Volunteer State Community College (Vol State), a multi-campus institution in Middle Tennessee, serves a diverse population of traditional students, adult learners, veterans, and first-generation students. Like many community colleges in the years following the pandemic, Vol State faced a dual challenge: declining enrollment and fragmented systems that left students navigating uneven support.

The college’s mission of access and success remained strong, but siloed departments and disconnected technologies made that mission harder to fulfill. Advising models varied across campuses, leaving many students, especially those not part of structured cohorts, without consistent guidance or connection.

To rebuild capacity and strengthen coordination, Vol State partnered with Swim Digital Group to design scalable, data-informed solutions. The goal was to integrate people, processes, and platforms into one cohesive student success framework that could grow with the institution.

Vol State’s ability to sustain enrollment and improve retention was limited by systemic barriers that affected nearly every part of the student experience.

Barriers Faced:

The college needed an integrated approach that strengthened enrollment and retention while also rebuilding alignment, data integrity, and a sense of student belonging.

Swim conducted an environmental analysis of Vol State’s marketing, communications, enrollment, and advising systems. The work included eleven Deep Dives with college teams, ten student focus groups, and eight cross-
campus surveys capturing both staff and student perspectives. From this research, three focus areas emerged as the foundation for change.

1. Data and Technology Efficiencies

Swim identified major gaps in data integration and recommended adopting Axiom as a unified platform to connect enrollment and retention data, improve case management, and support targeted communication.Two collegewide committees were established to sustain progress:

Process Mapping & Communications Committee: Developed five enrollment funnel maps and aligned just-in-time communication plans within Slate.

Data Governance Committee: Standardized key performance indicators, built sem dashboards, and created new data accountability structures.

These changes led to the implementation of five global process maps that now guide students from first inquiry to first day and support executive decision-making through transparent dashboards.

2. Strategic Marketing & Enrollment

To reverse enrollment decline and strengthen first-year engagement, Swim helped Vol State launch the Pioneer Welcome Experience (PWE), a redesigned onboarding program that replaced the outdated and inefficient Campus Connect. PWE offered in-person, virtual, and peer-led options, creating multiple entry points for students to connect with the college. The initiative culminated in Pioneer Preview Week, a campus-wide orientation and celebration of belonging.

3. Advising Alignment & Case Management

Swim partnered with Vol State to redesign the advising model, extending personalized support beyond cohort programs to reach every student. The Retention and Completion Committee coordinated this work, centering five areas of intervention:

• Career & Academic Advising
• College Engagement
• Financial Education & Support
• Pioneer Welcome Experience
• Wraparound Services

The new framework connects every student to an advisor and provides proactive outreach throughout the student journey, from onboarding through graduation.

At the same time, Swim facilitated the development of a 24-month Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan and embedded Marketing Plan. Together, these frameworks established accountability structures, recruitment strategies, and community partnerships that tied marketing directly to measurable enrollment outcomes.

Swim and Vol State built a sustainable framework grounded in alignment, accountability, and measurable results.

Together, these changes transformed Vol State’s operations from disconnected systems into an integrated ecosystem where every student’s experience is intentional and measurable.

By 2024, early results reflected meaningful growth and a renewed sense of direction.

3.85%: Increase in New Student Enrollment (Non-Dual Enrollment)

6.71%: Increase in Fall Applications (Non-Dual Enrollment)

5.84%: Increase in Advising Appointment

172%: Increase in Orientation Events

95%: Conversion Rate From Orientation to Registration

Additional milestones included:

Vol State’s transformation is built to last. Governance, data stewardship, and continuous improvement are now part of how the college operates every day.

• Governance Structures: Cross-functional committees such as the Data Governance Committee and SEM Monitoring Team maintain collaboration among academic, student affairs, and administrative divisions.
• Strategic Planning: The SEM, Marketing, and Retention and Completion Plans now function as living frameworks that evolve alongside new data, changing student needs, and institutional priorities.
• Data and KPI Stewardship: Collegewide dashboards track funnel conversion, advising caseloads, and retention by student segment, providing leadership with clear and timely insights for decision-making.

Through this alignment, Volunteer State functions as a cohesive, data- informed institution where technology, people, and processes work together to deliver a seamless, high-impact experience for every learner.