9 Key Enrollment and AI sessions at the 2024 RNL National Conference

July is just around the corner, and with summer comes the RNL National Conference in Dallas (July 23-25). This year’s agenda is set and it is filled with sessions that will engage you, inform you, and prepare you to go back to your campus and affect change and advance enrollment. Because enrollment health is increasingly a careful balance between traditional undergraduates, graduate students, and online students at both levels, we present here a mix of featured sessions meant to show how interconnected all our student populations are and how much our enrollment success hinges on a comprehensive understanding of successful strategies. We also have a dedicated AI track at this year’s event, and because of the enormous impact AI is having on enrollment management, we have also highlighted three sessions you won’t want to miss. Overall, the 2024 RNL National Conference features more than 100 sessions across 7 tracks.

Traditional Undergraduate Enrollment Sessions

Revolutionizing College Choice: What 2,000+ Students Reveal About Personalization

Dive into the future of college planning with insights from a national survey of 2,000 high school students co-sponsored by RNL and Halda. This session explores the transformative power of personalization, offering a dynamic blend of professionalism and excitement. Discover groundbreaking strategies, gleaned from real student perspectives, to tailor the college planning experience. Unveil the keys to student engagement in this thrilling journey to revolutionize how we guide students through higher education decisions, meeting them where they are.

Understanding High School Students’ Emotions During College Planning

The college search process can be an emotional rollercoaster for high school students. This session examines how emotions impact students during their search, based on what more than 10,000 12^th graders have told us in the last year, via a survey co-sponsored by RNL and ZeeMee. We will explore the common emotional challenges such as stress, anxiety, fear of failure, and the pressure to make life-altering decisions. We will also delve into the areas of college life that can overwhelm and stress high school students. You’ll come away empowered to support students and guide them through this pivotal academic odyssey.

What You Need to Know About Engaging Families of Prospective Students

Embark on a journey through insights gleaned from over 25,000 families, fueling your outreach from a study conducted by CampusESP, Ardeo, and RNL. This year’s findings are nothing short of groundbreaking and promise to reshape your approach to engaging prospective students and their families. Learn the precise channels and optimal frequencies to captivate these discerning parents-turned-decision-makers.

Graduate and Online Enrollment Sessions

Centralizing Success: Navigating the Shift from Decentralized to Centralized Graduate Admissions

Learn about the strategic shift from decentralized to centralized graduate admissions through the experience of Marshall Ketchum University. Participants will discuss the challenges and benefits of centralizing, the impact on processes and communication, and how to leverage technology in aid of the transition. Special attention will be given to staff consolidation strategies using a strengths-based approach, aligning roles like “recruitment and engagement specialist” to optimize individual skills. Attendees will leave with deep insights into how centralization influences recruitment strategies and outcomes.

Using Research to Enhance Your Graduate and Online Program Strategy

Graduate and online programs play a significant and growing role in program mix and enrollment health at many colleges and universities. In this session, RNL’s market research leaders Jessica Ickes and former provost Dr. Ken Newbold will explore how to use primary and secondary market research to understand your market for both your existing graduate and/or online programs and to identify new program areas that are most likely to be within your “wheel house” and with demonstrated demand.

The Impact of Consumerism on Graduate and Online Recruitment and Enrollment

What do online graduate learners expect during the enrollment process and in their studies? How do these expectations impact the student experience? Where did these expectations come from? The University of West Florida has been thinking a lot about the impact of consumerism on the student experience. It is impacting students’ attitudes, behaviors, and expectations. What if, after understanding the “why and what” of consumerism, we could improve the experience to foster a deeper approach to learning? This session will share data and insights and offer a chance for participants to talk about strategies that meet expectations to foster a successful experience for online graduate students from lead to graduation.

AI and Innovations

AI 101: Unveiling the Basics of AI University Innovation

Embarking on integrating AI into your university can be daunting, especially for those with little prior knowledge. If you’re eager to harness AI’s power but unsure where to start, join our tailored session. Designed for university administrators and staff new to AI, we’ll cover AI fundamentals: defining AI, types like machine learning, and ethical considerations. Gain foundational knowledge and confidence to navigate the exciting realm of AI.

Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in AI: Ensuring Fairness and Diversity in Higher Education

As institutions embrace AI technologies to enhance efficiency and decision-making, it becomes imperative to critically examine ethical implications. Attendees will explore strategies to assess the ethical dimensions of AI implementations, leveraging insights from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) experts on campus. Join us to uncover practical approaches for navigating ethical challenges in AI, fostering inclusivity, and promoting transparency at your university. Suitable for all levels of AI expertise.

RNL’s Innovative Generative AI Strategy: Revolutionizing Enrollment funnels

Understand the transformative potential of integrating generative AI into your campus enrollment funnels. The session will highlight RNL’s recent advancements in artificial intelligence, showcasing the organization’s leadership expertise. We will present a tentative roadmap/blueprint as a comprehensive product offering. Additionally, the presentation will address client pain points and challenges in enrollment funnels, providing tangible demonstrations of potential use cases and scenarios where generative AI can serve as a game changer.