Tennessee State’s new vice president for enrollment management told trustees Nov. 21 the university is restructuring recruitment, communications and scholarships to grow and improve the quality of incoming classes while protecting net revenue.

Dr. Eric Stokes described implementation of the Slate CRM and related campaigns to move students from inquiry to enrollment, including transactional and nurturing messages, campus visits and a new common-application launch. He said the office has purchased about 50,000 of an available 100,000 ACT name records to broaden the recruitment funnel and reported over 6,200 Common App inquiries already in the system.

Stokes said the university plans to join the governor’s direct-admit initiative and has reworked the admissions and enrollment steps to collect confirmation deposits earlier (shifting an orientation fee to a confirmation step) to lock in commitments sooner and improve yield. "We moved the orientation registration fee…we're moving that commitment up sooner," he said.

On scholarships, Stokes outlined a redesign aimed at reducing the institutional discount rate, historically "north of 60%," down toward roughly 38–42% by rebalancing competitive awards and merit scholarships. TSU will retain long-standing competitive awards (Levi Watkins) and add or rebrand others (Presidential Scholars, Tennessee State Renaissance Scholarship, 1912 Heritage Scholarship, TSU Torch), plus targeted transfer and local-district scholarships (Tiger Transfer, MNPS Trailblazer) with revised financial structures to be sustainable.

Student Affairs data supported enrollment work: Residence Life occupancy was reported at about 85% (roughly 2,900 residents), and career services ran a career fair with 119 employers and 791 students, metrics Dr. Bridget Goldman cited when trustees asked about student engagement and housing capacity.

Why it matters: Enrollment volume, applicant quality and scholarship strategy directly affect tuition revenue and the university’s operating sustainability. Trustees asked about geographic recruiting reach and expanding the MNPS Trailblazer agreement to other districts; Stokes said expansion will depend on MOU adjustments and financial modeling.

What’s next: Stokes said a formal strategic enrollment management plan will be built in 2026 with cross-divisional leadership; trustees signaled support for continued investment in enrollment staff and data systems.