Small liberal arts colleges are navigating a rapidly changing enrollment landscape shaped by demographic shifts, intensifying competition, evolving student expectations, and growing public skepticism of the value of higher education. Successfully enrolling today’s students requires more than strong admissions practices—it calls for a campus-wide understanding of how every interaction, policy, and program contributes to attracting, enrolling, and supporting students. As institutions adapt to these challenges, building a shared understanding of enrollment across campus has become essential to sustaining the mission of liberal arts colleges.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The ACM Enrollment Academy brings together staff, faculty, and campus leaders whose work shapes the student experience and contributes to strong enrollment. Through a collaborative, cohort-based learning experience, participants will deepen their understanding of today’s enrollment landscape while building relationships, shared language, and practical skills.
Designed for cross-functional campus teams, the Academy explores the demographic, political, and market forces reshaping enrollment at small liberal arts colleges. Participants will examine how these trends affect their own institutions, strengthen their ability to communicate their college’s distinctive value to prospective students and families, and learn to make evidence-informed decisions using enrollment data and campus-specific trends.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the conclusion of the Academy, participants will:
- Explain the demographic, political, and market forces influencing enrollment at small liberal arts colleges.
- Clearly articulate their institution’s distinctive value proposition for prospective students and families.
- Apply a shared vocabulary, relevant trends, and common enrollment data sets to make informed decisions and strengthen collaboration across admissions, financial aid, athletics, student affairs, and other campus partners.
- Develop a campus action plan that identifies concrete next steps and names accountability partners to support implementation.
PARTICIPATION CRITERIA
This program takes a broad view of the colleagues involved in enrollment. Therefore, it is designed for higher education professionals (staff, faculty, and administrators) who are seeking to better better understand the wider enrollment landscape and improve enrollment processes.
Each ACM member college may select up to twenty (20) participants for the 2026-2027 program. Participants will be invited by each college’s senior leadership team and may come from any area of the campus, including, but not limited to, athletics, advising, faculty, registrar, academic affairs, student life/residential life, student accounts, financial aid, and admissions.
PROGRAM DATES & REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Eligible professionals seeking to be nominated for participation should contact their supervising Vice President for information on the registration process. Before registering, participants must confirm that they can attend the required in-person workshop.
Option 1
- In-Person Workshop: Grinnell College (Grinnell, IA) on Tuesday, May 18, 2027 (9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CT)
- Virtual Session: Tuesday, July 13, 2027 (9:00-10:30 a.m. CT) or Monday, July 26, 2027 (9:00-10:30 a.m. CT)
- Registration for this workshop is not yet open.
or
Option 2
- In-Person Workshop: St. Olaf College (Northfield, MN) on Tuesday, June 22, 2027 (9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CT)
- Virtual Session: Tuesday, July 13, 2027 (9:00-10:30 a.m. CT) or Monday, July 26, 2026 (9:00-10:30 a.m. CT)
- Registration for this workshop is not yet open.
or
Option 3
- In-Person Workshop: Monmouth College (Monmouth, IL) on Thursday, June 24, 2027 (9:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. CT)
- Virtual Sessions: Tuesday, July 13, 2027 (9:00-10:30 a.m. CT) or Monday, July 26, 2027 (9:00-10:30 a.m. CT)
- Registration for this workshop is not yet open.
PROGRAM COSTS
ACM will cover all programming costs and meals during the in-person workshop. Participants are responsible for any travel and lodging costs. Nominating campuses agree to provide participants with sufficient release time to attend required events and complete associated assignments.
