VDM Weatherall, M: Varsity Athletics and Enrollment Management

Over the last thirty years, colleges and universities have been faced with an increasingly competitive marketplace for students, faculty and resources. One group significantly impacted by these trends is small private liberal arts colleges, which are tuition dependent and have been forced to respond to the changing market to maintain their position. Some of these colleges have developed plans to optimize tuition revenue, improve entering class profiles and increase retention, and many have created Enrollment Management divisions. This book profiles three NCAA Division III member colleges: Gettysburg College, Oberlin College and Saint John Fisher College, all of which have included varsity athletics as part of their integrated enrollment management strategy. The three colleges profiled are all small liberal arts colleges, but they vary dramatically. Weatherall concludes that a Division III college that is facing enrollment declines, or that is designing a plan to improve its selectivity and market position, should seriously explore the possibility of using intercollegiate athletics in its integrated enrollment management strategy.