Enrollment as a Turnaround Strategy: Leading a Proactive Recovery in Higher Ed

When Bethany College faced a $5 million financial gap, Interim President Dr. Jamie Caridi led with a bold turnaround strategy, placing enrollment at the heart of institutional recovery.

The easy path would have been reactionary cost-cutting or hoping for a miracle enrollment spike.

But instead, Dr. Caridi chose a proactive, mission-centered approach that treated enrollment as the driver, not the lifeline, of transformation.

In this episode of The Higher Ed Marketer, Dr. Caridi shares a compelling case study in institutional resilience.

By focusing on operational alignment, transparent leadership, and bold decision-making, Bethany College didn’t just survive—it began to thrive.

Here’s how.

Reframing Crisis: From Financial Emergency to Strategic Opportunity

When Dr. Caridi stepped into the interim role, he encountered an institution in acute financial distress: $5 million in deficits and no clear strategy forward.

Instead of framing it as an insurmountable emergency, he approached it as a strategic opportunity to rethink the very purpose and structure of the college.

“One of the first things we had to do was tell the truth… and the truth was that we had been running deficits for many years. We were trying to make the old model work.”

The core issue wasn’t just budgetary. It was a strategic misalignment.

Bethany College had drifted from its identity as a church-related liberal arts institution, and as a result, it wasn’t resonating with its core audience.

This happens to many higher education institutions. 

When faced with a financial crisis, many colleges default to trimming budgets, eliminating programs, and hoping next year’s class magically grows.

But this approach rarely works because it avoids the real issue I mentioned before: strategic misalignment.

When colleges and universities keep trying to make “the old model work,” they execute the same strategies hoping for a different outcome. 

Instead of going through the crisis cycle again, Bethany used the crisis as a strategic reset, aligning mission, structure, and enrollment strategy.

It’s a rare approach, and one more institutions need to consider if they want to thrive, not just survive.

Leading with Mission, Not Just Metrics

Instead of defaulting to across-the-board cuts, Dr. Caridi rallied stakeholders—faculty, board members, and community partners—around a single, clarifying question: Who are we, and who are we for?

What followed was a full reexamination of institutional identity and operations.

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Then, they crafted a turnaround strategy through alignment, not austerity.

“We needed to align our strategy, our structure, and our budget around mission. We didn’t need to cut just to cut—we needed to make intentional decisions about what was essential to our identity and what wasn’t.”

As a part of their turnaround strategy, they needed a shift in mindset.

This change in their approach allowed for mission-driven decisions, including the painful but strategic choice to sunset academic programs that no longer aligned with the college’s future direction.

Rather than evaluating programs solely on enrollment numbers or cost per credit hour, the leadership team asked a deeper question: 

Does this program support who we are and who we serve?

In some cases, that meant letting go of long-standing departments that had historical significance but no longer attracted students or fulfilled the college’s renewed mission.

While these decisions were difficult—both emotionally and politically—they were essential for freeing up resources and focus for programs that could drive sustainable growth and relevance.

It wasn’t about doing more with less, instead, it was about doing the right things with the right resources.

Rethinking Enrollment: From Passive Pipeline to Strategic Engine

Perhaps the most powerful part of Bethany’s turnaround story is how Dr. Caridi reframed enrollment as a strategy, not a reaction.

“We were practicing enrollment by default instead of enrollment by design. We needed to stop sitting back and hoping students would find us—we needed to go out and meet them, understand their needs, and communicate our value clearly.”

Like many institutions, Bethany had been waiting for students to find them, relying on outdated tactics and brand generalities.

That changed under Caridi’s leadership.

As a part of their turnaround strategy, they began rebuilding the admissions team, bringing in an enrollment leader who understood how to operate in a turnaround environment.

“We hired a new leader for enrollment management…someone who had turnaround experience and wasn’t just trying to replicate big-school tactics at a small college.”

The messaging was overhauled as well. The team and I at Caylor Solutions were honored to be a part of this process through our Fractional CMO service. 

Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, Bethany clarified its brand to reflect its faith-based, liberal arts identity.

“We needed to stop trying to be everything to everyone. We started telling a very clear story about who we are—and who we’re not.”

This clarity helped them attract students who were a better fit and more likely to persist.

They also began to develop stronger partnerships with feeder schools and mission-aligned organizations.

“We started partnering with high schools, churches, and organizations that believe in the same values we do… and that changed the game.”

This wasn’t just a marketing facelift.

It was a structural shift—using enrollment as the engine of Bethany’s turnaround strategy, fueling both financial stability and mission alignment.

Transparency and Trust: The Foundation of Turnaround Leadership

A key theme throughout the episode is Dr. Caridi’s emphasis on authentic leadership during crisis.

He didn’t sugarcoat the financials.

He didn’t pretend things were fine.

He told the truth clearly, repeatedly, and with conviction.

“We had to look people in the eye and say, this is the reality. We owe it to you to be honest. And then we had to give them a path forward that made sense and gave them hope.”

This honesty built trust.

And trust, in turn, gave Dr. Caridi the institutional capital he needed to make difficult but necessary decisions like program cuts, personnel adjustments, and operational shifts.

Transparency also extended to data.

The team focused on metrics that mattered—retention, net tuition revenue, program viability—and used them to drive decisions that aligned with long-term sustainability.

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What Other Institutions Can Learn

Dr. Caridi’s approach offers a replicable framework for other small colleges facing similar challenges:

1. Lead with Mission

Revisit your founding identity.

Align your programs, operations, and enrollment around that mission—not trends or legacy expectations.

 2. Tell the Truth

Leadership during a crisis requires courageous honesty.

Sugarcoating delays action and erodes trust.

3. Enrollment is Strategy

Don’t treat enrollment as a downstream effect.

Build an intentional strategy around it, tailored to the students you’re uniquely positioned to serve.

4. Engage Stakeholders

Faculty, staff, students, and trustees all play a role.

Engagement leads to ownership, and ownership leads to momentum.

5. Be Bold, Not Just Careful

Cutting isn’t the strategy—realignment is.

Be willing to sunset what no longer serves your mission and invest in what does.

Clarity During Crisis: Why This Story Matters Now

In an era where small colleges are facing unprecedented pressure—from demographics to inflation to skepticism about the value of higher ed—Bethany’s story provides a rare hopeful case study.

So many schools can find hope in this comeback story not just because Bethany survived, but because they used adversity to become more focused, more resilient, and more mission-centered.

And that’s what makes enrollment as a turnaround strategy not just a buzzword, but a real pathway forward.

🎧 For even more insights from Dr. Jamie Caridi, listen to the full episode on The Higher Ed Marketer podcast.

Want to Turn Enrollment Into Your Strategy?

Bethany College’s story proves that enrollment isn’t just a numbers game—it’s a strategic engine that can drive institutional transformation.

But like any engine, it only works if every part is running smoothly.

That’s why we were privileged to be able to partner with Bethany College in their mission through our Enrollment Assessment, Fractional CMO, and Website Development services. 

At Caylor Solutions, our Enrollment Assessment service helps colleges and universities uncover what’s working—and what’s not—in their current enrollment approach.

We take a deep dive into your admissions workflows, communication strategies, student engagement efforts, and retention initiatives.

You’ll walk away with a detailed, actionable report that shows you exactly where to make improvements to boost enrollment, increase retention, and enhance the student experience.

Whether you’re facing a financial crisis or preparing for your next growth phase, this assessment is the first step toward using enrollment as a true turnaround strategy.

👉 Schedule Your Enrollment Assessment Today

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Featured image via bethanywv.edu