Using Emotional Intelligence to Drive Enrollment Performance: An Integrative Review of the Literature

Abstract

This article explores the use of emotional intelligence (EQ) as a leadership characteristic to drive enrollment performance at colleges and universities in the United States. The next decade of higher education will present continuous, dramatic, and transformational change in higher education. New paradigms and educational delivery systems will become commonplace. Federal legislation may strongly influence admission practices, tuition increases, and mandates for standard retention and graduation rates. Changing demographics and an uncertain international climate will alter the population of future university classes. Resources that assist college students in paying for their education will likely decrease. Technology will continue to make higher education available to students of all ages and at all times of the day and night. In short, change will be constant, and effective leadership among educational administrators, such as enrollment managers, will be imperative. The relationship between EQ, leadership effectiveness, and enrollment performance are examined. The article concludes with a review of emotional intelligence research in higher education and a discussion of the implication of enrollment performance for EQ research and practice.