Success Stories
We have worked with clients for over 28 years to address a variety of issues – from responding to immediate challenges to plotting long-term strategies for the future. These success stories illustrate the breadth of our work as well as the collaborative nature of our relationships with our clients.
“Our relationship with Maguire Associates is a partnership that has grown and evolved over time. Bellarmine University has drastically changed over the past five years, our new student enrollment has grown seventy-five percent in that time period, and working with EMFASYS has helped us maximize our growth potential without sacrificing the academic quality of our incoming students.
“We are now partnering with Maguire Associates to intelligently manage our rapid growth and to strengthen our vision to become the premier independent Catholic university in the South. Through smart and planned strategies as well as our strong partnership with Maguire Associates, we have been able to open up new markets that have drastically changed the face of Bellarmine University. Maguire Associates has not only been with us during this time but has provided invaluable expertise to help guide our planning and strengthen our growth.
“Our partnership is as valuable today as it was five years ago. Maguire Associates not only serves the University in a traditional consulting role but goes beyond that by joining our strategic conversations and more fully understanding the vision of the University. It is this extra effort that helps go beyond the standard client-consultant relationship. The folks at Maguire know us nearly as well as our own enrollment folks, and this allows them to better contribute to our relationship. We value our partnership and look forward to partnering with Maguire Associates more broadly across the University.”
Joseph J. McGowan
President
Bellarmine University
“When we experienced a steep, unexpected decline in enrollment and didn’t know why, we turned to Maguire Associates. We were quickly able to pinpoint the variables that created the decline and conceptualize dramatically better ways of consistently managing enrollment and awarding financial aid. The results: in under a year we’ve enrolled stronger students (a full point higher in ACT scores) in greater numbers (35% increase), and the students and their families have been very pleased with their offers.
“As a comprehensive university with five schools educating students from 18 to 80, we now want to partner with Maguire Associates to focus on our transfer, international, minority and graduate programs to ensure we apply key insights and wisdom even more broadly across the university.”
Doris Tegart
V.P. and Executive Assistant to the President
Bellarmine University
“The services that Maguire Associates provides are thoughtful and comprehensive…The talented staff knows higher education extremely well and is able to tackle every new issue with experience and foresight. The thing that keeps our relationship lasting is that the information Maguire Associates provides is actionable…through quantitative analysis, data collection, thoughtful decisions, and an informed knowledge of what messages we should deliver to position the University.”
Stephen Burgay
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Boston University
“Maguire Associates has been doing work with Boston University for 15 years and that is testimony in itself. When we need advice and guidance on how best to improve what we do, we look to Maguire Associates consistently to gather the information that we need.
“During the years of high demographics, Maguire Associates helped Boston University reach for and achieve high quality in our incoming classes. And as the demographics change, Maguire Associates will be there to help us maintain our quality and help us understand the decision-making patterns of students.
“I have never dealt with people as professional as those at Maguire Associates. In whatever situation, a tense board meeting, a student group, or a faculty forum, I am totally confident that Maguire Associates will present with high integrity and quality. They are totally attuned to the need to share information appropriately.”
Laurie Pohl
Vice President, Enrollment and Student Affairs
Boston University
“We [The Chronicle of Higher Education] asked Maguire Associates to conduct research studies on four-year college presidents and four-year college trustees. The work that Maguire Associates did was extremely helpful in narrowing the scope and directing the question format. Maguire Associates’ analysis of the data was complete and sophisticated. Both studies continue to get a lot of attention in the industry because nothing like it had ever been done.”
Jeffrey Selingo
Vice President and Editorial Director
The Chronicle of Higher Education
“Clarkson’s strengths coupled with Maguire Associates’ expertise have taken us to another level. Maguire Associates has played a huge role in helping us realize where we want to be. We have experienced enrollment growth and an increase in quality in all areas of the University.
“EMPOWR has given us what we had been lacking. It helps us dig at the heart of making us more personal, productive, and effective. As a result, we are spending our resources in the right areas. There is a mutual respect between Maguire Associates and Clarkson University… Jack Maguire and his staff know us well. We value their trusted expertise and the opportunities they’ve created for us.
“Maguire Associates, an organization that knows all aspects of enrollment and financial aid, knows Clarkson very well… A great combination!”
Brian Grant
Director of Admission
Clarkson University
“The work that Maguire Associates did was extensive and impressive… The strategic indicators that were produced made us sophisticated and self-aware and ultimately led us to greater capacity. The quantitative work that Maguire Associates produced was sophisticated and done at a very high level.”
William Adams
President
Colby College
“Maguire Associates saved us! We have Maguire Associates to thank for our current enrollment success. And as a result, Dean’s health is strong… Our endowment went from $4 million to $30 million.
“With every consultant, you may use 99% and throw out 1%… but with Maguire Associates, we’ve never thrown out the 1%. Maguire Associates is a part of our management team!”
Paula Rooney
President
Dean College
“What I appreciate most about Maguire Associates is that they respond, not just to the presenting questions that we have, but they provide an opportunity to elaborate on the overriding issues at hand. They go out of their way to think through issues with us and engage questions that we may not have thought to ask.”
Peter Stace
Vice President for Enrollment
Fordham University
“The strength of Maguire Associates is the idea of being able to base findings on research and present them in a way that doesn’t create a firestorm internally. Maguire Associates offered us a strategic plan that can be executed and broken down into applied phases. The proposed plan keeps everyone engaged and involved. This comes from experience… You can have the best plan, but if it doesn’t address the personal dynamics and engage all constituents, it doesn’t fly. This plan has practicality and is pragmatic and embracing.
“Maguire Associates is the premier firm in American and international higher education.”
Tom Lelon
Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees
Hellenic College
“We were struck by the professionalism and depth of knowledge of the Maguire Associates staff. The ability to quickly synthesize complex and widely variable information to help Hobart and William Smith create a comprehensive enrollment plan was remarkable. We had been engaged with and benefitting from Maguire Associates for admissions and financial aid work for years, but the addition of the retention efforts has been a true asset. Jack, Kathy and their staff continue to do great work.”
Robert S. Flowers
Vice President for Student Affairs
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
“We are significantly impressed with the quality of the Maguire Associates’ staff. The Maguire staff is outstanding in their willingness to listen to and respect all who are involved in our work. They worked very hard at getting to know us, our goals, and our needs at Indiana University Northwest. We were quite impressed with how insightful the Maguire staff has been.”
Bruce Bergland
Chancellor
Indiana University Northwest
“As a result of EMFASYS, we have experienced dramatic growth and have gone from a small college to a medium size college… This has given us options. Whenever I pick up the phone, I’ve always spoken with Jack [Maguire]. The leadership at Maguire Associates takes an interest in us. We’ve always been a priority and never felt like we weren’t an important account.
“We, at Nazareth, are sold on Maguire Associates. There are a lot of outfits out there, but we have a proven track record with Maguire Associates… We don’t fall through the cracks.”
Thomas DaRin
Vice President of Enrollment Management
Nazareth College
“Maguire Associates has a broader field of vision than just enrollment management. Maguire Associates helped us with the process review for our new program, the Torch Scholars Program. The credibility of a firm like Maguire Associates has brought us national interest from the Boston Globe and The Chronicle of Higher Education. …This interest has generated scholarship funds for the Torch Program in the range of $13 million.”
“Maguire Associates are truly the leaders in the industry, offering a rich array of services including organizational planning, admissions, and financial aid leveraging.”
Philomena Mantella
Senior Vice President, Enrollment and Student Life
Northeastern University
“As a result of Maguire Associates’ work, I can say with confidence that people at St. Michael’s have a much better understanding of what factors shape a class using measurement and realistic goals. Maguire Associates is wonderful in helping you gain control and a handle on what it takes to enroll a class.”
John Neuhauser
President
Saint Michael’s College
“We [at The University of the South] are very positive about the quality of people, the technical skills in market research, and the thoughtful reflection that Maguire Associates brings to the table. We have great respect and appreciation for the Maguire organization.”
Joel Cunningham
Vice Chancellor Emeritus
Sewanee: The University of the South
“Maguire Associates exceeded every expectation of The University of Alabama School of Law. The staff at Maguire is highly professional, prompt, both analytical and sensitive, and ultimately delivered invaluable advice.
“Given our experience with Maguire Associates, we have retained them more than once. Since repeat business is the best gauge for satisfaction, we will continue our relationship with confidence.”
Kenneth Randall
Dean
The University of Alabama School of Law
“In my twenty years of trying to balance net revenue, enrollment
projections, profile goals and access issues, this is the first time
I have felt like we truly have control of the process. We all have
goals that seem to be at cross-purposes. EMFASYS gives us the
ability to use actual dollar amounts when explaining the cost of reaching
each of these goals. This insight is critical in helping our institution
prioritize and move forward.”
Marla Friederichs
Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management
University of St. Thomas
“We never dreamt of the potential this data and report would have for us. Other firms seem to have cookie-cutter suggestions. Maguire Associates gave us great thought and analysis. Strong evidence is the key to everything.”
Rosalind Barnes Fowler
Director, PRISM Campaign
University System of Georgia
“The excellent EMFASYS system has allowed us to leverage limited financial aid and scholarship dollars to much greater advantage in meeting our enrollment goals. We are delighted at our ability to meet the need of our students in terms of financial incentives.
“What is most impressive is that EMFASYS is a true partnership. We can see mid-cycle in enrollment tracking in terms of aggregate applications in various groups to make adjustments to the model to change packaging. We have seen significant changes in terms of higher net tuition revenue and our ability to attract the numbers and types of students we desire, which makes it easier for us to plan. This is a sophisticated model.
“The dollars spent on work with Maguire Associates are an invaluable investment in meeting our enrollment goals.”
Kristin Tichenor
Vice President, Enrollment Management
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Latest & Greatest
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Linda Cox Maguire, Vice Chair of Maguire Associates, brings an American perspective to a discussion of the latest developments in higher education in the United Kingdom. She weighs in on the debate over tuition fees and value in the Times Higher Education article, “A weather eye on the US storm.”
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email hidden; JavaScript is required of our most recent compendium, Insights for a Changing Economy; Vol. 3 (’10-’11). This edition includes the complete Five Dysfunctions of Enrollment Management series.
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Jack Maguire, Chairman of Maguire Associates, discusses “best practices” for boosting student satisfaction and improving retention in a recent online seminar entitled Improve Student Retention with Data-Driven Decisions. He is joined by John Rome from Arizona State University. Click here to listen to the webinar.
