dean, Graduate School
- Tomika Ferguson, assistant professor, Education
- Lori Floyd-Miller, graduate program coordinator, Engineering
- Austen Gouldman, director, graduate studies, Business
- Michael Grotewiel, associate dean, graduate education, Medicine
- Byron Kirk, director, graduate studies, assistant professor, Arts
- Deni Lee-Hing, director, graduate student services and advising, Wilder School
- Chazley Logan, advisor, Nursing
- Dan McGarvey, associate professor, Life Sciences
- Brian McTague, director, Writing Center
- Jue Patel, second-year M.H.A., student representative
- Kendall Plageman, assistant dean, Student Affairs
- Stephen Ross, director, Military Student Services
- Renee Russell, director, communications, Global Education Office
- Scott Sherman, associate professor, advertising, Humanities and Sciences
- Melissa Tyler, assistant dean, Graduate School
- Emily Williams, president, Graduate Student Association
*Chair
SEM plan timeline
Undergraduate recruitment goals
Increase new freshman enrollment by 2025
Objectives
- Increase out-of-state new undergraduate enrollment
- Improve perception of VCU to high school counselors, potential students and parents by building a VCU brand among core audiences
- Maximize new CRM technology at school/department level
Key performance indicators
- Increase in the percentage of out-of-state new undergraduate students
- Increase in applications
- Increase in enrollment yield
- Improved conversion rates at various stages of the enrollment funnel
Increase new transfer enrollment by 2025
Objectives
- Improve marketing and recruitment efforts that attract transfer students
- Improve marketing and recruitment efforts that attract adult/nontraditional transfer students (ages 25+)
- Expand academic program offerings, infrastructure and academic services to attract, support and sustain nontraditional student enrollment
Key performance indicators
- Increase in transfer applications
- Improved conversion rates at various stages of the enrollment funnel
- Increase in transfer acceptance
- Increase in adult (ages 25+) transfer applications
- Increase in enrollment of adult (ages 25+) transfer
- Percentage of adult (ages 25+) transfer students
- Increase in undergraduate online enrollment (at least one online class)
- Increase in online credit hours (percentage of total credit hours)
Undergraduate retention goals
Expand student transition support
Objectives
- Revise academic policies to eliminate barriers to student success
- Formalize first- and second-year programs
- Expand peer mentoring programs for equity gap student groups
- Expand student support services for undeclared students
- Expand summer program offerings
Key performance indicators
- Eliminate one- and two-year retention equity gaps
- First-generation
- Pell Grant recipients
- Underrepresented minorities
- Males
- Black and Hispanic males
- Pre-health majors
- Undeclared majors
Enhance student financial support services
Objectives
- Review and revise policies and practices that lead to incurring wasteful debt or poor utilization of
aid - Expand and appropriately resource and retain the personnel teams charged with supporting the financial success of our students
- Examine and implement alternative approaches and best practices for expanding the financial literacy of our students and their families
- Increase access to opportunities for students to engage in experiential learning in support of their postgraduate outcomes
Key performance indicators
- Increased retention of Pell Grant recipients
- Increased retention of first-generation students
- Increased retention of out-of-state students
- Decreased student debt
- Increase in percentage of students fully paid by 20th class day
Increase faculty awareness and engagement
Objectives
- Enhance faculty education/development opportunities
- Expand course redesign for first- and second-year courses
- Enhance faculty participation in the development and use of major maps
Key performance indicators
- Increased faculty participation in early alerts and midterm grading
- Increased student success
- Increased number of students receiving early alerts
- Increased student success
- Decrease in DWF rates
Graduate recruitment goal
Increase graduate student enrollment
Objectives
- Develop a comprehensive and coordinated graduate recruitment and admissions plan
- Expand online master’s program
- Create tuition structure to foster out-of-state master’s enrollment
- Increase funding for graduate student support
- Provide health care supplements to graduate assistants
Key performance indicators
- Increased master’s enrollment
- Increased underrepresented minority master’s enrollment
- Increased doctoral enrollment
- Increased underrepresented minority doctoral enrollment
Graduate retention goal
Increase graduate student retention and graduation rates
Objectives
- Improve enrollment research and analysis by program
- Utilize CRM to improve communication and cohort management
- Establish a formal mentoring program for underrepresented minority graduate
student populations - Increase funding for graduate student support
- Create VCU Graduate Student Center
Key performance indicators
- Increased master’s enrollment
- Increased underrepresented minority master’s enrollment
- Increased doctoral enrollment
- Increased underrepresented minority doctoral enrollment