Many schools believe they are practicing Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM). They have a Director of Enrollment, a marketing strategy, and a financial aid budget, and they’re doing good, thoughtful work. And yet… many are still asking the same questions: -Why isn’t yield where we want it to be? -Why are low-need and full-pay families hesitating (even when you offer financial assistance)? -Why does retention feel harder than it used to? SEM isn’t just a structure or a job title. It’s a broader, school-wide mindset that recognizes enrollment outcomes are shaped by decisions made across the school, including academic programming, scheduling, tuition and billing practices, communication, onboarding, and the overall student and family experience. While you may not oversee all of these areas directly, strong alignment and partnership across teams is essential. In this session, we’ll explore what it really means to operate with a SEM mindset and where schools, very understandably, get stuck. Drawing on school-based leadership, national perspective, and work with schools across the country, we’ll share practical insights, guiding questions, and clear next steps you can take back to your campus to assess your current approach and begin building stronger alignment across your school. Participants will gain the resources and skills to: -Distinguish between an admissions-led approach and a school-wide strategic enrollment mindset -Identify key school decisions that influence enrollment and retention -Recognize how program, policy, and operations shape family decision-making