Connecticut community colleges need good data quality to attract and retain students

The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities' Board of Regents for Higher Education announced that it hired a renowned education consulting firm, called Maguire Associates, to harvest and analyze data about its student population so it can combat trends that are impacting student recruitment and retention.

A recent testimony by interim president Philip Austin explains that enrollment has plateaued since 2010, while state block grants declined and tuition hikes were approved. With these factors combined, the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system needs to identify better ways to appeal to prospective students. 

With new analytics tactics like big data to harness a wider range of information and data quality tools to verify the content is all accurate and complete, organizations are finding they can spot unexpected trends. This can provide insights into current circumstances, such as thinning applicant pools, and also predict future directions. 

That is exactly what the The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities' Board is looking to do with this study, reports the News Times. In additional to enrollment numbers, the board has asked Maguire Associates to provide estimates for acceptance capacities at its 17 campuses, recruitment gaps and state population numbers by gender, race and age in 2022.