About the Episode
In this episode, Curt Merlau joins Dustin to have a jam session around how leveraging data can positively impact student success. He discusses his work at Resultant supporting institutions with this work every day. They also explore why institutions need to create integrated tech stacks to optimize the full potential of their data.
Curt Merlau helps education clients across the country achieve their missions, goals, and challenges. He has over nine years of experience in the education sector, ranging from teaching, outreach, data management, and sales to leadership, administration, and policy.
Curt is passionate about improving educational outcomes and opportunities for students, families, and communities, especially those who face barriers and disadvantages. He leverages his deep expertise in student services, higher education, tutoring, and parental choice to design and deliver customized solutions that address the needs and priorities of each client. In addition, Curt is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education degree from Vanderbilt Peabody College.
Key Takeaways
- Data is a Tool, Not the Decision Maker: Analytics and predictive models should guide decisions, but human experience and context must always be part of the conversation.
- Avoid the Easy Button: Institutions must critically examine the tools they adopt, ensuring transparency and flexibility to prevent unintended biases.
- Tech Stack Integration is Key: Higher ed institutions can use diverse tools as long as data systems are interoperable, connected, and focused on serving students effectively.
- Predictive Models Require Scrutiny: Ensure predictive models are transparent, traceable, and used responsibly to avoid perpetuating inequities or short-term gains at the expense of long-term student success.
- Plan Before You Buy: Investing time in developing a data strategy upfront ensures tools and systems align with institutional goals and avoid downstream complications.
Episode Summary
Why should data-driven decision-making still focus on people?
Curt Merlau emphasizes that while data analytics has immense potential, it must remain human-centered. Data can tell part of the story—like enrollment patterns, retention rates, and student needs—but it cannot replace lived experiences, institutional context, or critical thinking. Higher education leaders must avoid the temptation to adopt predictive models as “easy buttons.”
Instead, data should guide conversations:
- What is the data telling us?
- Where are its limitations?
- How does this align with what we know about our students and institutional mission?
This intentional, people-focused approach ensures that data empowers decision-making without overriding the nuanced needs of students.
How can an integrated tech stack support data-driven student success?
The proliferation of digital tools in higher education has created challenges of disparate systems and data silos. Curt advocates for flexible, interoperable systems that integrate seamlessly to give institutions a 360-degree view of their students.
For example:
- Admissions & Enrollment: Tools like CRMs and student information systems must communicate to avoid duplicative work and improve outreach strategies.
- Predictive Models: These tools help prioritize where staff should focus their attention (e.g., identifying at-risk students), but they require regular audits to prevent bias or oversights.
- Student Experience: Integrated systems can help map the student journey holistically, from recruitment to graduation, ensuring each phase is tailored to individual needs.
Curt stresses that diverse tools can coexist, but institutions must agree on interoperability standards to share data effectively. This creates a connected ecosystem where all departments can collaborate for student success.
What are the risks of unexamined predictive analytics?
Predictive models have become popular for recruitment, retention, and financial aid decisions. However, Curt warns against using these tools without scrutiny.
- Bias and Inequities: Models built on historical data can perpetuate inequalities if not carefully managed.
- Need-Based Aid: Curt advises against using predictive tools to allocate need-based aid, as they may unintentionally place students in financially precarious situations.
- Short-Term Gains: Tools designed to boost enrollment must also consider long-term student success and retention to ensure positive outcomes for both students and institutions.
Institutions must prioritize transparency and flexibility when choosing vendors and tools, ensuring they can trace and understand how decisions are made within these models.
What trends in higher education data excite leaders like Curt?
Looking to the future, Curt is optimistic about innovations that make college more accessible and equitable:
- Flipped Admissions: Institutions proactively offer students acceptance and financial aid based on existing data, reducing barriers for first-generation and underrepresented students.
- Dual Enrollment: The expansion of dual enrollment allows high school students to build confidence and earn college credits, creating a clearer pathway to higher education.
- Holistic Data Portfolios: From K-12 to higher ed, innovations like “digital backpacks” or portfolios can help students showcase their achievements, skills, and credentials seamlessly.
By leveraging AI, data integration, and thoughtful design, higher education can better align with student needs, reduce friction, and improve access and success for learners of all backgrounds.
Empowering People with Data
The future of higher education lies in thoughtful, data-driven decision-making that puts students at the center. Institutions must balance the power of technology and predictive analytics with the human element—listening to students, auditing systems for fairness, and maintaining transparency.
By investing in integrated tech stacks, thoughtful data strategies, and innovative tools, institutions can:
- Improve recruitment and retention outcomes.
- Identify and support at-risk students more effectively.
- Provide seamless, personalized pathways for student success.
About the Enrollify Podcast Network
The Enrollify Podcast is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Our podcast network is growing by the month and we’ve got a plethora of marketing, admissions, and higher ed technology shows that are jam-packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks all designed to empower you to be a better higher ed professional.
Our shows feature a selection of the industry’s best as your hosts. Learn from Jaime Hunt, Allison Turcio, Dayana Kibilds, Dustin Ramsdell, Eddie Francis, Terry Flannery, and many more.
Learn more about The Enrollify Podcast Network at podcasts.enrollify.org. Our shows help higher ed marketers and admissions professionals find their next big idea — come and find yours!
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