The Higher Ed Marketer

Student retention and graduation rates are common concerns in higher education. How do we improve the experiences of students, therefore increasing their future successes in life?  In this episode, Dr. Larry Johnson , College President at Guttman Community College CUNY , walks us through the unique model of Guttman Community College and how building a learning community brings successful outcomes...

Finding your perfect prospective student will increase your enrollment numbers.  How do you find your perfect student?  In this episode, Tim Bohling , Chief Marketing and Graduate Enrollment Officer at University of Notre Dame - Mendoza College of Business , joins the show to talk about how an authentic brand narrative paired with data-driven marketing will increase your chances of connecting with...

What sets your school apart from others?  It’s a useful thing to know.  You can devise a powerful marketing strategy if you embrace what makes you unique and use it to attract prospective students.  In this episode, Lindsay Nyquist , Director of Marketing and Communications at Fort Lewis College , joins the show to talk about recognizing and marketing the uniqueness of your school.  We discuss: Th...

An essential part of a leader’s job is setting a grand vision for the organization and imbuing its people with a shared purpose. That goes for any organization, whether it be a church or a higher ed institution. Dr. Mark Jobe , President at Moody Bible Institute , has experience leading both. In this episode, he shares what he's learned about leadership over the course of his career, including why...

What do you do when your family has a combined height of nearly 36 feet? You become social media superstars. That’s the journey of Rob Clark , Content Creator and Founder of That Tall Family . With over 1 BILLION views and nearly 1.4 million followers since March of 2021, Rob and his family have been taking social media by storm. In a previous life, however, Rob was a higher ed marketer. That’s wh...

College access is an issue in this country.  Many potential students simply don't believe higher education is within reach.   It’s this inaccessibility and the lack of awareness of educational opportunities that is one of the leading causes of the declining perception of the value of higher ed.  Sujoy Roy , CEO of VisitDays , is aiming to change that. In this episode, he discusses how his platform...

Our guest, Philip Dearborn , has spent over 25 years in biblical higher education serving in a wide array of roles—from student recruiter and registrar to provost and VP of student affairs. Today, he is the President of the Association for Biblical Higher Education . It’s his extensive experience at both the collegiate and accreditation levels that makes him the perfect person to talk with about l...

The perceived value of higher education has declined in the last few years. It might seem like it’s simply an issue of cost, but that is only part of the value equation. The truth? Linking the return on investment to fulfilling jobs and careers is the key to demonstrating value and driving enrollment numbers back up, especially for community colleges. In this episode, Terri Giltner , Chief Marketi...

When Brian Kenny tells people he’s the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Harvard Business School , they often say, “Why does Harvard need a chief marketing officer?” Yes, Harvard is a historic brand, and that might lead some to believe that it markets itself, but it turns out history can sometimes be a double-edged sword. In this milestone episode — our 50th! — we talk with Brian abou...

The potential for getting roasted by Gen Z is high if you aren’t adapting to the new expectations for higher education. Facebook is in the past—students are looking for more. More community, mental health sensitivity, and customization. How can we provide that? Our guest, Adam Metcalf , Co-Founder at ZeeMee , has the answers. In this episode, he explains why the key to Gen Z is community and how t...

Ever since the internet lowered barriers for fundraising, getting the attention of donors has gotten increasingly harder. Many colleges and universities have responded by making their capital campaigns bigger. However, our guest, Steve Brady , Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology , believes they should get smaller. In this episode, he explains why hig...

Many prospective students don't have the resources to travel across the country and tour all of the colleges and universities that interest them. What if there was a TV show that offered an insider's look at each school—their values, the campus life, the academic opportunities—through the eyes of their students? Alex Boylan , Co-Founder and Executive Producer of The College Tour , a TV series that...

To succeed at higher ed marketing, you need to understand the challenges prospective students face. For example, what hurdles do they need to overcome to attend your school? Often, a major hurdle is the prospect of borrowing money. That’s why offering loan repayment assistance programs, or LRAPs, can make a huge difference with enrollment. Peter Samuelson , President at Ardeo Education Solutions ,...

Sometimes when marketers get all gung-ho about creating work, especially content that looks “professional,” it can blur the authenticity of the message. Members of Gen Z (who have highly sensitive BS filters) can prefer content that’s imperfect. In this episode, we spoke with Nate Jorgensen , Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Cincinnati - College of Engineering and Appl...

When creating a fundraising plan for your institution, the very first step is developing your fundraising case for support. Bill Stanczykiewicz is the Senior Assistant Dean for External Relations and the Director of the Fundraising School at IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy , which is the world’s only school on philanthropic studies. Needless to say, he’s THE expert on institutional philanth...

Even at a small college, the risk of becoming siloed is high. At a large school with multiple campuses, it’s crucial to emphasize clarity of vision. Without it, employees will go rogue trying to solve the problems in front of them. We speak with Eleanor Berman , Chief Marketing Officer at Indiana University , about her experience with decentralized marketing organizations, solving the $800 million...

It’s hard to imagine, but some universities needed convincing before integrating a school website in the 1990s. Fast forward to today, not only is a school website essential, but requires a superior level of content, keywords, and consistent updates if you hope to differentiate yourself. We speak with Cam Tracy , Web Development Agent at Union University , about his experience building a universit...

With all universities vying for students, creating value through exceptional experiences and differentiated offerings is the only way to stand out. And our guest is here to share exactly how his university has achieved this time and time again. Ethan Braden , Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Purdue University , provides insights on what’s made Purdue so successful as a bran...

It’s no secret: The market for higher education is shrinking. And whether that’s a seminary, graduate school, or a small private college, everyone is looking for ways to pull in more prospective students. One way in this post-pandemic era — hybrid virtual events. From Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary : Joe Emmick , Vice President for Development, and Shane Nichols , Chief Marketing and Com...

There’s always going to be a “next big thing” in higher ed marketing. The important thing to remember is it’s not so much what that next big thing is that matters, it’s how you use it. John Drevs , Associate Vice President of Digital Marketing and Communications at Loyola University Chicago , provides insights on how to keep ahead of the next big thing in this episode. Plus, he explains the ideal...

There are thousands of marketers across a variety of industries that are leveraging big data to promote products and services, almost in real-time. But in higher ed marketing circles, many marketers are still wary of it. In many cases, a knowledge gap exists—they simply don’t know how it works. They have questions ranging from how big data is collected to the legalities and ethics surrounding it....

Prospective students aren’t as responsive to websites, emails, and mailers as they used to be. These days, younger generations are looking more towards peer-to-peer input when making decisions about their college journey. That’s one reason why Biola University started tapping into the power of influencer marketing. In this episode, Lee Wilhite , Vice President at Biola University, discusses how th...

There’s a degree of simplicity to enrollment marketing in the undergraduate world. The schools have the luxury of buying lists to recruit students. When it comes to grad school and seminary enrollment, it isn’t quite so easy. In this episode, we talk with Kevin Bish , VP of Enrollment Management and Student Services at Asbury Theological Seminary , about how to identify mission-fit students who wi...

The good news is that you do not need any coding knowledge at all to create a digital place that students have near-constant access to that also makes them feel connected to the university community. Here’s why you need an app. In this episode, we interview Jamie Giblett , Sales Manager at Digistorm North America , about the many reasons an app plays such a vital role in retaining current students...

When it comes to marketing leadership roles, it pays to speak less and listen more. Anna-Maja Dahlgren , Director of University Marketing at Loma Linda University , has embraced this philosophy throughout her marketing career, which began in healthcare before transitioning to higher ed. It was this commitment to listening that led to a compromise between her and executive leadership. That compromi...