Marketing the University

[vu72]

The NY Times did a piece on Liberty University and the amazing growth it has achieved in the last 20 years.  It comes down to creating a business model that depends on two things:  1) online education/degrees (they are now #2 to the University of Phoenix in the country, but are still a non-profit) and 2) the large influx of federal dollars in the form of U.S. backed student loans and verterans benefits associated with the 95,000 online enrollees.  FT faculty commented that the Liberty residential campus is struggling to break even, but conceded that the online university "is making a killing."  Here's the link - I hope it comes across.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/magazine/how-liberty-university-built-a-billion-dollar-empire-online.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

I am NOT advocating this exact model for Valpo, but felt it was something to see regarding our discussion on marketing a university. One theme in the article that does have a familiar ring is the dynamic and aggressive pursuit of growth.  Having said that, what does Valpo offer online?  Onlne education is one of the fastest ways of getting your name out there.  I don't have a clue as to how going in this direction might impact the core of the university -- the Valpo residential campus, but it is a revenue option.

Apparently more than 150 courses.

https://www.valpo.edu/online/

[VULB#62]

Online growth is something you could pursue but it needs to be done carefully if you care about ethics.  I am highly suspicious of the Liberty model as on-line programs tend to have horrible completion rates, contribute significantly to student debt, and are really just money makers. I do not think highly of Liberty University in general and to me this reminds me of nothing more than a mega preacher living high off his parishioners desperate for something. Modeling after the University of Phoenix is not an admirable thing in my opinion.

Utilizng on-line classes to help students complete degrees faster/keep them enrolled over the summer, or to bring in more non-traditional students is fine, but without really strong regulations and internal guidelines I don't think moving towards an on-line course model for a university is wise nor good for the country as a whole.

I agree with all your points 05.  Phoenix is for-profit.  The Times article also brings up Trump University as an example of abuse.  Just thought I'd throw it out there to add to the info base.  As pointed out previously, the Evangelical base from which to draw is also a lot larger, although if you're online what's the religious aspect of that -- do ya hafta go to church as a part of the degree?

Apparently more than 150 courses.

https://www.valpo.edu/online/

Thanks for digging, 72.  Looks like mainly graduate level programs (although some nursing courses are offered online).  I wonder how aggressively these offerings are promoted (I don't recall any billboards on Intersates in NW Indiana for Valpo graduate courses online -- come to think about it, I don't remember seeing any Valpo billboards)?  Also just kinda curious about total enrollment in these programs and whether the enrollment figures are included in the overall enrollment figures for the university. 

[FWalum]

Yep.  I think VU72 nails it in terms of unique traits.  But what is the compelling underlying vision and purpose that bears out the "Christian" aspect.  I realize that some will queston whether that will inhibit following the truth wherever it might lead.  But allow for that risk with some starting assumptions.   

The folks citing Baylor etc. are on the right track toward fidelity to the founding mission. I think people are looking for a distinct and bold statement of mission. 

Yes, you may lose the lukewarm, but "choose this day whom you will serve...."

In addition to 72's traits, Moe, your statement [my bold] is also relevant, IMO. Support for an institution like VU is a reflection of the excitement level of its supporters and contributors. Excitement can be achieved may ways: > your statement above, > bold and aggressive administrative leadership, > great (and continuing) national exposure for something notable about the institution (athletics - MBB, for instance -- just about every D-I Catholic university has seized on this vehicle for decades), > dynamic campus life filled with events and programs along with competitive campus amenities that make the 4 years unforgetable, > etc., etc., or > combinations of them.  But it requires that the institution use these 'tools of excitement' in a strategically aggressively manner.  In other words, the school has to exhibit excitement about itself first, before that excitement can translate into supporter excitement.

I went back to 1940 to look at past Valpo presidents. https://www.valpo.edu/150/history-presidents/kretzmann.php    There have been 4 past presidents:

O.P. Kretzman (1940-1968) - led Valpo through the war years and under his leadership expanded into the east campus and built the world-reknowned, physical symbol of Valpo -- Memorial Chapel, now known as the Chapel of the Resurection. Both the eastward expansion and the construction of the Chapel took courage, dynamic leadership and a investment in the future. His charisma influenced the Board as well as set the tone on campus for both faculty and students alike.

Albert G. Huegli (1968-1978) - most noted for having the highest graduation numbers in Valpo history during his 10 year tenure, mostly attributable, I would think, to the expansion that occurred under his predcessor.

Robert V. Schnabel (1978-1988) - strengthened admission standards and strived for more faculty reseach. In 1987, VU was ranked the #1 regional university by U.S. News.  The ARC was completed in 1983 during his tenure for $7.25 million.

Alan F. Harre (1988-2008) - the endowment grew from $37.6 million in 1988 to $192 million in 2007.  Noted for being a planner and fundraiser. Led the next wave of campus expansion, notably the Christopher Center.

  Though each of the four have been credited with some impressive individual achievements, only OP and Alan Harre had truly forceful impacts on the direction and growth of the university.  And of those two, it was OP Kretzman who produced dynamic change based on visionary leadership that used the excitement tools I referred to above.  President Heckler, IMO, possesses  many of the traits that could result in a similar 21st century dynamic change.  But he must be supported by a board that shares the vision of change as a positive thing. 

I know I have put this link on this forum before, but if you haven't read Kretzman's inaugural address you are missing the vision that really drove this university toward it's resurgence and current place in the academic community Kretzman Inaugural Address. Here is my favorite except from his speech that I have used and credited when addressing other Lutheran schools here in the Fort Wayne area.

"It is this positive and aggressive approach to the problems of a changing world which enables us to face the future of this particular University with absolute confidence in its destiny. Only the school with a Christian orientation can today stand before the rising generation and say: We have something to offer you which you can find nowhere else. Others may try to make men scientific; we must do that-and make them wise. Others may give men knowledge; we must give them that-and understanding. Others may try to make men useful; we must do that-and we must make them noble. We are not asking you to come to an ivory tower to escape from the realities of life or to a market-place where the voices and minds of men are confused by the immediate and material things of life. We are able to give you the fellowship of men and women whose respect for Truth is not vitiated by doubts concerning its reality and permanence. We are able to offer you a school which recognizes the supreme dignity and worth of the individual human being. We are committed to the principle that the destiny of a Christian University lies in the quality of the men and women who are graduated from its halls rather than in quantitative production. Our future lies in the development of men and women, perhaps relatively few in number, whose quality will be so high that they will exert an influence on society which cannot be measured in terms of numbers. Above all, we are deeply committed to the recovery of the one great fact which our wayward world has forgotten: The reality of God and the individual's personal responsibility to Him, a responsibility which can be met only by the fact of the Atonement and the re-establishment of an intimate relationship with the Ruler of the Universe through Him who once entered the stream of time in order to tell men that they could know the Truth and that it would make them free. We can build here a school whose greatness is the greatness of freedom under God, the greatness of the free preservation and transmission of Truth, the greatness of an intelligent and dynamic application of a militant faith. It is our destiny "to enter into the labors and sorrows of the world in order to carry into it the flame of a faith truly free from the world."

I think the part in bold from the quote above is that distinct and bold statement of mission for which people might be looking. 

[crusader05]

I know the university is especially working to push students towards them in the summer. A lot of students will go home and take local university courses to meet gen ed requirements. This is the university leaving money on the table for no reason. I've also heard that athletes will take some on-line courses to help with time management during the season which is another great use. They really need to do more targeted advertising to the Valparaiso town community though. I get that many adults may not want to spend their time sitting in a classroom with a bunch of 20 year olds, especially after working for so many years, on-line courses could help with that as well as their accelerated nursing/mba programs.

[VULB#62]

Quote from FWAlum:
I know I have put this link on this forum before, but if you haven't read Kretzman's inaugural address you are missing the vision that really drove this university toward it's resurgence and current place in the academic community Kretzman Inaugural Address. Here is my favorite except from his speech that I have used and credited when addressing other Lutheran schools here in the Fort Wayne area.

"It is this positive and aggressive approach to the problems of a changing world which enables us to face the future of this particular University with absolute confidence in its destiny. Only the school with a Christian orientation can today stand before the rising generation and say: We have something to offer you which you can find nowhere else. Others may try to make men scientific; we must do that-and make them wise. Others may give men knowledge; we must give them that-and understanding. Others may try to make men useful; we must do that-and we must make them noble. We are not asking you to come to an ivory tower to escape from the realities of life or to a market-place where the voices and minds of men are confused by the immediate and material things of life. We are able to give you the fellowship of men and women whose respect for Truth is not vitiated by doubts concerning its reality and permanence. We are able to offer you a school which recognizes the supreme dignity and worth of the individual human being. We are committed to the principle that the destiny of a Christian University lies in the quality of the men and women who are graduated from its halls rather than in quantitative production. Our future lies in the development of men and women, perhaps relatively few in number, whose quality will be so high that they will exert an influence on society which cannot be measured in terms of numbers. Above all, we are deeply committed to the recovery of the one great fact which our wayward world has forgotten: The reality of God and the individual's personal responsibility to Him, a responsibility which can be met only by the fact of the Atonement and the re-establishment of an intimate relationship with the Ruler of the Universe through Him who once entered the stream of time in order to tell men that they could know the Truth and that it would make them free. We can build here a school whose greatness is the greatness of freedom under God, the greatness of the free preservation and transmission of Truth, the greatness of an intelligent and dynamic application of a militant faith. It is our destiny "to enter into the labors and sorrows of the world in order to carry into it the flame of a faith truly free from the world."

I think the part in bold from the quote above is that distinct and bold statement of mission for which people might be looking.


That's a great speech. Said in 1940, but maybe even more applicable today in 2018.

[VULB#62]

On the plus side, while surfing my favorie news outlet bookmarks, the following ad banner popped up on the Boston Globe site (click to enlarge):

[VU2014]

On the plus side, while surfing my favorie news outlet bookmarks, the following ad banner popped up on the Boston Globe site (click to enlarge):

The Boston Globe tracks your "cookies" (browser data) and it pops up with the Valparaiso Ad. It's a basically a customized ad for you because they know you visit Valparaiso University sites frequently (this website). It's a targeted ad. It doesn't mean other readers of the Boston Globe are getting the same ads.

[VULB#62]

Doesn't matter.  Valpo has that ad out there.  That's the point.  Good for Valpo!

[a3uge]

On the plus side, while surfing my favorie news outlet bookmarks, the following ad banner popped up on the Boston Globe site (click to enlarge):

The Boston Globe tracks your "cookies" (browser data) and it pops up with the Valparaiso Ad. It's a basically a customized ad for you because they know you visit Valparaiso University sites frequently (this website). It's a targeted ad. It doesn't mean other readers of the Boston Globe are getting the same ads.

It's sort of like how I get ads for running shoes now that I already bought running shoes.

[crusader05]

A record 8 Fulbright Scholarships can't be too bad of PR for the University

https://www.valpo.edu/news/2018/05/03/eight-valparaiso-university-seniors-alumnae-receive-fulbright-awards/

[valpopal]

The New York Daily News has a news story about a New Orleans high school student who has been accepted to 115 colleges and been offered a total of $3.8 million in scholarship money. She reports that she has narrowed her pick to a final three universities: LSU, Brandeis, and Valparaiso. The university should be recruiting this student and the news item should be highlighted by marketing, especially if the final selection is Valpo.


[size=78%]https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-louisiana-hs-senior-accepted-at-115-colleges-20190426-dctofxugxbfxrecq53vplh75ey-story.html[/size] 

[crusader05]

The Twitter account just tweeted about this as well!

[valpopal]

The New York Daily News has a news story about a New Orleans high school student who has been accepted to 115 colleges and been offered a total of $3.8 million in scholarship money. She reports that she has narrowed her pick to a final three universities: LSU, Brandeis, and Valparaiso. The university should be recruiting this student and the news item should be highlighted by marketing, especially if the final selection is Valpo.


[size=78%]https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-louisiana-hs-senior-accepted-at-115-colleges-20190426-dctofxugxbfxrecq53vplh75ey-story.html[/size]

Pleased to see the university following my suggestion:
[tweet]1121804699437547521[/tweet]