ATLANTA — Georgia State University has received the 2026 Eduventures Innovation Award for Next Generation Recruitment, recognizing the university’s leadership in developing a data-informed approach to undergraduate enrollment and student engagement.
The award, presented by Encoura at the Eduventures Summit in Chicago June 17, honors institutions that demonstrate forward-thinking strategies to improve outcomes in higher education. Georgia State was recognized for its innovative approach to first-year student conversion through a strategy that integrates enrollment marketing and the student experience.
“We are proud to see Georgia State’s work recognized on a national stage,” said Vice President for Public Relations and Marketing Communications (PRMC) Jo Ann Herold. “This award reflects our commitment to putting students at the center of everything we do, from how we communicate with them to how we support them throughout the enrollment journey. It takes a team to have a big impact and the Georgia State University team is one of the best in higher education nationally.”
Lindsey Thompson (left), Georgia State's director of Enrollment Management Marketing and Communications, displays the Innovation Award with Georgia State Director of Data and Technology Evan Simmons.
Georgia State’s award-winning model transforms undergraduate yield strategy through a research-informed lifecycle approach that connects marketing, technology, analytics, creative strategy and student support. By aligning these elements around key decision points in the enrollment journey, the university improved conversion rates, reduced undergraduate “melt” to record-low levels and created a more sustainable and measurable recruitment framework.
The Eduventures Innovation Awards program recognizes institutions, companies and organizations that are advancing innovation in enrollment strategy, student success and technology across higher education.
Georgia State was one of two institutions recognized in the Next Generation Recruitment category, which highlights new enrollment management or marketing strategies designed to meet the needs of today’s students in a rapidly changing environment.
The university’s success reflects a strong cross-campus collaboration between its Undergraduate Admissions and PRMC teams. Teams across the institution contributed to building the measurement infrastructure, admitted-student portal experience, analytics framework and supporting technologies that enabled the strategy’s execution.
“This national recognition is a testament to the extraordinary dedication, creativity and collaboration of the Georgia State team. The Undergraduate Admissions team and PRMC have reimagined what student-centered recruitment can look like: grounded in data, driven by purpose and focused on improving outcomes for every student we serve,” said Allison Calhoun-Brown, Georgia State’s senior vice president for Student Success. “I am incredibly proud of this team for setting a new standard for innovation in higher education and for demonstrating what’s possible when we align enrollment strategy with student success.”
In addition, Georgia State’s student-centered messaging strategy, developed through close partnership with PRMC, helped bring the recruitment campaign to life and connect more effectively with prospective students and their families.
“Georgia State’s efforts show what’s possible when institutions stop treating innovation as a separate initiative and start building it into the core of how they operate, from how they recruit students to how they recognize learning to how they prepare graduates for an AI-driven world,” said Cara Quackenbush, executive vice president of Eduventures Research at Encoura. “Georgia State saw an opportunity, backed it with data and proved it works. That’s exactly what these awards are meant to celebrate.”
The Eduventures Innovation Awards are judged based on institutional impact, level of innovation and alignment with institutional mission. Winners were announced during the Eduventures Summit, which brings together higher education leaders to explore emerging trends and strategies shaping the future of the sector.