tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59062754733912223172024-03-13T21:02:43.717-07:00U of Admissions MarketingEnrollment trends, techniques, and strategies for universities and colleges.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger274125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-42434064038311352362021-08-07T10:22:00.001-07:002021-08-07T10:22:51.747-07:00The Dunning-Kruger Effect and the Marketing/Recruitment/Enrollment ChallengeThe Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, social psychologists Justin Kruger
and David Dunning argued (and repeatedly proved) that the Americans and Europeans who are the most
ignorant about a skill are the ones most likely to overrate their ability at
that skill.<br />
<br />
Bad chess players are most likely
to say they're underrated. People with poor grammar are most likely to say they have above-average grammar skills. Ninety percent of the faculty at U of Nebraska said they were above average compared to other U of Nebraska faculty.<br />
<br />
Oh, to be an above-average fly on the wall in the U of Nebraska provost's office when that study was published ... <br />
<br />
The Dunning-Kruger Effect helps explain the "it's a problem for other people but not for me" phenomenon. For example, only 20% of college presidents described the state of race relations at U.S. colleges as good or better than good, but 80% said race relations were good or better than good at their own college (doubtlessly due to their own superior leadership skills).<br />
<br />
The Dunning-Kruger cognitive bias affects us all. It's your boss. It's your employees. It's <a href="https://clientsfromhell.net/">clients from hell</a>, and it's your friends and colleagues. (And me. When I'm in your meeting. Offering my lame ideas. And spilling coffee on myself.) <br />
<br />
The best approach for people to avoid this cognitive bias is to assume you know far less than you actually do.<br />
<br />
The advice isn't new. If you have a liberal arts background, you'll likely hearken back to ye olden times philosophy class in which Socrates said (according to Plato), "I know that I know nothing."<br />
<h3>
What does the Dunning-Kruger effect look like in EM and marketing?</h3>
Cognitive biases adopt many forms, but Dunning-Kruger feels intensely personal to enrollment and marketing professionals.<br />
<br />
In general, it looks like this in higher ed: "I think I'm good at XX, which is related to YY and ZZ, so I'm probably good at all of these things, at the same time. So good. Ridiculously good. I should probably be in charge of this place."<br />
<br />
Are there examples? Oh my god, yes.<br />
<br />
Excluding the people who confess "I don't know anything about the Internet," most everyone thinks they're digital marketing experts because they've used a smartphone and a web browser.<br />
<br />
Nearly anyone with an advanced degree thinks they write great copy and can edit a story. (They can't. I swear it on the graves of all creative writing professors.)<br />
<br />
Most everyone who managed--intentionally or not--to procreate 18 years in the past has advice for the admissions office on what students want.<br />
<br />
And most of the institution thinks they could recruit and retain more/better/different students more easily and for less money than the people actually doing that work.<br />
<br />
Overall, the Dunning-Kruger effect explains why so many meetings about recruitment, marketing, and enrollment don't have the right people in the room <br />
<br />
It's where good marketing campaigns go to die, where recruitment plans fail, and where enrollment efforts stall. <br />
<br />
But the examples don't stop there.<br />
<br />
Dunning-Kruger helps explain why so many "experts" and "mavens" and "edupreneurs" think they can "disrupt" the higher education industry--even though they've never worked in it.<br />
<br />
It explains why presidents and VPs will try to art direct something you paid a design agency beau-coup dollars to create.<br />
<br />
It explains the usually misguided (and frankly ageist) belief that young employees understand young technologies (cough, hiring a student to run the social medias).<br />
<br />
It
explains why so many higher education leaders who never did enrollment
work view entry-level strategies (We should visit high schools!) and low-ROI recruiting ideas (Let's translate the fall fair piece into Spanish!) as
critical insights.<br />
<br />
It explains why faculty quickly blame
admissions for retention challenges (and also why admissions folks fail to understand the influence they have on
retention).<br />
<br />
It explains why so many admissions directors put faith in the funnel even though they can't
statistically analyze it or explain the marketing strategies that fill it.<br />
<br />
It helps explain why institutions continue to under-invest in digital strategies and data analysis (and over-invest in namebuy strategies).<br />
<br />
It
explains why more admissions professionals don't attend AMA, why more higher
education marketers aren't at NACAC, and why more enrollment folks aren't at
HighEdWeb.<br />
<br />
It explains why
journalists print delicious soundbites that attribute enrollment success to presidents,
athletics teams, and endowment size instead of market forces, demographics, program development, and content/marketing/sales/financial aid/digital strategies.<br />
<br />
It explains why institutions don't take the advice of a consultant who has worked with hundreds of other clients.<br />
<br />
For the official record, I am wrong about many things all the time and I am likely drawing many incorrect
correlations. But Dunning-Kruger is a well-documented phenomenon, and to pretend it doesn't
impact daily enrollment work seems really, really disingenuous.<br />
<br />
Especially when so many people want to stab the people in their meetings. <br />
<h3>
What to do about Dunning-Kruger</h3>
Helping staff recognize their cognitive bias is the easy part because you have authority over it. <br />
<ol>
<li><b>Show staff what they don't know. </b>This usually involves professional development in a core area (e.g. admissions and operations) and professional development in ancillary areas (e.g. marketing, analytics, digital strategy, event management, or strategic budget planning). You'll make the process go faster if you expose your staff to people who are really good in the industry and if you ask people to report on what they've learned and where they have weaknesses and need more professional development.</li>
<li><b>Create opportunities to fail.</b> EM is an intensely high-stress area of the academy, and lack of success isn't usually viewed as positive. But there should be some failure opportunities built into your recruitment and enrollment plans. People need to find the limits of what they're good at.</li>
<li><b>Establish standards and checklists.</b> Yep, they're boring, but yes they work. Doing pre- and post-test work with checklists also shows people how many errors they make in their work, which most people consider above average. (Medical professionals are the worst. If you ever have surgery and the surgeon doesn't have a checklist, cancel the surgery.)</li>
<li><b>Demonstrate (and identify) your own ignorance</b>. Let your staff know when a delegated task is based on your own inability to succeed. Lots of leaders struggle with this one.</li>
<li><b>Put more confidence in your best employees.</b> You know who they are. Let them have more independence.</li>
</ol>
Directing leadership is the hard part. <br />
<ol>
<li><b>Provide leadership with candid but uncomfortable situations. </b>This is the part where they have to see bad news and where they can discover the edges of their knowledge. (P.S. You really have to know your stuff for this to work. Also, this can get you fired.) </li>
<li><b>Clearly identify leading and lagging indicators.</b> Otherwise every metric gets used to react to success or failure instead of an opportunity to make proactive decisions.</li>
<li><b>Establish reporting schedules and dashboards</b>, and point leaders to the trends and patterns. It's time to get good with Tableau (or Python or R if you enjoy torture.) </li>
<li><b>Run a drip campaign</b> that reports information up</li>
<li><b>Walk them through scenarios</b>, and clearly explain anything even remote to domain specific jargon. I spent one entire meeting talking about website engagement before realizing no one in the room understood how Google Analytics worked. Lessons were learned. </li>
</ol>
And the best part: keep getting better. Experts are much more likely to rate themselves as less
knowledgeable than they actually are, in part because they realize how
little they know about huge and complex industries. So pretend to be and expert, and set the default to "I need to know more about this."<br />
<div class="comp mntl-sc-block mntl-sc-block-html" id="mntl-sc-block_1-0-66">
<ul>
<li><b>Never stop exploring and practicing. </b>Getting just a little bit into a topic will quickly teach you how little you know about it. (Literally me with every topic.) Spending a few hours with frontline staff will transform the way you think about the challenges students and staff face. </li>
<li><b>Solicit feedback. </b>Given campus politics at some institutions, and given people's tendency to want to give advice, you can learn a lot about yourself and your limits if you're willing to take it on the chin now and then. These people aren't always right, but if enough people perceive something, it's worth fixing that perception.</li>
<li><b>Always question the "truths" you hold dear.</b> Confirmation bias is also real, and it lets us think we're more expert than we are. You can have a bold or strong opinion, but you should seek out information that counters yours, and you should abandon a position when you find a better one.</li>
</ul>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-55491987140916426042018-09-19T21:02:00.004-07:002018-09-26T23:07:49.019-07:00Bing versus Google: Comparing Higher Ed Search Results and AdsLooking for the key takeaway in the first paragraph? Here it is: if
you advertise on Google, you should probably advertise on Bing, too. This is especially true if you recruit for graduate, continuing education, or parent
campaigns.<br>
<br>
Bonus takeaway: search experiences are
incredibly customized by search term, user, and geography, which means
they are hard to control. Even if you don't have SEO resources, you
should at least know what's going on with your brand across both search engines. Perform semi-regular searches for
common branded keywords on both platforms.<br>
<h3>
Background Info and Differences</h3>
When Bing launched nearly a decade
ago, general consensus held that Microsoft's search engine provided
lackluster search results. Although search result relevancy has improved, Bing's results still seem less relevant and less helpful when performing
long-tailed keyword searchers.<br>
<br>
Much of this has to do with Bing's algorithms.<br>
<ul>
<li>Bing unabashedly rewards social signals. (How's that social media strategy coming along? And your social listening?)</li>
<li>Bing rewards exact match domains ... and exact match H1 and H2 tags ... and exact match anchor text and metatags (aka on-page SEO).</li>
<li>Bing privileges multimedia in ways Google doesn't. (Don't post content without images/video.)</li>
<li>Bing gives more weight to backlinks.</li>
<li>Google more likely rewards mobile optimization.</li>
<li>High quality content matters ... a lot (e.g. you need an author), but that's true for everything you do.</li>
</ul>
There are plenty of technical considerations beyond this, but these are the major differences you'll encounter.<br>
<br>
A non-SEO difference you'll encounter is in the UX of each search platform. At first glance the layout of results appears the same--maps, photos, sitelinks, ads--but Bing uses more of the page and provides richer content experiences. Additionally, Bing's image and video
search functions were considered strong from day one. (I still use Bing
when I need to track down images at work.)<br>
<br>Many people think Bing provides a better-looking interface, and I tend to agree. <br>
<br>
From a PPC standpoint, you'll see major audience differences across the two search platforms. This is most evident when looking at search market share
(63-93% for Google, 7-33% for Bing) and demographics (Bing skews quite a
bit older and more female). And while Google will likely deliver higher volume, Bing ads end up costing less per conversion.<br>
<br>
All of this to say: Bing is smaller and less flashy, but it has positive ROI lurking in it, and if you have capacity, you should go after that ROI.<br>
<h3>
How Bing's Search Results Impact Institutions</h3>
Most institutions
are deeply embedded in the Google search and analytics environments, and
they may not know what happens to them on Bing.<br>
<br>
Don't be that institution. <br>
<br>
In particular, you should see who's going after your branded keywords on Bing.<br>
<br>
Here's
an example from Adelphi Univeristy. (And yep, I Googled/Binged it
wrong. The
search was performed from Colorado while logged into Google with my
student's secret shopper account. Browser history and cache had been
cleared.)<br>
<h4>
Google Results</h4>
<h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVVnSA3eN5yJYxIsZKdRCW6l4YWiyRs83-BS-LNqx305rnmtGH4WwkuCf5UuyNx_sqmRq20bZk-qpudaE26ljDaeXom1RBSBn_zcN6fAAqB797kdAx-Mu8z5BLO1ObSnbZaLiXhHmEik/s1600/Adelphi_Google.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1600" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVVnSA3eN5yJYxIsZKdRCW6l4YWiyRs83-BS-LNqx305rnmtGH4WwkuCf5UuyNx_sqmRq20bZk-qpudaE26ljDaeXom1RBSBn_zcN6fAAqB797kdAx-Mu8z5BLO1ObSnbZaLiXhHmEik/s640/Adelphi_Google.png" width="640"></a> </h4>
<ol>
<li>No one appears to be running ads for "Adelphi" or generic terms like
"college" or "university" on Google. Best guess is that the
click-through rates are low.</li>
<li>Note the inclusion of net price, grad rates, and acceptance rates in
the right column search results. That was part of a major Google update for higher education this year. </li>
<li>The photo that Google grabbed is ... not good. Failure to manage a
Google My Business account is becoming tough to countenance in the marketing
world. A university can't control all the images that get surfaced, but it can control
some.</li>
<li>Google does a lot of work to connect users to social platforms.</li>
</ol>
<h4>
Bing Results</h4>
<h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7E9Nfs7hqWOGquICbguRtLMCBStmFCC4TfoIkkVQ9UxqWxdJpZ_rVKjci7ifEfktKgclwpW31KVSgw25q7J2dyDc6ChS_cls6Q9LEBMje9jp7zk6vLIN_kL6uEGco0og0Efb1ztHPTp8/s1600/Adelphi_Bing.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1600" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7E9Nfs7hqWOGquICbguRtLMCBStmFCC4TfoIkkVQ9UxqWxdJpZ_rVKjci7ifEfktKgclwpW31KVSgw25q7J2dyDc6ChS_cls6Q9LEBMje9jp7zk6vLIN_kL6uEGco0og0Efb1ztHPTp8/s640/Adelphi_Bing.png" width="640"></a> </h4>
<ol>
<li>A for-profit ad shows as the top search result for a branded
keyword. (Ads on Bing look more like search results, I find.) The ad is
actually triggered by "college" and "university", and after an initial
search, it will not appear if the same search term is entered in Bing.
(Ad networks are really, really smart.)</li>
<li>Bing grabs more images, and those images tend to be more interesting.</li>
<li>Bing is using a different map platform and doesn't provide map directions, but there's still a map. It's usually zoomed out a bit further.</li>
<li>Bing displays different sitelinks than Google does. In this case
Bing has better sitelinks from a future student standoint, although it's
not clear if they're better because Bing's algorithm is better or luckier or
because a marketer is forcing "The Adelphi Story" and "At a Glance" to display on Google.</li>
<li>Bing encourages search refinements immediately.</li>
</ol>
<h3>
Do these results apply to other institutions?</h3>
Mostly. When it comes to
branded keywords, institutions return very similar results regardless of
institution type, size or location.<br>
<br>
After going through 30+ institutions in New York, most had ad results in Bing that didn't
exist in Google. My favorite "sure, we'll take your Bing search results" example: Berklee College in Boston is
running Bing ads for the search term "Berkeley College," which is in
NYC. Clever.<br>
<h3>
Other considerations</h3>
<ol>
<li>Bing pulls in Yelp reviews, which is rough.
For example, the 1,000-student Boricua College has a 1-star Yelp rating
that shows as a top result on Bing. Harvard and Yale only have four
stars despite illustrious USNWR rankings. Yelp is weird ... or maybe USNWR is. (The answer is both. Both are weird.)<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnt1save6vZ3VPXhD4lN2ab58yKECd1tCgB8MWWiMirOZ-s44C2INPZ3p3Ziz7IzKEu4JgZd998WHMaepe69V3ZJfZ_12j5Uwaix_kOzHfTNvgbVtwCSRKf5evBUapaZrAftDyYYiXT0/s1600/Boricua.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1600" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlnt1save6vZ3VPXhD4lN2ab58yKECd1tCgB8MWWiMirOZ-s44C2INPZ3p3Ziz7IzKEu4JgZd998WHMaepe69V3ZJfZ_12j5Uwaix_kOzHfTNvgbVtwCSRKf5evBUapaZrAftDyYYiXT0/s640/Boricua.png" width="640"></a> </li>
<li>Bing
and Google rank college search platforms differently. For example, when performing branded keyword searches, Niche tends to appear higher in Google's results; College Explorer
appears higher in Bing's results.</li>
<li>Colleges run ads for branded
keywords differently across the platforms. (Interpretation: your competitors may not be
guarding themselves well.) Loosely, for-profits run PPC ads on both Bing and Google;
not-for-profits appear to run them primarily on Google.</li>
<li>Bing
does this weird/wonderful thing where it grabs your news stories and media-rich web content. This is an example of the way Bing rewards multimedia content.<br><br><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIol810tBMxUBI655QcN21SYzhOoKIHcKZZHoVJNGLmbj2TxJngp1FvrJPFq1jLofdVmtJn9p2e2F-LRkRP5HfDDGmQGh4Yp_ialkhMYRu7y-nIuenS4NsqcMhB1Vo7juPBBsFNkBcFU/s1600/Clarkson.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="869" data-original-width="1600" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidIol810tBMxUBI655QcN21SYzhOoKIHcKZZHoVJNGLmbj2TxJngp1FvrJPFq1jLofdVmtJn9p2e2F-LRkRP5HfDDGmQGh4Yp_ialkhMYRu7y-nIuenS4NsqcMhB1Vo7juPBBsFNkBcFU/s640/Clarkson.png" width="640"></a></li>
<li>Like Google My Business, Bing Places allows for greater refinement of search results.</li>
</ol>
<h3>
The Takeaways</h3>
Bing is major search platform. If
you spend money on PPC with Google, you should consider splitting your
spend (or adding to your spend) with Bing to compare results.<br>
<br>
If
you dedicate resources to SEO, you'll need to consider how you want to
address Bing, knowing that its search algorithm rewards different
types of behaviors. At a bare minimum, make sure everything is in order on Bing.<br>
<br>
And
if you have no resources except time ... check your Google My Business account and Bing Places account, take a
gander at your Yelp reviews, and make note of which institutions are
running ads against your branded key words.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-65614790013508810822018-07-17T19:57:00.002-07:002018-07-18T18:48:13.775-07:00The Curious Case of Social Mobility and Non-selective InstitutionsSocial mobility is synonymous with the American Dream--anyone can make it regardless of where they start--and while the Dream is now almost entirely myth, it holds a special place in American hearts. Like Necco wafers hold a special place in baby boomers' hearts ... a chalky, tastes-like-cat-sand place in their hearts.<br />
<br />
The fascinating social mobility project from the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/18/upshot/some-colleges-have-more-students-from-the-top-1-percent-than-the-bottom-60.html">New York Times</a> shows just how much institutions do and don't contribute to the American Dream. Ye olde higher ed forums didn't explode with the news of this study last year, but that's likely because the study flipped the narrative about which institutions were "good" and which were "not good."<br />
<br />
All the relevant links:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org/">The Equality of Opportunity Project</a>, which gathered the data and does some really interesting work.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/18/upshot/some-colleges-have-more-students-from-the-top-1-percent-than-the-bottom-60.html">The initial NY Times article</a> that discussed the data.</li>
<li>A link to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/landmark-college">the interactive tool you can use to search for your college and competitors</a> (I've linked to the institution with the lowest social mobility index, Landmark College, which only enrolls students with disabilities; if you wonder what that says about us and our culture, that's an okay thing to wonder). Ironically and depressingly, many institutions that recruit wealthy students--e.g. Sarah Lawrence, Colby, Kenyon, and Elon, all of whom have great marketing pieces--provide less social mobility than the Baltimore School of Massage and about as much social mobility as Paul Mitchell the School. Note that the data is also highly lagging: for example, "measures of access are for students born in 1991, roughly the class of 2013; measures of outcomes and mobility are for students born between 1980 and 1982, who are around age 35, when relative income ranks stabilizes."</li>
<li>A link to another NY Times article about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/opinion/sunday/americas-great-working-class-colleges.html">the colleges that are the best at generating social mobility</a>. It's likely not who you think.</li>
</ul>
As you can tell from time spent with the articles above, this data can be particular vicious because it reveals that many "best" institutions are really only "best" for students from wealthy families. Cough, Washington University. (I cough a lot in blogs.) And if you're an institution that recruits mostly rich students, and if you don't help your few low-income students succeed after graduation, chances are you're not ready to share this glorious news with students, donors, or the media.<br />
<br />
As a marketing aside, it's interesting to note which websites win awards and which MarCom teams receive press and prestige at conferences and in news articles. Hint: it's usually not the ones that are doing the most to increase social mobility. In fact, it's often the opposite ... perhaps because the colleges that add the least value to student outcomes need the best marketing in order to survive or to maintain their place in the pecking order.<br />
<br />
Damningly, many of the institutions that score lowest on social mobility are also members of the Coalition App, the great equality boondoggle of the current admissions era. With the Coalition App, an institution doesn't have to actually admit more low-income students or provide them better outcomes, but it gets all the credit for pretending to do those things.<br />
<br />
Call it the Kellyanne Conway of higher education: don't add any value but show up in all the news feeds. Yay Coalition App.<br />
<br />
(Wild idea: if elite schools want to admit more minority and low-income students, they could, you know, just admit more minority and low-income students.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, we're 500 words in and still haven't gotten to the darn chart. So here it is. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDjuDMV4Bo_JvxSm-7ej2WuJalYVXWz67x7n5F-NShYvkjaK7_21xsVef7NwXXDHEzZ9V4UE-AoxjwYeElHx25kVQcZKfy4Hj_N4OlGpx0eHDoLWOmQTqRH1SAWCAwchKEqWFxJCBbto/s1600/college_by_income_level.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="1076" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDjuDMV4Bo_JvxSm-7ej2WuJalYVXWz67x7n5F-NShYvkjaK7_21xsVef7NwXXDHEzZ9V4UE-AoxjwYeElHx25kVQcZKfy4Hj_N4OlGpx0eHDoLWOmQTqRH1SAWCAwchKEqWFxJCBbto/s640/college_by_income_level.png" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
The chart the NY Times created from the <a href="http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org/">Equality of Opportunity Project</a>'s data offers several clear takeaways:<br />
<ol>
<li>Highly ranked institutions selectively admit (and, tbh, purposefully recruit) students from wealthy families. It's more pronounced at Ivy Plus, which really only admits America's richest students.</li>
<li>The number of students attending Ivy Plus, Elite, and Highly Selective institutions is actually quite small. </li>
<li>The penalty for being from any bracket other than the upper income quintile is steep when it comes to college-going and college completion.</li>
<li>If you're from the upper income quintile, you're more likely to avoid a terrible fate at a for-profit institution.</li>
<li>Institutions in different selectivity bands compete for students from vastly different income brackets. It's like selling iPhones and TracFones: the buyer for each is not the same. Unless it's an Ivy League student who's taking orders for Adderall during finals week. (Haha. That's a joke. Everyone knows it's simpler to buy drugs online. Really: <a href="https://adderallsellers.org/the-easiest-way-to-buy-adderall-for-personal-use/">it's ridiculously easy</a>, although if you click that link, you're probably going to end up on a DEA or FBI list.)</li>
</ol>
Most initiated higher ed folks would have expected these results. Even noncynical folks who aren't yet jaded by extreme disparity in society or in higher education or by the often humbug ways that institutions explain their recruiting efforts. A few trends are worth increased examination, though:
<br />
<ol>
<li>Within each income bracket, approximately the same percentage of students attend non-selective institutions (the yellowish band in the chart above). This is a fairly fascinating result, and it is genuinely intriguing. That band of is the only one of the nine which doesn't change by income level. One positive interpretation is that nonselective institutions provide an appealing higher ed path for students regardless of parent income: unique access to four-year degrees, religious ideals and dogmas, curriculum, etc. Said another way: nonselective institutions might be the only place where Americans from multiple income levels can can truly share classroom experiences. <br /><br />Another interpretation that isn't so happy is that some percentage of students--likely students from minority backgrounds, based on the demographics of nonselective institutions--aren't able to access selective institutions because of systematic exclusion. This is especially problematic since students at nonselective institutions <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/03/27/increases-college-tuition-drive-down-diversity-public-colleges-study-says">tend to be most sensitive to increases in tuition</a>, which in turn decreases diversity. In short, the band could represent a huge failing on the part of the higher ed system to get highly gifted students into elite institutions.<br /><br />It's important to note that these are just two possible interpretations out of many. Also, the word "selective" usually has different definitions across studies. For example, people often think of <a href="https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/04/04/business/economy/economix-selectivity-table.html">selective institutions as these</a>, but this study uses a different definition; even regional comprehensives are deemed "selective". You can find all the coding in the <a href="http://www.equality-of-opportunity.org/data/">data files</a>. </li>
<li>Another interesting pattern is that for-profit institutions don't prey on the poor. They just prey on the not-wealthy. Particularly, they prey on students who don't come from the wealthiest 40% of American families. What we consider "middle America" behave much more like "poor America" than "rich America."</li>
<li>A third pattern is that community colleges are a bastion for the shrinking middle America, not just the nation's poorest families. Attendance at community colleges actually falls off among students from the lowest two income brackets. In this regard community colleges are actually in the same recruiting situation as their four-year competitors: students from low-income families are really, really challenging to recruit.</li>
</ol>
If you view higher education as a public good, it's pretty clear that some of the most visible institutions in the United States aren't meant for the general public, and from the standpoint of mobility, they may not actually be good.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-14638873117958545632018-07-09T18:46:00.001-07:002018-07-10T21:20:27.545-07:00A Brief History of College ViewbooksImagine a world before widespread commodification, marketing, and advertising. It's not really possible. (Decades from now, someone will say, "Imagine a world before data-personalized ads." Then all the readers will shudder and mentally ask their surgically implanted AI assistants to erase the memory.)<br />
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But if you can imagine an era without advanced marketing, it would look something like <a href="http://greenfield.brynmawr.edu/items/show/448">this 1866 promotional poster from Berea College</a>, then operating under a different name. Typical for the time period, the poster was entirely text. (Many <a href="http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/clothes-ads-1860s">ads were entirely or mostly text</a> in the 1860s.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOUtz8f6Ca1cGBj6FXWeg4cri38iN_yuSCuLW98zHFi30lBJwQJptN_03ARjtTybb6VYPmIns2O8P2Odcs4pKUF5C1f1mh4-jWe4bSvTWEjogaTLV26ZJ6wDU4lO7gxjHzaoGPnrLbcQ/s1600/Berea_1866.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="711" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOUtz8f6Ca1cGBj6FXWeg4cri38iN_yuSCuLW98zHFi30lBJwQJptN_03ARjtTybb6VYPmIns2O8P2Odcs4pKUF5C1f1mh4-jWe4bSvTWEjogaTLV26ZJ6wDU4lO7gxjHzaoGPnrLbcQ/s320/Berea_1866.png" width="248" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">According to the poster, the stated aim of the institution was to help "vast numbers of young persons of small means" gain access to an education. Today Berea is the largest institution--excluding military academies--where no student pays tuition. It was also the South's first--and for a long the time only--integrated institution. The fact that Berea has consistently delivered on its brand promise for over 150 years is pretty darned amazing.</span><br />
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As another example of early promotional materials, here's <a href="http://arminda.whitman.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=promotional">Whitman College's flier from 1890</a>. It has a bit more flair and white space but is also an all-text promotion.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiNmy0_EAnz87guod6UXI-3dGljzWFkw1PM5jdQ4RL2myBLbNl2X10TuHFoXO2m_mntCfob25Fyg9TJfdx-cqvdTQ7K_DC48c0yGRq2K2Fl1IyYe61yJ40GARby07JRKuH3DlVV5dI4A/s1600/Whitman_1890.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="639" data-original-width="642" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYiNmy0_EAnz87guod6UXI-3dGljzWFkw1PM5jdQ4RL2myBLbNl2X10TuHFoXO2m_mntCfob25Fyg9TJfdx-cqvdTQ7K_DC48c0yGRq2K2Fl1IyYe61yJ40GARby07JRKuH3DlVV5dI4A/s320/Whitman_1890.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Whitman is sort of the spiritual opposite of Berea: it has the highest tuition in the state of Washington (66% of students are from the top income quintile; just 2% come from the bottom quintile), and it's named in honor of a missionary whose name and death were used as rallying cries to war against and forcibly resettle Native Americans in the Northwest. That's definitely not part of the tour and not in the websites' "About Us" section.<br />
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Although clearly a historical document, Whitman's brochure is positively modern in its content. It speaks to the institution's facilities, academic reputation, and program offerings. It has just one call to action: write a letter to the president in order to receive a catalog or application.<br />
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Like most contemporary higher ed marketing, it even has a hard time defining its audience: "Who are invited to attend Whitman College? Those who purpose: To obtain a college education; to prepare for any college; to prepare for teaching; to obtain a business education in short time, or to pursue other branches in connection therewith; to take a course of study in vocal or instrumental music or art; to learn type writing, shorthand or elocution; to prepare in some way to make the most of one's self and do the most good."<br />
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All in all, its skeleton is not dissimilar from that of contemporary higher ed brochures and fliers.<br />
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An example of more robust (or at least lengthier) marketing is this <a href="http://digitalarchives.sjc.edu/files/original/8f35de9ed2ef41eb618aa127247899b2.pdf">1868 Catalog and Prospectus from St. John's College</a> in Maryland. Catalogs were the most common early marketing pieces from colleges, occasionally listing all the students then in attendance.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1X_A241YYFViyfa-lAPC-UVKe4X5VcfQojAksTW3kYTS0N5eSQdHyuovuThL8OhKDvJ3xV2bigFtHMroR_KbWrbPnsK1x4QRjUCRiti3168WSjDLSWtzb-mV0NWYPrHE3eaMoDa3yyA/s1600/St_Johns_1868.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="749" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1X_A241YYFViyfa-lAPC-UVKe4X5VcfQojAksTW3kYTS0N5eSQdHyuovuThL8OhKDvJ3xV2bigFtHMroR_KbWrbPnsK1x4QRjUCRiti3168WSjDLSWtzb-mV0NWYPrHE3eaMoDa3yyA/s320/St_Johns_1868.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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This specimen boasts of a beautiful location (<a href="https://www.sjc.edu/student-life/annapolis/in-town">which the college still boasts about in its contemporary marketing</a>), telegraphic connections to all the wold, scholarships, and the like. It includes general admissions requirements, and it devotes extensive real estate to the academic curriculum. Indeed, the institution's current website is largely a magnification of this early marketing piece.<br />
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A major change to these types of pieces occurred in the late 1880s and 1890s: easily reproduced photographs. The influence of visual representation manifested first in the form of postcards (seriously: <a href="https://www.lib.umd.edu/postcards/collecting">the postcard craze was a big deal</a>, and your institution probably has dozens of these somewhere). Most early postcards were sketches, like this 1880 postcard from the University of Minnesota.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvzEQwQqkKYqCTAE8ACmRMu5jvby-1BvcmWN075nfIUgnWpe79onCF2dJ36xIzaUAIjTRmDqTMB3ESqavMBuo5olx5N7EseXRFM_YJ0Fs8HV8n1vimTrCQ4IjLRzOSprRKPY6iJOoPdc/s1600/UMinnesota_1880.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="506" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvzEQwQqkKYqCTAE8ACmRMu5jvby-1BvcmWN075nfIUgnWpe79onCF2dJ36xIzaUAIjTRmDqTMB3ESqavMBuo5olx5N7EseXRFM_YJ0Fs8HV8n1vimTrCQ4IjLRzOSprRKPY6iJOoPdc/s320/UMinnesota_1880.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cheaper photoreproduction technology in the 1890s and early 1900s would transform both postcards and marketing pieces, and prospective students could see a campus in photorealistic detail for the first time. Suddenly institutions had to make a conscious decision about what they showed students: first to create the images, then to choose which images to share.<br />
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Here, for example, is a page from the 1898 Wabash College viewbook with some (fairly unflattering) views of the halls:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2Sw-gstUh84UqKEFr2bnzAiCPT0a7N_xpAF0np8GdtALXsQFvxC1Q1tWqC_Kmlw3G87VLs31i_temwyAHPNme_LNhcdP6dyafW6cO0L-kN-BmRDotSxRQY6P8EXRCubM6jS4b7Rc0x0/s1600/Wabash_1898.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="510" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij2Sw-gstUh84UqKEFr2bnzAiCPT0a7N_xpAF0np8GdtALXsQFvxC1Q1tWqC_Kmlw3G87VLs31i_temwyAHPNme_LNhcdP6dyafW6cO0L-kN-BmRDotSxRQY6P8EXRCubM6jS4b7Rc0x0/s320/Wabash_1898.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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To whet your viewbook appetite, Donna Lehmann at Fordham University recently <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/call-action-marketing-and-communications-higher-education/everything-old-new-again">wrote about viewbooks at Inside Higher Ed</a>. It's worth a gander. <br />
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You may also be interested in these resources:<br />
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<a href="https://lj.libraryjournal.com/2016/02/opinion/steven-bell/no-more-viewbooks-higher-ed-marketing-is-headed-inbound-from-the-bell-tower/#_">No More Viewbooks</a><br />
<a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Glossy-Viewbook-Loses-Its/130851">The Glossy Viewbook Loses Its Luster</a><br />
<a href="https://www.universitybusiness.com/article/college-viewbooks-alive-and-kicking">College Viewbooks: Alive and Kicking</a> (you should read this one for benchmarking)<br />
<a href="https://ologie.com/2016/04/four-ways-to-rethink-the-viewbook/">Four Ways to Rethink the Viewbook</a><br />
<a href="https://www.easternstandard.com/blog/2016/11/digital-first-rethinking-college-viewbook">Rethinking the College Viewbook</a><br />
<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/call-action-marketing-and-communications-higher-education/ode-print">An Ode to Print</a> (also by Donna Lehmann, and something you should read)<br />
<a href="https://www.inspiredsm.com/blog-1/the-changing-role-of-private-school-viewbooks">The Changing Role of Private School Viewbooks</a> (a recommended short read for its core idea)<br />
<a href="https://emgonline.com/2012/09/what-is-in-a-viewbook/">What Is in a Viewbook</a><br />
<a href="https://www.mightycitizen.com/insights/articles/thinking-hard-about-college-viewbook-design">Thinking Hard About College Viewbook Design</a><br />
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One of the earliest online-accessible viewbooks is this <a href="https://digitalcommons.wofford.edu/collegebooks/5/">1898 viewbook from Wofford College</a> in <strike>North</strike> South Carolina. It's just pictures and a final page that includes tuition. (Cough, it's Instagram in print.) This was a common early format, and it must have been impressive as it was used elsewhere.<br />
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As an aside, old-timey tuition is way easier to understand than contemporary models.<br />
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But to really get a sense of the ways that printing technology, the invention of advertising, and the rise of marketing transformed higher ed marketing pieces and viewbooks, it's helpful to look at a time series of viewbooks, and for this we'll look at Carlton College in Minnesota during the first half of the 20th century.<br />
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Carleton is highly ranked, highly expensive, and, kind of like all the other schools in its class. And thankfully, Minnesota has digitized huge swaths of historical documents that include Carleton's viewbooks.<br />
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If you're not into reading brief descriptions of viewbooks, you can consider yourself done with the blog as long as you remember this point: viewbooks have survived the invention of new photographic techniques, radio, television, and the internet, and while the purpose, materials, and even the medium may change with technology, many of the marketing problems institutions face are the same as they were 120 years ago.<br />
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<h3>
An Overview of Carleton College's Viewbooks, 1907-1950</h3>
<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:799#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1907</a><br />
It starts with a poem (today your agency would pitch you a catch phrase, slogan or tagline), and the short book alternates between photos and snippets of poetry (cough, like Instagram, but with poetry instead of Kanye West quotes and hashtags).<br />
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And that's it. Poetry shows up in later viewbooks, too.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:836#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1909</a><br />
No poems! Just pictures of buildings (including floorplans), campus leaders, and student clubs with lengthy descriptive text. There are more than twice as many pages compared to the 1907 viewbook. The piece seems akin to the virtual tours everyone is promoting these days: a photo of a building with some stuffy words about it. Extracurriculars appear--debate, athletics, music.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:889#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1911</a><br />
Even more text ... boring amounts of text ... perhaps because the institution added the mission statement (which was called "purpose") and let the president write the introduction. Descriptions of college size (341 students) and faculty size (25) appear. The text is more self-effulgent, and for the first time the viewbook addresses women with specific sections about residence halls, physical fitness ("walking drills, military drills, wands, poles"), and societies.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:926#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1912</a><br />
So much text. So much self-adulation (e.g. "The King of Sports"). Views of campus buildings have been consolidated and swapped for pictures of teams and clubs (not in action, but posed). Pictures of student life appear, including campus traditions. The sections for women have been replaced by a sexist section called "Fussing." The summary of the Fussing section: "If you don't have sex with a woman, you haven't really studied at Carleton."<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:963#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1915</a><br />
New printing methods are being used, and many students are shown "in action" for the first time, likely because of improvements in photography. (You know it's not a great use of technology when the action shots feature debate students.) The fussing section is wisely gone. Most interestingly, the college includes a final page of text about outcomes for graduates and the college's recognition by external groups; this includes several mentions of Harvard, a trend that continues for many years.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:999#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1916</a><br />
New printing techniques on the cover! The photos are much larger! The school song is used! Text has been reduced, and for the first time, readers are extolled to write the college for more information. (It's worth noting that the President's office was in charge of recruiting/marketing.) This is the first time a map was printed in the viewbook, indicating greater viewbook distribution and/or greater out-of-state interest.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1030#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1924</a><br />
The cover is dramatically different, and there's only one page of text: the first page. All else is photos. The text features awards and praise for the institution and includes the first mention of the student-to-faculty ratio (12:1, in case you were curious). Additionally, the call to action (write the board of deans for information) is on the first page of text, and the viewbook asks readers to tune into the college's radio station.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1051#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1926</a><br />
The viewbook is no longer horizontal. <br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1420#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1927</a><br />
Text is back, at least in the beginning. The page layout is changed entirely, and this is probably the first viewbook with a layout that looks similar to contemporary viewbooks. Of note is a new section on "What It Costs". This is also the first time that the text headers seem clearly designed for marketing purposes instead of purely informational purposes.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1091#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1929</a><br />
Well, now they've done it: they've branded the viewbook "Carleton Today," a name that will persist for several decades. They're also going all in on descriptions of the liberal arts education (probably to differentiate against other higher ed institutions and technical schools). An airplane view of campus (not the first but definitely the most detailed) is used, showing again the impact of technology (cough, drone shots). Direct reference is made to scholarships, self-help, and loans, an indication of interest among non-wealthy families. For the first time, the call to action is to contact the Director of Admissions, not an executive leader. Here we can see the professionalization of admissions and the increase emphasis on criteria and exclusivity.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1119#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1932</a><br />
So much text, including a section "What Is College For?" (Still having that conversation 86 years later, it turns out.)<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1199#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1934</a><br />
Holy cow: a full-color map. Interestingly, the map has not been a regular feature in the viewbook. It comes and goes. The viewbook features lots of "we're a liberal arts college, here's what that means" text, and there's a renewed focus on alumni success. Of interest is a page that details the home states of Carleton's students, the college's earliest attempt to show diversity of location. Even more interesting is a call to action that lets students know how to arrange a visit. With a focus on the map, students' home states, and encouragement to visit, we can see the likely influence of the automobile. (Kind of makes you wonder how self-driving cars will change the visit experience.)<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1140#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1937</a><br />
The viewbook is dramatically shorter than the 1934 version, and it's branded "Outside the Classroom". Chances are it's a booklet, not the actual viewbook.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1236#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1938</a><br />
For the first time, the viewbook references other marketing materials available upon request: four booklets in the "Carleton Today" series, and six booklets about the different academic programs.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1273#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1941</a><br />
The viewbook starts off with rankings (it will be 40 years before USNWR publishes the first college rankings, so the ranking fixation is an old one). The viewbook also has some of the first academic stock photographs that people might recognize from today's viewbooks: a student looking in a microscope, a student with beakers in the botany lab, students and a professor doing science together. The number of booklets in the Carleton Today series is down to two.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1310#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1946</a><br />
A passing reference is made to the war in the section on athletics. Many of the photos used are the same as those from 1941, suggesting either the difficulty of or a disinterest in new photography.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1347#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1948</a><br />
A section on admission criteria has appeared, and it outlines the various testing criteria the institution applies. Selectivity is on the rise and is now manifestly apparent.<br />
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<a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/ccn:1384#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1950</a><br />
This is the first viewbook with individuals on the cover--just silhouettes, but still humans. And here, the call to action isn't to write. Instead, it's to visit campus.<br />
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<h3>
Summary</h3>
All of this shows is that the topics, calls-to-action, and challenges of contemporary viewbooks are not new. And while colleges evolve new ways of showcasing themselves, they're largely doing so in ways that are bound by contemporary technology.<br />
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As long as recruiting occurs in person, and as long as people need to feel confident about their choice of a college, the viewbook will persist.<br />
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<h3>
P.S.</h3>
The earliest college ad I can find is an <a href="https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/macal:275#/image/0?searchText=&redirect=true">1859 notice for the Baldwin School</a>, which was the precursor to Macalaster College. Here's <a href="https://www.macalester.edu/library/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2016/04/cat_1910_1911.pdf">a 1910 Macalaster College catalog</a> that includes that bit of history, although the Macalaster website omits it. Older ads must exist, but finding them likely involves deep dives into non-digitized library catalogs.<br />
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<h3>
P.P.S. </h3>
If you're at Barnard or Beloit, your institution has actually kept most of your viewbooks. Lucky. You should go to the library with a big pot of coffee and some friends, or at least with people who will nerd out about marketing history.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-19798011632363148452018-06-17T20:25:00.001-07:002018-07-10T12:14:24.252-07:00What it's like to take a college tourOver the last year, I've been on three dozen campuses and taken a dozen college tours. I've registered online, walked into visitor centers unannounced, and pretended the tour was a restroom break during family vacations ("my family loves this" is not something I can write with any grain of truth). I've driven across states (and not the skinny east-coast kind), flown across the country, suffered through 100-degree days, cursed horrible campus signage, marveled at some campus beauty, and pretended to be 15 years younger than I am (sometimes convincingly). I've taken all the swag I've been offered. I've collected pounds of marketing materials. I've gone to public and private institutions. I've sat through admissions presentations (so similar and boring!) and consumed some of the worst coffee possible. I've been severely scolded for taking a second cookie. I've tried to meet with counselors afterward and been told "no one's available." I've been given all manner of smiles and all manner of shifty eyes.<br />
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On many of these tours, staff traveled with me.<br />
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So yeah, we learned some things. (If you want actual tour advice and strategies, you should be reading the <a href="http://www.renderexperiences.com/blog/">Render Experiences blog</a>.)<br />
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<h3>
Just be nicer</h3>
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We try to use the the word "guest" instead of "visitor" around our office. This is straight from The <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Economy-Updated-Joseph-Pine/dp/1422161978">Experience Economy</a>, which you should read if you care about guest experiences. Newer books may have more nuanced and advanced approaches, but this book was novel when first published. <br />
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In general, people have traveled from the ends of the earth to visit institutions, and you would be amazed at how poor the guest experience can be. If your hotel treated you this way, you would lose your ****.<br />
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Even if you're at an institution that can't afford amazing tour perks (and yes, there are some tours that give away the farm), you should at least think about the way your staff greets and welcomes people who stop by. It's surprisingly common for your student staff to be on their smartphone when guests arrive.<br />
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<h3>
Make parking simple </h3>
There is zero chance most institutions have thought through the guest parking experience. At several institutions, we parked more than a half mile from the start of the tour and paid for the privilege. At others, validation wasn't possible. I like walking, but most people don't.<br />
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College parking policies are byzantine, confusing, and almost
impossible to decipher. There's a reason college students bemoan parking.<br />
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Making parking simple for guests should be a priority. <br />
<br />
Private colleges provide better parking experiences, generally, and sometimes a larger college emails a parking pass that takes the sting off a bit, but making guests park far away and then walk to an office where someone is texting on their phone instead of saying hi ... yeah, not a good look.<br />
<br />
<h3>
For all that's good and holy, add more signage</h3>
Did I end up at the wrong building? All the time. In the worst situation, I ended up in the kitchen of a monk's personal retreat because the arrow to the admissions office was pointing ambiguously in that direction.<br />
<br />
Can you have too much signage? No, no you cannot. Can you have too much branding? Probably not. Just make sure the branding is consistent (cough, VCU).<br />
<br />
The signage horror stories are pretty terrible, but a few are particularly memorable.<br />
<ul>
<li>When an institution had an official visitor center but the admissions tour started elsewhere. What kind of satanic admissions cult is this? As someone who spent the morning driving, getting back into my car after following the public signage to the visitor center actually made me angry.</li>
<li>An email that told me to look for "Name of Building" in the email instructions but campus signage that used another name for the building. This is where your MarCom unit should slap the hand of every unit and map-making group on campus: "No. No you don't. Keep your hands out of the branding cookie jar."</li>
<li>No signs visible from the main street or parking lot. If a guest has gotten close to the tour location, reward them with a sign. Otherwise they wander into the wrong building. Which I did. A lot.</li>
</ul>
<h3>
Unlock your wifi</h3>
If you're making a guest track down a password just to post to Instagram or unearth the email that told them which one of the 70+ buildings the tour starts at, they're going to lose it.<br />
<br />
It isn't 2003. Just give your wifi away, even if you can only do so in the waiting area.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Make the ending matter</h3>
A surprisingly large number of institutions end their tours with a lackluster "well, that's the end," and then guests are expected to figure out where to go from there.<br />
<br />
That shouldn't happen. <br />
<br />
Tour guides should be walking guests back to the admissions office or to the tour's starting place.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Getting better advice on tours</h3>
I'm not a tour expert. If you want in-depth resources, you should go to <a href="http://www.renderexperiences.com/blog/">Render Experiences</a> or maybe to <a href="http://enrollmentfuel.com/category/articles/">Enrollment Fuel</a>. You should also talk to high school counselors and independent counselors, experts who will really tell you what's working and what's not at your institution. (That should be added to you to-do list.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-9913931085472070232018-06-07T04:00:00.000-07:002018-06-08T23:27:46.373-07:00Facebook is dying and other higher ed takeaways from the new Pew researchFacebook is dying for real. Sort of. According to <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/">the most recent Pew research</a>, only 51% of teens use Facebook, and only 10% say they use it more often than their other social media platforms.<br />
<br />
Commence social media hand-wringing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<img src="https://assets.bwbx.io/images/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/iMwsX55_u5TI/v3/-1x-1.png" /><br />
<br />
Sure, Facebook is still massive, and sure, institutions can't abandon their older alumni and current student bases. But when we rank social-savvy marketing strategies, investing in Facebook for prospective students and is less savvy than it was when Pew last conducted the survey.<br />
<br />
Take a look at <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2018/05/31/teens-technology-appendix-a-detailed-tables/">Appendix A</a> for some ideas on where to spend your digital ad dollars based on demographics.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Takeaway #2: holy cow, smart phones</h3>
Smart phone ownership has grown dramatically, so if you weren't already designing for mobile-first experiences, you absolutely should be.<br />
<ol>
<li>95% of teens have smart phones, and ownership is now similar across income and parent education levels.</li>
<li>Half of teens say they're online "almost constantly," mostly because of their phones, so chances are they're engaging with your website, emails, and content in mobile spaces.</li>
<li>Teens are more likely to have smart phones than desktop computers. This trend is especially noticeable among low-income and first-generation teens. Speed tests and data considerations should be top-of-mind as you develop websites and emails.</li>
<li>Goodness gracious, why aren't you texting students who are interested in you?</li>
</ol>
Unclear is the way students explore digital and social environments across devices (e.g. experience your ad in their Instagram app and then check out your website from their parents' computer at home). You can set up your analytics platforms to provide that info, though.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Takeaway #3: Start your e-sports programs</h3>
As an e-sports <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassandra">Cassandra</a>, I've been arguing for the development of e-sports programs for the last six years. It's the new lacrosse, but with far more opportunities for private sponsorship.<br />
<br />
Even if you're not starting an e-sports program, it's worth wondering how gaming features in your marketing and promotional materials: video games are one of the few semi-universal experiences among teens. Fortnight and PUBG, anyone? (If you don't know what those are, it's safe-for-work Googling. Also, Fortnite is spelled wrong in this paragraph, but I'm leaving the error for posterity because it's a pleasant reminder that autocorrect is the Loki of grammar tools.)<br />
<br />
In some demographics, teenagers are more likely to own a gaming console than a computer or laptop, and fully 97% of boys are playing games.<br />
<br />
And lest we think it's all about boys: 83% of girls play video games.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Takeaway #4: Consider your content strategy</h3>
Your brand should never be fake, but when you look at the views teens have towards social media, they say that unrealistic views of reality are detrimental, and they like to use social media to build authentic personal connections.<br />
<br />
It's incredibly telling that only 4% of teens use social media to "learn new things."<br />
<br />
So all that content about snooze-festable faculty research, super attractive students on picture-perfect study abroad trips, or new strategic initiatives sponsored by administrators at your institution ... you can guess how well that content supports enrollment initiatives aimed at teens.<br />
<br />
This is not to say such content doesn't serve a critical function, only that it may not serve that function for your future students.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Conclusion</h3>
The landscape has shifted dramatically in just three or four years. For teens, the internet is primarily mobile. Your aging social media channels aren't appealing to them, and they're interested in authentic, engaging, and upbeat social content when they can pull their eyes away from snaps, YouTube videos, and video game sessions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-46475636467889106382018-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:002018-03-14T00:05:57.667-07:00Higher ed and its marketing mistakesI spend a fair amount of time training staff on practices and strategies to increase student engagement. (Our apps are up yuge this year!) During a recent text message training session, I sent this message to a test account:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtWsgfuBpoYnEM8f83N4H41QFL7AOd1j71jWjoOTLGl1kQN98pen3e4BF65voolXiQdq6l9IVm4KLF2zEpFKyNyPUl_BzhJyjro5zRg7rVsm86BDuMeHCPdCcYZox97PzB-6eujf6grA/s1600/Original.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtWsgfuBpoYnEM8f83N4H41QFL7AOd1j71jWjoOTLGl1kQN98pen3e4BF65voolXiQdq6l9IVm4KLF2zEpFKyNyPUl_BzhJyjro5zRg7rVsm86BDuMeHCPdCcYZox97PzB-6eujf6grA/s400/Original.png" width="400" /> </a></div>
<br />
<h3>
A few relevant facts</h3>
<ol>
<li>Typing gibberish is useful to show the character count limitations of the texting platform we use. (<a href="https://mongooseresearch.com/">Mongoose</a>. Highly recommended. Your mileage may vary.)</li>
<li>This training was done for a room full of admissions recruiters.</li>
<li>It was projected onto a huge screen.</li>
<li>Instead of sending it to the test account, I sent it to 108 actual students.</li>
</ol>
I didn't cry, but I thought about it for a brief moment.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Marketing mistakes</h3>
In the realm of marketing mistakes, it's actually not terrible. Indeed, mistakes happen, especially on stretched higher ed budgets. Typos happen. Subject lines don't get updated. Emails are sent on the wrong dates. But for really serious mistakes, here's pretty much the worst you can do.<br />
<ol>
<li>Facebook advertising. But <a href="http://lizgross.net/lets-not-shame-higher-ed-facebook-ads/">only if you believe the Chronicle of higher education</a>. (For clarity, you should do Facebook advertising. This item on the list was ironic. Facebook advertising is not a mistake.)</li>
<li>The <strike>UCLA</strike> UC system logo. Which was so bad it garnered <a href="https://www.change.org/p/university-of-california-stop-the-new-uc-logo">over 54,000 signatures at change.org</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/28/bucknells-admission-raises-questions-about-how-many-colleges-are-reporting-false">Lying about your SAT scores</a>, which is the rational (albeit incredibly unethical) behavior of institutions that live and die by rankings.</li>
<li>Photoshopping minority students into publications as <a href="https://www.npr.org/2013/12/29/257765543/a-campus-more-colorful-than-reality-beware-that-college-brochure">happened at U of Wisconsin</a>.</li>
<li>Admitting students by mistake, which is <a href="http://time.com/3637980/college-admissions-mistakes-johnshopkins/">a higher ed tradition</a>. Sending an important message to someone who shouldn't receive it is sort of the worst mistake. (It's a bit like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/reply-all-email-chain-1-2-million-nhs-employees-2016-11">a reply all email hell</a>.)</li>
</ol>
So it wasn't any of those. But because it was text, within moments students were responding with questions.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0q2s_N7WkK4iz-gITn1X7giYrV7GJHmlQ_jVvJMqaFbH7d5CLOp9IYS8gDdiu0KwNzOtMsWV2khLe0y8AEnTUHLlD1rbJSZRqEMJBjNW4i-bB-05vqQwGZ4DrTBUYAgo4gT2rz0B1ybM/s1600/Reponse1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0q2s_N7WkK4iz-gITn1X7giYrV7GJHmlQ_jVvJMqaFbH7d5CLOp9IYS8gDdiu0KwNzOtMsWV2khLe0y8AEnTUHLlD1rbJSZRqEMJBjNW4i-bB-05vqQwGZ4DrTBUYAgo4gT2rz0B1ybM/s400/Reponse1.png" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaARCqrbNlXybEKoy0-pjSa9jC4qIijEK1xsTmXWwOnId-CEpKEN-fUgeueIWojohvR96Q0sXfHEa-Su7yGyVApMBK4hXl58iL1WTjqf7ObCXl3Z5KyOAHRedse2-ED3mHVx6hYeURks/s1600/Response3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaARCqrbNlXybEKoy0-pjSa9jC4qIijEK1xsTmXWwOnId-CEpKEN-fUgeueIWojohvR96Q0sXfHEa-Su7yGyVApMBK4hXl58iL1WTjqf7ObCXl3Z5KyOAHRedse2-ED3mHVx6hYeURks/s400/Response3.png" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<h3>
Responding to mistakes </h3>
So, how should you respond to errors?<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Assess the damage.</b> It's usually not terrible. But it might be. It's useful to ask "What's the business impact?" and "What's the PR impact?" These two questions will provide unique answers and two paths that you need to follow.</li>
<li><b>Take accountability.</b> Make sure everyone who might be affected knows what's going on. This generally involves sharpening your sword, falling on it in public, then picking yourself up (sword still impaled in your midriff) and telling everyone how you'll fix the problem.</li>
<li><b>Send the "Oops" response if warranted.</b> Focus on responding quickly and clearly with an apology. Humor helps if the mistake was not life or death. And if the mistake is big, send folks to social media or another platform for engagement. (Fun fact: "oops" messages often turn into marketing opportunities since they have higher open and clickthrough rates. Also, oops messages are great opportunities to <a href="https://content.myemma.com/blog/6-clever-examples-of-oops-emails">showcase brand personality</a>.)</li>
<b>
</b>
<li><b>Measure the impact.</b> How many people responded? What conversion was impacted? (I had a 27% response rate ... which is actually quite low for a texting campaign.) </li>
<li><b>Fix flawed publishing checklists and processes.</b> In the case of my texting snafu, one of the issues was naming conventions. Why does a list with actual students have the word "testing" in it? Another was the deletion process for old campaign targets. What's the cleanup process for old campaigns? A third was the process for double-checking a campaign send list. This is the "don't leave a scalpel in the patient you just operated on" checklist. And now our processes are better! (Something something optimism.)</li>
</ol>
<h3>
So what happened? </h3>
<ol>
</ol>
In the case of my texting error, we went with a humorous followup drafted together as an admissions team, and results were surprising: students liked it. As in, "laughing tears emoji" liked it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWfe20y8TAAqRcerlkJTVyi7f2vaKVfMhMR8pS3FiQrsvHjTwbk7lpT72f20PbWsAPcI3Oi9aWF-MUhENO8L6A69RZLXbv1JOg-HgHQeT2EHlhjJl9RgduCVqvbK4R66OHcwfNWhmn3E/s1600/Oops1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWfe20y8TAAqRcerlkJTVyi7f2vaKVfMhMR8pS3FiQrsvHjTwbk7lpT72f20PbWsAPcI3Oi9aWF-MUhENO8L6A69RZLXbv1JOg-HgHQeT2EHlhjJl9RgduCVqvbK4R66OHcwfNWhmn3E/s400/Oops1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNZysm4YFfq_jjXQv-eaN6Ne3Jeum30PW2mv-ccC5Ds-fotRe0lR8pFDVDHScf7C-p4ZxEzoFh5fRp0gpFf6mrI1qeUbrzNMKqTax_nW4j8SbZPq2rfpiquu99H30cmzMa_ynaQ-8ITc/s1600/Oops3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNZysm4YFfq_jjXQv-eaN6Ne3Jeum30PW2mv-ccC5Ds-fotRe0lR8pFDVDHScf7C-p4ZxEzoFh5fRp0gpFf6mrI1qeUbrzNMKqTax_nW4j8SbZPq2rfpiquu99H30cmzMa_ynaQ-8ITc/s400/Oops3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
To add humorous insult to humorous injury, one student tweeted the error and tagged the institutio's mascot:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
My school is so cool 😂 <a href="https://twitter.com/EWUSwoop?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EWUSwoop</a> <a href="https://t.co/oWvmCv5z0Q">pic.twitter.com/oWvmCv5z0Q</a></div>
— Ashley Martinez (@amariemartinezg) <a href="https://twitter.com/amariemartinezg/status/938885156521222144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
And then the mascot responded, garnering a fair number of retweets and likes:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
I TRY MY BEST<br />
<br />
ITS HARD TO TEXT <a href="https://t.co/R4L9yVpFcR">https://t.co/R4L9yVpFcR</a></div>
— EWU Swoop (@EWUSwoop) <a href="https://twitter.com/EWUSwoop/status/938903002059980800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
While the appropriate number of mistakes to make is zero, they are inevitable. Recovering gracefully is a useful skillset.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-88190319510795960372017-10-13T15:48:00.001-07:002018-06-06T13:25:32.713-07:00I hate list buying, and list buying is stupid: reclaiming prospecting and lead generation in higher education<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
What is a list buy?</h3>
<div>
In higher ed, a list buy (a.k.a. search campaign, a.k.a. prospect/suspect pool building but definitely <b>not a.k.a.</b> lead generation) is the purchase of bulk student contact information from a third party vendor. In general, the biggest list buy vendors in higher education are <a href="https://collegeboardsearch.collegeboard.org/pastudentsrch/support/licensing/college-board-search-services/student-search-service">Collegeboard</a>, <a href="https://encoura.org/products-services/omnichannel-enrollment-services/">NRCCUA</a>, <a href="http://cbssearch.net/">CBSS</a>, and <a href="http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/act-enrollment-management-services/act-educational-opportunity-service.html">ACT</a>. These groups gather contact information from students, ask the students if they want to be contacted by institutions, and then sell the information of students who answer "yes." </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
After you buy the students' data, these and other vendors may sell you services to mail/email/call/text/spam to death the students on the list.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So if you're paying attention: you can pay somebody to gather the students' data and pay someone else to recruit the students.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
More students without any more work for my staff? Sounds great! What could be bad about that?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Full disclosure: my institution works with all the vendors listed above and a few mentioned below. And as always, my opinions are not endorsed by my institution and do not reflect my institution's official opinions in any way. (When the disclaimers are at the front, you know a blog's going to be good.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Who buys this data?</h3>
<div>
Lots of groups buy this student data. See <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/02/what-research-tells-us-about-making-accurate-predictions">CollegeBoard's elligibility requirements as</a> as an example of the permissiveness associated with this data. CBSS is actually <a href="http://www.aslmarketing.com/">owned by a company</a> that sells student data to dozens of different industries. The other groups are nominally nonprofit, but so <a href="http://www.tampabay.com/americas-worst-charities/">are the groups on this list</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Are there other list vendors?</h3>
<div>
A slightly different type of list comes from vendors who have asked students if they're interested in receiving information from your specific institution. <a href="https://www.cappex.com/page/college/collegeAboutCappex.jsp">Cappex</a> is an example of this: students create a profile, tell Cappex they're interested in you, and then Cappex sells you the information of students who said they were interested. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These lists are usually higher quality, smaller, much more expensive, and less ethically problematic (although they still have problems). This post isn't about list from vendors like Cappex.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Is list buying ethical?</h3>
<div>
Short answer: Not really.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Long answer: While some good can be done with this data, and while it may not be illegal, there are enormous ethical dilemmas associated with institutions purchasing student contact information in order to generate applications. (Cough, cynically padding acceptance rates, undermatching students simply to increase enrollment, systemic bias inherent to the way lists are created, poor opt-in policies, etc.)<br />
<br />
You should know that by buying this data, you're being a lazy marketer and less than ethically upright.<br />
<br />
Additionally, if list buying was all about the good done for students, it would look much different. For example, it would cost less or be free to purchase the information of low-income, first generation, and minority students. Some services actually do this. (But you can imagine the resulting spam problem.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
List buys are problematic enough that <a href="https://kb.mailchimp.com/lists/growth/requirements-and-best-practices-for-lists">MailChimp expressly forbids list buying</a>: "Third-party lists are prohibited under our Terms. This includes purchased or rented lists, and lists scraped from third-party sources including public websites. Your list should be collected entirely by you, and you should use a proper opt-in method."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I wonder if your lawyers saw that clause before your admissions office sent the emails out from MailChimp.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Who buys lists? </h3>
<div>
A lot of schools, probably. It's a recruitment activity that's 40 years old and easy to explain, so folks who don't understand complex digital marketing like it. Add the word "predictive model" to the purchase of the names, and you can spend even more institutional dollars because people like the idea of prediction.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One should note that prediction is hard, however, and list buys are probably <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/02/what-research-tells-us-about-making-accurate-predictions">a hedgehog strategy</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Who should buy lists?</h3>
<div>
Pretty much no one. Maybe institutions or outside groups authentically interested in creating access--but if that's what lists did, they would have a different model.<br />
<br />
Strong personal opinion: if you pay for names, you're misallocating resources. (Our institution pays for names, fwiw.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Would I ever buy a list any other industry? No. No, I wouldn't. Because I'm with Hubspot on this: <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32892/why-purchasing-email-lists-is-always-a-bad-idea.aspx">good lists aren't for sale</a>.<br />
<br />
Spend your money on generating and finding inquiries via inbound marketing, good ol' in-person lead generation, or the creation of products students actually want.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Aren't list buys part of the funnel?</h3>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
If the funnel worked as advertised, everyone would have larger classes every year. Pour more stuff in at the top, and presto chango, more stuff comes out the bottom. (The same could be said of digestion, but I digress.)</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
In fact, rigid belief in the funnel is a misunderstanding of students' decision-making process and of the student lifecycle itself.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
The funnel is useful for summarizing performance, but it is terrible for predicting outcomes or making the class.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<h3>
Isn't list buying a best practice?</h3>
It's only a best practice if it's 1980 or you're asking the vendors who sell you names.<br />
<br />
And if you believe those vendors, it's also best practice to give me money. Google Wallet me at jensplarson@gmail.com.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Everyone else seems to do it? Shouldn't I?</h3>
</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Ah, the old <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2012/05/21/why-gas-stations-are-so-close-to-each-other/#4c53ea5b5827">gas station problem, a.k.a. clustering</a>.<br />
<br />
Sure: if your education product is just a cheap commodity like gas or cola and your brand is terrible, you and everyone else can buy names. I'm sure that's going to work out in the long term. (insert irony punctuation)<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
But doesn't list buying work?</h3>
Conversion rates are terrible. How terrible? So terrible they're not published. I'm guessing few if any institutions ever clear 1% conversions on list buys, and my sad suspicion is that industry-wide conversion is probably 0.04% to 0.12% or so.<br />
<br />
Remember: list buying was what you did before the Internet was invented. It's the marketing equivalent of a phone book delivered to your front porch.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
Aren't names cheap?</h3>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
Sure. But we're talking about Walmart quality cheap, not IKEA cheap.<br />
<br />
Plus they're less cheap every year.<br />
<br />
Is the list vendor adding value that we don't know about? In some lists, 1/3 of students don't even have valid email addresses, and email is the #1 way students communicate with institutions after websites. Email also lets you find them on social media, or build customer personas/profiles in ad networks.<br />
<br />
Lists are cheap because they don't produce results. If they did, they would have more aggressive or tiered pricing structures.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<h3>
Doesn't list buying increase revenue and lower costs?</h3>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
If we generate applications from a list buy and the expensive marketing that follows, we still have to do all the other high-touch, high-cost conversion work after admission.<br />
<br />
But remember: our conversion rates are terrible, so we're doing more high-cost work for a much lower yield. (And I bet leadership didn't hire more staff to do that increased work.)<br />
<br />
So there's the the actual cost (maybe $1000+ per converted student in the best case?) and then all the costs that weren't factored in.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
What's actually happening: we're spending more money and decreasing our average per-student revenue. Which is fine if we've already optimized our business model and we're approaching Costco or Amazon levels of efficiency and brand recognition, but this is higher ed. Institutions haven't.<br />
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
Isn't the vendor trying to help me?</h3>
Vendors make money regardless of how you perform. That's a terrible model. Like, it's literally the worst possible model for you.<br />
<br />
The vendor makes twice as much money when your direct competitor purchases the same list of students you did. They make even more money when institutions who don't normally compete against you suddenly do.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
So how many times is the average CollegeBoard, CBSS, NRCCUA, or ACT name purchased? 10? 30? 50? Ask your rep, because they know. Will they tell you?</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
Doesn't this help students go to college?</h3>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
Vendors sell students' info to an institution whether that's good for the students or not. Doesn't that rub you the wrong way? Just a bit?</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
So what else is bad about list buying?</h3>
Lots of things, but especially duplication.<br />
<br />
It's unavoidable, but so is pumpkin spice everything in October. You don't have to like it or buy it just because it exists.<br />
<br />
In some cases, students are purchased two or more times by the same institution due to data inconsistencies (e.g. the student used a nickname one time and their legal name another, or they changed addresses, or entered their birthday wrong, or they inquired using different info, etc.), poor tracking internally, multiple sources (e.g. buying names from multiple search and inquiry vendors, for whom there is bound to be some overlap), or decentralized processes in the enrollment office.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
I am continually surprised that all states don't have a K-20 data sharing agreement model in which state high schools share data with in-state public higher ed institutions. For example, Idaho has such an agreement. Besides saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars by eliminating in-state list buys at each of the public higher ed institutions, it reduces brain drain across state borders, allows institutions to redirect funds to out-of-state recruiting, and ideally reduces undermatching.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">
<h3>
What should I do instead of list buying?</h3>
<div>
The biggest and most expensive challenge for most institutions is generating high quality leads.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So what can you do to generate higher quality leads right now?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Stop thinking about "finding students" and start helping students find you. The whole model of list buying is antiquated.</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Long term? These things.</div>
<ol>
<li>Offer products (degrees, programs, experiences) students and families actually want.</li>
<li>Be realistic about what your institution actually is and who you actually serve, and then make that brand proposition about the students, not about you.</li>
<li>Make some hard programming cuts. (Yay!)</li>
<li>In other words, develop an enrollment strategy that's actually based on sound business, brand, and accounting practices.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Short term? </div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Better inbound marketing</li>
<li>Better use of web analytics to understand students and behaviors</li>
<li>Better scoring and prioritization of leads</li>
<li>Optimization of existing recruiting and event processes (there's slough and opportunity in your admissions operations, probably)</li>
<li>Smart social media ads</li>
<li>Retargeting, geotargeting, and behavioral/persona targeting</li>
<li>SEO</li>
<li>Landing pages!</li>
<li>Better digital marketing in general</li>
</ol>
<div>
List buying is just one strategy that needs to change, because recruitment has to change in general. As enrollment changed in the 1980s, so must it change again. Institutions that change early will have a large advantage, and some institutions are already starting to feel the pinch.</div>
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-28212985667923268562017-09-28T13:46:00.005-07:002017-09-28T13:54:07.794-07:0018 Reflections on NACAC 2017<div dir="ltr">
</div>
It's been a year, I know. But I did cool things personally and professionally and didn't die, so I'm going to put this year in the win column despite no blog posts. <br />
<br />
So, on to the reflections on the <a href="https://www.nacacconference.org/">2017 NACAC conference</a> in Boston.<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
So much caring</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
I should be more cynical about this, but despite increasing revenue and political pressures, most folks in higher ed and K-12 still care about their students, their institutions, and their local communities. That feels nice.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
The high school counselors I met are some of the kindest and most caring people I've ever met.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Wherefore art thou community colleges?</h3>
And to a lesser extent, where are the directional publics? Private
colleges seem to dominate the NACAC conference attendee and presenter list, followed by
larger publics. One can imagine how this skews conversations about
college going, diversity, enrollment strategy, and professional development.<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Institutions aren't speaking the same language</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Listen to private college talk about their strategies to recruit more students, and then listen to a public institution talk about their strategies. It's clear people from those institutions have different jobs and even different languages.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
On the depressing side, listen to someone from an elite private college explain strategies to expand access when the room contains folks whose institutions are actually dedicated to access. That's irony like cheesecake: rich.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
EM veterans enjoy telling EM newbies how hard they worked</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Your staff gets it: you worked your way up through the admission world and had tons of success.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
But they also understand you started in admissions when college-going was increasing and all boats were rising, when state funding wasn't challenged every year, when higher ed was a brand everyone believed in, when you didn't need to know about digital marketing, when vendors weren't everywhere, when people had pension plans, when terrible admissions salaries were nearly enough to live on, etc.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
It's a different environment now, and the staff notices how unfair that is, especially since institutions monitor and micromanage admission staff but <a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/What-Higher-Education/236012">pay them less than everyone</a> except some assistant coaches. (I'm not counting housing staff, which gets room and board in addition to salary.)</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
And yep: the staff notices most EM leaders are really, really white compared to their staffs. (I'm a white male, so this isn't my story to tell, but that doesn't mean I don't hear the stories and support change.)</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Music matters</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Most older admissions people don't do <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bjvvyv/how-karaoke-secretly-became-a-major-driver-of-innovation">karaoke</a>. Also, country music may kill the vibe at NACAC karaoke sessions.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Test optional</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Sure there's data that supports going test optional. Sure, it's logically sound. But the tests! Think about all that lost revenue for test companies! How would vendors sell colleges terrible email marketing lists if we don't make the students take tests whose results primarily reflect socioeconomic privilege! </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Everybody needs to buy <a href="https://jonboeckenstedt.wordpress.com/2016/10/05/hot-takes-from-act-on-test-optional/">Jon Boeckenstedt</a> a supersized beer. How right does he have to be before change occurs?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Vendors have power because we stupidly gave them our data</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
The <a href="http://www.acenet.edu/leadership/programs/Pages/ACE-Fellows-Program.aspx">ACE fellowship</a> is cool, but here's my ideal EM fellowship: two weeks at 10 different vendors. That's where all the data and industry knowledge is starting to concentrate. As an industry we could become better at helping young staff gain experience by developing an EM fellowship that lets them intern at 10+ institutions in a year. (Fun Trumpian <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/meet-the-new-swamp/540540/">swamp</a> activity time: note how often it is that admissions directors leave higher ed for a gig as a consultant, spend a few years there, and come back to higher ed as an AVP.) </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Stop scanning me, dammit</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Eventually I just started telling the poor NACAC volunteers and employees that no, you can't <a href="https://www.nacacfairs.org/exhibit/national-college-fairs/lead-retreival/">scan my badge</a>. I understand my personal behavioral data helps NACAC in some obscure and not-explained way (cough, they sell it), but getting tracked throughout the day is pretty miserable.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
People are nice</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Thanks to that kind soul who turned in my lost pencil case. (I heard you scoff through the internet. Pencil cases are cool.)</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Thanks for the parties, rich schools</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Looking for fun? Crash the power five parties and private school parties. (Disclosure: I did this.) It's sort of bizarre to watch higher ed institutions market to high school counselors this way. Closest higher ed analogy: it's a giant frat party.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Thanks for the parties, vendors</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Looking for fun but not sure you're ready to hang out with folks who know you don't belong? Vendors don't mind. (They'll scan your badge though.) I'm sure Boston appreciated the revenue from all the open bars. (Disclosure: I did this, too.)</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
A sea of vendors</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
How many billions in market capitalization and venture capital investments were on the floor of the convention center? Was that dollar amount bigger than Harvard's endowment? Did any vendors complain about the conference's ROI like <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/19/business/dealbook/harvard-endowment.html">Harvard complained</a> about it's 8.1% return this year? Was Hobsons's subdued higher ed presence a nod to the sale that was occurring?</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
EM has already been unbundled, Jeff Selingo and Ryan Craig</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Most EM units don't do their enrollment/marketing/search/analysis/communications/automation/etc. They pay someone else for parts of it. I suspect they'd pay someone else to do the recruiting (cough, international agents) if they could.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Unbundling has already happened in EM, and I'm not convinced it's been a good thing for staff, institutions, or most importantly, students.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
I don't think most EM folks understand marketing, especially digital marketing</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
This realization made me really depressed. It's time to go hang out with the web and marketing folks again.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Slate seems both awesome and oddly precarious</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Most everyone loves the CRM platform, but most seem to realize the company is highly dependent on its CEO and founder. It's a very Jobs-esque scenario. If the CEO is the one responding to product requests, that's both pretty cool and probably not sustainable. (Note: we're not Slate clients.) Also, Slate has groupies. Like, so many groupies.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
All the tech, none of the presentations</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
Institutions and counselors presented on 120 topics. None of them were really about technology, digital marketing and communications, or digital strategy. As <a href="https://twitter.com/gilrogers">Gil Rogers</a> pointed out on Twitter, there were plenty of presentations on technology--but I'd counter that they were made by people with a vested interest in my purchase of their product, data, or services.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
Consult this </h3>
<div dir="ltr">
If we paid admissions staff people even a fraction of what we pay consultants, it would be a different world.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
Also, many consultants seem overpaid for the value they deliver. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<h3>
NACAC is in the middle</h3>
<div dir="ltr">
I've been a bit tough on the NACAC conference in this post. I get it.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
NACAC is in the unenviable position of representing colleges (but especially wealthy colleges), supporting high school counselors (especially those from wealthy schools and districts) and accepting huge amounts of money from vendors (especially the wealthy ones) while trying to help all students get a quality post-secondary education in a political and media landscape that displays strong antipathy towards higher education.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
One can't help but feel that the changing nature of enrollment management is changing the nature of our national organizations, too. </div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr">
How does NACAC survive those changes without losing its soul?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-22668330082667332342016-10-21T04:00:00.000-07:002016-10-21T04:00:17.258-07:00Why are colleges so bad at emailing current students?The Chronicle of Higher Education wrote <a href="http://www.chronicle.com/article/To-Improve-Student-Success-a/238121?key=fq1y8fcD_jcO9t3PuaYzMJ5kMqf9tEZIBhu7XlJXhn4lrY9-nZywCeLTiYws7_7lSC1IMXFuRENHZVRTei1iOU9IekhMclp3a2UxOFZnNXdyelZJMUhjQmdSOA">an interesting piece</a> about Michigan State's new agenda of sending fewer emails to current students.<br />
<br />
Long story short: they don't want to send 400+ emails a year any more. <br />
<br />
While the executives and IT professionals named in the piece deserve attention and praise, it's interesting and perhaps telling that not a single email marketer or content strategist or customer service analyst was quoted in the piece.<br />
<br />
Because any marketer reading this piece will think: "Well, yeah. Duh. Stop doing that. We've been saying that for years." <br />
<h3>
Some nearly universal truths about the way colleges' email current students</h3>
Spend enough time at conferences with higher ed marketers, and you quickly learn that most institutions' email strategies for current students (and staff! and faculty!) are a <a href="http://time.com/46267/hot-mess-history-amy-schumer/">hot mess</a>. (On a synonymic side note, <a href="http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2016/05/dumpster-fire/">dumpster fire is now in the Oxford Dictionary</a>.)<br /><ol>
<li>Colleges send too much email.</li>
<li>They don't have clear CTAs in their emails because ...</li>
<li>They usually haven't identified measurable goals for their emails, which means ...</li>
<li>They don't build tracking into their emails, so ... </li>
<li>They can't learn lessons from their emails. </li>
<li>They send bad emails: too long, not relevant, wrong tone, bad formatting, not related to overall goals (usually retention and graduation).</li>
<li>They don't think about ADA or mobile responsiveness. (I'm looking at you, senior administrator who sends a camera phone JPG of a printed PDF as the entire body of the email. Please. Stop. Delete your Outlook.)</li>
<li>They don't centralize distribution.</li>
<li>Or reporting. </li>
<li>They don't let students opt in.</li>
<li>Or out.</li>
<li>And then they say "students don't want to read email," which is untrue. Students just don't want to read the horribly unhelpful emails they get from the college.</li>
</ol>
So while it's common for faculty and administrators to <a href="http://socialnewsdaily.com/54905/professors-reveal-the-funniest-emails-theyve-gotten-from-students/">mock the email prowess of students</a>, that coin has two sides, and this is the other.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-15378857876704552902016-07-25T21:04:00.001-07:002016-07-25T21:21:33.125-07:00Assessment puns, or why no one wants me on their committees anymoreBecause enrollment life involves regular analysis and evaluation of business processes and communication success, it's relatively simple to transition to analysis of student learning outcomes.<br>
<br>
But due to either poor reaction time or masochism, I've become involved with my division's assessment and strategic planning work. Fortunately for me, I get to partner with a group of smart and talented colleagues, and we proudly wear buttons that read "I <3 [picture of an ass]essment."<br>
<br>
Assessment nerds: like other nerds, but a little less popular.<br>
<br>
While compiling a list of common definitions to use as we talk about assessment, I took a moment to create some new terms, and here they are.<br>
<br>
The idea was inspired by <a href="https://www.aacu.org/contributor/ashley-finley">Ashley Finley</a>, who recently spoke at <a href="https://www.naspa.org/events/2016APC">NASPA</a> about a culture of assessment and what such a culture actually means if we use "culture" as anything other than a buzzword.<br>
<br>
During that talk she mentioned how some institutions have created an <a href="http://www.dominican.edu/about/leadership/office-of-academic-affairs-1">Assesstival</a> (no info at the link) or an <a href="https://www.geneseo.edu/assesstivus">Assesstivus</a> to celebrate assessment efforts.<br>
<br>
The audience chuckled, and I realized that assessment needs more puns. Like, way more puns.<br>
<br>
Assessment is surprisingly fun when done well, and oftentimes a thriving culture of assessment has less to do with the minutiae of what occurs than with the way that people feel about it. (Cough, sounds like branding or advertising.)<br>
<br>
So without further ado, here's a list of assessment puns for all those poor and lucky souls who perform campus assessment. By happy, and assess well.<br>
<br>
<h3>
Key Assessment Terminology</h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<ul>
<li><b>Assesstival or Assesstivus, </b>the annual celebration of assessment activities</li>
<li><b>Assessence, </b>the heart or soul of assessment</li>
<li><b>Assessura, </b>a pause in assessment</li>
<li><b>Assessin, </b>someone who kills assessment efforts through maliciousness or ineptitude</li>
<li><b>Assessarean, </b>a situation when (overdue?) assessment results are delivered only after being forcefully extracted from a unit</li>
<li><b>Assesspool or Assesspit, </b>an institution or campus unit that does assessment poorly or not at all</li>
<li><b>Assesspot, </b>someone who forces others to perform assessment</li>
<li><b>Assesspresso, </b>a jolt of delicious assessment in the morning</li>
<li><b>Assesscrement, </b>bad assessment</li>
<li><b>Embarassessment, </b>what you experience upon realizing your assessment proves your hypothesis wrong</li>
<li><b>Disassesstrous,</b> when a history of poor assessment practices result in accreditation concerns</li>
<li><b>Assesspian, </b>someone who stands in front of others to talk about assessment</li>
<li><b>Assessquatch, </b>the mythical and hairy half-ass, half-man mascot of assessment</li>
<li><b>Assessczar, </b>the person who leads assessment</li>
<li><b>Assesstiny, </b>the future of organizations based on their culture of assessment</li>
<li><b>Assesstapo, </b>a secretive assessment committee that abuses its power and manipulates data to control campus partners and programs</li>
<li><b>Assesscapade, </b>when assessment gets way more complex than it should be</li>
<li><b>Assessiah, </b>the person who steps in to save your assessment efforts just before they go to hell</li>
<li><b>Ambassessadors, </b>the people who champion assessment</li>
<li><b>Assesstants,</b> the people who support assessment champions</li>
<li><b>Massessacre, </b>when people mistakenly use assessment to punish units or employees</li>
<li><b>Carcassess, </b>the remains of failed assessment projects</li>
<li><b>Harassessment, </b>pestering people to complete their assessment before the deadline</li>
<li><b>Bypassessment, </b>making decisions based on anecdote or gut feeling instead of well-performed assessment practices</li>
<li><b>Tassessiturnity, </b>staying silent when you should instead ask how a program will be assessed</li>
<li><b>Assesshole, </b>that one person on the assessment committee you just can’t stand, and if you're not sure who it is, it's probably ... well ... you.</li>
</ul>
<br>
<div>
<br></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-70995841675068540232016-07-18T15:33:00.001-07:002016-07-20T16:14:38.826-07:00Rise of the mobile admissions application: it's not just about conversion and ROI<div class="MsoNormal">
If you attend enough conferences and campus meetings, you'll hear many people (even ones who are clever and smart) say, "Students don't want to apply on a mobile phone/tablet."<br />
<br />
It's safe to interpret such statements as, "I don't know anything about students' online behavior and preferences, but I probably need to have an opinion on this, so here's one I remembered from 1992."<br />
<br />
What's particularly galling is that this viewpoint encourages a status quo that is, at its heart, biased against low-income and minority students.<br />
<br />
Here's why.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Why mobile matters beyond conversion: smartphone dependency</h3>
For many families, their smart-phone phone is their primary internet connection. For some of the poorest, it's often their only internet connection.<br />
<br />
<b>Who is smartphone dependent?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>12% of African Americans</li>
<li>13% of Latinos</li>
<li>Only 4% of whites</li>
<li>13% of American families with income <$30,000</li>
<li>Just 1% of Americans families within income >$75,000</li>
</ul>
All said, "<b>19% of Americans rely to some degree on a smartphone for accessing
online services</b> and information and for staying connected to the world
around them — either because they lack broadband at home, or because
they have few options for online access other than their cell phone." You can read the entire study from <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/01/us-smartphone-use-in-2015/">Pew</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqSwvTELYrDX4O45ZxfKMHHcLiUpYbFCKhpVllNN69vvygp9_CvLs5LGoRvBWzmqjVpxm75ZFsrmWk_waFFzcryDV6-uALUGFsafwXh7J7kcyo3Jxnr8hQwLDP0iAWSvgU5-W81ugdTI/s1600/PI_2015-04-01_smartphones_01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqSwvTELYrDX4O45ZxfKMHHcLiUpYbFCKhpVllNN69vvygp9_CvLs5LGoRvBWzmqjVpxm75ZFsrmWk_waFFzcryDV6-uALUGFsafwXh7J7kcyo3Jxnr8hQwLDP0iAWSvgU5-W81ugdTI/s1600/PI_2015-04-01_smartphones_01.png" /></a></div>
<br />
So if our institutions aren't working to make websites and admissions systems mobile-friendly, and if we don't take a mobile-first approach to our digital solutions, we're actually disenfranchising students and families, especially those from minority and low-income backgrounds. They will try to apply to our institutions on a screen that's 12 square inches, and our poor excuse for an application will add extra stress and headache to the work they have to do.<br />
<br />
At worst, it will stop them from applying.<br />
<h3>
<br />How much impact might mobile-insensitive applications have on students?</h3>
To give you a sense of how much we disrespect students with our applications, imagine an institution that uses a desktop-only admissions application which adds just 10 minutes to every student's mobile-only experience. Imagine the institution receives 10,000 apps per year and about 20% are done via mobile phone or tablet. <br />
<br />
That institution has essentially decided to waste 333 hours of human life--the equivalent of two entire weeks, or two months of work at your job.<br />
<br />
Because of the way technology divides along race and class lines, that institution said it was especially okay to waste the time of lower-income and minority students.<br />
<br />
Now multiply that out over the roughly four million students who enroll in higher education each year, many of them applying to multiple institutions (let's say three each).<br />
<br />
Congratulations: we just wasted 2,740 years' worth of students' lives. Every year.<br />
<br />
And people wonder why students are sometimes skeptical of institutions' stated goals of serving students. If we wanted to serve students, we'd start treating their time as if it were as valuable as our own.<br />
<br />
<h3>
It gets worse: it's not just applications</h3>
Need a few more examples of how we disrespect our most vulnerable students with our mobile insensitivity?<br />
<br />
<b>Fonts and buttons</b><br />
Our small fonts and lack of buttons in emails forces mobile-only students to zoom in to click on anything, whether that's a link to schedule a visit or a link to apply for financial aid and scholarships. It will probably lead to lower email open rates and clickthrough rates, too.<br />
<br />
<b>Website speed and data usage</b><br />
High load speeds and intense data usage on our websites and applications force students to pay more to access information. According to Pew, "nearly half (48%) of smartphone-dependent Americans have had to cancel or shut off their cell phone service for a period of time because the cost of maintaining that service was a financial hardship." (And really: <a href="http://www.bobjohnsonblog.com/2013/04/responsive-design-speed-is-the-achilles-heel-for-higher-education-sites.html">some of us don't appear to try at all</a>).<br />
<br />
If this type of digital behavior describes your institution (or if you're a vendor that makes a product that's not mobile friendly), you should feel bad. It's not intentional (one would hope), but it is real, and it's not acceptable.<br />
<br />
Even if you're locked into contracts with vendors or your IT and MarCom units, you need to let them know that their business practices aren't just hurting enrollment, but they're complicit in maintaining and growing inequality.<br />
<br />
<h3>
How many students actually want to apply via mobile phone?</h3>
A lot. Twenty percent is probably the low estimate.<br />
<br />
In fact, here are the percentages of students completing key events/tasks via mobile for a thirty day period this summer. Fair warning: our admissions mobile traffic patterns are highly cyclical as key tasks change for our student population, and you shouldn't use a single case study to benchmark your own institution.<br />
<ul>
<li>33.9%: Overall mobile traffic to admissions web pages as a percentage of unique pageviews (fun fact: mobile rates for freshmen are 33% higher than rates for transfers)</li>
<li> 32.8%: Overall mobile traffic to CRM pages (as a percentage of unique pageviews)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>48.5%: Visit/Event sign up forms completed via mobile</li>
<li>31.1%: Web inquiries completed via mobile</li>
<li>18.3%: Applications created via mobile</li>
<li>21.8%: High engagement via mobile (visiting at least 7 pages in a single session)</li>
<li>8.0%: Super high engagement via mobile (visiting at least 13 pages in a single session)</li>
</ul>
If any of those numbers increase application or deposit volume by even a fraction of a percent, all the investment in mobile becomes instantly ROI positive, and you can feel ethically good and business good about helping your most vulnerable populations apply.<br />
<br />
Of course, in the context of this blog post, the number that matters is the 18.3% of our students who want to apply from their phone or tablet. Why won't we let them?<br />
<h3>
<br />Who has mobile-friendly applications?</h3>
An increasing number of vendors offer mobile higher ed admissions applications. Credit probably goes to <a href="http://www.decisiondesk.com/">DecisionDesk</a> for being the first U.S. vendor to offer a truly mobile admissions application. DecisionDesk also offers one of the cleanest, most elegant admissions applications in the industry. (<a href="http://www.targetx.com/">TargetX</a> and <a href="http://fullfabric.com/">Full Fabric</a> also offer students great application experiences.)<br />
<br />
Even the deservedly maligned Coalition has a mobile application, although this was never a talking point for the Coalition, which suggests mobile responsiveness was never a way to serve minority populations but was simply the product that CollegeNet delivered.<br />
<br />
Still, skepticism aside, there are plenty of vendors making mobile applications a reality for students. Here are just a few examples.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CollegeNet: <a href="https://www.mycoalition.org/">Coalition app</a><br />
DecisionDesk: <a href="https://app.decisiondesk.com/clients/cccundergraduate/account/create">Columbia Chicago</a><br />
Dream Apply: <a href="https://dreamapply.com/">company website</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Full Fabric: <a href="https://thelisbonmba.fullfabric.com/login#signup">Lisbon MBA</a><o:p></o:p><br />
Liaison: CAS products like <a href="https://nursingcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login">NursingCAS</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Royall: <a href="https://www.champlain-info.org/freshman/personal.htm">Champlain</a><br />
Slate: <a href="https://apply.chicagobooth.edu/account/register?r=https%3a%2f%2fapply.chicagobooth.edu%2fapply%2f">Booth</a><br />
TargetX: <a href="https://saintleouniversity.force.com/onlineapp">Saint Leo University</a> or <a href="https://srm2.targetx.com/orgs/00Di0000000XnNUEA0/login">Seattle U</a><br />
<br /></div>
Some institutions even seem to have homegrown solutions: <a href="https://application.uark.edu/ugrd/">University of Arkansas.</a><br />
<br />
If you care about your enrollment numbers, and if you care about the students who already face hurdles in their pursuit of higher education, you should care that you have a mobile application.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #1f497d;"><o:p></o:p></span>
<span style="color: #1f497d;"><o:p></o:p></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-49450386557618714352016-06-20T13:41:00.001-07:002016-06-20T16:39:21.424-07:00How much differentiation is enough differentiation?In the wake of <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/05/02/why-colleges%E2%80%99-brands-look-so-similar">two similar branding exercises</a> at the University of Buffalo and the University of Sydney, higher ed has been awash in digital ink devoted to the woeful state of branding in the industry.<br />
<br />
The trend is not new.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://offers.mstoner.com/thank-you-for-downloading-the-state-of-higher-ed-branding">mStoner</a> has a regular report on higher ed branding. Publications like <a href="http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/50-best-branding-ideas">University Business</a> use branding ideas as SEO fodder. The lament for differentiation appears in <a href="http://www.changinghighereducation.com/2014/04/reputation-and-brand-in-higher-education.html">general higher ed leadership discussions</a>. Every few years, Gallup rewrites an article about terrible taglines and ho-hum branding in higher ed. (Here it is in <a href="http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/28081/building-brand-higher-education.aspx">2007</a> and again in <a href="http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/184538/hard-differentiate-one-higher-brand.aspx">2015</a>.)<br />
<br />
Practitioners tend to set up tents within one of several camps. One camp contains most of the vendors who generate income from your branding efforts, and they believe higher ed needs better and more adventurous branding. <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/call-action-marketing-and-communications-higher-education/differentiation-hard-necessary">Michael Stoner</a> suggests institutions "think outside your category and possibly stop doing what other institutions are doing." <a href="https://andrewcareaga.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/the-highered-branding-problem-lack-of-differentiation/">Andrew Careaga</a> argues, "Maybe instead of looking at how other colleges and universities are approaching branding, we should look outside of our own niche and see what works best in other sectors." <a href="http://www.simpsonscarborough.com/not-just-the-same-old-same-old-articulating-a-distinctive-brand/'">Kristen Creighton</a> at SimpsonScarborough writes that we should start "developing language and taglines that describe their attributes and offerings in more compelling, authentic ways."<br />
<br />
The other camp argues that differentiation is overrated. <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/institutional-branding-part-1/">Alex Usher</a>, for example, suggests we all just chill out: "So go ahead, use the same tag lines, visuals, and memes. It’s all good."<br />
<br />
Alex Usher seems like a good guy to have a beer with.<br />
<br />
There's an entire other camp that thinks branding in higher ed is foolish without wholesale programmatic development. See <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/19/branding">Richard A. Hesel</a>: "When universities allow these things to be reduced to some stupid tag line, they deserve what they get. I think it’s idiocy. It’s really idiocy." There may even be a fourth camp, the "just be yourself" group that plays <a href="https://www.insidenewcity.com/blog/view/the-new-swear-jar-harming-your-higher-ed-brand">higher ed buzzword bingo</a>, probably as a drinking game. One suspects they hang out with Alex Usher sometimes. There's also a fifth camp, but they're wandering around lost on campus and wondering what the hell branding is.<br />
<br />
The truth, of course, is complicated and is probably somewhere in the middle: you need to be different, but you only need to different from your competitors.<br />
<br />
In response to all the rhetoric and ballyhoo, part of me wants to build a new camp: the sardonic but practical camp, which thinks ,most higher ed brands are pretty terrible but that extreme differentiation is a problem for just a handful of institutions.<br />
<br />
For example, <a href="https://www.ama.org/events-training/Conferences/Pages/AMA-Symposium-for-the-Marketing-of-Higher-Education.aspx">AMA 2015</a> featured a keynote from University Arizona talking about their multi-million rebranding and <a href="http://neversettle.arizona.edu/">campaign efforts</a> with <a href="http://ologie.com/">Ologie</a>, whose work I tend to like.<br />
<br />
Whether or not I like the work is inconsequential, however, because sitting through the keynote was a bit like sitting through a seminar on setting up international tax havens: it's a problem for rich people, and my institution is not one of them. (Relevant side notes: the executive behind the U of Arizona rebrand <a href="http://tucson.com/news/local/education/college/university-of-arizona-marketing-boss-leaving-for-texas-post/article_83c2d1db-cb25-5b47-be8c-7bf4f602cb6e.html">left the institution after a tenure of less than three years</a>, and the U of Arizona president just <a href="http://tucson.com/news/local/education/college/ua-president-ann-weaver-hart-takes-job-with-devry-school/article_dc6ef673-f8d5-5500-b960-cbc06c7b8aa9.html">took a position on the board of DeVry</a>, which is being sued by the FTC for deceiving students. And somehow, the admissions office is still using <a href="http://admissions.arizona.edu/freshmen">a non-mobile-friendly website</a>.)<br />
<br />
The University of Arizona's one-time branding budget is several years' worth of marketing outreach at most institutions. Take the community college down the road. What good would a rebrand (without wholesale transformation of the institution) do for them? The truth of the matter is that those millions would be better spent helping single-parents and veterans and savvy-high school seniors get better educations and better jobs.<br />
<br />
So the local community college doesn't need expensive branding and intense differentiation. And out out of the 4,000 or so institutions in the United States, how many truly need a unique brand that is distinct from anyone other than their five closest competitors?<br />
<br />
These ones:<br />
<ol>
<li>Institutions that will fundamentally transform their institutional character. (This is the ideal scenario for a rebrand, but it's probably the least common.)</li>
<li>Institutions whose goal is to become a massive diploma factory, e.g. SNHU, ASU, U of Phoenix, and the like. (Notice that I didn't say diploma mills. I'm not trying to be overly sensational here, although some diploma factories are indeed diploma mills.)</li>
<li>Institutions that treat students as consumers first, which is pretty much anyone making profit on badges or credentials or MOOCs.</li>
<li>Institutions that want to stake their financial futures on international students (e.g. the institutions on <a href="http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/most-international">this list</a>).</li>
<li>Institutions that want to climb the rankings and are willing to spend money to do it. This is rare, but Northeastern is a good example.</li>
<li>Institutions that want to add multiple zeroes to their endowment, which is a fair number of schools, but most of them are already wealthy by national standards.</li>
</ol>
<div>
By no stretch of imagination is this the entire industry, and it's probably less than a few hundred schools, if that.<br />
<br />
Besides, branding is different in higher ed, which is something business leaders and pundits from other verticals fail to grasp. Too many people want to brand institutions like they're Fortune 500 companies when, in fact, most institutions are more like their local church or the HVAC guy who comes to your home.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Branding is fun and challenging, but it isn't going to change the enrollment problems and perception challenges that higher ed faces as an industry.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-87535671477257975272016-03-21T09:44:00.001-07:002016-03-21T09:44:33.436-07:00Social media proliferation in higher ed: the Lord of the (Rings of) Social Media.<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lJhPrCrSoRujhhIJ_bEgjADbI2Mn1XPihpMbEWwuTzAA9hLwVq1mVzY4A1mR9rWeJTzwV2XqKW1fRi4mtbbUWbwpWh1rkeIz1q5tzUqowCtGnQllHcJ-Rlk2DqwXOJ5OY3RgZPCDNMQ/s1600/LOTR.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lJhPrCrSoRujhhIJ_bEgjADbI2Mn1XPihpMbEWwuTzAA9hLwVq1mVzY4A1mR9rWeJTzwV2XqKW1fRi4mtbbUWbwpWh1rkeIz1q5tzUqowCtGnQllHcJ-Rlk2DqwXOJ5OY3RgZPCDNMQ/s640/LOTR.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm gearing up for the next year's secret shopping campaign, and I may have finally snapped: higher ed institutions have too many social media accounts, and far too many of them are bad.<br />
<br />
Higher ed social media accounts proliferate in two ways. One is horizontally across platforms. <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/college-university-too-many-social-media-accounts">Hubspot</a> wrote a bit about that in 2014, but you know it's happening when your institution uses more than a dozen official platforms. The other way is more insidious, and that's horizontally across internal campus units. This happens when on-campus units create their own social media accounts, like this terribly neglected MySpace account for the <a href="https://myspace.com/umhealthsystempodcasts">U of Michigan Health System</a>.<br />
<br />
MySpace aside, the problem is just as bad whether the platform is Twitter or YouTube or Snapchat or Peach.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/mhames">Matt Hames</a> spoke about the proliferation of institutional social media accounts in his <a href="http://2015.highedweb.org/psessions/detail/0cb180be-020d-4fdb-b0c8-6bbf598d89e6">2015 HighEdWeb presentation</a>. He also spoke about a not-so-deeply repressed desire to drastically cull the number of these social media accounts at his institution.<br />
<br />
It warmed the cockles of my strategist's heart. After all, the only university units that merit separate social media accounts are units with unique brands, separate audiences, and dedicated social media strategy. Examples?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/mit">MIT</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/mitsloan">MIT Sloan</a><br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiAqvPk4vHKAhUNzGMKHcx-B1wQFghVMAs&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fmedialab%3Flang%3Den&usg=AFQjCNGRIeuK2b2xSN2qch7WvGpJ_gGujQ&sig2=nFqTU78txUSFYpWkHcW-YA">MIT Media Lab</a><br />
<br />
Sure, they're all MIT, but they're all distinct brands with distinct audiences and social media teams.<br />
<br />
Or how about these:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/unlincoln">UNL</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/Huskers">The Cornhuskers</a><br />
<br />
Two brands, two entirely different audiences, two separate social media accounts.<br />
<br />
Most institutions, including MIT and UNL, have social media account proliferation. Take UT Austin as an example. In addition to the actual brand accounts, there's <a href="https://twitter.com/UTAustin_FinAid">UT Austin Financial Aid</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/UTRegistrar">UT Austin Registrar</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/utexasdining">UT Austin Dining</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/UTHousing">UT Austin Housing</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/utaustinparking">UT Austin Parking</a>, <a href="http://ut-austin%20uwc/">UTAustin Writing Center</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/utstudentaffair">UT Student Affairs</a>, and so on. (And that's just a sampling of the dozens on Twitter.) Each has a small audience, each has just okayish content, and each is a drain on campus resources and the institutional brand.<br />
<br />
These should probably be consolidated and integrated. But they probably won't be, and for all the usual reasons.<br />
<ol>
<li><b>The pervasive belief that activity equals achievement.</b> People point to social media posts and followers as evidence that work is getting done, even if it's not clear how that "work" translates into student or institutional outcomes.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.askahippo.com/">HiPPOs</a><b>.</b> At some meeting, some campus or divisional leader who has a large salary but small social media experience (and no concept of how much time and training it takes to do social media well) thought it was a good idea for a unit to have a social media account.</li>
<li><b>Politics and control.</b> Like a logo or a website, a social media account indicates (however quietly, however minutely) that a unit has something resembling power, influence, or prestige on its campus.</li>
<li><b>Poor centralization.</b> Most institutions don't staff or structure communications or marketing in a way to manage and police the brand across multiple social media platforms. Lack of centralization also makes it hard to say "no" to units that go rogue on social media.</li>
<li><b>Misuse of communication tools. </b>Social media is often used in place of websites, digital newsletters, and email communications since many units don't have the tools, training, or access to market themselves across more useful or relevant digital channels.</li>
<li><b>And the biggest reason: lack of goals.</b> It's hard to put an end to work that wasn't begun with clear outcomes and clear success indicators. Why? Because it's impossible to know what failure looks like if there's no measure of success. (See #1 in this list.)</li>
</ol>
<div>
To be clear, it's neither totally fair nor tactically prudent to blame institutional staff for setting up social media accounts. They're not experts who should have known better, and they're usually just doing their best to help solve a perceived communications problem.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Nor is social media account proliferation a phenomenon unique to higher education. A <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/jeremiah_owyang/smms-report-010412finaldraft">2012 report</a> suggested the average corporation has 178 social media accounts, excluding personal accounts.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The cost of proliferation is high, though, and not just in terms of brand dilution: corporations that attempted to bring all these systems together spent an average of $272,000 in 2011, and that's probably underreporting time and staff costs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There's also a significant difference between corporate and educational account proliferation. While many businesses have multiple social media accounts, they are often related to distinct brands. For example, <a href="http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/4599.official-microsoft-twitter-accounts.aspx">Microsoft has 221 Twitter accounts</a>, but this is a corporation with multiple global brands, each with millions of customers, and $94 billion in annual revenue.</div>
<br />
That's even bigger than Harvard's endowment. (Which doesn't have any social media, by the way.)<br />
<br />
MIT, arguably one of the biggest higher education brands in the world, has about 450-500 social media accounts.<br />
<br />
Does a regional comprehensive university need that many? Or even half that many? Or even more than 50? Does MIT really need 450-500?<br />
<br />
I like social media. I just think some of our institutional units need to stop creating and using so many social media accounts. Here's why.<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Most of sub-brand social media accounts don't have goals. </b>Most units don't have a good business case for social media, and they don't measure success. Think back to all the higher ed conferences you've attended. How many presenters were talking about the analytics, retention impact, and ROI of the parking office's Facebook page? Yeah, that's what I thought. (But if you did measure it, what would you find, and is it worth the time and cost that goes into it?)</li>
<li><b>Institutions unintentionally fragment their audiences and dilute messages when they use multiple, strategy-free accounts.</b> Imagine the average student who's trying to determine what's important on their social media feed from 50 "official" university Twitter accounts. They're going to miss or ignore most posts, but when they see conflicting messages from various "official" channels, how will they know what's important? Couldn't some units get together, create a shared Twitter account, decide what's important for that week, and work together on that messaging?</li>
<li><b>Social media strategy is usually only as good as overall web and content strategy.</b> If a unit has a bad web and content strategy, it will be hard to succeed at social media. Even if it turns out that the unit is great at social media, they may have no place to send followers for conversions.</li>
<li><b>Most higher ed accounts are recruiting temporary audiences. </b>Some social media have evergreen audiences. For example, the athletics account recruits people who will follow the brand for life. But the admissions unit is only recruiting an audience who cares about admissions for, at most, 18 months.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<ol>
</ol>
<div>
<h3>
Lord of the (Rings of) Social Media</h3>
So what is the preferred social media breakdown in higher ed? Like all hard questions, it depends, but here's my stab at it. I call it the Lord of the Rings of Social Media, which is a totally made up social strategy that has nothing to do with Hobbits or orcs (sorry J. R. R. Tolkein).</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>One social media account to bind them</b><br />
This is the account that owns the overall brand. At many institutions, this account needs to provide more value for its future student, alumni, and community audiences. It should be available on all major social media platforms. It needs to be interactive and engaging. It probably needs more staffing unless you're at a place like Duke or CSU or NYU. Also, the people who run it are pretty much Sauron in the eyes of manty campus partners.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>The University Account</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Three social media accounts for the queens and kings</b></div>
<div>
These accounts have unique stories and directly inform the overall brand of the institution. They're usually available on a fair number of social media platforms.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Athletics</li>
<li>Academics/Research</li>
<li>Student (daily) Life (that is, pretty much every account that doesn't have an evergreen audience)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Seven social media accounts for the ladies and lords</b><br />
These are true brands with full marketing strategies that extend to off-campus audiences. They have evergreen audiences, and they primarily attract followers who aren't from the institution. They usually have a need for a few social media platforms. Small or regional institutions might not have many of these accounts--and that's okay.<br />
<ul>
<li>Business schools</li>
<li>Research and policy centers</li>
<li>Extension and offsite campuses</li>
<li>Institutional publications with non-institutional audiences</li>
<li>Museums, theatres, and performing arts centers</li>
<li>Ensembles and performing groups with non-local audiences</li>
<li>Literary/arts/civil rights festivals. camps, and agencies that attract and serve non-institutional audiences</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b><br />Nine for the mortal women and men</b></div>
<div>
These aren't brands, per se, but they are functional units that usually have full media teams. I'm not convinced they need separate accounts (repeat: I don't think these accounts are necessary), but if they're investing in staff salaries and content production with clear goals and measurable outcomes and you can't get them to stop, then they probably deserve a social media platform or two. Most colleges don't need any social media accounts in this area.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Alumni (needs to be very active and/or very large)</li>
<li>Colleges and Departments (but only if they have full communications teams and work with primarily off-campus audiences)</li>
<li>Daily news publications that publish at least three articles daily</li>
<li>Restaurants that actively recruit diners who are non-students</li>
<li>Housing (only if housing is large and active, and probably no separate accounts for each dorm)</li>
<li>The student union building if it has shops or restaurants that the wider non-campus community uses (a.k.a. destinations)</li>
<li>Conference centers (a.k.a. destinations)</li>
<li>Unique facilities that also serve the public as a nontrivial percentage of their audience (e.g. skating rink, climbing wall, marinas, etc.)</li>
<li>Campus police, but probably only if they also police non-campus locations</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>So what's missing?</b><br />
Accounts that serve small, temporary, or staffing-poor units should be excluded, as should units that only serve on-campus audiences (especially if they don't have frequently changing service catalogs).<br />
<ul>
<li>Admissions</li>
<li>News</li>
<li>Advancement</li>
<li>Advising</li>
<li>Library</li>
<li>IT</li>
<li>Orientation</li>
<li>Colleges and departments that don't have full media teams</li>
<li>Individual student life units</li>
<li>Parking offices, etc.</li>
<li>Student clubs and orgs (which will probably ignore any advice you give them, anyway)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
And where does information for these units belong? It belongs in your other accounts. Because really, if your admissions, orientation, news, library, etc. are not part of your main brand, you're probably doing social media wrong.<br />
<br />
Take Harvard Admissions. They get 30-40K applicants every year, but they only have 8K <a href="https://www.facebook.com/harvardadmissions">Facebook</a> followers and 3K <a href="https://twitter.com/applytoharvard">Twitter</a> followers (plus that Twitter content is just copypasta from some RSS feed). Compare that to their evergreen brand accounts: their main institutional <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Harvard/">Facebook</a> account has 4.5 million followers and the <a href="https://twitter.com/Harvard">Twitter</a> account has 595K followers.<br />
<br />
If you want to welcome or attract new students to campus or showcase the unique elements of student life at Harvard, where would you put your message and your dollars? You'd put it in the same place Harvard puts its other important and interesting content: on the main accounts.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The takeaway</h3>
Social media in higher ed needs more consolidation, less proliferation, and great input from your institutional experts.<br />
<br />
If a social media account owner can't tell you how they measure ROI and how the account metrics demonstrate positive impact on recruitment, retention, or revenue, they probably don't need social media accounts.<br />
<br />
You probably need a person at your institution who has the skillset, official authority, and personal charm to close down dozens or hundreds of social media accounts.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-50038618270652632302016-02-22T09:00:00.000-08:002016-02-22T09:23:50.803-08:00Enrollment marketing news with snark: Feb. 8-20<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoGI68Hbj-t3TwxV6r2SltoiWYk_BzBjLcKbesS46WuQPIeTL80QB6WZEPYp-8Xvi1yPYxliJuxjrHEo9F_oFEHFgIQEdm2Te3BvbYPaXztzBSjMADWvQHJMSDits4HclIdOad4JVfyI/s1600/header+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoGI68Hbj-t3TwxV6r2SltoiWYk_BzBjLcKbesS46WuQPIeTL80QB6WZEPYp-8Xvi1yPYxliJuxjrHEo9F_oFEHFgIQEdm2Te3BvbYPaXztzBSjMADWvQHJMSDits4HclIdOad4JVfyI/s640/header+%25284%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Despite popular lore, fewer people are meeting their future spouses in college. Via the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35535424?r=1">BBC</a>. It's sort of amazing to realize your marriage (and everything that happens because of it) are usually the result of an era's technology, social values, and economic policies. I feel like whacking Fate's shins with a baseball bat and taunting, "Take that, Fate."<br />
<br />
In some non-higher ed news, here's a way to transfer the facial expressions of one person to another person in real time. Via <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXVspNUeiWw">YouTube</a>. That'll never be used for nefarious ends.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZy175aHn182av6OrCM77SxEbRj6eddsYvMGglO-_Xx2dubw-5nak2LHVicGdvC5V1uTciJRukJXgRnRsjiKG8xztSk9J5B1u30Eao2GhRE8bagb6DCnjJUd5JLDJXFDTwY48DUNlizg/s1600/_88183678_hetero_couples_624.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZy175aHn182av6OrCM77SxEbRj6eddsYvMGglO-_Xx2dubw-5nak2LHVicGdvC5V1uTciJRukJXgRnRsjiKG8xztSk9J5B1u30Eao2GhRE8bagb6DCnjJUd5JLDJXFDTwY48DUNlizg/s640/_88183678_hetero_couples_624.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3>
Digital Content and Strategy</h3>
<b>Instagram </b>added account switching. Via <a href="http://blog.business.instagram.com/post/138999096598/account-switching-on-instagram">Instagram</a>. Finally.<br />
<br />
"Dear <b>Snapchat</b>, we need to talk." Via <a href="http://social.colostate.edu/2016/02/19/dear-snapchat-we-need-to-talk/">Social CSU</a>. Pretty sure they go by #TeamSocial, but I really want to call them Social Ram. It makes me think of a ram at a party, holding a red solo cup in one hand, and in the other--since it's Colorado--a joint.<br />
<br />
<b>Snapchat</b> dos and dont's. Via <a href="http://social.colostate.edu/2016/02/18/snap-this-not-that/">Social CSU</a>. And for the record, there's no consensus on how to pluralize "dos and dont's," although I went with Chicago Manual of Style's recommendation.<br />
<br />
Some <b>potential shifts in social media</b> platform engagement. Via <a href="http://qz.com/613640/teens-have-a-smart-reason-for-abandoning-facebook-and-twitter/">Quartz</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Social media</b> and undergraduate markets. Via <a href="http://www.eduventures.com/2016/02/tap-undergraduate-market-segments/">Eduventures</a>. Use Facebook, G+, Twitter, You Tube and Instagram, deployed in that order. This is a useful article, by the way, although be cautious about "having an account" as the benchmark for determining social media resource allocation.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Micro-conten</b>t for social media. Via <a href="http://www.mstoner.com/blog/content-and-writing/microcontent-fuel-lights-social-media-fire/">mStoner</a>.<br />
<br />
9 Reasons for <b>retargeting</b>. Via <a href="http://www.stamats.com/stamats-insights/improve-enrollment/2016/9-reasons-for-retargeting-as-a-recruitment-tool">Statmats</a>.<br />
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Placement versus other <b>ad targeting</b>. Via <a href="http://geoffbcampbell.com/2016/02/16/difference-between-placement-and-other-ad-targeting/">Geoff Campbell</a>.<br />
<br />
Nine ways to <b>market to today's "typical" student</b>. Via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/9-ways-todays-typical-student">HEM</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>How students want to be communicated with</b>. Via <a href="http://blog.royall.com/when-and-how-you-communicate-to-students-really-matters-infographic">Royall & Company</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Inexpensive equipment</b> for social media, photo, and video. Via <a href="https://socialmedia.duke.edu/inexpensive-equipment-for-social-media-photo-video/">Duke Social Media</a>.<br />
<br />
How <b>video chat </b>is changing the admissions process. Via <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/10/465583808/video-chat-your-way-into-college-how-tech-is-changing-the-admissions-process">NPR</a>.<br />
<br />
What you missed at the <b>Higher Ed Analytics Conference</b>. Via <a href="http://higheredanalytics.com/analytics/index.php/2016/02/what-you-missed-at-the-2016-highered-analytics-conference-hea16/">Higher Ed Analytics</a>.<br />
<br />
Bob Johnson's <b>higher ed newsletter </b>is out. Via <a href="http://www.bobjohnsonblog.com/2016/02/your-higher-education-marketing-newsletter-february-2014-1.html">Bob Johnson</a>.<br />
<br />
Can <b>text messaging service Up Next</b> simplify the admissions process? Via <a href="http://www.targetx.com/can-text-messaging-simplify-the-admissions-process/">TargetX</a>. Maybe. And here's a quick public service announcement before you start your own text marketing campaign: you have to have the student's consent in writing before you can send them texts. Check out the rules at the <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/spam-unwanted-text-messages-and-email">FCC</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Business school content strategy</b> a la Tiffany's. Via <a href="https://mbaenrollmentstrategies.wordpress.com/2016/02/16/business-school-at-tiffanys-5-content-marketing-lessons-for-your-website/">Enrollment Strategies</a>.<br />
<br />
Ten best <b>capital campaign websites</b>. Via <a href="https://www.oho.com/blog/10-best-capital-campaign-websites-universities-and-colleges">OHO</a>.<br />
<br />
Xavier made <b>search the most prominent feature</b> on its homepage. Via <a href="http://www.bobjohnsonblog.com/2016/02/xavier-university-search-anatomy-of-a-distinctive-home-page.html">Bob Johnson</a>. Xavier also does a lot of other things on its homepage (placement rate, starting salary, New Relic analytics, etc.) that most institutions don't do.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Branding, Image, and PR</h3>
New media companies are<b> challenging traditional campus newspapers</b>. Via <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/college-media-startups_us_56c1f088e4b0c3c55051eb2b">Huffington Post</a>. The content is probably going to give PR managers heartburn. For example, see all those university names next to the student names? Nice.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKF2GZkmPOE2cEFs-Lvnree90jSYlXAmy3yRGdFZEsvd3UwA4a0P_XN-hU49Nlxpo_rtFCnvjnpEf7y_h13yPAFlP5h8by-OM6T_ITYKAbuk4LJMFwJl2F1edQj0DpgwwMFKsTW6IBdA/s1600/FlockU.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKF2GZkmPOE2cEFs-Lvnree90jSYlXAmy3yRGdFZEsvd3UwA4a0P_XN-hU49Nlxpo_rtFCnvjnpEf7y_h13yPAFlP5h8by-OM6T_ITYKAbuk4LJMFwJl2F1edQj0DpgwwMFKsTW6IBdA/s640/FlockU.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>U of Arizona students are harassing Muslims</b> and vandalizing a mosque near the campus. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/us/mosque-near-university-of-arizona-endures-scorn-of-students-next-door.html?_r=0">NY Times</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>White students at Texas A&M harassed black prospective students</b>. Via <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/12/texas-am-racial-harassment-black-high-school-students">The Guardian</a>. The university initially said students were just expressing their first amendment rights.<br />
<br />
It's not even summer yet, and <b>Mount St. Mary's</b> is trying hard to win the PR-disaster of the year award in the wake of the president's "drown the bunnies" comment, his dismissive tone after the incident, and his proposed survey "on which freshmen would be told there were no wrong answers" but which would actively be used to encourage certain students to drop out so they wouldn't count against the institution's retention numbers. So, yeah: there were definitely going to be wrong answers. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/17/mount-st-marys-board-sends-conciliatory-email-supporters-president-are-sending">Inside Higher Ed</a>, <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/02/11/latest-mount-st-marys-accreditation-parents">Inside Higher Ed</a> again, and some very in-depth coverage at <a href="http://chronicle.com/specialreport/Uproar-at-Mount-St-Marys/30">The Chronicle</a>. The university also fired the adviser of the newspaper that broke the story about the president's comments, allegedly in retaliation. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/11/us/mount-st-marys-university-firings.html">NY Times</a>. In more allegations, the president of the Catholic institution allegedly said, "Catholic doesn't sell ... [and] Newman is said as well to have complained about the presence of "too many bleeding crucifixes" in an employee's office and also to have referred to some students as "Catholic jihadis."" Via <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-school-president-refuses-to-resign-amid-reports-of-comments-denigr">Life Site</a>. A board member who seemed to endorse the view that Jews and Muslims have no faith has resigned. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/02/17/controversial-trustee-quits-nys-mount-saint-mary">Inside Higher Ed</a>. The board also apologized for other behavior, too. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/mount-st-marys-board-apologizes-for-breakdown-and-says-it-will-conduct-review/108675">The Ticker</a>. But some students apparently support the president. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/mount-st-marys-president-stays-in-office-as-students-rally-to-support-him/108647">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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<b>Baylor's president's letter</b> (released on Super Bowl Sunday), which was largely an attempt to assuage critics of the institution's handling of sexual assault cases, didn't win any accolades and may have made things worse. Via <a href="http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2016/02/baylor-university-presidents-comments-on-sexual-assaults-rebuked-online.html/">The Dallas Morning News</a>.<br />
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<b>Suffolk University</b> ended its controversial relationship with Regan Communications, and the breakup got messy. Via <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/02/09/suffolk-university-ends-contract-regan-firm/GcPtD7mfCfpcFIMOdvXIDK/story.html">The Boston Globe</a>. Regan is the sixth largest PR firm in the country.<br />
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Major changes afoot at <b>Berkeley</b>? Looks like program cuts, especially in liberal arts and humanities. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2016/02/11/is-berkeley-getting-ready-to-consider-a-queen-sacrifice/">Bryan Alexander</a>. Normally this goes under enrollment news, but the Berkeley brand is too big for that. If a major brand starts cutting these programs, it will be much easier for smaller institutions to rationalize the decision.<br />
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The governor of Louisiana said <b>LSU would have to cut college football</b> if the state legislature doesn't pass a budget. Via <a href="http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/lsu-tigers-louisiana-governor-warns-that-budget-crisis-could-mean-no-college-football-021116">FOX Sports</a>. Yeah, sure.<br />
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<b>Michigan spent more than $10,000 per day</b> on jet travel for football recruiting. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/02/15/michigan-football-coach-spent-10000-day-jets">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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The University of Iowa lost and found <b>William the Goat</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/after-10-days-on-the-lam-wayward-goat-is-back-at-u-of-iowa/108502">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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<br />
<h3>
Data and Analytics</h3>
Geography, race, and student <b>loan delinquency</b>. Via Mapping <a href="http://mappingstudentdebt.org/#/map-2-race">Student Debt</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Graduation rates</b> are as much an input as an output. Via <a href="http://highereddatastories.blogspot.com/2016/02/graduation-rates-rolled-up.html">Higher Ed Data Stories</a>. Tell that to state legislators.<br />
<br />
More on <b>graduate rates</b> here. Via <a href="http://highereddatastories.blogspot.com/2016/02/graduation-rates-by-selectivity.html">Higher Ed Data Stories</a>. "We can see that a single factor, such as percentage of students in the freshman class with Pell, or the mean SAT score, can predict with some precision the graduation rate of a college or university."<br />
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Babson is ending its report on <b>online education</b>. The 13th annual report was just released. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/09/babson-group-reflects-final-report-online-education-enrollments">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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If <b>rankings </b>fall, institutions are likely to raise tuition. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/02/18/study-when-colleges-fall-rankings-tuition-goes">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<br />
<h3>
Economics and cost of college</h3>
The Ed. Department will create <b>a new office to protect federal student loan borrowers</b>. Via <a href="http://blogs.wgbh.org/on-campus/2016/2/8/under-pressure-education-department-creates-unit-protect-student-borrowers/">WGBH</a>.<br />
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<b>U of Wisconsin's decision to offer more merit aid</b> is a bad thing. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/why-uw-madisons-plan-to-become-bigger-merit-aid-player-is-bad-for-u-s-public-higher-education/">The Hechinger Report</a> and <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/merit-aid/">EdCentral</a>.<br />
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Have <b>Canadian universities</b> been subject to austerity? Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/false-charges-of-austerity/">HESA</a>. In the words of Alex Usher (who is not Usher's cousin), "Please."<br />
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Federal aid to <b>bootcamps </b>is still a bad idea. Via <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/stillabadidea/">EdCentral</a>.<br />
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A new bill would allow<b> students with drug offences</b> to receive financial aid. Via <a href="http://www.hightimes.com/read/high-times-legislative-roundup-february-15">High Times</a>. That's the first time I've referenced High Times.<br />
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<b>IBR </b>is really, really generous to graduate schools. Via <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/another-student-loan-bombshell-obamas-latest-budget/">EdCentral</a>.<br />
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<b>Raise and its microscholarship program</b> are gaining traction. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/21/technology/got-an-a-in-algebra-thats-worth-120.html">NY Times</a>. Or at least press.<br />
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<br />
<h3>
Enrollment management and strategy</h3>
Why <b>elite-college admissions</b> needs an overhaul. Via <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/02/whats-wrong-with-college-admissions/462063/">The Atlantic</a>. TL;DR: elite colleges are only breeding skepticism and creativity out of students.<br />
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A possible <b>alternative to the queen sacrifice</b>. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2016/02/14/sapping-the-humanities-a-possible-alternative-to-the-queen-sacrifice/">Bryan Alexander</a>.<br />
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<b>Online education</b> isn't all that appealing to high school students. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/17/study-suggests-high-school-students-hold-negative-views-online-education">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<b>Online enrollment </b>is rising, but chief academic officers are slightly less excited. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/enrollment-in-online-courses-rises-but-their-importance-to-academic-chiefs-wanes/">The Hechinger Report</a>.<br />
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<b>Online learning</b> in 2015. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/heres-a-snapshot-of-online-learning-in-2015/108514">The Ticker</a>. <a href="http://hackeducation.com/2016/02/12/hack-education-weekly-news">Hack Education</a> has a good assortment of other resources.<br />
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10 ways to <b>fail when creating an online program</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/technology-and-learning/10-ways-fail-when-creating-online-program">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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Students are more supportive of <b>online learning</b>. Professors, not so much. Via <a href="http://qz.com/612592/us-professors-arent-getting-any-more-accepting-of-online-learning-but-students-definitely-are/">Quartz</a>.<br />
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New programs at institutions. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/19/colleges-start-new-academic-programs">Inside Higher Ed</a>. None are liberal arts.<br />
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<br />
<h3>
For-profits, a.k.a. the Donald Trumps of education</h3>
For-profits are <b>getting off easy</b> because the government thinks they're "too big to fail". Via <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/education-department-too-big-to-fail_us_56c49dffe4b0b40245c89182">Huffington Post</a>.<br />
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<b>U of Phoenix has a new ad campaign</b> in an effort to distance itself from, well, itself. Via <a href="http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/campaign-university-phoenix-rise-online-college-ashes/302669/">Advertising Age</a>. See also the launch video. Via <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N98RB1LK12o">YouTube</a>. This commentary is probably relevant: "But hard as it tries to shed the school's baggage, the ad falls into the trap of seeming a little too anxious to gloss past reality. If its defensive stance is understandable, the concluding lyric, "A degree is a degree/You're going to want someone like me/But only if you have a brain," simply rings appalling." Via <a href="http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/university-phoenix-tries-hush-haters-wry-rendition-if-i-only-had-brain-169663">AdWeek</a>.<br />
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The biggest investor in Apollo Education plans to <b>vote against the recent proposed $1.1. billion takeover</b> by a private equity firm. Via <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-16/apollo-education-s-biggest-investor-schroders-to-oppose-takeover">Bloomberg</a>.<br />
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<br />
<h3>
Not strictly relevant</h3>
Don't do this. Ever. Via <a href="http://jezebel.com/university-suggests-female-faculty-members-could-be-sex-1757452768">Jezebel</a>.<br />
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Ranking countries by <b>the worst students</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/26045-2/">The Hechinger Report</a>.<br />
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Sometimes you don't actually need a<b> strategic plan</b>. Via <a href="http://www.stamats.com/stamats-insights/write-a-plan/2016/sometimes-the-last-thing-you-need-is-a-strategic-plan">Stamats</a>.<br />
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<b>What's missing in ed tech? Character</b>. Via <a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-02-16-what-s-missing-in-edtech-character-development">EdSurge</a>. Some might say ethics or a focus on students, but that's a bit cynical, isn't it?<br />
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The benefits of managing your <b>digital reputation</b>. Via <a href="http://joesabado.com/2016/02/the-benefits-of-buildingmanaging-your-digital-reputation/">Joe Sabado</a>.<br />
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<b>Carnegie Mellon</b> will get $250 million of a $750 million settlement from the Marvell Technology Group. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/tech-company-will-pay-750-million-to-end-patent-fight-with-carnegie-mellon/108709">The Ticker</a>. This is why institutions care so much about patent rights and intellectual property.<br />
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<b>Yelp for teaching tools</b> at UNC. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/UNC-Gives-Professors-a-Way-to/235367">The Chronicle</a>.<br />
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Fewer colleges are using <b>standardized tests</b> to measure educational quality. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/colleges-continue-to-abandon-standardized-tests-to-assess-learning-survey-finds/108683">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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<b>Education may cut dementia risk.</b> Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/11/health/education-may-cut-dementia-risk-study-finds.html">NY Times</a>. Working in education probably raises it.<br />
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Federal <b>earmarks for universities in Alabama</b> are under election-season scrutiny because buildings were named after the Senator who got the pork funded. Via <a href="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/02/alabama_university_presidents.html">AL.com</a>.<br />
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Republicans are upset that some institutions have <b>large endowments</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/16/congress-returns-scrutiny-wealthy-university-endowments">Inside Higher Ed</a>. You'd think they'd be upset that their leading presidential candidate is a demagogue who appeals to racism and sexism to turn one group of people against other groups, but that's why I'm not in control of a political party.<br />
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<b>Social media skill</b> as a job requirement. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/student-affairs-and-technology/social-media-skill-job-requirement">Eric Stoller</a>.<br />
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Cable boxes are the worst, and the FCC agrees. Via <a href="http://nerdist.com/fcc-ruling-cable-apple-tv-android-tv-google-amazon/">Nerdist</a>. People still use cable boxes?<br />
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It's a video game with 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 unique planets. Via <a href="http://18%2C446%2C744%2C073%2C709%2C551%2C616%20unique%20planets/">The Atlantic</a>.<br />
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The top 25 universities over 400 years old. Via <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/top-25-universities-over-400-years-old">THE</a>.<br />
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13 things to know about the alpha generation. Via <a href="http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/13-things-alpha-generation/302366/">Advertising Age</a>.<br />
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<h3>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-79255037584211258612016-02-09T21:13:00.000-08:002016-02-20T18:00:26.828-08:00Enrollment marketing news with snark: Feb. 1-7I somehow managed to write eight pages on <b>Canadian provincial energy portfolios</b> in less than two days this weekend despite my upcoming presentation at the very full <a href="http://higheredexperts.com/edu/course/higher-ed-analytics-conference/">Higher Ed Analytics Conference</a>. Let this be a lesson: never agree to participate in an academic research project about which you know absolutely nothing.<br />
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Also, I didn't watch the <b>Super Bowl</b>, which was apparently a snooze fest. But I did learn about Canada's ranking as a net electricity exporter (#1).<br />
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Finally, I ended my Google Alert for the <b>College of DuPage</b> now that the board has stopped boycotting its own meetings. Congrats to COD on its victory as PR disaster of the year for 2015.<br />
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<h3>
Digital Content and Strategy</h3>
<b>Facebook lead generation</b> campaigns for in-Facebook forms. Via <a href="http://www.geofli.com/marketing/facebook">Geofli</a>.<br />
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Using <b>infographics </b>to tell your story. Via <a href="http://www.picklejarcommunications.com/2016/02/05/warning-graphic-content-why-you-should-be-using-infographics-to-tell-your-story/">Pickle Jar Communications</a>.<br />
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Week 1 of a Duke course on <b>managing a social media presence</b>. Via <a href="https://socialmedia.duke.edu/managing-a-social-media-presence-week-1/">Duke Social Media</a>.<br />
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<b>Paid digital advertising</b> for higher ed: where to start. Via <a href="http://geoffbcampbell.com/2016/02/08/paid-digital-advertising-for-higher-ed/">Geoff Campbell</a>.<br />
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Between a quarter and a third of low-income families say they most often use <b>smartphones and tablets</b> to access the Internet. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/many-low-income-families-get-on-the-internet-with-smartphones-or-tablets-that-matters-heres-why/">The Hechinger Report</a>. Pew published some similar data a few months ago. Why aren't all institutions mobile-first at this point?<br />
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<b>Location-based website personalizations</b>. Via <a href="http://www.geofli.com/marketing/websitepersonalization">Geofli</a>. Works best for key landing pages. Note: Geofli is promoting the service they sell.<br />
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<b>Six video platforms</b> for improving content marketing. Via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/6-online-video-platforms">HEM</a>.<br />
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Chrome extensions for <b>UX testing</b>. Via <a href="https://www.oho.com/blog/ux-life-hacks-our-favorite-chrome-extensions">OHO</a>. Sort of surprised there weren't more.<br />
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How a single <b>broken link</b> can cost a college $100,000. Via <a href="http://www.markgr.com/how-a-single-broken-link-can-cost-a-college-100000/">Mark Greenfield</a>. Fun fact from my own secret-shopping research: there's about a 2-3% chance something is broken in your homepage-to-apply or homepage-to-inquiry funnel.<br />
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<h3>
Branding, Image, and PR</h3>
The 27 worst things about going to <b>stock college photo university</b>. Via <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/nathanwpyle/27-worst-things-about-going-to-stock-photo-university">BuzzFeed</a>. It's all about stock photos. And universities. (Don't use stock photos.)<br />
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<b>Oral Roberts University</b> won't track students' sex. Via <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/read/christian-university-requiring-students-to-use-fitbits-says-it-wont-track-sex">Motherboard</a>. I can't decide if ORU is evil or genius, or perhaps evil genius.<br />
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Laycia Hawkins (the professor who wore a hijab in support of Muslim students) and <b>Wheaton </b>are parting ways. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/09/us/larycia-hawkins-wheaton-college.html">NY Times</a>. Someone got a lot of money, and it wasn't a Muslim student.<br />
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Some commentary on <b>college ads during the Super Bowl</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/05/colleges-air-local-market-super-bowl-commercials">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<b>Brand buys versus commodity programs</b>. Via <a href="http://www.stamats.com/stamats-insights/energize-your-marketing/2016/answer-this-question-to-help-assure-adult-recruiting-success">Stamats</a>. This conversation would be brutal on most campuses: "No, sir or madam. Your program doesn't add much brand value to the institution. It's is just a commodity, like June pork."<br />
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<b>The president of Mount St. Mary's</b> is blaming bad communication for the university's recent PR disaster. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/How-a-Freshman-Retention-Plan/235122">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>. "Saying stupid, insensitive, and thoughtless things about your students and the people who work for you" = bad communication.<br />
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<b>N.C. State</b> sued a small liberal arts college because they have the same mascot name, "The Wolfpack." Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/keuka-college-to-change-wolfpack-nickname-after-pressure-from-n-c-state/108436">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Data and Analytics</h3>
<b>Geography </b>is still critical to where students go to college. Via <a href="http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/Geography-Shapes-Equity-and-Opportunity-in-Higher-Education-Paper-Finds.aspx">ACE</a>. About 13 percent of the total student population attends college in education deserts, which are defined as places with "either no colleges or universities located nearby or with one community college as the only local public broad-access institution."<br />
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This data was sort of mentioned in the story about smart phones and tablet use among low-income families, but if you want broader commentary on the <b><i>Opportunity for All: Technology and Learning in Lower-income Families</i> report</b>, EdCentral has it. Via <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/digitalequityevent/">EdCentral</a>.<br />
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<b>Degrees awarded by discipline, ethnicity and gender</b>, 2011 to 2013. Via <a href="http://highereddatastories.blogspot.com/2016/02/degrees-awarded-by-discipline-ethnicity.html">Higher Ed Data Stories</a>. Some of the really standout information is among females: Hispanic females pursue liberal arts degrees at much higher rates than other ethnicity/gender combinations, white females pursue education degrees, and Asian females pursue science and math. Among males, degrees are much more consistently distributed, except among Asian males who are more likely to study science and math as well as engineering.<br />
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Jeffrey Selingo says <b>US News rankings are dying</b>. US News disagrees. Via <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/02/04/the-end-of-college-rankings-as-we-know-them/">Washington Post</a>. Jeffrey Selingo's gauntlet is thrown.<br />
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The Ed Department quietly added <b>700 missing colleges</b>--mostly community colleges--to the College Scorecard. Vie <a href="http://mfeldstein.com/college-scorecard-ed-quietly-adds-in-700-missing-colleges/">eLiterate</a>. I didn't see this anywhere else this week, so it's probably important.<br />
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<b>In-state enrollment and Pell.</b> Via <a href="http://highereddatastories.blogspot.com/2016/02/in-state-enrollment-and-pell.html">Higher Ed Data Stories</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Economics and cost of college</h3>
Why <b>tuition fees are good.</b> Sort of. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/lessons-from-scandinavia-on-the-value-of-tuition-fees/">HESA</a>.<br />
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The <b>economics of interdisciplinary programs</b> at small universities. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/the-economics-of-interdisciplinary-programs-at-small-universities/">HESA</a>. For those of you paying attention, the situation for small colleges in Canada is much the same as the situation for small colleges in the United States.<br />
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<b>Illinois is totally Illinois</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/accreditor-threatens-to-step-in-as-illinois-colleges-wait-for-state-funds/108431">The Ticker</a>. The Higher Learning Commission asked institutions in the state to outline plans on how it will help students transfer to other colleges.<br />
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<h3>
Enrollment management and strategy</h3>
The MIT dean of graduate education is <b>starting a new university</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/MIT-Dean-Takes-Leave-to-Start/235121">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>. Cough, Minerva.<br />
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Is <b>Turning the Tide</b> real change or disingenuous? Via <a href="https://jonboeckenstedt.wordpress.com/2016/02/01/whence-comes-this-new-found-concern/">Jon Boeckenstedt's Admissions Weblog</a>.<br />
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<b>Princeton </b>is admitting transfers again. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/03/princeton-university-will-resume-transfer-admissions-first-time-1990">Inside Higher Ed</a>. The cynic in me thinks this is primarily a way to increase diversity without having to assume enrollment risks (e.g. retention rates) or recruitment costs (e.g. name buys) with freshman students.<br />
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Should students get <b>admissions preference for community service</b>? Via <a href="https://kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/should-students-get-admission-preferences-for-community-service/">Kelchen on Education</a>. Probably not, at least if students from poor families don't get preference for military service, earning income for their family, and other activities.<br />
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Gouchers says students who were <b>admitted by video</b> are performing better academically than students not admitted by video. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/02/08/goucher-reports-students-admitted-video-did-better-academically-other-students">Inside Higher Ed</a>. It's important to point out there's not enough statistical evidence for that conclusion.<br />
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How a private high school <b>re-engineered its admissions process</b> to help applicants. Via <a href="http://www.case.org/Publications_and_Products/2016/JanuaryFebruary_2016/Save_Prospective_Applicants_from_Hitting_a_Wall.html">CASE</a>.<br />
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<b>English universities</b> are going after EU students now that quotas have been scrapped. Via <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/eu-student-numbers-up-by-over-forty-per-cent-at-some-english-universities">THE</a>.<br />
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<b>Cambridge </b>wants to keep out the working class riffraff with new entrance tests. Via <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/feb/02/cambridge-university-to-introduce-written-admissions-tests">The Guardian</a>.<br />
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The <b>Utah College of Applied Technology</b> reported that hair stylists who earned job training were Utah post-secondary graduates. People are upset. Via <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/home/3490645-155/lawmakers-blast-utah-technical-college-for">Salt Lake Tribune</a>. Wild prediction: no one gets fired.<br />
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<b>People really, really resent the admissions process</b>. Via <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-poisonous-reach-of-the-college-admissions-process">The New Yorker</a>.<br />
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<br />
<h3>
For-profits, who wanted Jar Jar Binks back in Star Wars VII</h3>
<b>Military branded websites</b> are preying on vets and sending them to shady for-profit institutions. Via <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davidhalperin/military-branded-websites_b_9131742.html">Huffington Post</a>. This story has the power to make you exceptionally angry.<br />
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<b>Apollo laid off 70 employees</b>. Via <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/jobs/2016/01/28/apollo-education-lays-off-70-employees/79463624/">AZ Central</a>.<br />
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<b>Apollo also got sold to Vistria for $1.1 billion</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/02/08/breaking-apollo-sold-investors-obama-ties">Inside Higher Ed</a> and <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/for-profit-apollo-education-u-of-phoenixs-parent-is-sold-for-1-1-billion/108473">The Ticker</a>. Vistria has one of the least helpful corporate websites ever. <a href="http://www.vistria.com/">Welcome to private equity</a>. (Also, welcome to <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-city-colleges-no-confidence-vote-met-20160204-story.html">Chicago</a>, home of institutions that are repeatedly shooting themselves in the face.)<br />
<br />
The Department of Education <b>suspended aid eligibility</b> for 26 programs at two for-profit college chains. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/education-dept-suspends-student-aid-eligibility-for-dozens-of-for-profit-programs/108274">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Not strictly relevant</h3>
<b>Profiles of new student activists.</b> Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/education/edlife/the-new-student-activists.html">NY Times</a>. The poses the students took or were encouraged to take and their facial expressions are comment worthy, if only because they all seem so serious, except for the the white male. Chance or editorial intention?<br />
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<b>The Kentucky governor</b> is really upset about French literature degrees. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/How-Many-French-Literature/235192">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>. It's not like Kentucky has a deep and profoundly symbolic connection to French language or culture, cough, Louisville.<br />
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The new<b> Peoplesoft SIS </b>at community colleges in Washington state is apparently terrible. Via <a href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/politics-government/article58877888.html">The News Tribune</a>.<br />
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<b>Charitable giving in higher education is broken</b>. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2016/02/01/charitable-giving-to-higher-education-is-now-broken/">Bryan Alexander</a>. The general argument is that higher education is increasingly "an investment vehicle for the wealthy."<br />
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<b>K-12 giving</b> (which is a thing, but mostly for charter schools) is up as well and is also probably broken. Via <a href="http://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2016/2/2/the-politicians-may-be-quiet-on-k-12-but-foundations-are-bus.html">Inside Philanthropy</a>. It, too, is mostly an investment vehicle for the wealthy.<br />
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The Gates Foundation wants to <b>take an axe to current higher education and reporting</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/gates-foundation-adds-its-voice-to-calls-for-closer-scrutiny-of-colleges/">The Hechinger Report</a>. If you're scoring at home, this is also about using charitable giving for political ends.<br />
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The <b>chocolate milk scandal</b> has laid low the University of Maryland. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/after-chocolate-milk-scandal-u-of-maryland-will-review-how-it-communicates-research/108239">The Ticker</a>. In case you missed it, the university promoted research that suggested a very specific brand of chocolate milk could help high school athletes who had suffered concussions. Naturally, the research was paid for by the exact brand of chocolate milk that was studied. It's a "post-workout" chocolate milk. <a href="http://fifthquarterfresh.com/">Seriously</a>. That's a thing now, too. (Whole milk is the only correct type of milk, by the way. All other milk is just chalk water.)<br />
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Can higher ed <b>move from hierarchical to networked</b>? Via <a href="https://andrewcareaga.wordpress.com/2016/02/07/can-highered-move-from-hierarchical-to-networked/">Andrew Careaga</a>. Maybe, although the section about committees, which are forced networks, is telling: "Too often, people are appointed to serve on these groups who have no expertise or any desire to be involved. They serve to represent some constituency within the organization." In support of this statement, I am totally waving that big foam finger I found at the football game a few years ago.<br />
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George Washington U. <b>lost cadavers</b>, or at least the identity of the cadavers. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/george-washington-u-stops-accepting-donated-cadavers-after-losing-track-of-body-identities/108451">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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The <b>first human fatality due to a meteorite</b>? Via <a href="http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/indian-man-could-be-first-recorded-human-fatality-due-to-a-meteorite/">Ars Technica</a>.<br />
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<b>Nuclear fission</b>! Here we come! Via <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/nuclear-fusion-greifswald-1.3431541">CBC News</a>. Several bunches of highly interconnected neurons used ape bodies to make plasma out of hydrogen for the first time in a new device. Evolution is cool.<br />
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<b>Error 53</b> is sweeping the world. Via <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/feb/05/error-53-apple-iphone-software-update-handset-worthless-third-party-repair">The Guardian</a>. This is what happens why you trust a corporation.<br />
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<b>Emerson </b>is thinking about disciplining a student who rented out his dorm room on Airbnb. Via <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2016/02/01/emerson-student-could-face-disciplinary-action-after-renting-dorm-room-airbnb/P5AO5abdJTrs0akFQUQaGJ/story.html">Boston.com</a>. I ain't even mad, bro.<br />
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<b>Pirate Bay</b> now allows streaming directly from the site. Via <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/8/10935424/pirate-bay-streaming-torrents-time">The Verge</a>. This was totally a random article find and has nothing to do with my media habits. At all.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-14067237280318940032016-02-02T01:29:00.003-08:002016-02-20T18:00:39.186-08:00Enrollment marketing news with snark: Jan. 25-31<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7Ccu9syIjDPRZHH-tJ_qdb55bSmxG8k0PXu3oHx_T-TaLFZU6a9BYY1sma1H39zu6EYs2jVcCV3esQx6JHSoZ7gkY8E-J0iyzpyqfbyGGp7i7hZ8fTN77sMdV6Fwyu2fWvQ9rzXGrR0/s1600/header+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7Ccu9syIjDPRZHH-tJ_qdb55bSmxG8k0PXu3oHx_T-TaLFZU6a9BYY1sma1H39zu6EYs2jVcCV3esQx6JHSoZ7gkY8E-J0iyzpyqfbyGGp7i7hZ8fTN77sMdV6Fwyu2fWvQ9rzXGrR0/s640/header+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>O</b><b>ne of my almae matres </b>cut a bevy of language majors on Friday. <a href="http://www.uofadmissionsmarketing.com/2016/01/when-your-alma-mater-cuts-your-program.html">I wrote about it on this blog</a>, but I tend to be long-winded, so if you're pressed for time you can just head to <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2016/01/31/concordia-college-attempts-a-queen-sacrifice/">Bryan Alexander's shorter version</a>. It was pretty depressing to realize they may have been able to save the programs if they'd had the vision to make changes several years ago. That's the case for most queen sacrifices, of course: if you prepare for enrollment changes, you don't have to react to them.<br />
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<h3>
Digital Content and Strategy</h3>
How to boost <b>online inquiries from parents</b>. Via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/private-school-recruitment">HEM</a>. Calling all private schools: go read this. (And publics, too, but especially privates.)<br />
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How to <b>increase quality organic search traffic</b>. Via <a href="http://geoffbcampbell.com/2016/01/25/increasing-organic-search-traffic/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GeoffCampbell+%28Geoff+Campbell%29">Geoff Campbell</a>.<br />
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<b>Six website tips</b> for your, well, for your website. Via <a href="http://www.mstoner.com/blog/design-and-usability/higher-education-web-design-2016-six-tips/">mStoner</a>. If this was a magazine, it would also include 20 tips to drive him/her wild. And a new ab workout.<br />
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The difficulty of <b>managing a brand on Instagram</b>. Via <a href="http://highedwebtech.com/2016/01/28/my-kingdom-for-an-instagram-api/">High Ed Web Tech</a>. TL;DR: it's hard.<br />
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How to create an engaging Snapchat story. Via <a href="http://www.picklejarcommunications.com/2016/01/27/create-engaging-effective-snapchat-story/">Pickle Jar Communications</a>.<br />
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A <b>content strategy reading list</b>. Via <a href="https://www.oho.com/blog/content-strategy-reading-list">OHO</a>.<br />
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7 tips for getting <b>better user generated content</b>. Via <a href="http://www.stamats.com/stamats-insights/energize-your-marketing/2016/7-tips-for-getting-great-user-generated-content">Stamats</a>.<br />
<br />
Mozilla's co-founder released <b>a new web browser</b>, Brave, which blocks ads by default. Via <a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/2016/01/mozilla-co-founder-unveils-brave-a-web-browser-that-blocks-ads-by-default/">Ars Technica</a>. I kind of like it. It won't even allow you to click on Google search ads. (Better check your SEO.)<br />
<br />
How to leverage <b>Slack</b>. Via <a href="http://circaedu.com/hemj/how-to-leverage-slack-to-improve-a-higher-education-marketers-work-flow/">Higher Ed Marketing Journal</a>.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Branding, Image, and PR</h3>
<b>The College of DuPage</b> just keeps on giving: <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-waterleaf-irs-20160125-story.html">the IRS audited the college</a> and found that 44% of the campus meals purchased by the college at its on-campus, high-end restaurant (it's a long story) didn't have a business purpose or correct documentation and were pretty much just kickbacks to executives and board members. Also, the college decided to <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-trustees-lawsuit-20160129-story.html">sue three of its law firms</a>. The board's boycott of its own meetings continues, although <a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160131/news/160139844/">they keep proposing meetings</a>.<br />
<br />
Not to be outdone, <b>Chicago State University's </b>fired president was found to have violated ethics rules. Via <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-state-wayne-watson-ethics-20160126-story.html">Chicago Tribune</a>. Let's just move Chicago to Florida and be done with it.<br />
<br />
<b>Florida State</b> settled a lawsuit that they concealed obstructed a rape investigation so their quarterback could continue to play football. FSU says it was just a financial decision and didn't admit to any wrongdoing. Via <a href="http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/education/2016/01/25/sexual-assault-title-ix-and-college-campuses/79330328/?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRonu6jKe%2B%2FhmjTEU5z17usvWq6%2FlMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4ESMdqI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFS7jFMaxzzLgLXBM%3D">WTSP</a>. Nothing says "we didn't do anything wrong" like the largest Title IX settlement in history.<br />
<br />
<b>Augusta University </b>is changing its name again. Via <a href="http://wjbf.com/2016/01/23/how-much-will-augusta-university-name-change-cost/">WJBF</a>. This level of indecision is how most people behave while choosing a Netflix movie, not the name of an institution. Last time around, the name change cost $3.8 million.<br />
<br />
How to <b>write a better RFP</b> from a marketing agency viewpoint. Via <a href="http://www.bobjohnsonblog.com/2016/01/6-key-steps-to-better-rfp-results-in-higher-ed-a-marketing-agency-viewpoint.html">Bob Johnson</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Rivier University</b>, a New Hampshire Catholic college, is offering an employment guarantee. Via <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hampshire-university-offers-grads-employment-guarantee-36527590">ABC News</a>.<br />
<br />
The Bar Association is investigating a complaint that<b> BYU discriminates against homosexuals</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/bar-association-investigating-complaint-of-discrimination-at-byu-law-school/108121">The Ticker</a>. Um, duh. They discriminate. It is literally part of the religion (said comment is written by the son of a pastor). But the Bar probably won't do anything about it because of, well, money.<br />
<br />
<b>Amherst </b>is getting rid of its racist mascot. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/27/us/amherst-college-drops-lord-jeff-as-mascot.html">NY Times</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Oxford </b>is keeping Cecil Rhodes statues, however, because a history of genocide is okay if your donors want to keep the statues. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/30/world/europe/oxford-university-oriel-college-cecil-rhodes-statue.html">NY Times</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Data and Analytics</h3>
<b>Predictive analytics</b>. Via <a href="http://www.eduventures.com/2016/01/predictive-analytics-is-coming-to-an-admissions-office-near-you/">Eduventures</a>. They're big on PAR, the new Hobsons acquisition.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Economics and cost of college</h3>
<b>How colleges' net prices fluctuate </b>over time. Via <a href="https://kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/2016/01/26/how-colleges-net-prices-fluctuate-over-time/">Kelchen on Education</a>.<br />
<br />
The education spending gap between college <b>haves and have-nots</b> grew bigger. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/education-spending-gap-widens-college-haves-nots-since-recession/">The Hechinger Report</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>The rich got richer in higher ed last year</b>. Via <a href="https://philanthropy.com/article/US-Colleges-Raise-40/235059/">The Chronicle of Philanthropy</a>. Everyone got richer at a much slower rate, though, since endowment returns were so low. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/college-endowments-report-lowest-return-rate-in-3-years/108096">The Ticker</a>. In other news, my personal portfolio beat endowment returns, which is positive, I guess. Please hire me to run your endowment.<br />
<br />
<b>State spending on higher ed</b> is slightly up. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/State-Spending-on-Higher/235039">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>States' spending on higher ed</b> varies vastly. Via <a href="http://qz.com/602440/mapped-the-dizzying-differences-in-what-us-states-spend-on-higher-education/">Quartz</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Enrollment management and strategy</h3>
<b>Denying tenure in an era of declining enrollment</b>: is it a strategy to avoid future cuts or is it a strategy to make future cuts easier? Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2016/01/28/denying-tenure-because-of-declining-enrollment-is-this-a-trend/">Bryan Alexander</a>. Whatever it is, it's kind of evil.<br />
<br />
<b>The ACLU is investigating 17 institutions</b> that ask students about criminal history. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/us/colleges-that-ask-applicants-about-brushes-with-the-law-draw-scrutiny.html?">NY Times</a>.<br />
<br />
More state <b>tests are more accurate about college readiness</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/more-state-tests-are-getting-honest-about-how-few-kids-are-on-track-for-college-but-there-are-outliers/">The Hechinger Report</a>. Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia are probably <strike>lying</strike> misreporting the quality of their school systems.<br />
<br />
<b>How labor market conditions affect higher ed</b>. <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/the-future-of-work-and-what-it-means-for-higher-education-part-1/">Part 1 at HESA</a> argues that automation changes tasks, not jobs. Indeed. <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/the-future-of-work-and-what-it-means-for-higher-education-part-2/'">Part 2 at HESA</a> argues that future entry-level employees (a.k.a. college grads) are up a creek without a paddle, and colleges need to change curricula. (You should probably be changing and updating your curricula.)<br />
<br />
Some tips for <b>allocating recruiting and marketing budgets</b>. Via <a href="http://www.hobsons.com/blog/blog-detail/avoiding-the-pain-chain-tips-for-strategic-allocation-of-student-recruitmen">Hobsons</a>. Oddly, "spend more money with Hobsons" wasn't one of the tips.<br />
<br />
<b>HSIs are everywhere</b>: there are now 435. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/29/hispanic-serving-colleges-proliferate-enrollments-concentrate">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
<br />
Why the <b>University of Oregon</b> is raiding neighboring states for students. Via <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/why-the-university-of-oregon-turned-to-neighboring-states-for-students/2016/01/30/27194a94-c061-11e5-9443-7074c3645405_story.html">The Washington Post</a>. TL;DR: money. Outside the article, I suspect Portland State's success, U of Oregon's non-Portland location, and the university's lack of academic prestige has hurt the flagship in comparison to other large west-coast institutions.<br />
<br />
Cornell alumni, faculty, and students are upset about a new business school. Via <a href="http://cornellsun.com/2016/01/24/alumni-faculty-raise-concerns-over-proposed-college-of-business/">The Cornell Daily Sun</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
For-profits, which ruined the per-student college loan debt average</h3>
<b>DeVry </b>is getting sued for <strike>lying</strike> misreporting employment outcomes. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/claiming-deceptive-practices-education-dept-and-ftc-take-action-against-for-profit-devry/108127">The Ticker</a>. (This is the point where we all pretend to be shocked.)<br />
<br />
<b>Westwood College</b> is closing. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/29/profit-westwood-college-announces-closing">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Candidly, one of the primary reasons I enjoy for-profit closures is that I really dislike their radio and television ads.<br />
<br />
A bunch of senior executives at two for-profit institutions were sentenced for the <b>visa and financial aid fraud</b> they committed. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/29/profit-college-execs-sentenced-financial-aid-visa-fraud-charges">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Note to all get-rich-quick types: stick to mortgage fraud that causes a global economic collapse. You don't go to jail for that.<br />
<br />
<b>The Pearson CEO </b>got upset at Pearson's critics. Via <a href="http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=65001">Stephen Downes</a>. Just chill out, Mr. CEO, and start making useful products.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Not strictly relevant</h3>
How <b>Amazon </b>could destroy college as we know it. Via <a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/1/27/10835038/amazon-higher-education">Vox</a>. Drones?<br />
<br />
Some <b>college students spent as much as 20% of class time on their digital device</b>s. Via <a href="http://phys.org/news/2016-01-college-kids-class-digital-devices.html">Phys.org</a>. Apple is ruining your retention rate.<br />
<br />
The secret world of <b>membership libraries</b>. Via <a href="http://qz.com/592459/the-secret-world-of-membership-libraries/">Quartz</a>. I have library envy.<br />
<br />
<b>Japan </b>has a negative interest rate. Via <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-japan-negative-interest-20160129-htmlstory.html">LA Times</a>. Whoa.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Want more snark?</h3>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-3504878791973396862016-01-31T14:44:00.002-08:002016-02-20T18:01:30.357-08:00When your alma mater cuts your program: a profligate's analysis of a queen sacrificeOn Friday one of my five almae matres--and the only one to which I've donated--eliminated one of my majors. It also cut eight other majors and a concentration. Most programs were liberal arts programs, primarily in the languages.<br />
<br />
I feel a bit like Bruce Wayne watching his parents die in the alley, except I don't have extravagant wealth, a protective butler, or a burning desire to purge Gotham City of scum and villainy.<br />
<br />
Sans the dead parents and with 20/20 hindsight about dark alley murders, here's the central argument of this blog:<br />
<ol>
<li>Concordia's leadership could have better interpreted enrollment trends.</li>
<li>The losses could have been prevented if action had been taken earlier.</li>
<li>Instead leadership made half measures and reacted late.</li>
<li>They're reacting the only way they can at this point.</li>
<li>It's a really tough spot to be in, and many colleges are in that same spot.</li>
</ol>
<h3>
The overview and background</h3>
Cuts to language programs are <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/19/americans-are-beginning-to-lose-their-love-for-foreign-languages/">a national trend</a>, and if national higher ed news outlets pick up the story, Concordia College will feature as just another private college in trouble. After all, it's not the first to cut its language programs, and it won't be the last.<br />
<br />
The local newspaper will probably spin <a href="http://www.inforum.com/news/3934619-pressures-mnscu-19-schools-including-msum-financial-recovery-plans">a version of the story it told in October</a>, which includes the following chart of enrollment at the area's four-year universities, all of which lost enrollment this year. (The chart also illustrates the difference between North Dakota's oil boom and Minnesota's non-boom.)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOA_KOxFFX2lhck9I2ETbo5_BiUGTs0E3ruZ_5aAMmpAwEBUASMfmAT3e3JrEWMFAi_WFgGe5i03JGhHmKvbw4SX4KO-5ArCmHtlL__oe-OhJDd6mtLnKBC9J6s4J0bKr8WSxJK37m4RE/s1600/1008+n+Enrollment.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOA_KOxFFX2lhck9I2ETbo5_BiUGTs0E3ruZ_5aAMmpAwEBUASMfmAT3e3JrEWMFAi_WFgGe5i03JGhHmKvbw4SX4KO-5ArCmHtlL__oe-OhJDd6mtLnKBC9J6s4J0bKr8WSxJK37m4RE/s640/1008+n+Enrollment.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://bryanalexander.org/tag/queensacrifice/">Bryan Alexander will rightly call it a queen sacrifice</a>, which is exactly what it is, although only 38 students had declared majors in the cut programs. (A good question: why did the institution let enrollment fall so precipitously in these programs to begin with?)<br />
<br />
Someone will undoubtedly notice that MSUM, the regional public that's just a few blocks away, is also under stress, and they'll see that <a href="http://www.inforum.com/news/3934619-pressures-mnscu-19-schools-including-msum-financial-recovery-plans">pretty much every Minnesota college is financially stretched</a>. So it's not just a story about one college or a small geographic region.<br />
<br />
The college dropped the news via an unadorned email from the president (see below) and in a <a href="https://www.concordiacollege.edu/academics/academic-and-information-affairs/program-changes/">rather short web FAQ</a>. The news was also released Friday afternoon, probably with the hope that few people would notice. (You can't blame them for trying.) Nothing appeared in social media or on the main institutional landing pages, and it was the first time the president had communicated directly with alumni. Surprise!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK10rZEpabLaCp9ovEFjVmvzuKMnp2VN8rwue4WvuTeW_BCRIHQCG50-GwUy4htEL0T6H5kidjoTbuPFlfPPNyfHUi0MN3TcW63qOmNARy4pIG9cg8dBzH4aOf6XtwU8tBO88xrSeu4n0/s1600/Craft+Letter.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK10rZEpabLaCp9ovEFjVmvzuKMnp2VN8rwue4WvuTeW_BCRIHQCG50-GwUy4htEL0T6H5kidjoTbuPFlfPPNyfHUi0MN3TcW63qOmNARy4pIG9cg8dBzH4aOf6XtwU8tBO88xrSeu4n0/s1600/Craft+Letter.PNG" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Many of my good friends and acquaintances--also alumni--were surprised by the cuts, although the college has been heading down this path for several years through a combination of poor enrollment, poor planning, and poor communication. I parsed some of my friends' social media comments, and they attributed Concordia College's cuts to various and wide-ranging factors:<br />
<div>
<ol>
<li>Years of bad decisions</li>
<li>NDSU's football success and competition for students (the Flutie effect)</li>
<li>The new business college</li>
<li>Contemporary financial pressures in higher ed</li>
<li>Trends in language education</li>
<li>Local demand</li>
<li>Bad enrollment strategy</li>
<li>Bad use of pre-college recruiting tools (e.g. Concordia's relatively popular language village)</li>
<li>Partial cost-cutting that didn't offer a long-term solutions several years ago</li>
<li>Reliance on a rural population</li>
<li>Location</li>
<li>The music ensembles' facilities</li>
<li>Inability to compete with peer rankings</li>
<li>Shortsightedness</li>
<li>Faceless pragmatists and/or evil administrators</li>
<li>Ignorance of the college's mission</li>
</ol>
<div>
Some of those sound accurate and some don't, and I'd probably add a few (sometimes contradictory) items to list:</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>The computerization of translation</li>
<li>The offshoring of translation work</li>
<li>Foreign language teacher shortages in American schools</li>
<li>The globalization of English in foreign elementary/middle/high schools</li>
<li>A rise in bilingual speakers in other countries</li>
<li>A rise of online language training and computerized language training</li>
<li>The rise of language immersion programs (which are usually attended by the types of students whose families can afford private colleges)</li>
<li>The digitization of translation sources (dictionaries, grammars, etc.)</li>
<li>Increases in academic requirements in other disciplines (it's pretty hard to study a foreign language if your other major doesn't give you time)</li>
<li>Stagnant wages and income inequality that makes a language program seem like a risky employment path</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
I've already been (jokingly) called an apologist for the college, but I'm probably not the college's primary audience nor its staunchest or most likely defender. In fact, I'm not very well connected to day-to-day life on campus, and I think the college made plenty of mistakes. I donate irregularly and in very small amounts. I typically don't respond to surveys. I rarely reply to emails from my old departments. I don't wear the Cobber ring, which many alumni do. (I don't even own one.) I don't attend corn feeds, I don't host students when the music ensembles tour the region, and I don't go back for homecoming. In fact, I mostly chose the college because my high school girlfriend attended it. (Not a recommended strategy, by the way.)</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm a pretty poor excuse of an alumnus, actually. and I don't know much about the state of affairs on campus right now.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But I am an enrollment professional, and I do care a lot about Concordia despite my general lack of engagement, and here's what I see from the outside.</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<h3>
<b>Demographics are headwinds.</b></h3>
<div>
For whatever reasons, institutions tend to ignore or downplay demographics in their enrollment and strategic planning. For example, if you're in a market that features declining populations, planning for stable or increased enrollment without also budgeting for significant capital outlay or reduced academic quality is foolish. Example: Concordia's strategic plan doesn't even allude to the fact that Minnesota institutions have 20% fewer students now than in 2004.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Concordia is <a href="http://www.lutherancolleges.org/">a Lutheran college</a> in Fargo-Moorhead (F-M). Its closest Lutheran competitors include Gustavus Adolphus, Luther, Augustana, and St. Olaf colleges, all of which are just a few hours away, but it also competes with several regional publics, some of the area's other privates, and increasingly with institutions in the Twin Cities, which is about a four-hour drive from F-M. Together, nearly all of these institutions face the same enrollment challenges: fewer high school graduates, changing student ethnicity profiles, less emphasis on religion among students, and regional incomes below state averages.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of the five Lutheran colleges in the previous paragraph, only Augustana has managed to avoid enrollment declines since 2010, and that has more do do with their location in Sioux Falls, SD, than anything else: Sioux Falls' population has grown 37% since 2000. But in Minnesota, and especially in rural Minnesota, the graduating classes have been declining since 2010 or so and will keep declining through 2017. Some might point to population growth in Fargo--the market closest to Concordia--of 27% since 2000 and wonder why the college hasn't grown apace (NDSU and UND have grown rapidly), but much of that growth was driven by the oil/gas boom of the last half decade. The oil boom is now bust, and the types of people who came to ND for the boom weren't the types of people who wanted to pay for tuition at a private Lutheran college.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's not entirely clear the college understands what's happening, either. <a href="http://www.inforum.com/content/concordia-continues-trend-declining-enrollment">In this article</a>, they blame the recession and demographics. <a href="http://www.inforum.com/news/3856305-fall-enrollment-down-fargo-moorhead-four-year-colleges">In this article</a>, they partially attribute declines to for-profit institutions, which is some pretty desperate scapegoating. <a href="http://www.valleynewslive.com/home/headlines/Budget-Deficits-Looming-at-Concordia-291113391.html">In one story</a>, President Craft says, "Who saw this coming?" In none of the articles I've read is there any recognition that the college's past behavior and inability to prepare brought them to this point.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Because really: the college had over a decade to prepare for declining demographics, and pretty much every institution in Minnesota has been affected. It's not like birth rates, high school enrollment, college-going rates, and national language enrollment rates were a secret. </div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<h3>
The college has had lackluster digital and print enrollment communications. </h3>
<div>
Some of the injuries are self-inflicted. I secret shop hundreds of institutions each year. None of them are perfect, but some recruit better than others.<br />
<br />
Response times can be slow at Concordia, print communications can look dated, and the college doesn't appear to use automated email communications, at least not for inquiries. The college has recently merged marketing and enrollment, hired a CMO, and hired a branding firm, so hopefully the communication situation improves.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As a small example of an area that is slightly misfiring, <a href="https://www.go-concordia.org/start/">head to the institution's application for admission</a>, which is provided via Royall. Notice that it's impossible to tell which questions are required. For fun, don't fill out anything and instead scroll down and hit the "Save and Continue" button. No error message pops up. The application also lacks a simple sign-up area that would grab and save a student's basic contact information (name, email, and phone) before completing the application.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As another example, if you <a href="https://www.concordiacollege.edu/admission-aid/request-information/">request information</a>, you don't receive a confirmation email.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Nor can you request info, take a tour, or apply from the homepage. Compare that to <a href="http://www.augie.edu/">Augustana</a>, which recently redesigned its homepage to feature future student tasks and priorities.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Concordia relaunched its website a few years ago, which has likely helped mitigate some UX problems, especially in the mobile world. Of course, if you view the website in a mobile format, the most important calls-to-action are buried. Instead of admissions, visit info, and prospective student info, you get news and spotlights.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These are small things, assuredly, but small things add up.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
The endowment isn't big enough.</h3>
<div>
The college has raised a lot of cash in the last few years, but it started in a poor position, and it can't grow fast enough. In fact, it has the smallest endowment among the private schools we've mentioned.<br />
<br />
*Augustana (SD): $56 million<br />
Concordia: $102 million</div>
<div>
Gustavus: $110 million<br />
<strike>*Augustana (IL): $115 million</strike><br />
Luther: $131 million<br />
St. Olaf: $445 million<br />
<br />
*Edit: 2/2/2016 Thanks to Doug Anderson for pointing out that I'd included the Augustana in IL, not the one in SD.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's more money than many institutions have, but it's not enough to give the college flexibility, especially since most alumni allocate dollars to specific causes or budget lines.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe if more alumni gave money on a regular basis, or perhaps if more alumni were wealthy, or perhaps if fewer alumni were teachers, or perhaps if more of them lived and worked in markets where salaries are higher ... but changing your alumni base and donation rates takes time.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Also, having alumni like me doesn't really help, nor does a sudden email announcing cuts to programs that have historically defined the college.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
The college is trying to realign itself.</h3>
<div>
The college is realigning programs into higher demand areas in an attempt to recover and reposition itself. Chinese, neurobiology and business programs are just a few of the examples of new programs that were created as a response to market pressures.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The institution is also trying to recruit more international students.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And recognizing some of its diversity issues, it's trying to recruit more minority students, which is the only growing population in Minnesota. Still, it's an uphill battle: the region is about 87-90% white.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
None of this will solve enrollment woes overnight. This is a multi-year process that should have begun a decade ago.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
The brand is too common.</h3>
<div>
As an alumnus who lives outside Minnesota, I typically tell people "I attended the Concordia that's not associated with the 17 other Concordias." That's not exactly a differentiated brand message.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My fallback is to tell people my college mascot was a giant corn cob. That actually seems to work better.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also go with "It's in Fargo" and hope people have seen the movie or the television show, although the movie is technically in Brainerd, MN, and technically, the college is in Moorhead, MN, but telling people about film plots, state borders, and the Red River just takes too long.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The brand's major assets are the corn cob mascot (seriously: it's one-of-a-kind and creepy-cute, especially <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLfEIPhVAAAcnUS.jpg:large">Niblet, the baby version)</a>, its choir and music ensembles (which all those other Lutheran colleges also have), the popular pre-college language villages, its study abroad programs, and its status as one of the few private colleges in the F-M region. Most everything else is common to its competitors, including programmatic array, emphasis on the "whole" person, and co-curricular opportunities.</div>
<div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.concordiacollege.edu/directories/offices-services/communication-marketing/communications-guide/the-brand/brand-balance/">Recent brand updates</a> help, of course, but brand changes take huge tracts of time unless you have huge tracts of money.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The college seems to have misread foreign language demographics.</h3>
</div>
<div>
This is my biggest criticism.<br />
<br />
The college has strong language programs and strong study abroad programs, but it's not clear the college was adequately supporting and promoting those programs in recent years. Faculty retired and weren't replaced. Cohorts weren't filled. The programs weren't heavily promoted in enrollment communications, nor is it clear how the institution was tapping the pipeline of students and adults who attend the language village.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Perhaps most interestingly, cutting language programs seems to directly conflict with many elements of <a href="https://www.concordiacollege.edu/about/our-mission/strategic-plan/">the institution's strategic plan</a>, which includes an emphasis on language learning and study abroad, and <a href="http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/">a language village</a> that has more alumni than the actual college.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Plus, the emphasis on language is at odds with national trends showing declining foreign language participation rates.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Either the strategic plan was wrong or it wasn't supported, neither of which is good and both of which probably contributed to the institution's problems.<br />
<br />
Edit 1/31/2016: Concordia had plenty of models to draw from. Valparaiso, for example, is another Lutheran college with just a handful of language programs, but instead of cutting them, it worked them into new degree types like the <a href="http://www.valpo.edu/college-of-business/academics/minors/enhanced-international-business-in-german-program/">Enhanced International Business in German program</a>, or it combined language minors with other non-language majors. Middlebury is another small, private institution with language programs, and it made them a foundation of its curriculum. The time for Concordia to have adopted these models was years ago, however.</div>
<h3>
So what's next?</h3>
<div>
The college understands it needs to change its strategies. Unfortunately, it reached that decision in 2014, at least five years later than it should have. Major changes to marketing and enrollment units only happened last year, for example, and the recent program changes should have occurred in 2010. (It's not alone. Most colleges should have changed course during the period.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Concordia has chosen to cut its way out of the deficit it created, but it very easily could have chosen to increase demand for its language programs had it started years ago. Manufacturing demand and establishing a position as a market leader is not cheap, but neither is holding onto failing programs and bad strategies for five years (or more) and then incurring the wrath of alumni when you make large cuts under duress and claim there's nothing you could have done.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The larger (perhaps the largest) question is whether the institution is viable with the changes. Because if enrollment declines are strictly the result of demographics and bad strategy, the institution can stabilize and eventually recover. But if declines are part of failing brand value, the declines won't stop. They'll just continue, and eventually the college will collapse under the stress.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course, on a long-enough time scale, it's always been this way, and we just tend not to remember. <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/05/09/310114739/whats-your-major-four-decades-of-college-degrees-in-1-graph">Program share is always changing</a>, and <a href="http://www.lostcolleges.com/">colleges always come and go</a>. It will continue to be this way, too. <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/05/21/408234543/will-your-job-be-done-by-a-machine">Computerization is going to change things dramatically</a> in the next 20 years. The degrees students are getting today aren't going to be degrees they need in 20 years, and this applies to business, health, computer science and many other areas that are currently "hot."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Concordia will likely stick around, but to expect institutions to remain static is both unrealistic and terrible management strategy. And right now is the time for Concordia to be deciding which programs to cut and add in 2020, not in 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
--------------------------------------------------</div>
<br />
* 1/31/2016 This blog's introduction has been updated to more clearly state my position on the administration's actions. Thanks, liberal arts majors, for repeatedly mentioning that I didn't have a clear thesis.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-12641769913676533372016-01-25T01:31:00.002-08:002016-02-20T18:01:42.444-08:00Enrollment marketing news with snark: Jan. 18-24<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
There's no intro this week. It was that kind of weekend.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Digital Content and Strategy</h3>
Go<b> test your knowledge of digital marketing</b>. Via <a href="https://econsultancy.com/training/digital-skills-index-lite/">Econsultancy</a>.<br />
<br />
How <b>ad blockers </b>could threaten your online recruitment strategy. Via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/ad-blocking-and-recruitment">HEM</a>. Like all good netizens, I disable ad blockers on high quality sites. On the other hand, I block everything at Forbes.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Fraudulent ad views</b> now total $7 billion. Via <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/bogus-web-traffic-continues-to-plague-the-ad-business-1453204801">WSJ</a>. Given some of the black-hat SEO in higher ed, I'm willing to bet your ads are getting clicked by bots funded by your competitors, especially if you advertise for an MBA program.<br />
<br />
Five <b>marketing trends </b>to include in your 2016 strategy. Via <a href="https://www.oho.com/blog/5-marketing-trends-include-your-2016-strategy">OHO</a>.<br />
<br />
Steps towards <b>effective marketing</b> in 2016. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/call-action-marketing-and-communications-higher-education/steps-toward-effective-marketing-0">Call to Action</a>.<br />
<br />
What does improving the <b>customer experience</b> mean? Via <a href="https://econsultancy.com/blog/67430-what-does-improving-customer-experience-mean/">Econsultancy</a>.<br />
<br />
How to choose <b>social media monitoring software</b>. Via <a href="http://lizgross.net/8-steps-to-choose-social-media-monitoring-software/">Liz Gross</a>. Or just use a list, some darts, and a blindfolded student worker. (Kidding.)<br />
<br />
<b>Twitter </b>will allow more than 140 characters, and the world is ending. Via <a href="https://andrewcareaga.wordpress.com/2016/01/19/twitter-acting-out-of-character/">Andrew Careaga</a>.<br />
<br />
What happened on social media when <b>Beyonce</b> showed up at USC. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/watch-usc-students-freak-out-when-beyonce-shows-up-on-campus/107928">The Ticker</a>. Not much, actually.<br />
<br />
Social media and <b>snow</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/23/photos-great-blizzard-2016-campuses">Inside Higher Ed</a>. I grew up in rural Minnesota, and like all Minnesotans, I have forever reserved the right to regard all winter weather as trivial unless it happens in Alaska. Until you have a blizzard, lightning, and tornadoes at the same time, you haven't actually had a storm.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Branding, Image, and PR</h3>
On creating a <b>brand voice.</b> Via <a href="http://geoffbcampbell.com/2016/01/19/on-creating-a-brand-voice/">Geoff Campbell</a>.<br />
<br />
The president of <b>Mount St. Mary's University</b> compared students to bunnies and then encouraged faculty to drown the bunnies. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/A-President-s-Plan-to-Steer/234992">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a> and <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/20/furor-mount-st-marys-over-presidents-alleged-plan-cull-students">Inside Higher Ed</a>. The Board of Trustees said the president shouldn't be criticized for the comment or for a program that actively tries to manipulate the institution's retention rate by encouraging students to drop out before the retention reporting date. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/board-chair-blasts-faculty-group-for-undermining-drown-the-bunnies-president/108032">The Ticker</a>. Well, that was handled badly.<br />
<br />
<b>Sweet Briar</b>'s application pool is the largest in 50 years. Via <a href="http://www.wdbj7.com/news/local/sweet-briar-college-sees-highest-number-of-new-applicants-in-50-years/37535980">WDBJ</a>. Who knew that closing your institution is a great recruitment strategy?.<br />
<br />
The president of <b>Oberlin </b>said no to student demands. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/21/oberlins-president-refuses-negotiate-student-list-demands">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Portland Community College</b> is hosting a "Whiteness History Month." Via <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/01/whiteness_history_month_coming.html">Oregon Live</a>.<br />
<br />
What you can learn from <b>U of Oregon</b>'s decision to reduce their brand campaign. Via <a href="http://www.stamats.com/stamats-insights/energize-your-marketing/2016/learning-oregons-decision-pull-back-brand-campaign">Stamats</a>. Um, how about "don't have 20+ marketing units on campus while spending millions on external campaigns"?<br />
<br />
The Department of Ed will create a <b>searchable database of schools</b> that are legally allowed to discriminate against students. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/us/government-to-reveal-colleges-with-title-ix-waivers.html?_r=0">NY Times</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>College of DuPage</b> leadership did more unwise things this week, like suggesting they should rehire the disgraced president. Via <a href="http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2016/01/22/college-of-dupage-trustee-claims-effort-afoot-to-reinstate-breuder/amymo8r/">My Suburban Life</a>. Blargh.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Data and Analytics</h3>
2014 <b>IPEDS </b>data. Via <a href="http://highereddatastories.blogspot.com/2016/01/2014-ipeds-admissions-data.html">Higher Ed Data Stories</a>. Boeckenstedt is a data visualization saint.<br />
<br />
<b>UK medical students</b> are overwhelmingly from affluent homes and neighborhoods. Via <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/22/medical-school-students-wealthy-backgrounds">The Guardian</a>. The conservative government probably won't eliminate the disparity with its recent proposal to end the UK equivalent of the Pell Grant. Via <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jan/20/jeremy-corbyn-criticises-pm-over-abolition-of-grants-for-less-affluent-students">The Guardian</a>.<br />
<br />
The <b>transfer system</b> isn't working. Via <a href="http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/tracking-transfer-institutional-state-effectiveness.html">Community College Research Center</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Sexual assault</b> increases 28% on college game days. Via <a href="http://college.usatoday.com/2016/01/22/study-sexual-assault-reports-jump-28-on-college-game-days/">USA Today</a>. Go sports team.<br />
<br />
<b>Who should own analytics</b>? Via <a href="https://econsultancy.com/blog/67416-who-owns-data-analytics-in-your-company-and-who-should/">Econsultancy</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Economics and cost of college</h3>
<b>Marginal costs and marginal revenue</b> in higher education. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/marginal-costs-marginal-revenue-2/">HESA</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Illinois </b>still hasn't funded higher education. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/For-Illinoiss-Public/234994">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
<br />
Is <b>community college </b>already free? Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/is-community-college-already-free-its-more-complicated-researchers-say/108012">The Ticker</a>. No, not really.<br />
<br />
<b>FAFSA login changes</b> have been particularly hard on low-income students. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/18/new-id-requirements-federal-aid-may-discourage-some-low-income-students">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
<br />
Why are borrowers <b>taxed on forgiven student loans</b>? Via <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/hidden-tax-bomb-inside-income-based-repayment/">EdCentral</a>. Don't freak out, everyone who works at a college. Folks who receive public service forgiveness don't get taxed.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Enrollment management and strategy</h3>
Elite colleges want to <b>reshape admissions</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/elite-colleges-sound-a-call-to-reshape-admissions-but-will-it-spur-any-concrete-changes/">The Hechinger Report</a>. The important sentence: "But the stress and anxiety experienced by so many affluent, high-achieving students is a world away from the experiences of many low-income students." If you want positive spin, you can read the <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/01/20/harvard-report-says-not-just-brains-but-heart-should-count-college-admissions/QnKu9yyrZJIzRey1wY8FDI/story.html">Boston Globe</a> article.<br />
<br />
The shift in the <b>master's degree market</b>. Via <a href="http://www.eduventures.com/2016/01/essa-shifts-masters-market/">Eduventures</a>. This is about the decline in the number of education master's degrees since 2011 or so.<br />
<br />
The <b>MBA </b>is really changing. Via <a href="https://www.universitybusiness.com/article/new-business-b-schools">University Business</a>.<br />
<br />
The <b>NCLC came out against SARAs</b>, which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Lumina Foundation support. Via <a href="http://www.eduventures.com/2016/01/essa-shifts-masters-market/">The Street</a>. Higher ed is mostly one set of acronyms disagreeing with another set of acronyms.<br />
<br />
<b>New guidance for graduate schools</b> on holistic admissions. Via <a href="http://www.hobsons.com/blog/blog-detail/new-guidance-for-graduate-schools-on-holistic-admissions">Hobsons</a>.<br />
<br />
Colleges may be <b>managing themselves into nonexistence</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/might-some-colleges-manage-themselves-into-extinction/">The Hechinger Report</a>. Well, that's pretty grim.<br />
<br />
Rick Scott, governor <b>Florida</b>, says every psychology program should have 100% post-graduation employment. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/20/florida-governor-wants-know-why-all-psychology-majors-arent-employed">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Florida: not even once.<br />
<br />
If you thought higher ed was having a hard time in the U.S. or the U.K., consider the difficulty in <b>developing markets</b>. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/higher-education-in-developing-countries-is-getting-harder/">HESA</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Third-party interviews with Chinese students</b> are high stakes and expensive. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/20/world/asia/china-us-college-application.html">NY Times</a>. Every time an American whines about the SAT and applications, tell them about the gaokao and interview process in a foreign language<br />
<br />
More colleges are <b>emulating the ASU-Starbucks alliance</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/Why-More-Colleges-Are/235013">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
<br />
<h3>
For-profits, the armpit of education</h3>
<b>Grand Canyon University</b> wants to move to Division I. The Pac-12 said it wouldn't play Grand Canyon if they did. Via <a href="http://tressiemc.com/2016/01/19/sportsball-and-for-profit-legitimacy/">tressiemc</a>. It's a strange day when the Pac-12 decides to take a moral stand on something. (Just to be clear, they took a moral stand on protecting their revenue.)<br />
<br />
<b>Inside Higher Ed doesn't appear to show bias</b> one year after being sold to a private equity firm with major stakes in RNL and the for-profit sector. Via <a href="http://mfeldstein.com/inside-higher-ed-one-year-selling-majority-stake-company/">eLiterate</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Pearson </b>is laying of staff and blaming it on regulation and falling enrollment. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2016/01/23/declining-us-higher-education-enrollment-wounds-pearson/">Bryan Alexander</a>. Shoddy products and bad business strategy didn't help much, either.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Not strictly relevant</h3>
<b>Four trends shaping higher ed in 2016</b>. Via <a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-01-19-4-trends-shaping-higher-education-in-2016">EdSurge</a>. TL;DR: debt, differentiation, community colleges, "innovation."<br />
<br />
<b>General ed</b> has some new features but is mostly the same. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/19/survey-colleges-finds-distribution-requirements-remain-popular-new-features">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Updated college admissions tests</b> are making kids anxious. Via <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/01/20/score-report-holdups-mar-college-testing-season.html">Education Week</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>The "good old days" of higher education</b> weren't really that good. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/the-allure-of-the-golden-days/">HESA</a>. One of the more interesting arguments in this piece is that faculty salaries rose because of administrators.<br />
<br />
The new trend is to build <b>high-end rentals for staff and faculty</b> associated with colleges. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/20/realestate/commercial/developers-give-new-meaning-to-college-towns.html?partner=rss&emc=rss">NY Times</a>.<br />
<br />
The cognitive threshold in <b>video games</b>. Via <a href="http://quanticfoundry.com/2016/01/20/game-genre-map-the-cognitive-threshold-in-strategy-games/">Quantric Foundry</a>.<br />
<br />
Blue Origin successfully <b>reused the first rocket to reach space and safely land vertically</b>. Via <a href="http://qz.com/601558/and-back-up-again-another-reusable-rocket-first-for-jeff-bezos/">Quartz</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>We found a ninth planet (most likely)</b>. Via <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/01/20/new-evidence-suggests-a-ninth-planet-lurking-at-the-edge-of-the-solar-system/">Washington Post</a>. A solar year on Planet Nine lasts 20,000 Earth years.<br />
<br />
<b>What students look at on their computers</b> in class/lecture. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/Pythons-GIFsNaked/234971">The Ticker</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Fairy tales</b> could be really, really old. Via <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianmag/fairy-tales-could-be-older-ever-imagined-180957882/?no-ist">Smithsonian</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>The Oregon militia </b>is receiving dildos and lubricant. Via <a href="http://boingboing.net/2016/01/14/oregons-domestic-terrorists.html">Boing Boing</a>. The Internet is merciless.<br />
<br />
<b>62 people now have as much wealth as 3.5 billion other humans combined.</b> Via <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-18/richest-1-now-wealthier-than-the-rest-of-the-world-oxfam-says">Bloomberg</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Print newspapers</b> are dying faster than most people think. Via <a href="https://medium.com/@dicktofel/the-sky-is-falling-on-print-newspapers-faster-than-you-think-c84a2f9a9df4#.5q0b0wsgp">Medium</a>.<br />
<br />
Some private schools are <b>getting together to buy software</b> like ERPs. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/20/private-colleges-found-consortium-collaborate-negotiate-vendors">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
<br />
An NFL team hired its<b> first full-time female coach</b>. Via <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14614558/kathryn-smith-hired-buffalo-bills-nfl-first-full-female-assistant">ESPN</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Penguin </b>is eliminating the college degree requirement for job applicants. Via <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35343680">BBC</a>.<br />
<br />
For the second year in a row, <b>search engines</b> are a more trusted source of news than the actual news. Via <a href="http://qz.com/596956/people-trust-google-for-their-news-more-than-the-actual-news/">Quartz</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
Want more snark?</h3>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-57581764050425084212016-01-19T15:53:00.002-08:002016-01-19T15:53:23.553-08:00Enrollment marketing news with snark: Jan. 11-17<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnryWJQn7H5N6ETS5L_XgVgc7MVwvIXWgQEzQ1ZRJgbg8JrXPl38jJYzrkmCzenGOVTY1rydPg-j0SVGsydgF1FYW_Lpc1i3YiGguY6qxCSquw45DaXIdqH53DEzFXDRzZ8GOBgMZSfhs/s1600/header.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnryWJQn7H5N6ETS5L_XgVgc7MVwvIXWgQEzQ1ZRJgbg8JrXPl38jJYzrkmCzenGOVTY1rydPg-j0SVGsydgF1FYW_Lpc1i3YiGguY6qxCSquw45DaXIdqH53DEzFXDRzZ8GOBgMZSfhs/s640/header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Digital Content and Strategy</h3>
<b>Rogue websites</b>. Via <a href="http://higheredlive.com/websites-gone-rogue-how-to-tame-the-beast/">Higher Ed Live</a>. I'd normally say something apropos here, but as a state employee in WA it's inadvisable to blog about your workplace. Cough.<br />
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The <b>online experience for prospective parents</b>. Via <a href="http://www.case.org/Publications_and_Products/2016/JanuaryFebruary_2016/Save_Prospective_Applicants_from_Hitting_a_Wall.html#authors">CASE</a> and Geoff Campbell. It's a case study. (Get it? Case? CASE? It's a pun.)<br />
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"Four predictions for <b>email marketing</b> in 2016 that won't come true." Via <a href="https://econsultancy.com/blog/67398-four-predictions-for-email-marketing-that-won-t-come-true-in-2016/">Econsultancy</a>.<br />
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<b>What IT cares about</b> in higher education in 2016. Via <a href="http://er.educause.edu/articles/2016/1/top-10-it-issues-2016">Educause</a>. Your recruitment strategies/woes didn't make the list.<br />
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For 30 minutes, <b>Ron Bronson was the St. Louis Rams</b>. Via <a href="http://ronbronson.co.uk/why-i-claimed-the-st-louis-rams-defunct-twitter-account-before-it-was-suspended/">Ron Bronson</a>.<br />
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About 40% of admissions officers <b>research applicants on social media</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/14/admissions-officers-check-applicants-social-media">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Is the rate higher for graduate schools?<br />
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Has "<b>digital</b>" become an anachronism? Via <a href="https://econsultancy.com/blog/67405-has-digital-become-an-anachronism/">Econsultancy</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Branding, Image, and PR</h3>
In the weekly PR debacle that is <b>College of DuPage</b>: the board continues to <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-nvs-college-of-dupage-meeting-st-0115-20160114-story.html">boycott its own meetings</a>, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-robert-breuder-prosecutors-20160112-story.html">prosecutors have asked the institution to release more documents</a>, and the State's Attorney may try to <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-stalemate-20160115-story.html">compel the board to meet</a>. In the words of every 15-year-old everywhere: I can't even.<br />
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Are screenshots the new <b>press release</b>? Via <a href="http://highedwebtech.com/2016/01/12/screenshots-as-press-release/">HighEdWebTech</a>. Hopefully not. I like to copy-paste text.<br />
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<b>9 ed tech trends</b> to watch in 2015. Via <a href="https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/01/13/9-ed-tech-trends-to-watch-in-2016.aspx">Campus Technology</a>.<br />
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<b>Trinity Lutheran College</b> is closing. Via <a href="http://collegehistorygarden.blogspot.com/2016/01/trinity-lutheran-college-announces-it.html">College History Garden</a>.<br />
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How to <b>build your brand with parents</b>. Via <a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-01-13-five-ways-to-build-your-school-s-instructional-brand-and-connect-with-families">edSurge</a>. This is focused on K-12, but it applies to higher ed, too.<br />
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<b>U of Oregon</b> is centralizing marketing and communications, although "communicators in athletics, enrollment management and student life are exempt from the change and will remain decentralized." Via <a href="http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/33933225-75/university-of-oregon-cancels-high-profile-brandingadvertising-contract.html.csp">The Register Guard</a>. Fun fact: U of O apparently has 26 different IT units.<br />
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<b>Wheaton </b>is still struggling with the way it responded to the professor who donned a hijab. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/College-Wrestles-With/234867">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
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Financial health is a tale of <b>two types of institutions</b>, according to S&P. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/15/sp-issues-bifurcated-outlook-higher-ed">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<b>Ithaca</b>'s president is stepping down. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/embattled-president-of-ithaca-college-will-step-down/107865">The Ticker</a>. And <b>Mount Holyoke</b>'s president, too, although she's leaving to become AAC&U president. Via <a href="https://www.boston.com/news/2016/01/04/mount-holyoke-college-president-stepping-down-but-not-leaving-higher-education/OV6syrw3IC3lyrMlTKip6M/story.html">Boston.com</a>.<br />
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<b>Drexel </b>turned its lack of a football program into a PR win. Via <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2016/01/04/3735956/drexel-president-no-football/">Think Progress</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Data and Analytics</h3>
<b>Self-paced eLearning growth is -2.7%</b> in the United States and is predicted to be negative through at least 2020. That's the first negative growth rate ever. Via <a href="http://www.ambientinsight.com/Reports/eLearning.aspx#section1">Ambient Insight</a>.<br />
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<b>Hobsons bought Par</b>. Via <a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-01-12-hobsons-acquires-par-framework-to-power-student-success-predictions">edSurge</a>. Hobsons is getting really, really big. Naviance in 2007, MyFit in 2010, Intelliworks and AgileGrad in 2011, PrepMe and Beat the GMAT in 2012, Edumate and National Transcript Center in 2013, Starfish in 2015, Par in 2016. That is a large amount of student data. (Full disclosure: we're Hobsons clients on several fronts. Also, that list of acquisitions isn't complete.)<br />
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Does <b>frontloading </b>really happen? Via <a href="http://highereddatastories.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-latest-boogey-man-frontloading.html">Higher Ed Data Stories</a>.<br />
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<b>Oral Roberts University</b> will require all its students to wear Fitbit trackers, which will track each student's exercise, food, weight, sleep, and location and make that data available to administrators and professors. Via <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/11/oklahoma-university-requires-freshmen-to-wear-fitb/">Washington Times</a>. The name of the marketing campaign promoting the trackers is "Privacy Invasion for Jesus," which barely beat out the alternative, "God already knows, so just tell us already."<br />
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All <b>metrics </b>are not created equal. Via <a href="https://higheredtales.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/all-metrics-are-not-created-equal/">View from the Trenches</a>.<br />
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Embry-Riddle and Penn State are the <b>top online programs</b>, according to US News. Via <a href="http://www.educationdive.com/news/embry-riddle-penn-state-top-us-news-best-online-programs/412036/">Education Dive</a>.<br />
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The world's <b>most international universities</b>. Via <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/200-most-international-universities-world-2016">Times Higher Education</a>. MIT is #90 and is the first U.S. institution on the list.<br />
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<h3>
Economics and cost of college</h3>
"<b>The system is profoundly unfair</b> to top students from low-income families." Via <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/report_proposes_new_definition.php">College Guide</a>.<br />
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Could <b>Harvard </b>be free? Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/us/a-push-to-make-harvard-free-also-questions-the-role-of-race-in-admissions.html">NY Times</a>. Don't rich people already get plenty of free stuff?<br />
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More stories/data on <b>the income divide</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/fixing-a-higher-education-caste-system-that-screams-inequality-help-us-find-answers/">The Hechinger Report</a>.<br />
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The <b>myth of the college-educated barista</b> is common but inaccurate. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/12/federal-reserve-economists-say-recent-college-grads-are-doing-better-many-believe">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Also, the job market isn't as bad for college graduates as people keep pretending it is.<br />
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<b>Most schools lose money on sports and stadiums</b>. Via <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/college-football-public-universities-spend-millions-stadiums-despite-slim-chance-2258669">IB Times</a>. It's almost like athletics programs are just ignoring decades of academic and economic research on stadium financing plans.<br />
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Institutions continue to rely on <b>tuition revenue</b> at higher rates than they did before the recession. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/13/delta-cost-project-report-outlines-trends-college-spending">Inside Higher Ed</a>, which is talking about the much discussed Delta Cost Project.<br />
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Should states offer <b>student loan refinancing</b>? Via <a href="https://kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/2016/01/15/should-states-offer-student-loan-refinancing-programs/">Kelchen on Education</a>. TL;DR: probably not.<br />
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NYC released a report detailing h<b>ow to make CUNY free</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/15/nyc-studies-cost-free-cuny-community-colleges">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Interestingly, it looks like the state is trying to cut CUNY's budget. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/nyregion/cuomo-to-continue-shrinking-states-share-of-cunys-costs.html">NY Times</a>.<br />
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The UK's conservatives are trying to <b>end the island nation's grant program</b>. Via <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/jan/13/plan-to-end-student-grants-without-commons-vote-outrages-opposition">The Guardian</a>. Imagine if the United States tried to end the Pell program by sending a proposal to a committee where it couldn't be debated or voted on, and that's pretty much the equivalent.<br />
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More colleges (540 instead of 499) are u<b>nder financial scrutiny</b> from the Ed Department. Via <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/number-of-colleges-facing-extra-financial-monitoring-rises-1451933874">WSJ</a>. For-profit schools make up more than half of the institutions on the list.<br />
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<h3>
Enrollment management and strategy</h3>
6 ways to <b>boost online course enrollment</b>. Via <a href="http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/administrators-course-enrollment-715/?">eCampus News</a>.<br />
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Reaching out to high schools works for <b>community colleges</b>. Via <a href="http://www.ccdaily.com/Pages/Campus-Issues/Outreach-to-high-schools-worth-the-effort.aspx">Community College Daily</a>. I don't run a community college, but if I did, I would spend heavy on 2+2 recruitment and decimate the local regional comprehensive institution. Just saying.<br />
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What will shape <b>international education</b> this year? Via <a href="http://thepienews.com/analysis/what-will-shape-international-education-in-2016/">The PIE News</a>.<br />
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Using CostOut to analyze <b>the cost-benefit of new academic programs</b>. Via <a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-01-14-how-one-researcher-uses-cost-benefit-analysis-to-rule-out-the-worst-tools">edSurge</a>.<br />
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<b>Fresno Pacific University</b>, a four-year private college, will offer a new two-year graduation guarantee program for STEM transfer students. Via <a href="http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/community-college-stem-872/">eCampus New</a>s. It might just be PR fluff, but it has NSEF funding.<br />
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All those <b>Saudi students may disappear</b>. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/politicaleconomic-risk-and-international-student-recruitment/">HESA</a>.<br />
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The Ed Department's <b>audit of WGU</b> has high-stakes implications for many online programs and colleges. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/15/education-departments-inspector-generals-high-stakes-audit-western-governors-u">Inside Higher Ed</a>. If WGU has a hard time clearing the audit, it's unlikely many other programs will make it.<br />
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<b>Udacity</b> offers a money-back guarantee* that you'll get a job if you complete their courses. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/With-New-Promise-by-Udacity/234911">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>. *Not actually a guarantee.<br />
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<b>Green River College</b> has some major growing pains after using international agents to triple international enrollment in just a few years. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/12/community-college-grapples-implications-international-student-growth">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Ah, agents. Admit: most institutions would make admissions advisors/counselors/recruiters into sales people if they could.<br />
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<b>ASU's hype</b> versus its reality-based results. Via <a href="http://www.kpk12.com/blog/2016/01/how-hype-trumps-reality-an-online-learning-cautionary-tale-from-asu/">Keeping Pace</a>.<br />
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<h3>
For-profits, which probably think Severus Snape was the bad guy</h3>
Things aren't all that rosy at <b>ed tech companies</b>. Via <a href="http://mfeldstein.com/massive-decline-in-ed-company-market-caps/">eLiterate</a>. Things aren't rosy at pretty much any public-traded company, right now, and every time the stock market tanks, more of those probably-should-retire folks decide to stick around for another two years.<br />
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<b>University of Phoenix</b> and its parent company are being sold for about $1 billion with a current market cap at under $700 million. Via <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/apollo-education-to-explore-strategic-alternatives-1452516388">WSJ</a> and <a href="http://mfeldstein.com/parent-company-of-university-of-phoenix-could-be-sold-to-owner-of-mcgraw-hill-ed/">eLiterate</a>, which has the better commentary. For comparison, <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-advisory-board-company-to-acquire-royall--company-extending-unique-and-powerful-business-model-further-into-higher-education-300007960.html">Royall & Company is apparently worth more than everything owned by Apollo Group</a>, at least if market valuations are reliable.<br />
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<b>U of Phoenix</b> can recruit at military events again. Via <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-university-of-phoenix-military-20160115-story.html">LA Times</a>.<br />
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"Don't Buy <b>Apollo Education, Diploma Mills </b>Don't Have Any Future." Via <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/3815116-dont-buy-apollo-education-diploma-mills-dont-have-any-future">Seeking Alpha</a>. Sound investment advice? (On a side note, U of Admissions Marketing doesn't offer investment advice. If you buy or sell investment products based on what you read here, you're probably going to lose all your money.)<br />
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<b>ITT Tech</b>'s CEO isn't quitting after all. Via <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davidhalperin/ceo-of-troubled-for-profi_b_8964074.html">Huffington Post</a>. Psych! jk everybody!<br />
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<h3>
Not strictly relevant</h3>
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What <b>David Bowie</b> taught Andrew Careaga about marketing. Via <a href="https://andrewcareaga.wordpress.com/2016/01/16/what-david-bowie-taught-me-about-marketing/">Andrew Careaga</a>. A little newsjacking never hurt anyone, although <a href="http://www.getspokal.com/15-examples-of-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-of-newsjacking/">it's a risky strategy for a brand</a>.</div>
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ACE is looking for more <b>gender parity in higher ed leadership</b>. Via <a href="http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/ACE-Launches-Moving-the-Needle-Campaign-to-Achieve-Higher-Education-Leadership-Gender-Parity.aspx">ACE</a>.<br />
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Which <b>candidates </b>are getting the most money from higher ed? Via <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/education_could_be_a_big_elect.php">College Guide</a>.<br />
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The <b>NCAA delayed a vote </b>that would require schools to give students one day off per week. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/ncaa-delays-moves-to-reduce-demands-on-athletes-time/107891">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
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A quarter of all Division I programs had <b>major violations of NCAA rules</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/11/96-division-i-colleges-violated-major-ncaa-rules-last-decade">Inside Higher Ed</a>. It's almost like there's something inherently problematic about a monopolistic, self-policing system built to exploit student-athletes in the name of profit for advertisers, media companies, and a small group of NCAA and institutional officials.<br />
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Everything <b>Google/Alphabet</b> is working on in 2016. Via <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/01/2016-google-tracker-everything-google-is-working-on-for-the-new-year/">Ars Technica</a>. Well, that's pretty cool.<br />
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<b>The U.S. dollar </b>got ridiculously strong in the last few months, and it has implications for Canadian institutions. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/the-dollar-what-everyone-in-higher-ed-needs-to-know/">HESA</a>.<br />
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Looking at <b>Khan Academy's recent edupatent</b> for A/B testing. Via <a href="http://mfeldstein.com/patents-rethought-khan-academy-did-the-right-thing/">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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A proposed GOP bill in Virginia requires schools to <b>make sure kids have the right genitals</b> before using the bathroom. Via <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/virginia-gop-bill-would-require-schools-to-verify-childrens-genitals-before-using-restroom/">Raw Story</a> (hat tip to <a href="http://hackeducation.com/2016/01/15/hack-education-weekly-news/">Audrey Watters</a>). "Civil rights advocate Tim Peacock noted that 'adults would be required to inspect children’s genitals before they use the bathroom' for the legislation to be enforceable."<br />
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<b>U of Louisiana-Lafayette</b> was punished by the NCAA over test fraud, and now ULL is suing ACT. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/13/ncaa-punishes-louisiana-lafayette-over-test-fraud-and-university-sues-act">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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Higher ed really isn't in <b>catastrophe </b>mode, despite what you might read. Via <a href="http://seethruedu.com/not-quite-a-catastrophe/">See Thru Edu</a>.<br />
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The <b>13 best higher education Onion storie</b>s. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/The-13-Best-Onion-/234957">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
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<b>Theories of everything</b>, mapped. Via <a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/iframe/PhysicsMap1215/index.html?ver=1">Quanta</a>.<br />
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Mark <b>Zuckerberg </b>is apparently surprised that people don't like his "free" Internet, which isn't actually the Internet. Via <a href="http://qz.com/582587/mark-zuckerberg-cant-believe-india-isnt-grateful-for-facebooks-free-internet/">Quartz</a>.<br />
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Disney and Hasbro got deservedly hammered after neglecting to create more toys featuring Rey, the female hero and the main character of the new <b>Star Wars </b>movie and franchise. Via <a href="http://toyland.gizmodo.com/the-next-wave-of-star-wars-toys-is-all-about-rey-1752447550">Gizmodo</a>. This 8-year-old sums it up well. Via <a href="https://twitter.com/tyburr/status/684759432199311360/photo/1">Twitter</a>. For all the brand testing that Disney does, they've failed pretty heavily when it came to the female leads of both Frozen and Star Wars.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-43001545142146859142016-01-13T04:00:00.000-08:002016-01-13T08:10:05.350-08:00What higher education can learn from ...<div>
Last week edSurge published an article titled "<a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-01-04-what-higher-education-can-learn-from-fitbit">What higher education can learn from Fitbit</a>," which didn't actually say what higher ed can learn from Fitbit.<br />
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Shocking, I know. It's almost like some online articles are only written to generate views and advertising dollars.</div>
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The article's title--like all such titles--was a combination of click bait and that strange logic that's so emblematic of the innovation movement: higher ed is broken, higher ed can't solve its problems, higher ed needs help.<br />
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For what it's worth, the same types of critics probably said the same things about the Sumerian scribal schools of 3500 BCE, too. Seriously: who even needs writing or a number system? "What Sumerian scribal schools can learn from Gilgamesh's rather brash rejection of Ishtar."<br />
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All of which got me thinking: what other people/industries/brands are higher ed leaders supposed to be learning from? I asked four questions in Google, and the search results appear below. Links are provided for your reading pleasure.<br />
<ul>
<li>what higher can education learn from ...</li>
<li>what education can learn from ...</li>
<li>what colleges can learn from ...</li>
<li>what universities can learn from ...</li>
</ul>
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Fun fact: there are zero search results for the opposite phrases:</div>
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<ul>
<li>what higher education <b>can't </b>learn from ...</li>
<li>what education <b>can't </b>learn from ...</li>
<li>what colleges <b>can't </b>learn from ...</li>
<li>what universities <b>can't</b> learn from ...</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Which is good, I guess, since higher ed does always seem to learn: we didn't last 8,500 years as an industry by burying our heads in the sand.</div>
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<h3>
Search #1: What higher education can learn from ...</h3>
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Fitbit (<a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-01-04-what-higher-education-can-learn-from-fitbit">edSurge</a>)</div>
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healthcare (<a href="http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/0415-sussman">University Business</a>)</div>
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online retailers (<a href="http://destinysolutions.com/what-higher-education-can-learn-from-online-retailers/">Destiny Solutions</a>)</div>
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multiplayer online worlds (<a href="https://www.educause.edu/library/resources/gaming-system-what-higher-education-can-learn-multiplayer-online-worlds">Educause</a>)</div>
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the banking industry (<a href="http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2012/09/07/higher-education-can-take-cues-from-banking-industry">US News</a>)</div>
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the military (<a href="http://blogs.wgbh.org/on-campus/2014/11/11/what-can-higher-education-learn-military/">WGBH</a>)</div>
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startups (<a href="http://uncubed.com/edu/what-higher-education-can-learn-from-startups/">Uncubed</a>)</div>
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yoga (<a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/11/what-higher-education-can-learn-from-yoga/">Elephant Journal</a>)</div>
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the for-profit model (<a href="http://evolllution.com/opinions/audio-what-higher-education-can-learn-from-the-for-profit-model/">The Evolllution</a>)</div>
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Steve Jobs (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-rosenberg/steve-jobs-college_b_1082790.html">Huffington Post</a>)</div>
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libraries (<a href="http://quartz.syr.edu/blog/?p=4238">R. David Lankes</a>)</div>
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One Direction (<a href="http://www.picklejarcommunications.com/2014/12/08/what-higher-education-can-learn-from-one-direction/">Pickle Jar Communications</a>)</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3>
Search #2: What education can learn from ...</h3>
<div>
the arts (<a href="http://www.infed.org/biblio/eisner_arts_and_the_practice_of_education.htm">Infed</a>)</div>
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<div>
Kung Fu (<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj7-MLT5ZzKAhWM7iYKHdcxCFAQFgg1MAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fmichaelhorn%2F2013%2F08%2F22%2Fwhat-education-can-learn-from-kung-fu%2F&usg=AFQjCNGZnGObBP-jBkboH4tkggrbCi6nsw&sig2=fnOusUb7vCFtQqc5RE7YNw">Forbes</a>)</div>
</div>
<div>
video games (<a href="http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/disruption-innovation/what-education-can-learn-from-video-games/">Teachthought</a>)</div>
<div>
failures of business (<a href="http://blogs.edweek.org/topschooljobs/k-12_talent_manager/2011/12/what_education_can_learn_from_the_failures_of_business.html">Education Week</a>)</div>
<div>
medicine (<a href="http://www.learningcommunityds.org/blog/what-education-can-learn-medicine/">Edvantange Nebraska</a>)</div>
<div>
the local foods movement (<a href="https://bangordailynews.com/2013/11/13/opinion/contributors/what-education-can-learn-from-the-local-foods-movement/">Bangor Daily News</a>)</div>
<div>
childbirth (<a href="http://teachforaustralia.org/stories/education-can-learn-childbirth/">Teach for Australia</a>)</div>
<div>
baseball (<a href="http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2010/06/09/tln_vilson_baseballeducation.html">Education Week</a>)</div>
<div>
the Pope and Jeremy Corbyn (<a href="https://educationechochamberuncut.wordpress.com/2015/10/06/what-education-can-learn-from-the-pope-and-jeremy-corbyn-bob-bowie/">Echo Chamber Uncut</a>)</div>
<div>
the military (<a href="http://mikethemadbiologist.com/2015/06/07/what-education-can-learn-from-the-military/">Mike the Mad Biologist</a>)</div>
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Starbucks and Buzz Lightyear (<a href="https://waag.org/en/blog/what-education-can-learn-starbucks-and-buzz-lightyear">WAAG Society</a>)</div>
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rock, paper, scissors (<a href="http://aheadoftheheard.org/what-education-can-learn-from-rock-paper-scissors/">Ahead of the Heard</a>)</div>
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the Emmys (<a href="http://www.courtoconnell.com/emmys/">court oconnel dot com</a>)</div>
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the NFL (<a href="https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/blog/what-education-can-learn-nfl">U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation</a>)</div>
<div>
open source (<a href="http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/356">Open Thinking</a>)</div>
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skateboarding (<a href="http://www.uptownskateschool.com/2009/08/what-education-can-learn-from-skateboarding/">Uptown Skate School</a>)</div>
<div>
gaming (<a href="http://labs.pearson.com/what-education-can-learn-from-gaming/">Pearson</a>)</div>
<div>
the happiest place on earth (<a href="https://www.vcualumni.org/Calendar/Details/6002">VCU alumni</a>)</div>
<div>
golf (<a href="http://apuustin-leadership.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-education-can-learn-from-golf.html">Leadership Think Tank</a>)</div>
<div>
the U.S. election (<a href="http://teachingaheadofthecurve.blogspot.com/2012/11/what-education-can-learn-from-us.html">Teaching Ahead of The Curve</a>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Search #3: What colleges can learn from ...</h3>
</div>
<div>
motorcycle manufacturers (<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-h-wu/what-colleges-can-learn-f_b_8808444.html">Huffington Post</a>)</div>
<div>
journalism schools (<a href="http://www.vox.com/2014/8/3/5960359/what-colleges-can-learn-from-journalism-schools">Vox</a>)</div>
<div>
big data (<a href="http://edcetera.rafter.com/what-colleges-can-learn-from-big-data/">edcetera</a>)</div>
<div>
students with incarceration experience (<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11256-015-0333-x">The Urban Review</a>)</div>
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K-12 education (<a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2013/05/22/what-colleges-can-learn-from-k-12-education/">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>)</div>
<div>
big corporations (<a href="http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2012/04/23/latino-recruitment-what-colleges-can-learn-from-big-corporations/">FOX News Latino</a>)</div>
<div>
Insane Clown Posse (<a href="http://link.highedweb.org/2011/10/what-colleges-can-learn-from-the-insane-clown-posse-heweb11/">LINK</a>)</div>
<div>
Matt Honan's "epic hacking" (<a href="http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2012/08/what-colleges-can-learn-mat-honans-epic-hacking">EdTech</a>)</div>
<div>
football (<a href="http://www.5toolgroup.com/blogs/what-colleges-can-learn-from-football">5 Tool Group</a>)</div>
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for-profit schools (<a href="http://porkycow.com/what-colleges-can-learn-from-for-profit-schools-about-cost/">Porky Cow</a>)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Search #4: What universities can learn from ...</h3>
</div>
<div>
big data (<a href="https://infocus.emc.com/william_schmarzo/what-universities-can-learn-from-big-data-higher-education-analytics/">EMC</a>)</div>
<div>
three wise monkeys (<a href="http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/what-universities-can-learn-from-the-three-wise-monkeys/17263">Mercatornet</a>)</div>
<div>
tech start-ups (<a href="http://study.com/articles/What_Universities_Can_Learn_from_Tech_Start-Ups.html">study.com</a>)</div>
<div>
corporations (<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09544120120011389?journalCode=ctqm19">Total Quality Management</a>)</div>
<div>
Missouri's failed leadership (<a href="http://wdet.org/posts/2015/11/12/81908-earl-ofari-hutchinson-on-what-universities-can-learn-from-missouris-failed-leadership/">WDET</a>)</div>
<div>
airline alliances (<a href="http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/01/multilateral-networks-universities-opinions-best-colleges-10-grant.html">Forbes</a>)</div>
<div>
Pixar (<a href="https://theconversation.com/inside-out-what-universities-can-learn-from-pixar-about-emotions-45341">The Conversation</a>)</div>
<div>
Israel's status on campus (<a href="http://honestreporting.com/what-universities-can-learn-from-israels-status-on-campus/">Honest Reporting</a>)</div>
<div>
IBM's IP licensing strategies (<a href="http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/07/09/what-universities-can-learn-from-ibm%E2%80%99s-ip-licensing-strategies/">Innovation Excellence</a>)</div>
<div>
gamers (<a href="https://prezi.com/9-sg53c3ants/failing-productively-what-universities-can-learn-from-gamers/">Anastasia Salter</a>)</div>
<div>
the UC San Diego sex assault case (<a href="http://www.sddt.com/reports/article.cfm?RID=1115&SourceCode=20150729csi&_t=What+universities+can+learn+from+UC+San+Diego+sex+assault+case">San Diego Source</a>)</div>
<div>
corporate alumni programs (<a href="http://www.slideshare.net/joeinholland/what-universities-can-learn-from-corporate-alumni-programs">Joe Laufer</a>)</div>
<div>
the attack on the Sikh temple (<a href="http://adflegal.org/detailspages/blog-details/allianceedge/2012/08/13/hate-crimes-vs.-hate-speech-what-universities-can-learn-from-the-attack-on-the-sikh-temple">Alliance Defending Freedom</a>)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-76114175047278910562016-01-11T20:53:00.003-08:002016-01-11T20:53:19.837-08:00Enrollment marketing news with snark: December 28-January 10<br />
Apparently <a href="http://higheredanalytics.com/analytics/index.php/2016/01/highered-analytics-pros-to-follow-jens-larson-from-the-eastern-washington-university/">I'm legit now because I'm on the Internet</a>. And I'm wearing a bow-tie. (This paragraph is only in this blog because a few coworkers read my blog and have a hard time believing anyone can take me seriously because I wear bow ties.)<br />
<br />
But anyway, Happy New Year, and go sign your team up for this year's higher ed <a href="http://higheredexperts.com/edu/event/">digital conferences and things</a> (and if you don't like that list, here's another list of higher ed <a href="https://www.oho.com/blog/5-more-higher-education-marketing-conferences-for-2016">digital conferences and things</a>).<br />
<br />
<h3>
Digital Content and Strategy</h3>
<b>Four types of content</b> you need. Via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/roi-website-content">HEM</a>. TL;DR: a cost calculator, salary outcomes, job placement facts, and track record data.<br />
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<b>HubSpot certification</b> and the future of digital marketing. Via <a href="http://geoffbcampbell.com/2015/12/31/hubspot-certification-and-the-future-of-digital-marketing/">Geoff Campbell</a>.<br />
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<b>Marketing pain points</b> for 2016. Via Andrew Careaga. #1 is analytics and #2 is content marketing. I do both those things! I can solve pain points!<br />
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<b>Video anthems</b>, via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/music-video-marketing">HEM</a>. This is <a href="http://www.fastcocreate.com/3028162/this-generic-brand-ad-is-the-greatest-thing-about-the-absolute-worst-in-advertising">the only brand anthem you really need</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Top 10 Lists and Reviews</h3>
<div>
<b>Forbes' 30 under 30</b> "education changemakers" for 2016. Via <a href="http://www.forbes.com/30-under-30-2016/">Forbes</a>. This list obviously focuses on entrepreneurs, but it's worth noting that a not single one of them currently works at a high school or college, excluding the Ph.D students on the list. None of them are current teachers or administrators, either.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Higher ed <b>predictions for 2016</b>. Via <a href="http://www.eduventures.com/2016/01/eduventures-2016-higher-ed-predictions-a-year-to-unite/">Eduventures</a>. Relevant quote: "this enrollment environment favors well branded institutions that are willing to grow and niche players with a distinct message that the market values."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
The most watched <b>Higher Ed Live episodes</b>. Via <a href="http://higheredlive.com/top-episodes-of-2015/">mStoner</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Trends</b> to watch in 2016. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2015/12/29/trends-to-watch-in-2015-education-and-technology/">Bryan Alexander</a>.</div>
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Top education <b>data stories</b> in 2015. Via <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/top_10_education_data_stories.php">College Guide</a>.</div>
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A look back at <b>community colleges </b>in 2015. Via <a href="http://www.aacc21stcenturycenter.org/article/a-look-back-at-community-colleges-in-2015/">AACC</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Joe Sabado's <b>reading list</b> for 2015. Via <a href="http://joesabado.com/2015/12/my-professional-reading-list-2015/">Joe Sabado</a>.</div>
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\</div>
<div>
Top 10 <b>most read articles on e-Literate</b>. Via <a href="http://mfeldstein.com/three-views-of-top-10-e-literate-posts-in-2015/">e-Literate</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
A list of <b>holiday greetings</b>. Via <a href="http://emgonline.com/blog/2016/01/2015-eduholidays-collection-3/">EMG</a>. I don't often have a chance to criticize colleges' stock music selections, but this is probably one of those times.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Three Vegas <b>psychics predict the year in tech</b>. Via <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/07/three-vegas-psychics-predict-the-year-in-tech/">Engadget</a>. This isn't about higher ed, but it is about psychics, which pretty much sums up how I feel about annual trend prediction lists.</div>
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<h3>
Branding, Image, and PR</h3>
<b>College of DuPage </b>continued to be dysfunctional after the board called two different meetings 15 minutes apart. Three board members boycotted the meetings, including the one they called for. Via <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-board-meeting-20160107-story.html">College Tribune</a>. In more fun COD news, the institution, which has a long history of dubious spending practices, paid a local news reporter $30 per minute to moderate two forums. But at least 100 people have applied to be president, so I guess that's hope of a kind. Via <a href="http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2016/01/08/more-than-100-apply-for-position-of-college-of-dupage-president/a2vfyt/">MySurbubanLife</a>.<br />
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USD had a <b>typo</b> in its ad campaign. It went viral. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/04/typo-mars-u-south-dakota-billboard">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Oh, the inhumanity.<br />
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A closer look at colleges' <b>statements of faith</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/A-Closer-Look-at-Christian/234827">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
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SNHU is investigating <b>the leak of 140,000 student records</b>. Via <a href="http://www.csoonline.com/article/3019278/security/snhu-still-investigating-database-leak-exposing-over-140-000-records.html">CSO</a>. Somehow this story flew under the radar, so either SNHU tried to bury the story or data breaches happen so often in higher ed that no one pays attention.<br />
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"Someday, the school <b>name on your college diploma</b> won’t be the most important thing." Via Jeff Selingo at <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/12/21/someday-the-school-name-on-your-college-diploma-wont-be-the-most-important-thing/">Washington Post</a>. Tell that to Harvard. Selingo himself attended two no-name institutions called Ithaca and Johns Hopkins.<br />
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Goldman Sachs issued its <b>report on higher education</b>, and it was dark. As in, Lord Voldemort dark. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2016/01/05/goldman-sachs-looks-at-higher-education-very-darkly/">Bryan Alexander</a>. This is probably essential reading this week.<br />
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<b>Wheaton </b>is going to fire a hijab-wearing professor. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/06/wheaton-illinois-moves-fire-professor-who-wore-hijab">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Wheaton's argument is, essentially, that she's a heretic and not a real Christian. The professor responded. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/07/professor-answers-wheatons-charges-against-her">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<b>Florida Atlantic</b> fired the professor who said Sandy Hook was a hoax designed by the Obama administration. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/us/florida-professor-who-cast-doubt-on-mass-shootings-is-fired.html">NY Times</a>. FAU's argument is, essentially, that he should have turned in paperwork.<br />
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The president at <b>Tiffin University</b> resigned after only six months. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/04/tiffin-president-quits-after-6-months-office">Inside Higher Ed</a>. The chancellor in <b>Tennessee </b>resigned a year early. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/08/tennessee-chancellor-resigns-over-governors-restructuring-plan">Inside Higher Ed</a>. The <b>Texas Tech</b> president resigned after just three years. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/texas-tech-president-will-step-down/107729">The Ticker</a>. What a strange New Year's resolution all these people made.<br />
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Institutions are (anecdotally) <b>hiring more presidents who come without academic backgrounds</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/as-times-get-tough-colleges-turn-to-nonacademics-to-lead/">The Hechinger Report</a>.<br />
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Another good read is this post about what college presidents believe is on the negotiating table when it comes to institutional features/traits. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2016/01/07/reformatting-college-presidents-put-campus-standards-up-for-negotiation/">Bryan Alexander</a>.<br />
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Ivy Tech is being investigated for low graduation rates. Via <a href="http://www.elkharttruth.com/news/indiana/2015/12/24/State-officials-to-probe-Ivy-Tech-s-low-graduation-rates.html">The Elkhart Truth</a>. Only 26% of students finish their two-year degree in six years. Only 5% finish their two-year degree in two years.<br />
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<h3>
Data and Analytics</h3>
<b>Freshman migration patterns</b>. Via <a href="http://highereddatastories.blogspot.com/2016/01/freshman-migration-2014.html">Higher Ed Data Stories</a>. You'll probably want this for competitive analysis.<br />
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More insight into <b>freshman migration patterns</b>. Via <a href="http://highereddatastories.blogspot.com/2016/01/in-which-i-break-rules.html">Higher Ed Data Stories</a>.<br />
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<b>12 analytics wildcards</b> for 2016 in higher ed. Via <a href="http://collegewebeditor.com/blog/index.php/archives/2016/01/08/12-analytics-wild-cards-for-2016-in-highered/">CollegeWebEditor</a>.<br />
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How the company <b>Cards Against Humanity</b> used data to tell a story about their brand. Via <a href="https://andrewcareaga.wordpress.com/2015/12/28/data-can-tell-a-story/">Andrew Careaga</a>. I keep wanting to play Cards Against Humanity during my lunch hour, but I really like my job and don't want to get fired. It's that kind of game.<br />
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<h3>
Economics and cost of college</h3>
If students from low-SES <b>perceive an institution as "chilly"</b> toward low SES students, those students are less confident. Via <a href="http://www.futurity.org/chilly-universities-1083972-2/">Futurity</a>. I haven't read the underlying study. Also note that this particular website is a mouthpiece for institutions trying to gain an audience for the faculty members' research.<br />
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The federal government is going to limit states from awarding funds based on the order that a student lists institutions on their <b>FAFSA</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/07/states-cry-foul-over-us-plan-curtail-access-fafsa-student-data">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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Grades for <b>how states support public higher education</b> came out from Young Invinicibles, a slightly conservative think tank. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/07/how-states-fare-their-support-public-higher-ed">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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The <b>college gap</b> between whites, black and Latinos is growing wider. Via The <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/25368-2/">Hechinger Report</a>.<br />
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The year that <b>Illinois decided not to pay for higher ed</b>. Via <a href="http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/columns/2016-01-05/jim-nowlan-when-illinois-skipped-higher-ed.html">The News-Gazette</a>. This story is starting to get national press.<br />
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<h3>
Enrollment management and strategy</h3>
<b>The State of College Admissions</b> happened Monday. Via <a href="http://higheredlive.com/state-of-college-admissions-2016/">mStoner</a>.<br />
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The Chinese economic downturn may impact the flow of <b>international students</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/china-downturn-increased-competition-could-affect-supply-of-foreign-students/">The Hechinger Report</a>. Maybe.<br />
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The <b>coding bootcamp bubble</b> is "bound to burst" in 2016. Via <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/01/in-2016-the-coding-bootcamp-bubble-is-bound-to-burst/">Wired</a>. So here's the funny thing about predictions like this: they're usually wrong.<br />
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People who make money from <b>unbundling education</b> say unbundling education is a good thing. Via <a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-12-30-the-new-college-degree-in-an-unbundled-word-curation-is-king">edSurge</a>.<br />
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The people who give AP tests say that giving credit for AP tests may help <b>boost four-year graduation rates</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/research-finds-early-college-credit/">The Hechinger Report</a>. Looking beyond this slightly suspect research, <a href="http://www.air.org/air_redirect/file/ECHSI_Impact_Study_Report_Final1.pdf">AIR research</a> (PDF) and at least 20 years of academic research have reached a similar conclusion: more college credits in high school likely contributes to on-time graduation. Interestingly, research suggests students with more pre-college credit actually just take fewer classes each term and spend less time studying and more time for socializing and working once they're in college.<br />
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It will be a little harder to do <b>name buys in California</b> now that a new law is in effect that makes it illegal for certain services to sell student data. Via <a href="http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015-12-29/new-california-law-limits-use-of-student-data">US News</a>.<br />
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Public universities are the most frequent adopters of <b>competency-based education</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/public-colleges-lead-in-adopting-competency-based-programs/107667">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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<h3>
For-profits, which would probably support teen smoking</h3>
For-profits are <b>down but not out</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/For-Profit-Colleges-May-Be/234808">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
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The for-profits are already <b>lobbying John King</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2016/01/05/profit-groups-entreaty-john-king">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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How for-profit education is <b>embedded in traditional colleges</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/How-For-Profit-Education-Is/234550">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Not strictly relevant</h3>
The world was riveted by <b>a puddle in England</b>. Via <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/the-puddle/422955/">The Atlantic</a>. The puddle has since been drained, which means you missed your chance.<br />
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The seventh period (a.k.a. row) of <b>the periodic table is complete</b>. The final four elements have been officially found. (Via <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/04/461904077/4-new-elements-are-added-to-the-periodic-table">NPR</a>) That's pretty epic.<br />
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The <b>top 10 education systems </b>in the world. Via <a href="http://www.edudemic.com/learning-curve-report-education-2/">Edudemic</a>.<br />
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<b>Buzz-word bingo</b> in Canadian higher ed. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/innovation-buzzword-bingo/">HESA</a>.<br />
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In response to an appeal, the Education Department said the <b>accrediting agency for California's community colleges</b> was noncompliant with federal regulations. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/07/calif-community-college-accreditor-loses-bid-reverse-us-findings-against-it">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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Congrats to <b>John King, the new and interim secretary of education</b>. Via <a href="http://blog.ed.gov/2016/01/meet-john-king-acting-secretary-of-education/">HomeRoom</a>.<br />
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<b>Inside graduate admissions.</b> Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/06/new-book-reveals-how-elite-phd-admissions-committees-review-candidates">Inside Higher Ed</a>. TL;DR: Attend an elite undergrad institution and do well on your GRE, otherwise you're in a bad place.<br />
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<b>Attractive females earn higher grades</b> than unattractive females. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/01/05/new-study-finds-women-who-are-not-considered-attractive-receive-lower-grades">Inside Higher Ed</a>. From the article, it appears that unattractive females are graded more poorly, not that attractive women are given higher grades. Any effect disappears in online classes, where appearance is not known.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-45399983559021852012016-01-08T09:08:00.000-08:002016-01-08T09:08:56.332-08:00The SNHU website update: homepage and admissionsI argued in early 2014 that <a href="http://www.uofadmissionsmarketing.com/2014/04/disruptive-higher-education-basically.html">SNHU markets like a for-profit</a>. The criticism seemed accurate: from content strategy to design elements, the old SNHU website broke more bread with <a href="http://www.phoenix.edu/">University of Phoenix</a> and <a href="http://www.strayer.edu/">Strayer</a> than it did with most nonprofit institutions.<br />
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While SNHU still spends like a for-profit, and while many of its non-web marketing efforts continue to feel like <strike>stalking</strike> for-profit marketing (a huge admissions unit, 7 quick but soft sales emails in two weeks with no nurture emails, and a <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/southern-new-hampshire-university-manchester?hrid=er8B2vt5QpaitEFzv9qk1g&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)">lot of pressure to get on the phone</a> [10 calls in 24 hours!]), the institution made web and brand strategy changes in 2015 that make its web presence less for-profity.<br />
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It's also fair to say that SNHU is really, really good at what they do (or at least really, really better than most institutions at enrolling online students). Their digital team structure is large, they have strong PPC and SEO units led by savvy people, and they appear to rely on analytics to drive decision-making.<br />
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For all these reasons, analyzing their website update strategy can help enrollment-focused institutions improve their own sites.<br />
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While you should <a href="http://www.snhu.edu/">take a tour of the entire SNHU website</a> and should probably head out to investigate <a href="https://snhu.afford.com/">microsites</a> and more <a href="https://www.snhuvt.org/">microsites</a> and <a href="http://collegeforamerica.org/">their sister site</a> to decide for yourself what works or doesn't work, we'll be looking at just two pages: the homepage and the admissions main page.<br />
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Also, make sure you have coffee nearby. This is a long read.<br />
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<h3>
The old SNHU homepage</h3>
<img height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjltdmKOhojNhGfi3mnbskTRgoKExgxGIrHngD992-93yuwqbe0r5LbgMZsF-acoaHY4jcoWCbLoWjYP87F8XIzpbJZcThUnIk6ntKt84aQWfhLcT_ciXPLDoQBGxePDiJ28tMW8mHszdw/s640/SNHU+Home.PNG" width="640" /><br />
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<h3>
The new SNHU homepage</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqfqC2hxlrQWpVVaaQlzcvXVPSiQ-auEJ1i9MD4ACuk6G4ZMHo9Ilr_Qp8KalYeVHUEFgioBURMD8FDVyd_0o78u0AYrnFyT0Bz_Ot5nNdAg4Xhsuoa50QIeV1Bde8UYTcZfchPPgze8/s1600/new_snhu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizqfqC2hxlrQWpVVaaQlzcvXVPSiQ-auEJ1i9MD4ACuk6G4ZMHo9Ilr_Qp8KalYeVHUEFgioBURMD8FDVyd_0o78u0AYrnFyT0Bz_Ot5nNdAg4Xhsuoa50QIeV1Bde8UYTcZfchPPgze8/s640/new_snhu.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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What's New</h3>
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<ol>
<li><b>The death of audience navigation in the primary menu</b> (e.g. no more "students," "alumni," "future students," "online," etc.). This is the most noticeable UX change and a change more institutions might need to make. Most higher ed websites use both task-oriented and audience-based navigation, typically in some version of a primary-plus-secondary menu structure. This two-pronged navigation structure is often a compromise to avoid an institutional battle royale over a hard-to-answer question: who is your most important audience? At tuition-dependent and growth-focused institutions like SNHU, the answer is relatively simple: future students. For an interesting comparison, take a look at <a href="http://www.unl.edu/">UNL</a>, which eliminated all task-oriented menus in favor of audience-oriented menus.</li>
<li><b>The emphasis on task completion</b>. Task completion isn't just for the primary navigation menu, either. It's everywhere else. For example, "Find Your Program" was moved to the left where it's more likely to fall into the <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/">F-pattern of website browsing</a>. The "Find Your Program" tool was also given more space by removing text and navigation elements in that area of the website. Key tasks--request, apply, visit--were moved from bottom to top. </li>
<li><b>An emphasis on simplicity. </b>If I did my counting okayish, the number of clickable, above-the-fold "choices" decreased from 30ish to 15ish, which is pretty limited. (Unless you're comparing SNHU to <a href="http://www.bates.edu/">Bates</a> or <a href="http://www.colum.edu/">Columbia College Chicago</a>, which are pretty much the <a href="http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/artwork/294">Jo Baers</a> of higher ed websites.) Additional changes include fewer text columns, shorter text, and reduced numbers of icons, fonts, and capitalization styles. These changes might just mirror contemporary design trends toward minimalist website design, but they also help focus attention on the key tasks. </li>
<li><b>Taller logo.</b> The taller logo is part of an overall SNHU rebrand, and it increases the header size and gives more space to the menu elements. Overall, this makes the header appear less cluttered even though the number of clickable elements remains unchanged.</li>
<li><b>Consistent use of color.</b> In the old website, CTAs employed at least half a dozen different colors, but in the new website, only yellow and blue are used for CTAs. The consistent use of CTA colors breaks down a bit inside some of the 2nd- and 3rd-level pages, like the <a href="http://www.snhu.edu/student-experience">student experience page</a>, where CTAs are hard to find since few buttons are used and clickable text is a harder-to-see gray.</li>
<li><b>The removal of social media as a primary task.</b> SNHU's social media is hidden just below the fold. Given its previous location above the fold and immediately besidethe "apply now" button, the change is a major one.</li>
<li><b>The emphasis on "Student Experience",</b> which is a differentiation point for SNHU compared to for-profit online programs. "Student experience" is slightly fluffy as a concept, but it replaces the slightly more nebulous and snoozefestable "student success," which has very little meaning to prospective students and should really require graduation and employment outcome data.</li>
<li><b>The use of SEO terms.</b> "Programs and academics" is gone, but "campus majors" is in. "Online education" becomes "online degrees.""Tuition" is added. In addition to adding clarity, these terms perform better in SEO tests.</li>
</ol>
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A few changes (or non-changes) merit some questions.</div>
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<ol>
<li>The <b>main image</b> is larger, but it's also a relatively uninteresting, "Anywhere U" photo. So why? Well, the "Anywhere U" photo could be an attempt to assuage the on-campus community (which also uses the website), or it could be an effort to sway potential online students and convince them the institution is legit compared to for-profit institutions, which tend to use context-less stock photos of people in offices. It might also be simple landing page strategy to eliminate anything that distracts visitors from exploring academic programs, which is typically the first and most essential part of a new prospie's website visit.</li>
<li>The top right corner is the <i>de facto</i> "we don't know where to put these important elements" <b>dumping grounds</b> of the page. It holds the last vestiges of audience-based navigation.</li>
<li><b>Stock photos</b> still litter the site, such as the one that you see as you scroll down to the bottom of the homepage. Stock photo is more cost effective than actual campus photos, but it's also pretty bland from a brand perspective, and it's one of most for-profity elements a website can employ. Interestingly, the admissions pages have fewer stock photos.</li>
<li>Where's all the current student content? My guess is SNHU has a fairly robust internal portal or a heavy reliance on its digital catalog. Otherwise all the important on-campus information--registrar, student employment, etc.--has no home at SNHU.</li>
</ol>
<h3>
The old SNHU admissions page</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DCaLFMfZXiBEm6ZVvOjhyphenhyphenk43gPt4wottAtKdCnuYDDm-AnKsypaUPZXf5c9ZHdTLH8fL2kJLqeQITmJKbIqhRIw8Ez0YUJS3cetbGlHczGY-b-uM2gUlNvRZbXk2x1vjKzu2M2i_2d0/s1600/old_SNHU_admissions.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DCaLFMfZXiBEm6ZVvOjhyphenhyphenk43gPt4wottAtKdCnuYDDm-AnKsypaUPZXf5c9ZHdTLH8fL2kJLqeQITmJKbIqhRIw8Ez0YUJS3cetbGlHczGY-b-uM2gUlNvRZbXk2x1vjKzu2M2i_2d0/s640/old_SNHU_admissions.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h3>
The new SNHU admissions page</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaX7j8njXTv2g8TMm9HfQPmf7CFeykmxs9i-z_xg0V559JP4VL7nCrOcnMaqrOJ6AqYXLOqtoyx6Mu3VvZ93vcu640fNLSYTjW0OD127OKOYiEHVsHAJv7nL5jZF5NE92f5Wg00vN_S8Q/s1600/New+SNHU+admissions.PNG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaX7j8njXTv2g8TMm9HfQPmf7CFeykmxs9i-z_xg0V559JP4VL7nCrOcnMaqrOJ6AqYXLOqtoyx6Mu3VvZ93vcu640fNLSYTjW0OD127OKOYiEHVsHAJv7nL5jZF5NE92f5Wg00vN_S8Q/s640/New+SNHU+admissions.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h3 style="clear: both;">
The most interesting admissions page changes</h3>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
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<ol>
<li>The page is <b>bigger in nearly every way:</b> bigger menus, bigger images, longer length, more information in dropdowns, more photos, bigger fonts, etc.</li>
<li>Visitors are <b>prompted to apply, visit, and request info at least four times</b> on the new page.</li>
<li>The <b>"Find Your Program" tool</b> is carried over from the homepage to the admissions page. In all likelihood, the tool must test well, which makes sense given that academic exploration is the first task most prospective students attempt to accomplish. Also, landing page analysis probably revealed that a large number of web visitors who came straight to the admissions website never had a chance to use the "Find your program" option on the homepage.</li>
<li><b>Online degree information</b> is featured more prominently.</li>
<li>The page increases the emphasis on <b>transferring credits</b>.</li>
<li>The page removed emphasis on the <b>cost calculator</b>. (It's on other pages.)</li>
<li>The site no longer asks visitors to <b>"find your counselor."</b> My guess is that this task had a very low completion rate. It's also not necessary to enrollment, and from a customer service standpoint, most students don't actually care who their enrollment counselor is. (Sad but true.)</li>
<li>The audience is split into <b>more segments</b>, which is important since most overt audience navigation was removed on the homepage.</li>
</ol>
<h3>
Some additional thoughts</h3>
<ol>
<li>Where are all the debt/retention/etc. figures?</li>
<li>Where's all the video and images from their (widely televised) commercials?</li>
<li>Where did all the national acclaim/praise/press go? Perhaps higher ed is just faddish and the fascination with SNHU is over. (Really? Already?)</li>
<li>How much does SNHU spend on PPC and SEM? Cornering the SEO, SEM and PPC results for various search terms using "online degree" has to pretty much be the most brutal, gladitorial environment in higher ed marketing. (If you ever feel like screwing with the for-profit industry, just perform a series of Google or Bing searches and click on all the for-profit universities' ads. The term "degree" is one of the most expensive keywords in the world, and every time you click an ad they have to pay for, an angel gets its wings.)</li>
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<h3>
Final thoughts</h3>
<div>
Visually, the new SNHU site is enrollment focused, tightly targeted, and vastly different than the old site. It maintains its task-oriented emphasis, but it drops many of the gimmicks (cough, the huge "Apply Now" font that was bigger than the institution's logo ) that made it look more like a for-profit website.</div>
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Many of the changes that are most impressive, however, are actually on the content side and aren't covered in this blog. For example, the <a href="http://www.snhu.edu/about-us/news-and-events">news</a> feed at the new site is a clever example of SEO strategy, and it's vastly different than the fare promoted by most other institutions.<br />
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Content is also less annoying. (The old content reminded me of <a href="http://gapingvoid.com/blog/2006/05/09/if-you-talked-to-people/">this Hugh MacLeod cartoon</a>.)</div>
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All in all, this is an analytics optimized, UX tested site with clear content strategy, and even website newbies can probably see the logic underlying many of the decisions. Given the talent in SNHU's marketing division, it'll be enjoyable to watch as the site evolves over the next few years, and maybe some of the recent digital decisions will impact other, hard-sell marketing areas that still give SNHU a for-profit feel.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-86040584997723533872015-12-28T10:09:00.003-08:002015-12-28T10:09:35.019-08:00Enrollment marketing news with snark: December 21-27<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLJpGkBdeoIIGMVnqUWXn_KM9PSKRgV8dRixk_EguQxF31bv6LpT22ND2h8zUqOZefrBDdgWGQyVAYsq7ITikIvM9W4PfoqwaRXT3vT6h3_HEnYmAncSZPnREDT9EBxMh7gSt_yqZrlY/s1600/header+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikLJpGkBdeoIIGMVnqUWXn_KM9PSKRgV8dRixk_EguQxF31bv6LpT22ND2h8zUqOZefrBDdgWGQyVAYsq7ITikIvM9W4PfoqwaRXT3vT6h3_HEnYmAncSZPnREDT9EBxMh7gSt_yqZrlY/s640/header+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Happy holidays to everyone, except the leadership at <b>College of DuPage</b>, which the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-college-dupage-cod-accredit-breuder-edit-1222-20151221-story.html">Chicago Tribune</a> called the "College of Dysfunction."<br />
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It's a slow news week, but DuPage still managed to generate bad PR. <a href="https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20151222/submitted/151229766/">Legislators are writing open letters</a> and <a href="https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20151221/news/151229821/">the board may be personally liable</a> for the former president's lawsuit, and the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-trustee-boycott-over-20151222-story.html">Tribune</a> called last week "the most embarrassing week in the college's history."<br />
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It's an interesting problem: when does lack of leadership become lack of enrollment?<br />
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<h3>
Digital Content and Strategy</h3>
S<b>peed marketing</b> sessions. Via <a href="http://www.stamats.com/stamats-insights/write-a-plan/2015/run-speed-marketing-session-campus">Stamats</a>.<br />
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What higher ed can do about <b>Yik Yak</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/law-policy-and-it/what-higher-education-can-do-about-yik-yak">Inside Higher Ed</a>. TL;DR: not much. Two of three recommendations are actually things higher ed can't do.<br />
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<b>Howard </b>admitted students via email and then waitlisted the same students via email. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/21/mixed-email-messages-howard-u-admissions">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Seriously: don't send admitted/denied/waitlisted emails. The ROI is pretty much nil, and the chance of mistakes is much higher due to the automation of a dynamic process.<br />
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Your <b>content is way too long</b>. Via <a href="http://www.mstoner.com/blog/content-and-writing/content-density-strategy-higher-education/">mStoner</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Top 10 Lists and Reviews</h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Audrey Watters continues to update her </span>ed tech trends of 2015<span style="font-weight: normal;">. Via </span><a href="http://hackeducation.com/2015/12/26/trends/" style="font-weight: normal;">Hack Education</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">. You should go read these. They're long, but the amount of time/research/linking that goes into each one is enormous and will make you almost instantly smarter. Your fashion sense will remain unchanged, however, as my continued poor wardrobe choices amply demonstrate.</span></div>
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Christmas communications<span style="font-weight: normal;">. Via </span><a href="http://www.picklejarcommunications.com/2015/12/18/christmas-communications-in-uk-higher-education-2016/" style="font-weight: normal;">Pickle Jar Communications</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
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Five big things<span style="font-weight: normal;"> that happened in 2015. Via </span><a href="https://andrewcareaga.wordpress.com/2015/12/25/friday-five-obligatory-year-in-review-edition/" style="font-weight: normal;">Andrew Careaga</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">The </span>most popular article at Wired Campus<span style="font-weight: normal;"> wasn't actually about technology. Via </span><a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/looking-back-at-the-year-in-ed-tech/57704" style="font-weight: normal;">Wired Campus</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">. This is why your Facebook wall is cluttered with listicles. We are all bad people.</span></div>
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Trends <span style="font-weight: normal;">to watch in 2016. Via </span><a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2015/12/23/trends-to-watch-in-2016-education-contexts/" style="font-weight: normal;">Bryan Alexander</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
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Christmas wish list<span style="font-weight: normal;">. Via </span><a href="http://collegehistorygarden.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-boston-conservatory-and-berklee.html" style="font-weight: normal;">University of Bath</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
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Top 10<span style="font-weight: normal;"> articles. Via </span><a href="https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-12-24-calling-all-edtech-bookworms-edsurge-s-top-articles-of-2015" style="font-weight: normal;">EdSurge</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">2015 was marked by </span>paid shills<span style="font-weight: normal;"> criticizing the people who actually do education. Via </span><a href="http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=64811" style="font-weight: normal;">Stephen Downes</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></div>
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</h3>
<h3>
Branding, Image, and PR</h3>
The <b>College of DuPage crisis</b> is starting to rattle students, which is pretty impressive considering how much space separates administration and students at many community college. Via <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-crisis-20151218-story.html">Chicago Tribune</a>.<br />
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University of Alabama is <b>drug testing fraternity members</b>. Via <a href="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/12/university_of_alabama_quietly.html">AL.com</a>. Well, that's unnecessary. I'm optimistically interpreting it as either "the administration has no other options to enact change" or "the administration is too frightened to act directly," although "the administration is Big Brother" could also be accurate.<br />
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<b>Arts schools in the crowded Boston market are merging</b>. Boston's School of the Museum of the Fine Arts is joining Tufts University. Via <a href="http://collegehistorygarden.blogspot.com/2015/12/bostons-school-of-museum-of-fine-arts.html">Boston Globe</a>. Boston Conservatory is merging with Berklee College of Music. Via <a href="http://collegehistorygarden.blogspot.com/2015/12/bostons-school-of-museum-of-fine-arts.html">College History Garden</a>, which carried both stories.<br />
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The state of Alabama is looking to <b>merge community colleges</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/22/alabama-moves-more-regionalized-community-colleges">Inside Higher Ed</a>. A hint of things to come for four-year institutions?<br />
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The <b>Elizabeth City University</b> chancellor abruptly resigned in the contentious North Carolina system. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/22/sudden-resignation-elizabeth-city-state">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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The <b>Rochester Community and Technical College</b> president resigned. Via <a href="http://www.startribune.com/embattled-rochester-community-college-president-resigns/362859791/">Star Tribune</a>. She took another job in the state system.<br />
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56 colleges have asked the federal government to <b>discriminate against people</b> since 2013. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/21/education-department-urged-publicize-title-ix-exemptions-granted-religious-colleges">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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Campus pride has <b>a list and a map of those colleges</b>. Via <a href="https://www.campuspride.org/shamelist/">Campus Pride</a>.<br />
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226 colleges have been <b>permitted to discriminate</b> since 1976. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/How-Does-a-College-Get-an/234674">The Chronicle of Higher Education</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Data and Analytics</h3>
What does <b>a meaningful KPI</b> look like? Via <a href="http://www.picklejarcommunications.com/2015/12/07/how-to-set-meaningful-kpis/">Pickle Jar Communications</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Economics and cost of college</h3>
College presidents have <b>really nice perks</b>, including multi-million dollar home remodeling projects. This is about NYU and its $1.1 million remodel of the president's house. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/22/us/nyu-presidents-penthouse-gets-a-1-1-million-face-lift.html">NY Times</a>. What's (not so) funny is that the remodel would only pay for 15 students to attend NYU. Yay, second most expensive college in the country!<br />
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<b>NYU</b>, which is apparently attempting to challenge DuPage for the winner of the bad PR award this week, got in a tiff about fee waivers after a graduate student aired an NYU email on Twitter. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/22/nyu-reverses-course-fee-waivers-graduate-admissions">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Enrollment management and strategy</h3>
That big <b>ASU/Starbucks partnership helps Pearson</b>. A lot. Via <a href="http://www.thestreet.com/story/13395613/1/starbucks-partnership-with-asu-benefits-education-giant-pearson.html">The Street</a>. Pearson is pretty much the Sauron of education's Middle Earth.<br />
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<b>Mandatory college testing</b> increases college-going rates among low-income students. Via <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/mandatory-sat/">EdCentral</a>.<br />
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An overview of <b>alternate credentials</b>. Via <a href="http://www.eduventures.com/2015/12/alternative-credentials-fresh-perspectives/">Eduventures</a>.<br />
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"High school graduate" and "<b>college ready</b>" are two entirely different things. Via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/27/us/as-graduation-rates-rise-experts-fear-standards-have-fallen.html">NY Times</a>.<br />
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<b>ASU's partnership with EdX</b> is either a good first step or terribly unsuccessful, depending on your interpretation. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/21/323-learners-eligible-credit-moocs-arizona-state-u">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<b>MOOCs in 2015</b>. Via <a href="https://www.class-central.com/report/moocs-2015-stats/">Class Central</a>.<br />
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<h3>
For-profits, which kept a low profile during Christmas, probably because so many government offices were closed and couldn't investigate them</h3>
<b>Higher One</b> has to pay at least $31 million to consumers over deceptive practices. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/higher-one-to-pay-penalty-and-compensate-consumers-for-deceptive-practices/107573">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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The <b>U.S. commitment to fighting the climate change that threatens to end our species</b> is less than the U.S. commitment to any of five for-profit colleges. Via <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/davidhalperin/us-fund-to-fight-global-c_b_8805362.html">Huffington Post</a>. I need alcohol.<br />
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<h3>
Not strictly relevant</h3>
<b>NASA </b>printed 75% of a rocket engine. It worked. Via <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2015/piece-by-piece-nasa-team-moves-closer-to-building-a-3-d-printed-rocket-engine.html">NASA</a>.<br />
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<b>Oberlin students complained about bad food </b>and said it was a social justice failure. Via <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/12/the-food-fight-at-oberlin-college/421401/">The Atlantic</a>. I was going to be snarky, but the article handles it for me.<br />
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Look: <b>college presidents shovel snow too</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/22/college-president-unafraid-manual-labor">Inside Higher Ed</a>. This is pretty much an annual story that is simultaneously heartwarming (human interest), degrading (of course presidents do some work), and troublesome (the fact that this is worth a story suggests presidents have a huge branding issue).<br />
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The University of Kansas set a record for the <b>number of people wearing holiday sweaters</b> at a single event. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/21/u-kansas-sets-record-holiday-sweaters">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Presumably, many of the sweaters were Jayhawk sweaters, which means they also set the record for ugly sweaters. (I have nothing against Kansas, but the joke was just there, waiting, like an ugly sweater that has just one chance to shine all year.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906275473391222317.post-55654796076209398712015-12-21T08:57:00.002-08:002015-12-27T11:43:33.803-08:00Enrollment marketing news with snark: November 16-December 20<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYFb7wHz-_jnW4CiFPsStXbKn7yUiuXpMETwJZYTDtLz_-PICyLaKsCefuS0L3YN8xumsFGMGNZatzOh4O9NrFRCjU2vhkfOTFGB1otdvW95KZSIp97P8C_W7SN9y__dXgBjRQbK2084/s1600/news.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYFb7wHz-_jnW4CiFPsStXbKn7yUiuXpMETwJZYTDtLz_-PICyLaKsCefuS0L3YN8xumsFGMGNZatzOh4O9NrFRCjU2vhkfOTFGB1otdvW95KZSIp97P8C_W7SN9y__dXgBjRQbK2084/s640/news.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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One month later, the snarky news is back. I missed you. You complete me. And happy holidays, too.<br />
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It's been sort of <b>terrible news month</b>, to be honest. Institutional responses to rape, racism, student protests, gun violence, and faculty communications have revealed some fairly glaring weaknesses in communication strategies. Take U of Iowa, for instance, where polarizing <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-iowa-president-apologizes-for-suggesting-unprepared-professors-be-shot/107439">president J. Bruce Harreld apparently suggested shooting faculty</a>. (Really.) His defense/apology was that the comment was off the cuff and that "I have used the comment in, many, many forums." Then, the next day, he decided he'd never said the comment at all.<br />
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Relevant <b>quote of the month</b>: "I wouldn’t attribute exceptionally nefarious motives to anyone [...] I merely suggest that their program pursues undesirable objectives in ways likely to produce disastrous outcomes." Via Corey Pein writing at <a href="http://thebaffler.com/salvos/cyborg-soothsayers">The Baffler</a>.<br />
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If you somehow missed this month's PR news and find that you've grown weary of the endless, dystopic parumping of Little Drummer Boy, take a look at <a href="http://collegehistorygarden.blogspot.com/2015/11/college-closures-since-2009.html">College History Garden</a>, which has a list of college closures since 2009. You can also send <a href="https://www.vice.com/read/your-facebook-friends-who-post-inspirational-quotes-really-are-dumb-science-says-vgtrn">this article to all of your friends who are way too motivational</a>.<br />
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Or just watch this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dngOH9G4UPw">dramatic reading of a profanity laced sorority email</a>. Not sure if that counts as work, so be careful.<br />
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<h3>
Digital Content and Strategy</h3>
What does <b>customer experience</b> mean to higher ed? Via <a href="http://ronbronson.co.uk/what-experience-means/">Ron Bronson</a>.<br />
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Five essentials for <b>student recruitment blogging</b>. Via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/5-essentials-student-recruitment-blogging">HEM</a>.<br />
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Tools and plugins to help your <b>content strateg</b>y. Via <a href="https://www.oho.com/blog/tools-and-plugins-help-your-content-strategy">OHO</a>.<br />
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Writing <b>PPC</b>. Via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/ppc-for-student-recruitment">HEM</a>.<br />
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Three tips for good<b> social media karma</b>. Via <a href="https://socialmedia.duke.edu/3-tips-for-good-twitter-karma-during-a-live-chat/">Duke Social</a>.<br />
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<b>Yik Yak</b>. Via <a href="http://social.colostate.edu/2015/12/14/whats-up-with-yik-yak/">Social CSU</a>.<br />
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Quick thoughts on <b>Twitter polls</b>. Via <a href="http://highedwebtech.com/2015/12/08/quick-thoughts-on-twitter-polls/">HighEdWebTech</a>.<br />
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Six websites that build immediate <b>visitor connection</b>. Via <a href="http://www.bobjohnsonblog.com/2015/12/6-great-website-examples-if-you-want-immediate-visitor-connection.html">Bob Johnson</a>.<br />
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How to get prospects to<b> interact with your content</b>. Via <a href="https://www.oho.com/blog/how-get-prospects-interact-your-content">OHO</a>].<br />
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Hey look! A <b>higher ed analytics conference</b>. Sign up at <a href="http://higheredanalytics.com/analytics/index.php/2015/12/check-out-the-2016-higher-ed-analytics-conference-speaker-line-up">CollegeWebEditor.com</a>, Full disclosure: my pay = $0.<br />
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<b>Emoji marketing</b>. Via <a href="https://mbaenrollmentstrategies.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/emoji-marketing-for-higher-education/">Enrollment Strategies</a>.<br />
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<b>Gifs</b>. All about gifs. Via <a href="http://social.colostate.edu/2015/12/16/5-tips-gettin-giffy-with-it/">Social CSU</a>.<br />
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Marketing <b>dashboards </b>you should have. Via <a href="https://www.oho.com/blog/marketing-dashboards-colleges-universities-and-higher-education">HEM</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Top 10 and Other Lists</h3>
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The <b>Not Top 10</b> list. Via <a href="https://kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/2015-not-top-ten-list/">Robert Kelchen</a>.</div>
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Robert Kelchen's <b>top 10 </b>list. <a href="https://kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/2015/12/14/the-2015-higher-education-top-ten-list-part-1/">Part I</a> and <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/the_2015_higher_education_top_1.php?page=all">Part II</a>.</div>
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Audrey Watters's <b>top ed-tech trends of 2015</b>. Via <a href="http://2015trends.hackeducation.com/">Hack Education</a>.</div>
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The <b>top higher ed content holiday videos</b>. Via <a href="http://collegewebeditor.com/blog/index.php/archives/2015/12/16/top-highered-holiday-cards-2015-edition/">CollegeWebEditor.com</a>. I always wonder about the ROI on these things.</div>
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<b>2016 marketing trends</b> for higher education. Via <a href="http://www.mstoner.com/blog/marketing-and-branding/2016-marketing-trends-higher-education-thought-leadership/">mStoner</a>.</div>
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<h3>
Branding, Image, and PR</h3>
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<b>Brand </b>versus reputation. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/call-action-marketing-and-communications-higher-education/brand-vs-reputation">Call to Action</a>.</div>
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<b>College of Dupage:</b> the <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/2-college-of-dupage-trustees-say-chairwoman-threatened-them-with-arrest/107485">board chair threatened to arrest to trustees</a>. The <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/15/college-dupage-board-chair-resigns">board chair resigned</a>. <a href="https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20151218/news/151218885/">Trustees are boycotting</a> their own meetings. <a href="http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/12/18/acting-college-of-dupage-president-seeks-to-reassure-students-after-school-placed-on-probation/">Trustees and the interim president apparently have no idea what to do</a>. <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-political-retribution-lawsuit-20151201-story.html">Former employees are suing</a>. The college got <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/cod/ct-college-of-dupage-probation-20151216-story.html">two years probation from its accreditor</a> (which was probably lenient, all things considered).<br />
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<b>Leadership:</b> A <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-north-dakota-dean-resigns-after-complaints-about-treatment-of-women/107537">UND dean resigned</a> after questions about their women's rights record. A <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-tennessee-removes-poorly-worded-post-on-holiday-parties/107211">Niagara University dean was placed on leave</a> after mishandled rape allegations. The <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/embattled-president-of-rhode-island-college-steps-down/107519">Rhode Island College president will resign</a>. A <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/yale-lecturer-whose-email-touched-off-furor-will-stop-teaching/107176">Yale professor will stop teaching</a> after an email encourage people to wear any costume they wanted for Halloween. <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/ithaca-college-faculty-votes-no-confidence-in-embattled-president/107403">Ithaca voted no confidence</a> in their president. So did <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/15/faculty-vote-no-confidence-ithaca-chico-state">Chico State</a>. A few <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/18/2-embattled-presidents-resign">more presidents resigned</a>. An adjunct-slash-janitor was <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/18/saint-marys-university-minnesota-adjunct-says-he-was-let-go-due-props-play">fired for using phallic stage props</a> in college plays.<br />
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<b>Apologies:</b> <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/harvard-apologizes-for-place-mats-meant-to-guide-social-justice-conversations/107512">Harvard apologized for place mats</a>. The <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/george-washington-u-president-apologizes-to-student-over-flag-controversy/107352">George Washington president apologized</a> for taking down a flag. <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-tennessee-removes-poorly-worded-post-on-holiday-parties/107211">U of Tennessee apologized for instructions about holiday parties</a>. A <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-texas-alumni-group-apologizes-for-criticism-of-justice-scalia/107529">U of Texas alumni group apologized</a> for criticizing Justice Scalia.<br />
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<b>Violence:</b> A <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-texas-committee-recommends-guns-be-permitted-in-classrooms/107314">U of Texas group recommended that students bring guns to campus</a>. <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/liberty-u-will-lift-ban-on-guns-in-dorms-its-president-says/107298">Liberty U. wants guns in dorms</a>. <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-of-houston-president-is-literally-outraged-over-footage-of-guards-beating-students/107171">U of Houston is "literally outraged" that its security guards beat students</a>. A <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/florida-atlantic-u-moves-to-fire-professor-who-denies-sandy-hook-shooting-happened/107501">Florida Atlantic professor</a> is apparently a Sandy Hook denier. (That's a thing now?)<br />
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<b>Intolerance:</b> <a href="http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20151210/PC16/151219964">Students at the Citadel dressed in KKK regalia</a>. A professor was <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/wheaton-college-suspends-professor-who-donned-hijab-in-solidarity-with-muslims/107462">suspended for wearing a hijab</a>. Another <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/college-condemns-professors-support-for-trumps-proposed-ban-on-muslims/107359">professor supported Trump's proposed ban on Muslims</a>. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/11/us/religious-colleges-obtain-waivers-to-anti-discrimination-law.html?_r=0">27 colleges are permitted to discriminate</a> against transgendered students.<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/14/biola-u-toughens-rules-sexuality-and-gender-identity"> Biola added language to discriminate against gays and lesbians</a>. The Ed Department received <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/30/education-department-receives-many-complaints-about-racial-harassment-higher">1,073 complaints about racial harassment</a> last year. The <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/college-president-this-is-not-a-day-care-its-a-university/107032">not-very-tolerant Oklahoma Wesleyan president said his college wasn't a daycare</a>. <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/yoga-class-is-suspended-after-students-deem-it-culturally-inappropriate/106911">Yoga was deemed culturally inappropriate</a>. <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/after-decades-of-hand-wringing-u-of-north-dakota-has-a-new-nickname/106797">UND finally dropped their racist nickname</a>. <a href="http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/12/9/9880914/fisher-v-texas-affirmative-action">Fisher v Texas</a> is in front of the Supreme court again as people debate whether or not colleges are still discriminatory. (They are, but that's not the question before the justices, unfortunately.)<br />
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<h3>
Data, Analytics, and Research</h3>
How <b>teens research colleges</b>. Via <a href="http://www.mstoner.com/blog/technology-and-software/mythbusting-admissions-what-professionals-know-and-dont-know-about-how-teens-research-colleges/">mStoner</a>.<br />
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<b>Ranking colleges</b> by what students make. Via <a href="https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/college-rankings/">Georgetown</a>. Fun fact: Georgetown ranked itself 2nd.<br />
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More evidence that many <b>rankings are meaningless</b>. Via <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/ranking_what_matters_and_what.php">College Guide</a>.<br />
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<b>Predictive analytics</b> are probably on most institutions' shopping lists. Via <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/gift-keeps-giving-predictive-analytics-probably-colleges-wish-lists-year/">EdCentral</a>. Everyone's getting buzzwords in their stockings this year.<br />
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<h3>
Economics and cost of college</h3>
<b>Presidential pay</b> at private colleges: it can be really, really high. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/32-Leaders-of-Private-Colleges/234482">The Chronicle</a>. Did you know that nearly all research shows no relationship between pay and performance at the executive leadership level? True story.<br />
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<b>Tuition revenue</b> is expected to be stagnant next year. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/after-decades-of-hand-wringing-u-of-north-dakota-has-a-new-nickname/106797">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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<b>Income-based repayment</b> is now the top choice for student loan repayment. Via <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/ibrrecord/">EdCentral</a>.<br />
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<b>"Excessive" debt</b> is growing. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/18/proportion-college-graduates-excessive-debt-growing">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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Who really pays for <b>college athletics</b>? Mostly poor people. Via <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/who_really_pays_for_college_at.php">College Guide</a>.<br />
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A new report explores <b>tax benefits</b> for graduate and undergraduate students. Via <a href="http://www.edcentral.org/gradtaxbenefit/">EdCentral</a>.<br />
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Why is <b>college so expensive</b>? Via <a href="https://kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/2015/11/29/why-is-college-so-expensive-nearly-everyone-is-to-blame/">Kelchen on Education</a>.<br />
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Ten states have <b>bills for "debt-free college."</b> Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/07/bills-10-states-debt-free-college">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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Many community college<b> students can't afford food or shelter</b>. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/many-community-college-students-struggle-to-afford-food-or-shelter-study-finds/107140">The Ticker</a>. Or, as interpreted by many of the people you'll be spending an uncomfortable Christmas with, "they don't work hard enough."<br />
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<b>U of Wisconsin has a food pantry</b> on campus to feed students. Via <a href="http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/university/food-pantry-on-campus-to-feed-needy-uw-madison-students/article_6c3eca69-4871-522d-bf8e-ea947370c852.html">Wisconsin State Journal</a>.<br />
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<b>The rich/poor divide</b> is getting bigger faster. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/the-socioeconomic-divide-on-americas-college-campuses-is-getting-wider-fast/">The Hechinger Report</a>.<br />
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<b>Unemployment </b>for college grads (and everyone else) continues to decline. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/01/underemployment-rates-college-graduates-decline">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<h3>
Enrollment management and strategy</h3>
Two-thirds of students only list one institution on their <b>FAFSA</b>. Via <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/quarterly-student-aid-report-two-thirds-freshmen-fafsa-applicants-list-only-one-college-their-applications">U.S. Department of Education</a>.<br />
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Enrollment in the<b> St. Louis community college system </b>continues its 25-year period of declines. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/03/st-louis-ccs-25-years-enrollment-declines">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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In cased you missed it, <b>enrollment in higher ed is down overall</b>. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2015/12/17/american-higher-education-enrollment-shrinks-again/">Bryan Alexander</a>.<br />
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Which is somewhat counter-intuitive given that <b>high school graduation is at a record high</b>. Via <a href="http://blog.ed.gov/2015/12/u-s-high-school-graduation-rate-hits-new-record-high/">Homeroom</a>.<br />
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Here are some of the <b>income patterns of that decline</b>. Via <a href="http://bryanalexander.org/2015/11/26/fewer-and-richer-high-school-grads-heading-to-college-ace-analysis/">Bryan Alexander</a>.<br />
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<b>International enrollment was up 10%</b> last year, the highest growth in 35 years. Via <a href="http://thepienews.com/news/us-international-student-numbers-up-10-largest-growth-in-35-years/">The PIE News</a>.<br />
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<b>Community colleges</b> are going after much of that growth. Via <a href="http://thepienews.com/news/us-community-colleges-aim-to-scoop-pathway-demand/">The PIE News</a>.<br />
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<b>International graduate enrollment</b> also increased. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/17/council-graduate-schools-survey-records-5-percent-growth-first-time-international">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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The <b>influence of power</b> on admissions decisions. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/In-Admissions-the-Powerful/234368">The Chronicle</a>.<br />
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<b>Georgia IT's MOOC</b> is growing, albeit slower than projected. Via <a href="http://mfeldstein.com/georgia-tech-and-udacity-mooc-degree-missing-targets-but-still-worth-watching/">eLiterate</a>.<br />
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<b>Expanding Texas institutions</b> are creating big political rivalries. Via <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2015/12/17/they-try-expand-texas-universities-stir-political-/">The Texas Tribune</a>.<br />
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In more rivalry news, <b>Grand Canyon</b> is expanding. Via <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2015/11/11/exclusive-grand-canyon-university-plans-400m-in.html">Phoenix Business Journal</a>. Crand Canyon<br />
makes ASU administrators livid, or so go the ASU-fueled rumors at conferences where ASU presents, which is pretty much every conference.<br />
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How to reduce<b> stealth applicants</b>. Via <a href="http://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/rise-fall-stealth-applicant">HEM</a>. Hint: better align your digital recruitment.<br />
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<b>Is the end coming for registrars?</b> Via <a href="http://www.universitybusiness.com/article/0116-parks">University Business</a>. I like registrars, but it seems like much of their operations could be performed by better online forms and service portals.<br />
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It's really hard for <b>California students</b> to get into California schools--even if they're immensely talented students. Via <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/12/californias-higher-education-crisis/418293/">The Atlantic</a>.<br />
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<h3>
For-profits, which are getting visited by Krampus this year</h3>
<b>Apollo </b>(owners of U. of Phoenix) bought a college in Germany. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/14/apollo-group-buys-its-first-college-germany">Inside Higher Ed</a>. With enough hard work, Apollo can bring down education standards around the world and improve our national rankings. Yay, Apollo. Fun fact: Apollo was the god and bringer of plagues.<br />
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<b>Ashford U.</b> is under investigation for marketing practices. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/u-s-investigates-for-profit-ashford-u-over-marketing-to-students/107509">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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<b>Strayer </b>partnered with Chrysler. Via <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/11/strayer-university-fiat-chrysler-partnership/417417/">The Atlantic</a>.<br />
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<b>EDMC </b>reached a $90+ settlement that doesn't help students all that much and that has been roundly criticized by pretty much everybody. Via <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/forprofit_college_deal_mostly.php">College Guide</a>.<br />
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<b>Coding bootcamps </b>and the new for-profit higher ed. Via <a href="http://hackeducation.com/2015/11/23/bootcamps-the-new-for-profit-higher-ed/">Hack Education</a>.<br />
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The owner of <b>FastTrain</b>, which already sounds like a scam, was convicted of stealing government money. Via <a href="http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/owner-of-florida-for-profit-chain-is-convicted-of-theft-and-conspiracy/106976">The Ticker</a>.<br />
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<b>Briarcliff </b>is closing. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/10/briarcliffe-college-plans-close-2018">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<b>Westwood College</b> is closing, too. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/08/profit-westwood-college-wont-accept-new-students">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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<b>California </b>may be going after for-profits. Via <a href="http://www.educationdive.com/news/can-california-ags-new-bureau-clean-up-for-profit-virtual-schools/409119/">EducationDive</a>.<br />
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<b>Marco Rubio </b>wants to expand for-profits' role in higher education. Via <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2015/12/04/marco-rubio-wants-expand--profit-schools-role-higher-education/76785750/">USA Today</a>. Florida as a national education model: not even once.<br />
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<h3>
Not strictly relevant</h3>
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19 States where <b>corporal punishment</b> is still legal in schools. Via <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2015/12/corporal-punishment/420420/">The Atlantic</a>.<br />
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The number of <b>jobs posted in higher ed</b> is declining. Via <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/higher-education-employment-suffers-large-decline-in-q3-2015-300184541.html">PR Newswire</a>.<br />
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Who profits from <b>$1.2 trillion in student loans</b>? Via <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-11/a-144-000-student-default-shows-who-profits-at-taxpayer-expense">Bloomberg</a>.<br />
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The United States is getting smoked by other parts of the world in pretty much <b>all levels of education</b>. Via <a href="http://hechingerreport.org/us-falls-behind-other-nations-in-the-global-knowledge-economy-says-46-country-report/">The Hechinger Report</a>.</div>
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The <b>irony of higher education marketing</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/call-action-marketing-and-communications-higher-education/irony-higher-ed-marketing">Inside Higher Ed</a>. Of all the ironic things in higher ed, marketing isn't high on my list, surprisingly.</div>
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The <b>seven habits of highly effective universities</b>. Via <a href="http://higheredstrategy.com/the-seven-habits-of-highly-effective-universities-and-colleges/">HESA</a>. Oh, yeah: that's clickbait. Feel its intrigue flow through you. The power of the dark content side is strong.</div>
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The <b>Koch brothers</b> and education. Via <a href="http://time.com/4148838/koch-brothers-colleges-universities/">Time</a>.</div>
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The <b>end of tenure</b> at U of Wisconsin. Via <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/fake_tenure_at_the_university.php">College Guide</a>.<br />
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All <b>colleges aren't the same</b>. Via <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/all_colleges_arent_the_same.php">College Guide</a>.<br />
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Robert Gordon University (Scotland) revoked an honorary degree for <b>Donald Trump</b>. Via <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2015/12/10/university-scotland-revokes-degree-trump">Inside Higher Ed</a>.<br />
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Facebook is killing various R&D divisions. Via <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/12/08/facebook-kills-creative-labs-its-internal-incubator-plus-some-of-its-apps/">TechCrunch</a>.<br />
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<b>The Instagram husband</b>. Via <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFzKi-o4rHw">YouTube</a>.<br />
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<b>All politicians lie</b>, but some lie more than others. Via <a href="http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/opinion/campaign-stops/all-politicians-lie-some-lie-more-than-others.html">NY Times</a>.<br />
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The <b>data is more valuable than the algorithm</b>. Via <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/11/google-open-sourcing-tensorflow-shows-ais-future-is-data-not-code/">Wired</a>.<br />
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China is about to start <b>cloning everything</b>. Via <a href="http://qz.com/556974/china-is-building-the-worlds-largest-cloning-factory-to-copy-everything-from-beef-cattle-to-the-family-dog/">Quartz</a>.<br />
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China already made an <b>unstoppable superbacteria </b>that's probably going to kill millions at some point since the bacteria has already entered the food system. Via <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/science-says-super-bacteria-coming-154248566.html">Yahoo</a>.<br />
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<b>Men eat twice as much pizza</b> when they're eating with women. Via <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2015/11/18/men_eat_nearly_twice_as_much_pizza_when_they_re_eating_with_women.html">Salon</a>.<br />
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The <b>most misunderstood poem</b> in America. Via <a href="http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/09/11/the-most-misread-poem-in-america/">The Paris Review</a>.</div>
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