As the University’s new vice president for enrollment strategy, Michael Gratale brings a data-informed approach to attracting students who will be a great fit for Fordham. In his 10 years in enrollment at Columbia’s School of General Studies, where he served as senior associate dean of enrollment management and chief technology officer, he achieved record application and yield rates (the percentage of admitted students who actually enroll) by modernizing their recruitment processes.
That data expertise is essential today, said Gratale. Crunching the numbers on students’ academic interests, for instance, can help the University build support for popular programs. Data can also be predictive: attending an event or scheduling an appointment with an advisor can help foretell an admitted student’s commitment to coming to Fordham.
“The ability to make more accurate predictions allows you to shape the student experience to better meet their needs,” said Gratale.
Below, Gratale speaks about how the admissions process has changed over the years and explains why the looming “enrollment cliff” presents an opportunity for Fordham.
You were at Columbia’s School of General Studies for 10 years. How did the college admissions and enrollment sphere change during that time?
It became more data-informed. COVID helped accelerate that because it forced every area to be digital. And then once you’re fully digital, you have access to all this data.
Test-optional admissions also became a broadly accepted approach. You still want to make sure you’re evaluating applicants to set them up for success. So that has meant looking at their entire body of work more heavily, giving more weight to GPA, class rank, courses taken, experiences, accomplishments, and leadership roles, as well as recommendations, essays, and sometimes, interviews.
What attracted you to Fordham?
The Jesuit mission. We’re not just here to educate; we’re here to set students on a journey of transformation. To have a community of people that really cares about students in every dimension, and the fact that they’re being shaped to then give back to that community—it’s profound. It just aligns really well with what I want to do with my life.
What do you think are the big challenges ahead in college enrollment? How worried should we be about the enrollment cliff?
There are federal challenges around decreases in student aid and international students, and I think the enrollment cliff poses a challenge. There will be fewer and fewer students for the next 15 years [largely due to falling birthrates after the 2008 Great Recession]. But I think for us, it’s an opportunity. The reason I am optimistic is, I’ve only been here a month, and everyone in my personal and professional network that is a Fordham grad has come out of the woodwork to tell me so. They just rave about how much they love this place.
We have a great product and a great student experience, and that creates an opportunity to reach beyond our region and become broader-serving, both nationwide and globally.
Are there parts of Fordham’s enrollment process that you plan to update as you did at Columbia?
I have always believed that the best solutions come from the people who are closest to the students. And so my approach is to speak with as many people as possible and listen closely to hear what challenges the students and staff are facing, and where there are opportunities for growth.
I’m also relying on the team to point to where there is friction in all the processes that touch students to identify what can be automated, so we can put more into elevating the human experience with prospective students. We want to maximize the quality of every interaction that we’re having, especially face-to-face, when they walk into the enrollment services office, attend a prospective student event, or meet an admissions counselor on the road.
What has your first month at Fordham been like?
Fantastic. Incredibly busy. There are so many great people to meet. Everyone’s been so friendly and warm.
I started on Opening Day, so I started really early in the morning, greeting families with water bottles as they pulled into the parking lot. And I stayed till the candle lighting ceremony on Eddies Parade.
And I’ve felt that vibe the whole time I’ve been here. No one wants to settle, everyone wants to do more, and do better, and pursue the mission earnestly. You wonder as a new person entering any new organization, is it going to be what you thought it was? And it’s better.
