Western Michigan University Chooses Salesforce.org to Increase Enrollment

When Associate Provost for Enrollment Management Terrence Curran joined Western Michigan University in 2016, he knew they had to make a change to their enrollment strategy—and fast.

Despite being one of the country’s best directional universities, Western Michigan University had been experiencing a multi-year downward trend in enrollment and was losing ground to other schools in the state and across the country. At the heart of the issue was a legacy technology system that didn’t allow the university to effectively communicate with its student population. Data was spread across more than a dozen siloed systems, and they had no way to track and engage with students throughout their lifecycle.

Terrence and his team knew they had to find a platform that could easily connect all of these systems and give them a complete view of their students—from prospect to alumni. So they turned to Salesforce.org.

“We needed a CRM that could improve the student experience, and Salesforce.org was the standout choice for us,” said Terrence Curran, associate provost for enrollment management, Western Michigan University. “They had the best track record in the higher education market, we’re able to easily integrate their platform into our current system, and they had the most robust toolset.”

With the help of Salesforce.org, Western Michigan University is in the process of transforming the student experience, starting with enrollment. They’ve identified seven new out-of-state enrollment zones to attract more students around the country. But it’s not just about getting students in the door. They plan to use analytics to monitor and evaluate student success.

“When you come to WMU, you come for life,” said Terrence. Go Broncos!