university of pennsylvania college of general studies enrollment services consulting report

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Wayne Sigler Maureen O’Mara Carver AACRAO Consultants July 25-26, 2007 University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

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University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report. Wayne Sigler Maureen O’Mara Carver AACRAO Consultants July 25-26, 2007. Table of Contents. Introduction AACRAO Consultants Assigned to This Project Project Approach - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Wayne SiglerMaureen O’Mara Carver

AACRAO ConsultantsJuly 25-26, 2007

University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies

Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Page 2: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Table of Contents Introduction

AACRAO Consultants Assigned to This Project

Project Approach

Project Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations Macro Observations

Structure

Staffing

Training

Business Practices

Technical

Suggested Next Steps

Appendices Documents & Publications Provided

Individuals and Groups Involved in the Consulting Visit

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Page 3: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Introduction The College of General Studies (UPCGS) at the University

of Pennsylvania contracted with the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers’ (AACRAO) Consulting service to perform a review of UPCGS’s Enrollment Services structure, staffing, and business practices to determine areas of potential improvement.

AC conducted this evaluation from its knowledge base of best practices in these areas. Combined with the expertise of current UPCGS staff, recommendations were jointly developed for improving service levels to students and among departments within the institution.

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Page 4: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

AACRAO Consultants Assigned to This Project – Wayne Sigler and Maureen O'Mara Carver

The AC Project Manager for this project with UPCGS is Wayne Sigler, AC Senior Consultant and Director of Admissions at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. He just completed a two-year term as President of the Association of Chief Admissions Officers of Public Universities (ACAOPU). Dr. Sigler has 30+ years experience in enrollment management with particular expertise in transformational leadership and management, strategic planning, recruitment, marketing, business processes, and customer service.

Prior to joining the University of Minnesota in 1992, Wayne’s work in higher education included 10 years as Director of Admissions then Dean of Admissions/Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services at the University of Houston (TX), 2 years as Dean of Student & Academic Services at Southwest Texas State University, and 9 years as Associate Director then Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Maryland, College Park. He completed a Master of Arts in Education (College Student Personnel Work) and Ed.D. in Higher Education at The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.)

Wayne is the author of a new book on higher education management that was published by AACRAO in July 2007. Dr. Sigler’s book features the nationally-recognized Tri-O management game plan that he has developed and successfully implemented over a thirty-year period. Tri-O (the shorthand acronym for outcome-oriented operations) is a management operating system for a major organizational and program paradigm transformation from a process and activity orientation to one that is focused on consistently achieving the outcomes that stakeholders value and expect.

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Page 5: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

AACRAO Consultants Assigned to This Project – Wayne Sigler and Maureen O'Mara Carver

AC Senior Consultant Maureen O'Mara Carver has 25+ years of experience in higher education administration. She currently serves as Assistant Dean for Student Records and Registrar at Villanova University School of Law. Prior to this position, she served as the law school's Director of Admission. In all, Dean Carver has over 17 years of experience with Villanova University School of Law.

Dean Carver began her career at her alma mater, Loyola University New Orleans, in the Admissions Office. During her time at Loyola University, she was exposed to all aspects of admissions from recruitment to data systems administration, with chief responsibility for recruitment of non-traditional and under-represented students.

Further recruitment and administrative experience was gained during the four years Dean Carver worked at large law firms as Attorney Recruiting Administrator. She was fortunate to be charged with the task of developing recruiting-related databases, at a time when this was an emerging field.

Dean Carver is active professionally in a variety of organizations, including the National Network of Law School Officers, and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, where she served three years as chairperson of the Graduate and Professional Schools Interest Committee.

Dean Carver holds a B.L.S. (Philosophy) from Loyola University New Orleans, an M.S. (Counseling and Human Relations) from Villanova University, and has undertaken course work towards a doctorate in Higher Education at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Page 6: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

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Project Approach

The methodology used in the UPCGS operational assessment of the Enrollment Services function included the following steps.

UPCGS Director of Enrollment Management, Nora Lewis, contacted AACRAO Consulting to request an external review of the functioning of UPCGS’s Enrollment Services Office. A contract for services was subsequently approved by both parties.

It was requested that UPCGS provide as many documents as possible related to the scope of work previous to the visit so the consultants could be informed as to the organizational structure, current processes, and background. A packet of documents was forwarded to the consultants by UPCGS staff that included the 2007-2011 Strategic Plan, organizational charts, and job descriptions. A complete list of documents is provided as Appendix A.

A number of phone calls and emails were exchanged between AACRAO Consulting, the consultants, and Nora Lewis. During these communications, the scope of work was clarified.

The consultants reviewed each document and identified issues for further analysis and then formulated questions for the site visit.

Page 7: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Project Approach (cont.)

A site visit was conducted by the consultants on July 25-26, 2007. The consultants met with 30 UPCGS personnel during the visit to obtain as many perspectives as possible on issues outlined in the scope of work. A list of individuals interviewed is attached as Appendix B.

The consultants wrote this draft report which includes observations and recommendations related to the charge defined in the scope of work.

A second site visit will be made on September 4, 2007, to present the report.

The consultants commend all the UPCGS personnel who gave their valuable time to speak freely and candidly with the consultants. Several of the meetings actually ran over the scheduled amount of time due to interest of the participants. Everyone was cordial, frank, open, honest, and very hospitable, which helped to make the consultation visit productive and enjoyable.

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Page 8: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Macro Observations We found a very dynamic, ambitious, and talent rich organization

in the University of Pennsylvania’s College of General Studies and in its Enrollment Management Unit.

We reviewed an excellent strategic plan that provides the vision and direction for the UPCGS.

The UPCGS made the correct decision to move to an enrollment management approach to help it achieve its objectives. Without doing so, it could not be able to get where the college wants to go.

In its drive to begin implementing the college’s new strategic plan, it has perhaps inevitably created its own “perfect storm” with a number of new initiatives such as: a new enrollment management structure, new and fluid operating procedures, new technology, and the move from a rolling to deadline admissions model.

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Page 9: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Macro Observations (cont.)

We want to emphasize that many of the challenges that currently face the Enrollment Management Unit are relatively normal when an organization is transforming its mission and culture. Under these circumstances, an organization must employ a “plan by doing” approach which brings with it some degree of organizational flux. Indeed, we applaud the UPCGS for moving ahead with what Peters and Waterman term a “try-it, fix-it, try-it” approach instead of being frozen by delay and inaction.

We reviewed an impressive list of 2007 priorities for implementing the strategic plan. However, we believe that the list of priorities for 2007 is overly ambitious and does not provide for sufficient recovery time from the inevitable false starts and delays. Not all of the items marked “complete” seem to be fully implemented. Also, we did not see a fully developed plan for operationalizing each priority.

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Macro Recommendations

UPCGS must now consolidate its gains and enable the support services in Enrollment Management to catch up. Once this is done, UPCGS will then be able to move to the next phase of its journey toward fulfilling its new mission under the strategic plan. If this is not done, it will find that it’s building a “house of cards” rather than a college that is built on a solid foundation of state-of-the-art management principles and best practices.

The leadership of the UPCGS works very hard and are very capable. They must refocus some of their time to better “see the forest for the trees.” (i.e. focus more on strategic direction).

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Macro Recommendations (cont.)

The scope of this consulting project is “to review UPCGS’s Enrollment Service structure, staffing, and business practices to determine areas of potential improvement.” We have met this objective in this report.

It is, however, clearly evident that all of the units in Enrollment Services and the college itself impact the work and success of each other and the college as a whole. Therefore, UPCGS should develop a coherent holistic plan for developing a state-of-the-art enrollment management approach that will help it achieve its ambitious and exciting objectives. The units in the UPCGS also need to move toward a more stakeholder-focused, outcome-oriented paradigm instead of its prevailing process-oriented model.

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Macro Recommendations (cont.)

There is no single “formula” for how long it takes to transition from one operating culture to another. We estimate that it will take approximately three years to complete the transition while realizing definite improvements during this time period. The key is to make absolutely certain that the organization continues to meet its goals during the transition period. As one business leader observed, “there is no time out in business.”

The units in Enrollment Management need greater mission definition, accountability, and emphasis on customer service for its internal and external stakeholders.

For example, the mission of the units must be more clearly defined to eliminate some of the current overlapping duties in the matrix model. By doing so, it will facilitate a collaborative, teamwork environment and help prevent a devolvement back into the previous silo-based situation.

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Macro Recommendations (cont.)

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The Tri-O Management Operating System would greatly facilitate this transition. We are not suggesting that the management system employed by the UPCGS needs to be significantly revamped. Rather, we believe the Tri-O system could be used by the college as a diagnostic benchmark to determine if components of the current management system require refinement.

Elements of the college’s current management system would benefit from adopting some aspects of the Tri-O system. For example:

The Tri-O Outcome Planning Tools, such as the Dream House diagnostic and planning model, would help the college develop short-term (triage), medium-term, and longer-term actions that it should take to implement its strategic plan. The UPCGS has an excellent strategic plan but needs more focused and workable tactical plans to implement it.

The Tri-O Compass would help focus the units and staff on achieving the outcomes valued and expected by its stakeholders.

Tri-O Metrics would help define how success will be measured and to guide the operations of the college.

The Tri-O Delegation component would alleviate some of the current very heavy workload of top management in the college.

Page 14: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Macro Recommendations (cont.)

By implementing Tri-O, the UPCGS would: Achieve even greater success by focusing on its

stakeholders and consistently delivering the outcomes they value and expect.

Better focus the organization by identifying, implementing, and tracking the vital few factors that are necessary to achieve success year after year.

Save time and money because the majority of the college’s time would be devoted to achieving results and not managing its system.

Get everyone in the college on the same page. Be in much greater control of their destiny.

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Page 15: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Macro Recommendations (cont.)

UPCGS should view a strategy of “extra-mile” customer service as a major competitive advantage for the college.

The importance of customer service is reinforced by Davidow and Uttal--“Though nobody has developed a general model of service costs and benefits and applied it to different industries, we can confidently make one assertion: In all industries, when competitors are roughly matched, those that stress customer service will win.” (Total Customer Service: The Ultimate Weapon, 1989)

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Page 16: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Macro Recommendations (cont.)

If the UPCGS fully adopted a model of “extra-mile” customer service, combined with the Penn brand, quality, and mission, it would have a virtually unbeatable strategy. Students are willing to pay extra for quality coupled with convenience.

To accomplish this, the UPCGS must transform its culture and operations to meet this objective.

UPCGS should seek to maintain Penn’s high standards while eliminating non-contributing barriers to enrollment success. Red tape and bureaucratic runarounds should not be mistaken for institutional and academic quality.

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Page 17: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Macro Recommendations (cont.)

In determining the goals of the service provided to customers by the Enrollment Management Units, UPCGS should be guided by the work of marketing experts Berry, Parasuraman, and Zeithaml concerning what service quality customers expect: Tangibles: the physical facilities, equipment, appearance of

personnel; Reliability: the ability to perform the desired service dependably,

accurately, and consistently; Responsiveness: the willingness to provide prompt service and help

customers; Assurance: employees’ knowledge, courtesy, and ability to convey

trust and confidence; and Empathy: the provision of caring, individualized attention to

customers.— (“The service quality puzzle”, Business Horizons, September-October 1988)

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Page 18: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Structure: Observations The Enrollment Services Office (ES) was created as a part of UPCGS’s

adoption of an enrollment management model that came about as a result of the proposed re-branding of UPCGS. UPCGS is positioning itself to reach a broader audience of students. The population of students at UPCGS is changing and is now comprised

of more students seeking career advancement, credentials enhancement, and career change, as well as more students from abroad. New programs are being developed to meet the needs of this new and expanding student population.

Another important, but very labor-intensive audience is high school students and students seeking educational experiences abroad.

ES has been given responsibility for administrative support and technical/data functions in the Enrollment Management area. The tasks assigned to this office are those traditionally handled by the

Registrar, Bursar, Financial Aid, Admissions, International Student Office, and Information Technology.

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Page 19: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Structure: Observations (cont.) The volume of work for ES has been steadily increasing.

As new initiatives are rolled-out, more of the clerical and administrative tasks are being assigned to ES.

Professional staff members in the Enrollment Management departments are shifting most of the clerical and customer contact work to Enrollment Services.

Compounding the problem with the workload is the way in which many offices in Enrollment Management bring work to ES with the need for an immediate turnaround.

It’s ironic that as the program development, marketing, and outreach units of the UPCGS become increasingly successful in their work, this will likely exacerbate ES’s workload, given their current situation.

There is the possibility that some of the pressure on the ES staff is coming from the Enrollment Services Coordinator’s handling of the department’s workload. This is probably due to a portfolio of duties that are unrealistically broad and demanding. The ES Coordinator is heroically working enormous hours to deal with this situation.

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Page 20: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Structure: Observations (cont.) When the work backs up in her office, by the time it gets to the staff it is ‘on

fire’. This causes the stress level to rise in the office and gives the impression that there are not enough people to handle the work. Casual observation of the front office at the time of the consultants’

visit did not indicate that any staff looked overwhelmed. In fact, staff seemed very relaxed and under no pressure. This may be due to a “hurry up and wait” situation.

The work that is funneling to ES is reported to be backing up in the Enrollment Services Coordinator’s office.

ES staff needs more supervision and guidance with establishing priorities and dealing with the workflow, and they also need additional training.

Staff functions are poorly defined and do not meet the needs of the newly evolving Enrollment Management structure. This raises the challenge of better identifying and achieving outcomes in a matrix organization where the duties are shared.

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Page 21: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Structure: Recommendations The College of General Studies needs to find a way to use the

talented and committed staff in the Enrollment Services Office in a way that best fits their strengths and the College’s needs.

The ES staff cannot be experts in all areas and programs of CGS. This expectation is placing tremendous stress on the staff and is not benefiting current students. There needs to be ‘go to’ people for all areas in the ES office. This will help the staff develop a sense of mastery, and ultimately it will help reduce redundancy of effort.

Dividing the work in ES by areas of expertise should help to improve communication between ES and the EM departments. To facilitate better communication, it is recommended that a mutually agreeable protocol be established for departments to communicate upcoming needs to the ES Office. This should involve communicating with the ES Coordinator, as well as with the staff in ES responsible for the work of the particular departments.

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Page 22: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Structure: Recommendations (cont.)

The ES Office needs to divide responsibilities in the office into distinct areas that will allow for the staff to be experts in their particular areas. This would involve a further division between the recruiting/admissions work and the processing work.

The work of the Enrollment Services Unit should be organized around three primary functions: Admissions processing Registrar Bursar/Financial Aid

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Page 23: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Structure: Recommendations (cont.)

The portfolio of job duties of the Enrollment Services Unit and its Coordinator should be redefined to make it more realistic and effective. The data reporting and analysis aspect of the position should be

moved to another Enrollment Management unit. One of the new staffing lines should be devoted to this function.

The recruitment and outreach functions should also be moved to another Enrollment Management unit. One of the new staffing lines should be devoted to this function.

The day-to-day work of each functional area with ES should be supervised by a staff member who would report to the Coordinator of Enrollment Services. These supervisors should work with their staff and directly with customers.

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Page 24: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Structure: Recommendations (cont.)

The Coordinator of Enrollment Services could then concentrate on strategic planning duties, as well as actual supervisory/tactical work. This will eliminate the staff having to wait for orders and enable the unit to play much more offense.

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Page 25: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Policy: Observations The re-branding of UPCGS is not yet fully developed.

Revenue is critical to UPCGS and to its parent unit, the School of Arts and Sciences. A goal of the Strategic Plan is that UPCGS recruits students and

retains them through program completion and beyond. The Strategic Plan calls for budgets that are enrollment and tuition-

driven, as well as generating surpluses that support the School’s mission and initiatives.

The Enrollment Management Office and ES are working toward a one-stop student-centered environment. One of the goals outlined in the Strategic Plan is to facilitate students’

progress toward program completion by improving academic and non-academic student services.

Communication between departments at UPCGS is problematic. Numerous offices expressed a desire to know more about the

upcoming projects and campaigns that would affect their areas.

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Page 26: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Policy: Observations (cont.)

It is not clear what role the ES staff plays in recruitment and admissions and what role the Recruitment and Admissions Unit plays. The job description for the Enrollment Services Coordinator calls for

he/she to work with the Director of Enrollment Management to organize and manage UPCGS efforts to identify, recruit, and retain academically qualified students and to meet enrollment targets.

The job description for the Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator calls for coordinating efforts to identify and recruit academically qualified students to meet UPCGS strategic enrollment targets for all UPCGS programs.

It is not clear what duties the ES staff is expected to do in relation to the Student Services Office.

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Page 27: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Policy: Recommendations

The College wants to move to a one-stop, student-centered environment to facilitate students’ progress toward program completion by improving academic and non-academic student services. This will make it highly imperative to implement the Tri-O

Management Operating System components or another model that will enable the college to achieve its desired outcomes.

The college should avoid the inherent challenge of the one-stop model that can emphasize efficiency over effectiveness.

Communications between the various units in UPCGS must be improved to: Make certain the college speaks with “one voice.” Eliminate much of the “sniping” and criticism between units. Facilitate the work of each unit instead of surprising the staff with

unexpected workload due to the actions of other units and/or new policies and procedures.

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Page 28: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Policy: Recommendations (cont.)

Since it is unclear what role the Recruitment and Admissions Unit, ES, and the departments and programs play in the admissions process, the following should take place: The Enrollment Services Office needs to have a clear understanding

of where their responsibilities in relation to admissions and recruitment begin and end.

The Recruitment and Admissions Unit needs to help the ES Office successfully represent the college, and understand that the whole ES staff is, in effect, the college’s recruiting office. Recruits are being lost because the ES staff is not able to get answers to questions and because published decision deadlines are being ignored by programs and departments.

The ES staff is acting as a buffer between prospective students, the Admissions Office, and program directors. It is like the old adage, ‘this would be a great place to work except for the students.” Everyone, up and down the UPCGS system needs to see that job number one is the students. If the goals of the college are to be met, the focus needs to be on recruiting and enrolling the best students possible, and the only way to do this is with a customer-centered approach.

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Policy: Recommendations (cont.)

Many of the same issues as outlined above seem to exist in relation to the Student Services Office. With the departure of the Student Services director, each office’s roles should be clearly defined. It would be of great benefit if the ES staff with responsibility for student services could work with the ES Coordinator and the new Student Services director to clarify the expectations and responsibilities in these areas.

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Staffing: Observations

Staff turnover in Enrollment Services is high. Many of the ES staff is new and only one or two have been with the

office for more than a year. It was reported that there is pressure on the ES staff to work

overtime. Last year, $22,000 was spent in overtime pay. There is some concern for the safety of staff working overtime.

Four new staff positions have been approved for Enrollment Management.

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Staffing: Recommendations

UPCGS should strongly consider more extensively outsourcing some of its workload for which the college does not wish to maintain or develop core competencies.

UPCGS must greatly reduce staff turnover in Enrollment Management units. Retention of students is a high priority for UPCGS. Retention of staff

is equally important. The cost of hiring and training staff in a high turnover environment is quite high. If the same energy and resources were redirected to staff training and morale building, the benefits to the college as a whole would be tremendous.

Examine the salary structure, especially for entry level staff, as one positive measure to enhance staff retention. Salary, of course, is not the sole determinant of staff retention but it may be a real issue with entry level staff in the college along with the need to make their jobs more predictable and satisfying.

It should make certain that its salaries are close to market rates at peer institutions and then hold all staff accountable for consistently delivering outcomes.

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Staffing: Recommendations (cont.)

The college has recognized that additional staff is needed in Enrollment Management and we concur with this assessment.

It is difficult for us to determine exactly how many staff members are needed because of the lack of effective outcome-oriented job descriptions, mission statements, individual accountability, and workflow analysis of the processes in the office. There is no empirical data to aid in decision making. However, we believe that the four new positions are appropriate at this time.

Much of the work of Enrollment Management and its sub-units is seasonal. To avoid staffing on a year-round basis when this is not necessary, we recommend the continued strategic use of temporary staff.

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Staffing: Recommendations (cont.)

It is clear that work is backing up and mission critical projects are not being handled in a timely manner. The staff in Enrollment Services is, for the most part, highly competent and committed to doing the best job possible. Involving them as fully as possible in the redesign of the department will ensure success.

The Enrollment Services staff need to feel they have a stake in the success and continued growth of the UPCGS. The first step toward making them stakeholders is to involve them in the process of creating job descriptions that have realistic expectations and gives them the assurance that they can master their responsibilities. Secondly, they need to be given the necessary tools to succeed. This will involve training, support, and an understanding of where they fit into the overall plan for the college.

Without clear direction, the staff will continue to feel frustrated and under-appreciated. The ES Office is the frontline for the UPCGS. This is often the first office prospective students encounter when making inquiries about programs in the UPCGS. How well this office is able to handle inquiries will have a significant impact of the school’s ability to meet its goals.

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Training: Observations

Training for Enrollment Services staff is relatively haphazard and minimal. There are no training manuals or standard operating procedures

(SOP) for the staff. In the Strategic Plan there is a call to assemble appropriate

information management systems and technology and train staff to use them effectively.

Front office personnel in Enrollment Services are expected to answer questions about all UPCGS programs and act as de facto admissions counselors. Departments are not providing the ES staff with the information they

need to answer questions from prospective and current students. There is often no one to whom ES staff can refer questions from

prospective and current students so the calls inevitably come back to them for some type of resolution.

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Training: Recommendations

More effective staff training must be an immediate priority. This will be greatly facilitated by the development of process mapping, user-friendly policy manuals, operations calendars, clearly stated job skills expectations, and employee enculturation, as recommended in the “Business Practices” section below.

With the introduction of new technology, the staff needs to be trained in its use. Of particular concern is the new email system and Apply Yourself. The staff still has concerns about both programs and would benefit from additional training.

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Training: Recommendations (cont.)

If Enrollment Services is to be the frontline office for all Enrollment Management offices and for the program offices, then they need to be given the tools to perform this function successfully. Each department and program needs to put in writing the information the ES staff needs in order to deal competently with potential and current students. As new programs are developed or changes are made to existing programs, this needs to be immediately conveyed to the ES staff.

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Business Practices: Observations The UPCGS does not have a culture of “extra-mile” service

across all of its units which negatively impacts the staff of Enrollment Services. The college needs to move to much more of a “people over paper” approach. For example, some departments are not answering or returning calls sent

to them by ES. They are also not responding to prospective and current student emails in a timely fashion. There are different procedures among the program units in how and when appointments are scheduled.

While we received conflicting viewpoints about this problem depending on which unit and persons to whom we were talking, we strongly believe that this is a serious issue that must be addressed.

Some concern was expressed about the college’s vulnerability due to its current FERPA practices. However, we were assured that this is actively being addressed in concert with the University’s central policies and procedures.

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Business Practices: Recommendations

The need for stable, predictable and effective business processes is acute in the Enrollment Services Unit. This is one of the areas that we rated as a 9.5 on the scale of urgency. This could be accomplished by utilizing management tools such as process mapping, user-friendly policy manuals, and operations calendars. We recommend using a triage approach to determine which processes to address immediately, medium-term, and longer term.

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Page 39: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

Business Practices: Recommendations (continued)

Because the data systems at UPCGS do not ‘talk’ to each other, reporting and data management has become a problem. In the Strategic Plan there is a call to assemble appropriate information management

systems and technology and train staff to use them effectively. Although it is being actively addressed, UPCGS does not have sufficient, comparable

operating data to support its work.

The new Apply Yourself database has been implemented but the ES staff still needs training.

The UPCGS must make much better use of technology to: Support and facilitate the work of its staff To put more “jetties” in front of its staff so that the constant incoming workload is better

directed to self-help technology that will assist prospective and current students with their transactions and obtain answers to their questions.

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Business Practices: Recommendations (continued)

We understand that Enrollment Management currently has a document imaging system that it uses to serve the Applied Psychology Program in the admissions process. Assuming this system has the functions needed and is reasonably state-of-the-art; its use should be greatly expanded to most of the operating functions in Enrollment Management.

The college’s web site should be utilized to provide much greater service to prospective and current students.

As a medium-term project, the college should consider installing a state-of-the-art Client Relationship Management system with components such as: Email handling Knowledge-based content system Prospect system

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Business Practices: Recommendations (continued)

We need to emphasize that effective process mapping and stabilization of business processes must occur before new technology is applied or the situation will be made even less stable.

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APPENDICES: A. Documents and Publications Provided

— Admissions, General Team Functions List— Admissions, Task/Time Tallies, Recruitment Specialist— ‘Bubble’ Charts, College of General Studies Organization— CGS Organizational Chart— CGS Standing Committee Membership 2007— Enrollment Services Task/Time Calculations— HS Coordinator Work-Flow, Admissions— Position Information Questionnaires: Administrative Coordinator: Audit and

Compliance— Position Information Questionnaires: Administrative Coordinator: Student

Records and Support— Position Information Questionnaires: CGS Staff Writer— Position Information Questionnaires: Director of Enrollment Management— Position Information Questionnaires: Enrollment Services Coordinator B— Position Information Questionnaires: Enrollment Services Specialist (2)— Position Information Questionnaires: Enrollment Services Specialist and

Associate Dean’s Assistant— Position Information Questionnaires: Marketing and Publications Manager

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A. Documents and Publications Provided (cont.)

— Position Information Questionnaires: Prospect Management, Youth Programs Coordinator A

— Position Information Questionnaires: Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator

— Position Information Questionnaires: Recruitment Specialist— Position Information Questionnaires: Student Services Manager— Position Information Questionnaires: Student Services Specialist— Position Information Questionnaires: Web-Based Communications

Coordinator B— Staffing Comparisons 4/6/07— SoundBits: Faculty, Partner, Current Student, Prospective Student— Strategic Plan 2007-2011, University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and

Science, College of General Studies, (Division of Liberal and Professional Studies)

— Student Services List of Responsibilities

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B. Individuals And Groups Involved In The Consulting Visit

— Gerianne Bartocci, Administrative Coordinator for Student Records and Support

— Lisa Ben-Shoshan, Marketing and Publications Manager— Sonja Bhan, Recruitment and Admissions Coordinator— Kristine Billmyer, SAS Associate Dean and CGS Executive Director— Kara Bundy, Marketing Coordinator for English Language Programs— John Ceccatti, Associate Director of Programs in the Natural Sciences— Amy Coe, Enrollment Services Specialist— Nadia Daniel, Market Research and Implementation Manager— Janet Distel, Student Services Manager— Camille Durocher, Enrollment Services Coordinator— Jay Esposito, Enrollment Services Specialist— Heather Haseley, Prospect Management and Youth Programs Coordinator— Grace Hershman, Associate Director of Pre-Professional Programs in Life

Sciences— Dallas Kenny, Director of International Programs— Jen Kollar, Recruitment Specialist— Nora Lewis, Director of Enrollment Management— Maggie Lucas, Student Services Specialist

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Page 45: University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies Enrollment Services Consulting Report

B. Individuals And Groups Involved In The Consulting Visit

— Jessica Lundeen, Enrollment Services Specialist— Jeff Lyons, Web Communications— Marsha Mallet, Director of Finance and Administration— Julie Nishimura-Jensen, Director Post-Baccalaureate Program Department

of Classical Studies— Cindy O’Neill, Administrative Coordinator for Audit and Compliance— Chris Pastore, Associate Director of Programs in the Humanities and Social

Sciences— Kim Peurifoy, Senior Business Administrator— Kris Rabberman, Director of Programs in the Humanities and Social

Sciences— Margaret Sanborn, Staff Writer— Alex Shrake, Special Projects Coordinator— Marni Baker Stein, Director of Program Management— Debbie Swick, Associate Director of the Master of Applied Positive

Psychology degree— Yuni Thornton, Administrative Coordinator

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