The purpose of this study was to determine any differences between financial aid directors' perceived effectiveness of their institution's enrollment management organizational structure. The study was national in scope and included a sample of public and private four-year institutions granting baccalaureate degrees. This study used the conceptual framework of Resource Dependency Theory for understanding the ways in which organizations respond to threats through reorganization and allocation of resources.
Quantitative methods were used to conduct this study. A survey with a 4-point Likert-type scale was used to gauge levels of financial aid directors' perceived effectiveness of their enrollment management structure. The survey was administered to financial aid directors at 716 institutions with responsibility for the delivery of financial aid related services. An overall response rate of 41% was realized. The degree of reliability was assessed by using a Cronbach's Alpha test on financial aid directors' perceived effectiveness of their institution's enrollment management model. ANOVA were used to test whether any differences were discovered between enrollment management models, between public and private institutions, and between institutions of different enrollment sizes.
There was a significant interaction effect found when comparing public and private institutions by enrollment management model, as identified by the financial aid directors. There was not significant interaction effect based on institutional size and enrollment management model based on survey respondents' overall effectiveness score. When comparing enrollment management model employed at the institutional level, a statistically significant difference did exist between the perceived effectiveness scores based on the model employed. The financial aid directors representing the divisional enrollment management model demonstrated higher perceived effectiveness scores than other enrollment management models. Finally, no differences were found on either subscale at institutions of different enrollment sizes based on the overall effectiveness score reported by the financial aid directors.