This spring, we hosted virtual roundtables that brought more than 300 higher ed professionals together to discuss the value of a college degree, innovative strategic planning, and growing graduate enrollment.  ..read more

With the demographic shift and many other changes happening on higher ed campuses, leveraging graduate enrollment as a campus growth opportunity is top of mind for many. Before you begin development, it’s critical to think through how to build competitive graduate programs and understand how to effectively recruit and retain graduate students.  Graduate enrollment and marketing experts Keith Ramsdell (Vice President for Enrollment Marketing, Ashland University) and Shane Baglini (Senior Director of Marketing, Muhlenberg College) discussed navigating graduate enrollment growth with me duri ..read more

The topic of graduate enrollment growth is having a moment in higher ed. With the FAFSA delays and decreasing undergraduate enrollment, expanding graduate programs feels like a quick and easy solution for many campuses. But from recent work with a client on graduate program growth, we know it’s not as easy as it seems. Our research determined it’s critical for graduate programs to align student and employer needs in today’s evolving job market. Prospective graduate students and employers expect the same outcomes—hands-on learning, applied skill development, relationship-building, and critical ..read more

Strategic planning is an opportunity to evaluate and prioritize resources so your institution can optimize its strengths and achieve its goals. Every campus has a strategic plan, but the process and approach for developing that plan varies.  Strategic planning experts Dr. Scott Cline, Mike Moss, and Dominique Raymond weighed in on current approaches and how to evolve your process for continued success.  What are strengths and limitations of current strategic planning approaches? Managing the larger plan along with day-to-day operations. On campuses, there’s often a disconnect between ..read more

In Campus Sonar’s latest industry trends report on “Rebuilding Trust in Higher Ed,” we explored the gap between trust and value to understand what audiences discuss about a college degree using social intelligence. We focused on how audiences explain the purpose of higher ed, the value of a degree based on current outcomes, and how those outcomes could evolve if trust and values aligned.  Now, it’s time to apply those insights on campus with strategies to help you begin rebuilding trust with prospective and current students, alumni, and the public at large. Make sure you read the other tw ..read more

In Campus Sonar’s latest industry trends report on “Rebuilding Trust in Higher Ed,” we explored the gap between trust and value to understand what audiences discuss about a college degree using social intelligence. We focused on how audiences explain the purpose of higher ed, the value of a degree based on current outcomes, and how those outcomes could evolve if trust and values aligned.  Now, it’s time to apply those insights on campus with strategies to help you begin rebuilding trust with prospective and current students, alumni, and the public at large. Lead with Transparency Transpar ..read more

You’ve been giving your president and board the wrong information from social media, and you need to fix it as soon as possible. I’ve spent the last few weeks listening carefully to trustees, current and former presidents, and the people who advise them. These were positive conversations, but they revealed a huge gap. One former president put it plainly. “Social intelligence sounds like an oxymoron. As president, everything I was shown from social media was terrible. There was nothing systematic or intelligent about it.” According to the Social Intelligence Lab, social intelligence is the stra ..read more

At a macro level, the value of a college degree is a constant topic in higher ed. At a micro level, you invariably need to consider how that value relates to your institution’s brand. There are many indicators of value, as well as internal and external factors contributing to this drop in confidence. But, as contributing expert Mallory Willsea shares, the decline is countered by research from Axios that college grads have significantly higher earning potential—indicating that perception doesn't match reality when it comes to the value of a degree. We see this same gap in perception in our late ..read more

Reddit filed to go public on the New York Stock Exchange last month, and I paid close attention. Its prospectus highlights the impact the anonymous forum site has on public trust—and how higher education leaders can leverage the insight within its 17 billion posts and comments to rebuild trust and inform a proactive, audience-centric market strategy. Higher education didn’t understand the impact Facebook would have on its operations when it went public over a decade ago. Don’t make the same mistake with Reddit. Here’s what you need to know. Founded in 2005, Reddit is the last of the 2000s era ..read more

It’s no secret by now that the redesign and relaunch of the FAFSA form at the federal level has caused stress and confusion for higher ed leaders and college-going families alike. Staff and administrators are navigating frequent updates and shifting processes and timelines; and further uncertainty about aid and finances has added to the worries prospective students already feel about affording a degree. (Our national industry listening continues to reveal scholarships and financial aid as top topics discussed online in terms of the college decision-making process.) At Campus Sonar, our mission ..read more