Strategic Research: Give Your Enrollment Vision a

Reality Check

Ruth K. Sims, Senior Vice President

October 2007

Copyright 2008

The future is embedded in the present.

- John Naisbitt

The best way to predict the future is to create it.      - Peter Drucker

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

Higher education

mega-trends: Can you see

what’s coming?

Keep “disruptive innovation” in mind

An innovation that eventually overturns the existing dominant marketplace model or status quo

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

And then there is a “tipping point”…

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

What or who are the potential disruptive innovations in higher education?

Characteristics of strategic research

• Systematic and planful, not random

• 360-degree: internal and external

• Ongoing, not aone-time event

• Uses both primaryand secondary methodologies

The value of research: debate is

replaced by action

Why make the investment?

• Debunks institutional myths

• Puts individual experiences in perspective

• Gives decision-makers credibility

• Establishes benchmarks for future comparisons

• 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

Create your SEP research plan

MARKETCOMPETITION

PRODUCT

Methodologies have unique strengths

• Data collection and review

• Paper/mail surveys

• E-mail/online

• Telephone

• Focus groups

• In-depth interviews

Q: How do we need to change

ourselves to meet our

strategic goals?

Research focus #1: The institution

• Student satisfaction and engagement metrics

• Faculty/staff satisfaction and alignment with student expectations

• Alumni satisfaction/outcomes

• Student attrition research

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…

…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.

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

Alumni research can inform your institutional strategy

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Percent of Alumni

Master's degree Doctoral degree Other graduate degree

“Do you plan to go back to (institution)?”

Yes 58%Don’t know 11%

No 31%

Student attrition research yields useful data

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)

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

Q: How will the market’s

characteristics impact our

future?

Research focus #2: The market

• Demographic trends

• Projected demand for academic programs

• Price sensitivity

• Lost inquiries and applicants

• Brand/image research

• Delivery format preferences

Demographics tell a story

www.wiche.edu

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

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

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Communit

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ege #1

Communit

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ege #2

Communit

y Coll

ege #3

Communit

y Coll

ege #4

Communit

y Coll

ege #5

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y Coll

ege #6

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y Coll

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y Coll

ege #8

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y Coll

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y Coll

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Communit

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1

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5

Actual Enrollment Predicted Enrollment

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

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.

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?

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

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

. . Research drives marketing strategy

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Television Internet Newspaper Radio Magazines

News

Entertainment

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.

Non-enrolling admitted students

• Telephone surveys comparing features with school of choice

• In-depth interviews that get past the polite answers

Q: What is the evolving

competitive context for our

institution?

Research focus #3: The competition

• Competitor enrollment trends

• Competitor marketing messages

• Competitor academic programofferings

• Institutional image vis-à-vis competitors

www.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS/

What you can learn from IPEDS

• Institution characteristics

• Degree completions

• 12-month enrollment

• Human resources

• Fall enrollment

• Finance

• Financial aid

• Graduation rates

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

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10,000

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40,000

45,000

Median Non-resident Tuition & Fees Non-resident Enrollment (Freshmen)

Tuition trend comparison dispels myths

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

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

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

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

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

Competitor message content analysis

Unique academic program analysis

Knowledge comes by taking things apart;

wisdom comes by putting things together.

−John Morrison

Create your research checklist