SimpsonScarborough Blog

Rating an Academic Institution

2010-08-30T12:53:35Z

Rating the quality of an academic institution is complex--undoubtedly. Check out the image below from the Chronicle of Higher Education that shows the many ways (30 to be exact) colleges and universities are currently being rated. No wonder prospective students and parents are confused and overwhelmed during the college selection process.

Jeff Papa

What Are We Here For Anyway?

2010-08-27T14:51:28Z

The August 19, 2010 edition of Inside Higher Ed ran an article entitled "Can You Hear Me Now?" The article focused on Georgia Gwinnett College who have passed out cell phones (and data plans) to their 300 full and part-time faculty members. The idea is that the school pays for the phone and the corresponding bills ($1000 each) for the faculty but they must provide their cell numbers to students. This allows students to contact the professors when they have a question or concern. While many may see that this is an invasion of privacy and over the top hand holding, Georgia Gwinnet believes it is having a major impact. The school admits any student that graduates from a Georgia high school but still boasts a 75% retention rate from freshman to sophomore year which is double open enrollment schools typically experience.

We are in a service economy where our students expect the same service they experience in their banks, stores and other service based organizations. Why should they expect anything different from us?

In reality, Georgia Gwinnet probably has been so successful with this program and high adoption by faculty because they are only five years old. The service based culture was established from the beginning rather than trying to change established behavior and overcome embedded attitudes. My hope is that this approach will be seen an copied by others that understand the need for responsiveness in our industry to our constituents.

....and yes, I give my phone number to my students at Xavier!

Tom Hayes

th@simpsonscarborough.com

"No Margin, No Mission"

2010-08-27T14:50:01Z

There is yet another article on the idea of evaluating the contribution margin of new programs before they launch them. Salvador Aceves, vice provost at the University of San Francisco has introduced a "a nine-page Excel spreadsheet that assesses variables as diverse as three-year enrollment projections, technology and library costs, new teaching loads, marketing expenses, ongoing maintenance costs, and even new "university life" responsibilities the program is likely to create."(Inside Higher Ed , 8-25-10). This replaces a one page memo that deans filled out to propose new programs previously.

My friend, David Kalsbeeck, Vice-President of Enrollment and Marketing at DePaul University has been on the front end of this approach for years. It is time that more of us look at return-on-investment and contribution margin if we are to succeed in the long run. Does this mean we get rid of all programs that do no make money...I doubt it. However, we need to balance what we are able to provide in the marketplace with our ability to provide it competitively. I can argue all day long why I should have a master's in English program, even though it is losing money. However, if the competitive university five minutes away has two to three times the market share in the master's program and is making money..why should you be in this business to begin with.

I applaud Dr. Aceves and the University of San Francisco for their efforts. I hope the article in Inside Higher Ed will motivate more schools to pursue the same approach!

Tom Hayes

th@simpsonscarborough.com

Fellow to Fellows

2010-08-27T14:48:08Z

I was honored to be an ACE Fellow in the year 2004-2005. I spent my year shadowing President Georgia Nugent at Kenyon College. It remains the best professional year I have ever had. Imagine a year where your only job is to learn. On top of that you get to learn from really smart people who are as generous with their time as they are with their advice. It was wonderful!

Since my year as a fellow I have been part of the faculty that works with the new fellows. My part of their learning experience is to introduce marketing as a tool in the administration and leadership of higher education. I relish the opportunity and get to meet new crops of institutional leaders every year.

I am now in Chicago at the 2010-2011 ACE Fellows first week of on-site learning. I will be presenting my session on marketing this afternoon. However, I have so far been able to sit in and listen to updates on the state of higher education by two of my favorite and insightful ACE staff. First, Brian Cook, Director for the Center of Policy Analysis and then Terry W. Hartle, Senior Vice President of the Division of Government and Public Affairs. I am always impressed with the level of insight these two people bring to the discussion on what is happening in the world of higher education, the impact of demographic trends and the interaction between higher education and the government.

If you ever have the chance to become an ACE Fellow, jump at it! If you are in a position to sponsor or host and ACE Fellow, do it! You, your institution and the ACE Fellow will all be better as a result.

Tom Hayes

th@simpsonscarborough.com

Check out some photos from CelebrateAU, where American University launched its new WONK campaign!

2010-08-24T17:20:38Z

American University Video Educates Internal Audiences

2010-08-24T13:17:49Z

American University launched its new brand strategy through a big campus event yesterday. One of the brilliant elements of the launch was the creation of an 11-minute video (long, I know!) designed to help AU's students, faculty, and alumni understand the process, research, and thinking behind the new strategy.

We all know that launching any sort of "new" strategy on a college campus is likely to be difficult. There will always be detractors. To counter this, AU went to great lengths to bring internal audiences along. The video explains the research that was used to develop the campaign, describes who was involved in the process, discusses the importance of managing AU's identity, and works to get people excited about the idea of being a WONK.

An article in the AU Eagle this morning still describes students who argue they should have been more involved in the process. But students were extensively focus grouped as part of the process to develop the strategy. And, every last one was invited to participate in a survey about it. Even with this level of engagement, there is still more work to be done.....which is why the video is such a great idea. It was produced internally in about two weeks and was certainly worth the investment of time. A great examples of best practices for an internal brand launch.

Elizabeth Scarborough

Click here to follow me on Twitter

American University Internal Brand Launch TODAY!

2010-08-23T12:25:03Z

American University is launching its new brand campaign today. Executive Director of Communications & Marketing, Terry Flannery, and team have led the institution through an exhaustive process involving research, evaluation, strategy development, and creative development to arrive at the new plan for promoting the identity of the University.

Today they are staying true to "best practices" and engaging in a comprehensive internal launch which will include a video link from the Website (will post later today) and a major presence on their quad with t-shirts, balloons, and excitement (will post photos later today).

So, what does it mean to be a member of the AU community? It means you are a WONK. What is a WONK, you ask? Click here to find out!

Elizabeth Scarborough

Click here to follow me on Twitter

Enrollment Growth

2010-08-23T11:35:58Z

As they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Check out this chart from the Chronicle of Higher Education that shows enrollment growth over the past ten years among for-profits compared to any other area in higher education. Now think of all the press lately about the questionable enrollment practices among for-profits and ask yourself where our profession is heading. Sobering isn't it?

Jeff Papa

Lamar vs. Harvard on WhatWillTheyLearn.com

2010-08-16T17:57:52Z

There was an interesting piece in The Washington Post yesterday titled, Colleges come up short on what students needs to know. It gave a little preview of a study slated for release today that was conducted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). The study looked at the extent to which colleges are covering what they call "the basics" of composition, literature, foreign language, U.S. government or history, economics, math, and natural/physical science. There is an associated Web site, www.whatwilltheylearn.com, that is billed as "a guide to what college rankings don't tell you."

Frankly, I like anything that is billed as an alternative to the U.S. News rankings. This source doesn't claim to be the definitive ranking of colleges but ACTA President, Anne Neal, says the site provides crucial information to students and families that has been missing.

I compared my undergraduate alma mater, James Madison University, to two other public institutions in Virginia with much higher rankings on U.S. News: William & Mary and UVA. JMU has a grade of B on "the basics." William & Mary is a C and UVA is a D. So, I am officially a supporter! Interesting to note, though, that grad rates at UVA and W&M are a full 10 percentage points higher. Things that make you go, "hmmmmmmmm......."

Elizabeth Scarborough

Click here to follow me on Twitter

Financing a College Education

2010-08-12T13:01:23Z

Families are facing rapidly escalating college costs, are reaching across all funding sources to meet additional college costs, and are very worried about future tuition increases, according to a report just released by Sallie Mae and Gallup. After interviewing over 1,600 undergraduates and parents of undergraduates, the Sallie Mae and Gallup study uncovered some very sobering findings:

· Nearly half (49%) [of parents surveyed] are extremely worried this year that schools will increase tuition compared to less than one-third of parents two years ago.

· One-third of parents are extremely worried that their income will decrease due to job loss, up from 23 percent last year.

· Only 10 percent of parents were extremely worried two years ago that their child wouldn't be able to find a job, but that has risen to 27 percent this year.

· More families reported eliminating schools during the college selection process based on cost after receiving their financial aid packages (40% this year compared to 36% last year and 34% two years ago).

· 63 percent of families report eliminating colleges because of financial considerations at some point in the application process, compared to 56 percent in 2009 and 58 percent in 2008.

Jeff Papa

Letting Go of Land Lines

2010-08-10T15:55:45Z

Remember calling home (usually on Sundays) from the hall phone in your college dorm? Wait, you have to be of "a certain age" to remember that--and I do! Well, times are changing--and fast. Check this out: "The University of Virginia has removed about 3,850 land-line telephones from residence halls in a move that will save $500,000 annually." The good news is that colleges are finding new and innovative ways to save money; the not-so-good news is that I'm feeling older and older by the minute.

Jeff Papa

Interesting Juxtaposition

2010-08-09T12:03:53Z

We've all seen the news lately that for-profits schools are under fire for questionable enrollment practices--pressuring admissions staff members to meet their enrollment goals and encouraging prospective students to take out large loans with the promise of a high-paying job at the end of their academic road--so I won't rehash that issue. But when I went to the New York Times site this morning to "read more about it," I thought it was ironic--to say the least--to find an ad for the University of Phoenix prominently displayed above an article that reads, "For-Profit Colleges Mislead Students, Report Finds." It's an interesting juxtaposition, don't you think?

Q&A with Ed Macko; Creative Director, Higher Education, Pipitone Group

2010-08-05T17:34:55Z

Q. What is your role at Pipitone Group?

A. I am the creative director with a particular focus on brand development for higher education. I am in charge of guiding both the strategic and creative efforts in establishing strong, emotional and relatable brand positions for all our higher education clients. We offer strategic planning, brand development, creative design, interactive marketing technologies, and public relations all under one roof.

Q. What kind of work does Pipitone Group do?

A. Our client list represents major companies, small start-ups, nonprofit organizations, and of course educational institutions, K through secondary. We are heavily involved in the up-front work of establishing and developing brand identities and then seeking creative ways to implement and expose that brand message, primarily through channel marketing.

Q. Channel marketing?

A. Yes, channel marketing is a very interesting concept. It seeks to find opportunities to expose the brand and its marketing messages through influencers (people and/or entities) that already have access, and are talking, to the end customer. Although we don't call them that in higher ed, for colleges and universities this applies to student prospects, alumni, and potential donors... even faculty recruitment.

Q. How important is research to your process?

A. Very important. Obviously, the most visible part of our work is the creative design and implementation of our marketing tactics. But the hidden secret, for me, really is the research. For our educational clients, I always emphasize the importance of investing in high quality research at the start. And for me, the answer to that is, and has been, SimpsonScarborough.

Currently, Pipitone Group and SimpsonScarborough are partnering together on a major brand project for Grove City College in Grove City, PA to be revealed in 2011. The College itself is a small, private liberal arts college, academically rigorous, devoutly Christian, and interestingly, one of a very small number of colleges that do not accept federal aid or funding of any kind. This last aspect makes them a pretty unique entity.

Also, in just the past year (while at another firm), I worked with Elizabeth and her team to complete a great body of work for Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. The resulting brand message "Make Your Life Count" is everything I believe a great brand message for a college should be. And it all poured right out of the extensive research.

Q. As a creative firm, how do you use research?

A. As a starting point, we use research to frame specific points of view. In other words, the issues that the research reveals become "lenses" of sorts that allow us to look deeper into the university culture. Quantitative studies generally reveal the critical "whats" of the university: "WHAT are they recognized for? WHAT do they do better? WHAT is the vision for growth?" But looking deep into the qualitative study reveals WHY all those WHATs are important, and the collective story of WHY it all matters. For me, that's where the brand lives, in the "whys."

So in a very real sense, the process of creating a brand for higher education isn't a process of pure creativity, it is a creative process of introspective discovery. The brand reveals itself through the research, combined with our observations of campus life, and many casual conversations across campus.

Q. Can you describe your process of how you turn research findings into a brand identity for a college?

A. Sure, let's use the work completed for Gustavus Adolphus College as an example. SimpsonScarborough supplied both quantitative and qualitative research documents. The research revealed three important "lenses": 1) a focus on servant leadership; 2) an atmosphere of open dialog allowing freedom to express one's ideas and opinions; 3) a vibrant campus citizenry.

After absorbing the findings of the research, we visited campus -- many times -- to observe life, and to talk to students, faculty, and staff about the issues revealed. Not in a direct sense, but more broad. What we found was that the combination of these three issues created a perfect storm of student passion and involvement surrounding social issues, the campus community, and real thinking for the future.

One faculty member stated (while being questioned about something else entirely) that the students at Gustavus want to make a difference. They want to leave a legacy. They want to know that their lives count. I would add that they don't do this for their own glory, but for the betterment of all. "For the common good" is a phrase you'll hear often on campus. It's very cool.

As a result, "Make Your Life Count" is a brand message that is passionate and one that is uniquely Gustavus's. It speaks about leadership in a totally different way. It's engaging and it speaks directly to an internal motivation that we all share as human beings: the desire to accomplish something, the desire to matter and to make a difference. And it is a brand promise that Gustavus can enthusiastically support, because it truly is who they are.

Check out the "Make Your Life Count" and "A Brand for Gustavus" presentations!

-Samantha Hacker

Enrollment Management: An Expanded View

2010-08-02T11:33:29Z

I just read an article in the Chronicle that presented a provocative idea: putting enrollment professionals in charge of recruitment and career services. This out-the-box idea seems brilliant and somewhat obvious at the same time, right? But that's exactly what University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School did. Instead of just focusing on the next class of new recruits, admissions folks are now gaining a direct understanding and appreciation for the "back end" of students' academic experiences. One footnote: University of Pennsylvania implemented this expanded role with their MBA program. But why stop there? Let's really throw caution to the wind and consider who this idea could be put into action at more traditional, undergraduate liberal arts institutions. And think about another great benefit: enrollment folks will finally have access to outcomes-based data that have shown---time and time again---to be extremely influential in the college decision process.

Jeff Papa

Higher Education CFOs

2010-07-31T17:50:25Z

After reading about the release of a new study by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) about CFOs in higher education, I find the desire to find out more and more from these individuals. Approximatley 43% of the 974 CFOs who were interviewed as part of NACUBO's study stated that their chief source of frustration is "never having enough money". One-third cited that their relationship with deans is difficult because everyone wants more money than is available. After recently completing a marketing return on investment (ROI) study for a campus, the "never enough money" idea is even more common in the marketing budget and the inequity of marketing spending across departments doesn't help to quell the desire for more money among deans which supports the results of this study. About 60% of the CFOs have spent half of their careers in higher education and only one-fourth say they need a higher salary. I often wonder if the compensation was higher would the 40% who have not been in higher education for half their careers increase? Would campuses benefit from more private industry CFOs?

Dana Edwards

Senior Consultant

SimpsonScarborough