MARKETING HIGHER EDUCATION A periodic electronic Newsletter to help you market your school, community college, college, or university. Vol. XII, no. 4, April, 1998 -------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS Paradigm Shifts in American Marketing Higher Education.... Looking Ahead. by Robert "Bob" S. Topor Drive Thru U: Marketing Thoughts about Higher Education by Robert "Bob" S. Topor & Professor Elizabeth "Liz" Pollard -------------------------------------------------- Paradigm Shifts in American Marketing Higher Education.... Looking Ahead. by Robert "Bob" S. Topor An advantage of growing old is to be able to look back over your life. My professional life in higher education spans about 40 years. This opportunity allows me freedom to look back in order to project forward. As a result of this opportunity I have been able to make some predictions and anticipate changes. I call this article "Paradigm shifts in American marketing higher education." My purpose for writing this is to give you ideas for marketing your academy. This idea was originally presented at the "Seminar By The Sea" in La Jolla, California and then at various locations in the U.S.. Canada and Mexico. What is a paradigm shift? It is what happens when old forms of thinking and acting change. Any break in tradition requires a change of thinking about how one perceives a subject. In the old days, educational institutions took a long time to change. Changes were slow and laborious. They evolved over long periods of time, like dinosaurs. You could easily anticipate coming changes! Now, by contrast, higher educational institutions change as rapidly as any other institutions and businesses in our society. I live in Silicon Valley. Many of my friends are business leaders in the computer industry. Talk about change! For them change is incredible and a constant fact of life. Now, let's critically examine the future of marketing American higher education by projecting changes from past performance: 1. In the old days the professor and administrator decided educational structure and what was to be studied. Now and in the future, students themselves have significant responsibilities in determining their educational studies and development. Many students are involved in career changes. These changes provide excellent new marketing opportunities particularly for older, mature students! Many students know what they want to achieve and some know what they need to know to get there. The day of the "innocent," naive student has passed. Most students are much more savvy than ever before. Fair warning.... however, this new "adult" market segment is unusually different from the old 18 to 24 market. This new market segment is far more demanding, impatient, knowledgeable and critical. They know how to complain and who to do it to! 2. In the old days educational institutions were static in structure (courses, staffing, faculty, administration). It was rare to find a change of President, for instance. Today, it is rare to find a President who survives five years or longer. Also, faculty stayed on board for decades! Expect tenure to be attacked as a prelude to this radical change. 3. Student success was determined by grades. Today, many factors determine success. Formal grades may be just one such indicator. Old attitudes about "grading" will change. 4. Education was a series of fixed, lock-step achievements. Now, many experiences may be part of a person's education, gained in a variety of ways and sequences. Flexibility is the key. 5. Higher education followed high school. Today and in the future, higher education can be part of a person's life at any time, simply depending on the individual and her or his ambitions. 6. Areas of study were gender specific. Now, women can do anything men can do and vice-versa. Old ideas about gender exclusivity are being broken down and will continue to break down. Right now, women comprise about 51 percent of college students. 7. Technology had slow effect on learning. Today, technology is changing our lives in profound and dramatic ways. The computer, interactive, inexpensive systems of communications, distance education loom on the horizon of higher education marketing. 8. In the past, most faculty were full time employees. In the new paradigm, part-time, otherwise employed educators may soon be the norm; not exception. The value of practical experience will prevail in most subject areas. A swing toward vocationalism is inevitable. Community colleges will have new marketing opportunities. 9. In the old days, the image of a learning institution primarily depended on the reality of the school itself. Today and in the future, image may depend much more on perceptions by key internal and external audiences. Schools of the future will be much more concerned about perceived image and perceived relationships to competitors' images. 10. In the old days, college graduates automatically had a job when they completed study. Now and in the future, given uncertain employment markets, there will be no guarantees for graduate employment. Of course, college graduates will always have an edge over non-graduates. That idea will remain a universal marketing attribute. 11. Certain courses of study were necessary to do certain things in life. Now and in the future, we find there are many ways to learn what one needs to know in order to do things in life. The explosion of corporate learning centers for employees will play an important competitive role. There will be many ways to reach personal goals! Microsoft University may become a reality! President Bill Gates? 12. Some institutions of higher education were better than others. Now and in the future, criteria contributing to higher education evaluation are changing and probably will continue to change. The furor over comparative external evaluation by magazines and other third parties will continue whether we like it or not (because evaluations will continue). Higher education is just too important in our society and in the future of the world. 13. Colleges and universities operate from September to June. Now and in the future, schedules can vary just as anything else in life. Student demand may dictate schedules, not tradition or internal administration memories. Does your dentist take early Saturday appointments? 14. Formal education is a daytime activity. In the new paradigm, education can happen at any time of day or night, any day of the week. Users (customers, a.k.a. "students") will drive schedules. 15. Athletics are not as important as other more formal and traditional courses. Now and in the future it will be rediscovered (i.e., 4th and 5th century Olympic Greece) that physical fitness is as important as intellectual fitness. Be prepared for a major shift in this direction. Athletics will thrive. Exercise facilities will be much in demand. 16. One who studies is either a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate student. We will soon realize that education can be seamless based on many other factors. Traditional categories will break down. Intellectual and knowledge outcomes will be the determining factor for student achievement (and institutional evaluation). 17. In the past, most America students studied only in the continental United States. In the future, higher education will discover that education should not be limited by physical or geographic constraints. A much greater understanding and appreciation of international markets will exist. It will be a world university with a world population of students! 18. When I first started in this work, it was felt that marketing principles could not be applied effectively to higher education. Now and in the future, administrators, professional staff and faculty will recognize that marketing is absolutely essential for educational success. Many more positions of Vice President of Marketing will exist. Will yours be one of them? 19. Alumni are graduates of higher education. Alumni can be the result of a variety of associations with an institution of higher education. Can't parents of graduates be alumni? Brothers? Spouses? Sisters? Grandparents? 20. Higher education graduates will make more money in their life time than those who have not studied in higher education. It most likely will remain true that graduates of higher education will have advantage over others. The ultimate value of higher education will increase in an ever-increasing technological and humanistic society. 21. The best higher educational experience occurs when a student lives on campus. Now and in the future, there is no denying the social values of interactions and residency on a campus. This aspect of higher education will be preserved by developing new and unusual ways to bring students together, no matter how they achieve learning (and where they live). This will be the key change for distance (computerized) education. 22. Universities are better than colleges; colleges are better than community colleges; community colleges are better than secondary schools. Secondary schools are better than high school. In the new paradigm, education will become much more seamless and hierarchical. Old separations will melt and change. 23. Ivy league schools are better than others. In the new paradigm, schools of higher education will be judged by many factors. Some ivies may be perceived as good, while others may be perceived as being quite poor. Ivies, in my judgment, are in the most vulnerable present position since most other schools will view them as an obvious competitive target. Being on top makes one most vulnerable! Ivies should not be complacent! 24. People have to come to us (higher educational institutions) for education. Higher education is very competitive. Schools will have to attract students; not vice versa. People will vote with their feet, purses and wallets. It will not be surprising to find higher education offered by profit motivated corporations (as is already happening). Administrators and faculty who think "we are good, they will come" will be in for a rude awakening! 25. Marketing is a four-letter word... useless in higher education. I have observed, in my lifetime, incredible changes to marketing higher education. Some claim I was a factor in that change with my "classic" book "Marketing Higher Education-A Practical Guide" first published by CASE (The Council for Advancement and Support of Education in Washington, D.C.), now available from my web site in its new and revised form. Although I accept the honors, I believe others played much more significant roles. Professor Philip Kotler, for example, now a chaired professor at Northwestern University, influenced my early work. I may just have more persisted and remained focused on the subject in the following decades! In fact, I have dedicated my professional life to the subject. 26. In the old days (it was felt), who better than internal staff and faculty to decide what needs to be taught and learned? Today and in the future. the driving force of higher education curricula will be its customers (students), the ones who pay the way! Old assumptions about curriculum will fall by the wayside. Segmented target audiences are the best source for information about what needs to be done. Understanding these audiences will be critical. 27. Communications were developed by imitating others. The old idea of imitation will not work in the future. Higher education will discover that target audiences are the best sources for finding information about communications strategies. 28. In the old days, when faced with a marketing opportunity it was common in higher education to replicate what was done the previous year. People looked back and simply replicated old ideas. Now and in the future, that old concept will not work. New solutions will have to be found for new opportunities. These solutions will be much more research-based and much less "seat-of-the-pants" guesses. 29. Often in the past, new programs (i.e., MBAs) were developed by imitating successes from other schools. New programs will be most successful when developed from a solid marketing research base. This single factor will be the most important revolutionary change in higher education marketing. 30. Traditional methods of higher education payment were thought to be best (tuition, financial aid). New and unusual methods for financing higher education will be found. Old ideas about this will be scrapped. Ingenuity and creative exploration for new ways of funding will prevail. 31, Higher education has been (generally) ambivalent about issues of Spirituality. The re-emergence of ethical and moralistic behavior in our society and a return to spirituality is inevitable. Schools with religious traditions will have a marketing advantage (if they realize it!). Others will develop offerings to meet these new market demands. 32. Peter Drucker is correct! Technological change and acceptance is critical to our success and with that comes for-profit and distance education targeted to the re-emerging adult and retired market. Peter Drucker has (rightly, in my opinion) criticized higher education for lagging behind in this arena. Thank you! I hope you have enjoyed joining me on my little journey down marketing higher education's memory lane. Along the way I hope you have picked up some new ideas to help you in YOUR journey as you strive to MARKETING HIGHER EDUCATION at your school, college, university or system. I wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy the field of marketing higher education as much as I have! God be with you. Be sure to contact me (topor@marketinged.com) if you need help. Love, -Bob Topor (an old, bearded guy) Worksheets: The following work sheets are intended to challenge your creative marketing thinking: Marketing Higher Education Historical Analysis WORKSHEET Do your best to answer these questions. 1. Thinking historically, what major event or need caused the CREATION of your school? Key events in its development? 2. Who are some of the historical figures (persons) of your school and why are they important? 3. Thinking of your curriculum (academics) what courses of study are most important? Why? 4. Thinking of your physical plant (buildings) what were some of the first buildings? Why? 5. Why is your school located where it is? Marketing Higher Education Future Projection WORKSHEET Do your best to answer these questions. 1. Thinking into the future, what target audiences are going to be most important to your school? (internal and external) 2. What impact will technology have to your internal operation? to your institution? 3. What impact will technology have to your service offerings? (courses) 4. How do you imagine your job changing? Your colleagues'? Why? 5. What is the most important thing you need to learn soon? 6. What actions can you take when you get back home (to work) in order to help plan for the future? ********** Bob Topor * Topor Consulting Group International Higher Education Marketing Evangelist Web site: http://www.marketinged.com E-mail: topor@marketinged.com ********* NOTICE: As a subscriber to this electronic newsletter, you have permission to reproduce and use this article on your campus. All others please note ©1997, Topor Consulting Group International. Comments about, or requests to reprint should be directed to Bob Topor at topor@marketinged.com. ********** -------------------------------------------------- Drive Thru U: Marketing Thoughts about Higher Education by Robert "Bob" S. Topor and Professor Elizabeth "Liz" Pollard Recently, while in my doctor's office, I picked up a copy of the "New Yorker" and was surprised to find an article about a company I have been watching carefully for quite a while. The organization is the Apollo Group. Since I had recently invested in the company's stock I was very interested in what is a very controversial subject in higher education.... FOR-PROFIT education. There is no denying the success of this organization. A brief review of its web site will give you lots of information about the company , its record of financial success. You can find this at The reason I find this organization interesting is its marketing . The founder, John Sperling, has applied higher education in a unique way. He has offered education based on the buyer... the STUDENT. Unlike most of higher education which puts primary focus on the provider, his business is with the user and the aspirations of that individual. This is a very MARKETING RESEARCH approach... one which I have advocated for decades. You can find this idea in my book, "No More Navel Gazing" which was an attempt to break old attitudes within higher education. Sperling has done it very successfully. In fact, were I not committed to my consulting activities and this newsletter, I would seek him out and join him in what I believe to be a very successful venture. Now, I bet I know what you are thinking... This will never work because of the fixed attitudes in higher education. And you may be right! But the fact is that Sperling has discovered a very important marketing fact.... people need higher education and, offered a quality product, will pay for it. I'll now ask my colleague Liz Pollard to add her ideas to this because I know she has some strong feelings about it: Professor Liz Pollard: This sounds to me like an idea whose time has come. I can't begin to guess how many times I've heard students complain that they can't find the education they need close by. The Apollo Group, through subsidiaries like the University of Phoenix, has established over 100 campuses in 32 states, Puerto Rico, and London, England. Obviously, they're doing something right! Mostly, I believe they're listening to their market and acting on its needs. The student population has changed tremendously since 1973, when Apollo was founded, and the trends were becoming obvious then. The majority of college students are no longer between the ages of 18 and 24, but range from 25 on up to 80 and over. Many are juggling the responsibilities of jobs, families, and class schedules. These students are often going back to college for job related purposes, or to gain new skills which will enable them to support their families. Some of these students have lost their jobs of 10 or more years because what higher education they had didn't prepare them for today's technology. Some have recognized trends in their industries and are preparing for their futures. Some are still working full time and are improving their business knowledge in order to keep up with the shifts in the business world. As the baby boomer generation approaches retirement age, they are finding limited resources available to them, and many of them are looking for convenient ways to retrain for work they can handle even as they age. Traditional schools, catering to students right out of high school, are making these students jump through hoops to meet all the traditional requirements, when many of them already have a year or more of college and need more advanced courses geared to their survival needs. Most of these older students have a good idea of what subjects they need to study, and are frustrated beyond description when they are forced to pick from outdated schedules! Browse the Web sites of the schools in the Apollo Group, and you'll find a heavy emphasis on business knowledge and skills, as well as on technology and its uses in the business world. Somehow, they must have listened to the pleas of their market and done something to provide for their needs! In addition, since even with this number of campuses they can't be close to home for every student, the Apollo Group is offering a smorgasbord of choices in distance learning! In my work with students as a Sysop on two different commercial online services, I've talked with many students of the schools Apollo provides. Occasionally, they complain about the cost of paying for education through a for-profit institution, but they are, without exception, satisfied with the quality of the education they get this way. In many cases, they can even choose the courses they need, offered by a variety of scholars in different locations, all available to them through their computers. One thing I often hear from such older students online is that it's hard to find an education they can accommodate in their busy schedules, but distance education offers an attractive option. The main problem they have is knowing which programs offer value for their money. Accrediting bodies are often lagging far behind the trend in this area, and reference books on for-profit schools and distance programs are hard to find. While there are reputable programs available through Apollo and other sources, there are also fly by nights which will take their money and disappear, as well as schools who advertise heavily in magazines but are only diploma mills. The rip offs for such students are a real problem! With a group like Apollo providing courses for every need, as well as a nearly spotless reputation, these students know they're getting what they pay for. This is another market which has produced a few good sources to fill it, incidentally. A few authors have appeared on the horizon who offer reference books to help these nontraditional students. Among them are the team of Dr. John and Mariah Bear. Browsing through the catalog of Amazon Books online (http://www.amazon.com) turned several titles in just a few seconds, and by reputation, I can assure you these sources are reliable. Here is a brief listing of them. Bear's Guide to Earning College Degrees Nontraditionally, 1995 (the nontraditional student's "Bible"); John Bear, Mariah Bear Campus-Free College Degrees (7th Ed. Issn 1043-2086); Marcie Kisner Thorson College Degrees by Mail & Modem 1998 : 100 Accredited Schools That Offer Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorates, and Law Degrees by Home Study (Annual); John Bear, Mariah Bear College Degrees by Mail 1997 : 100 Accredited Schools That Offer Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorates, and Law Degrees by Home Study (Serial); John Bear, Mariah Bear With enough of a market for these references to be producing a sizable income for their authors, isn't it likely that there's a good market also for the higher education institutions they review? ********** Bob Topor * Topor Consulting Group International Higher Education Marketing Evangelist Web site: http://www.marketinged.com E-mail: topor@marketinged.com & Professor Liz Pollard * Smoke Signals Enterprises Web site: http://www.smokesig.com Email: lpollard@smokesig.com ********** NOTICE: As a subscriber to this electronic newsletter, you have permission to reproduce and use this article on your campus. All others please note ©1997, Topor Consulting Group International. Comments about, or requests to reprint should be directed to Bob Topor at topor@marketinged.com. ********** -------------------------------------------------- SPECIAL OFFER For Marketing Higher Education newsletter subscribers ONLY. Download the updated second edition of Bob's "classic" book, Marketing Higher Education - A Practical Guide, directly from his Web site at http://www.marketinged.com Special Deal: As a subscriber to this newsletter you have permission to make copies and distribute on your campus... a great aid for marketing committees! Make as many copies as you like (limited to your campus). You can get this book from the Home page on Bob's web site. It costs $40 (U.S.) It is easy to download to your computer, then you can reproduce it in your print shop or make photocopies. The first edition of this book has been one of CASE's best selling publications and has been used around the world. If you have questions call Bob at (650) 962-1105. -------------------------------------------------- NEW! "The Complete Guide to Focus Group Marketing Research in Higher Education" book is now available for downloading to your computer... Bob Topor's 55-page practical guidebook for running focus groups is now available for downloading. As subscriber to this electronic newsletter you have permission to purchase this book and make unlimited copies for use on your campus (copyright free). Regular cost is $32 in printed copy. You can purchase it for only $25. It is a great guide for how to do focus groups and has been Bob's best selling book ever! Don't miss this special offer! It's easy to order (secured credit card) and download... just log on to Bob's web site at http://www.marketinged.com and find it on his home page. Questions? Call Bob at (650) 962-1105 or e-mail him at topor@marketinged.com -------------------------------------------------- Original posting: 4/27/98 Marketing Higher Education Newsletter is published by Topor Consulting Group International (http://www.marketinged.com). Newsletter posted by WEBB Internet Marketing & Consulting (http://www.firstchapter.com). copyright 1998 Topor Consulting Group International