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Strategic Research: Give Your Enrollment Vision a
Reality Check
Ruth K. Sims, Senior Vice President
October 2007
Copyright 2008
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The future is embedded in the present.
- John Naisbitt
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The best way to predict the future is to create it. - Peter Drucker
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Planning is planning for change. There is no need to plan to remain the same or to evolve slowly.
− John Bean, The Strategic Management of College Enrollments
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Higher education
mega-trends: Can you see
what’s coming?
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Keep “disruptive innovation” in mind
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An innovation that eventually overturns the existing dominant marketplace model or status quo
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Characteristics of disruptive innovation
• The new entrant often is at first inferior in quality• The new entrant is willing to serve markets that
the incumbent finds inconvenient or unprofitable• The incumbent continues to focus on its existing
market and model, believing that the disruptor is not real threat
• Once the disruptor has gained a foothold, it improves its quality and begins to gain market share
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And then there is a “tipping point”…
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What is a vulnerable market?
• Marked by the absence of significant growth or innovation
• The primary product is moving toward becoming a commodity
• Leading organizations are focused on moving “up market” in their own world
• Leaders have a high investment in the current model of delivery
• To use the product or service, customers must go to an inconvenient, centralized location
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What or who are the potential disruptive innovations in higher education?
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Characteristics of strategic research
• Systematic and planful, not random
• 360-degree: internal and external
• Ongoing, not aone-time event
• Uses both primaryand secondary methodologies
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The value of research: debate is
replaced by action
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Why make the investment?
• Debunks institutional myths
• Puts individual experiences in perspective
• Gives decision-makers credibility
• Establishes benchmarks for future comparisons
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• You will never have enough information
• The information you have will never be entirely complete or accurate
• You will never guess allthe implications oroutcomes of adecision
Research isn’t a crystal ball
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Create your SEP research plan
MARKETCOMPETITION
PRODUCT
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Methodologies have unique strengths
• Data collection and review
• Paper/mail surveys
• E-mail/online
• Telephone
• Focus groups
• In-depth interviews
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Q: How do we need to change
ourselves to meet our
strategic goals?
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Research focus #1: The institution
• Student satisfaction and engagement metrics
• Faculty/staff satisfaction and alignment with student expectations
• Alumni satisfaction/outcomes
• Student attrition research
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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Overall, metexpectations?
Rate overallsatisfaction
Would enrollhere again
Tuition aworthwhileinvestment
Overall Satisfaction
Our students Students at other schools
Current student research revealsbroad institutional issues…
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…and suggests specific applications
Strategy 1: Assign undecided majors to counseling and advising and require advising/career counseling; require major declaration by end of 30 completed credit hours.
Strategy 2: Develop an advisor assignment approach for all students.
Strategy 3: Provide training for all faculty and staff who provide advising or other support services and/or interact with students during the enrollment process.
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Only 60% of students reported that their primary goal upon entering college was to earn a degree.
Of non-returning students, 89% said they had achieved their goals or made satisfactory progress toward them.
= Degree Completion?
= Meeting My Goals
Research can address PR issueswith boards, legislatures
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Alumni research can inform your institutional strategy
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Percent of Alumni
Master's degree Doctoral degree Other graduate degree
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“Do you plan to go back to (institution)?”
Yes 58%Don’t know 11%
No 31%
Student attrition research yields useful data
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Faculty and staff attitudesshape institutional culture
“As a result of the findings, we have involved faculty and staff much more fully in the planning process, and have made improvements in wages and benefits and in our promotion process.”
- Jackie Virgint, Director of Institutional ResearchSanta Fe Community College (New Mexico)
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Research challenges what we “know”
Institutional Priorities Survey
Student F/S/A
Item rank rank
Security staff response 40 6
Adjunct faculty are competent as instructors 27 10
Student disciplinary procedures are fair 44 8
Channels for expressing complaints 58 20
Ranking of items 1-85; 1 = most satisfied
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Q: How will the market’s
characteristics impact our
future?
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Research focus #2: The market
• Demographic trends
• Projected demand for academic programs
• Price sensitivity
• Lost inquiries and applicants
• Brand/image research
• Delivery format preferences
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Demographics tell a story
www.wiche.edu
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Create a comparative financial profile
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
< $25K $25K - < $50K $50K - < $75K $75K - $100K $100K +
Your University National
www.wiche.edu
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Market share and enrollment potential
IPEDS, U.S. Census Bureau
Actual Enrollments Compared to Predicted Enrollments
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
Our co
mm
unity
colle
ge
Communit
y Coll
ege #1
Communit
y Coll
ege #2
Communit
y Coll
ege #3
Communit
y Coll
ege #4
Communit
y Coll
ege #5
Communit
y Coll
ege #6
Communit
y Coll
ege #7
Communit
y Coll
ege #8
Communit
y Coll
ege #9
Communit
y Coll
ege #1
0
Communit
y Coll
ege #1
1
Communit
y Coll
ege #1
2
Communit
y Coll
ege #1
3
Communit
y Coll
ege #1
4
Communit
y Coll
ege #1
5
Actual Enrollment Predicted Enrollment
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Tuition Paid by Lost Admits
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Less than$2,500
$2,500 to$4,999
$5,000 to$7,499
$7,500 to$9,999
$10,000 to$12,499
$12,500 to$14,999
$15,000 to$17,499
$17,500 to$19,999
$20,000 ormore
% of Lost Admits
Pricing research replaces intuition
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0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
Nursing Drama Mathematics Crim. Justice Sports Mgt. Child Care Social Work Env. Studies
College-Bound High School Students
Primary Market Secondary Market
Program demand shows opportunity
NRCCUA Postsecondary Planning survey of college-bound high school students.
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Essential attitudinal research
What level of awareness of our institution exists in out-of-state markets?
Are our marketing messages resonating with prospective students?
How can we use different messages to target different types of students?
How are we viewed in terms of quality against our top competitors?
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Research reveals your brand strength
The best brands have:
• Clarity – they are differentiated
• Responsiveness – to customer needs
• Trust – they deliver on promises
Source: MacInnis and Park, MarketingProfs.com, February 2004
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Perception research can be a wake-up call
“Name a positive perception that students have of MyStateU…”
Percent
Don’t know, nothing 42.5
Community, area, scenery 19.2
Programs, courses (general) 9.8
Social atmosphere, environment 8.5
Campus 9.0
Reputation 5.8
Smaller classes/student-to-teacher ratio 3.8
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. . Research drives marketing strategy
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Television Internet Newspaper Radio Magazines
News
Entertainment
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Research reveals knowledge of cost
“What is your best estimate for the cost of tuition for one year at one of (state’s) four-year universities?”
– Less than $2,000 ( 4%)– $2,000 - < $3,000 (22%) – $3,000 - < $4,000 (21%)– $4,000 - < $5,000 ( 9%)– $5,000 or more (24%)– Don’t know (20%)
More than 50% of prospective students either don’t know or over-estimate tuition.
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Non-enrolling admitted students
• Telephone surveys comparing features with school of choice
• In-depth interviews that get past the polite answers
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Q: What is the evolving
competitive context for our
institution?
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Research focus #3: The competition
• Competitor enrollment trends
• Competitor marketing messages
• Competitor academic programofferings
• Institutional image vis-à-vis competitors
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www.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/
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What you can learn from IPEDS
• Institution characteristics
• Degree completions
• 12-month enrollment
• Human resources
• Fall enrollment
• Finance
• Financial aid
• Graduation rates
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Non-resident freshman enrollment and tuition & fees
$0
$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
Median Non-resident Tuition & Fees Non-resident Enrollment (Freshmen)
Tuition trend comparison dispels myths
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0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
2001-2002 2005-2006
Bachelor's Degrees Awarded inBusiness Administration
Four-year publics Four-year privates For-profits
Understand your market share trends
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Measure the basics of yourcompetitive position
• Have you heard of (our institution/competitors)? (Basic name recognition)
• Level of familiarity 1-5 (Knowledge)
• One word or phrase they associate with the institution (Perceptions)
Top-of-mind (five-minute) telephone awareness survey
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Awareness of your name vs. competition
0
20
40
60
80
100
Our school Milton Coll Dover U
Carter U Williams U
% Yes
In-state Florida Alabama Georgia S. Carolina
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Research to determine positioning and branding
1. Ensure that we are not simply duplicating the positioning of other institutions
2. Help correct misperceptions that exist in the marketplace
3. Determine which brand messages should be primary
4. Define specific messages needed by specific audiences
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Research ensures that we use the right marketing messages
Quality is…• Faculty who publish• The smartest students• US News ratings
Quality is… • Faculty teaching• Career preparation• Successful graduates
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Competitor message content analysis
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Unique academic program analysis
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Knowledge comes by taking things apart;
wisdom comes by putting things together.
−John Morrison
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Create your research checklist