The Challenge
From Fall of 2019 through Fall of 2023, Jackson State Community College (JSCC) faced four back-to-back years of declining enrollment. Administrative personnel were overwhelmed with a workload that exceeded their capacity, especially in peak periods. Slow processing times contributed to declining enrollment creating a downward spiral. Prospective students faced barriers at various points in the enrollment cycle, but outreach efforts targeting slow to enroll populations were inconsistent. The new leadership team recognized that significant change was needed.
The Solution
JSCC leadership reimagined the front door experience for students. They focused on improving front line support services and revised their approach to recruitment activities with the goal of increasing yield and conversion rates. To achieve their vision, JSCC decided to partner with Edamerica to simultaneously launch a virtual one stop contact center for student services and deploy strategic outreach campaigns to support current and returning students and re-engage stop outs.
The eight-week implementation process began in September. All services officially launched in early November.
The Results
Diverting inbound calls to Edamerica increased staff availability and productivity. With enhanced administrative staff capacity, JSCC was able to reimagine the entire student onboarding process. JSCC leadership modified priority registration, recreated the orientation experience, and revamped proactive support models for all demographic groups, including traditionally underserved populations.
Annual Staff Productivity Analysis
- 1,834 total hours gained
- 24 total workdays gained*
- 6.5 weeks saved*
*Based on 7.5 hr workday/37.5 hrs per week
Edamerica Performance
- 46,068 calls answered to date
- 97.44% student satisfaction rating
- Average referral rate of 4.20%
Leveraging Edamerica’s recruitment expertise and outreach capacity, JSCC drastically scaled messaging to targeted populations including prospective, returning, and former students. College staff responded rapidly to students identified as at risk by Edamerica. Feedback gathered by Edamerica during targeted outreach allowed JSCC to deploy data driven solutions to eliminate previously unidentified bottlenecks.
Recruit, Retain, and Re-Enroll
Students purged for Nonpayment
By Fall 2024 (Year 1) JSCC was one of the fastest growing institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents System. By Fall 2025 (Year 2) JSCC led the system in growth rate for multiple categories, including headcount, FT enrollment and FT Freshman.
Enrollment Growth
