AI Can’t Replace Relationships: How Two Universities Are Getting Personalization Right in Enrollment
In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping higher education, two SightLine university partners, Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) and Longwood University (Longwood), are proving that personal, human-driven engagement remains a key differentiator in student recruitment. Interviews with admissions leaders at these institutions highlight the profound impact of meaningful, one-on-one communication in the enrollment process.
The Role of Human Connection in Enrollment Success
Many universities rely heavily on automated communication to streamline outreach, but IWU and Longwood have taken a balanced approach. Their admissions teams have found that personal interaction–whether through phone calls, individualized emails, text messages or getting to shake hands on campus tours– makes a significant difference in enrollment outcomes.
Danny Solms, Vice President for Enrollment at IWU, shared how much hard work and consistency is required to meet their enrollment goals. “I'll take a look at each admissions counselor. How many admitted students they have, and then how many completed communications they have. Not campaigns. How many phone calls did they complete? How many emails were one-to-one? The magic number for my team was about 14. If they averaged 14 completed communications, those were the individuals who met or exceeded their enrollment goals.”, said Danny.
We know that this goes beyond volume and scale, it is about real connection, emphasizing the importance of one-to-one communications.
Similarly, Jason "Ferg" Ferguson, Dean of Admissions at Longwood University, emphasized the importance of genuine relationships in enrollment success. He mentioned that one of his mentors at a prior institution used to hand sign every admissions letter in beautiful calligraphy. Ferg may not have beautiful penmanship, but he understood the value of the human touch.
“The e-mail I sent today, I wrote it in a way that was obviously not written by AI. It was ‘I’m just checking in on you, let me know if you need anything’… you know almost like a text but it was something that was very quick and to the point. I sent that 20 minutes before we got on [this call] and my inbox is filling up. Kids are responding.”, Ferg shared during the interview.
Both institutions emphasize that trust leads to enrollment decisions. Students and their families are more likely to engage in deeper, more honest conversations about financial aid, concerns, and challenges when they feel a connection with someone at the university.
Financial Aid as a Relationship-Driven Process
Financial aid discussions can be among the most sensitive factors in college decision-making. Many families, particularly those with high financial need, struggle to self-advocate for additional support. The IWU and Longwood admissions teams have recognized that strong relationships built during the early stages of recruitment become invaluable when the time comes for families to navigate financial aid.
From Danny’s experience at IWU he said, “The thing I've been emphasizing to the admissions counselors as we prepare them to do financial aid follow up is, if you haven't worked hard in the fall and early winter to build that relationship, it's going to be more difficult for you to get that family to be really transparent with you as they're looking at that aid offer.”
One particularly moving story from IWU, shared by Danny, involved a student who lived with his grandmother, who was about to transition into long-term care. When asked what would happen to him once she moved into a facility, the student hesitated and admitted, “I don’t know where my dad’s at. I could track down my mom. I don’t know if she’d let me live with her. I’ve got some friends.”
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Danny guided the student through a process to get additional support. “I encouraged him—you need to go to your guidance counselor and talk to them about these circumstances,” the admissions leader explained. “I said, this is an awful word, and I hate to use it with you, but it might be to your benefit to be declared homeless.”
By working with the student's church, the university, and its advancement team, IWU was able to provide financial and community support to ensure the student could attend college. “Between the university and the church, advancement went out and got some donations, and we were able to get this student to Indiana Wesleyan,” said Danny. Without personal involvement, this student would have slipped through the cracks.
At Longwood, Ferg highlighted how their admissions team almost works as a triage station for students and parents. Longwood leadership decided to move the financial aid office into the same building as admissions which has really streamlined communications when a student calls admissions about financial concerns.
“We’re not going to push you off on the phone having you call around campus, we are going to physically take you where you need to be or make sure we’re doing the work and the put you in contact with the right people.”, said Ferg.
The Importance of Community in College Selection
For many students, selecting a college is less about prestige and more about finding a place where they feel comfortable and supported. Both IWU and Longwood prioritize helping students see where they fit within the campus community.
After a recent email that Danny sent out, one parent even left a voicemail saying, “I don’t know if this was really for me, if it was automated, but I have some questions. Can you give me a call?” Since Danny and others at IWU had already been consistently, and personally, communicating with families, this parent felt comfortable responding to Danny specifically.
Ferg shared that Longwood takes a similar approach, ensuring students feel a sense of connection. The connections that Ferg makes with prospective students are memorable ones at that. He regularly meets groups of students and parents at the admissions offices before they go out on campus tours.
Ferg shared a story about a father and son in one of the groups, and it turned out that Ferg had been the admissions counselor for the father at a different college years ago when Ferg had first started his career. That father remembered Ferg and even still had his cell phone number saved in his phone. To this day, now that Ferg is the Dean of Admissions at Longwood, he still shares his cell phone number with families and makes sure he is available when anything comes up.
Balancing AI with Authentic Engagement
While AI can certainly enhance efficiency in admissions, both IWU and Longwood emphasize that it should supplement rather than replace human interaction. AI may help optimize communication timing and personalize outreach at scale, but it cannot replicate the deep, trust-based relationships that admissions counselors build with students and their families.
At Longwood, Ferg shared that their admissions team leverages technology to facilitate, not replace, human connection. When asked about the need to scale up outreach versus the need to still have relationship building, Ferg responded, “I mean it’s a huge, huge debate. The idea that we can get our CRM to do this, we can get AI to do this. I agree, you can find that balance. But I think that folks, and I say folks meaning both parents and students, are savvy enough now where they read through those lines.”
Danny at IWU also pointed out a shortcoming of AI, where it may not identify language that may be more confusing to students. For example, IWU was not performing as well as they would have liked with enrolling students with undeclared majors. IWU has a very well-developed program in their Center for Life Calling, for students to get extra support in finding a major once they enroll. It is a program that fits their mission, as a faith-affiliated institution, of helping students understand who God has created them to be and how that fits into their career opportunities and goals. Students didn’t understand the language around an “exploratory program” that IWU was using in their communications.
This human insight has led IWU to rethink its web presence and outreach strategies. By incorporating more widely understood terms like “undeclared” and “undecided” rather than the internal term “exploratory program,” they are working to make their resources more accessible to prospective students who are still exploring their academic path.
Final Thoughts: Human Connection as a Competitive Advantage
As the higher education landscape becomes increasingly competitive and financially strained, institutions that prioritize personal engagement—like IWU and Longwood—may find themselves better positioned for long-term success. Their approaches offer compelling case studies for universities looking to strengthen recruitment and retention through the power of human connection.
Whether it’s a well-timed phone call, an extra scholarship recommendation, or a life-changing intervention for a student in crisis, these stories illustrate that, in college admissions, authentic relationships matter more than ever, and we could all use a Danny and a Ferg on our enrollment teams!
