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2010 Futures and Markets Case Studies
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FAM Survey
If you have questions or would like to participate by adding a Case Study of your own, contact Linda Glessner.
Futures and Markets Commission
Case Study Reports
April 20 – November 1, 2010
Table of Contents
I. Integration of Leadership Berks as a Program of Alvernia University
II. Sustainable Continuing Education Model: The Missouri Experience – University of Missouri, Columbia
III. No Margin, No Mission: Proactive Restructuring to Align CE with Priorities of a New President – University of Southern Maine
IV. The Re-envisioning of Continuing Education: Creating a Solid Footing for Success University of Texas- Austin
V. Academic Partnership Program for Emerging Fields- University of Connecticut
VI. Program Development – Expanding on the Margin and Blurring the Lines – Eastern Michigan University
VII. 2 + 2 Partnerships with Community Colleges- Kansas State University
VIII. Hed: Untapped Pipeline HCC/UH Joint Admissions: A Partnership to Increase Participation and Success – University of Houston
IX. Online Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management - University of Wisconsin- Extension
X. Extreme Marketing Makeover: Adult Degree Program Achieves Enrollment and Revenue Growth Through Transformation of its Course Delivery Formats and Marketing Strategies – Linfield College
Integration of Leadership Berks as a Program of Alvernia University
Kathleen V. Davis, Ph.D
Alvernia University
History:
Until June 30, 2009, Leadership Berks was a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1985 by the United Way of Berks County; the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce and Industry; the Junior League of Reading, PA, Inc.; and the United Labor Council.
Mission Statement:
The mission of Leadership Berks is to serve as the premier resource for nonprofit board education and to develop, support and connect community leaders for Berks County.
Vision Statement:
Leadership Berks is the premier resource for developing, supporting and connecting community leaders for Berks County by providing community leadership and board training programs, organizational capacity building workshops, and courses( including on and off-site training services) to area nonprofit organizations and boards.
Background
Leadership Berks has over 700 graduates since its inception in 1985. Program graduates include established local leaders and rising leaders within the community. Over 70% of program graduates come from business and industry. In December 2004, the organization hired its first full-time executive director. Under this new leadership, the goal was to address curricular consistencies; re-engage and reconnect the organizations alumni base; improve the overall brand and community recognition and awareness; and explore financial and staffing resources in order to expand programs and services in niche markets. Since 2004, many of these goals have been realized.
For more than 20 years, Leadership Berks rented space within the Chamber offices. In 2008, the Chamber’s leadership changed as did its direction and focus. Simultaneously, Leadership Berks undertook a significant strategic planning process. In addition to its Board of Directors and executive director, the process included nine key community leaders, including that of the Alvernia University’s new President. Consistent with the goals and objectives of the resulting plan, Leadership Berks accepted an invitation from the University President to establish a collaborative partnership agreement including moving the Leadership Berks office, program, and staff member to campus. This collaborative partnership agreement met with Leadership Berks’ interests to move from the Chamber offices and likewise supported the University President’s formation of Alvernia’s Center for Ethics and Leadership and Holleran Center for Community Engagement.
After a year and a half under the collaborative partnership agreement, further exploration of the benefits was explored. Consistent with Leadership Berks’ and the University’s strategic direction, Alvernia approached Leadership Berks with an offer to acquire the program and staff and to dissolve the organization’s 501c3 status. Effective July 2009, Leadership Berks programs and staff became a program and product of the University.
Acquisition: Key Goals and Objectives
Among others, the following key acquisition goals supported the University’s strategic plan:
· maximizing contacts and building on the brand of Leadership Berks’ programs to increase the University’s outreach, community service programs, and development of ethical leaders
· supporting the formation of Alvernia’s Center for Ethics and Leadership and Holleran Center for Community Engagement
Among others, the following key acquisition goals supported Leadership Berks’ strategic plan:
· seamlessly offering the trademark Core Program
· addressing inadequate staffing and financial resources identified as weaknesses in Leadership Berks’ strategic plan
· providing enhanced credentials for Leadership Berks’ programs and curriculum
· seamlessly integrate Leadership Berks as a program of the University
· continue to offer the Core program in the Leadership Berks tradition
· expanding outreach efforts with Leadership Berks graduates through the retention of the Leadership Berks Alumni Council
· expand opportunities for new financial resource development through launching an first-ever annual fund appeal to alumni
Current Status
Since the acquisition last July, the following benefits have been realized:
Leadership Berks continues to:
· offer its trademark Core Program with 29 individuals participating in the 2010 cohort
· offer all curricular requirements of the Core Program in the Leadership Berks tradition
· work directly with the Leadership Berks alumni council to enhance program graduates’ professional network, education on various community issues, and service to their local community by providing assistance with identifying board and committee placement opportunities; and forums on topics of interest to alumni
In addition, Leadership Berks has:
· merged its contacts into the Alvernia University database
· merged its content into the University’s website
· launched its first ever appeal to alumni
· utilized alumni contacts to screen opportunities for workshops and continuing education within the broader community
· supported the Center for Ethics and Leadership and Holleran Center for Community Engagement by helping to promote programs and events and encouraging attendance
· utilized the resources of the advancement office resources for mailings
· realized enhanced credentials for Leadership Berks’ programs and curriculum as noted in feedback since the merger announcement
· Leadership Berks will be housed within the Center for Ethics and Leadership as one of the signature programs of the Center
Since the acquisition, the following benefits have been somewhat realized:
· maximizing contacts to increase the University’s outreach, community service programs, and development of ethical leaders
Since the acquisition, the following benefits have not yet been fully realized:
· seamless integration of Leadership Berks into the University through marketing resources;
· addressing inadequate program staffing and financial resources through the utilization of work study, graduate students, or administrative support.
Sustainable Continuing Education Model: The Missouri Experience
Deborah Robison
University of Missouri-Columbia
OVERVIEW
The University of Missouri (MU) is a research 1, AAU, comprehensive land-grant university. It serves about 30,000 undergraduates and graduates.
Continuing education at MU has existed for almost 100 years. The CE unit generates over 100,000 enrollments each year in both credit and non-credit programming. It has a program mix of 60% credit and 40% non-credit programs and delivers about 3,000 non-credit events and over 1,100 credit courses each year. Continuing education programs are generated by 12 units, 5 of which are located in a school or college.
THE MISSOURI EXPERIENCE - AT A GLANCE
MU had a visionary leader, Dr. Ratchford, in the early 1960’s who created a Division of Extension. The Division was structured to be administratively centralized and programmatically decentralized. It included both continuing education and cooperative extension with connections to all of MU’s schools and colleges.
Now, looking at this model after 50 years, it becomes apparent that Dr. Ratchford’s vision was one that created not only a very sustainable continuing education model but also a very successful one. Continuing education at the University of Missouri has continued to remain strong both fiscally and programmatically in spite of losing most of its appropriated support over the years. It has also weathered many new administrators as well as several economic downturns and has been instrumental in the tremendous growth of online programming at MU.
The success of continuing education at MU is due to many factors but the most notable one has been its inclusion in the Extension division.
OPPORTUNITIES/CHALLENGES/SOLUTIONS
What is the value of MU’s Extension division? Obviously the status of a division head, in this case a vice provost, provides a presence and a voice when key decisions are being made not after they have been made. The Division has the capacity to provide financial support to a unit when necessary because the aggregate budget has less volatility than that of an individual unit.
This support can be critical to the survival of a unit when it loses a key program or it might be necessary as seed capital to grow or develop new innovative programs. This united Division also allows continuing education to garner the support of the local county extension offices, or grassroots political support, and have the opportunity to gain an economy of scales by sharing common infrastructure.
EXAMPLES
A good example of how this Divisional structure has allowed continuing education to generate new and innovative programs can be seen by examining the origin of our highly successful online degree program. Ten years ago when online credit programs were in their infancy, the Extension Division had the opportunity to be a pioneer in the online environment because it had been in the distance education business over 80 years with independent study. By making a substantial investment in infrastructure at the Divisional level, MU continuing education was able to enter the online market quickly and effectively. The Division also had continuing educators embedded within some schools and colleges that were able to serve as early champions of online programming. This initial investment has allowed MU online programs to continue to grow over 20% a year. The Division was also able to create a revenue share model that has allowed continuing education to grow as the online programs have grown.
Missouri has 114 counties with an extension office in each county. At the same time, several of our continuing education units have offered programs at the local level for many years. By branding all programs under the Extension Division and sharing success stories collectively through such vehicles as an annual report, presentations, and websites the number of advocates for the division is doubled. The firefighters of Missouri and the county extension council members work together to convince their local legislators or the administrators of the University of the importance of Extension thus generating valuable grassroots political support for the Division.
By taking advantage of an economy of scales, significant savings have been generated within the Extension division. Our central administration costs are shared between continuing education and cooperative extension. We have continuing education units that share fiscal and registration personnel; we have a Marketing unit that is supported by multiple units; and we share a grants writer, IT unit, and a development officer with cooperative extension. In some cases the same personnel serve in a cooperative extension and a continuing education role depending on the audience. Our Fire and Rescue Training Institute shares a person with the emergency preparedness component of cooperative extension. Our Veterinary unit has personnel that provide both types of programs. When we were considering adding new summer camps to our continuing education portfolio, we were able to turn to our colleagues in 4-H who have been successfully running summer camps for many years.
LESSONS TO BE SHARED
What can other continuing education programs learn from this model? I think that looking for strategic partners within the campus whether they are cooperative extension or other stand alone programs in order to build a substantial human and fiscal presence can be a critical long-term strategy. Certainly a shared high level leader is most advantageous but if not possible then developing shared programs can both leverage your programmatic resources and add another voice of support in campus decision making. Looking for opportunities to share infrastructure can allow your continuing education unit to reduce costs and/or have access to expertise that it can’t alone afford. In addition, even if your institution is not a land-grant one, partnering or allying yourself with cooperative extension in your state may be beneficial to heighten your visibility and the local community’s appreciation for your programs allowing you to build a larger constituent base.
RESULTS
By creating a division that serves all schools and colleges through cooperative and continuing education programming, we at MU have positioned ourselves to create the necessary political, social, and fiscal capital to: maintain a competitive edge through innovative programming and strong customer service; survive even the worst of times fiscally; to have a presence and voice when campus decisions are made; and to survive politically both internally and externally through our collective grassroots advocates. Here’s to another 50 years!
No Margin, No Mission:
Proactive Restructuring to Align CE with Priorities of a New President
Bob Hansen
University of Southern Maine
OVERVIEW
The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a regional comprehensive serving 10,000 students. USM has two main campuses—an urban campus in Portland serving commuter students (the majority of USM students) and a residential campus in suburban Gorham. University Outreach is responsible for providing vision and leadership in credit courses and programs that extend undergraduate and graduate learning opportunities to students in nontraditional times, locations, and formats. It also provides non-credit and community outreach efforts that serve the lifelong learning needs of southern Maine and beyond. Departments and programs within University Outreach serve more than 80,000 people annually. Credit areas include: Summer Session/Winter Session; Weekend College; Off-Campus Programs; Center for Technology-Enhanced Learning; International Programs; and English for Speakers of Other Languages. Non-credit units include: National Resource Center for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (including local OLLI); Center for Continuing Education; and the Department of Conferences.
THE CHALLENGE/OPPORTUNITY
In July 2008, USM hired a new president, Selma Botman, who had previously served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs for the system of the City University of New York (CUNY). Dr. Botman arrived to find a university still digging its way out of a deep budget hole left by the previous administration; that problem was exacerbated by the collapse of global financial markets later that fall. President Botman made it clear that USM would no longer subsidize programs and services that were off-mission or that lost money.
USM would have to make some very tough choices. One of her first was to close a unit within University Outreach. The Lifeline Center for Health and Wellness Promotion served the external community and, to a lesser extent, USM faculty and staff. Although University Outreach generates roughly $3.4 million of net revenue per year, the Lifeline Center required a subsidy of $250,000 per year. It was a luxury USM could no longer afford.
The associate provost for University Outreach, Robert Hansen, realized that the decision to close Lifeline ushered in a new era in which bold changes to the status quo were not only possible but necessary. Rather than wait for changes to be dictated from the Administration, the associate provost decided to be proactive in restructuring University Outreach to be more focused on USM’s core mission while maximizing net revenue. The leadership team of University Outreach developed a multi-pronged strategy that is briefly outlined below.
SOLUTIONS/STRATEGIES
University Outreach identified the following guiding principles:
1. Preserve talented staff so that the division had the capacity to fulfill its critical mission, which was expected to expand under President Botman.
2. Repurpose staff in programs and services that were no longer core to mission to work on new strategic priorities such as online learning.
3. Merge credit and non-credit areas to create efficiencies.
4. Maximize overall net revenue and eliminate individual units/programs requiring a subsidy.
These principles informed the following proactive steps taken by the associate provost:
1. University Outreach spent nearly nine months planning and implementing the merger of its credit and non-credit units. The benefits were clear: a) talented non-credit programmers and other staff could be leveraged on the more lucrative (and core to mission) credit side, and at the same time avoid being targeted for budget cuts; b) combining student and customer service functions would create significantly more capacity, as busy and slow times respectively for credit and non-credit areas were more even distributed, etc.; c) consolidating staff in a central location for the first time would facilitate greater teamwork and interaction among all levels of staff; d) functions such as marketing and financials would be centralized and become more efficient.
2. The associate provost asked the president for permission to eliminate the non-credit “Enrichment” portfolio within the Center for Continuing Education (CCE). Although Enrichment courses did not lose money, they took a disproportionate amount of staff time to market and manage. Rather than risk losing CCE or its talented staff because it was not considered core to mission, the associate provost decided to: a) streamline the operation so that all its product lines generated significant revenue; and b) repurpose a talented staff member from CCE to online student services, an area that was a strategic priority not only for University Outreach but for the new president. President Botman embraced this decision as a model for how USM could reinvent itself by reallocating assets to focus on strategic priorities.
3. University Outreach is partnering with the colleges and schools to offer online and blended programs. These partnerships make Outreach more central to the core mission of USM, while leveraging our capacities, talent, and expertise in the areas of adult and online learning.
RESULTS TO DATE
The proactive steps taken by University Outreach have been highly successful to date. The merger of credit and non-credit arenas has made the division more tightly focused and stronger. Repurposing non-credit staff to work on online and other strategic priorities has led to more net revenue for the division and is seen by the Administration as a model. And, far from seeing University Outreach as “off-mission,” President Botman wishes to expand our mission. Indeed, she has asked for a proposal that would convert the division into a School of Professional and Continuing Studies with its own array of degree programs focused on the adult learner. The proposal is working its way through the governance process.
The Re-envisioning of Continuing Education
Creating a Solid Footing for Success
Linda Glessner
University of Texas-Austin
Executive Summary
The University of Texas at Austin provides continuing professional studies to individuals seeking knowledge and credentialing. The Continuing & Innovative Education (CIE) division was formed in 1909 to “extend the resources of the University to the people of Texas.” Today, as the open-enrollment, outreach and engagement arm of the University, we offer a sweeping breadth of credit and noncredit courses, services, and programs for people who seek educational and enrichment options that are outside the scope of traditional campus offerings. The division consists of seven cost recovery enterprises that offer students of all backgrounds, ages and educational levels opportunities to learn and grow. Additionally, these enterprises provide staff support, registration services and technology to many diverse audiences. CIE has undergone a significant transition in the past three years beginning with the critical review of existing enterprise goals and performance. This analysis resulted in the elimination of several director positions, revamping of enterprise processes, and evaluating resources - resulting in layoffs of personnel, and rethinking of business strategies to ensure success over the next 10 years.
At a glance
Ø Markets opportunities are limitless given the wealth of resources, reputation of the university and alumni base.
Ø Business plans are jeopardized by rigid and antiquated processes, lack of leadership, budget deficiencies, limited leverage of new technologies, including social media, and aging facilities.
Ø Competitive landscape in a global marketplace is outdistancing continuing education’s ability to rapidly develop and execute relevant knowledge products and launch them into the market
Challenge
As a division in transition, CIE had the ability to design a progressive plan for creating and launching new knowledge products for diverse audiences. Nonetheless, they struggled to find infrastructure models that would address the short and long term challenges of reaching into untapped “blue” oceans of opportunity. While one of the seven enterprises was embracing the environment of growth and change – helping identify process barriers and pilot new technology, six continued to struggle with blending innovative technologies, creating an entrepreneurial spirit, and realizing significant revenues gains despite a deep brand identity with student, professional and regional audiences.
"With the breath of offerings, we as an extension of the university, found numerous bottlenecks in our processes. “Our return on investment, the bedrock of our organization, was spiraling out of control”, said Linda Glessner, Senior Associate Dean. “We began to see that the outcomes for success were measured in terms of “just meeting budget” with nothing in reserve for continued product innovation. Further, our success in penetrating new markets was not correlating with any type of benchmarking or assessment.”
With limited staff resources, we began to look for a solution to put an enterprise wide plan in place to establish business plans and create a more solid footing for success. “We wanted the enterprises to think differently about their operations – to critically evaluate the enterprise just like they would any investment”, said Stacy McCracken, Chief Development Officer. An investor wants to know what the company is really good at, and have confidence in the strategy for growth in their market. “There is power within CIE, but for the power to be unleashed, clear strategies and objectives must exist. We must effectively leverage our strengths – our core competencies – across all enterprises.”
We sought out the help of the Division of Instructional Assessment and Innovation (DIIA) to collaborate with us to design a template for monitoring strategic plans that would clarify the organizations objectives and strategies, optimize organizational resources and continually assess input and outcomes.
Solution
We started by asking the enterprises to self-assess and address the following key questions:
1. Core competencies – what are you really good at?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Who are your customers (clients, benefactors of your services, etc)?
4. Who are your competitors?
5. Where is your industry heading short-term, longer term?
6. How are you positioned given the direction of the industry?
7. What is the status of your financial health?
8. How are you positioned with talent – do you have the right people with the right skills?
Building on this knowledge, we began by identifying the results (outcomes) desired and working backwards through the system to identify the processes needed to produce the optimal results. Then identifying what inputs (or resources) were needed to carry out the process.
A matrix was designed that provided leading questions for the enterprises across 9 factors ranging from goal setting to actions taken. Question responses were grouped to 4 Driver Categories: Client/Market, Finances, Operational Excellence and People/Resources. Under each category, guiding indicators (approximately 12) were created to assist the enterprise leaders with assessment of strengths and weaknesses and identify gaps. These indicators included such topics as product life cycle, funding portfolio, critical thinking and decision making and staff development, to name a few.
Enterprise leaders were taken through quarterly “Blue Ocean” sessions where each phase of the assessment tool was presented by guided lecture, practice sessions, discussion and evaluation by a panel of peers. During the 4th and final session, enterprise leaders presented their completed matrixes and fielded questions. Once completed, senior management identified key areas under each Driver for targeted activity and evaluation with each enterprise leader.
Enterprise leaders commented on the process as one that allowed them to really narrow down issues across their organization and focus on critical variables that could enable long-term success. By examining the organization in greater depth or thin slicing critical variables, they were able to pull away from process that “have always been done this way” toward a more progressive and informed decision making process that provided tangible measures for benchmarking.
Result
This process, albeit in the formative stages, is indicative of the need that exists for organizations of continuing education to begin asking the tough questions necessary for not only survival but for success in today’s marketplace. Have we evaluated our return on investment in terms of people, finances, and resources against revenues earned? Have we developed short and long term staffing plans that align with strategic directives outlined by the university at large? More basically, do we even have a revenue plan? These and other questions will lay the groundwork for much needed discussions and preparation for the re-envisioning of continuing education in higher education. We are already starting to see the impact of a more thorough dialogue between enterprises with revenue gains and interdisciplinary product development. This represents Part I of a two part case study series.
Academic Partnership Program for Emerging Fields
Pat Butler Lofman
University of Connecticut
Overview
The University of Connecticut (UCONN) is a research 1, land grant, sea grant college, and space grant institution which serves approximately 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 14 schools and colleges. A significant restructure took place in 2005 during which the University closed three schools and colleges to strengthen its centers of excellence. The College of Continuing studies became the Center of Continuing Studies with a mission to leverage the institutions intellectual capital through multi- and interdisciplinary programs for returning adult students and professionals.
Challenge
CCS had been a $22m operation which included an undergraduate and a graduate degree, several non-credit professional units, a community based arts program, and the institutions summer and intensive sessions. Summer and intensive sessions were moved to Enrollment Services. CCS retooled to support a more focused mission and build stronger relationships with academic departments in all program areas. To this end, CCS established the Academic Partnership Program as means to showcase the new mission and the units strengthens. This innovative program development initiative provided seed funding to establish interdisciplinary programs, courses, or research projects that meet the workforce academic and professional development challenges. The goal was to inspire and foster experimental and interdepartmental programs in emerging fields that would otherwise be difficult to pilot within the traditional structure. CCS had several a few successful examples of such partnerships and wanted to expand the fields.
Experience
In the fall 2006, the Provost and CCS announced the program and issued a call for proposals. Faculty members, academic professionals, and staff interested in development interdisciplinary programs were eligible. Team submissions were highly encouraged to broaden collaboration. Criteria: meet a professional development need in an emerging field, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, build new partnership within the University and have potential to sustain beyond the pilot. Submission process was simple and held twice a year. A review committee including tenured faculty from various academic departments, as well as CCS faculty and administrator, evaluated proposals, interviewed candidates, and made recommendations. Selected projects were eligible for $2,000 - $50,000 of CCS resources.
This program ran in 2006 and 2007; each cycle received 5-7 proposals with 2-3 selected to pursue. CCS involvement ranged from simply funding worthy and possible future partnerships, to needs analysis, to full service market research through program development and offering. Although every submission was supported by passionate faculty and offered interesting opportunities to a specific population, very few were interdisciplinary collaborations with potential self-sustainability in the foreseeable future. One proposal, which had been in early discussion before this initiative, has proven to be a viable, sustainable, and successful program.
Lessons
The real success of this project was more public relations than program development; although unintended, a worthwhile and valuable outcome. The lure of possible seed funding allowed CCS the platform to explain its capabilities and purpose to some who would never have ventured into continuing education. The broad call for program ideas and partnerships did not produce feasible opportunities. The for-profit or fully self-funded sustainable financial model which continuing education operates is foreign to most faculty and professions who succeed in public general funded environments. Applicants were excited and dedicated to their calling; however many were independent in their pursuit with little department enthusiasm. While the door is always open, CCS now seeks specific academic expertise and partners after identifying an emerging need and possibilities. Partnerships are supported with memorandum of agreements with academic department head and Dean encouragement as well as a vested interest.
The concept behind the Academic Partnership Program for Emerging Fields still stands. CCS continues to seek opportunities to extend the academic expertise to meet specific needs of adults and workforce populations through interdisciplinary, non-traditional, and often experimental educational experiences.
Program Development – Expanding on the Margin and Blurring the Lines
Dan Gaymer
Eastern Michigan University
Early college high school is a bold approach, based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges. Early college high schools, also called middle colleges, blend high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college. Hundreds of such schools exist across the country and are proving to be a successful model for blurring the lines between secondary and post-secondary education. Although most of these programs partner high schools with community colleges, four-year universities can participate as well, and one such example is the Early College Alliance at Eastern Michigan University.
The ECA at EMU was launched in 2007 with approximately 40 students and for Fall 2010, 360 will be enrolled. Students move from the high school curriculum into college level courses not based on age or seat time, but by mastering skill sets, demonstrating college level readiness, and achieving academic learning outcomes.
Many challenges are faced integrating students into the universities systems and processes, which is why a continuing education unit is an ideal venue for housing the program administratively. CE units generally have vast experience navigating university bureaucracy for non-traditional and distance students, and with effort can overcome many of these barriers which surface when launching such an early college program.
Besides the enrollments achieved through the normal operations of the program, conversion and yield rates are much above average for this population. After spending two or three years on your campus, the comfort level makes it hard for many to transfer out. Those interested in earning a bachelor degree after completing the program often stay at your institution, a place that has become a very familiar place.
For more information about the ECA at EMU check out this link: http://extended.emich.edu/ECA/index.aspx
2 + 2 Partnerships with Community Colleges
Melinda Sinn
Kansas State University
Overview:
Today’s distance students are juggling multiple tasks and responsibilities in their lives. They want their pursuit of higher education to be provided in a road map fashion. 2+2s are one easy tool that makes it easy for current and prospective students to see “the plan” and visualize the end goal. This concurrent session will discuss the ins and outs of developing 2+2s, how to formulate and build partnerships with community colleges, and how to connect the campus partners together. In addition, the 2+2s can open up opportunities for enhancing marketing strategies. The benefits of 2+2s are numerous for the four-year institution, for the two-year institution, and most importantly the distance student.
Kansas State University currently offers 8 distance Bachelor’s degree completion programs. Since not all of the freshman and sophomore level courses are offered at a distance, it becomes extremely important to partner with community colleges, who can provide those lower level courses either on their campuses or through their distant delivery routes. The development of 2+2s brought heightened awareness of online Bachelor degree programs at K-State, and built stronger relationships between K-State and the partner community colleges and technical schools while also serving as a great recruiting and advising tools for the student.
The 2+2 visual guide accurately lists the courses needed at both the community college and the university to earn the respective associate’s and bachelor’s degree. Even though it may take a student longer than 2 years to complete the requirements at each institution, the eye catching, and visually appealing document succinctly represents the final goal, without unnecessarily overwhelming the student.
But there is MORE! The 2+2 concept evoked a phenomenal response from students, advisors and administrators. The joint promotion furthered the marketing reach of both the community college and Kansas State University. The local promotion of the 2+2s signing event and photo opportunities built name recognition, and gave state-wide coverage. In addition, community college weblinks , signage and advertising opportunities also resulted from these partnerships.
As a result, the 2+2s are a win/win/win scenario for the community college, university and most importantly, the distance student, giving them greater access to obtaining a B.S. degree and greater opportunities to succeed.
The following steps are used in developing the 2+2s for Kansas State University.Steps for creating a 2+2
- Community College contact
- Insert Associate curriculum into Bachelor’s curriculum
- Obtain university approval
- Obtain community college approval
- Review, amend, and approve, as needed
- Create marketing pieces
- Finalize with signatures
- Promote 2+2s
- Sign up students!
Even though this process to develop 2+2s is tedious and time consuming, the overall benefits to the student are immense. Kansas State University is committed to working with community and technical college partners to give students greater access and opportunities. That’s why 2+2=MORE!http://www.dce.k-state.edu/affiliations/2+2programs/
Hed: Untapped Pipeline
HCC/UH Joint Admissions: A Partnership to Increase
Participation and Success
By
Dr. Lonnie L. Howard
Dan Arguijo, Jr.
Marshall Schott
University of Houston
President Obama would like for America to have the world’s largest share of college-educated adults by 2020. This cannot be accomplished without community colleges. Nationally, nearly 50% of all those pursuing higher education opt to enroll in two-year colleges because they are more cost-effective. Despite these large numbers, fewer than 25 percent of community college students in Texas[i] who aspire for a bachelor’s degree ever transfer to a four-year institution. To encourage greater transfer, Houston Community College (HCC) and the University of Houston (UH) joined forces to ensure associate degree graduates experience a seamless transition into a baccalaureate program with the aid of joint admissions.
While the joint admissions agreement between HCC and UH is not new, it was necessary to revise and redistribute the message for current students. The challenge was not just letting students know the program existed, but getting this information to them via media venues in which they participate. Between 2006 and 2009, only 17 students took advantage of this program. This demonstrated that traditional marketing methods were not working.
HCC and UH renewed the idea of inter-educational partnerships. HCC, with more than 70,000 students, and UH, with nearly 37,000, are among the largest and most diverse institutions in the state of Texas. It is no coincidence that this partnership between the two institutions has been strengthened and renewed by their respective chancellors Dr. Mary S. Spangler, HCC Chancellor, and Dr. Renu Khator, UH System Chancellor. They have both encouraged and challenged their administrators to improve their institution’s graduation rates by way of combining resources and expanding partnerships.
In November 2009, these institutions revisited their HCC/UH Joint Admissions (JA) Program as a mechanism to offer students an easier transition from associate’s degree to bachelor’s degree. As with anything, the redesigned program has been a success, because of the buy-in from all levels. Each chancellor understands her success is somewhat interdependent upon the other’s. Dr. Khator, in her quest to move UH to Tier One status, understands the strategic importance that the “transfer student” will play in this endeavor. Conversely, in-line with HCC’s institutional mission, Dr. Spangler and her six college presidents are committed to expanding educational opportunities for their students. These administrators are keenly aware of the many social and economic benefits that come with the attainment of a bachelor’s degree. These factors created an environment for bilateral-support for the JA Program, particularly at the administrative level.
However, in the beginning of the JA Program, this was not so much the case among some community college instructional and student services personnel. They were not initially convinced of the merits of the revamped program. Some falsely assumed the JA Program was a university ploy designed to “steal” community college students prematurely. But through a series of meetings with frank discussions that included community college faculty, department chairs, and even some deans, university staff began to change this misperception. Also, the signing of a HCC/UH Reverse Transfer Agreement served as an additional safeguard. The agreement allows UH to send ‘earned credit’ back to HCC so those students who transferred early may then be awarded an associate degree by HCC. Moreover, UH does not waive its application fee or guarantee admissions until students have earned their associate degrees. As a new concept, UH transfer advisors are now housed fulltime on HCC campuses. They provide HCC students guidance through the transfer maze, and vigorously encourage them to first complete their associate degree before transferring.
With the addition of onsite UH advising and the development of the Reverse Transfer agreement, appropriate university and community college stakeholders were then able to agree on the JA operational component, so the question then became how do we market the JA Program to students? The HCC Communications Department and the Department of UH University Outreach was tapped to develop a marketing plan to promote this program. So in November 2009, two HCC colleges, with a combined enrollment of 33,000 students, were selected as a pilot. An electronic campaign was launched that centered on email messages to the students with supplemental web site and internet support. Within the first 48 hours the HCC/UH Joint Admissions Program received more than 224 student applications and inquiries. Within a week, there were 984 inquires and applications.
Today, the program has 1,562 applicants. Early UH data suggest these students interests vary from Architecture to Pharmacy to Technology. Most appear to be interested in earning B.S. degrees in Business, Engineering, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Students who do not qualify for the JA Program are still eligible to participate in the UH Transfer Advising Program. With this mechanism in place, HCC students will have a support system between the two institutions to ensure they have every opportunity to successfully transfer and complete their educational goals of earning a B.S. degree. Finally, HCC and UH are now discussing plans to extend this educational pipeline to include high schools. As the demand grows for educational institutions to be more accountable and increase graduation rates, they must look for positive ways to extend this vertical pipeline.
[i] Mangan, Katherine. "In Texas, Transfer Students Get an Extra Pat on the Back." The Chronicle of Higher Education (2009). http://chronicle.com/article/In-Texas-Transfer-Students/44275/.
The University of Wisconsin online Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management
University Professional and Continuing Education Association Commission Report on Best Practices in Distance Learning
By
Mary Grant
University of Wisconsin-Extension
First conceived in Fall 2007, planning for the online Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Management began in 2008 with national market research to evaluate and confirm unmet demand for the program. As of 2007, only four undergraduate programs with a focus on sustainability existed in the United States; all were at small liberal arts colleges, none were in Wisconsin, and none were offered online. The University of Wisconsin-Extension took a national leadership role in addressing this issue by bringing together four campuses in the University of Wisconsin System: UW-Parkside, UW-Stout, UW-River Falls and UW-Superior to develop the curriculum.. Early on these partners agreed the degree would focus on developing the competencies required to enable graduates to help businesses meet triple bottom line requirements: strong profitability, vibrant communities, and a healthy environment.
Obtaining industry input was a vital step in drafting the curriculum. In all, 14 corporations with reputations for being leading-edge in the sustainability arena and with deep understandings of triple bottom line criteria were asked to outline necessary competencies for managers engaged in sustainability. These competencies served as the basis for curriculum development and learning outcome identification.
To date, input from these corporations remains crucial. In addition, a 30-member Advisory Board was established to inform the degree program. Members of the board are from businesses, non-profit agencies, legislative bodies, and the public sector. Board representatives meet with faculty and students to discuss current issues in sustainability and to continue to confirm the degree meets the requirements of the employers who will be hiring the programs’ graduates.
During the curriculum drafting process, adult and non-traditional students were also consulted in order to determine their preferences for course and curriculum formats. These students expressed strong preferences for streamlined processes and a curriculum with little ambiguity. This resulted in the Sustainable Management degree having 63 credits or 21 three-credit courses. There are no electives in the program. Students enter the program with an Associate Degree or 60 transferrable credits and take each of the 21 courses to earn the bachelors. Additionally, tuition was set as a complete cost (minus textbooks) with no extra fees.
Three faculty planning retreats were held during summer 2008. UW-Extension staff also conducted demonstration and training sessions focusing on online course development, online pedagogy, and online student support. Since the program launch, faculty and administrators meet semi-annually to evaluate program progress and to make adjustments to meet changing needs and circumstances.
Approved by the UW Board of Regents in May 2009, the initial response of interested students was tremendous, and second sections had to be opened for two of the first five courses held. Registrations totaled 156 for the first fall semester. In the second fall semester enrollment is 274, a nearly 65% increase. The program has reached the specific adult and non-traditional target audience, with 75% of its students in the 30 to 40 year old age range but students in the program are up to 54 years old. Most of these students have families and employment and they are delighted to find an option for education that meets their unique needs. The first three graduates are due to complete the degree in May 2011.
The degree has been recognized for excellence and innovation. It received the 2010 UW-Extension Chancellor’s Award for Excellence and the 2010 UCEA award for Best Credit Program Offering.
The Sustainable Management campus partners and the Advisory Board continue to look for ways to improve the program and to ensure the relevancy of the curriculum. This model encourages collaboration between the partner campus faculty and administrators and further serves to create a community interested in the issues of sustainability. New collaborations, including a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Management, are being planned based on this same model, and we are confident this innovative approach will continue to yield strong programs that meet the needs of students and employers.
“Extreme Marketing Makeover”
Linfield College Adult Degree Program Achieves Enrollment and Revenue Growth Through Transformation of its Course Delivery Formats and Marketing Strategies
By
Janet Gifford
Director of Marketing
Linfield College
Overview
Linfield College is a comprehensive undergraduate, private, non-profit institution. As one of the first colleges established on the west coast, Linfield was chartered in 1858. Linfield has a student body of just fewer than 3,000 students, enrolled in one of the three divisions of the college.
Linfield College includes:
• A residential Arts & Sciences campus in McMinnville, Oregon, offering a four-year undergraduate experience.
• The Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing in Portland, Oregon, a transfer only campus offering majors in Nursing & Health Sciences in partnership with one of the largest health systems in the state of Oregon.
• An Adult Degree Program, which offers degrees in seven of the undergraduate majors, and four professional certificates online with academic advisors, located at eight sites in Oregon.
The college awards three undergraduate degrees, Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to students enrolled through its three divisions and is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities with specialized accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Challenge/Opportunity
Linfield College established the Division of Continuing Education, now going by the name of the Adult Degree Program in 1975, as the first college in the state of Oregon to establish a division solely dedicated to the adult student undergraduate population in the state, eventually providing classes in eight communities. Educational partnerships were established with seven community colleges, which offered the lower division courses and Linfield offered the upper division courses in the evenings or on the weekends, often on the community college campus. Linfield employed academic advisors in each of the eight communities, who provided outreach and advising services to the students in their local community. Hundreds of adult learners were successful in completing their BA and BS degrees through this program.
Over time, however, the challenges presented by providing faculty in the eight widely disbursed locations, many of which are several hours driving distance from the nearest Linfield campus and the changing patterns of adults seeking professional and continuing education caused the President of Linfield to consider new ways of sustaining the work of the Adult Degree Program, and of its contribution to the revenue of the institution.
By 2005, the enrollments in evening and weekend classes in several of the locations had declined to the point that the college was at a cross roads with the Adult Degree Program. Several other colleges and universities in Oregon had established their own evening and weekend degree completion programs that were in direct competition with the Linfield programs in the four largest cities where Linfield had a program. A number of national for-profit institutions of higher education had begun to operate in the state of Oregon, offering on-ground classes and/or online classes, with aggressive recruitment media campaigns.
Adult students were changing their habits with regard to class enrollment, demonstrating a preference for online and/or hybrid or blended learning formats. To test the market for online learning, Linfield Adult Degree Program had begun to offer a number of online classes, and they were always well subscribed with registrations, while the evening and weekend classes were receiving lower enrollments and frequently were cancelled due to insufficient enrollment.
Tuition revenue was declining, and this was of added concern to the President because the college receives a considerable annual net revenue contribution from the Adult Degree Program, which is essential for maintaining the balanced budget, a long-standing tradition at Linfield.
The tuition charged by the Adult Degree Program was at or near the bottom when compared with the competition of both public institutions and private for-profit institutions.
Solution/Strategies
The President decided to appoint one staff member as Director of Marketing with the responsibility for marketing of the degrees and certificates provided through the Adult Degree Program, on a ½ time basis.
The Dean of Continuing Education worked with key faculty departments to gain approval to offer entire degrees online, instead of only some courses.
The newly appointed Director of Marketing and Dean of Continuing Education hired two consultants; one for advertising and one for search engine optimization. Working together with these consultants, a new marketing strategy was developed.
The Director of Marketing researched the “value proposition” inherent in the tuition charged by Linfield for online degree programs. Market research was conducted with representatives of a wide range of industries in determining how clients determine the value received for the cost of the services provided. Focus groups with prospective and current students were conducted, where the question of value for educational services received was discussed. As a result, the tuition was increased slightly each year in order to place the Adult Degree Program tuition in the middle of the pack of competitive programs instead of at the bottom.
The marketing strategy includes the following elements which are closely inter-related:
1. Search engine optimization focused on achieving high organic rankings in search engines for all degrees and certificates.
2. Link building strategies for all online programs, to establish high number of external, “back links” to Linfield web site.
3. Targeted local TV and radio advertising to maintain relationships created through educational partnerships with community colleges.
4. Creation of the Linfield Online Education Blog, publishing weekly articles about online adult higher education, optimized for the web.
5. Publication of Transformations: Online College Guide for Adults, an E-book, optimized for the web.
6. Digital public relations distributed through PRWeb news releases, to build traffic to the Linfield web site.
7. Facebook community for ADP prospective, current students, and grads.
8. LinkedIn network for ADP prospective, current students, and grads.
9. Twitter account for ADP prospective, current students, grads, and followers.
10. YouTube channel for ADP prospective, current students, grads, and followers.
Results to Date
By all measurements over the time period from Fall 2007 through Spring 2011, the Linfield Adult Degree Program has achieved dramatic increases in web visitors, inquiries, applications, new students, total enrollments, gross tuition revenue and net contribution to the financial resources of the college.
1. Visitors to Adult Degree Program web site: 35% increase
2. Absolute unique visitors to ADP web site: 67% increase
3. Monthly average of absolute unique visitors to ADP web site during two largest annual recruitment campaigns: A; Sept 2007 to Sept 2010: 109% increase, and B; January 2008 to January 2011: 121% increase.
4. Applications to the Adult Degree Program: 21% increase.
5. New students enrolled in the Adult Degree Program: 49% increase.
6. Total students matriculated in the Adult Degree Program: 12% increase.
7. Tuition revenue: 27% increase.
8. Net revenue contribution to the college: 62% increase.
2. Absolute unique visitors to ADP web site: 67% increase
3. Monthly average of absolute unique visitors to ADP web site during two largest annual recruitment campaigns: A; Sept 2007 to Sept 2010: 109% increase, and B; January 2008 to January 2011: 121% increase.
4. Applications to the Adult Degree Program: 21% increase.
5. New students enrolled in the Adult Degree Program: 49% increase.
6. Total students matriculated in the Adult Degree Program: 12% increase.
7. Tuition revenue: 27% increase.
8. Net revenue contribution to the college: 62% increase.
These dramatic increases in enrollment and revenue have been achieved by adding one position to the Adult Degree Program, while maintaining the work of the six locally based advisors, who have taken on advising online students from a wider geographic area. As a result of the enrollment and revenue growth, one additional advisor position will be added in the coming fiscal year.
The home states of the students enrolled in the Adult Degree Program have changed over the four recent years from predominantly Oregon and Washington to currently twenty-eight states.
The academic department of business will add one additional online major in the coming year, the Bachelor’s degree in the Marketing major, which will bring the undergraduate majors to eight offered by the Adult Degree Program.
With a vision that changed how the college delivers its degrees and certificates to adult learners and the marketing strategies created to reach the target audience for the online degrees and certificates, Linfield College Adult Degree Program has achieved dramatic gains in enrollment and revenue that are of benefit to the whole college.
