Recruiting Intelligence

We have a great deal of respect for the role of admission officers. They show impressive persistence and dedication in the relentless marketing through high school visits, college fairs, international travel and so forth. They are road warriors. Now admission officers are asked to engage and connect through social media and video. The job requirements and skill sets can be daunting.

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 

Bill Gates gave an interview recently and described himself as a "professional student" in response to the comment that he was a college drop out.  I appreciated that description. Our professional careers require that mindset today.  

Introduction:

University admissions officers are dedicated folks, committed to recruiting, admitting and enrolling the most qualified, diverse and interesting student body, while balancing the institution's financial needs. They work hard, travelling and interacting with hundreds of prospective students domestically and internationally. 

Education USA is the main U.S. tax payer-financed vehicle for the international promotion of U.S. universities around the world. Let's exclude Harvard, Stanford, MIT -- they do not need that marketing support.