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SEM Core Concepts: Building Blocks for Institutional and Student Success SIGLER, W. 2017. WASHINGTON, DC: AACRAO. 59 PP.
Reviewed by Kimberley Buster-Williams and Christopher Tremblay
AACRAO's newest strategic enrollment management (SEM) book, SEM Core Concepts, was published in May 2017. The book provides an overview of SEM and is designed for the busy professional (it is a short read). Reading SEM Core Concepts is important because eaders with acumen in this area will likely be better positioned to ensure that their institution has sustained reliable revenue streams (i.e., tuition, state funding, and endowments) is critically important. If college administrators have time to "dig deep" into the details of SEM, then several other books and outlets can serve that purpose. But if they do not have time for an indepth look at SEM, then this is the book for them.
The book's seven chapters offer a high-level perspective on SEM by focusing on four areas: definitions, evolution, essential SEM concepts, and a planning model. The introduction states that the book can be used to create new or bolster existing SEM models on campuses. Readers will likely be left pondering the importance of SEM and will gain a deeper appreciation for the extraordinary work that must be done for universities to stay relevant in our ever-changing world.
Brad Stone (2017) remarks in The Upstarts:
Ten years ago the idea of getting into a stranger's car, or walking into a stranger's home, would have seemed bizarre and dangerous, but today it's as common as ordering a book online. Über and Airbnb have ushered in a new era, redefining neighborhoods, challenging the way government regulates business, and changing the way we travel (n.p.).
Ten years ago, higher education looked different, too. For one thing, families thought differently about college costs. Between 1998 and 2006, the cost of the typical house in the United States increased 124 percent. By August 2008, 9.2 percent of all outstanding U.S. mortgages were either delinquent or in foreclosure. Throughout fall 2008, phrases such as mortgage crisis, credit crisis, bank collapse, government bailout, etc. appeared frequently in the headlines as the major financial markets lost more than 30 percent of their value (Kosakowski 2017). As Sigler aptly states, "A true [enrollment] leader has to make...