William Dindy

There are benefits of learning trades online, but there still needs to be a hands-on component to any online trades program. This might be done as an externship following the online portion of the program, or a program that includes both online and in-class components. 

Technical skills are required to be successful, but to be truly successful, one must also practice critical thinking skills and be able to understand not only what they are doing, but why they are doing it.

Online students should not struggle to find information in their courses. This frustration can be avoided by creating courses that are easy to navigate. 

It is a prospective student's value of our institution that defines our value and every student is different. The goal is to demonstrate our value to every student. This can only be achieved by having a thorough knowledge or the institution as it relates to the individual student you are working with.

I learned that 100 qualified leads does not equal 100 enrollments. Unfortunately, not all senior executives understand this funnel and expect more enrollments based on the number of inquiries we receive. by educating them, we can better forecast more accurate enrollments, which will help in the budgeting process.

The Professional Leadership Development Plan  is a helpful tool that I can use for myself and also share with other aspiring leaders in my organization. 

I learned that leadership and management are not interchangeable terms. Rather, their roles are well-defined, but often confused. Also, the idea that you can't teach someone to be a leader is a myth.

Not everyone can be a manager. It takes more than simply being good at what you do. You also need to possess certain people skills and the ability to influence others.  

While direct incentive compensation for admissions staff is prohibited, admissions staff can still be fairly compensated for skills and traits that will likely result in high enrollments. This incentivizes hard work and professional development and prevents predatory practices. 

As hard as it may be, schools should avoid "bashing" their competitors in order to convince a prospective student that they have the better program, or better campus. Rather, they should highlight all the positive aspects of their institution and let the school sell itself.