According to The Chronical of Higher Education, as many as one third of your freshman class is likely to disappear before their sophomore year. That’s a third too many at a time when enrollments are on the decline and costs are on the rise. Efforts to help with the transition to college and retain students have been going on since the 1970s. To make a real difference today, it takes a number of different approaches executed with a sense of urgency.

Rethink the first-year experience

“While institutions may have once relied on a single program to promote first-year success—a seminar, say, or an orientation—they’re now stitching together multiple solutions”, says Suzanne Walsh, deputy director for postsecondary success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is financing a project in which 44 regional state colleges are redesigning the first-year experience.

In an effort to see things from the students’ perspectives, admissions officers are taking a close look at common concerns, which may prevent a student from returning. Often, it’s a combination of financial stress, unrealistic expectations, or falling behind due to not being prepared for college-level work. Many students need to work long hours to cover tuition. Others experience a family crisis or simply just don’t feel like they fit in. With the right integrated approach, you can offer the right blend of financial, educational and emotional support to help struggling students before they reach the point of no return.

One approach is to replace traditional freshman orientations with a broader, more inclusive experience. You can still cover all the basics such as course registration, placement exams and meetings with academic advisers. The difference is you would also add in community-building, mental health, diversity and social justice.  Many colleges offer sessions for family members as well. It’s an approach that takes a holistic view of who and what matters most to students. One that helps them stay connected and move forward with confidence and support.

Fight failure rates

“In past decades, institutions had the luxury to take a ‘fail all you want, there will be more’ approach” to their students, says Drew Koch, president of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. Many colleges “measured prestige by the percentage of students they flunked out,” says Betsy O. Barefoot, a senior scholar there. Those days are long gone.

With growing financial and political pressures, policy makers no longer tolerate high failure rates. And of course it’s more cost-effective to retain the students you have. Just in case you need another financial incentive, both colleges and students are able to keep the federal aid they receive if a student stays at least 60 percent of the term. Under the Republican plan to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, colleges would have to return all the money for students who withdrew in the first quarter of the term, and at least a portion of the money if they left at any time during the semester.

Build community

It may sound like a simple solution, but creating a feeling of belonging and support makes students want to come back for more. Often first-generation, minority students struggle to connect and have feelings of self-doubt. There’s no need to wait until they arrive on campus. The earlier you start the process of building community the better. A good example of this is at the University of Texas at Austin where an online pre-orientation session includes messages from current students about how they overcame doubts during their first year.

The simple truth is students are less likely to fear failure when they feel like someone has their back.

Level the playing field

Typically, freshman “gateway courses” are high enrollment, lecture-heavy courses designed to weed out students who can’t keep up. The problem is that a majority of students who fail out are minorities and low-income students, who also happen to make up a growing share of the undergrad population. It doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, some schools have adjusted their gateway courses to allow struggling students to seek the materials and support they need. It’s a simple change in mindset that goes from weeding out the herd to working together to help everyone do better.

Send in the peers

Another approach is to supplement instruction for challenging courses with peer coaches. By leading regularly scheduled study sessions, students who previously excelled at the course can help struggling students review the material, discuss readings and learn study skills.

Studies affirm that studentswho take advantage of this type of supplemental instruction are much less likely to fail or withdraw from high-risk courses than those who don’t. Their final grades are higher, too. What makes it great is also its greatest drawback in that it is completely voluntary. It makes sense that the more motivated students who use it also end up doing well and staying in school. Bringing peer coaches into the classroom is a good alternative for students who may be having trouble committing to sessions outside of regular classtime.

See the warning signs

 Trying to predict student success isn’t new. Professors have been sharing students’ midterm grades with academic advisers for decades.More sophisticated early-alert systems technology has made tracking students much easier and more sophisticated.

The result is an environment that is more proactive than reactive.

Often called “student success coaches”, advisors now dig deeper to learn about coursework but also about the student’s social and emotional well-being. Meeting with students in coffee shops, libraries or student centers offers the flexibility and support students need to succeed.

Mind the gap

Heading straight to college after high school isn’t always the best plan. Whether students are feeling burned out or simply want a break, a gap year after high school offers time for personal growth that often leads to a more successful transition to college. Taking a year to travel and search inwardly helps students start fresh with a renewed sense of purpose and focus.

Knowing this, many college admissions officers are allowing accepted students to defer their admission for up to one year. Others are offering service-oriented gap-year programs for incoming students—often with academic credit for service learning, internships, study abroad, and more.Based on the results, it has a positive impact on the entire student body and the campus culture, making it a win-win for everyone.

Give it your all

Clearly, this isn’t a one-and-done solution. The key to first-year retention success is to support students from all sides. Start by rethinking freshman orientation, which begins before students even set foot on campus. From there, continue to be aware of the progress students are making academically and emotionally. Not all students are ready or willing to take advantage of the support you have to offer. All you can do is make support relevant, accessible, comprehensive and collaborative. When done successfully, the community you build will provide a safe and inspiring place to make their degrees, and futures, a reality.

Making history
Lori Lightfoot is one of nine candidates who have declared they will run against incumbent Rahm Emanuel.  If elected, she would be the first African-American woman to serve as Chicago’s mayor, and the first openly LGBT mayor of an American city with more than two million residents.

“In order for Chicago to remain a world-class city, we need to create a new path. A path in which fairness and inclusion are our guiding principles. As our mayor, I will respect the experiences of all Chicagoans and ensure our city government works to uplift the quality of life for everyone.”
—Lori E. Lightfoot

Overcoming obstacles
Lori Lightfoot’s values were shaped as a young woman. Her parents overcame obstacles and worked multiple jobs to provide for their children. She learned the value of education and hard work and paid her own way through college. Lori later became a federal prosecutor and the first African American woman to serve as President of the Chicago Police Board, where she has been a forceful advocate for bringing accountability to the police department, working to rebuild trust between officers and the communities they serve.

Fierce for change
Impossible to ignore at 5’1”, her stance remains fierce and forward thinking as she focuses on changing the us vs. them way of thinking. Lori believes that Chicago cannot reach its true potential until all of its residents have access to opportunity, so she will make equity and inclusion the cornerstones of her governing philosophy and policy-making. Her campaign will build a coalition to unite progressives, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color seeking criminal justice reform and safe neighborhoods, good government reformers and public education advocates.

To learn more about Lori’s vision for Chicago, check out lightfootforchicago.com. And be sure to check out the Lori Lightfoot feature in this month’s Marie Claire.

There’s fact and there’s fiction. And sometimes there’s a bit of both.

With the constant influx of blogs, anecdotal evidence, sponsored content, political spin, clickbait, old stories packaged as new and peer-reviewed articles, being able to distinguish between actual news and propaganda is kind of a big deal.  Well, it is if you care about reliable sources.

As recent headlines have shown, the difference between what’s true and what’s not isn’t always easy to spot. While misinformation is not anything new, it now travels farther, faster. With social media, a news story has greater reach and power than the days of email alone.

The fact is, not all misinformation being shared online is complete fiction. Sources such as snopes.com have been exposing whole and partial untruths since the mid 1990s. Their focus is on debunking fabricated viral messages, distortions containing bits of truth and everything in between.

Thinking critically isn’t just an issue for students. It affects all of us from the moment we reach for our ipad, smartphone or other news delivery device, to when we power down for the day. You can’t control all the news that is out there but you can control how your students evaluate it. Recent studies have shown that most high school and college students are unaware that not all links are created equally. That’s a real problem.

“Most college students are unable to distinguish real from fake information when evaluating online sources.”

— Recent study from Stanford History Education Group

As a marketer, it’s good to remember that the internet and social media age we live in is still a relatively new development in the whole scheme of things. You can start by taking a critical look at how you are marketing to students. Because if you’re not walking the talk when it comes to critical thinking, how can you expect your students to do the same?

There’s an opportunity to turn the negativity of fake news into a chance to step up and become the university that teaches students to think critically. And that starts with you.

KEEP IT REAL

Who are you actually talking to? Your audience continues to change and your marketing approach should, too. To stay real and relevant you need to make sure that the right people are fully engaged with what you are saying.

That means keeping your research and insights about your prospective students current and accurate. It’s easy to go with what you know year after year, however, serving up the same ideas may no longer make the same impact it once did.

Take time out to take a step back. Think about the message you intended to send and how it is actually coming across to your prospective and current students.

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

As an institution that helps prepare critically thinking world citizens, you need to take a critical look at how you communicate, starting with how your university treats news.

Are you clear and consistent about the claims you make in your advertising?

• Can it be sourced? As you know, not all links are created equally so it’s a good idea to think before you add that link.
• Is it current? Repackaging old news as new is easy for students to see through.
• Are you conveying the right meaning? Be sure the words you are using are accurate and the meaning is clear.

Are you offering thought leadership to the media?

• You have experts on campus. Make sure their voices are heard.
• Consider bringing in fresh points of view and critical thinking advocates to garner unpaid media to boost your institutions profile as a school that teaches and practices the art of thinking critically.

Are you leveraging the importance of critical thinking in your admissions marketing?

• Never assume that all colleges teach critical thinking.
• If critical thinking is a strength, use it to your advantage.
• If you want to stand out it’s time to take a stand as a trustworthy place for students to come and learn about themselves and the world.

SET THE STANDARD

By definition, authentic describes something that is not false, genuine and real. Its origins are supported by unquestionable evidence and verified to be true. Something that is authentic also represents one’s true nature or beliefs. If your messages, promises, outcomes and job outlooks convey authenticity, you’re off to a good start.

The good news is that authenticity is tough to fake. Keep your marketing real and relevant and your students will see and feel the difference.

Stay strong and hold true to these standards as a university and the news you deliver and the communications you create will not only feel real, they will be.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Many of today’s students are not in the habit of questioning a news source. However, once aware they become very good at knowing what to look for.

As marketers, we may have gotten out of the habit of questioning our sources and messages. But the more we practice critical thinking the more it will become a natural part of the process.

Now is the time to invest in programs and resources that serve as guardians for civic literacy. The more you adapt courses, programs, processes, environments, and initiatives to meet the needs of this next cohort of students the more you will stay relevant to students.

True story.

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Universities are supposed to be a safe haven for discourse and self-expression. It’s like totally your time to speak your mind. But is that ability to safely self express still true today? What value does your campus place on advocacy and debate?

Taking a look at the social issues facing the incoming generation of students, and checking them against the values of your institution can illuminate some important marketing points.

Keep in mind that Gen Z is inspired by all things altruistic. Studies indicate they care way more about how issues impact the collective community than how they affect them personally.

This is a generation that practices what it preaches, and demands the same from the brands it aligns with. From the college they attend to the handbags, headphones, crop tops and Converse they buy, incoming students want transparency and a brand they can believe in. If your school walks the walk, and is a space that nurtures open debate and demanding better—then be sure to promote it in your enrollment messaging.

Gen Z not only challenges how brands communicate, it challenges the very notion of a brand’s authenticity and transparency.

— “Welcome to the Gen Z Challenge,” Ad Age, December 27, 2016

If it’s forced, forget about it.

Tip: Check yourself. Are the images you use authentic? False or forced diversity is not an answer. Be real, be aware and continue to work to revisit your marketing language to filter out any unintentional prejudice.

With constant access to world issues, Gen Z doesn’t just know about them, they want to do something about them and have the tools to do so. Describing themselves as loyal, thoughtful, compassionate, open-minded and responsible, Gen Z students are equipped with maturity, focus and compassion for others. With a mix of traditional and non-conformist values and behaviors, this generation is ready to make a difference.

Here are just a few of the issues that matter most to them now.

Human rights done right.

Socially liberal to moderate, Gen Z grew up with equality and have come to expect it at home and at work. Gen Z is about coming together globally and seeing diversity as an essential part of collaborating to solve the world’s problems, share different perspectives and strengthen society. For Gen Z, social equality is non-negotiable and education is the gateway.

Defying sexual discrimination.

When it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity, gay rights today are very different than a decade ago. Gen Z may not be aware of prior discrimination issues but they do know about the debate over same-sex marriage, and will likely help shape future policies involving adoption, workplace protection and antidiscrimination rights in the future.

Tip: How are your campus LGBTQ support resources? Housing options? Peer networks and communities? Consider the inclusive options you have and don’t neglect to communicate about them.

This generation is writing new rules that favor liberal viewpoints on things like race, gender, identity and sexuality. Socially and technologically empowered, they are arriving on the scene at a crucial moment in history.

— “Gen Z Is On The Rise, Here Is What You Need To Know,” Forbes, Jan 4, 2017

Feeling the impact.

Studies show, being environmentally minded was already tied to higher education when Millennials were stepping onto campus. Gen Z will be forced to feel the impact of environmental choices made by previous generations and their own. The good news they seem ready for the challenges ahead with a positive perspective about changes that can and need to be made.

Living up to expectations.

Gen Z holds itself to a higher standard and expects the same from you. They want you to stand for something whether it’s equality, environment or human rights. Here are some things to think about as you try to connect with Gen Z.

• Does advocacy have a place in your messaging? If your institutional culture is one that nourishes engagement with causes – consider which issues you can highlight. This is less about taking sides, and more about sending the message that your campus is a place to build your own personal voice – and that the expression of it is welcomed and encouraged.
• Is the mission of your institution rooted in a cause? The history of your university may seem like old news to you. But the roots of your school’s founding can also tell a story about change advocacy or breaking convention. If altruism is in your school’s DNA, and remains true, Gen Z wants to know about it. The simple act of sharing it may inspire others to follow and forge their own altruistic path.
• What does your university stand for? Students don’t expect you to stand for everything, but they do expect you stand for something. If you try to fake it, they’ll see right through it and you’ve lost them, most likely for good. Not good. Keep it real, and keep it focused on what makes sense for your campus and students. You can start small or highlight what you’re already doing and go from there. And be sure to a provide some way for students to express what they believe in.
• What students and alumni do you choose to feature? Is advocacy part of how you define success? If so, you should promote students and alumni who are currently or have gone on to make a difference. Share their stories and let it be known that advocacy matters to your university. By featuring personal stories you’ll show what you stand for and how the altruistic environment inspires students to express themselves and make a difference.

Above all else, stay true to what you stand for and be authentic and transparent as you communicate who you are as an institution. You’ll not only build trust but you’ll connect with the right students in the right way. When it comes to altruism and authenticity, Gen Z doesn’t just want it, it demands it. Just keep it real and it won’t be an issue. Because ready or not, here they come.

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It may seem pretty obvious that the student we’re trying to recruit is the person solidly at the center of the university marketing strategy. But is it so obvious that it is easily overlooked?

Colleges may think they are being thoughtful in developing target messaging, but if they are not keeping pace with reality or relying on outdated research or beliefs they may be missing who their current audience really is.

As with the start of every new initiative, it makes sense to revisit what we think we know about our prospects, our market position and our brand perception. And the givens – the things we take for granted as being constants for our school, are the very notions that need to be challenged the most. Unfortunately, as reality sets in some important steps are skipped – which can take your marketing efforts in some unintended directions.

Guide Us Future Student

Spirit animals carry meaning, wisdom and power for the journey ahead. Tradition says that each person is connected to the energies of an animal that shares similar core strengths. Strengths that we can call upon to guide us as we make life decisions and discover our personal truths.

The truth is, most of us humans, particularly in a professional context, prefer to take the long route to “evidence-based” decision making. Lots of research, validation, board presentations, input from the provost, president and anyone else who will talk to us.

A problem arises when the market continues to change while we are distilling, debating, shaping, analyzing, testing, and fighting for budgets. Then finally, when we are ready to implement that updated strategy we find ourselves playing catch-up to try to meet the needs of our current prospect as she is right now.

My suggestion is not to replace concrete market research. Quite the opposite. I recommend that schools do it much more than they typically do.

Rather, I suggest layering in some intuitive, spirit-animal thinking as an important gut check to confirm that we are still headed in the right direction. And to try to listen to some of the intangible factors that we don’t always give voice to with other qualitative and quantitative methods.

If you throw away the assumptions you’ve been making about your target audience, what might you discover?

Like a spirit animal that keeps showing up at key moments to prompt you to pay attention, there are signals and trends that may do the same for us as we shape our university recruitment strategies.

Here are three worth watching:

1. When’s the last time you took a look at supply and demand?

With population shifts in our country, the flow of students is changing – and not insignificantly for many institutions.

There is tension between two realities. The vast majority of students choose a school within 100 miles of their home. And, some regions of the U.S. will continue to produce fewer high school grads in the next decade.

The Northeast and the Midwest have higher concentrations of colleges and universities. These two regions are expected to also see a continued decline in students graduating from high school. A double whammy if this is where your school is located and your main student population has typically come from.

The Midwest looks to be facing the most serious drop. Ohio, Michigan and Illinois are trending to a nearly 30 percent drop in high school graduates between 2009-2028.

According to the Western Interstate Commission, the only spot that shows predicted growth is the South. Texas, Florida and Georgia are growing by 10 percent or more.

How will these geographic population trends impact what your student spirit guide looks like? If you haven’t started adjusting (or feeling) these implications, the clock is ticking.

2. Are you thinking diversity beyond the numbers?

Your campus may already be ethnically diverse. Or at least more so that it was a decade ago. Regardless of the racial and ethnic makeup of your population today, you need to get ahead of the curve that is continuing to bend.

In addition to the population shifts already mentioned, the composition of the next generation of college students might look different than you think.

It’s not enough to merely acknowledge the fact that the number of white, non-Hispanic students of college age is declining.

We have to take a closer look at what this means – beyond the numbers. The tactics you’re using to reach a more diverse student population are not about doing more of the same. Or merely throwing some ethnic media channels into the mix.

The Chronicle of Higher Education describes what areas that have depended on a solid flow of white students are facing. California is projected to have 37,000 fewer white high school graduates by the end of this decade. At the same time, 28,000 more Hispanic students will graduate.

It was startling to me to learn that although every ethnic group is increasing in college degree attainment—the gap between white and Asian, and everyone else, is giant.

The percentage of the overall U.S. population between 25 and 64 earning a college degree is nearly 40 percent. The crusher? The rate for blacks is 28 percent and Hispanics is only 20 percent.

Sure we can attribute the numbers at the higher end of that age range to account for some of it. But the reality is, we have significant cultural and socioeconomic factors that need to be woven into our approach.

Many of our clients are already struggling to adjust to meet the needs of incoming students who are less prepared, with lower family incomes and increased responsibilities on the home front. This isn’t going away. And certainly the real discussion isn’t around merely how to market to these students, but how our degree programs and academic models can evolve to serve them better.

Where on your campus is this conversation happening? The sooner and higher up the marketing function can be involved in and informing these decisions – the better your enrollment function will fare now and in the future. Listen to the whisper of your student spirit animal and turn this issue up to the level it deserves.

3. Talking about my generation?

Ok, people. The first Millennials were born in 1978. They will celebrate their 40th birthday next year.

I hear many schools still talking about their strategy for this generation—even though it’s not really at all whom they are targeting to complete the next cohort.

Of course, Millennials may very well be your target. But it doesn’t hurt to stop and make sure your strategies match the generational behaviors of the group you most want to attract.

Generation Z —Age 22 and younger makes up the largest percentage of our population—and by 2020 will be a full one-third of the entire United States.

This post-millennial generation is more than just a shift in catchy marketing jargon. There are some significant differences that show up in the high school class of 2013 and younger that you need to pay attention to. Here are just a few.

Generation Z is more:

• Global minded. If you don’t have a global perspective as an institution, you’re not worth their time
• Fragmented. Yes, it’s possible. Millennials manage to juggle two screens at a time. Gen Z masters up to five. How does that impact not just your marketing strategy but course delivery?
• Value focused. They like bargains. And they will hold out and drive farther to save money. Interestingly enough, they are more likely to click on banner ads than Millennials, too.
• About images. Less copy. More photographs. And no fake stock images.
• Entrepreneurial. 72% of them envision working for themselves one day. How does this quest for independence show up in your marketing to them?
• Early starters. Unlike the slightly older crowd, this group is more likely to skip a traditional four-year degree. They are more disposed to avoid debt, pursue part time or online options, or choose a focused career college. Practical, focused and unafraid to be unconventional.

Overwhelming? Doesn’t have to be. This is not about starting over. It’s about doing the work, trusting your instincts and making sure that you get out of your own way. Recognizing your own bias is the most important step to building an enriched perspective. When in doubt, check with your guides and don’t be afraid to adjust your course. The right students are out there, ready to show you just what they need.

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Solving the Branding vs. Direct Response debate starts by understanding that it’s all in the family

Many college marketing or admissions directors are faced with the dual tasks of improving ROI by hitting lead and enrollment budgets, while simultaneously being charged with building their institution’s brand. Sounds about right. Right?

In theory, it makes a lot of sense. The branding function (establishing the long-term awareness and reputation you set out to own in the minds of your audiences, and the initiatives to support it) should definitely coincide with the direct response function (urging your audience to take immediate action).

In reality, however, the structure of many career college marketing departments is set up to almost exclusively support direct response (short-term lead generation), with disproportionately little value given to the other facets that are so important to big brother brand. These two functions are undeniably related, but they cannot wholly substitute for one another.

In the same way that you can’t expect brand awareness initiatives to directly generate all the inquiries to your school, you cannot expect lead generation activities to do all the work in establishing a reputation relative to your competition.

Before you know it, these mutually supportive activities are forced to oppose each other. When these otherwise friendly siblings have to compete for the same dollars, it’s only natural that direct response, the analytical little sister who can provide a measurable link to how many seats she can fill, will get the parents’ love and attention. With inadequate time, support and resources left for the other essential components of branding, the function dwindles and becomes woefully misunderstood.

This doesn’t seem to be much of a problem while the classrooms are full, as symptoms of a weak brand are easy to ignore with a healthy looking bottom line. It’s when the numbers fall, or the industry changes, or a crisis happens, that schools find themselves in an almost unrecoverable position of trying to rebuild their reputation. But what if they never really had one? Or the one they have isn’t the one they really want? Oh, brother.

A Conflict of Nurture, Not Nature

And who can blame the marketing manager? If performance is measured not by the development of a brand promise that is true, differentiating and sustainable for growing the institution, but only on the number of students that are going to show up at next week’s start – I’d spend all my money on pay-per-click vendors and late-night television, too.

Here’s the thing. What many proprietary colleges haven’t yet embraced is – if you have a weak or undefined brand position, your lead generation activities and your admissions process has to work exponentially harder to get the job done. A fabulous admissions team, tight telemarketing script and compelling commercial can subsidize an unclear brand – but only to a point.

A school’s reputation, particularly with members of the current millennial generation and their parents, is more important than ever. A weak branding message or tagline that could be used equally by many other schools (or products for that matter) comes across as bland, when what students really want is for you to take a stand. It will also continue to cost you more by requiring greater spend on lead generating activities.

If prospective students don’t have an understanding of your brand promise, you’ll also find that even if you’re making your numbers, the right student may not be the one that’s showing up to class. This lack of clarity puts the admissions team in a really tough position – and it’s easy to see how costs and quality can be hard to manage.

Honoring Ancestors, Evolving the Species

Nothing challenges a weak brand more quickly than the proliferation of competition.

With nearly 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States to choose from, standing for something you can own helps you stand out. Even the strongest direct response engine will eventually become derailed if prospective students don’t know how you’re different from the increasing number of choices they have for their education.

There’s been much written in the higher education trade publications in recent years about how much traditional colleges are learning from their proprietary counterparts. Heavily branded institutions that have not adequately developed their direct response and CRM channels are now starting to catch up and use smarter lead management activities. I’d like to suggest that the reverse should also be true, and for-profit colleges could learn a great deal from what many traditional non-profits colleges have mastered – the art of building a viable brand position, even in a crowded marketplace with many institutions promoting similar academic and experiential offerings.

It’s time to find a hybrid model—uniting the still-essential lead generation with an equal commitment to creating and communicating a unique brand promise to build awareness and attitudes. If we commit to doing that, we might just find ourselves a functional family.

Yes, the shifting landscape can be seen as a threat. But it is also an opportunity to promote a unique selling proposition. One that has the support of the entire institution, as it lives and breathes and permeates every aspect of the student experience.