Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), with two locations in Danbury, CT, is committed to its “mission of providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society.” To fulfill this promise, WCSU implemented Liaison’s TargetX CRM solution in 2013 to address critical challenges in its admissions process, including inefficient workflows and decentralized data tracking. In 2022, after finding success with TargetX and data management, WCSU sought to “kick it up a notch, and they needed more intelligence,” said its Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs Jay Murray. It chose Liaison’s Othot AI solution to deliver those results.
The Challenge: Tackling a Multifaceted Process
With TargetX, the university sought to improve inquiry management, streamline event coordination, and enhance application processing while also gaining better reporting and data analysis capabilities. WCSU then integrated Othot’s predictive and prescriptive analytics to proactively identify enrollment risks, optimize resource allocation, and make data-driven decisions earlier in the recruitment cycle, ensuring staff could address potential challenges well in advance.
The Solution: Identifying Goals and Building on WCSU’s Success
This strategic combination of tools enabled WCSU to successfully identify areas of opportunity for recruitment initiatives, navigate the complexities of recent FAFSA delays, and achieve remarkable enrollment gains, including a 20.7% increase in WCSU’s first-year class size from 2023 to 2024.
The initial phases of TargetX’s implementation focused on the most pressing needs. After starting with its inquiry management and communication flow in November 2013, WCSU progressively rolled out new features. By April 2014, events management was integrated with a one-way connection from the school’s Student Information System (SIS), followed by application management with bidirectional communication. In 2015, a data integration hub enabled real-time communication, streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency.
WCSU subsequently recognized the need to further enhance its decision-making capabilities and turned to Liaison Othot, a predictive and prescriptive analytics tool. The goals were clear: identify likely students, optimize resource allocation, and make proactive decisions. This shift from subjective judgments to objective analysis marked a significant evolution in WCSU’s enrollment strategy.
The insights gained from Othot were profound. For instance, proximity to campus (within an 18-mile radius) emerged as a strong predictor of enrollment, as did athlete status and specific areas of academic interest. Othot also highlighted the impact of financial aid on enrollment likelihood, enabling WCSU to tailor its strategies more effectively.
Leveraging Othot’s financial aid optimization, WCSU rolled out strategic changes to its prior need-based and merit-awarding practices. Othot’s prescriptive features allowed the team to simulate award adjustments before making final decisions to ensure they maintained expected enrollment and revenue targets.
The Outcome: Realizing Immediate Benefits
The phased implementation of TargetX quickly began to yield results. From Fall 2014 to Fall 2015, WCSU saw a 40% increase in first-year applications. This surge in interest was directly attributed to improved tracking of the inquiry pool and the success of events, as well as enhanced data-informed decision-making. The system allowed the institution to move from anecdotal decision-making to a more structured, data-driven approach.
As Murray noted, “It became a powerful tool to be data-informed. Until then, we were very much an anecdotal institution. People liked to tell stories to justify their reasoning, whereas I was showing up with hard data and year-over-year results.”
More recently, in response to anticipated FAFSA delays, WCSU employed both TargetX and Othot to forecast the impact of financial aid, drive FAFSA completion, and model the impact of early aid distribution. The results spoke for themselves. In addition to achieving its 20.7% increase in the first-year class size, WCSU managed to lower the discount rate from 34% to 32%, increase net tuition revenue by over $2 million, and improve the yield on acceptance rate by 1%. These achievements were directly linked to the strategic use of data analytics in the decision-making process.
Looking Out for the Future
WCSU’s journey highlights several key lessons for other institutions looking to enhance their enrollment strategies. First and foremost is the importance of thorough planning and phased implementation. By taking the time to map out processes and understand the pain points, WCSU was able to implement Liaison technology in a way that delivered both immediate and long-term benefits.
Second, the value of strong data management practices and data analytics cannot be overstated. As Murray noted, “Data analytics puts context around things you may have felt were true but couldn’t prove. There’s always some hidden gem to be found.” By leveraging Othot and TargetX, WCSU was able to move from reactive to proactive decision-making, identifying key trends and adjusting in real time.
Looking ahead, WCSU is committed to continuous improvement and adaptation. As Murray pointed out, “One of the things we know is that we probably caught one or two competitors sleeping. Well, they won’t be sleeping next year.”
WCSU’s experience demonstrates the power of combining strategic planning with advanced technology to achieve significant enrollment gains. By continuing to innovate and refine its approach, WCSU is well-positioned to maintain its competitive edge and continue its upward trajectory in the years to come.