Bridging the Gaps: Implementing Graduate Enrolment Management in a Decentralized Institution

Please provide a one-paragraph overview of the session.‎ (200 words or less): How do you build consistency in academic service delivery when your institution is a mosaic of autonomous faculties and graduate units? This session is about the real-world challenges and successes of implementing a Graduate Enrolment Management (GEM) framework within a highly decentralized university environment.
Join us and look at how the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) at the University of Toronto has been transforming its student academic services over the past two years. Through strategic collaborations, change management tactics, and a commitment to service excellence, SGS has developed a flexible GEM model that supports both central units and diverse academic divisions.
Participants will gain practical insights based on our approaches and will have the ability to share their own experiences in
• Designing adaptable service frameworks that respect local autonomy while promoting institutional consistency
• Onboarding and training strategies that empower staff across units
• Change management opportunities that foster buy-in and long-term success
• Automation tools that free up central staff to focus on peer coaching and leadership
Whether you're beginning your GEM journey or refining existing practices, this session offers actionable takeaways and lessons learned to help you elevate academic service delivery across the graduate student life cycle.

Session Agenda/Outline (200 words or less): 1. Welcome & Session Overview (5 minutes)
Brief introduction of presenters, session objectives and structure
2. Institutional Context & Challenges (10 minutes)
Overview of SGS at the University of Toronto’s decentralized structure and the key challenges in delivering consistent academic services
3. Customizing a Flexible GEM Framework (10 minutes)
Principles behind the framework
Examples of adaptability across divisions
4. Staff Onboarding & Training Strategies (10 minutes)
Building capacity across units
Tools and approaches for consistent onboarding
Lessons learned from implementation
5. Change Management in Action (10 minutes)
Strategies for building trust and buy-in
Collaborative planning and communication
Navigating resistance and sustaining momentum
6. Automation & Service Transformation (10 minutes)
Overview of automated processes introduced
Impact on staff roles and student experience
7. Interactive

Discussion: Sharing Practices (10 minutes)
8. Q&A and Closing Reflections (10 minutes)