Flipping the Funnel: How Direct Admissions is Redefining Enrollment Strategy

ZeeMeeSummer Series - Week 2

Episode 211

Dr. James Steen, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Houston Christian University, shares how his team is flipping the traditional admissions funnel on its head. We discuss the challenges facing enrollment leaders today, and why HCU launched a bold Guaranteed Admission Program to simplify access and better serve Gen Z students.

Dr. Steen unpacks how storytelling, early community-building, and the right use of technology (like ZeeMee) are helping students feel a sense of belonging before they ever set foot on campus. It’s a conversation filled with forward-thinking strategies for anyone looking to grow enrollment with purpose and humanity.

🎧 Listen to Learn:

✅ Why direct admission initiatives are becoming more prevalent in higher education

✅ How enrollment competition is intensifying, making it harder to maintain student numbers.

✅ Explore how the Guaranteed Admission Program simplifies enrollment for students.

✅ Why technology should enhance, not replace, personal relationships in enrollment.

✅ How incremental innovation can lead to significant improvements in enrollment strategies.

Join the Discussion:

03:04 - The Role of Innovation in Enrollment Management

08:54 - Guaranteed Admission Program: A New Approach

12:00 -  Aligning with Gen Z Expectations

14:54 -  Building Community Before Enrollment

20:57 - Leveraging Technology for Relationship Building

23:56 - 10,000 Students by 2030

ZeeMee is the #1 student community app, used by millions worldwide. It’s where Gen-Z connects and where colleges drive 2x the apps, 3.6x the yield and half the melt.

ZeeMee analyzes tens of millions of data points on each student in real time, giving colleges access to the largest set of student behavior data and the most accurate predictive model in Higher Ed today.”

Join the movement at ZeeMee.com.

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