Stamats' QuickTakes
Insights into Research, Strategic Planning, and Integrated Marketing for Colleges and Universities by Dr. Robert A. Sevier, Senior Vice President at Stamats (quicktakes@stamats.com)
Vol. 5, no. 19: Tell Me a Story
In this issue.
It's hard to believe that this is the last issue of QuickTakes in 2002. We'll see you again in mid-January 2003. In the meantime, your friends at Stamats hope you have a happy, safe, and thoughtful holiday season.
IDEA FARMS
Join Bob Sevier, Lorna Whalen, and John Watts in our new office in Cambridge office when we host two of our popular Idea Farms on January 22 and 23.
The purpose of the Idea Exchange is to get a group of 10-12 shrewd thinkers—that's where you come in—for a day-long group think and discussion. At these two Idea Farms we will be looking at the following topics:
The day will be relatively unstructured. While there may be some presentations given by some of the people who attend, we are primarily interested in creating an environment that supports dialogue and conversation among bright people. Our goal is to expand the collective wisdom of the participants, take a gander at the cutting edge, and maybe bring back an idea or two we can all use.
There is no cost for the Idea Farm but attendance is limited to 15 for each session. Reservations can be made by contacting Suzanne Schloss at info@stamats.com. We will be limiting the number of people from each institution to two.
The Idea Farms begin at 8:30 and end in mid-afternoon. Stamats will provide a continental breakfast and lunch.
Sometimes I think NACUBO has taken over the definition of what a successful college is all about. We hear about numbers that describe discount rates, bond ratings, and the size of the endowment, but we seem to have lost sight of the stories that really inspire; the stories of and by the young men and women, and even the not so young men and women, whose lives were changed by their college experience.
Joseph Lepla and Lynn M. Parker, writing in Integrated Branding: Becoming Brand-Driven Through Company-Wide Action, make the case that a simple, compelling story is one of the most powerful of all brand-building tools. They write, "For tens of thousands of years, human beings have been using stories to convey meaning to each other." Lepla and Parker make the case that human beings seem to be hard-wired to share their own experiences in story form and listen to others' tales. They go on, "Even the modern world bases much of its communication and entertainment on stories. Movies and television are all about stories that teach behavior, from the evening news to the latest sitcom. Words and phrases from these stories become part of our everyday vocabulary. In the new century, as ideas become more of the currency for creating value, storytelling will take on an even greater importance. The structure of a story has the ability to break through the noise of daily life and create memorable impressions in customers."
What makes a meaningful story?
Ultimately, there are three criteria for a strong story:
Real stories. Real people.
A number of years ago, I read a wonderful recruiting piece from Carson-Newman
College in Jefferson City, Tennessee. The title of the piece was Real Stories.
Real People. To help reinforce the importance of stories, I would like to
share one of the stories from that publication. It is short, but poignant and
concerns a young man with an interesting approach to learning.
Scott's story
It seemed like a strange thing to do at 11 o'clock at night, but Scott was going
to do it anyway. The other pre-med students were studying in the lab, but he
walked right past them. Something he'd read once echoed in his mind: "You can't
learn it until you teach it." Halfway through the semester, with more than 90
pages of histology notes, he had to cram for next week's test. In Carson-Newman's
pre-med program, you either know it or you don't. And the College's track record
was good—what was it? Something like 90 percent get into med school. The
thought made him more determined. Finally, he walked into a classroom and set
his books down on the professor's desk. "You can't learn it until you teach
it," he thought again. He looked towards the door to make sure it was closed
tight. Then, picking up a piece of chalk, he turned to the empty desks. "Now,"
he said with a confident voice, "Let's review the four different kinds of tissues."
We recently completed a series of research studies for Freed-Hardeman University. During the presentation we briefly talked about students' interest in pre-law, pre-medicine, and pre-vet. Eric Sickler, one of the consultants, mentioned that in the eyes of students, these were basically the three pre-wealth majors. Interesting observation.
MARKETING
COLUMNS IN UNIVERSITY BUSINESS
For the past year I have had the pleasure of writing a monthly column on higher education marketing for University Business magazine. During those 12 months we've covered topics ranging from media relations to marketing your continuing education programs to developing alumni programming. If you would like to take a look at the columns, they can be found at www.universitybusiness.com. Also, if you haven't already, you might want to subscribe to University Business. It's offered free of charge to qualified subscribers.
JOIN US AT THE CIC MEETING IN JANUARY
Guy Wendler, the president of Stamats, and Lorna Whalen, a principal consultant, will be attending the annual Council of Independent Colleges 2003 Presidents Institute in Naples, Florida on January 4-7. Information about the meeting can be found at www.cic.edu/conferences_events/presidents/2003.asp.
If you would like to set up an appointment with either Guy or Lorna during the meeting please contact Suzanne Schloss (info@stamats.com). She will be glad to work out the arrangements.
NEW OFFICE IN CAMBRIDGE
Stamats is very pleased to announce the establishment of an East Coast office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The new office is being staffed by Lorna Whalen and John Watts. You can give Lorna or John a call at 617/349-3795 or you can e-mail them at lorna.whalen@stamats.com or john.watts@stamats.com.
Stamats would like to welcome the following clients:
STAMATS SEMINAR SERIES
Keep checking www.stamats.com/seminars for the 2003 schedule to be posted soon!
JOB OPENINGS
Senior Consultant, Marketing and
Public Relations
Stamats Communications
Stamats Communications, one of the nation's most experienced higher education
research, marketing, and consulting companies, is seeking an individual to provide
marketing and public relations counsel and planning to colleges and universities.
This senior level, support position requires five years of experience in higher
education and significant management experience. Extensive travel, exceptional
writing and presentation skills, and a high degree of computer literacy, are
required. The ideal candidate should be an aggressive self-starter and be willing
to relocate to Cedar Rapids, IA. Please send a cover letter, resume, portfolio,
salary history, and references to: Jo Ann Binzen, at Stamats (joann.binzen@stamats.com),
615 Fifth Street SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406.
Principal Consultant
Stamats Communications
Stamats is looking for a principal consultant to sell and manage research, planning,
and consulting projects for colleges and universities. This person should have
at least 10 years of higher education marketing experience. Individuals who
have successfully sold and managed these kinds of projects are of special interest.
You will need a graduate degree. This position requires someone with exceptional
phone, interpersonal, writing, and group communication skills and the ability
to juggle multiple projects and meet deadlines. Compensation will include a
base salary, commissions, and a bonus based on meeting and surpassing sales,
profitability, and client retention and satisfaction. To submit a confidential
resume or to request further information on this position, please contact: Jo
Ann Binzen, Stamats Communications, Inc., PO Box 1888, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406,
joann.binzen@stamats.com.
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions
and Financial Assistance
Drew University
Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, seeks a Dean of Undergraduate Admissions
and Financial Assistance to oversee the recruitment, financial aid, and enrollment
program. The Dean reports to the President and serves on the President's Cabinet.
The College of Liberal Arts at Drew University is a highly selective college
located on 186 wooded acres in suburban New Jersey, just 30 miles west of New
York City. The endowment is approximately $200 million. Salary and benefits
are very competitive. Interested individuals should send a resume by e-mail
to Terry Lahti, Lahti Search Consultants (terry@lahtisearch.com).
Visit www.lahtisearch.com for complete
job announcement.
If you have a short position description (100 words or less) you would like posted, please forward it on to brandy.huseman@stamats.com. There is no charge for this service. Job listings available online at Higher Educations Careers.
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) 2002 by Stamats. Please feel free to forward copies of Stamats QuickTakes in its entirety to colleagues. Visit QuickTakes for past issues. To subscribe, reply to this e-mail, send your request to quicktakes@stamats.com, or visit QuickTakes.
ABOUT STAMATS
Every year, more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide rely upon Stamats research, planning, consulting, and communications services to help them keep their promises.
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