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NIU presents SEM3 enrollment plan emphasizing brand, targeted recruitment and AI; trustees press on equity and facilities
Summary
Provost Lori Eilish Piper and VP Saul Jensen presented NIU's Strategic Enrollment Management Plan 3 (2026–2028), focusing on brand identity, targeted recruitment and student success; trustees probed out‑migration, capacity, AI, and campus facilities' role in recruitment.
Northern Illinois University administrators on May 7 presented SEM3, the university’s Strategic Enrollment Management plan for 2026–2028, describing goals to strengthen brand identity, refine targeted recruitment, and improve student success, persistence and graduation.
Provost Lori Eilish Piper and Vice President Saul Jensen summarized accomplishments from SEM2—about 400 net additional students, roughly 6% undergraduate enrollment growth, and an 8‑percentage‑point increase in first‑year retention over three years—and outlined SEM3’s three core themes: elevate academic brand and high‑impact experiences, customize recruitment for distinct audiences (high school, community college transfers, graduate and adult learners), and enhance student success through coordinated supports.
Jensen described marketing and technology tactics, including website optimization, testimonials, and use of Mission AI (vendor EdSites) to support messaging and student engagement. He said the university has implemented tools to message incoming and current students and to improve yield and melt management.
Trustees raised questions on equity, out‑migration and the role of facilities in recruiting and retaining students. Trustee Montel Gales emphasized maintaining an atmosphere of openness and said NIU must remain accessible to marginalized communities; Trustee Barcima and others urged that the program data be used to probe the "why" behind trends (for example, a 12% decline in marketing majors in one college). Trustees pressed how early college credit affects revenue and student readiness; administrators said some students arrive with credits and may need additional supports even when they matriculate with advanced coursework.
Administrators also described curricular responses to AI and noted ongoing curricular innovation grants to prepare students for AI‑shaped careers. The presenters said they will continue refining accountability metrics and report back on program‑level follow-up.
