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. 6, no. 10: Success
In this issue.
UPCOMING SEMINARS
Creating Mindshare: Developing Your Integrated and Brand Marketing Strategy
Strategy and Finance: Helping Colleges Thrive in Tough Times
3rd Annual President's Institute on Integrated Marketing and Brand Marketing
More information about these seminars is available later in this issue of QuickTakes.
ON STRATEGY: PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESS STORIES
Sometimes we forget, amidst all the coverage of problems at colleges and universities, that there are a phenomenal number of success stories. Recently, I ran across a round-up of essays written by college presidents that addressed different kinds of innovation they have done on their campuses. The study was sponsored by CIC and published in 2000. The whole article (and it is a long one), is available as a PDF at www.luminafoundation.org/Publications/essays.shtml.
To whet your appetite for further exploration, here is a brief outline of authors and the topics they addressed:
1. Dr. Louis J. Agnese Jr., President, University of the Incarnate Word - Repositioning for Success: Marketing, enrollment management, and innovative financing bring a college into the future
2. Dr. Lee Balzer, President, John Brown University - Leading with Our Strengths: How an open planning process helped with the founding of two high-impact academic centers
3. Dr. Esther L. Barazzone, President, Chatham College - Back from the Brink: Combining tradition and innovations in a quest for revitalization
4. Dr. Donald J. Breckon, President, Park College - Developing Diversity: More minority enrollment spells major growth
5. Dr. William H. Crouch Jr., President, Georgetown College - Capitalizing on Connections: Making the most of creative alliances in all parts of the college community
6. Dr. E. LeBron Fairbanks, President, Mount Vernon Nazarene College - The Cooperative Edge: Turning institutional collaboration into institutional strategy
7. Dr. Keith Lovin, President, Maryville University of St. Louis - A Study in Synergy: How a university, a hospital, and a business center share everything from natural resources to intellectual capital
8. Dr. Roger H. Martin, President, Randolph-Macon College - Pragmatic Planning: Adapting a model strategic planning philosophy to a small college's unique needs
9. Sister Mary Andrew Matesich, OP, President, Ohio Dominican College - Extending an Invitation to Tomorrow: How integrating technology throughout a college led to transforming change
10. Dr. John E. Moore Jr., President, Drury University - Creating the Mission-Oriented Opportunity: College transformation through purposeful pragmatism
11. Dr. Phillip C. Stone, President, Bridgewater College - Developing the Whole Student: How emphasizing development helps a college translate an ambitious mission into reality12. Dr. Francis Marie Thrailkill, OSU, President, College of Mount St. Joseph - Changing the Campus Climate: Proof that a college needn't suffer a crisis to transform its way of working
13. Dr. Peggy Ryan Williams, President, Ithaca College - Answering the Call: The role of service in enhancing both community and campus
DON'T
ASSUME, DON'T GUESS…LET RESEARCH-DRIVEN DATA BE YOUR GUIDE
By Scott Linzey, Principal Consultant
Many seasoned admissions professionals rely heavily on instinct and intuition honed over multiple years of massaging the recruitment funnel and implementing deliberate tactics to yield the class they and their institution sought. However, recent research indicates that the marketplace is changing and unless you are aware of and responsive to current attitudes and opinions, you can't assume that successes of recent years hold promise for productivity in the future.
Prospective students are savvier and less responsive to traditional devices. They now place increased emphasis on criteria previously not considered. The people that influence their college selection and the overall decision-making process have changed. The way they shop and the information they desire has shifted.
Consider some of the following pieces of information lifted from the 2002 edition of Stamats national study on college-bound high school students, TeensTALK.
78% of college-bound students plan to work (an average of 22.06 hours per week) while attending college. This places increased pressure on institutions to offer more flexible class schedules, challenges retention, and will likely have a negative impact on student involvement in campus life.
20% of students are undecided about their major. More than twice of any other category/program; business was second with 9%, followed by computer science, pre-professional fields, and education, however, less than half of the current teen population can accurately define the "Humanities" or "Liberal Arts." So, while it is increasingly important to demonstrate that entering new students will have options for curricular exploration, it is equally important to communicate in their terminology… so that they fully understand not only your programs and offerings, but the graduate programs and careers to which they might lead.
The campus visit remains the most influential recruiting tool. The list of visit activities that most impact student perceptions has changed dramatically recently, and might surprise you. Less than 10% of respondents indicated that an admissions interview or meeting with admissions was important. Sitting in on a class and meeting with professors ranked very high. Now, there's a dilemma. Do we give them what they want and allow the faculty to heavily impact our level of success? Or, do we ignore the data and take our chances? A challenging juxtaposition.
This generation is high-tech and high-touch. Potential students want to feel a sense of care and belonging. Consider the top five recruiting strategies according to our study: campus visit, info about major, Web site, high school visit, and faculty contact. This suggests that success is heavily reliant on staff social skills, a contemporary Web site, and the institution's willingness and ability to use a robust media mix that integrates print, Web, face-to-face tactics (on and off campus), and campus visit programs.
This just scratches the surface of the depth of information that exists in TeensTALK. To receive a copy of the report or speak with Scott about it, contact him at 410-356-6140 or scott.linzey@stamats.com.
DO AND SHOULD FINANCIAL AID PACKAGES AFFECT STUDENTS' COLLEGE CHOICES?
That's the title from a National Bureau of Economic Research paper written by Christopher Avery and Caroline Hoxby (see www.nber.org/papers/w9482).
Rather than highlight the entire article, I thought I would just include some excerpts from the conclusion. If you want the details, you will need to download the entire article. It's a long one so make sure you printer is full of paper. Here goes:
FOUR ARTICLES WORTH TRACKING DOWN
Unfortunately, I don't have space for a lengthy review, but I wanted to quickly mention four articles that you might want to get a hold of.
TOP 10 REASONS NOT TO CHOOSE CENTRE COLLEGE
I'm sure that headline got your attention. It was supposed to. That's the reason why Centre College posted the tongue-in-cheek "top 10" on their Web site. Mike Norris, the director of communications at Centre, says the purpose of the site is to entice prospective students to read what is really a list of benefits to attending. The "top 10" builds on a series of other lists that the College has created.
The list opens with a statement from the admission staff that says, "We've spent a lot of time and energy in recent weeks trying to persuade you why you should attend Centre. With the May 1 decision date approaching, and in the interest of fairness, we thought we would offer the following reasons Centre might be a poor match for you."
The site then goes on to list 10
reasons why Centre might not be a great fit. Some of the reasons include:
Number 10) You plan to spend five or six years earning your degree.
The odds are against you. 97% of our students who graduate complete
their degree in four years.
Number 8) You're more interested in being a follower than a leader. Centre doesn't force anyone to become a leader, but we provide a range of leadership opportunities from clubs to service organizations to a formal leadership program that could be difficult to avoid over four years.
Number 6) You're determined never to set foot outside the United States. Centre could be your passport to, well, a passport. If you come to a school that has one of the top-ten foreign study programs in the country, you well might—like most Centre students—find yourself studying virtually anywhere in the world (for practically the same cost as studying at the Danville campus).
Number 4) You have your heart set on a few leisurely years of unemployment after graduation. Unlikely. Within six months of graduation, 93 percent of Centre students are either employed or engaged in advance study.
Number 2) You're compelled to avoid famous people. You'd be trapped in your room most of the time. From James Earl Jones to Vice President Dick Cheney to Senator Joe Lieberman to the world's most acclaimed dramatic and musical performers, Centre has a steady stream of internationally known campus visitors.
And reason number one? Well, you'll have to check out the site.
It concludes, "On the other hand, if you want a personal education that will expose you to the world (guaranteed) and prepare you for exceptional success, Centre is the choice for you. We hope you do choose Centre and that we see you on campus this summer for early orientation."
Great idea. Exceptionally well-executed.
A full copy of the "top 10" is downloadable at:
www.centre.edu/web/admission/publications/nottochoose.pdf.
NEW CLIENTS
Stamats would like to welcome the following new clients:
STAMATS SEMINAR SCHEDULE FOR 2003
Creating Mindshare: Developing Your Integrated and Brand Marketing Strategy
Strategy and Finance: Helping Colleges Thrive in Tough Times
Stamats' 3rd Annual President's Institute on Integrated & Brand Marketing
Additional conference details can be found at www.stamats.com/seminars. Please check the Web site often for changes in times or locations.
FREE INTEGRATED MARKETING SCORECARD AVAILABLE ON WEB
Wondering how well your college or university's marketing efforts are working? Imagine being scored on their effectiveness.
Stamats has introduced a free, integrated marketing scorecard for colleges and universities on its Web site (www.stamats.com/scorecard).
The Scorecard is a balance of serious (it really does work) and a little bit of fun. So, take five minutes (really, only five minutes), complete the Scorecard, and get a better sense of how your integrated marketing efforts are working.
The self-assessment involves 17 questions that address the major components of an integrated marketing effort. The weighted questions have a combined possibility of 100 (things are great) to 0 (looks like you are in trouble).
Along with a number, you'll receive a little free advice on what you can do to improve your score. And if you'd like additional recommendations, there's an option for contacting Stamats directly about assistance with your integrated marketing needs.
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) 2003 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 marketing and communications programs to help them keep their promises. Stamats services include research, consulting, publications, interactive media, search solutions, and advertising.
Stamats. Promises kept.