Recruiting Intelligence

“It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future,” as the quote goes by Yogi Barra & Niels Bohr.  I was reminded of this quote as I read an article on trends in liberal arts colleges. "Since 1990, the number of liberal arts schools in the U.S. has dropped from 212 to 130, a 39 percent decrease". This information came from a study by Roger Baldwin from Michigan State University "Are liberal arts colleges disappearing"  The author states that only a handful of colleges have gone out of business, but many have added vocational programs in nursing and business and have changed their focus so dramatically that they no longer retain a liberal arts identity. It's a shift of great magnitude without any major headlines for the outside world to notice. I strongly feel that education will continue to change without dramatic public headlines.

 I want to discuss five predictions and analyze how these changes will affect student recruitment and marketing activities. 

Travel to international markets and personal outreach to students and parents is an important element of student recruitment. No different than in your home recruitment activities, the personal touch can be a critical starting point of a relationship and a future enrollment.

Would you spend $5 million to organize a discussion?   According to media reports*, that's exactly what Lynn University in Florida spent in preparation of holding the last presidential debate between President Obama and Mitt Romney this year.

I have heard quite a few U.S. colleagues asking me about the secondary schools in Vietnam and where they would find the most number of potential candidates for their programs. Where will you find students with strong academic performance, best English skills, and high propensity to seek a college education in the U.S.?

Listening to podcasts has been productive for my own professional development and the development of my team. I am using audio podcasts during my commute and travel time to stay up-to-date on relevant topics and important publications.  I looked around and could not find anything relevant with a focus on international student enrollment and international marketing for universities.  As a result, Intead has decided to become part of the solution. We will launch a monthly podcast series addressing larger strategic issues, country-specific information, partner and vendor information and hands-on practical recruitment questions. 

The recruiting environment is getting more competitive in China for international universities. International admission officers have to find ways to broaden the pool of students they can reach. As a result, it is even more important to understand the Chinese high school system to craft a successful recruitment strategy for your college or university. 

What do I mean by "rudimentary?" Maybe I should have stated that U.S. domestic student recruitment has become more and more sophisticated over the past few years. This trend will accelerate with increased competition among schools across larger territories, more entries into hybrid and online brands that lend themselves to larger territories, and broader marketing campaigns. 

In the spring and summer of 1988, I was sitting in Germany with three U.S. graduate school admissions in hand, two of them to similar prestigious programs in Washington D.C. - Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) and Georgetown University. I didn't get to visit either campus. I had never been to the United States, had no emotional, family and other ties to either university. Where to attend?

I noticed in discussions with admissions officers their surprise that higher education companies own and use multiple brands.  These companies also offer a variety of services.  Because of my previous professional life of investment and Merger & Acquisition work, I tend to dig into the structure and origin of companies.  Hence, we launched a small summer project with our interns to research ownership of a few higher visibility and acquisitive companies.  In subsequent blogs we will cover brands and services owned by various companies.  Our selection will be completely subjective and not scientific.  If we miss an interesting company, please let us know.   

Coordinating efforts between recruitment and student services