Stamats' QuickTakes
Insights into Research, Strategic Planning, and Integrated Marketing for Colleges and Universities by Dr. Robert A. Sevier, Vice President for Research and Marketing at Stamats (quicktakes@stamats.com)
Vol. IV, no. 22: Results of 9-11 Impact Survey
In this issue.
THANKS
This will be our final issue of QuickTakes for 2001. Who imagined in January that the year we leave in December would be so dramatically different; changed in ways we could never have anticipated? As we end the year, the folks at Stamats wish you and your colleagues, and your families, a warm, joyous, and safe holiday and look forward to working with you again in 2002.
CIC MEETING IN FORT MYERS, FL JANUARY 4-7, 2002
Guy Wendler, the president of Stamats, and Lorna Whalen, principal consultant, will be attending the Council of Independent Colleges meeting in January. If you would like to schedule a meeting with either Guy or Lorna they can be reached at guy.wendler@stamats.com or lorna.whalen@stamats.com.
STRATEGIC PLANNING CORNER: 9-11
Many of you know that we completed the first of two studies of how the September 11 tragedy has impacted prospective students . and parents . as they think about college. We presented this information at an Idea Farm we held in Chicago on November 30. A copy of the entire PowerPoint presentation, as promised, is available free of charge contact Stamats. This report will be available through January 15, 2002.
I have briefly excerpted some of the key findings in the "By the Numbers" section below.
If you have questions about the survey, please contact either me or Becky Morehouse, our research director at bob.sevier@stamats.com or becky.morehouse@stamats.com, respectively.
HIGH-TOUCH
TECHNOLOGY
By Eric Sickler, principal consultant
In their book High Tech and High Touch: Technology and Our Search for Meaning, John Naisbitt, Douglas Phillips, and Nana Naisbitt suggest that technology has become the currency of our lives. We live in what they call a "technologically intoxicated zone" where we obsess over finding quick and easy fixes, and where we simultaneously fear and worship technology.
Just try to imagine an admission or marketing office without a piece of sophisticated data management machinery and a phone on every desk, voicemail and e-mail for every staff member, or printers and copy machines churning out schedules and reports from dawn 'til dusk. And that's really just the tip of the technological iceberg.
Web-based communication offers instant and sustained "dialogue" between and among countless audiences at all hours of the day and night. CD-ROMS and virtual tours are slowly gaining acceptance as replacements for personal campus visits. Paying deposits and tuition, buying books, and registering for classes can take place without the suggestion of a face-to-face conversation. According to Naisbitt and company, the line between real and virtual is blurring.
As our daily lives become increasingly dependent on technology, we put our "emotional authenticity" at risk by replacing human contact with digital dialogue. In the pursuit of efficiency, we may well compromise our effectiveness as managers, counselors, and colleagues without even realizing what's happening. Consequently, it's critically important to take deliberate steps to ensure that the intensely human heritage of our institution is not marginalized by the ever-growing array of high-tech solutions available to us as recruitment and marketing practitioners. A
Balancing Act
It is possible—though not necessarily easy—to attempt to preserve our "humanness" and enjoy the efficiencies that technology brings to the operation of our programs. It starts by embracing the fact that technology has, and forever will, play an integral role in the development of our culture. In many ways, technological innovations are the creative product of our very human imaginations, our dreams, and our aspirations.
So how do you sustain a high-touch image in a high-tech world? By keeping these fundamental principles in mind. A high-touch technological solution:
You've experienced high-touch technology:
The examples are all around us, and they become the high-touch standard by which all other high-tech solutions are measured. So as you embrace technology in your recruitment and marketing programs, be true to your school's uniquely human heritage by making certain you inject a healthy dose of high-touch into the mix.
To talk to Eric about this article, please e-mail him at eric.sickler@stamats.com.
The recently completed Stamats survey of college bound prospective students revealed a number of interesting findings, including:
In the next issue of QuickTakes we will explore some of the implications of the survey.
If you are interested in branding, and it seems like everyone is, you might want to check out a just-completed bibliography of branding books and sources. It is available on our Web site at www.stamats.com/resources/glossary.asp.
NEW
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION BOOK BY BOB SEVIER
If you are interested in learning how you can market your institution more effectively, then you need to take a look at Bob Sevier's fourth book, Thinking Outside the Box: Some (fairly) Radical Thoughts on How Colleges and Universities Should Think, Act, and Communicate in a Very Busy Marketplace.
Written for colleges and universities who want to think, act, and communicate more effectively in today's highly competitive marketplace, the book covers six broad sections including:
To look at two sample chapters, or to order the book, click on the Strategy Publishing Web site: strategypublishing.com.
On a personal note, I am appreciative of the great response the book has received. What is really interesting is the word-of-mouth support it has generated. I particularly enjoy it when a president orders a copy and e-mails back two weeks later and orders 20 more for senior staff or board members. I think the messages about marketing and branding are beginning to sink in.
NEW CLIENTS
Stamats would like to welcome the following new client:
STAMATS SEMINARS SERIES
Tentative 2002 Stamats Seminars
Taking Command of Interactive
Media in the Higher Education Marketplace
When: February 24-26
Where: TBD
Generating Successful Recruiting
and Marketing Strategies for Public Colleges & Universities
When: March10-12
Where: Orlando, FL
TeensTALK Conference
When: April 14
Where: Minneapolis, MN
Stamats Seminar on Direct Marketing
When: April 22-23
Where: TBD
Stamats' Presidents' Institute
on Integrated Marketing & Branding
When: June 11-12
Where: TBD
Generating Successful Recruiting
and Marketing Strategies for Graduate & Professional Schools
When: June 16-18
Where: TBD
Generating Successful Integrated
Marketing & Branding Strategies for Colleges and Universities
When: August 11-13
Where: TBD
STAMATS SEMINARS ON YOUR CAMPUS
If you are interested in having a customized seminar or workshop on your campus we would be glad to put together a program for you. We have seminars available on a wide-array of topics related to student recruiting, institutional marketing, image-enhancement strategies, and branding, publications, interactive media including Web strategies, demographic trends, and others.
For information on any of our seminars, please contact Suzanne Schloss at info@stamats.com or check out our Web site at www.stamats.com.
JOB OPENINGS
MIT Sloan School of Management
Executive Director of the MBA Program
The MIT Sloan School of Management seeks an Executive Director of the MBA Program,
a full-time position to coordinate, manage, and promote all aspects of the MBA
Program. Sloan seeks an individual with a strong work ethic, well-developed
management skills, creativity, an understanding of the MBA marketplace, and
a desire to take a strong program to the next level. The Executive Director
of the MBA Program will: ·Work in partnership with the Deputy Dean to oversee
MBA Admissions, Student Affairs, and Career Development; ·Work with approximately
600 MBA and 100 Leaders For Manufacturing (LFM) students during their time on
campus; ·Manage and develop over 20 permanent and 10 contract employees; ·Play
an active role in MBA Program continuous improvement initiatives; ·Work in partnership
with other groups on campus including Educational Services, Alumni Relations,
Communications/Marketing, Technology Services, Corporate Relations, and the
research centers. For further information, please see Job #01-0001292 on the
MIT Web site (web.mit.edu/jobs/listings/).
University of Arkansas
Director of Admissions
The University of Arkansas anticipates extensive qualitative and quantitative
growth over the next ten years and seeks an experienced enrollment specialist
to lead this initiative. The director must have a working knowledge of the technology
and strategies necessary to recruit in a highly competitive and technologically
savvy field. An advanced degree is required, as is experience in making data-based
decisions, marketing analysis, and supervising and motivating a diverse staff
and volunteer group. Superior communication required. The director must be an
effective team builder, planner, and collaborator. Salary is commensurate to
education and experience. The position will close on December 28, 2001 or until
position is filled. Send your resume and a list of at least three references
to: Ms. Teresa Clark, University of Arkansas, Division of Enrollment Services,
207 Silas H. Hunt Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701, or, contact by email at: clark@uark.edu.
EOE.
Saint Michael's College
Director of Marketing and Communications
Saint Michael's College, a Catholic, liberal arts, residential institution of
higher education seeks candidates for the following key management position,
Director of Marketing and Communications. We are seeking an experienced, energetic,
and creative Director to lead our newly formed Office of Marketing and Communications.
Must have excellent marketing, public relations, Web, and writing skills, as
well as experience implementing traditional and Web-based marketing plans, preferably
in an educational environment. Responsibilities will include coordinating the
efforts of the campus' Web, PR, and publication areas. The Director will create
a public relations plan that will result in increased national name recognition
for the College, research and pursue marketing opportunities that showcase the
mission of the College, coordinate marketing-related research for the College,
and most importantly, be a strong team leader who will lead the institution
toward a more integrated marketing effort. This newly created position will
report to the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing. Appropriate
education and demonstrated successful background in marketing/PR/Web is required,
along with effective leadership and communication skills. Review of applications
will begin December 28, 2001 and continue until filled. Send resumes and salary
history to the Office of Human Resources, Saint Michael's College, One Winooski
Park, Colchester, VT 05439. AA/EOE. Questions may be e-mailed to aconaway-peters@smcvt.edu.
If you have a short position description (100 words or less) you would like posted, please forward it on to info@stamats.com. There is no charge for this service.
COPYRIGHT, DISTRIBUTION, AND PERMISSION
Stamats QuickTakes is published by Stamats and is distributed to our clients and colleagues in higher education at no charge. Contents (c) 2001 by Stamats Please feel free to forward copies of Stamats QuickTakes in its entirety to colleagues.
ABOUT STAMATS
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