The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is closing out one of its strongest enrollment years in recent memory, but the core part of this story has little to do with numbers on a spreadsheet. What truly defined this year was the sense of shared purpose that moved across the college. Staff, faculty and student workers came together with a determination that can’t be captured in quantitative data. The result was a community-wide effort rooted in the belief that preparing future educators and leaders is work worth showing up for, all together.

For fall 2025, CEHD saw notable increases across the entire enrollment process, compared to last fall: a 17% rise in admissions, a 19.3% boost in deposits and an 18.3% increase in registrations. The overall increase is built on growth in both undergraduate and graduate populations. Graduate programs with gains of 11.2% in admissions, 8% in deposits and 7.9% in registrations. Undergraduate programs with 19.9% in admissions, 37% in deposits and 34.2% in registrations. One of the most striking jumps came from early and elementary education, which grew by 70% among first-year students for registrations. The trends show growing confidence in CEHD and excitement about the educators our programs prepare.

For Dan Overbay, director of enrollment management, the year’s success had everything to do with people. “The team is what makes any organization successful,” he reflected. “The successes this year were a full team effort from start to finish.” Overbay highlighted the work of Danielle Mallon, James Horn, Joie Nearn, Rachel Berger and Ivy Nguyen, along with the college’s talented student employees, whose attention to detail and genuine care shaped countless prospective-student interactions. They found new ways to connect with students, answer questions, ease concerns and help future educators see themselves as part of the CEHD community.

Faculty played an equally important role. For many new students, their earliest and most memorable interactions came from CEHD faculty who volunteered their time to attend events, answer questions and speak directly about their work. Overbay reported this has long been a strength of the college. “Our faculty partners are one of the key factors in our successes this year,” he said. “When we call, they step up.” Those conversations, often informal, gave prospective students a genuine look into the fields they hope to enter and helped them feel supported before beginning class.

These efforts not only strengthened enrollment outcomes, but align with the lived mission of CEHD. The college prepares classroom teachers, counselors, school leaders, scholars and professionals across a broad range of educational spaces. Helping students progress along those pathways means guiding them through a process that can sometimes feel overwhelming. Overbay shared that CEHD’s close partnership with Temple’s Undergraduate Admissions Office, particularly during the yield phase, played an essential role in supporting first-year and transfer students. Whether a student was unsure about registration steps or simply needed reassurance, there was always someone ready to help, which indicated another sign of how tightly connected CEHD’s enrollment, academic and advising communities have become.

This year’s enrollment story is less about reaching a milestone and more about what it reveals: a college united by a commitment to students and to one another. Overbay shared that this momentum reflects the belief many students and families already hold—that CEHD is, in his words, “an excellent option to begin or continue your educational journey.”

“Enrollment management is a shared responsibility, and this year’s results reflect that.” Overbay said. “From Dean Shealey to our faculty partners, our success was truly a collegewide effort.”

-article by Christine An