From Inquiry to Integration: IU’s Seamless Enrollment Process

At Indiana University Bloomington, creating a seamless enrollment process isn’t just a goal—it’s a guiding principle. 

From the moment a student expresses interest to the day they arrive on campus, IU’s admissions team is committed to building trust, fostering community, and aligning every touchpoint into one unified journey.

In this episode of The Higher Ed Marketer podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Sacha Thieme, Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of Admissions at IU Bloomington. 

Sacha shares how her team has thoughtfully built a student experience that bridges silos and embraces intentional collaboration across departments ensuring that the enrollment process is as welcoming and frictionless as possible.

Her approach doesn’t just elevate student outcomes—it humanizes higher education at a time when students crave both clarity and connection. 

This episode offers a blueprint for any institution hoping to do the same, so let’s dig in.

From First Gen to First-Class Strategy: A Leader’s Personal Why

For Sacha, this work is more than professional—it’s personal.

I would argue that the majority of us who work in this profession are really called to it by a deep personal connection to a fundamental belief in the power of education to lift and launch the lives of individuals, their families, and even their communities.

Sacha’s own journey from a first-generation, low-income, rural student to senior enrollment leader informs her deep empathy and mission-oriented leadership. 

Her story underscores the importance of not just recruiting students—but supporting them holistically from the very beginning.

I had no idea what this experience would be. But this place, coupled with faculty, staff, and even my fellow students, certainly contributed to a journey—and set me on a path that would not have otherwise been possible.

That foundational experience has inspired a culture of intentionality at IU—one where systems and structures are designed with the student’s full journey in mind.

Aligning Teams for a Seamless Enrollment Process

Many institutions struggle with siloed workflows between admissions, marketing, and student life. 

At IU, Sacha and her colleagues have engineered a solution: a fully integrated approach that unites those functions under a single vision for student success.

First-year orientation is actually in my portfolio. We see the experience as flowing from recruitment through new student orientation and into that first year with our partners in student life.

This means that rather than “handing off” students to a new department post-admission, the admissions and orientation teams work side-by-side throughout the entire enrollment funnel. 

Students see the same faces, hear the same messaging, and experience consistent support across phases.

IU’s marketing strategy is similarly collaborative. 

Rather than pushing out brand campaigns in a vacuum, marketing is embedded into the planning and decision-making process with admissions and enrollment management. 

This ensures that communications reflect real-time feedback from students, align with departmental goals, and evolve alongside the institution’s needs.

We include our marketing team in discussions about more than just marketing. They’re in our process discussions, our strategy sessions, even our logistics conversations—anything that helps them stay informed on all aspects of admissions.

Technology that Builds, Not Replaces, Human Connection

Technology plays a central role in IU’s ability to scale connection. 

But at IU, tools are chosen with discernment—not based on trendiness or hype, but on their ability to enhance human-centered work.

We’ve tried to center our attention on the tools and platforms that create more efficiency so our humans are freed up to do their most human work. Technology or data should never replace the human work.

This ethos is clear in the team’s adoption of Microsoft Teams as both a productivity and community hub. 

They’ve transformed it into what they call the “Admissions Knowledge Base,” a centralized space for documentation, training, and peer-to-peer sharing. 

The platform includes practical resources—but also informal channels where team members swap photos, pet pictures, and personal milestones, reinforcing a sense of culture and camaraderie.

Sacha believes strongly that when staff feel empowered, supported, and connected, they do their best work—and that translates directly to how they engage prospective students.

Another cornerstone of IU’s strategy is ZeeMee, a platform that gives admitted students a space to connect with one another and with IU representatives before arriving on campus.

We’ve leaned into virtual since the pandemic. ZeeMee allows us to carry that IU voice and experience into a platform where our prospective students were already present.

This early engagement has a powerful ripple effect. 

It creates connection, builds confidence, and gives students a taste of the IU community—before they even unpack a suitcase.

We want to help families and students make the best decisions, and they need access to the best information—real information. It doesn’t serve the student or the university if we describe an experience that doesn’t really exist.

Listening First, Then Scaling Thoughtfully

Throughout the conversation, one theme became unmistakably clear: Sacha’s team succeeds by listening first.

They regularly gather data—from prospective students, parents, call centers, and admissions counselors—and then translate those insights into action. 

Whether it’s refining a message, tweaking a visit format, or adjusting the onboarding process, IU’s enrollment strategy is built on authentic feedback loops.

They also track application data deeply—analyzing high school curricula and course sequences to better understand what prepares students for success. 

This data doesn’t just influence admissions decisions—it informs how the university supports students once they arrive.

We’ve taken another look at our retention data. Then we’ve leveraged that to go all the way back to the start—to develop new enrollment, scholarship, and student success initiatives. That’s putting our recruit-to-retain philosophy into practice.

It’s a virtuous cycle: real-time insights inform early touchpoints, which in turn create better outcomes and stronger student experiences.

Creating a Culture That Extends Beyond the Welcome Center

Ultimately, IU’s success isn’t due to any single campaign or technology platform. 

It’s the result of a deeply intentional culture—one that spans departments, empowers individuals, and never loses sight of the student.

If we do our job well, they don’t even really know we’re here. We just provided this pathway for them to go on and have this magical experience.

That’s the goal. Not flashy gimmicks. Not disconnected tools. Just a seamless enrollment process that quietly does its job—so students can focus on doing theirs.

And it’s a vision that any campus—regardless of size or structure—can begin moving toward today.

🎧 For even more insights from Sacha Thieme, listen to the full episode – “Scaling Connection: How Indiana University Builds Community Before Day One” – on The Higher Ed Marketer podcast.

Ready to Build Your Own Seamless Enrollment Process?

At Caylor Solutions, we believe that a seamless enrollment process starts with understanding where the friction is. 

Just like Indiana University’s integrated approach to admissions, marketing, and student onboarding, your institution can create a more connected and student-centered experience—starting with the right insights.

Our Enrollment Assessment service is designed to uncover exactly that. 

Whether you’re looking to improve yield, reduce melt, or create more cohesion between your teams, an Enrollment Assessment is your first step toward building a smarter, more sustainable enrollment strategy.

Contact us today and let’s turn your enrollment process into your strongest recruitment tool.

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Featured image via bloomington.iu.edu