Even though we have gotten used to having COVID19 as part of daily life, we are still uncertain on how next school year will unfold. To forecast and get ready for news school year, we are talking to industry experts to get the industry insights. In our continued series, we recently had an opportunity to sit with Mr. Jonathan Lindsay, Vice President of enrollment at Goucher College. Our Head of Sales, Jeff Harrison conducted the interview over a video call and by maintaining the social distancing. Jonathan Lindsay, a longtime educator who specializes in recruiting and retaining millennial students, is the Vice President of enrollment at Goucher College.

Watch the full interview with Mr. Lindsay to hear insightful information about the impacts of this global pandemic on the college recruitment process. Obviously, this unexpected shift to remote learning was abrupt for everyone and all colleges are experimenting with different solutions to accommodate for this drastic shift.

Mr. Lindsay details how faculty at Goucher College are rethinking off and on-campus offerings by providing opportunities like virtual arenas to serve as campus visits.

Moreover, Jonathan Lindsay discusses the long-term effects of this sudden change and highlights the potential for better use of technology in society. Listen to this interview to learn how improved technology adoption can enhance convenience and customer service across the higher education industry.

Another interesting topic Mr. Lindsay covers is international recruitment and what remote learning means for students studying abroad. His insights are in line with the findings of a survey conducted with college admissions officer by Cirkled In where admission officers project a big decline in international student enrollment over next 2 years. In addition to this, Mr. Lindsay converses about how Goucher College is continuing their recruitment efforts for the next class of students through virtual events.

Most insightful of all, Jonathan Lindsay shares his thoughts on moving beyond the traditional admissions process that relies heavily on GPA and test scores when evaluating applicants.

He hopes the global pandemic will prompt admissions officers around the world to instead look more deeply within their applicant pools to find those with curious and resilient minds, instead of just a test score.

Goucher College is already “test-optional” and now looking at more holistic review of the candidates.

To hear more about Mr. Lindsay’s fascinating insight and thoughts, watch the full video here. Also read our report on survey of 1,100 high school students with insights on impact on COVID-19 on their higher education plans.

Jonathan Lindsay has built a long career in higher education, though it was not the path he originally envisioned. He first came to the United States as a high school exchange student and later chose to pursue college here.

Jonathan Lindsay began his career as a student employee in the Financial Aid Office during college. After graduation, he accepted a Financial Aid Counselor position.

He has worked for more than 35 years at small private colleges. His experience includes recruitment, retention, marketing, communications, finance, administration, and planning.

He currently serves as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Goucher College. The college is known for being the first U.S. institution to require study abroad for all students.

Throughout his career, he has also participated in several professional organizations. His greatest satisfaction comes from meeting prospective students and their families.