Higher Voltage

The Great Resignation sweeping the nation has people leaving unsatisfying jobs at unprecedented rates. Higher education is, by many anecdotal accounts, being hit hard by this trend. And that hit is coming at precisely the wrong time, as longer-term dips in enrollment dovetail with a broader cultural questioning of the value of a four-year college degree, all of which is exacerbated by a sharp, pan...

There was a time when the job of college president was a cushy capstone to an ascendant academic career. These are not those times. The job of leading an institution of higher education has never been more difficult, and today's presidents must be masters of strategic communications and operations. Teresa Valerio Parrot and Erin Hennessy of TVP Communications join host Kevin Tyler to talk about wh...

It's time to forget about rankings and traditional notions of prestige in higher education, says Otterbein University President John Comerford. Instead, he argues for putting students first with courses and programs and partnerships that provide them the education that they actually need, which may not always align with what higher ed has long been selling. 708611

Mary Osako explains UCLA's storytelling-based approach to marketing, and why they hired a Chief Content Officer and a Chief Brand Officer.

Higher ed social media has never been more critical to marketing efforts than it is now, and that's a good thing.

On this episode of Higher Voltage, we sat down with Bridget Burns, the executive director for the University Innovation Alliance (UIA).  Listen in as Kevin Tyler, Higher Voltage host, and Bridget discussed how the UIA is using data, process mapping, design thinking, and a university alliance to increase the number and diversity of college graduates through a student-focused approach.

Eddie Francis of Dillard University and Chelsea Holley of Spelman College explore how a global pandemic and nationwide calls for racial justice have changed how HBCUs market themselves to prospective students, and ways in which HBCUs were perfectly primed to meet the moment at hand.

On the latest Higher Voltage, we discuss best practices with three experts who live this every day. Liz Gross, the CEO of Campus Sonar, has compiled answers to all the questions she gets online and at conferences and that she has ruminated on for years, and turned it into a free ebook titled “Fundamentals of Social Media Strategy: A Guide for College Campuses.” Joining her are Anice Barbosa, Digit...

Jamila Walker, Taquinda Johnson, Josie Ahlquist, and Christina Garnett discuss how building digital communities can provide a haven for those working in higher ed, and higher ed social media.

How Butler University rose from a small Indiana University to a basketball powerhouse, and how that rise boosted the school's enrollment and endowment. Graham Honaker, co-author (with Jerry Logan) of "The Cinderella Strategy: The Game Plan behind Butler University's Rise to Prominence," joins the podcast to explain.

Drexel University's Craig Kampes and Joseph Master dig into the origins, strategy, and execution of the school's "Ambition Can't Wait" brand awareness campaign, which has been the school's marketing backbone since 2016.

Stony Brook University's Terry Flannery joins the podcast to discuss her new book, "How to Market a University"

As we turn the page on 2020, Jenny Li Fowler of MIT and Gabriel Welsch of Duguesne University look at the marketing trends and tactics that will prevail in 2021.

Angela Polec and Heather Dotchel discuss how marketing strategy and institutional strategy are one and the same, and why CMOs need a seat in the presidential cabinet at higher ed institutions.

Josie Ahlquist, higher ed communication consultant, Walter Kimbrough, President of Dillard University, discuss the importance of university leaders being active and authentic on social media.

With Giving Tuesday just around the corner, we talk about the state of institutional giving in 2020, and the ways that colleges and universities will leverage Giving Tuesday to create their own dedicated days of giving before the fiscal year is out.

Matt Jennings, editor-in-chief of Middlebury Magazine, joins Higher Voltage to discuss the award-winning publication's shift from print-first product to digital-only (for now), and what changes will be permanent.

In this week's Higher Voltage, we explore the different kinds of agreements and compensation schools offer these students, the guidelines and safeguards they put in place, and the importance of leveraging these authentic voices and their digital savvy to help show prospective students what their life on campus (IRL or virtual) can look like.

Higher ed marketers want to portray their schools as diverse and inclusive. But how do they do that in a way that is authentic and doesn't misrepresent the actual makeup of their student bodies? Kevin Tyler and Alice Cheng-McConnell explore with our host, Heather Dotchel on the latest episode of Higher Voltage.

Accessibility in Higher Ed Communications – Alexa Heinrich and Erika Boltz by Volt

Higher ed marketing professionals love a good conference. So how are folks connecting and learning from one another with the traditional conference calendar blown up?

The Volt podcast returns, as guests Jon-Stephen Stansel and Krista Boniface explore the toll that managing higher ed social media communications takes on the professionals on those front lines. Host Heather Dotchel is our guide, as Higher Voltage (formerly the Hashtag Higher Ed podcast) kicks off.

When was the last time you were creative? Did you take a moment to recognize your own accomplishment? Did you share that feeling with others? Creativity is a sticky subject; difficult to identify and harder to hone. And yet, we are surrounded by it, personally and professionally. In the season 2 finale of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, Amma Marfo, speaker and consultant at Fun Enterprises, joins t...

According to the 2018 e-Expectations report, cost/tuition information and scholarship opportunities are the two primary reasons prospective college students visit your website. And yet, across higher education, financial aid pages are littered with insider language, fine print, and confusing instructions. But Calvin College has taken a different approach. In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed P...

Across higher education, marketers are routinely being asked to increase their content production. And yet, in a 2018 survey by TerminalFour, the majority of marketers said their marketing team and budget had either not changed or decreased in the past 24 months. How can marketers work smarter, rather than just harder? In this episode of the Hashtag Higher Ed Podcast, Justin Laing, Senior Manager,...