Enrollment Growth in a Downturn
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 32.5% increase in applications during a national enrollment decline.
32.5%
Increase in undergraduate applications
During a national enrollment downturn and a global pandemic while the institution navigated a highly public reputational challenge simultaneously.
National context: U.S. undergraduate applications declined 2.7% in the same period (NACAC, 2021)
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.
External Pressures
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
Building authority without title.
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 disruption
What we built
Five systems, one ecosystem.
01: 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.
The custom centralized project management system built to align admissions, marketing, and web operations, giving every team visibility into active campaigns and eliminating the duplication and drift that came from siloed coordination.
02: 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.
The admissions viewbook produced under the new editorial governance framework. One example of how shared standards and approval workflows enabled on-brand, high-quality materials to move from brief to print faster than before, with fewer revision cycles.
03: 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.
The redesigned W&L homepage completed, aligned, and launched institution-wide within the first year. The new architecture prioritized audience-specific entry points and clear pathways to high-value content, replacing a navigation structure that had been organized around the org chart.
04: 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.
One piece from the 2021–22 counselor recruitment materials, part of a suite of print and digital assets developed for the season's geo-targeted campaigns. The materials were built to flex across channels and regions while maintaining consistent brand voice.
05: 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.
The virtual recruitment ecosystem launched during COVID, including tours, virtual events, and digital engagement tools, built to replace in-person touchpoints entirely.
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
Why This Matters