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This single case study of qualitative design examined how enrollment management (EM) leaders' views and perceptions about adult learners influence the student-profile prioritization and the development of strategic enrollment management goals and how this process is intersected and or influenced by the undergraduate college experience and leadership styles of EM leaders.
In early August, colleges prepare for the influx of first-year students while high school seniors gear up for their last year. It's a time of celebrating summer memories and nearing high school graduation. Despite National College Decision Day being months away states get ready to celebrate College Application Month in October, a movement endorsed by the Obama White House (The White House 2016). The college application movement aims to assist high school seniors in navigating college applications and ensuring they apply to at least one postsecondary institution (ACT 2019, 1). This includes providing support from college recruiters, school advisors, and volunteers during school hours and with access to a computer.
However, for many high school graduates without a college degree or job-skills certificate, the path to higher education lacks excitement, resources, and support (Blumenstyk 2018; Campbell and Finch 2016; Gonzalez, Martinez, and Miller 2019). This forgotten population of adult learners includes individuals like a fast-food manager aspiring to become a social worker, a single parent with limited emotional and financial support, and an unemployed war veteran without the validation of a college degree (Hansman and Sissel 2001; Knowles 1990; Knowles, Holton, and Swanson 2015; Quinnan 1997). These examples reflect the diverse experiences of adult learners who didn't immediately pursue college education after high school or didn't complete their college degree.
This research study draws attention to systemic neglect toward adult learner undergraduate students and prospective students-particularly in terms of enrollment management practices and recruitment outreach (Blumenstyk 2018; Campbell and Finch 2016; Gonzalez, Martinez, and Miller 2019). More importantly, it seeks to spotlight the thousands of adult learner prospective students who are left behind with only a high school diploma. It is a call to action that seeks to emphasize a sense of urgency to prioritize undergraduate adult learners in strategic enrollment management (SEM) plans, defined as tangible plans that guide decision-making and strategy development across departments and serve as a compass for five to...