We invite you to submit a session proposal and share your unique perspectives, insights, and successes with us at the 2023 virtual SEMM Forum.
Curious about what we're looking for in a proposal?
Relevance, Replicability and “Freshness”
We want you to submit proposals that will allow you to show others how to do what you did, so it might benefit their institution. Offering your perspective and insights on topics that are relevant to leaders in SEM such as:
Clear Learning Outcomes
Be as specific as you can about what you want your presentation to “produce” and how you will make this happen. Conference participants want knowledge and skills to take back to their home campuses and apply immediately.
Metrics or Measurements
What measures of success did you apply to this initiative, program, or innovation? How did you use metrics to evaluate the success of your goals for this project, and what did you learn from this process? (Pro Tip: It can also be helpful to identify unexpected outcomes - not just the goals you made at the start of the process.)
Compelling & Engaging
Give your presentation a title and description that will inform and attract that right audience to your session and seek opportunities to engage participants with interesting examples or case studies and opportunities to address their specific questions.
Our goal is student success. The outcome is institutional success.
When professionals learn from peers at other institutions and share Canadian-made solutions across silos, organizational goals can be achieved and students benefit as a result.
SEMM Forum provides an opportunity for everyone on campus to have a positive and sustainable impact on the institutional outcomes that support student success.
Register NowThe SEMM Forum is for anyone involved in attracting, recruiting, or engaging students in their post-secondary experience in Canada. This includes strategic enrolment leaders, marketers, recruiters, registrars, senior administration, deans, student services and other professionals.
Here are some of the job titles of those that attended recent SEMM Forums:
See what past attendees say about the SEMM Forum.
"Every presentation I attended was well prepared, delivered professionally and had clear takeaways. It doesn't matter if you have been in the field for less than two years or 15 years. You will leave with knowledge you can start applying now."
Chanelle Landriault
Recruitment Manager, Le Collège Boréal
"SEMM is Canada's conversation. Participants come together to share their knowledge, experience and accomplishments with openness and a real willingness to help one another. It's like coming home to sit around the table with those who care about what I have to say and from whom I learn great lessons."
Mary Ross
Registrar, University Canada West
"As an Associate Vice Provost, Strategic Enrolment Management, at one of Canada's medical doctoral universities, I appreciate the opportunity to connect with a variety of individuals (senior leaders through to those new to the field) to discuss emerging topics, trends, and best practices. I have not attended in a few years, and it reminded me that our environmental and cultural contexts are continuously changing and it is important to keep engaged."
Alison Pickrell
Assistant Vice Provost, SEM, University of Saskatchewan
"As someone who is new to the field of recruitment, the SEMM forum provides not only "point in time" information, but credible and informed speakers to deliver it. Content, format, collaboration, expert delivery and support all combine to provide a Canadian event with great perspective."
Georgine Van de Mosselaer
Director of Advancement, Booth University College
"I've attended the SEMM Forum for several years now, and have always left with new ideas. I would definitely recommend those in education consider this event, be it delivered virtually or in-person."
Rita Chen
Senior Manager, International Business Development, Seneca College
"The SEMM Forum is one of Canada's best opportunities to grow a deep understanding of enrolment management and marketing. The program is top-notch and so are the attendees; rarely do I see this type of high quality interaction between presenters and participants."
JP Rains
Director, Digital Strategy & Communications, Laurentian University
"The information presented was relevant to a wide range of post-secondary administrators. This is extremely important as communication between all levels of administration such as recruitment, marketing, student services, admissions and all other facets is needed in recruitment, retention and graduation initiatives."
Lorretta Neebar
Registrar & Director of Enrolment Management, University of Toronto Mississauga
"The SEMM Forum offers an insightful and engaging look at leading research and activity taking place across the higher-education landscape in Canada. It is a high-value learning opportunity for SEM professionals!"
Mark Kolanko
Associate Registrar, Enrolment, St. Francis Xavier University
"I have worked in higher education communications for seven years but I just recently started a role focused on strategic recruitment communications. SEMM Forum was an incredibly timely and valuable introduction to a side of the student life cycle that is largely unfamiliar to me. I have some building blocks for success as I enter into this next chapter of my career. Thank you!"
Allie Downing
Senior Communications Strategist, Recruitment & Admissions Enrolment Services, Wilfrid Laurier University
"I enjoyed learning from others in the field of enrollment management, marketing, and recruitment. The diverse perspectives they shared during the SEMM Forum were insightful and encouraging, and left me energized bringing back ideas for my institution."
Daniel Deschenes
Recruitment Officer, Campus Visitors, Brock University
"The SEMM Forum consistently provides a solid program with great opportunities to learn from and interact with our colleagues."
Tom Brophy
Senior Director, Student Affairs and Services, Saint Mary's University
(2023 Speakers to be announced)
Director, Co-op, Career & Experiential Education,
Brock University
Associate Vice President Enrolment Management,
St. Thomas University
University Registrar & Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Services,
Brock University
Manager, Services for New Students,
Concordia University
Director, Work Integrated Learning,
CEWIL Canada
Associate Director, SEM Implementation,
British Columbia Institute of Technology
Manager, Strategic Initiatives in Student Affairs,
X University
Manager, Community and Student Affairs,
Algonquin College
Graduate Recruitment and Outreach Officer,
McGill University
AVP, Marketing,
SAIT
Indigenous Liaison Officer,
Conestoga College
Director, Communications,
CPABC
Senior Student Recruitment Officer,
CPABC
Co-Founder,
The Ambassador Platform
Senior Manager, International Recruitment & Market Development,
Fanshawe College
Manager, Indigenous Recruitment,
University of Alberta
Associate Director, Enrolment Service Operations,
Dalhousie University
Program Coordinator - Student Financial Support,
University of Alberta
Dean, Teaching and Learning,
College of New Caledonia
Dean, Health Sciences,
College of New Caledonia
Indigenous Student Recruitment Officer,
Concordia University
Facilitator of Academic Advising Support,
Concordia University
Indigenous Outreach Officer,
Loyalist College
Chief Academic Officer,
LaSalle College Vancouver
Academic Program Developer,
LaSalle College Vancouver
Chair & Co-founder,
UniQuest
International Audience Lead | Head of Student Recruitment,
RMIT University
Partner,
CRi
Senior Researcher,
HEQCO
Researcher,
HEQCO
President,
Brainstorm Strategy Group Inc.
Communications Specialist,
CPABC
Digital Marketing Coordinator,
CPABC
Higher education consultant,
Edified
Partner,
Edified
Campus Program Manager,
QuadReal Property Group
Director, Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience,
PwC Canada
Director, Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience,
Aecon Group Inc.
(2023 Schedule to be announced )
Day 1
Founder & President, Brainstorm Strategy Group
Graham Donald is one of North America’s leading experts on attracting, recruiting, and engaging students and graduates.
He founded Brainstorm Strategy Group Inc. in 2003 to focus on improving students’ school-to-work transition by advising and training both the employers that hire students and the educators who support their career development on campus.
His clients have included KPMG, PwC, University of Toronto, Deloitte, GE, McGill University, HSBC, UBC, Rutgers University, Kraft, and many others.
He chairs several conferences annually including the Campus Recruiting Forums in cities across Canada and the USA; the Canadian Career Development Summit; and, the Strategic Enrolment Marketing & Management Forum. He also speaks regularly at conferences across the US and Canada.
Graham Donald is a firm believer in the value of a general arts education and makes use every day of the skills he developed pursuing a double-major in English and Literary Studies. He received both his BA and MBA from the University of Toronto.
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Why did a prospective student to apply to your institution? That is one of many questions that recruiters and higher-ed professionals ask themselves nowadays. With a plethora...
Why did a prospective student to apply to your institution? That is one of many questions that recruiters and higher-ed professionals ask themselves nowadays. With a plethora of possible strategies, it is increasingly challenging to implement the "right" one. Afterwards, how do you assess the results? In this informative presentation you will learn from McGill University using our real-world examples of graduate student recruitment, marketing, and outreach.
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Graduate Recruitment and Outreach Officer, McGill University
As a group of colleagues exploring the conversation about challenges with racism, we would like to share our journey of reflection, learning, and growth and our influence...
As a group of colleagues exploring the conversation about challenges with racism, we would like to share our journey of reflection, learning, and growth and our influence across the institution.
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Dean, Health Sciences, College of New Caledonia
Dean, Teaching and Learning, College of New Caledonia
From Sept 30 -- The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation until Oct 6, 2021, the University of Alberta hosted, for the first time in school history, Free Application Days...
From Sept 30 -- The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation until Oct 6, 2021, the University of Alberta hosted, for the first time in school history, Free Application Days for First Nations, Metis and Inuit (FNMI) applicants. This unprecedented and important initiative, which brought together strategic enrollment and marketing stakeholders from across the Registrar's Office, resulte in year-over-year increase of 35% in direct-entry Indigenous applicants. However, the story of how an equity-seeking idea materializes into a Reconili-"Action" is a dramatic one. Via moderated interview of the Co-Chairs of the Working Group on Indigenous Free Application Day (WGIFAD), presenters will tell the vital story of the heroes and villians of Free App Days, the challenges, the perils, and ultimately the victory. This will be a vital story to hear for any strategic enrollment and marketing specialist at any major Canadian institution who desires to advance reconiliation and respond thoughtfully to any of the "94 Calls to Action" of the Truth and Reconciliation Comission.
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Program Coordinator - Student Financial Support, University of Alberta
Associate Director, Enrolment Service Operations, Dalhousie University
Manager, Indigenous Recruitment, University of Alberta
International students who do not speak English as their first language can succeed in meeting language admissions requirements by leveraging test taking techniques and...
International students who do not speak English as their first language can succeed in meeting language admissions requirements by leveraging test taking techniques and strategies associated with the major standardized language tests. This, however, may not accurately reflect their language proficiency. These students often struggle in their academic programs, having to repeat courses or move through with low achievement levels and minimal understanding of course content. How can we support these students with their language fluency and set them up for better outcomes? This presentation details our effort to systematically address this through a re-imagining and re-positioning of our English for Academic (EAP) program including the development and deployment of an in-house diagnostic test to help determine academic placement. The session will also address the challenges faced and strategies used in administering this intervention as it relates to student and admission staff perceptions. We end this session with some initial observations about the impact this is having on students' academic progression and success.
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Academic Program Developer, LaSalle College Vancouver
Chief Academic Officer, LaSalle College Vancouver
With over 38,000 CPA members and 6,000 candidates and students, the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) is the second largest professional...
With over 38,000 CPA members and 6,000 candidates and students, the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC) is the second largest professional organization in BC. CPABC’s primary mandate is to protect the public and to do so, we need to ensure the profession can meet the current and future demand for CPAs by continuing to recruit and enroll CPA students. Our Student Recruitment & Employer Relations team delivered 99 info sessions and events to post-secondary students in April 2020 to March 2021 and our efforts are supported and augmented by robust low-cost digital marketing efforts from our External Communications team. Using a digital-focused marketing strategy, the two teams work collaboratively to engage and recruit post-secondary students to the CPA program by working with post-secondary institutions, their career centres, faculty, and student clubs and associations to support our future talent pool with their school to work transition. In this presentation, we will share how our in-house communications and student recruitment teams collaborate to deliver a cost-effective, multi-platform digital marketing strategy that engages post-secondary students. The presentation will showcase how CPABC has leveraged their student recruitment events, social media platforms (e.g. TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn), and communications tools and resources (e.g. e-newsletters, editorials, podcasts) to provide resources for post-secondary students and recruit them into the CPA profession.
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Communications Specialist, CPABC
Digital Marketing Coordinator, CPABC
Senior Student Recruitment Officer, CPABC
Director, Communications, CPABC
We know that the majority of students attend university or college to improve their career prospects. The inherent promise is that our graduates will have more choice, a more...
We know that the majority of students attend university or college to improve their career prospects. The inherent promise is that our graduates will have more choice, a more fulfilling career, and higher income. While many individuals and organizations influence the curriculum at our institutions, we rarely hear from the talent acquisition professionals who engage with students, interview them, and ultimately help them launch their careers. Join us for this panel of campus recruiting professionals from diverse organizations that are involved directly in hiring your students and graduates. We'll address questions such as:
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Campus Program Manager, QuadReal Property Group
Director, Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience, PwC Canada
Director, Talent Acquisition and Employee Experience, Aecon Group Inc.
They say you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Edified’s 2021 UK Enquiry Experience Tracker certainly proved that to be the case. In 2021 Edified ran...
They say you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Edified’s 2021 UK Enquiry Experience Tracker certainly proved that to be the case. In 2021 Edified ran a mystery shopping exercise to test how 54 UK universities respond to student enquiries from domestic and international students. The research included 6 personas enquiring through multiple channels at each university.The results are fascinating and this presentation will share the data/insights and provide some practical recommendations on what universities can do to improve management of student enquiries. Practitioners will also share their experiences on the challenges and solutions when working inside complex organizations and finally, how these insights relate to the Canadian market.
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Higher education consultant, Edified
International Audience Lead | Head of Student Recruitment, RMIT University
Chair & Co-founder, UniQuest
Partner, Edified
While the transition from high school to PSE is often complicated, those making that transition during the pandemic have done so with the added disruptions of school closures...
While the transition from high school to PSE is often complicated, those making that transition during the pandemic have done so with the added disruptions of school closures and online learning. Researchers at HEQCO conducted a survey of students who entered postsecondary from high school in 2020-21 to learn from their experiences. This presentation will share results from our survey including students’ perceptions of the pandemic’s impact on their learning, challenges they encountered, factors that supported their success, and their evolving openness to online learning. The presenters will also summarize HEQCO’s recommendations to colleges and universities with a view to helping students transition to and succeed in postsecondary studies.
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Senior Researcher, HEQCO
Researcher, HEQCO
Day 2
We are proposing a balance of presentation with an interactive Q&A.; We will be taking a case study approach in conjunction with one of our customers Fanshawe College in Canada...
We are proposing a balance of presentation with an interactive Q&A.; We will be taking a case study approach in conjunction with one of our customers Fanshawe College in Canada who will be a co-presenter and available for Q&A.; We will add additional case study insights where appropriate to bring our presentation to life.
The core learning points from our presentation will be:
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Senior Manager, International Recruitment & Market Development, Fanshawe College
Co-Founder, The Ambassador Platform
In this joint presentation between Concordia University, Ryerson University and CRi Inc., we will explore the process of getting a functioning and effective retention system in...
In this joint presentation between Concordia University, Ryerson University and CRi Inc., we will explore the process of getting a functioning and effective retention system in place. This will include a look at how the institutions identify students at risk and the methods they use to reach out to them. We'll share insights into how these processes got started, what went right, what went wrong, and lessons we learned along the way. We'll also discuss how to get entering students to take part and what we found to be the most effective messaging and methods of reaching out to students. And finally, we'll provide examples of what the students themselves say about the interventions they received.Join us for this opportunity to learn from our successes and mistakes and you'll be rewarded with ideas and processes you can implement on your own campus.
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Manager, Services for New Students, Concordia University
Manager, Strategic Initiatives in Student Affairs, X University
Facilitator of Academic Advising Support, Concordia University
Partner, CRi
Almost every student (and their families) are thinking about career outcomes when they consider prospective post-secondary institutions. This is one of the reasons for the...
Almost every student (and their families) are thinking about career outcomes when they consider prospective post-secondary institutions. This is one of the reasons for the growth of co-op programs as well as "career-focused" majors. It is also one of the reasons that enrolment has suffered for many programs that are perceived as less "practical". At the same time, many students suffer academically, or drop out altogether, when they are unable to find a career goal to motivate them to succeed.
Join us as this panel of experts in career development, co-operative education, and all forms of work-integrated learning discuss how their institutions have been able to address students' career concerns; create opportunities for them to succeed academically in any major; and, transition confidently from academic studies into fulfilling careers. You'll not only hear about the growth of these programs, but also how they have become key components in achieving institutional goals.
Listen in and discover ways to ensure that student career development becomes a fundamental component of your student recruitment and enrolment management strategy.
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Director, Work Integrated Learning, CEWIL Canada
Director, Co-op, Career & Experiential Education, Brock University
An overview of the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program. The evolution from an informal grassroots group of Indigenous recruitment officers to a non-competitive...
An overview of the Aboriginal Post-Secondary Information Program. The evolution from an informal grassroots group of Indigenous recruitment officers to a non-competitive formalized group over the past decade. This presentation will highlight how APSIP has pivoted to an online virtual tour during the pandemic. It will also explore how we will integrate these new skills to maintain and promote our community connections throughout the year with Indigenous Learners, Educators and Community Education Advocates.
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Indigenous Liaison Officer, Conestoga College
Indigenous Outreach Officer, Loyalist College
Indigenous Student Recruitment Officer, Concordia University
Each institution has a different experience with strategic enrolment management. But there is plenty of common ground as well and there are tremendous benefits to sharing...
Each institution has a different experience with strategic enrolment management. But there is plenty of common ground as well and there are tremendous benefits to sharing practices among peers.
Join us for this lively discussion about the challenges and successes experienced on campuses across Canada. We'll explore questions such as:
What are the most difficult aspects of managing SEM?
How do you know when you are successful?
What are the biggest barriers to success?
How do you get faculty to support change?
Who are your most important allies?
Listen in on the discussion and take the opportunity to pose your own questions to the panel. Hear how others have overcome difficulties and get a fresh perspective on your own efforts.
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Associate Vice President Enrolment Management, St. Thomas University
University Registrar & Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Services, Brock University
Associate Director, SEM Implementation, British Columbia Institute of Technology
Manager, Community and Student Affairs, Algonquin College
Founder & President, Brainstorm Strategy Group
Graham Donald is one of North America’s leading experts on attracting, recruiting, and engaging students and graduates.
He founded Brainstorm Strategy Group Inc. in 2003 to focus on improving students’ school-to-work transition by advising and training both the employers that hire students and the educators who support their career development on campus.
His clients have included KPMG, PwC, University of Toronto, Deloitte, GE, McGill University, HSBC, UBC, Rutgers University, Kraft, and many others.
He chairs several conferences annually including the Campus Recruiting Forums in cities across Canada and the USA; the Canadian Career Development Summit; and, the Strategic Enrolment Marketing & Management Forum. He also speaks regularly at conferences across the US and Canada.
Graham Donald is a firm believer in the value of a general arts education and makes use every day of the skills he developed pursuing a double-major in English and Literary Studies. He received both his BA and MBA from the University of Toronto.
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May 10 - 11, 2023
Virtual
Register before Feb 2
Register before Feb 23
Register before April 27
Register before May 11
Bring your whole team! Learn together and benefit from group discounts.
Groups must register together; registrations may be transferred among colleagues at any time.
Are you involved in attracting, recruiting, or engaging students in their post-secondary experience in Canada? If the answer to this question is yes, then the SEMM Forum is right for you. This includes strategic enrolment leaders, marketers, recruiters, registrars, senior administration, deans, student services and other professionals. Check out the “Who Should Attend?” section here.
We’re Canadian, eh? SEM is very different in other countries. We believe that when professionals learn from peers at other institutions who have similar goals, students, systems and constraints and share Canadian-made solutions across silos, organizational goals can be achieved and students benefit as a result. The SEMM Forum provides an opportunity for everyone on campus to have a positive and sustainable impact on the institutional outcomes that support student success.
Yes! To take advantage of group rates and early discounts, simply purchase the number of tickets you want and enter “TBD” for any attendee names you don’t have confirmed yet.
You can also transfer registrations between team members at any time at no cost.
(Please note however that there are penalties for cancellations as per our policy here: https://semmforum.ca/registration/#cancellation)
Absolutely not. Of course, there will be great live presentations, hands-on workshops, and panel discussions. But there will also be opportunities to network 1:1 via chat and video, collaborate in roundtables, meet with vendors at their exhibits, and connect directly with experts.
The program will run May 10 & 11, 2023 for a little more than half a day each day: 11:30 AM – 5:00 PM Eastern time. Local times can be found here: semmforum.ca/registration
Please note that we don’t expect you to participate in every session. You can choose the ones that are most relevant to you; take time to network and meet with other participants; tour the exhibits; jump into a roundtable discussion; and, take breaks to stretch your legs.
Additionally you’ll receive a year’s access to the presentation recordings included with your registration.
This will give you an opportunity to listen to any sessions you may have missed whenever you’d like.
Yes! All registrations include free access to the recordings for 12 months.
If you're interested in sponsoring this year's SEMM Forum, please contact Jennifer Powell,
via jennifer@brainstorm.ca to learn about available opportunities.