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Introduction
The global higher education landscape has expanded dramatically over the course of the past century (Thompson and Miller, 2018). Traditionally viewed as a form of public good/service that has helped to drive many major societal advances and positively contributed to nations’ economies (Valero and Van Reenen, 2019), the role and relevance of higher education institutions (HEIs) in modern society have been increasingly questioned. HEIs must contend with numerous challenges, including shifting demographics, rapidly evolving technology, market globalization, escalating customer expectations and increased competition, that are making them as vulnerable as other industries. Thus, the traditional paradigms HEIs have operated within are increasingly being challenged and personnel within this context are being forced to adapt rapidly (Bruckman and Carvalho, 2018; Doyle and Brady, 2018).
This global shift has manifested strongly for HEIs within the USA. In particular, partisan politics, shifting of political priorities, increasing demands for accountability and transparency and the acceleration of the trend in declining state funding (Hempsall, 2014) have impacted HEIs. Further, the need to engage and retain employees who are increasingly being asked to do more with less (AASCU, 2019; Bruininks et al., 2010; Kuo et al., 2014; Seefeld, 2015), and the many challenges imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (Blankenberger and Williams, 2020), have left HEIs struggling to adapt (Kutchner and Kleschick, 2016; Langston and Scheid, 2014). For many US HEIs, part of the response to these pressures has been a significant focus on strategic enrollment management (SEM) initiatives geared toward stabilizing enrollment and tuition, as well as maintaining compliance with governmental requirements from State and Federal levels. The enrollment management divisions behind these initiatives, characterized as “the administrative backbone that supports…the academic research and instructional endeavors of the university” (Seefeld, 2015, p. 29), typically include administrative and service-focused units such as admissions, registrar and financial aid. These offices are often staffed by personnel with diverse educational backgrounds, organizational tenure, and demographic characteristics, presenting a challenging array of factors for SEM leaders to navigate alongside the many demands of day-to-day operations (Schultheis, 2014). Additionally, within the austere and often uncertain environment faced by SEM leaders and managers, responsibility for traditional roles related to the training and development of their employees have increasingly shifted to individual managers, who are...