An outside team engaged by the Vermont State Colleges presented trustees with a rapid assessment of the universitysystems online readiness and a set of priorities to grow online enrollment.

Jason Mann, the consultant presenting remotely, opened by summarizing national trends: traditional undergraduate enrollment has peaked and demand is shifting toward adult learners and partly-completed students who need flexible, career-connected pathways. "Online education is the growth channel that best aligns with today's modern learners," Mann said.

Mannand the team produced a student-journey process map from prospect through enrollment and identified early strengths and gaps. Strengths included prior learning assessment and some marketing capabilities; weaknesses included an inconsistent online student experience, variable instructional practices across faculty, and program-development timelines that slow time-to-market.

From those findings the team proposed six strategic priorities: establish consistent quality and expectations across online offerings; clarify and amplify the universitysystem's differentiation for online students; adopt AI and other innovations to streamline operations and personalize learning; strengthen digital marketing and admissions funnels for adult learners; prioritize program development that matches labor-market demand and scales economically; and design curriculum and courses specifically for the online learner.

Mann recommended near-term work on process fixes and a dedicated leadership team to own online acceleration. He also said the consultants would produce a business case with startup and ongoing-cost ranges and projected enrollment to inform investment decisions. "Prioritize quick wins and process fixes to build early momentum," Mann told trustees.

Trustees questioned scale and cannibalization: several asked whether VTSU expansion would draw students away from CCV online offerings and whether the system would need to recruit nationally to reach the scale needed to sustain the investments. Mann and trustees discussed partnership options and examples; CCV presenters described a long history of building internal online expertise and suggested some programs (for example, paraeducator certificates and teacher-prep pathways) that could provide Vermont-focused differentiation.

The consultant and university leaders said next steps include completing remaining assessments, finalizing recommendations and a risk appraisal, developing KPIs and projections, and delivering a business case for trustees to consider before significant investment. No formal action was taken at the meeting.