How Can a Higher Education Consultant Help Your Enrollment Efforts?

What are the benefits of a consulting partner?

We’re often posed this question in one form or another by prospective clients. Some institutions know they need help, but aren’t sure which piece of the puzzle isn’t fitting or is missing all together. Others are satisfied with their current results and practices, but are curious about the opportunities that await if they break away from their normative practices.

A Fresh Perspective

Recently, while working on a planning project with a client of ours, the president of the institution paused and said, “You know, we could have done this ourselves.”  Then he chuckled. “But we wouldn’t have actually done anything. And if we did, it would have taken us twice as long.”

Consultants are able to approach a situation with a new lens, one unencumbered by campus culture, internal politics, or long-standing policies. Getting to know your institution in the context of the higher education landscape allows us to apply a laser focus on the project at hand, be it in enrollment strategy, retention, branding, or campus master planning. We look at what is being done well, what best- and next-practice tell us about your opportunities, and where there is room for growth. This outside perspective is instrumental for institutions as they examine their own practices in an effort to move forward on the spectrum of surviving to thriving.

Your Special Ops Team

Engaging high-quality, experienced consultants for your institution is like calling in a special ops team, on a mission to find and recruit your best fit students.

The Credo team is comprised of individuals with decades of high-level, subject-specific experience. Their expertise comes from different types of institutions in diverse areas of the country. With five former vice presidents for enrollment, two former senior directors and more, we bring a depth of expertise that doesn’t preside on every campus, particularly when it comes to enrollment strategy. We understand how things are done elsewhere and what works, because we’ve been there.

One client shared, “They went out of their way to understand what our strengths are, and help us maximize them. They helped change our perceived ‘weaknesses’ into ‘opportunities,’ helping us evaluate where we may have those weaknesses, and then how to overcome them to move forward.” We always work to bring this kind of value to your institution.

A Wellness-Check Approach

Tuition and related revenue makes up approximately 85% of the income at a majority of the institutions we work with. With so much dependent upon one revenue stream, can you really afford to say “we’re doing okay” without regularly checking in on system processes, strategy, team deployment, how well the campus is mobilized and more?

Most doctors and health insurance providers recommend visiting your primary care physician for an annual wellness check-up, because the regular assessment and promotion of your body’s health and wellness is essential for optimal functioning and a long, healthy life.

At Credo, we apply the same thought to our enrollment work with colleges and universities. Our ACE® approach — Assess, Counsel, Empower — examines the effectiveness and efficiency of what an institution is doing now, as well as what steps need to be taken next to ensure a successful, healthy future.

Another client told us, “You inspired a better future for our organization. I felt energized, like we get good ideas, direction, and the insight and understanding of an outsider’s view of what we’re doing well and what we can do better." A consulting firm like Credo, with its specialized experience and ACE® approach, can help you move farther faster toward increased institutional health and sustainability.

Curious to learn more? to see how our customized, integrated approach can benefit your institution’s wellbeing.