By Emily Chung

Organizational research in higher education indicates that institutions that prioritize professional development experience lower staff burnout, stronger talent retention, and more sustainable enrollment strategies, particularly during periods of disruption. And for enrollment leaders, ongoing professional development provides the knowledge, skills and support to respond adaptively — rather than reactively— in an increasingly volatile education landscape. 

Enrollment leaders need to continuously update their knowledge and skills in data analysis, policy interpretation, cross-functional leadership and collaborations, and strategic communication. We also need leaders who are committed to increasing opportunity and expanding educational access for students. Advancing access, affordability, and student success depends on enrollment professionals’ understanding of structural inequities, financial aid complexity, and culturally responsive recruitment practices—knowledge most effectively developed through sustained professional learning. 

It’s these types of leaders who are attracted to the USC Leadership in Enrollment Management certificate program (LEM).

Now in its 15th year with more than 200 alumni, the USC Leadership in Enrollment certificate program just celebrated its finishing cohort. Official certificates were just mailed off and we applaud the hard work of this year’s participants who have completed the comprehensive eight-month curriculum! Hailing from independent schools and universities from across the U.S. and beyond, including Canada, Singapore and South Korea, this year’s cohort of 17 enrollment leaders completed a comprehensive curriculum over eight months. For our LEM alumni, earning the certificate symbolizes the progress made in learning and acquiring the confidence and skills necessary for their next steps in their careers. We can chart the growth of many of our certificate alumni—from admission counselor to VP for enrollment, from director of admissions to associate head of school, for example. 

The integrity of the program is why higher education institutions have sent staff teams to integrate across units better and to plan for succession as retirements take place in key leadership positions. It is also why WittKieffer, a prominent recruitment agency, verifies completion of the LEM program for its candidates as they understand its comprehensiveness. We also have a long-standing partnership with E3n (formerly EMA or the Enrollment Management Association), an international membership association of independent schools, which provides scholarships to five members to participate in our certificate program each year, underscoring the valuable professional development opportunity for its members.

We are particularly delighted to see a high level of professional growth reflected by many of our LEM alumni joining the program as faculty. Tony Bourne and Amber Evans are two alumni who are giving back to the profession by serving as faculty. They join a high-powered faculty, drawn from experts across the country in both higher education and K-12 independent schools, who understand the research and the profession of enrollment management from multiple perspectives. 

Perhaps most importantly, we created the program 15 years ago to foster a network for enrollment leaders to share their knowledge, speak openly of challenges, and work together to brainstorm solutions to seemingly intractable problems. Certificate participants learn from the lessons taught by certificate faculty—but they also become colleagues with their peer participants as well as the faculty. 

Faculty help to mentor the next generation of professionals, providing invaluable career advice along with practical strategies, for example, on how to harness AI for more personalized student enrollment experiences. Over and over again, we marvel at the spaces created for vibrant and candid discussion of difficult topics during the live sessions of the program. And at the lasting relationships created among the cohort and the faculty. 

I’d like to conclude this article with the words of an alum who captures what the USC Leadership in Enrollment Management certificate program is all about: "I am grateful for the friendship, encouragement, challenge and great questions many of you have asked. I don't feel like I am on an island anymore — or if I am, I at least am not alone on that island."