Our first time attending the GMAC Conference put on by the talented folks who produce and manage Graduate Management Education (GME) testing and so much more. With 600+ in attendance, the networking flows easily and the conference logistics seem a bit smoother than some of the other conferences we attend.
GMAC, as an organization, has a larger, more international staff than other U.S. academic associations. And they have a revenue stream (from testing) that others in this field do not have. Their global outposts support academic business programs in countries around the world and confirm the value of their entrance exam for institutions in these countries as well.
Conference sessions covered marketing, recruiting, admissions, diversity, program management, and predicting future enrollment, among others. With many concurrent sessions, I found it hard to identify the most valuable use of any given hour in my schedule. That’s a good thing.
Our presentation topic: predicting the student recruitment future based on international data and the global shift toward stronger anti-immigration policies. Our slides will be available to you for the next week before they move to exclusive access for our Intead Plus members.
Our next opportunity to meet!
EducationUSA, Washington, D.C., July 30-August 1. Ben and Virginia Commonwealth University SIO Jill Blondin will share insights on Navigating Budget Challenges in International Recruitment: Practical Strategies for Every Phase. Hope to see you there!
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Below we share 4 way-cool and thought-provoking takeaways from the sessions I attended at GMAC. And of course, the slides from my session about the future and how cultivating an innovation mindset is your best approach in the face of national and international policy threats. We compare and contrast very reliable sources (IIE, British Council, and IDP) and make our own case for the value of innovation and perseverance.
Read on for the insights and be sure to scroll to the very bottom for the link to our slide deck – which we think is well worth the scroll ; -)
The age-old debate over quantity vs. quality. More leads along with more trash, or fewer high-quality leads. Our bias is always to the latter – fewer and higher quality. For business program leaders, this seemed to be the consensus. And the following conference insights demonstrate the appeal of quality interactions.
1. Online Influencers: One terrific story from a panelist talking about an in-person student recruiting event they were going to hold in Lima and 50 prospects had registered, until…an alum who had something of a following on Tik Tok played the role of influencer with a post. Suddenly 650 had registered. The plans and the venue were not set up to handle those kinds of numbers. In the end 200 people actually showed up and of those 200, a small percent was at all relevant (high quality leads). We’ve discussed this before. Finding and managing your online ambassadors can have very powerful results all for the good. However, unmanaged, this type of online promotion can cause headaches or worse.
2. Slack and Zoom for Admitted: Many institutions are creating a Slack channel for admitted students and fostering connections between admitted students, current students, and alums using this chat tool. Back in the day it was a specific Facebook group devoted to this year’s admitted students. Note, we are talking about admitted candidates who have not yet committed to the institution. When setting these things up and inviting participation, best to do it within 24-48 hours of the admit letter arriving to build on the excitement. Similarly, a Zoom event a few days after the admit letter with revolving break-out rooms to help people meet and connect shines a very enticing light on what will happen when they choose to engage and enroll at your institution. Using the tools found in employers’ shops (building familiarity with etiquette on Zoom, Slack, etc.) is valuable to incoming classes, whether they are following a business degree or something else.
3. Student-Focused Messaging: Sustainability plans have been a growing focus for messaging to students. Many prospective students, regardless of their career interests, want to know that the institutions they align with are doing their part for the future. AI is an even bigger draw as an area of intrigue. Consider your promotional videos, student interviews, and webinars (with knowledgeable professors). These topics are far more enticing than: “how to complete your application.” Another valuable webinar topic: achieving life flexibility (another way of saying, learn how to adapt to a changing world). Important since the jobs available when your current students are 30, 40, 50, 60 have not yet been created. There was a time when no one knew what an “online community manager” was. Or more recently, a “prompt engineer.” Or our favorite: a US dictionary from 1950 we have defines the word “computer” as “one who computes.” We kid you not ; -)
4. Concierge Services for Applicants: GMAC is a conference for MBA admissions and many of the student candidates are seasoned (and extremely busy) executives. The reality is that many applicants have their Executive Assistant completing the application for them. With that reality in mind, one attendee posed the idea of providing applicants with an executive assistant focused on helping them collect all the information for their application. This service could be provided for a fee (an add-on to the standard application fee). The idea prompted a great discussion of admissions ethics: would having applicants pay a higher application fee and receive these services then bias the admissions team toward accepting this pool of applicants at a higher rate? Good question and an interesting innovation concept. Helping students through the application process is what admissions folks are all about. Where exactly is the line on that? What is cost-effective for the institution? What are prospective students or institutions willing to invest in making that process less painful?
Thoroughly enjoyed the conference and hope to attend again. In the meantime, I promised you my slide deck on global elections and student mobility. Access it here. The deck is available to blog subscribers for free this week, after which it will remain accessible to Intead Plus members.
