A Decade of Enrollment Success at Tuskegee University CAENS

CLIENT

Tuskegee University College of Agriculture, Environment & Nutrition Sciences (CAENS)

OUR EXPERTISE

Full-Funnel Enrollment Marketing

CRM & Marketing Technology

Strategic Enrollment Advisory

GOAL/OBJECTIVES

Look back across a decade of partnership (2014–15 through 2025–26) to measure CAENS’ enrollment growth, applicant reach, and admit-to-paid yield; and the systems modernization that drove it.

302%

Growth in Students Since 2014

RESULTS

A 10-Year Look Back: Steady, Measurable Enrollment Growth

The partnership focused the approach across phases to develop a clear pathway to success, launching in August 2016 and evolving CAENS from a traditional outreach model into a scalable, CRM-enabled enrollment operation spanning multi-channel digital recruitment, dedicated nurture campaigns for high-achieving and at-risk students, and creative aligned to CAENS’ audience, emphasizing academic fit, affordability, and long-term student success. The team established a CRM foundation under the leadership of Warren Buchanan, expanding applicant reach from 436 to over 1,000 students annually.

Later phases included a full-funnel AdmissionsOS communications strategy, high-achievement and at-risk nurture campaigns, and a shift to a value-based service model, sustaining enrollment growth through significant market and enrollment disruptions.

1,078

Applicants

Generated in 2025–26, up from 436 applicants in the 2014–15

853

Admits

A decade-high figure in 2025–26, more than triple the 234 admits recorded in 2014–15

239

Committed Students

A decade-high figure in 2025–26, more than triple the 234 admits recorded in 2014–15

This case study looks back at ten years of partnership between Tuskegee University’s College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences (CAENS) and Stratagon, launched in August 2016. Across ten enrollment cycles, CAENS evolved from a traditional, largely manual outreach approach to a scalable, CRM-enabled enrollment operation – expanding applicant reach, increasing committed student volume, and sustaining growth through significant market and enrollment disruptions along the way.

THE CHALLENGE

Prior to the partnership, CAENS relied on outdated systems and a traditional outreach approach, with limited infrastructure for tracking prospects or following up consistently with applicants across the funnel.

CAENS aimed to build a durable enrollment growth engine: expanding applicant reach beyond the 436 applicants seen in 2014–15, improving admit-to-paid yield, and reducing enrollment melt between paid deposit and final commitment – all while withstanding a decade of shifting market conditions.

STRATEGIC ACTIONS

A Blueprint for Sustained Enrollment Growth

Effective enrollment marketing and automation hinge on guiding prospective and current students toward the right resources at the right time. To support this, the team built and maintained a dedicated CAENS microsite and landing pages on HubSpot — a comprehensive hub covering program offerings, scholarship and job resources for prospective and current students. Paired with segmented, full-funnel AdmissionsOS communications and dedicated nurture campaigns for high-achieving and at-risk students, this approach proved highly effective at advancing students through the recruitment funnel across a decade of partnership.

CRM-Enable

Move from manual tracking to a centralized CRM for enrollment operations

Nuture

Run dedicated email nurture for high-achievement and at-risk students

Diversify

Expand reach through the multi-phase AG-NGINE recruitment campaign

Sustain

Maintain momentum across a decade of market and enrollment disruptions