The landscape of higher education is continually evolving, demanding innovative approaches to student access, retention, and success. Community colleges serve as crucial gateways to higher education and workforce development for diverse populations. Ensuring that these institutions effectively meet the needs of their communities requires a proactive and data-driven approach to enrollment management. This article details the establishment and initial impact of the Office of Strategic Enrollment Management (OSEM) at Seattle Colleges, a pivotal initiative launched in late spring 2024. The new office exemplifies the institution's commitment to promoting student achievement and academic excellence through integrated, strategic enrollment efforts. Sections below outline the foundational needs for OSEM, the comprehensive processes it employs, the early results and profound impact of its work, and the strategic next steps for sustained growth and student flourishing.

The Need: A Coordinated Approach to Student Success

Prior to OSEM's establishment, Seattle Colleges, like many multi-campus institutions, faced the challenge of coordinating varied student success initiatives and optimizing enrollment across their distinct colleges. While individual efforts yielded positive outcomes, there was a recognized need for a centralized, strategic body to align resources, policies, and practices. The institution's core mission to provide accessible higher education to every student, regardless of background or circumstance, underscored the urgency of this strategic integration. A fragmented approach, without a dedicated office to champion equitable access, risked hindering the overall effectiveness of recruitment, retention, and graduation efforts. The appointment of a District Cabinet-level position, with experience and expertise, signaled a deliberate move towards a more cohesive and impactful enrollment strategy grounded in data-driven decision-making.

Process for Addressing the Need: The OSEM Framework and Initiatives

The OSEM framework is built upon a philosophy of continuous improvement and student-centered design. Its initial focus has been on aligning resources and implementing key initiatives that directly impact student access, support, and progression. All data reported in this section was collected from the Seattle Colleges District Title III Cooperative Grant Annual Performance Report Tracking Report (Seattle Colleges, 2025), unless otherwise noted.

Strategic Enrollment Initiatives

OSEM’s direct enrollment strategies have been multifaceted, targeting financial barriers, fostering partnerships, and streamlining administrative processes:

• Expanded Financial Aid Workshops. Recognizing financial aid as a significant barrier, OSEM, supported by a Title III grant, dramatically expanded financial aid workshops. These workshops were designed to demystify the financial aid process, provide personalized assistance, and ensure that students fully understand their options. For instance, in fall 2024, a series of workshops across all three Seattle College campuses benefited over 500 students, particularly first-generation and low-income individuals, leading to a significant increase in financial aid application completion rates. This initiative not only secured funding for students but also empowered them with financial literacy.
• Strengthened Collaboration With Seattle Promise. OSEM has significantly deepened its partnership with the Seattle Promise program, which offers full tuition support to eligible Seattle Public Schools graduates. Through joint information sessions on financial aid, academic advising, and career exploration, OSEM facilitated a seamless transition for these students. This collaboration resulted in an impressive 12 percent increase in Seattle Promise enrollment in fall 2024, demonstrating the effectiveness of streamlined processes and tailored support for local high school graduates, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds (Yoshizumi & Malik, 2025).
• Launch of a New Financial Aid Appeals Platform. In collaboration with campus financial aid teams and the IT department, OSEM introduced an electronic platform for financial aid appeals. This innovation addresses previous challenges of paperwork, unclear instructions, and delayed processing. The new system allows electronic submissions, progress tracking, and real-time notifications of missing documentation. In its first semester, this platform contributed to an 18 percent increase in successful financial aid appeals, ensuring more students received the necessary resources to continue their education.

Guided Pathways Initiative: A Long-Term Vision for Student Progression

Beyond immediate enrollment boosts, OSEM is a key driver of the comprehensive, three-year guided pathways initiative. This framework is designed to profoundly improve student retention, progression, and academic success by focusing on four primary priority areas: intake, placement, mapping, and exploratory experiences. These areas are deeply integrated with orientation and first-year experience (FYE) efforts.

• Year 1: Strengthening the Foundation and Aligning Resources. The initial year focuses on embedding guided pathways practices within the orientation and FYE. A core objective is to align student services, instructional resources, and initiatives across all campuses to create a seamless transition for new students. This includes enhancing the intake process by requiring all incoming, credential-seeking students to participate in structured exploratory experiences, entry advising, and mandatory orientation. During these sessions, students clarify academic and career goals and develop individualized education and financial plans informed by labor market data. The placement process is also being redefined to ensure equity and reduce barriers, aiming to place students in college-level courses as early as possible, align placements with student goals, and foster a sense of belonging.
• Year 2: Building Capacity and Refining Pathways. The second year shifts toward refining the student experience through the development of clear, coherent pathway maps aligned with workforce needs and transfer options. Exploratory experiences will be embedded within the first two quarters of students' academic journeys, providing opportunities to explore fields of study and build professional networks. Academic advising will continue to be integrated within the Areas of Study structure, ensuring customized academic plans based on pathway maps to support on-time degree completion.
• Year 3: Institutionalizing the Changes and Ensuring Sustainability. The final year aims to fully institutionalize these changes across campuses, embedding them within the culture of each institution. This phase also emphasizes sustainability, with ongoing assessment of initiative effectiveness and necessary adjustments to further enhance student retention and completion rates.

Results and Impact of the Process

The impact of OSEM's strategic initiatives is already evident in the fall 2024 final enrollment report, highlighting a positive trajectory for Seattle Colleges. Information in this section was collected from the Seattle Colleges District Enrollment Dashboard and approved by the SCD Board of Trustees in February 2025 (Howard, 2025), unless otherwise noted.

Overall Enrollment Growth

Overall enrollment increased by 5 percent compared to fall 2023, indicating growing student interest and engagement. The full-time equivalent student (FTES) count rose by 4 percent, from 9,844 to 10,212 across the district.

International Student Surge

International contract FTES experienced a significant 19 percent rise districtwide, with North Seattle College leading this growth with a remarkable 34 percent increase. This surge underscores the effectiveness of targeted international recruitment campaigns and outreach.

Program-Specific Growth

• Running Start FTES increased by 11 percent districtwide, reflecting greater participation among high school students in college-level coursework and allowing them to earn high school and college credits simultaneously with no charge for tuition, although institutional fees and costs for books and transportation apply.
• College Transfer FTES experienced a 9 percent increase, signaling that clear academic pathway guidance can result in strong student interest in transferring to four-year institutions.
• Professional Courses saw increased FTES at North Seattle and South Seattle Colleges, meeting rising demand for workforce-ready programs.
• Bachelor’s Courses recorded a 3 percent increase in enrollment, indicating sustained interest in advanced academic pathways offered within the colleges.
• Basic and Transitional Studies saw at least a 5 percent increase in FTES at North Seattle and South Seattle Colleges, supporting students preparing for college-level coursework.

Demographic Insights and Student Diversity

Seattle Colleges continue to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fall 2024, students of color represented 57 percent of total districtwide FTES, with Asian and Black students forming the most prominent groups. Female students continue to be the majority of the student population, a consistent trend. These shifts align with OSEM's goal of creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all students.

Success of Specialized Programs

Beyond the broader enrollment figures, the success of specialized programs underscores the impact of integrated student support (Yoshizumi & Malik, 2025):

• Seattle Promise. As mentioned, this program's collaboration with OSEM has seen a 12 percent enrollment increase. Its comprehensive support, including free tuition, equity scholarships, and dedicated success specialists with a 100:1 advisor-to-student ratio, is a critical factor in driving local student success.
• Path to UW Program. This innovative collaboration for Seattle Promise students desiring to transfer to the University of Washington (UW) provides dedicated advising, workshops, and summer seminars. In fall 2023, 82 percent of Path to UW applicants were admitted to UW, significantly boosting equitable transfer pathways for BIPOC, low-income, and first-generation students.
• Campus-Specific Innovations.  
  • North Seattle College excels in STEM, with initiatives like Project Baldwin, which provides mentorship for specific male student populations; Decolonize the Curriculum efforts; and partnerships with the Urban Native Education Alliance and United Way of King County's Benefits Hub for comprehensive student support.
  • South Seattle College offers unique Bachelor of Applied Science degrees, houses an AANAPISI Center for Asian American and Pacific Islander students, and implements justice-involved solutions for individuals transitioning from the criminal justice system.
  • Seattle Central College, located downtown, provides specialized programs in Apparel Design and Development, Boat Building and Repair, Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Food Systems, and Technical Theatre for Social Justice. Its Student Support Programs offer justice-oriented, trauma-informed assistance for basic needs (i.e., food pantry, childcare, emergency funding) alongside Re-Entry Support Programs and a Foster(ing) Youth Success Program.

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

While the early impact of OSEM and its initiatives is overwhelmingly positive, the areas of declining enrollment in the Intensive English Program and certain apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship courses highlight the dynamic nature of enrollment management. These trends suggest a need for continuous program evaluation, targeted marketing, and potential curriculum adjustments to meet evolving student and workforce demands. The successful implementation of guided pathways also underscores the importance of ongoing professional development for faculty and staff to ensure consistent application of new processes and student support strategies. The emphasis on data-driven decision-making within OSEM will be crucial in dissecting these declines and formulating effective solutions.

Next Steps

Seattle Colleges is poised to build on the momentum generated by OSEM and the initial successes of its strategic initiatives. The key next steps for the 2025-2026 cycle and beyond include:

• Deepened Collaboration. OSEM plans to further integrate its partnerships with campus financial aid teams, Seattle Promise, Student Financials, and other student services. The goal is to ensure that all student support functions are fully integrated, providing timely and consistent assistance.
• Streamlined Financial Aid Communication. There will be a continued effort to simplify the communication of financial aid information across all campuses, ensuring that students receive clear, actionable messages regarding deadlines, application steps, and funding opportunities.
• Expanded Academic and Holistic Support. Beyond financial aid, OSEM will focus on increasing access to a broader range of academic support services, including tutoring, career counseling, and targeted retention initiatives, to foster student success from enrollment through graduation.
• Full Implementation of Guided Pathways. The multi-year plan for guided pathways will continue as outlined, with concerted efforts in Year 2 to refine pathway maps and embed exploratory experiences, and in Year 3 to institutionalize changes for long-term sustainability. This will include an ongoing assessment of effectiveness and responsive adjustments.
• Addressing Declining Program Enrollments. OSEM will actively review programs with declining enrollment, such as the Intensive English Program and certain apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship courses, to identify root causes and develop targeted strategies for reversal. This may involve market analysis, program modifications, or enhanced recruitment efforts specific to these areas.
• Leveraging Data for Continuous Improvement. OSEM's commitment to data-driven strategies will be central to all future endeavors, enabling continuous evaluation of program effectiveness, refinement of recruitment techniques, and proactive responses to emerging enrollment trends.

Beyond its core enrollment mandate, OSEM has quickly become instrumental in broader student success initiatives. These operational enhancements create a more supportive and welcoming environment, which indirectly but powerfully contributes to student persistence and satisfaction.

By maintaining its focus on equity, inclusion, and academic excellence through these strategic efforts, Seattle Colleges, led by OSEM, is dedicated to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to succeed and thrive in their educational journeys, ultimately contributing to a more skilled and vibrant community.

References

Howard, C. (2025, February). Board of trustees report on enrollment at Seattle Colleges, fall 2024 final [Unpublished report].

Seattle Colleges. (2025). Seattle Colleges district Title III cooperative grant annual performance report [Unpublished report].

Yoshizumi, A., & Malik, L. (2025). Winter 2025 data memo – Seattle Promise SY 2024-25. Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning, Seattle Colleges.

Cedric B. Howard is the Senior Enrollment Officer at Seattle Colleges in Seattle, Washington. 

Opinions expressed in Leadership Abstracts are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the League for Innovation in the Community College.