Small College America - Matt Ward VP for Enrollment Management and Student Success at California Lutheran University
Introduction: Dr. Matt Ward, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success at California Lutheran University, a private, coeducational, liberal arts college founded in 1959 and located in Thousand Oaks, California." Cal Lutheran serves approximately 3,500 undergraduate and graduate students.
Matt leads a division of more than 180 staff across admission, academic services, financial aid, athletics, analytics, and marketing. A national voice on enrollment strategy, higher ed marketing, diversity, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Ward teaches in Cal Lutheran’s Ed.D. program in Higher Education Leadership. He played a key role in Cal Lutheran’s HSI designation and has co-authored multiple successful Title III and V grants. He earned a doctorate in International Studies from the University of Miami and was a visiting scholar at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching in Mexico City.
Matt is widely respected not just for his strategic mind but also for his deep commitment to student equity and success, which shines through in both his administrative work and his teaching.
- California is home to some of the most well-known public university systems in the country. Cal Lutheran’s public price match initiative is a bold response to that environment. Can you walk us through that strategy and how a small private college like yours competes—and thrives—within such a public-dominated marketplace?
- Small colleges often wrestle with the tension between financial sustainability and staying true to their mission. How do you navigate that balance at Cal Lutheran, particularly as it relates to enrollment goals and student support?
- You lead a large and multifaceted division at Cal Lutheran. What does “strategic enrollment management” look like at a small private university today, especially one designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)? What does it mean to truly serve Hispanic students beyond simply meeting the HSI threshold—and how do you guard against a ‘check-the-box’ approach?
- There’s ongoing public skepticism about the cost and value of higher education. Do you think small private colleges face a different kind of perception challenge compared to public institutions or larger universities—and how do you approach that in your communications and strategy?
- From your vantage point, what are some key enrollment or marketing trends that small colleges must be paying attention to in the next 3-5 years to remain competitive and relevant?
- Reflecting on your career journey, what’s a piece of advice you would offer to early- or mid-career professionals aspiring to lead enrollment or student success efforts at small institutions?
For those listening, if you'd like to learn more about Small College America, go to our LinkedIn site, where you can find details on upcoming episodes, contact us, and suggest topics you’d like us to cover." This episode of Small College America is made possible with underwriting support from Perspective Data Science, a firm specializing in AI-powered tools and data solutions—including the Financial Compass platform.
For Small College America, I’m Kent Barnds. On behalf of our guest, Dr. Matt Ward, my co-host Dean Hoke, and myself—thanks for listening.
