Play: The Post-Graduation Intelligence System
Graduate programs often fail to collect post-graduation intelligence, retiring the Bridge Matrix at graduation and relying on stale intake-year data. The PULSE framework fixes this by running the matrix on a standing cadence—at years one, three, five, ten, and beyond—comparing curriculum targets, re-surveyed employer expectations, and actual alumni capabilities. By utilizing conversations and focus groups rather than surveys alone, programs can identify gaps, blind spots, and over-achieved...
Play: The Bridge Matrix
Most graduate programs run three conversations that never touch: what learners need, what curriculum teaches, and what employers expect on day one. The Bridge Matrix is a single tool — built on Bloom’s Taxonomy — that plots all three on one grid, so the gaps between them become visible instead of assumed. This Play walks through how to build the matrix, read it, and run it twice: once to plan a curriculum cycle, and again to prove what changed.[pdf-embedder...
Play 0.1 The Graduate Program Purpose Statement
Let’s Make a Difference, One Play at a TimeGraduate programs often suffer from generic mission statements that fail to guide operational decision-making or distinguish them from competitors. A strong purpose statement serves as an essential, living foundation by declaring what a program believes about its learners, the standards it upholds, and how it measures success beyond graduation. Unlike broad institutional missions, an effective purpose statement is specific, directional, and honors the...
RESEARCH ENTRY 001: Curricular Agility in Graduate Business Education
From Evidence To Action – Section Introduction
The Graduate Program Intake Playbook introduces "From Evidence to Action," a living research section designed to bridge the gap between academic research and practical graduate program leadership. Recognizing that program leaders often lack time and tools to translate empirical findings, this resource curates credible, discipline-neutral studies to inform program design and management. Each entry follows a consistent, five-part structure—from citation to practice implications—to ensure...
Play 0.4 The Intake Critical Path
To achieve a learner-centered intake process, graduate programs must move beyond reactive scheduling and adopt "backward design". By anchoring the intake timeline to the graduation date, programs can map two synchronized critical paths: the Program Critical Path, defining essential internal milestones, and the Learner Critical Path, tracking the student's journey from problem recognition to advocacy. This alignment is facilitated by the Alignment Map, a tool ensuring program actions correspond...
Play A.9: Roles and Expectations in A Learner-Centered Graduate Program
Graduate business education is shifting from a transactional, siloed model to a learner-centered community ecosystem. This transition requires a fundamental reorientation of six key roles: program directors, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and employers. Moving beyond job titles, these roles function as interdependent commitments that operate within five interconnected "Playbook systems," including lead collection, learner conversion, and fan creation. Success in this model is measured not...
Quick-Reference Summary Card Play A.9: Graduate Program Intake Playbook
Quick-Reference Summary CardPlay A.9: Graduate Program Intake Playbook By Rodney G. Alsup, D.B.A., CPA, CITP • Professor Emeritus Role Core Responsibility 1 Core Responsibility 2 Core Responsibility 3 🏛Program DirectorEcosystem Architect Design and steward the entire learner ecosystem across all five Playbook systems Lead cycle review and translate data findings into playbook revisions every intake Model partnership-centered leadership in every stakeholder interaction 📚FacultyRelationship...
Play A.8 Graduate Program Intake Tagging System
Graduate business programs are often "data rich but information poor," holding vast amounts of data across disconnected platforms. The Graduate Program Intake Tagging System offers a platform-agnostic framework to transform this fragmented data into unified learner profiles. By implementing ten standardized tag categories, programs can create a common language that links systems, enabling proactive advising, evidence-based curriculum design, and intentional enrollment management. Leadership...
Quick Reference Card – Play A.8: Graduate Program Intake Tagging System
Print this page and keep it at your desk. The Five Tag Commandments No tag shall ever be created without a category No tag shall ever be created without a clear job Every tag's name shall describe its function Tag names shall always start with the category name Every tag shall carry a date-time stamp The Ten Tag Categories Category Purpose Naming Convention Example 1. Inquiry Tracks first signals of interest Inquiry - Source - Action Inquiry - Website - Information Request Submitted 2....
Platform Compatibility – Play A.8: Graduate Program Intake Tagging System
Platform Compatibility - Play A.8: Graduate Program Intake Tagging System Does This Tagging System Work With Our Platforms? The short answer is almost certainly yes. Here is why — and what to look for. Why This System Works Across Platforms The Graduate Program Intake Tagging System was designed from the ground up to be platform-agnostic. It does not require a specific CRM, a specific LMS, or a specific student information system. What it requires is one thing: that your platforms...
Play 0.1 Program Purpose Statement: Guided Worksheet
Many graduate programs lack a functional purpose statement, relying instead on borrowed institutional or accreditation language that fails to guide daily operations. A genuine purpose statement acts as a living tool rather than mere website "wallpaper," aligning recruitment, curriculum design, and operational standards. By framing the program as a learner-centered ecosystem, leaders can ensure that the educational experience prioritizes developmental growth over transactional outcomes. This...
Play 1.1: The Student Entry Point Worksheet
The "Student Entry Point Worksheet" shifts graduate recruitment from generic marketing to a targeted strategy based on professional "Trigger Events". By interviewing students about the specific workplace catalysts that prompted their enrollment, program leaders can identify exact gaps in knowledge, skills, and capabilities. This data allows programs to align their curriculum as a direct solution to real-world professional requirements rather than offering a generic credential. By mapping these...