Are You Positioned for Fundraising Success in 2010? Tools and Resources to Make a Difference
December 1, 2009

ABOUT: Using case examples from Eduventures clients over the past year, this session provided tools to engage your board, institutional and academic leaders, key donors, and your team. The discussion highlighted resources to present an effective case for sustained investment in development, engage and educate deans to increase their involvement in fundraising, test your case for support with key donors and prospects and assess campaign feasibility, and eelp gift officers focus on the right prospects and the right activities and cultivation strategies to secure gift commitments.

Creating a Retention Management Culture
October 8, 2009

ABOUT: Managing the complexities of student retention is a common challenge for institutions. With ongoing public pressure for a demonstration of accountability and return on investment, retention is often used as an important measure to assess how effective an institution is in creating a learning environment that allows students to graduate in a timely fashion and to limit the debt burden placed on students and their families.

This Web conference examined best practices for creating a campus culture of accountability for student retention as well as outlined those specific best practices focused on how faculty can effectively support the retention efforts at your institution.

Three Views on Strategic Donor Relations
August 21, 2009

ABOUT: This webinar and interactive online discussion highlights effective strategies and approaches to elevate the profile of donor relations at your institution. Gain insights from three leaders in the field about how they build key relationships, focus on a strategic portfolio of responsibilities, and demonstrate the impact that donor relations contributes to fundraising success. This event was co-hosted with the Association of Donor Relations Professionals in August 2009.

Featured Discussants:

• Jaime Porter, Associate Vice President of Advancement Services, Carnegie Mellon University
• Merrilyn Lewis, Director of Donor Services, Smith College
• Angela Joens, Vice President for Development Operations, Mercy Foundation

The Parent-Child Partnership in College Search
July 23, 2009

ABOUT: In recent years there has been growing discussion within higher education about the rise in parents' involvement in their children's lives, both before and during college. Previous research has identified parents as the most influential people in a student's college search process, suggesting schools of interest, pointing to resources such as U.S. News & World Report, and helping students build their lists of colleges to consider.

During this Web conference, Eduventures Enrollment Management research director, Kim Reid, will share findings of a recent survey of over 7,200 parents of college freshmen. Attendees will learn valuable information about interacting with and messaging to these powerful influencers during their children's college search. Key questions to be answered are:

• Who are key influencers for parents during the college search?
• How does parental involvement and influence vary across different phases of the college search?
• How do parents' information needs and sources change through the process of the college search?
• How do parents perceive Web-based tools and campus visit activities?

Recruiting A Diverse Class: Technology and Timing
July 21, 2009

ABOUT: As demographics shift and the Obama administration prioritizes access to higher education, recruiting a diverse class has become a necessity for almost every college and university today. How is your team preparing to reach these students?

Please join Eduventures' Enrollment Management research director, Kim Reid, and chief research officer, Peter Stokes, as they discuss findings from recent studies focusing on underrepresented minority students' preferences. They will also give recommendations about how best to attract a diverse student body to your campus. Topics include:

• Key Influencers in College Search
• Technology Usage and Preferences
• Timing Considerations

The Faces of Change: Governmental and Market Challenges to Online Learning
June 25, 2008

ABOUT: Eduventures and The Presidents' Forum are hosting a Web conference to update the online higher education community on some of the challenges and opportunities we face as a sector. This Web conference is an excellent chance to engage with thought leaders on a range of important topics which are central to the Presidents Forum's efforts to advance the cause of adult and online higher education.

Demonstrating Teacher Quality in a Changing Environment
June 18, 2009

ABOUT: Thousands of new teachers enter the classroom eager to make an impact on our nation's youth, but how prepared do they actually feel? In a recent survey, over 1,500 newly prepared teachers and administrators nationwide responded to a series of questions about their preparation to date and their preferences for ongoing graduate and professional development work.

Please join Eduventures' Schools of Education research director Kristen D. Fox and chief research officer Peter Stokes as they discuss findings from this study in areas such as student decision-making, differences between student populations, motivations for enrolling and pursuing a chosen education career path, preferences regarding program delivery modes, and ongoing professional development needs. Web conference attendees will learn about ways to successfully prepare students for the classroom as well as ways to effectively recruit these students for advanced training. Questions to be covered are:

• How well prepared were teachers and administrators for their current positions by different types of preparatory programs (alternative versus traditional routes)?
• What particular program characteristics are strongly linked to teacher and administrator preparedness?
• What delivery mode (i.e. online, hybrid, on-campus) and course and program formats are attractive to prospective students?
• What criteria goes into a prospective student's decision to enroll at a college/university?
• What marketing channels and messages are attractive to prospective students?

Sharpen Your Case for Support and Develop Targeted Prospect Engagement Strategies
June 9, 2009

ABOUT: Whether in preparation for a future campaign or as part of a strategic communications assessment, institutions are always seeking ways to engage high-level prospects and donors in a dialogue about institutional engagement, messages, and priorities. Using Eduventures’ pre-feasibility study, institutions can gather information from high-level prospects and donors about their interests, attitudes, and preferences – specifically gauging their current relationship with the institution and the potential for future engagement. This cost-effective study is designed to prepare gift officers for in-person follow-up conversations, inform the case for support, and offer strategies for approaching different donor segments.

Revolutionizing Career Services: Meeting the Needs of Today's Students and Alumni
June 3, 2009

ABOUT: Between March 2008 and March 2009, over one million college graduates lost their jobs.  To compound the problem, about 1.5 million college graduates are expected in 2009. Simultaneously, current and prospective college students are making enrollment and retention decisions based on the quality of professional preparation at colleges.

Career preparation is a key element of a college education, yet the traditional career services model is unlikely to succeed in meeting the 21st century needs of students and alumni.

Please join Eduventures for a discussion with Sheila Curran about the challenges and opportunities that universities face regarding professional preparation. A national thought leader on career services, Curran is the former executive director of the Duke University Career Center and served in a similar role at Brown University. She is also the coauthor of Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads: Finding a Path to Your Perfect Career.

Creating Engaged, High-Quality, and Committed Faculty: Effective Practices for Faculty Orientation and Development
May 27, 2009

ABOUT: Faculty orientation and development play an important role retaining full-time faculty, and also have a meaningful impact on strategic goals such as student recruitment, enrollment growth, and retention.

Please join Eduventures' research directors Kristen D. Fox and Tim Mann as they discuss findings from a recent study on faculty perceptions of orientation and development as well as the practices institutions are using to help faculty feel well-prepared and supported. This Web conference will help you to learn more about high impact programs that create engaged, high-quality, and committed faculty. Key questions include:

• How effective and valuable are current faculty development activities in the eyes of various types of faculty members?
• What orientation and development activities do faculty need that are not available today?
• How are faculty orientation and development activities structured, staffed, financed, and organized at institutions?
• What orientation and development activities are institutions engaging in - overall, for new vs. experienced faculty, part-time vs. full-time, etc.?

The Economy’s Impact on Adult Learners’ Enrollment Decision-Making Process
May 5, 2009

ABOUT: Eduventures recently released the results of the first major nationwide survey examining the effect of the current recession on adult learners. Drawing upon responses from over 1,500 prospective adult students, the study demonstrates that interest in continuing and professional education remains high; however the economic turbulence is significantly impacting the behaviors and interests of prospective adult students.

This Web conference will help you to deepen your understanding of prospective students’ current mindset around areas such as:

• Enrollment timing and course load
• Finance, pricing and value
• Changing preferences, (e.g. delivery format, part-time, accelerated programs)

How Is the Recession Affecting Parents’ Ability to Pay for College?
March 25, 2009

ABOUT: Eduventures conducted a survey of over 7,000 parents of freshmen at public and private colleges and universities nationwide which asked parents how the recession will impact upcoming enrollment decisions, how they want the institution to assist them amidst the financial crisis, and what their plans will be for finding alternative sources of financing. The results of the survey were sobering, with over a third of all parents surveyed stating they are going to have difficulty financing their child’s education this year.

Eduventures Senior Research Analyst Kim Reid and Managing Vice President of Marketing, Strategy, and Communications Abigail Callahan discuss the detailed findings of the survey as well as strategies colleges and universities can pursue for collecting data and information to help put predictability back into 2009.

Summer Sessions Research: Operations, Student Preferences, and Marketing
November 3, 2008

ABOUT: Summer session administrators make critical decisions regarding marketing, student retention, organizational design, and online courses. This Web conference highlighted selected research findings including:

• Findings and insights from a unique national survey of more than 4,200 summer session students' preferences
  • Some topics included scale, expenditure, and enrollments
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• Benchmarking metrics for summer session operations
  • This part of the presentation delved deeper into areas such as scale (size) of summer session and growth patterns, student audiences served, and financial and operational metrics
    
  
  
• Analysis of effective marketing practices and organizational strategies
  • Another area of discussion was marketing practices (e.g., what channels are preferred by students, what motivates them to enroll), strategies to engage faculty, and implications for new program development
    
    
  
  
  

Building a Competitive Institutional Identity While Staying True to Your Mission
October 28, 2008

Competition for students today is greater than ever before. Most states are facing a shrinking population of high school graduates, and students have broad access to institutions via the Internet. Schools must recruit students from further away than they have in the past, and compete with more institutions for the students they get. As institutions try to differentiate themselves to prospects, marketing and brand building have quickly become top priorities for university presidents. At the same time, an institution's identity must reflect (and respect) its fundamental mission and purpose - to educate its students. This Web conference demonstrates how institutions can stay true to their missions while meeting the needs of 21st-century students.

The Adult Learner: An Eduventures Perspective
October 20, 2008

ABOUT: Our recently published white paper, The Adult Learner: An Eduventures Perspective, outlines the growth drivers for this sizable and growing market. Despite its attractions, however, serving the adult learner market often requires new behaviors for many institutions. Fortunately, there are many practical justifications for adjusting these behaviors, from increasing the rate of participation in higher education to improving the financial health of the institution through the development of new tuition streams. A central question remains: How is your institution going to respond to the opportunities and the challenges posed by the needs of adult learners? This Web conference covers the characteristics, motivations, and preferences of today?s adult learner, and highlights some promising strategies for recruiting them.

How Can Liberal Arts Institutions Improve Stewardship Programs and Practices?
September 26, 2008

ABOUT: Effective stewardship is integral to the successful cultivation of prospects and retention of donors. In addition to several widely practiced activities, some liberal arts colleges have developed innovative approaches to stewardship, especially for donors making non-traditional or principal gifts ($1 million or more). This Web conference presented data from Eduventures' report titled Effective Stewardship Programs and Practices at Liberal Arts Institutions and explored ways in which these institutions have invested in resources and staff for donor relations departments and stewardship operations. Recommendations for improving stewardship programs were also discussed.

How Can a Successful Faculty Development Program Strengthen Your Institution?
September 17, 2008

ABOUT: Faculty development is a top priority and challenge for chief academic officers (CAOs). As institutions endeavor to recruit and retain faculty members, CAOs must deliver top-notch faculty development, including orientation, mentoring and teaching programs, and research opportunities. Each of these efforts aims to ensure that faculty members fully develop and use their skills as teachers and scholars, and become engaged and active members of the campus community.

Balancing Academic and Professional Outcomes in Messaging
June 11, 2008

ABOUT: Do you wish you had a better understanding of what high-achieving, career-oriented prospective students want to know? Are you interested to learn the essential academic and professional outcomes messages your institution should highlight? Do you want to understand how institutions effectively collect and share outcomes data?

Strategies for Demonstrating Accountability at Schools of Education
April 29, 2008

ABOUT: Do you wish you had a better understanding of state policy trends related to the regulation of schools of education? Do you feel increased pressure to demonstrate the quality of your student outcomes? Are you grappling with how to define, assess, and gather data on the outcomes of your students?

Eduventures is working with a number of leading schools of education to explore these pressing issues and to develop strategies schools of education can use. Join us to hear about promising institutional practices that Eduventures is uncovering and the ways in which other institutions are successfully demonstrating accountability. Hear summaries from Eduventures' recently completed work on the role that states are playing in calling for accountability and supporting the collection of necessary data.

Is Your School Web Site an Effective Tool For Recruiting Adult Learners? Research Findings on Students' Web Site Preferences and Behaviors
February 12, 2008

ABOUT: Colleges' and universities' Web sites have become primary vehicles for marketers of continuing and professional education programs to reach and interact with prospective students. Eduventures' surveys indicate that Web sites play a role in approximately 80% of prospective adult learners' enrollment decisions.

Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Development Staff
December 6, 2007

ABOUT: As colleges and universities plan for and engage in ever-larger campaigns, the success of fundraising efforts rests on institutions' ability to recruit and retain development officers who can effectively cultivate relationships with donors and secure gift commitments. Over the past year, Eduventures' research has identified key characteristics of high-performing development officers. This session will share insight on what leads to high performance among fundraising staff and highlight non-traditional recruiting opportunities and effective retention strategies.

Does Geography Matter in Online Higher Education?
December 3, 2007

ABOUT: Online higher education continues to grow rapidly - an estimated 1.5 million higher education students are studying 100% online, a number that has more than tripled in less than five years. Online delivery implies geography is irrelevant, but the truth is not so straightforward. Whether in terms of consumer demand, program positioning or state regulation, geography will become more, not less, important in the online market. Whether a school is already a major online player nationally, a more locally oriented institution, a niche provider, or a mix of al three, an understanding of the roles geography plays in a maturing online market is essential to success.

Eduventures' recent Understanding the National Online Higher Education Market study offers unique data and insight that no college or university active in the online market should miss.