Nov 20, 2025
On the latest episode of Student Affairs Voices from the Field, host Dr. Jill Creighton explores the intersection of enrollment management and student affairs with special guest Dr. Christopher Tremblay, Executive Director of Enrollment Management at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. If you’re curious about the challenges and changes facing higher education, this episode offers a timely and thought-provoking conversation.
Facing the Enrollment Cliff
The “enrollment cliff”—a predicted decline of about 15% in college-bound students—is front and center in this discussion. Dr. Tremblay walks listeners through the domino effect: declining birth rates and economic factors have shrunk the pool of future college students, and institutions are strategizing how best to adapt. He points out that while enrollment management always relied on advance notice through birth rate data, today, the challenge is more acute. Colleges are shifting focus from just increasing headcount to more nuanced “revenue management.” Not every student brings the same tuition dollars, so institutions must balance both enrollment and financial sustainability. The episode also acknowledges the hard truth—some colleges may face mergers or closures as the cliff approaches.
The Looming Impact of International Policies
The enrollment pressures are compounded by changes to visa policies and regulations, making it tougher for international students to study in the U.S. Dr. Tremblay warns of a “double whammy” for colleges: fewer domestic students and fewer international enrollees, as restrictions force many to defer or pursue education elsewhere. Other countries, like Canada and Germany, are stepping in to woo these students, signaling a shift in the global education market.
The Crucial Role of Retention & Student Support
But it’s not all gloom—the episode celebrates advances in student success and retention. Investing in support systems, academic advising, and holistic onboarding not only helps students persist but is often more cost-effective for colleges. Dr. Tremblay describes the value of a “high tech, high touch” approach and advocates for ongoing, personalized support through a student’s first year and beyond. He even dreams of a four-person support team for each student, recognizing the complexity of academic, financial, and career decisions.
Why Listen?
If you’re a higher ed professional, parent, or student wondering what lies ahead, this episode delivers valuable perspectives. It underscores the essential partnership between enrollment management and student affairs, and calls for more collaboration in service of student success.
Tune in to hear how institutions are navigating uncertain times—and why student affairs remain critical to transforming lives.
TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]:
Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where
we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to
seasoned experts brought to you by naspa. We curate free and
accessible professional development for higher ed pros wherever you
happen to be. This is season 13 on the value of student affairs.
I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your Essay Voices from the
Field host Today on Essay Voices from the Field, we're heading to
the enrollment management side of The House with Dr. Christopher W.
Tremblay.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:33]:
He brings three decades of leadership in higher education
enrollment management. Currently serving as Executive Director of
Enrollment Management at the University of Michigan's Taubman
College of Architecture and Urban Planning. He also serves as
Director of ACRO Strategic Enrollment Management, or SEM
Endorsement Program. Tremblay earned both his bachelor's and
Master's degrees from Western Michigan University. He has a post
Master's Certificate in Enrollment Management from Capella
University and a Doctor of Education in Education from the
University of Michigan, Dearborn. Tremblay is the co founder and co
editor of the Journal of College Access and has served as Editor in
Chief of College and University Journal since 2020. He's a scholar
and researcher of Walt Disney, teaching the only college course on
the life of Walt Disney called Walt's Pilgrimage. Christopher
welcome to SA Voices and today we're going to be speaking to
you.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:01:19]:
Thank you.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:19]:
Great to be here about the enrollment management side of the house
and all the things that are going on in acro. But before we go
there, we always like to get to know our guests by asking you, how
did you get your current seat?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:01:31]:
Wow, that's a long journey. But I will give you the abbreviated
version. I actually am grateful that my career in higher education
I'm now in my 32nd year and it started because I was an
undergraduate orientation student leader. So I feel like it was the
impact of student affairs that changed my life and brought me to
this profession. So my first job in college was at Western Michigan
University as an admissions counselor, actually before I even
graduated from college, which was an incredible opportunity. And
then I got hooked and I just loved admissions. I loved higher
education. And then throughout my career I have done college
admissions, I've done financial aid, I've done orientation, and
have been doing enrollment management, gosh, for probably over a
decade now.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:02:16]:
And I've been at the University of Michigan Talbon's College of
Architecture and Urban Planning for five years now. But just prior
to that I also worked in College Access within the State of
Michigan at the Michigan College Access Network. And I have a huge
passion for college access, especially as a first time.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:32]:
Sitting at one of the university universities that's largest in the
U.S. i think you'll be in a great position to be able to speak to
what you're seeing in terms of changes. One of the things that
we've been talking about in student affairs, and I'm sure more so
in enrollment management for about the last 10 years, is this
pending enrollment cliff that has been coming towards us. We knew
that birth rates in the United States had declined in the Great
Recession that happened in 2007. For those of you who were in the
profession at that time, it was a bit of a squeeze for everybody
from a budgetary perspective. But we also saw massive impacts
around housing crises in the country, food insecurity and some
other things. And that greatly impacted people's family planning
choices. And now we're in a position in higher education where
there's, I believe it's a 15% drop off of potential enrollees in
universities.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:20]:
So I would love to start there. Christopher, if you can talk a
little bit about how enrollment managers are planning for this, how
colleges and universities should be bracing for this and, and what
that means for our profession.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:03:33]:
I guess the blessing of our work is that we always have advance
notice because of the birth rate of how many people we think will
be ready and eligible to enter college. And so we do have that lead
time, but it is definitely a challenging time. While we're still
trying to increase the percentage of high school graduates going to
college so that we can increase college attainment rates, we know
that the starting pool is much smaller and will get smaller for the
next. I mean, basically indefinitely from the data that we're
seeing from Wiche in terms of high school projections. So it's
definitely putting a lot of pressure on colleges and universities.
And I would say really enrollment management is shifting to be more
about revenue management. And this is where it gets very delicate
because cost is one of the primary barriers for students and
families as the cost of higher education has increased and there's
been less investment at the federal and state level. And so
therefore the cost burden is being passed on to the students.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:04:29]:
So really our job is to really articulate the value of higher
education and showcase its benefits both financially as well as
personally and professionally, and that the workforce needs higher
skill levels for those who are graduating from high school. And
certainly, I think all of us who are in higher education are
proponents of. There are many pathways to post secondary education
and some of that might include pursuit of what we would have deemed
work in the trades. But like for example in Michigan, that training
for the trades predominantly is offered at our community colleges
and that is going to college. And so part of it's also shifting the
mentality still that college is an option for everybody and that
there are multiple pathways to pursuing.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:05:13]:
I think that's an interesting credential framing that you've
mentioned that enrollment management is shifting to more revenue
management. Can you talk more about what that means to the
profession?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:05:23]:
Historically, as I always experienced the work in enrollment
management, it was always about headcount and the number of bodies
that you enrolled and the number of students. And I think there's
more of a movement and has been for a number of years of counting,
you know, headcount equivalent. So in other words, not every
student is enrolled full time. Some students might be dual degree
and so their revenue may be split. And so really using projections
that showcase both enrollment but also tuition revenue. Because at
the end of the day also not every student brings in the same amount
of revenue because you have different tuition rates, you have
different lengths of degrees. For example, in my particular
college, we have degrees that are four year undergraduate degrees,
we have two year master's degree, we have three semester post
master certificates. And so really looking at as we set our
enrollment targets, how does that translate into the revenue that's
being generated? I also feel like colleges related to enrollment
management and this enrollment cliff is that I think we are working
very hard to protect our existing infrastructure and the
educational experience, to protect the quality of the
experience.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:06:34]:
And it's like, well, how do you do that when you have less expected
revenue? And so I, I think a part of enrollment management is also
helping institutions find alternate sources of revenue to alleviate
some of that pressure. So whether that be offering some pre college
programs or some non credit bearing options that allow you to still
offer all of your academic offerings at the highest level in terms
of the experiences you want to offer students. Because we don't
want to sacrifice that, even though we might have a shrinking size
of class. I think that many colleges in the country are going to be
faced with some very tough decisions because we all can't win in
this race, if you will. So I think that we're going to see many
more mergers and or closures unfortunately just because there won't
be enough students to fill every degree, every class in the
country. So I think we are already starting to see that. I think
many of us don't want to see that. But the reality is if there's
not students because of the declining birth rate.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:07:34]:
And this is expected to last 15 to 16 years, I believe is the
current data set. So it's going to be a change in the way that we
have to function, especially in student affairs. I've worked at
several institutions where the student affairs model was largely
based on student fees for certain parts of organizational
structure. And with less students, there are simply less student
fees, which means that there are less opportunities to potentially
use that resource in a way that benefits students. So it's an
interesting thing to think about. Right now. It seems to be more of
an intellectual exercise, but I think very soon it will be a
reality in our budget lines.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:08:15]:
Absolutely. I think we've already seen, unfortunately, with layoffs
by some of the largest and most prestigious universities in the
country because they're recognizing that the dollars just aren't
there to be able to do that. And so there is going to be, I think,
a shift in the types of services and resources that are provided. I
think everybody wants to be very conscientious and careful about
that because we still have a lot of support that we need to provide
to students. They just don't show up and are perfectly experienced.
Our system. Right. There's stumbles along the way, there's support
that's needed.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:08:47]:
And so I think my hope in this as we talk about the work of student
affairs is that that is not sacrificed or doesn't get to be so slim
that, you know, it becomes non existent. Because I think it's still
going to be just as important tomorrow as it.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:09:01]:
Is today as it was yesterday with the uncertainty of the future of
international students in the US and we've got an interesting time
ahead of us in higher education from an admissions perspective.
Christopher, can, can you talk to us about what those changes are
and how you're seeing some of these things that are proposed by the
current administration impacting your ability to recruit
international students?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:09:23]:
I think what we're seeing happening in D.C. is devastating to
higher education and it's basically eliminating opportunities for
international students to study in the United States. And I think
it's a huge brain drain for us because we're going to see the
impact of this for decades because if we're not enrolling these
students, we're certainly not going to be graduating them and
adding them to the workforce, whether it be in the US or if they go
back to their own country or go elsewhere. So those changes
obviously have been restrictions on visas. The pause on visas this
past summer definitely hurt us because it caused delays. We ended
up deferring many students to next year in hopes that they can
still get a visa, but there's no guarantee. The new social media
screening has added complexity to that and has changed students
behaviors and made them much more conscientious about what they can
and should be posting on social media and in what channels. So I
think all of that is affecting it.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:10:21]:
I think the other regulations regarding you have to get your visa
in your home country so you can no longer travel to another country
to get that. It is devastating for some students because our
international students have been very entrepreneurial and
resourceful and determined to get a visa. And so they have flown to
other countries and other embassies to try to get that work done
and now that option won't be there. And so I think it's unfortunate
because it's just barrier after barrier being put in front and we
are just going to continue to see a decline in international
students. And unfortunately there's not the domestic population
that can immediately or fully replace their seats and their
enrollments. And so I think it's definitely caused strain and
commotion in higher education that we didn't, I think, fully expect
to see coming. And so I think that in addition to the enrollment
cliff, this is now a double whammy for higher education and has put
so much pressure that we have not seen in at least in the time that
I've been in higher education, other than again, challenges with
COVID Somewhat joked with colleagues that I was like, gosh, it's
like I almost want to go back to the COVID years because now they
seem not so hard as it does now. We didn't know that then,
right.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:11:36]:
What was coming. So I think, you know, the institutions that are
going to be successful are going to be the ones that can be nimble
and extremely responsive and act diligently regarding either the
finance or the finances, either reducing expenses or generating new
sources of revenue. I mean, those are really your only two options
when you look at the, the financial impact of the international
student enrollment crisis.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:12:04]:
And for many schools that are funded by their state governments,
we've seen that decline over the years and taxpayer dollars being
diverted to other important public services and projects. So it's
really a squeeze point for higher education at the moment with the
international student enrollment component and with those visa
barriers that have been broug on in the last year or so. I've also
seen other countries kind of pick up on that and perk up on that.
The UK has also done some similar things with putting more visa
restrictions on students. So with the UK and the US in combination
going, we're going to be admitting less international students like
Germany have really picked up the mantle. And I've seen some
advertisements where German universities are saying, we know you
probably don't speak German, and getting an education in German is
going to be very hard, but we're going to help you with that. So
come here. We'll teach the language and you can get your
degree.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:12:55]:
So. So I wonder how that's going to shift the market.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:12:57]:
I think we saw that with our neighbors in Canada. I know that there
was some schools that immediately were trying to capture some of
the enrollment that would be coming to the US and it's like, still
come to North America, but just come to Canada. So, I mean, they
were smart in doing it. I don't know how many students actually
followed through on doing that, because if you have your heart set
on coming to the United States, there's certain places that I think
attract our students in our country. The large coastal cities, the
midsize college towns, wherever students feel like there's a fit
and opportunity for them. But, yeah, I think we're going to see
other countries definitely capitalizing and providing some
additional incentives to woo those students. So we. We definitely
have to keep an eye on that.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:40]:
So the picture we've painted so far in our conversation is a lot of
challenges ahead. But what's going well in enrollment management
right now? What are universities that are attracting students still
doing that, that is working in the environment we have today?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:13:54]:
I would say probably the biggest sense of, I think accomplishment
is related to success and a commitment to retention and helping the
student in the most holistic way. So I think since I've been in the
field, I would say this has been the biggest improvement and kind
of mindset the concept that it's cheaper to retain a student than
it is to recruit a student. How can we make sure that our
graduation outcomes continue to increase? Because there is much
scrutiny by the government and other organizations on the outcomes
of higher education, and we still have a long way to go to
demonstrate that. But I think a lot of it is our students need a
lot of academic and social support. We know that there's a lot of
students that experience anxiety and the stress levels of just
everything going on in the world. I think we all need to be
reminded that that just like it affects us, it affects our
students. And if their primary focus is academics and then all of
their extracurricular activities, but then they're worried about
cost or they're worrying about the political environment or they're
worried about things going on in the world. Those are detractors
can set students up to not be successful, you know,
academically.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:15:04]:
So I would say that all of the student success measures from early
alerts and follow up and all of the technology that allows both
students and universities to track student progression I think is
helpful because I think if we can teach students also how to self
manage their progress, it's also teaching them a skill, a lifelong
skill that should help them in their career because this isn't
going to be the first and last time they have to manage life and
all the curveballs at throws. And how do you learn from that?
Because that's. I think one of the things that I love about higher
education is just how much of a learning laboratory it is and how
it transforms the lives of our students. I mean, I even think about
myself as I entered college as a naive only child. So I didn't have
any siblings ahead of me to learn the ropes. But I was grateful
that there were people who took me under their wing and I didn't
realize the value and role of student affairs until I became an
admissions and enrollment management professional. And really it
was working as the coordinator of orientation that I even first
learned about student development theory and that all of these
things that we were doing had data and research behind it as
impactful practices to make a student feel like they belong at an
institution and that they can be successful.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:16:22]:
I think this is a nice tie in to the partnership that's very
natural between student affairs and enrollment management. A lot of
people see that nexus happening at the orientation process.
Sometimes orientation lives in enrollment management, sometimes it
lives in student affairs because we're really kind of establishing
now you're a matriculated student and that student affairs
engagement kind of begins. Can you talk to us, as a former
orientation professional, now enrollment professional about what
you see as the most successful ways to onboard students in
2025?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:16:53]:
A great question. I would say that my mantra on this is high tech,
high touch. I know that's kind of an old school term, but I think
we have to remember that when while digital technology offers some
great efficiencies and offers greater access, you know, to
onboarding and orientating a student to higher education, I still
believe that the personal connection, the personal contact is
equally critical and I would actually say even more important
because our students, while they are such digital natives, we need
to remind them that we still live with and work and engage with
other people in person. And that sense of belonging and what I call
that Human presence factor I think is important. So I think
orientation programs that do both very well. I think there also is
what I think over the years I learned is what I would call a time
release formula or time release model. I think we have a tendency
in higher education to just put everything out there all at once
and like kind of as a menu. But I think there's a value in
releasing content and information and knowledge sharing in stages
as we believe the student needs it and when they engage in, engage
in it.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:18:08]:
And so I really think that orientation starts at the time that a
student pays their deposit and really needs to go through the end
of their very first semester, if not their first year. Because that
first year is still a time of adjustment and for some students it's
a more challenging adjustment. And so I think thinking about that
really almost as an entire year experience is, is critical to make
sure that we're there to support students, students when they need
us at the time they need us because they might know about the
counseling services in over the summer, but until the rubber hits
the road in November and they hit that moment where they are
needing those counseling services, how do we get them that
information at that time? Because we introduced it months ago. And
for them think about how much information has come their way since
then.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:18:57]:
It'll be an interesting shift in our onboarding models to have kind
of maybe weekly touch points or monthly touchpoints with students
in their first year rather than bam, here we go over a full two day
thing or a week thing or whatever our models might look like. I
think it'd be a fascinating exercise in how to capture the
attention of students in an ongoing way. But that time release
formula might be a better way to engage our services and help
students find their place. Because we also know that six week mark
is an important inflection point for students who are going to
persist to the end of their first term and then ultimately into
their second term and hopefully to their second year.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:19:34]:
Yeah, for sure. I have always had a dream and this is a dream that
would require just tons of money. But going back to that human
presence factor, I actually feel like every student who's enrolled
in college needs a four person team that gets assigned to them upon
matriculation at the start of the semester. Even before that four
person team would include their academic advisor, a financial aid
specialist, a career advisor, what I would call a student affairs
or student life or engagement professional. Could you imagine
having a joint conversation with that four person team and the
student student? Because what we do right now, which Just blows my
mind is that I'll just give an example when a student might be
struggling in a class and they have to decide, do I stay in that
class and get a poor grade or withdraw or do I stay in the class
because it could negatively impact my financial aid. So what does
the student do? The student goes to their academic advisor. They
talk about the pros and cons of dropping the class from an academic
perspective. Then the student goes over to the financial aid
person, person and has to discuss what are the pros and cons of
dropping or not dropping the class.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:20:40]:
And then we expect the student to connect the dots between the two
of them. Many students can do that, but some students don't do it
well or can't do it at all. And so imagine the complementariness of
all of those voices being in the same conversation for the
efficiency and the effectiveness of the student to make the best
informed decision at the end of the day. And then again, everybody
kind of knows kind of what's happening. And I just think it's a
more holistic approach. Again, if money was no object, I would
implement it immediately because I just think that students would
benefit from a team of support and the same team that could stay
with them through their entire undergraduate experience.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:21:20]:
That or a cross training model that allows everyone to dabble in
each other's areas a little bit. I've always a big fan of that type
of exercise as well. Which I think leads us to a natural question,
question of what do you, as a primarily professional, wish that
student affairs professionals knew about the world?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:21:36]:
Wow. Well, probably the first thing that comes to mind is, and I
would expect this both ways, I think student affairs would benefit
from knowing and understanding how a student got to that seat in
that class. Like what did it take in terms of effort in order to
attract that student's attention, recruit them to apply, admit
them, and then matriculate them and then vice versa. I would
actually love for a student affairs professional to remind me and
refresh my memory and bring me up to speed on what does it take to
support a student from the day they arrive to the day they
graduate. Right. Because I think sometimes there's so much going on
in our separate worlds and we have to be focused and concentrate on
that, that unfortunately we just don't have the luxury of time
anymore to go shadow or spend time in student affairs. So I also
would love that opportunity to be able to just reminded of what are
the current challenges that our students are facing that are real.
Now I get nuggets of it.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:22:39]:
Because fortunately I have. We have a great student affairs
operation within our academic, school and college. And so I
actually get intel on some of the reasons our students are
visiting, counseling, for example. So it gives me some insights on
what our students, what they're entering with in terms of life
challenges and then challenges that experience them. But I think we
can always do better, understanding each other's worlds that we
live in and then trying to find opportunities to further
collaborate for the benefit of the student. At the end of the day,
it's all about student success. And that can be defined in lots of
different ways at different institutions and for different
students.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:17]:
Going to go ahead and lean into our theme questions for the season
and we're talking about the value of student affairs. And from an
enrollment management perspective, it might look a little
different. But I think this perspective is a great value add for
our season because you see us as kind of an internal external party
where you're part of the team, but we're not in each other's day to
day universes. So our first question is, when you think about the
value of student affairs, what comes to mind first and why?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:23:44]:
The first thing that comes to mind is transformation. Really think
that student affairs is about developing each student's potential
and meeting students where they are and taking them to the next
level. So in terms of, and I think especially developing all of
those soft skills that complement the skills that are being learned
in the classroom and in any academic experience, because I think
that's where the value of higher education is, right? It is about
the degree and it is about the credential and it is about the
academic training. But when I think about the skill set that I
gained as a student through my leadership positions as a student,
and I think those are the things that I use almost every day in my
job and were most transformative for my life. And I see it time and
time again for our students because that's where they feel the
sense of belonging to belonging and contribution.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:37]:
Can you share a specific story or moment when you saw the value of
student affairs come to life?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:24:42]:
I would say this still it was because I experienced it, but then I
got to facilitate it for 300 other students who served as
orientation student leaders. But I do think the summer that I was
an orientation student leader, it definitely transformed my life
because it put me in a position to have that peer to peer
connection with incoming students. But really the major value was
the four weeks of training that I received to prepare to be an
orientation student leader. And I got one College credit for it,
which I was grateful that there was the academic recognition. But
that's where I learned about facilitation and conflict resolution
and leadership skills and communication skills, all of that which
has just benefited me so much in my career. And still to this day,
I get many of our former students who are orientation leaders
describe that experience as very powerful and impactful. And for
many of them, it planted the seed for a career in higher education.
And so I just really feel like those kinds of leadership
development programs that are intense and short term can be just an
incredible gift to our students.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:25:54]:
And to our third question, what do you think student affairs needs
to do to be better understood and better seen in today's
educational environment?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:26:02]:
The first thing that comes to mind is that student affairs is
essential. I don't think we can operate a modern day college or
university without student affairs professionals, without student
development theory grounding our work. And again, this is where we
create that sense of belonging and support that I think also
student affairs are such role models for how to approach this work
in a very personal and with humanity in mind. And I think in the
world that we're living in today, where I feel like humanity is not
number one priority outside of higher education, we have a
responsibility, I think, to role model how we take care of each
other and how we, we care for each other. Right? Because at the end
of the day, to transform those student lives, to make those
students feel like they are better than they realize and that we
have gifted them and taught them so many things where they can
impact the rest of the world because we're counting on them. They
are our future leaders. And so I really, you know, always am
grateful for the work that our student affairs professionals do.
And I always consider myself to be a quasi student affairs
professional.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:27:11]:
I always joke with people that I worked in higher education for 20
years before I got my doctorate in education because my
undergraduate and master's degrees are in communication, which
again, I absolutely loved. But I had so many aha moments when I was
sitting through my doctoral classes and I was like, oh my gosh,
that's what I've been doing for 20 years. Right? So for me, it was
an affirmation that the people who trained me in my work and
mentored me, folks like Stanley henderson and Donna St. John,
really like, took me under their wing and really taught me what I
needed to know and reminded me that I was actually taught by the
best in the field.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:48]:
Christopher, is there anything else you'd like our NASPA listeners
to know about the world of enrollment management and how it impacts
the value of student affairs today.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:27:56]:
Absolutely. Please collaborate with your enrollment management
colleagues. Learn about both the strengths and challenges of their
work and also, I think, be reminded of just the incredible amount
of stress that enrollment management professionals are under these
days and that that stress shows no sign of alleviating. And so
anytime that we can do checks with each other and be there for each
other again, I think we are all reminded every day that we are here
because of the students.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:28:26]:
Christopher, thank you for all of those thoughts, and I'm going to
toss it over to Producer Chris to tell us all about what's going on
in NASA. It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to
producer Chris to learn what's going on in the NASA NASPA
world.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:28:39]:
Hey Jill, great to be back in the NASPA world and there's a ton of
things happening in naspa. Did you know that the knowledge
communities in NASPA are celebrating 25 years of knowledge creation
this year? And this historic milestone is going to be celebrated at
the NASPA annual conference from March 7th through the 11th in
Kansas City, Missouri. For some of you, you may have always known
that knowledge communities have always been a part of NASPA. But
prior to 2001, knowledge communities were considered what were
called networks. In 1989, through a restructure of task forces,
networks, and advisory groups, NASPA approved its first networks
New professionals Small colleges, fraternities and sororities
Ethnic minorities, gay, lesbian, bisexual urban urban gay, lesbian
and bisexual urban institutions Women in student affairs, adult
learners and community colleges. Through the years, these networks
continued to grow organically as members identified and responded
to specific issues of concern in the field. By 2001, the NASPA
board of Directors recognized an opportunity to reshape how these
communities connected and shared expertise. One of our past guests
on our podcast, Betty Simmons, ended up being asked, at the request
of the then NASPA President, Gwen Dungey, to lead a transformation
that would define how NASPA members would engage for the next
quarter century.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:30:14]:
Often affectionately called the grandmother of knowledge
communities, Betty championed a new format that would leverage
emerging technology to communicate communication to facilitate
communication and information sharing among members regardless of
geographic location. So what began as nine networks has evolved
into a dynamic ecosystem of knowledge communities that serve as
portals to naspa. Today's knowledge communities encompass a diverse
range of topics and serve as a hub for developing and connecting
experts across functional areas. Across functional areas, emerging
issues, and member identity identities Knowledge communities have
become the beating heart of how NASA members find their people
share innovation and advance the field. I'm really excited to be
celebrating this at the 2026 Annual Convention at the 2026 Annual
Conference. As someone that started Knowledge community back in
2001, I am so proud of the work that the SAPA Knowledge Community
has done over the years, but really the work of all the Knowledge
Community communities because it truly has become the heart of the
association and a way for all NASPA members to be able to get
engaged in a way that they want to be engaged. So at the NASPA
Annual Conference, the plan this year is to honor this legacy while
looking toward the future of how we connect, learn and lead
together. From Casey specific programming to opportunities to
engage with communities old, old and new, this conference is going
to be designed to help you find your people and deepen your NASPA
experience so you have a great opportunity to be able to identify
with the knowledge communities that you particularly connect
with.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:32:04]:
But also you have an opportunity to be able to test the water. As
you go to the NASPA conference, check out some of the different
knowledge communities, see what's on going they're all about or
start today. Go to the NASPA website and on the NASPA website you
can easily be able to identify and check out all of the knowledge
communities. All you have to do is go on the NASPA website and in
the top bar there is a tab that is called Membership plus
Communities. If you go and hover over that button you can go down
to the Knowledge communities and see all 30 plus knowledge
communities that are out there and see what ones make sense. I
highly encourage you to check them out today and celebrate the
amazing work that the knowledge communities have done, but also the
amazing communities that they have become to allow for you to
connect with and find more of your own people that are passionate
about similar things that you're passionate about. A quick public
policy update for this month over the past month, the federal
government entered the longest shutdown in history, with potential
disruptions to institutions of higher education. However, as many
of you know, a bipartisan funding deal through a continuing
resolution has been voted on, and this continuing resolution would
restore government operations at current levels through January 30,
2026 and provide full funding for select agencies, marking a
meaningful step toward ending the stalemate.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:33:34]:
The Trump administration's Compact for Academic Excellence in
Higher Education continues to to draw widespread opposition, with
most of the nine invited universities, among them mit, Brown, Penn
and the University of Virginia, formally rejecting the proposal
linking federal funding preferences to tuition freezes, enrollment
caps and restrictions on gender and diversity policies. Meanwhile,
the administration's $100,000 fee on new H1B visa petitions has
sparked backlash from higher education, healthcare and business
groups who warn that it will damage research and international
hiring. A coalition of unions, colleges and associations has filed
suit challenging the legality of the fee, arguing it exceeds
presidential authority and was issued without proper rulemaking in
the courts. A major settlement between the Department of Education
and the American Federation of Teachers has restored student loan
forgiveness processing for millions of borrowers under income, drip
driven repayment and public service loan forgiveness programs, with
protections against potential tax liability. Federal judges have
also stepped in to halt Education Department layoffs affecting
civil rights enforcement and to block restrictive campus speech
laws in Texas. As litigation unfolds, higher education institutions
continue to face uncertainty around funding compliance and future
regulatory direction. NASPA has remained active in advocacy efforts
throughout this period, joining higher education coalitions to
oppose the proposed H1B wage level lottery rule and the Department
of Education's expansive Admissions and Consumer Transparency
Supplement, warning of excessive reporting burdens and privacy
risks. NASPA also continues to advocate for restoring funding for
minority serving institutions, preserving support for research and
student aid programs, and in ensuring stability and transparency
amid the ongoing federal shutdown.
Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:35:31]:
You can continue to monitor the 834 active bills across state
legislatures and Congress on the NASPA Policy Hub, which is a
unique benefit only for NASPA members. Every week we're going to be
sharing some amazing things that are happening within the
association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up to
date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to
to get involved in different ways because the association is as
strong as its members and for all of us, we have to find our place
within the association, whether it be getting involved with the
knowledge community, giving back within one of the centers or the
divisions of the association. And as you're doing that, it's
important to be able to identify for yourself where do you fit?
Where do you want to give back each week. We're hoping that we will
share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to
be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity
to be able to say, hey, I see myself in that knowledge community, I
see myself doing something like that, or encourage you in other
ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available
right now to offer other things to the association, to bring you
your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the
members within the association. Because through doing that, all of
us are Stronger and the association is better. Tune in again next
week as we find out more about what is happening in naspa.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:07]:
Chris, thank you so much for always sharing with us what's going on
in and around NASPA and Christopher. We have now reached our
lightning round. I've got seven questions for you in about nine 90
seconds. Are you feeling ready?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:37:19]:
Let's do it.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:20]:
All right, question number one, if you were a conference keynote
speaker, what would your entrance music be?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:37:24]:
Gosh, probably Pink Pony Club.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:26]:
Number two, when you were five years old, what did you want to be
when you grew up?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:37:29]:
Ooh, I actually, I never had anything in mind.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:33]:
Number three, who's your most influential professional mentor?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:37:36]:
Stanley Henderson.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:37]:
Number four, your essential student affairs or higher education
read.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:37:41]:
Ooh. All right, that one's a tough one, I'm going to say. One of
the first books that I read when I became director of admissions
was called the Gatekeepers, and it was Inside the Life of an
Admissions Operation. And it was a fascinating read.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:54]:
Number five, the best TV show you've been binging lately.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:37:57]:
I never watch tv.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:37:58]:
Number six, the podcast you've spent the most hours listening to in
the last year.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:38:01]:
My favorite podcast is actually the podcast version of CBS Sunday
Morning because I just love their feel good stories.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:38:09]:
And finally, number seven, any shout outs you'd like to give,
personal or professional?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:38:13]:
Yes, absolutely. I've already mentioned several of them, but I also
would love to give a shout out to my work wife, Kimberly Buster
Williams, who I do a lot of work with, acro. She has been an
amazing colleague and friend.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:38:26]:
And for those who may not be familiar, ACRO is one of our sister
associations. It stands for the American association of Collegiate
Registrars and Admissions Officers. So they're basically the NASPA
for the side of the house. So if you maybe spend time in both
worlds, it'd be a good thing to check out. Or if you're thinking
about shifting within Higher Education acronym is a great place to
go. Christopher, it's been an incredible and rich dialogue today.
If anyone would like to reach you to have conversations after the
show, how can they find you?
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:38:53]:
Yeah, the best way is through LinkedIn.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:38:55]:
Christopher, thank you so much for sharing your voice with us
today.
Dr. Christopher Tremblay [00:38:58]:
Thank you.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:04]:
This has been an episode of Essay Voices from the Field, brought to
you by naspa. This show is made possible because of you, the
listener listeners. We continue to be so grateful that you choose
to spend your time with us. If you'd like to reach the show, you
can email us at savoices@naspa.org
or find me on LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Jill L. Creighton. We
welcome your feedback and your topic and guest suggestions always.
We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the
show and leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or
wherever you're listening now.
Dr. Jill Creighton [00:39:34]:
It really does help other student affairs professional find the
show and helps us to become more visible in the larger podcasting
community. This episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill
Creighton. That's me. Produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris
Lewis. Special thanks to the University of Michigan,
Flint for your support as we create this
project. Catch you next time.