Planning for Recruiting & Admissions Success

Presented by: Tim Copeland, SunGard Higher Education April 14, 2008 Course ID S-0790

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE.

Agenda
What are the challenges in connecting with the 21st century student? How can a relationship management approach improve performance? How can we build an agile approach to recruiting and admissions?

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Recruitment 2.0: Connecting with the 21st Century Student

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE.

A Difficult Environment

50,000 Foot Level Institutional Challenges

Competition A tougher public policy environment A call for demonstrated results

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State of Recruitment & Admissions

Where the Rubber Meets the Road Recruiting and Admission Challenges
Rapidly changing demographics Media proliferation Forecasting Reaching an audience of one

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Media Proliferation

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The Forecasting Challenge

Record applications submitted through the Common Application Source (1M+ since July 1, 2007)* Use of pre-printed applications has exploded The deposit as an insurance policy

* Press Release: Record Application Numbers Announced, (January 2008)

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Recruitment 2.0: The Engagement Challenge

The enrollment funnel is a broken metaphor that no longer reflects the complex student decision process Difficult to identify adult learners through the name purchase/direct mail model Todays marketing and recruitment challenge: reaching an audience of one

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Voices from the Field

Stealth applications are a big problemstudents dont want to be in contact with us until they are ready. Weve got to the respect that and provide some (additional) benefit for prospects to self-identify before they apply.
(Public University, Midwest)

Last year for nearly 40% of our applicants their first official contact with us was their application.
(Private College, West)

Now that more and more students are not letting themselves get poured into the funnel, we need to be doing more ...
(Public University, Southeast)

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The Relationship Between Value and Price

Relationships Matter
Enrollment results are ultimately driven by an institutions ability to articulate and convey the value of its offerings within the context of a students desires and motivations.

In the Absence of Value, Price is Always an Issue

Without perceived value, the collegeselection decision is, more often than not, reduced to deal-making in the financial aid process.

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Recruitment 2.0: What it Means

Relationships Matter
The legacy model is failing In this reality, resources are misaligned To achieve recruiting and admissions success, our focus must be on students

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How A Relationship Management Approach Can Improve Performance

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE.

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We have to make sure that we do not lose sight of the importance of relationships versus turning enrollment management into number crunching.
VP Enrollment, Midwestern University

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What is Constituent Relationship Management?

Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) is a philosophy and a business and enrollment strategy, supported by a system and technology, designed to improve student and constituent interactions in a higher education environment.
Adapted from Paul Greenburg (2004)

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A CRM Approach Can Deliver Outstanding Results

Demonstrated Benefits for Business
Helped strengthen competitive position

Potential Benefits for Higher Education

Improve student experience/increase competitive position Recruitment ROI and improved productivity

How Banner EM Delivers

360 View of Students

Delivered high return on investment (ROI)

Campaign Mgt and Recruiter Workspace

Sales growth

Increase enrollment performance

Performance Management

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 However it Requires a Four-Letter Word: WORK

CRM isn't simply a matter of screwing in some software. it's not just a capability fix, effective CRM requires a vision, an understanding of what you are trying to accomplish -- what business outcomes CRM can support, how you can drive value as well as effective execution.
Bryan Crockett (2005), Accenture

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Lessons Learned
Accenture Slams CRM As Ineffective Is Your CRM System Destined To Fail? 70% CRM Project Failure Rate How to rescue CRM Googling CRM Failure

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What it Means
1. A CRM approach is a philosophy and strategy, supported by people and process, and enabled by technology 2. A relationship management approach can deliver outstanding benefits 3. A CRM approach can be transformational, but it requires a clear strategy of what you want to accomplish, measurable objectives, and the involvement of key stakeholders

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Planning for Recruiting and Admissions Success An Agile Approach

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE.

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It Starts with Strategy Goal: Increase enrollment by attracting and retaining a high quality, diverse student body.
Objective 1- Develop a recruitment strategy and scholarship assistance. Actions: Visit top 20 feeder schools Send follow-up correspondence Award scholarships to high achieving students Objective 2 Retain students at a higher rate. Actions: Review tutorial staffing Implement student surveys
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 But, What Does Success Look Like?

Goal: Increase enrollment by attracting and retaining a high quality diverse student body.
By how much?, what timeframe? What measures determine quality? Will the market support this goal? Are the identified supporting actions evidenced-based? Whos responsible? How do you know you have succeeded? Or failed?

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The Disconnect of Strategy and Execution

1. Unclear roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, and progress measures 2. Weak monitoring of progress 3. Heavy reliance upon ANNUAL strategic and performance reviews 4. Slow and ineffective decision making
The Keys to Strategic Execution, (March 2007), American Management Association

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The Agile Recruiting and Admissions Office

1. Starting with a recruitment strategy, clear goals, measurable objectives, and key performance indicators 2. Building your enrollment operating system
Integration of people and process, enabled by technology Repeatable Go to market

3. Clear understanding and identification of performance drivers 4. Adapt to changing conditions and institutional priorities 5. Viewing enrollment holistically

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What it Means
1. An agile approach to recruiting and admissions starts with strategy 2. An enrollment operating system allows institutions to adapt to changing conditions and institutional priorities 3. Clearly define measures that drive performance 4. Execution matters!

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Moving Toward Maturity: How SGHE Services Can Help

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT. EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE. ADMINISTRATIVE INNOVATION. INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE.

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A Different Approach: Moving Toward Maturity

High

Relationship Driven Event-based

Broadcast

Predictive

Reactive

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Data Intensity

Mass

2
High

Student Engagement

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Aligning Institutional and Student Viewpoints

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Seven Best Practices for a CRM Approach

Strategy and Governance 1. Build strong executive support 2. Require that business executives lead CRM, with support from IT 3. Put in the right governance structure Objectives and Practices 4. Assess practices 5. Define clear objectives Data Management 6. Define data requirements and data quality early User Adoption 7. Strive for high user involvement
Band, William. (2005), Best Practices for CRM Deployment, Forrester Research

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Summary
The enrollment funnel is a broken metaphor that no longer represents the complex student decision process. Recruiting and admissions success begins with strategy and clear objectives EXECUTION MATTERS! CRM is an organizational philosophy and an enrollment strategy. Technology is the powerful enabler of the benefits that accrue from a disciplined approach. Developing an agile approach to recruiting and admissions is a strategic imperative. Moving toward enrollment marketing maturity increases student engagement and yields predictive insight.

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Tim Copeland
Senior Consultant Enrollment Management Consulting Practice

Email: tim.copeland@sungardhe.com Phone: 404-437-6449

SunGard, the SunGard logo, Banner, Campus Pipeline, Luminis, PowerCAMPUS, Matrix, and Plus are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. Third-party names and marks referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. 2008 SunGard. All rights reserved.

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