Request President Tomikia LeGrande as a speaker
AboutTomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D., became the ninth president of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) on June 1, 2023. Her career in higher education is marked by successive leadership roles and professional achievements.
Before joining PVAMU, Dr. LeGrande served as vice president for strategy, enrollment management and student success at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she led the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plan, priorities, and goals to influence national prominence, strategic partnerships, and student access and success. Other senior level leadership roles prior to VCU include vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at the University of Houston-Downtown, and associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Winston Salem State University.
Throughout her career, Dr. LeGrande’s focus has been on advancing equity, accessibility, and affordability in higher education. She works to create and sustain engaging and supportive cultures for faculty, staff and students resulting in positive institutional outcomes. She has been prolific in securing resources to support innovation and accelerate progress. In all of her career endeavors, Dr. LeGrande has created “cultures of care” utilizing her expertise in strategic planning, new technology implementation, change management, and policy and business process redesign. With a personalized approach, she engages at all levels of an organization– forming, deploying and managing cross-organizational teams that find solutions to impediments that may impact university progress.
As a two-time graduate of HBCUs, and having earned a doctorate in higher education leadership, Dr. LeGrande understands the transformative power of education in helping students dismantle class, social, and cultural barriers. She believes that centered and effective leadership in higher education can amplify and accelerate the social mobility of all students, but especially of those from communities that have been underserved and underrepresented.
At the national level, Dr. LeGrande is actively engaged in issues of access, parity, higher education policy and leadership development. She is a sought-after thought leader, and a regular presenter and facilitator on the topics of enrollment management, educational equity and student success. She testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor in 2019 during a hearing on “Innovation to Improve Equity: Exploring High-Quality Pathways to a College Degree.” She was also the recipient of the Governor’s “Champion for Change Award” for the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2021.
IMS Global Learning Consortiumjbohrer@imsglobal.orgJeff Bohrer’s career has focused on supporting the mission of educational institutions through academic technology administration, support, and training. Jeff serves as a program manager for digital credentials initiatives at IMS Global Learning Consortium, a non-profit, member-driven organization whose mission is to enable the adoption and impact of innovative learning technology. Jeff leads a variety of projects and programs related to digital badges, comprehensive learner records, and the interoperability of learning technologies. Jeff is also co-chair of the EDUCAUSE Microcredentials and Badges Constituent Group.Prior to joining IMS, Jeff was an academic technology manager at the University of Wisconsin-Madison responsible for leading teams that support university-wide systems for learning management, media delivery, collaboration, content development, assessment, and analytics. Jeff also served on numerous committees at the campus, state, and national levels. Additionally, Jeff has held academic technology positions at Dartmouth College and in the Mahtomedi (MN) Public Schools. Jeff holds a master's degree in technology for learning and development and a bachelor's degree in secondary education, both from the University of South Dakota.
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Dan Alig is the Chief Information Officer of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He leads Wharton Computing in delivering IT resources to faculty, students, staff, and alumni and developing strategies to enhance the School’s mission with technology. He began working at Wharton in 1999, supporting technology for the Graduate Division and has since moved through a variety of job functions with progressively increasing responsibility. Dan led the team that built the implementation of Course Match, which doubled student satisfaction with course registration and cut schedule inequality in half. His leadership brought together an inter-disciplinary and multi-function group from the registrar's office, IT, and faculty to realize Wharton's largest increase in student happiness in 20 years.
Matt Boulos is the founder and CEO of Cognomos, the company that supports the continued development and wide-spread deployment of Course Match in higher education. He is an experienced founder with a track record of creating solutions for the social sector and higher education. Course Match is a registration platform that uses an algorithm to distribute class schedules based on student preferences. It is the only registration method in production that is simultaneously fair, efficient, and strategy-proof. Its underlying concepts were first developed at Harvard and Carnegie Mellon (in economics and computer science) to find a practical way to improve the process of course enrolment for higher education institutions. The research was adopted by the University of Pennsylvania in 2013 for the flagship MBA program of its Wharton School. After this success, the University of Pennsylvania received considerable inbound interest from other academic institutions hoping to deploy the Course Match technology. It chose to form a separate company called Cognomos (in which it maintains an ownership stake) to deploy, support, and develop the product, with the goal of ensuring the long-term stability of Course Match.
2020 SEM-EP Graduate
Tricia joined the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business in 2019 and is currently serving at the Director of Enrollment Management for Graduate Management Programs. She joined Tippie after 12 years of experience within enrollment management positions at her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. From UW-Platteville she earned bachelor’s degrees in history and Social Sciences, as well as a master’s degree in Organizational Change Leadership.
Capstone Project: "Test Optional: Recruitment to Graduation" This research study examined what effect test-optional practices had on overall application numbers and on class diversity. The study also examined the impacts on selectivity, class profile, retention, and graduation rates.
Dr. Joseph Mews is the Vice President of Enrollment & Student Affairs at Lake-Sumter State College, where he oversees key areas such as Academic Advising, Athletics, Early College Programs, Financial Aid, Records, Recruitment & Enrollment Services, and Student & Career Engagement. With extensive experience in higher education administration, Dr. Mews has dedicated his academic and professional focus to student development, organizational leadership, strategic planning and assessment, and change leadership. He is an active member of several professional associations and has contributed to the field through teaching, presenting, publishing, and designing content. His expertise as both a practitioner and scholar informs his leadership and commitment to advancing student success.
Capstone Project: "Selecting Student Success Models" detailed various criteria that should be considered when assessing or planning for a student-centered success model. The research provides insight on varying student needs, specifically highlighting differences between two- and four-year campuses, and modality of course instruction and attendance.
ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ Publications:
Leading through Andragogy
Review of: Transfer Website Strategy Guide: How to Create and Sustain a Transfer Student-Centered Web PresenceReview of: History of American Higher Education A-Z: A Primer for Enrollment Managers
Leading with the Platinum Rule: Engagement Principles for Students and Staff
Cindy Donohue has worked in higher education since 2011, and has served as the Registrar for Emily Griffith Technical College (EGTC) since 2015. Cindy manages the Registration department and oversees Student Records, schedule development, the Catalog, and FERPA compliance. Her experience includes leadership, organizational effectiveness, collaborative decision making and process implementation. She has headed multiple initiatives that led to improved departmental efficiency with cross functioning teams.
Capstone Project: Beyond Drop for Non-Payment - Evaluating the Impact of Timely Outreach on Re-registration examined the results of providing outreach to EGTC students who were dropped for non-payment and not re-registered after 30 days. In addition to the students who were contacted, a control list was created of 100 students during the same time period who had not been contacted. Though the impact of outreach on total enrollment was negligible, presentation of the findings in this report led to several collaborative discussions and initiatives that offered increased support at the admissions stage for all of our Career Technical Education students.
2019 SEM-EP Graduate
For over 16 years, Dr. Ruger led data-informed initiatives at Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (MSUCOM), where she served as Senior Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives. During her tenure, she spearheaded multiple initiatives to improve departmental efficiency, increase the enrollment of mission-fit candidates, and enhance the overall applicant and student experience. Today, Dr. Ruger is the founder of KMZ Consulting Group (), where she partners with individuals and institutions navigating moments of change, challenge, or opportunity through executive coaching, facilitation, and strategy consulting.
Capstone Project: In higher education, leaders are increasingly working to align institutional mission, vision, and values by shifting strategy based on market needs and expectations. While strategic enrollment management (SEM) is well-studied in undergraduate and graduate contexts, a gap exists in its application within professional schools—such as medical colleges. This study explored how medical colleges are adapting SEM principles to respond to challenges including shifting student populations, diversity imperatives, rising competition, and questions of return-on-investment when alternative career pathways are available.
Diverse higher education experience in academic and enrollment management at state public institutions. Areas of expertise include records and registration, strategic planning, data analysis, and business process design. Laurie holds a Juris Doctor, M.S. in Sport Management and B.A. in Communication.
Capstone Project: This capstone literature review analyzes the research surrounding the impact of organizational culture on SEM development, implementation and maintenance.
Angela M. Hamilton, Ph.D., brings 18 years of experience in higher education, specializing in Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at a community college serving 4,000 students annually and offering 40 associate degree programs. She has expertise in strategic planning, process improvement, and leadership development. Dr. Hamilton earned her Doctorate in Instructional Management and Leadership from Robert Morris University, a Master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a Bachelor’s degree from Robert Morris University, and an Associate degree from the Community College of Beaver County.
Capstone Project - "2019-2024 Strategic Enrollment Management Plan"
Cié has held various positions in Enrollment Management currently serving as the Associate Vice Provost for Career-Engaged Learning and a clinical faculty member at the University of Texas San Antonio. Outside UTSA, she is active in TACRAO, SACRAO, and ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ and served as the President of SACRAO in 2019. Cié is an award winning presenter and frequent contributor to various higher education publications. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts in Interpersonal Communication and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership.
Capstone Project - This Capstone takes a case study approach to suggest a SEM project management system for organizing and maintaining SEM implementations and maintenance. Through the practical application of SEM concepts to an active SEM implementation plan occurring at my institution, I offer a model of a project management methodology. First, an institutional profile along with a detailed explanation of my institutional SEM journey is discussed. Second, Scrum project management methodology is introduced, which was the inspiration for the proposed SEM project management tool. Third, a discussion of how this project management tool has been piloted at my institution, along with suggestions for future adaptation is provided.
Read about Cié's Capstone Project in the January 2020 issue of SEM Quarterly
Jonathan Clayden is the Director of Graduate and Professional Education Programs and Services and Assistant Dean, Program & Enrollment Management, at Tseng College, California State University, Northridge. With a focus on long-term enrollment management goals, he has responsibility for the ongoing excellence and distinction of graduate and professional education programs in the College of Extended Learning. Prior academically related posts include Director of Post-Graduate and Professional Studies at Emerson College, Los Angeles, and Chair of the Higher Education Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.In the private sector, Jonathan held a 15-year tenure as president of PSI Records (an entertainment-focused label with clients including NBC-Universal, Disney, Fox, MGM, DreamWorks SKG, CBS, FX, Sony, and Activision), and is currently a consultant, helping organizations to facilitate best process, program impact, strengthened human capital, and robust fiscal outcomes. His consultancy expertise includes change management, process streamlining, onboarding, and mapping out the metrics needed to best facilitate actionable data and data-informed decision making.Academically, Jonathan holds a MA (Hons) in Work-Based Learning, from Middlesex University, London. He is an active member of various higher education associations (NAGAP, UPCEA, UEDA, etc.), and his latest scholarly article will be published in Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly this July.
Capstone Project - "Public-Private Partnership Case Study," a case study of the impact of a limited-scope public private partnership on various aspects of the enrollment management funnel for a target set of academic programs at the graduate level in a college of extended learning at a large public university. This project was adapted for publication in ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥'s SEM Quarterly Journal - read it here
Teresa Borrenpohl is currently serving as the founding Enrollment Services Center Manager leading a team responsible for the face-to-face, email, and phone service to students for the Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar, and Student Finance offices. In addition, Borrenpohl serves on the Strategic Enrollment Management Steering Committee, and the chair of the SEM-Recruitment Committee. Borrenpohl is President-Elect of the Idaho ÐãÉ«Ö±²¥ chapter, IACRAO.
Capstone Project - "NIC Connect: Purposeful High School Recruitment Gets Results" piloted a study of five purposeful high school visit engagements including 1. Applying to NIC; 2. Learning about the senior year expectations of the enrollment process; 3. Applying for scholarships and Financial Aid; 4. Completing academic assessments, and; 5. Registering for courses. This program resulted in a 25% increase in service area seniors matriculating to North Idaho College over the previous academic year. Success of this program was attributed to meeting students where they are in the high school classroom and where they are in the enrollment process.
Jeff Trapp is the Associate Director, Recruitment and Admissions with Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto (UofT). He previously held positions with UofT at the International Student Centre, Faculty of Arts and Science and Rotman School of Management. Prior to UofT, he worked in Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Manitoba. He holds degrees from UofT (MEd '98) and Brandon University (BEd '91).
Capstone Project - The Rotman Commerce Undergraduate Recruitment Plan provides a road map for yearly student recruitment activities. Overall Rotman Commerce staffing has grown significantly over the past two years (largely in Academic Services and Career Services) to better service the student population and it has become more important than ever to communicate strategic goals of individual work units for the Managing Director to ensure strategic alignment. The Rotman Commerce Mission "seeks to inspire and empower our students and alumni to become innovated leaders and engaged citizens who contribute to the success of organizations and the betterment of communities in Canada and around the world." The Recruitment portfolio is the first step to achieve this mission and flows into the work of other key units including Admissions, Academic Services, Student Life, Career Services, and Alumni Relations.
Brad Hales has worked with enrollment management for the last seven years. He has worked with BYU-Idaho and BYU-Pathway Worldwide in their Strategic Enrollment and Data Management areas. Brad really enjoys thinking about innovation and strategy in educational settings. He believes that through social entrepreneurship much can be done in the higher education setting to help others succeed in life.
Capstone Project - The Strategic Enrollment Management literature review comprised of looking at retention, advising online students, and the effects of the “Great Recession” on college enrollments. All of this research focused on how to help students obtain a college education while dealing with the challenges of life.
2018 SEM-EP Graduate
Nick currently serves as a Business Instructor at (CLC). Nick has held numerous positions in Student Affairs including serving as the Assistant Director of TRIO/Upward Bound, Registrar, Director of Admissions, and Director of Enrollment Management. Nick earned a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, MN, a Master of Arts from the College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, MN and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Bemidji State University in MN, and an Accounting Certificate from Northwest Technical College in Bemidji, MN.
Capstone Project - “A Strategic Enrollment Management Proposal for a Community College: How to Plug Enrollment Leaks"
Review of: Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal
An Interview with Marie Bigham
Stacy Maestas has over 14 years in higher education with experience in public two-year institutions. She has been the Registrar at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, Wyoming since 2009. Stacy’s leadership experience includes records and registration, admissions, international admissions, enrollment management functions, graduation, academic planning, curriculum and program development, team building, advising, integrated services, technology implementations, and cross-functional collaboration. Stacy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Master of Science in Management from Bellevue University.
Capstone Project - “Improving Processes in Support of Student Retention" was a literature review that explored how changes in institutional processes achieved through student, staff, and faculty engagement and cross-campus collaboration can positively impact student success and retention.
Review of: Pre-College Programming in Higher Education: The Evolution of a Movement
Review of: The Demographic Drought
Aaron Sanns began working in higher education in 2000. He is currently the Managing Director of Institutional Planning at BYU-Idaho. His responsibilities include Strategic Enrollment Management, Space Management and Planning, and Data Analysis Services. Previously, Sanns worked as Director of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships and Associate Director of Admissions. Areas of expertise include leadership, change management, organizational effectiveness, team building, and problem solving.
Capstone Project - “Shifting Institutional Scholarship Budget from an Emphasis on Grades to an Emphasis on Financial Need" was a longitudinal study utilizing balanced panel data over a several year period. He looked for potential enrollment effects from changing scholarship policy to affect retention among students with financial need at BYU-Idaho.
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