In every team and department at Northwest Vista College, there are always great stories to tell that show faculty and staff going above and beyond.While it’s hard to capture every story, we hope to periodically share in this space some of the major accomplishments or projects that are taking place. Members of the executive team will write about important topics that they feel NVC employees should be made aware of.
Let us know about the positive things your area is doing to help students or improve processes by contacting myself or NVC Marketing & Strategic Communications.
– Dr. Ric Baser, NVC President
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Debi Gaitan
Vice President of Student Success
Strategic Enrollment Management
Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Information Sessions will be held on April 30 from 1 pm – 2 pm. Northwest Vista College’s (NVC) Marketing & Strategic Communications (formerly Public Relations) team will be sending out invitations with Zoom links soon. The SEM Leadership Team hopes you will be able to join us at one of the sessions to learn more about the college’s SEM.
SEM Introduction
In the fall of 2019, the colleges and partners of the Alamo Colleges District launched an initiative on strategic enrollment to co-create the future of the colleges through targeted growth. NVC formed a Strategic Enrollment Management Leadership team and three Situation Analysis teams that spent a year developing a four-tiered approached:
1). Data collection and analysis,
2). Situation analysis and synthesis,
3). Action plan and strategy development and
4). Enrollment and budget projections and impact.
NVC’s plan for growth over the next five years enables the college to serve as a catalyst for socioeconomic mobility in San Antonio and offer opportunities for our citizens to earn a college credential. The overall goal of the SEM plan is to ensure NVC’s ability to evolve as an institution and build capacity to equitably recruit, onboard, teach, mentor, retain, and award credentials to students, while saving them time and dollars. The SEM plan supports NVC’s commitment and critical obligation to help students get through college and end cycles of poverty and racial inequity.
In fall of 2019, NVC reached a milestone of enrolling over 18,000 students. The unduplicated headcount growth from fall 2017 to fall 2020 represents a 10.6% enrollment growth however our increase in contact hours lags with a modest 0.4% growth during that same period. In the midst of COVID-19, we reached an all-time low in percent of students who were enrolled full-time (20.8%) in the fall of 2020. Despite these numbers, NVC remains the third largest, higher education institution in San Antonio and has been designated a Hispanic Serving Institution.
Click on the links to learn about student demographics at NVC and a synopsis of the Strategic Enrollment Plan.
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NVC Student Demographics
| Term | Fall 2017 | Fall 2018 | Fall 2019 | Fall 2020 |
| Unduplicated Headcount | 16,752 | 16,293 | 18,010 | 18, 542 |
| Percent Full-Time | 24.6% | 24.1% | 26.3% | 20.8% |
| Part-Time | 75.4% | 75.9% | 73.7% | 79.2% |
| Male | 44.4% | 43.3% | 43.3% | 40.8% |
| Female | 55.6% | 56.7% | 56.7% | 59.2% |
| White | 24.1% | 22.4% | 21.9% | 20.3% |
| African American | 7.1% | 7.6% | 8% | 8% |
| Hispanic | 62.3% | 63.1% | 62.8% | 64% |
| Asian | 3.4% | 3.5% | 3.5 | 3.7% |
| Other | 3.1% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| <18 years old | 21.8% | 22.2% | 21.3% | 23.7% |
| 18-21 years old | 44.4% | 44.9% | 45.3% | 42.8% |
| 22-24 years old | 12.8% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12% |
| 25-29 years old | 11.2% | 9.5% | 10.9% | 9.9% |
| >30 years old | 9.8% | 11.2% | 10.3% | 11.7% |
| Average Age | 21.9 | 21.8 | 21.9 | 21.9 |
| Academic Major | 90.7% | 90.2% | 90% | 89% |
| Technical Major | 9.3% | 9.8% | 10% | 11% |
| First Time in College | 15.6% | 16.7% | 18.4% | 15.4% |
| Dual Credit | 21.7% | 22.1% | 21% | 23.5% |
| Continuing | 57.3% | 56% | 54.2% | 57.3% |
| First Time Transfer | 5.4% | 5.2% | 6.5% | 3.9% |
| Average Credit Hours | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.1 |
| Contact Hours | 2,262,616 | 2,191,736 | 2,408,640 | 2,272,592 |
| Economically Disadvantaged | 41.8% | 32.6% | 38.3% | TBD |
Data Table 1 Source: Certified CBM001, Certified CBM004, Financial Aid Database System (FADS)
NVC Strategic Enrollment Management Plan 2021-2026 Synopsis
| INTRODUCTION
There are communities within NVC’s recruitment area with low college going rates compared to other communities that the college serves. · Increase enrollment o Market penetration in underrepresented communities o Continuing student retention o AlamoPROMISE
NVC student are more likely to enroll part-time (79.2% fall 2020) which increases the time to credential completion. · Increase enrollment intensity/degree velocity o Summer Momentum Program (SMP) o Strategic Schedule Build and Management § Day, time, modality of course offerings o AlamoPROMISE nine-hour requirement for fall and spring
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SUMMARYNVC’s Strategic Enrollment Management planning process has increased our awareness of the critical crisis we find area communities in, with regards to barriers to higher education, that contributes to extreme poverty in San Antonio.
As part of our fight against poverty in San Antonio, NVC’s SEM provides a roadmap to reach area communities that have low college going rates and are historically underrepresented.
From December 2019-January 2021, approximately fifty NVC employees engaged in ongoing data review, situational analysis and synthesis, action planning, and strategies development that has culminated in the NVC’s SEM for 2021-2026.
NVC’s SEM is strengthened by our resolve and commitment to actively participate and contribute our time, talent, and treasures to help reduce poverty in our community. We have looked inward to identify and prioritize our opportunities for improvement.
Our main guiding principle is that our SEM action plan and strategies will center on the needs of our future and current students.
We believe access to higher education and credential attainment positively correlates with socioeconomic mobility. Our SEM work has affirmed this belief.
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ANALYSISNVC engaged many employees in the development of the 2021-2026 SEM. This inclusive and collaborative approach allowed for the incorporation of diverse ideas and strategies. The SEM contributors were faculty and staff representing all areas and roles of the college. The following outlines important milestones leading up to NVC’s SEM: 1. Data collection and analysis a. A Canvas module was created for the storing of data required of SEM contributors. b. Data was provided to SEM contributors quickly and efficiently upon request. 2. Situation Analysis Teams a. Twenty-five situation analyses were created with an opportunity to edit and enhance in three rounds using the feedback from our consultant. b. The twenty-five situation analyses were prioritized. c. There were twelve, final situation analyses. 3. Action Planning a. Situation analyses provided the focus of our Action Planning process. b. Five Action Plans were created in response to the prioritized situation analyses. i. Academic Program Mix ii. Cultivating Transformation Relationships iii. Enrollment Intensity/Degree Velocity iv. Equity-Minded Outreach and Recruitment v. Redesigning Student Onboarding Experience c. Alamo-wide Interdependent Action Plans i. Admissions/Onboarding ii. Academic Program Mix iii. Marketing and Communications iv. Student Financial Assistance v. CRM Implementation vi. Technology and Data |
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CONCLUSIONOverall, effective, strategic initiatives that increase market penetration in low college-going communities, coupled with enrollment intensity opportunities while providing transformational relationships, can reduce poverty in San Antonio. Armed with a strong understanding of social and racial injustices in San Antonio, NVC’s SEM plan is a resistance against poverty and racism. |
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