Growth in a Downturn

Web StrategyGovernanceCRM IntegrationHigher EdDigital Transformation
Written By kate gordon

Washington and Lee University | 2019-2021
Director of Marketing for Admissions and Financial Aid

How a newly created role, two simultaneous crises, and a full system redesign produced a 32% increase in applications during a national enrollment decline.

The Context

In 2019, Washington and Lee University created a new role: Marketing Director for Admissions and Aid. I was the first person to hold it. Within six months, the country locked down, campuses closed, and the traditional college recruitment calendar changed overnight.

The Situation

W&L was navigating external pressure and internal dysfunction at the same time. Neither could wait for the other to resolve.

  • A highly public institutional debate drawing national media scrutiny

  • COVID-19 eliminated in-person recruitment events

  • Traditional campus visits and fairs were gone.

  • A national enrollment decline already underway

Internal Reality

  • Admissions and communications operated in parallel vs partnership

  • Web, email, and CRM operated as disconnected, ungoverned channels

  • Messaging varied by team with no shared standards or approval structure

  • No visibility into the full prospect journey from inquiry to application

“The risk wasn't reputational, it was operational; a fragmented system at the exact moment prospects needed clarity, consistency, and trust.”

My role

I was responsible for defining the end-to-end digital recruitment strategy while simultaneously establishing governance across teams that did not report to me, maintaining a stable prospect experience during institutional scrutiny, and aligning systems that had not been designed to work together.

  • Defined end-to-end digital recruitment strategy

  • Aligned web, CRM, content, and outreach systems

  • Established governance across non-reporting teams

  • Led CMS migration and flagship website redesign

  • Managed cross-functional developers, designers, vendors

  • Sustained operations through COVID-era disruptionWhat we built: Five systems, one ecosystem.

1: Unified development and production

  • Integrated Slate CRM with CMS platforms (Ingeniux, WordPress, BigTree) and analytics

  • Aligned messaging and content to behavioral signals and user intent, not institutional calendar

  • Connected web, email, counselor outreach, and paid media into a single coordinated system

  • Result: Prospects experienced a continuous, coherent journey.

2: Governance for scale

  • Defined messaging guardrails aligned with official university communications during scrutiny

  • Established shared editorial standards across admissions and communications teams

  • Created workflow and approval structures to reduce drift, duplication, and off-message content

  • Introduced centralized intake and project tracking for cross-team campaign visibility

  • Result: Consistency increased while friction decreased. Decentralized teams moved faster because the guardrails were clear, not because they were constrained.

3: A prospect-centered web experience

  • The website had been built around institutional priorities, not what a prospective student needed to find.

  • Reoriented information architecture around student decision-making behavior, not departmental hierarchy

  • Simplified navigation and content hierarchy for clarity and speed on mobile

  • Developed segmented pathways for high-priority audiences (first-gen, transfer, international)

  • Expanded digital experience through virtual tours, interactive content, and microsites

  • Result: The website became a decision-support tool rather than a brochure that required them to work around it.

4: Human-centered, data-informed

  • The goal was to use data to make outreach feel more human and give counselors the information and tools to show up at the right moment with the right message.

  • Launched personalized, counselor-led communication strategies informed by CRM behavioral data

  • Geo-targeted campaigns and segmented drip marketing tied to stage and intent signals

  • Analytics-driven refinement of messaging, timing, and channel mix across the funnel

  • Result: Outreach felt relevant and personal to prospects.

5: Stability during uncertainty

  • When an institution is under national scrutiny, every piece of external communication becomes high-stakes. The recruitment function needed to hold a clear, consistent voice without editorializing.

  • Aligned all recruitment messaging with official university communications

  • Maintained measured, transparent, consistent tone across all channels d

  • Directed prospects to primary sources when needed

  • Launched a full virtual recruitment ecosystem to replace disappeared in-person touchpoints

  • Result: The institution presented a unified, credible voice during a visible and sensitive period.

Why This Matters

W&L needed an integrated system where governance created consistency without slowing teams down, web and CRM and content worked together, for a unified recruitment engine that adapts, scales, and performs under pressure.

Outcomes

  • +32.5% increase in undergraduate applications during a national decline

  • Established a data-informed content and recruitment model still in use

  • Transformed a fragmented digital presence into a connected, scalable ecosystem

  • Improved alignment across admissions, communications, and digital platforms

  • Strengthened trust and clarity during a period of institutional uncertainty

kate gordon
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