The Case for a Chief Enrollment Management Officer in Higher Education

In this episode of the Changing Higher Ed podcast, Dr. Drumm McNaughton speaks with Dr. Dan Predoehl, assistant dean of Extended Learning and director of the Emeritus Institute at Saddleback College, one of the nation's highest-performing community colleges.

The conversation focuses on why enrollment challenges persist even at strong institutions and how treating enrollment as a shared responsibility—rather than a system with clear executive ownership—creates fragmentation across admissions, student services, academics, and outcomes. Dr. Predoehl explains the Chief Enrollment Management Officer concept and why a cabinet-level role is increasingly necessary to align enrollment strategy with institutional mission, student success, and long-term viability.

Drawing on experience across community colleges and four-year institutions, the discussion examines how enrollment, retention, completion, workforce alignment, and equity outcomes are shaped by leadership structure—not just tactics.

Topics Covered:

• Why enrollment is a system, not a department

• How diffused responsibility undermines retention and completion

• The limits of presidential oversight without executive enrollment ownership

• How workforce alignment strengthens enrollment strategy

• Why open access increases the need for strategic focus

• The role faculty partnership plays in sustainable enrollment management

Three Key Takeaways for Higher Education Leaders:

• Enrollment outcomes reflect system design, not individual office performance

• Retention, completion, and workforce alignment are core enrollment responsibilities

• Institutions risk long-term instability when enrollment lacks clear executive ownership

This episode is especially relevant for presidents, provosts, enrollment leaders, and senior administrators looking beyond short-term fixes toward structural solutions to enrollment pressure.

Read the transcript and extended show summary: https://changinghighered.com/chief-enrollment-management-officer-in-higher-education/

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