The Challenge: A System in Need of a Unified Strategy
As one of the largest public higher education systems in the United States, the University System of Georgia (USG) spans 26 institutions and more than 380,000 students. As the system came out of the pandemic, the need for a coordinated effort was critical to combat enrollment declines and to sustain enrollment growth through the demographic cliff.
“The biggest enrollment challenge was that we didn’t have a coordinated, system-wide strategic effort for enrollment,” Scot Lingrell, vice chancellor enrollment management and student affairs (retired). “Strategic Enrollment Management is both an art and a science and there was no one specifically dedicated to developing the strategies that would lead to system increases and institutional successes.”
The Solution: Developing a System-Wide Strategic Enrollment Plan
USG engaged Encoura + RNL to establish the structural blueprint for their system-wide Strategic Enrollment Plan. By leveraging RNL’s foundational SEM methodologies, USG was able to build a document architecture that aligned with the USG 2029 Strategic Pillars. The goal was to build a robust SEM Plan that empowered institutions to diversify their reach. “We needed the Strategic Enrollment Plan to help broaden institutional understanding and practice into other populations to overcome the inevitable declines we would experience in the demographic cliff,” said Lingrell.
While USG’s internal working groups led the deep-dive research and strategy writing, RNL provided the foundational scaffolding and classic Strategic Enrollment Planning foundation that ensured the plan remained cohesive across all 26 institutions.
“The System SEM Plan has given us a foundation upon which all of our institutions can base their enrollment plans on. Institutions have more clarity on the specific focus areas, populations, and strategies—and this gives them more confidence that we are all rowing the same way.”
The project included establishing the framework for identifying and developing strategies that aligned with the USG 2029 Strategic Pillars. The strategies were clustered into four groups: market engagement, student success, market penetration, and program innovation and each cluster was cross referenced with the USG strategic plan pillars: student success, responsible stewardship, economic competiveness, and community impact. The strategies were presented, vetted, and prioritized among USG system stakeholders, and a final plan emerged.
The USG strategic enrollment plan is explicitly designed to support the attainment of the USG’s overarching strategic plan. The USG strategic enrollment plan recognizes and addresses the current and future post-secondary attainment for Georgians with specific strategies, goals, and metrics to ensure that the plan is strategic and dynamic for the next several years.
The Results: By the Numbers
The University System of Georgia has achieved three years of steady enrollment growth. These results stem from a combination of system-wide initiatives and collaborative efforts, including the strategic architecture provided by Encoura + RNL. The Strategic Enrollment Plan (SEP) supported this progress by providing the architectural framework and strategic roadmap needed to coordinate growth across all 26 institutions.
Because Strategic Enrollment Planning is a long-term roadmap rather than a short-term fix, it offers a repeatable process for the future. By aligning system goals with the unique needs of research universities and state colleges alike, the plan has established a foundation for sustained success.
Don’t just react to the demographic cliff—build a framework to outlast it.
The University System of Georgia proved that with the right architectural scaffolding, even the largest systems can achieve unified, record-breaking growth. Is your institution or system ready to move from fragmented tactics to a cohesive strategic roadmap?
Want to discuss how to put strategic enrollment planning into action? Contact us and we’ll set up a time to talk.