St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy Vice President Helps Write the Playbook on Data-Driven Enrollment

Nicole J. Sakraida, vice president for strategic growth, marketing and communications for St. Ambrose University and Mount Mercy University, is a co-author of Beyond the Admissions Funnel: A Practical Guide to Data-Informed Enrollment Management, a new book published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO).

The book is a practical guide to using data across the enrollment cycle to inform recruitment, admissions, financial aid, and enrollment strategy. It is written for admissions and enrollment professionals at every stage, from those new to data-informed work to experienced enrollment leaders looking to build analytics capacity at their institutions.

“Enrollment professionals are being asked to make bigger decisions with fewer resources, and good data helps them make those decisions with confidence,” Sakraida said. “Many enrollment leaders, especially at smaller private institutions and community colleges, do not have dedicated statisticians, established analytics processes or dashboards to guide their decisions. We wrote this book to be practical, a guide that teams at any institution, including universities like St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy, can put to work right away.”

“It was a privilege to collaborate with colleagues at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University whose expertise I have long admired,” Sakraida added. “This collaboration of enrollment leaders across Iowa also reflects a shared commitment to higher education and the students we serve in Iowa and beyond. Bringing together colleagues from different types of institutions allows us to learn from one another and share expertise in ways that strengthen our collective work.”

Sakraida’s co-authors are Kate Ralston, PhD, director for enrollment data analytics at the University of Iowa; Brent A. Gage, PhD, associate vice president for enrollment management and strategy at the University of Iowa; and Greg Forbes, director of enrollment research and analytics at Iowa State University.

“Nicole’s contribution to this national guide reflects the expertise and leadership she brings to our students and our university every day,” said Amy C. Novak, EdD, president and chief executive officer for St. Ambrose University and Mount Mercy University. “Data-informed enrollment strategy is essential to the future of Catholic higher education and to serving students well. We are proud to see her share that knowledge with colleagues across the country.”

Sakraida brings more than 20 years of higher education leadership experience to her role at St. Ambrose and Mount Mercy. She previously served as dean of enrollment management at Rogue Community College in Oregon. She earned AACRAO’s Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement, the first professional from Oregon to receive the distinction, and is pursuing a Doctor of Education in higher education administration at the University of Southern Mississippi.