RIVERLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN

Transcription

1 RIVERLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE COMMUNICATIONS PLAN Updated March 2013 DRAFT VERSION The Riverland Community College Communications Department will effectively communicate accurate messages with creativity, through collaboration, using dynamic technology. We support teaching and learning, inspire action and instill understanding and appreciation of our college.

2 Table of Contents Mission... 4 Vision... 4 Values Reflecting College Goals... 5 Student Learning Goals... 5 Riverland Communications Department Mission:... 5 Strategic Framework for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities... 5 Riverland Community College History, 1940 to Present... 6 Current Communications Staff Riverland Finances: Demographics: Student Ratio Age of Students: Gender Ratio of Students: Top Ten Cities Students Come From: Credit distribution by site or area Top Ten Programs: Class of 2010 Overall Placement Rate: 81% College Faculty/Staff: FY12 Communications Budget Summary Communications Budget Summary FY2005 to FY The Economic Impact of Riverland Community College Web Products and Services College Public website MyRiverland Page Employee Web Site Social Media Networking Social Media Stats and Demographics Social Media in the Enterprise Social Media Use in the C-Suite Social Media and Human Resources

3 Facebook Stats Twitter Facts LinkedIn Statistics Riverland s LinkedIn YouTube and Video Marketing Trends Riverland s YouTube Channel Blogging Stats Riverland Blogs Content Marketing Findings Riverland s Content Marketing Options Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Facts Riverland s Optimization Efforts Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Online Advertising Facebook Advertising: Mobile Marketing Statistics Marketing Facts Other Social and Marketing Stats Riverland Facebook Riverland Twitter 42 YouTube Riverland Media Blog: 43 Riverland s Social Media Policy for Employees Event Calendar Media alerts: Calendars: Marquee messages: Twitter messages, Facebook events, Web Feeds: Web Banners: How to Schedule Calendar Events: Student Announcements on the Web site: Media Goals: College Media Procedures

4 Primary Media Contact: Media Primary Television Stations: Secondary Television Stations: Primary/Secondary Radio Stations: Primary Newspapers Secondary Newspapers: Free Newspapers/Shoppers: Phone Directories with Paid White/Yellow page Listings: Other Publications: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Publications and Activities: Media Services The Media Release Process: Media Preference Survey Media Projects Chart APPENDIX Appendix A: Noel Levitz Report Appendix B: Mobile Device Analytics Appendix C: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Market Research Final Report Appendix D: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Market Research Executive Summary Appendix E: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Market Research Presentation Appendix F: The Economic Impact of Riverland Community College Appendix G: The Economic Impact of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities 3

5 Riverland Community College Communications Plan Updated March, 2013 ALBERT LEA CAMPUS 2200 Riverland Dr. Albert Lea, MN Toll Free: Web Site: AUSTIN CAMPUS th Avenue NW Austin, MN OWATONNA CAMPUS 965 Alexander Drive SW Owatonna, MN An affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and educator accredited by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Individual college programs accredited by associated professional organizations. Mission Riverland is a regional comprehensive community college inspiring learning for living through a personalized educational environment. Vision Riverland will be a regional leader in liberal arts and career-technical higher education and an essential link to economic and social vitality. Riverland will be recognized for excellence in learning through innovation, responsiveness, resourcefulness, and collaboration. 4

6 Values Reflecting College Goals Above all else, we value people. We value learning. We value personalized services, affordability, and access. We value honesty, mutual respect, integrity, and personal responsibility. We value diversity and inclusiveness. We value a culture of inquiry, assessment, and collaboration. We value the provision of technology and equipment that enhances learning and the delivery of services. We value fiscal responsibility and the development of new financial resources. We value community, workforce, and economic development. Student Learning Goals Critical Thinking: Our graduates unify factual, creative, rational, and value-sensitive modes of thought. Human Diversity: Our graduates understand individual and group differences. Global Perspectives: Our graduates understand the growing interdependence of nations and peoples and develop their ability to apply a comparative perspective to cross-cultural social, economic, and political experiences. Ethical and Civic Responsibility: Our graduates identify, discuss, and reflect upon the ethical dimensions of political, social and personal life and to understand the ways in which they can exercise responsible and productive citizenship. People and the Environment: Our graduates understand today s complex environmental challenges. Riverland Communications Department Mission: The Riverland Community College Communications Department will effectively communicate accurate messages with creativity, through collaboration, using dynamic technology. We support teaching and learning, inspire action and instill understanding and appreciation of our college. Strategic Framework for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Minnesota State Colleges and Universities play an essential role in growing Minnesota s economy and open the doors of educational opportunity to all Minnesotans. To that end, we will: 1. Ensure access to an extraordinary education for all Minnesotans o Our faculty and staff will provide the best education available in Minnesota, preparing graduates to lead in every sector of Minnesota s economy. 5

7 o We will continue to be the place of opportunity, making education accessible to all Minnesotans who seek a college, technical or university education; those who want to update their skills; and those who need to prepare for new careers. 2. Be the partner of choice to meet Minnesota s workforce and community needs o o Our colleges and universities will be the partner of choice for businesses and communities across Minnesota to help them solve real-world problems and keep Minnesotans at the leading edge of their professions. Our faculty and staff will enable Minnesota to meet its need for a substantially better educated workforce by increasing the number of Minnesotans who complete certificates, diplomas and degrees. 3. Deliver to students, employers, communities and taxpayers the highest value / most affordable option o o Our colleges and universities will deliver the highest value to students, employers, communities and taxpayers. We will be the highest value / most affordable higher education option. Riverland Community College History, 1940 to Present 1940: Austin Junior College This excerpt was taken from Academic Dean Ruben Meland s document titled Austin Junior College Nine Years of Community Service. Austin Junior College opened its doors of opportunity to the youth of this community on September 3, The enrollment the first year was comprised of 138 freshmen, served by a faculty of five full-time and four part-time instructors. (See 1966 for name change) 1951: Austin Area Vocational-Technical School The Selected Report on Austin Junior College Prepared for Minnesota Junior College Board dated December 1963 (last page) states: The Austin Area Vocational-Technical School was established in Austin, Minnesota as a part of the public school system in 1951 and at present (Dec. 1963) provides post high school training to an enrollment of about 250 in: Carpentry, Farm Equipment Mechanics, Welding, Machine Shop (tool & die), Automotive Mechanics, Auto Body Rebuilding, Industrial Electronics, Practical Nursing, and Cosmetology (beauty school). (See 1972 for name change.) 1966: Austin Junior College moves to new location, changes name to Austin State Junior College Ruben Meland, college dean and president, wrote in his memoirs some observations about the beginning and the early years of Austin Junior College, In June 1966, we moved our offices into the new administration wing and we opened for classes September 22, 1966, (our 26th year) with about 850 students and a faculty of 40. At this same time our name was officially changed to Austin State Junior College. The new college campus was officially dedicated on January 29,

8 1968: Albert Lea Area Vocational-Technical School Established A Brief History of the MN AVTI System and Directors (page 13) states, Albert Lea was tentatively approved by the State Board of Education on September 30, They received the final approval on November 4, Mr. Wayne Broecker is the Director of the AVTI at Albert Lea. (See 1972 for name change.) 1971: Austin State Junior College Owatonna Extension Center opens An excerpt from a laminated Owatonna People s Press advertisement dated September 16, 1971 states, Austin State Junior College Owatonna Extension Center, classes starting Monday, September 20, 1971 at 12:30 p.m. Another excerpt from an Owatonna People s Press advertisement headline dated November 17, 1971 states, Let s start college in Owatonna, Minnesota, Austin State Junior College. Owatonna campus *sic+ located on the beautiful grounds of the State School. 1972: Austin Area Vocational-Technical School changes name to Austin Area Vocational- Technical Institute In an undated document created for the Mower County Historical Society Page 4 states, During February of 1972 the move from the various sites started and the total moving of all programs to the new Austin Area Vocational-Technical School were completed in March of It was also during this time that the State Department of Education changed the names of all Area Vocational-Technical Schools to Area Vocational-Technical Institutes. 1985: Owatonna Higher Education Center opens A memo dated March 3, 1998 from Tim McManimon, Owatonna community leader, to John Gedker, college president, states, Riverland Community College has served the Owatonna area for the past 13 years, primarily in the area of customized training for business and industry. It is the Owatonna community vision to create a seamless link between education, work and the community. 1991: Minnesota Riverland Technical College A Historical Overview , 50 Years Minnesota Technical College System, (page 46) states, Minnesota Riverland Technical College, District #2501, was formed on July 1, MRTC is comprised of the Austin, Faribault, and Rochester campuses and the Owatonna Technical Training Center. 1996: Riverland Community College Established on July 1, 1996 (Current name) A memorandum from John Gedker, college president, dated 11/7/96 states, Riverland Community College was established on July 1, Austin Community College (established in 1940 as Austin Junior College), Riverland Technical College Austin (established in 1951 as Austin Area Vocational School) and Owatonna campuses [sic], and South Central Technical College Albert Lea (established in 1968 as Albert Lea Technical Education Center) campuses merged together to form Riverland Community College Owatonna College & University Center: An Owatonna People s Press news story dated March 22, 2003 states, January 14, 2002 was the first day classes were held at Owatonna College and University Center. Currently, Riverland is the host institution at OCUC and also offers classes at the site. Concordia University, St. Paul; Minnesota State University, Mankato; Southwest State University; University of St. Thomas; and South Central Technical College also offer classes. 7

9 2008: The Owatonna College and University Center (OCUC) is acquired by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities as its 54th campus and as Third Riverland campus The OCUC Celebration brochure dated February 17, 2009 states, In April 2008, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed into law a bonding bill that allowed the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to acquire the Owatonna College & University Center. On December 31, 2008, MnSCU finalized the sale. Three Partners. One Purpose. Minnesota State University, Mankato, Riverland Community College, and South Central College. Riverland Community College Leadership History, 1940 to Present Austin Junior College Est (included vocational training classes) Rueben I. Meland, College Dean Austin State Junior College, Rueben I. Meland, College Dean Rueben I. Meland, President Curtis C. Mac Donald, President Austin Community College Curtis C. Mac Donald, President Arlan A. Burmeister, President James D. Flannery, Acting President, Dean of Instructional Services James D. Flannery, President Steven R. Wallace, President Vicky R. Smith, President Riverland Community College, Est John J. Gedker, President Gary L. Rhodes, President James R. Davis, Interim President Terrence Leas, President Kent Hanson, Interim President July 1, 2013 Adenuga Atewologun, President Austin Area Vocational-Technical School Est by Austin Board of Education as part of the Austin Public School system Floyd J. Lueben, Director Morton A. Carney, Director Austin Area Vocational-Technical Institute Morton A. Carney, Director 8

10 Donald C. Ingram, Director Marjorie L. Kirchkoff, Director (first female Vocational Director in the state of MN) Austin Technical Institute Marjorie L. Kirchkoff, Director Austin Technical College Marjorie L. Kirchkoff, Director Minnesota Riverland Technical College Est. 7/1/91 as a result of the merger of Austin Technical College, Faribault Technical College & Rochester Technical College Marlin Wacholz, President Donald T. Olson, Interim President Albert Lea Area Vocational-Technical Institute Wayne V. Broecker, Director Dave Sayre, Director Albert Lea Technical College Terry Lemer, President Albert Lea/Mankato Technical College Kenneth H. Mills, Regional President South Central Technical College Kenneth H. Mills, Regional President Owatonna Extension Center (Austin State Junior College) Est Frank W. Bridges, Director Owatonna Technical Training Center Est Larry Achterhoff, Custom Training Coordinator, James Wagner, Facilities Manager, and John Gedker, Adult Education/Custom Training Director Owatonna Higher Education Center Est Rick Casey, Vice President of Advancement Steve Bowron, Dean of Riverland Training and Development Owatonna College and University Center Est Peter Scheffert, Academic Dean (Management Education) Beth Fondell, Vice President of Finance & Facilities 9

11 Owatonna College and University Center Est as the 54th MnSCU and 3rd Riverland campus 2010 Present David Hietala, Academic Dean (Extended Learning) Communications Department History In 1999, former Riverland President Gary Rhodes moved to add the Public Relations component to the Marketing mix. This made a critical difference in how we approached our day-to-day operations. The department was officially called Marketing and Public Relations. As often happens, longer names tend to get shortened in every day discussions and the department became known as simply Marketing. It was like a nickname. Although, the nickname was appropriate it limited the scope of what the department actually did for the college. In 2001, Administration assigned Web operations to the Marketing and Public Relations team. As the technology advanced, the decision to add a Web Developer became a necessity. Up until that time, the Director of Marketing and Public Relations ran a Web team hired independently to create the Riverland Web site. The process moved slowly, the need for daily maintenance became obvious, and Web technology was advancing at an alarming rate. The scope of the department integrated many components of marketing and public relations included but not limited to: Public/Media Relations Social Media Marketing Promotion/Events Web Development Publications Government Relations Internal Communications Internal/External Committees/Memberships Administration Support Public Information Officer (Incidents) Sponsorships During the last decade, public and media relations became one of the department's most cost effective ways to gain powerful third-party credibility through carefully placed messages and news stories. Efforts to establish relationships with electronic and print reporters became an important part of daily operations. Because Riverland's media market is a starting ground for many reporters with fresh journalism degrees, the department changed its name to "Communications" because journalists ethically separate advertising and marketing (sales) from editorial or journalistic reporting. It was important to establish the department as a resource for reporters. The Communications department incorporated this division of advertising and media relations by creating the role of a public relations specialist that only dealt with editorial and news content, while the director of communications dealt with the marketing and sales aspects. 10

12 In February of 2009, the college eliminated the public relations specialist and the role of both functions reverted to a single position. Current Communications Staff Sandy Roe, Web Developer BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist James Douglass, Director of Communications Riverland Finances: Total Revenues - $ 33,553,050 Tuition & Fees 38% State Appropriations 31% Federal Grants 19% Other Income 9% State Grants 3% Total Expenditures - $33,002,426 Instruction 36% Scholarships / Financial Aid 20% Institution Support 10% Academic Support 10% Student Services 10% Physical Plant Operations 9% Auxiliary Expenses 5% Demographics: Student Ratio Total Enrollment: 4,933 Full-time: 42% Part-time 58% *The percentages are approximate due to variance of each semester. Age of Students: 25 and younger 53% % % 46 and older 15% Gender Ratio of Students: Female: 54% Male: 46% 11

13 Top Ten Cities Students Come From: 1. Austin Owatonna Albert Lea Faribault Blooming Prairie Waseca Rochester Adams Ellendale Glenville 46 *Based on fall 2011 enrollment Credit distribution by site or area Austin 37% Albert Lea 16% Online 23% Owatonna 7% Farm Business Management 7% Concurrent 6% Riverland Training and Development 4% Top Ten Programs: 1. Liberal Arts & Sciences 2. Farm Business Management 3. Nursing 4. Human Services 5. Business 6. Law Enforcement 7. Supervisory Management 8. Computer Technology 9. Accounting 10. Business & Office Technology Class of 2010 Overall Placement Rate: 81% 16.2% employed full time in a job related to their field 18.2% employed part time in a job related to their field 9.4% employed in a job unrelated to their field 37.3% continued their education NOTE: Placement numbers for 2011 or 2012 are not available because MnSCU has changed the measurement procedures. 12

14 College Faculty/Staff: Full time Faculty: 75 Part time Faculty: 96 Training and Development Faculty: 38 Non-Instructional Staff: 108 All statistics presented are based on data collected July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012 FY12 Communications Budget Summary Ad Specialties $5, Billboard $3, Cinema Advertising $15, Community Relations $2, Fair/Parades $2, Mailing Lists $1, Media Relations $ Phone Book Listings $3, Print Advertising $33, Publications/Printing* $12, Radio Advertising $13,375 Software/Subscriptions $5, Television Advertising $47, Van Wrap $2, Total $148,676.98* *Does not include Internal/Printing/Copy Center Charges. FY12 was focused on Television Advertising to feature the Success Starts Here spots. Advertising Total was $115,

15 Communications Budget Summary FY2005 to FY2014 Fiscal Year Total Budget* , , , , , , , , , ,205.00** *Does not include personnel costs. **Projected for FY2014 The Economic Impact of Riverland Community College Source: Wilder Research, February 2013 Introduction Riverland Community College is a public two-year college with campuses in Albert Lea, Austin, and Owatonna, all of them in South East Minnesota economic region. It was founded in 1940, and it is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The college offers a variety of programs; the largest programs are Liberal Arts and Sciences, Farm Business Management, Nursing, Business, and Supervisory Management. Riverland Community College serves approximately 4,422 students each year in credit-based courses; 42% are full-time students. The college has a total of 198 employees, including 90 faculty members. In 2011 the college awarded 380 associate degrees and 276 diplomas and certificates. During the same year, the college had operational expenses of $20.1 million. Riverland Community College is one of the 31 institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system; the largest single provider of higher education in the state of Minnesota. The colleges and universities operate 54 campuses in 47 Minnesota communities, serving 430,000 students in credit and non-credit courses, with about 34,700 graduates each year. This report estimates the economic impact of Riverland Community College on the South East region. 14

16 Through its daily activities, the college generates economic value for the region in several ways. First, spending by the college and its students directly impacts the personal income, employment, and tax revenues of the state. Secondly, these expenditures generate an indirect effect; all Riverland Community College activities induce other organizations and businesses to spend more, creating what is known as a multiplier effect. Finally, by educating its students, the college enhances the productivity of both public and private organizations in Minnesota. Data used in the analysis include: Riverland Community College operational expenditures, salaries, and benefits from its 2011 financial statements Capital expenditures from the state s bond projects that financed investments for Riverland Community College during 2010 to 2012 from the Minnesota Management & Budget office1 Estimates of Riverland Community College students spending. A survey of 61 students and their spending patterns was used in the IMPLAN model to estimate the direct and indirect effect of this spending for a given year. 2 Riverland Community College impact on the South East region Regional profile During 2011, the South East region had around 496 thousand residents (close to 10 percent of the state s population), with 300 thousand employees and a gross regional product of $22.6 billion (8.5 percent of the state s total regional product). The main industries in the region, by employment levels, were offices of physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners, food services and drinking places, education, and private hospitals. Figure 1. South East regional profile 2011 Population 496,463 Total employment 309,520 Gross regional product $22.6 billion Average household income $99,451 Per capita gross regional product $45,590 Counties in the region: Dodge County, Fillmore County, Freeborn County, Goodhue County, Houston County, Mower County, Olmsted County, Rice County, Steele County, Wabasha County, Winona County. Economic impact of Riverland Community College on the South East region The annual economic impact of the Riverland Community College in the South East region reaches $70 million (Figure 2). Based on the South East region economy of $22.6 billion, this means that for every $1,000 produced in the South East region, $3 are directly or indirectly related to Riverland Community 15

17 College. The sources of these direct and indirect impacts are the institution s operations ($41 million), students expenditures ($29 million), and investments ($225,830). Figure 2. Economic impact of Riverland Community College in the South East region in 2011 ($ millions) Fiugre 2. Economic impact of Riverland Community College in the South East region in 2011 ($ millions) Direct $48 Indirect/Induced $22 Total $70 $0 $10 $20 $30 $40 $50 $60 $70 $80 Real estate is the main industry sector impacted by Riverland Community College, with $24.5 million supported by the college. Other industries impacted by Riverland Community College are state and local government education (e.g. public universities), and food services and drinking places (e.g. restaurants, bars, etc.). Figure 3 below shows the top ten industries affected by Riverland Community College in Top ten industries impacted by Riverland Community College in the South East region in 2011 ($ millions) Real estate establishments 24.5 State and local government education 9.3 Food services and drinking places 5.1 Child day care services 2.8 Telecommunications 2.7 Imputed rental activity for owner-occupied dwellings 1.8 Medical and diagnostic labs and outpatient and other ambulatory 1.5 care services Wholesale trade businesses 1.3 Personal and household goods repair and maintenance 1.1 Retail Stores - Food and beverage

18 Impact on jobs During 2011, Riverland Community College generated an estimated 871 jobs in the South East region. These jobs include 680 direct jobs generated by the college and its students, and 191 additional indirect jobs, created by vendors, contractors, and businesses supplying inputs to the college and its students (Figure 4). The sources of these direct and indirect impacts are the institution s operations (538 jobs), students expenditures (331 jobs), and investments (2 jobs). Figure 4. Impact on employment of Riverland Community College in the South East region in 2011 (jobs) Figure 4. Impact on employment of Riverland Community College in the South East region in 2011 (jobs) Direct 680 Indirect/Induced 191 Total The sources of these direct and indirect impacts are the institution s operations (538 jobs), students expenditures (331 jobs), and investments (2 jobs). A total of 416 jobs are created directly by the college s operational activities (Figure 5). Figure 5. Impact on employment of Riverland Community College in the South East region by source (jobs) Direct Indirect Total Operational Expenditures Students spending Investments Total

19 The same three industries mentioned before are also the most impacted by the college in its employment, directly or indirectly (Figure 6). Figure 6. Top ten industries impacted by employment in 2011 (jobs) State and local government education 395 Food services and drinking places 98 Real estate establishments 70 Child day care services 58 Retail Stores - Food and beverage 21 Retail Stores - Clothing and clothing accessories 16 Personal and household goods repair and maintenance 12 Medical and diagnostic labs and outpatient and other ambulatory care services 10 Employment services 9 Retail Stores - General merchandise 8 Impact on taxes Riverland Community College generates about $4 million in tax revenues for state and local governments each year. Through its operational activities, its employees and students spending, Riverland Community College supports the activities of the South East region by paying sales, property, and income taxes. Similarly, the college and its employees social insurance contributions add to the state tax revenues. Since Riverland Community college s operational activities and spending create demand for other businesses and industry sectors, additional tax revenues come from businesses that serve the college. These taxes include sales, income, and property taxes, along with others, such as corporate taxes. Benefits beyond operations: enhanced productivity By educating its students, Riverland Community College enhances the productivity of both public and private organizations in Minnesota. Its alumni provide the skills and knowledge needed to improve the functioning of many organizations in the state. Since performing a direct measurement of the contribution of graduates to Minnesota businesses and governments is not feasible, we estimate the additional earnings of graduates as a result of their training. This measure of additional earnings is equivalent to estimating the increase in productivity due to students education; the students are able to earn more as they better fit the needs of businesses and government. Only considering the 380 associate degrees awarded by Riverland Community College in 2011, this is equivalent to $27.7 million of future value created in the state. Unlike previous estimations in this report, this is an additional value to the state, not just the region, since we cannot know where the students live after graduation.3 18

20 Some studies present the enhanced productivity without discounting the future income received by students (for example, the Tripp Umbach study for the University of Minnesota). If we calculate the additional future earnings in this way, the economic benefit from enhanced productivity reaches $48 million.4 Footnotes: 1 Minnesota Management and Budget (2012). Bond s Proceeds Report. Retrieve at 2 The method used in the calculations of these impacts is the Input-Output model developed by IMPLAN. This method measures the direct impact of an organization s spending in a particular region (a country, state or county) by estimating the inputs used by the organization and the multiplier effects in other industries in the region. For purposes of this study, the college s expenditures and its indirect effects come from its operational activities, its capital investments, and its students spending. 3 This estimation assumes 40 years of work life, a discount rate of 3 percent and two important parameters. The first one is that the total is adjusted by 30 percent (similar to Tripp Umback s 2011 report for the University of Minnesota), to allow for the forgone income while attending the college or university, future periods of unemployment, time out of the labor force, and other events. The second parameter included in the estimation is that 80 percent of students stay in the state after graduation (MnSCU Amazing Facts, 2010). The economic value created by the enhanced productivity of students should consider only those students staying in the state; if they leave there is not economic impact for Minnesota in the years following their graduation. 4 Tripp Umbach (2011). The Economic and Societal Impact of the University of Minnesota. Web Products and Services The financial crisis of led to cutbacks and as a strategy, the Communications Department started to look toward electronic delivery of information and services and reducing costly printed products and advertising. The Web was becoming a popular information source and gaining momentum. Although, there was never a desire to eliminate print products completely, there was a focus to condense print content while driving readers to comprehensive information on the Riverland website. This strategy also addressed the ever-changing college content. In many cases, some content printed became obsolete before it returned from the printer. Once printed, there is only the option to reprint with the new data and try to recall or discard all incorrectly printed items at the three campuses. Web 19

21 products allow information updates more regularly sometimes within a few hours of the change for information that is more accurate and reliable. Plus, with 23% of our students taking online classes, the online accreditation require the same products and services offered in paper format are also offered online. Although PDF copies of products are acceptable, dynamic and more interactive pages are more easily updated, tracked and user friendly. College Public website With areas dedicated to Future (potential) students, current students, Foundation and Community, this site maintains most of the public information about Riverland's Campuses and online environment including academics, enrollment services, administration, student services, faculty and staff, student life. The MyRiverland page contains pertinent information requested by students through a project completed during called "Project Niko." The project used Facebook, online polls, focus groups to develop a page that linked current students to the information and services they needed most. Although not a portal, it serves many of the same functions for Riverland student and becomes the Hub or an online Student Center. Using Analytics that track items used on Web pages, we are constantly adjusting the clickable items on all Web pages. Although the Communications department tries to address the needs of employees, feedback from students and data about usage, dictate navigation on all Riverland websites. 20

22 WEB PROJECT: Public website Facelift Based on information in the Noel Levitz Report (See Appendix A), there was a strong suggestion to reduce the need to scroll on each page as well as making our homepage more of a recruiting tool to potential students. We are exploring those recommendations and working to incorporate those ideas. We are also exploring research that suggests that Web banners are actually wasted real estate. During the rest of the Academic year we will be analyzing the analytics on our Web banners to determine if they are effective tools. We recognize their popularity among employees, but we need to determine their effectiveness to external stakeholders (customers). MyRiverland Page Web Banners rotate providing student information about programs, events, athletics, student health information (i.e. immunizations, flu information, etc.). Sign in area for MyRiverlandOnline (Desire to Learn or D2L) o o o Password lookup Student E-services 21

23 o College calendar Class Cancellations by instructor and class o This application gives faculty administrative assistants and faculty the ability to post faculty course cancellations on a daily basis. Student services links including DROPDOWN MENU: o Admissions o Assessment o Bookstore - Austin o Bookstore - Albert Lea o Child Care o Computer Resources o Counseling Services o Distance Learning o Disability Services o Diversity o Financial Aid o Graduation Services o Library o Placement Services o Policies & Procedures o Registrar's Office o Scholarships o Student Success Center o Student Handbook o Student Housing o Tuition Information / Business Office o Tutoring Services o Writing Center o Veterans Services o Resources Course Schedules, Programs, Transfer, Transcripts (DROPDOWN MENU) o Degrees & Certificates o Graduate Services o Commencement Ceremony o Placement & Graduate Services o Search Course Schedules o Transfer Information o Transcript Request Counseling, Tutoring and more (DROP DOWN MENU) o o o o o Counseling Services Course Schedules DARS (Degree Audit Reporting) Online Tutoring Open Computer Lab Availability 22

24 o o o Student Handbook Study Tips Tutoring Services Tuition, Financial Aid, Scholarships & More (DROPDOWN MENU) o HigherOne MyCard Link o Financial Aid Forms o Complete Direct Loan Request o Local Student Discounts o Off-Campus Employment o Payment Plans (E-Cashier) o Tuition Due Dates o Scholarships o Workstudy Openings Academics o Degrees and Certificates o Graduate Services o Commencement Ceremony o Placement and Graduate Services o Transfer Information o Transcript Request Student Announcements Campus Calendar Online Orientation Riverland Facebook link Employee Directory Search (both Riverland and Web Search) Icon links to popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Flickr Using Analytics that trace "click-throughs," our Web Developer (also known externally as Webmaster) adapts the page based on click usage. 23

25 Employee Web Site This password protected site links faculty/staff to the Web site developed specifically for employees. Departmental Web links include Academic Affairs, Administration, Finance and Facilities, Human Resources, Student Affairs and Support Services. Short links lead employees to the directory (including available photos) Web Tools, a site map and Paycheck information. Location links separate information by site (Albert Lea, Austin, Owatonna) Quick Links provide employees 1-click access to: o Project Next Steps (Budget Crisis Information) o Academic Calendar o Budget Reports o Copy Request Form (Web tool) o Crisis Management Quick Reference 24

26 o Course Schedules o D2L Login o E-timesheets ( o Faculty Login o Forms o Moment of Greatness (Peer Employee Recognition) o Notary Republic Today's events Riverland News (Campus Buzz) Meeting Minutes Social Corner Recent Moment Of Greatness Award Listings R25 Room Reservations President's Corner Global Voices College Calendar During the initial design, Employees requested that the Secured Employee Web site design to have a different color scheme than the public site because both sites share pages as pulled from a single database. As employees navigate through the employee site, the visual difference alerts them to when they are viewing the public site's pages as opposed to pages on the secured site Riverland Employee Site/Portal Web Strategy Intergen's Definition: "A Web Strategy is a vision (often documented) that clearly articulates how you will use the Web to help achieve or exceed your organization's business objectives. Its measurable plan of attack is specific to you; not a one-size-fits-all blueprint." WEB PROJECT: The Employee Web Site has been included in the Communications Plan for several years. It was most recently scheduled for redesign during 2013 with input from Riverland Faculty and Staff using the new Sharepoint2010 Platform. We are piloting several projects with employees using the SharePoint platform and will analyze feedback from those pilots before incorporating SharePoint into our main employee site. We also have some valuable locally built applications that may not work in the SharePoint site, (student referrals, class cancellations, etc.) Project Leader: Sandra Roe, Web Developer GOALS: Allow Faculty control of public pages dedicated to their professional vitae, syllabi, etc. Seamlessly integrate the 5,000+ Web pages on Riverland.edu with the Employee Secured Site Provide identifiers that let the user know when they are viewing public material as opposed to password-protected information. Create a portal or personalized site that serves employees the way MyRiverland serves students, except with more personal control over content Use Web Analytics to determine most viewed components to develop priorities/roadmap Evaluate and adjust to user need as the project progresses Determine the role of social media and blogs in the redesign PREPARATION: Since the transition Riverland made from Novell GroupWise to the Microsoft File Server and Outlook was completed, Communications researched tools to streamline internal communication via the Web more effectively. Part of the Riverland Community College's secured Faculty and Staff Web site redesign 25

27 project, included revisiting a rejected approach in 2003, the Web Portal. We know from research that Riverland students and stakeholders value our "personalized education" and services. The idea of creating and maintaining individual Web pages for each instructor would be a monumental task for a single Web developer, especially while maintaining our existing sites. We also know our faculty has always been one of our most valuable assets for increased enrollment. One of the key components needed for our Web site is Individual pages that introduces instructors, their credentials and gives them a way to inform and interact with students on the Web. How do we incorporate all this into the redesign? Since the conversion, Web Developer Sandy Roe has been working with IT, researching and training on Microsoft SharePoint She continues to explore this software to fit the needs expressed in discussions with employee users and administration. Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Benefits SharePoint 2010 is a unified platform that allows us to build a connected Intranet and Internet leveraging our existing infrastructure and investments. The platform is integrated, scalable, and flexible. The ease of authoring pages builds on technical knowledge that already exists. If the author has a basic understanding of Microsoft products, the authoring process should be easier to understand. In other words, SharePoint 2010 takes content management to a new level without the need for understanding HTML code. Using the Microsoft Office interface, faculty will be able to create profile pages and publish content that used to bottleneck in the Web developer's office. Like when we introduced SAVVY, the most current content management software, certain design elements and text fields will be "locked" to protect the integrity of the Riverland site and brand. There will initially be gatekeeper functionality to ensure that the Riverland brand is presented cohesively across all websites. Other Benefits as they relate to Riverland Web products: Server Integration with Active Directory, Exchange 2010, Microsoft File Server Inherent Portal Abilities (Customizable User Interface) Content Repository (File access off-site, File change tracking) Improved User Experience WYSIWYG Web edit capability with LIVE preview editing (like office), rich media into sites with Silverlight Web part, color themes can match your PowerPoint theme SharePoint as a Social Computing Service (Wiki, Blogs, Announcements) Ease of use for user Integration with Microsoft Office/Outlook/Entourage IMPLEMENTATION FALL 2012, SPRING 2013: Implementation has partially begun, starting with the policies and procedures, AQIP categories and our department; we have been piloting the SharePoint integration into use. The following and training and implementation issues have been identified as we provide more access to all employees in 2013: Task Flow Interaction and Design 26

28 Information Needs Content priorities Visual Design Content Management Technical aspects Create Site Map Training Users Improve Improve Improve Lessons learned so far in the SharePoint transition: 1) Training: Sandy Roe needed to fully understand the software and capabilities. We needed additional funds to train her. Last year, we received those funds and last summer she took a weeklong training with Theo Beckmann and Tom Andrist (servers). We re still working to understand all its capabilities. We also know that there will be a learning curve for employees (even though they are familiar with the Microsoft products on which SharePoint is based). Since we have been piloting several projects with SharePoint, we are starting to understand how to proceed, but we need patience as we progress cautiously. We re learning it too and starting to see its capabilities and problems. We don t want to rollout something that won t work for people. 2) We had a slight infrastructure problem. In order to use SharePoint across the college, everyone had to have access to Microsoft Office 2010 on their computers. That requirement was recently completed in November ) We needed to make server changes and set up the servers to interact with SharePoint. 4) We haven t concluded the pilot programs yet, which will help us understand what is needed to plan the new site. Once we see how quickly the pilot groups adapt to SharePoint sites on our employee site, we ll know the training process necessary for the rest of the group. Sandy is working on training materials as we pilot that could be used later in the process. 5) We are using feedback from the pilot groups to determine the types of interaction needed for the project. Again, the SharePoint site options are new to us, so we need to understand its uses before we can map out a new interactive site. We re less than six months into the process, so although we want everything now, we still only have one developer creating the infrastructure. Once it is created with the appropriate permissions, then it can become what employees want, but we don t want to do it wrong first. 6) Obviously, if we are dealing with learning all this new ways to deliver information, we don t have all the answers about what the employee site will become yet. That s why we wanted to pilot several areas. We only know we want more people to be able to contribute to the upkeep and data on the employee site, so that Sandy can concentrate on the public site. Maintaining both a secure employee site and a huge public site is more than one developer can do effectively. 27

29 Social Media Networking Social Media Networking has become a huge reality and Riverland has decided to embrace this engaging way people interact on the Web. Though social media marketing is now used in about 90% of companies, techniques, platforms and best practices continue to evolve. Should you include Pinterest in your mix? Increase use of video marketing? Is blogging coming back or trailing off? What will likely be the hot trends in social media over the next couple of years? Marketers have questions, this post has answers: 87 vital social media and online marketing statistics covering everything from how executives and large companies are using social media for marketing, customer service and recruiting to fresh stats on the leading social media platforms to search, , content and mobile marketing trends. The recent 72 Fascinating Social Media Stats post on JeffBullas.com was one of my post popular guest posts ever, so here is an entirely new set of social media stats, facts and research findings. Social Media Stats and Demographics Social media accounts for only 16% of customer engagement today, but is expected to increase to 57% the second-most used channel, behind only face to face interaction within five years. (Marketing Pilgrim) 30% of the world s entire population is now online, and social networking is the most popular and time consuming online activity with users spending more than one fifth (22%) of their time engaging on social media channels. This means that more than 250 million tweets and 800 million Facebook status updates are now published every single day. (MindJumpers) Brazilians have the highest number of online friends of any country, averaging 481 friends per user, while the Japanese average only 29 friends. (MindJumpers) 56% of Americans have a profile on at least one social networking site. And it s not just millenials; 55% of those aged have at least one social network profile. (Convince & Convert) Social networks and blogs In the U.S reach nearly 80% of active U.S. Internet users and represent the majority of Americans time online. (MediaPost) 60% of people who use three or more digital means of research for product purchases learned about a specific brand or retailer from a social networking site. 48% of these consumers responded to a retailer s offer posted on Facebook or Twitter. (MediaPost) 90% of marketers now use social networks in their marketing efforts, but growth has plateaued; the figure was 89% in (emarketer) 28

30 Half of all social media users are between 25 and 44 years old, but the age distribution varies widely across social networks. Reddit and Tumblr are among the youngest networks, with half or more of users under 35 years old. Twitter is about in the middle (55% of users age 35 or older) while 65% of Facebook users are over 35 (didn t this start with college students?) and LinkedIn is the oldest network, with 79% of users age 35 and older. (Pingdom) Women tend to be somewhat more present and active on social media than men, though the shares vary widely by site. Men tend to dominate on technical sites (e.g., Slashdot is almost 90% guys); LinkedIn is close to a split; Twitter and Facebook are both about 40% male / 60% female; and women account for almost 90% of Pinterest users. (Pingdom) Social media and blogs reach 80% of all U.S. Internet users. 91% of experienced social marketers see improved website traffic due to social media and 79% are generating more quality leads. (Business2Community) 90% of companies with 100 or more employees use social media in their marketing mix. 83% use Facebook and 53% are on Twitter, though that gap is expected to narrow by 2014 due to rapid growth in Twitter use. (emarketer) Social Media in the Enterprise Just 23% of Fortune 500 companies maintain an active blog, vs. 37% of Inc. 500 firms. (V3 Integrated Marketing) 35% of the top 100 Fortune 500 companies have a corporate blog compared to 14 percent of those Fortune 500 companies in the bottom of the category, i.e., top companies devote more attention to their corporate blogs than those in the bottom of the pack. (V3 Integrated Marketing) 62% of Fortune 500 companies have an active Twitter account, while 58% maintain a corporate Facebook page. (V3 Integrated Marketing) Looking at five leading social networks (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and Pinterest), Fortune 100 company names are mentioned more than 10 million times per month. (Digital Buzz Blog) The average Fortune 100 Company is mentioned nearly 56,000 times per month On Twitter. (Digital Buzz Blog) 29

31 87 of the Fortune 100 companies are now active on at least one social network. 82 use Twitter, 75 have a Facebook page, 50 are on Google+ and 25% use Pinterest. (Digital Buzz Blog) To accommodate different product lines, business units and geographies, the average Fortune 100 Company now maintains 10 official corporate Twitter accounts, 10 Facebook pages and eight YouTube channels. (Digital Buzz Blog) Fortune 500 companies tend to be antisocial. Less than half of Fortune 500 businesses provide a link to their Facebook profile or Twitter handle on the Contact Us page of their Web sites. About 27% of consumer-facing Fortune 500 corporations do not list social media channels on their Web site home page, 89% do not list an address on their site, and 13% don t list a phone number on their Contact Us page. (MediaPost) Social Media Use in the C-Suite 71% of consumers say that CEO participation in social media leads to improved brand image. (41 Stories) Only 3.2% of Fortune 500 (largest companies) CEOs have a Twitter account compared with 17% of Inc. 500 (fastest-growing companies) CEOs. (41 Stories) 52% of CEOs who are active in social media say that it helps their companies rise in search rankings, and 48% say that social media has generated qualified sales leads. (41 Stories) Though 94% of corporations use social media in some way and 58% of executives acknowledge that social media is useful for lead generation and developing brand loyalty, 70% of CEOs have no presence on any social network. 26% are on LinkedIn, 8% have a Facebook page and just 4% use Twitter. (Business Insider) This is the case even though 82% of buyers say they are more likely to trust a company whose top executive is active on social media, and 81% of employees believe that social CEOs are better leaders. (Business Insider) Social Media and Human Resources 40% of organizations have a formal social media policy, and 56% of those policies include a statement regarding the organization s right to monitor social media usage. More than a third (39%) of companies monitors their employees social media use on company-owned computers and handheld devices. (Resume Bear) 30

32 92% of recruiters use social media to find new candidates, up from 82% in And 73% now say they have successfully hired through social media, up significantly from just 58% two years ago. (Ragan.com) Not surprisingly, LinkedIn is the most popular social network among recruiters, with 93% using it. 66% use Facebook while 54% utilize Twitter. More dramatically, 89% of recruiters say that LinkedIn has produced at least one successful hire for them, compared to 25% who say the same of Facebook and just 15% who ve had recruiting success with Twitter. (Ragan.com) Facebook Stats 20% of all page views on the web are on Facebook. (Jeff Bullas) Half of all Facebook users use it on mobile devices, at least occasionally. (Jeff Bullas) More than 500 million people log in to Facebook each day, and they collectively post 3.2 billion likes and comments. (Jeff Bullas) Social media fatigue? Though 20% of Facebook users say they check in on the social network once or twice per day, 52% plan to spend less time there in the future. (SodaHead) 73% of users believe that another social network will eclipse Facebook. (SodaHead) Twitter Facts Twitter attracts one million new users per day. (Jeff Bullas) Of Twitter s 165 million users, half access Twitter on mobile devices at least occasionally. (HubSpot) 53% of Twitter users have been a member for less than a year, compared to just 19% for Facebook. (Convince & Convert) 76% of Twitter users are active tweeters, up from 47% in (Convince & Convert) Want to get retweeted more often? Research shows that keywords which increase the likelihood of retweeting include please, thank you, Twitter, social media and you. Words to avoid include lol, gonna, hey, tired, work and bored. (imedia Connection) 31

33 Twitter users now post 340 million tweets per day or roughly a billion tweets every three days. (Digital Buzz Blog) LinkedIn Statistics Two news users join LinkedIn every second. (Jeff Bullas) 75 of the Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn in their corporate hiring process. (HubSpot) Riverland s LinkedIn Riverland has established a LinkedIn account with ideas of expanding it to create a placement opportunity that ties together all second year students (graduating with terminating degrees) alumni RTD, and Workforce to create a place to post jobs, career discussions, etc. to keep the dialogue going with students and alumni after leaving Riverland. LinkedIn provides us with a more professional approach to social media that students may not have with Facebook or other social media. St. Cloud State University has a site with this focus and has established an incredibly successful site with these purposes in mind. We need some people to administer membership and content to this site. YouTube and Video Marketing Trends YouTube is the third-most-visited site on the web, with two billion views per day. (Jeff Bullas) YouTube use accounts for 10% of all traffic on the Internet. (Jeff Bullas) 76% of marketers said they planned to increase use of video and YouTube in (HubSpot) There are 1.5 million business-related searches on YouTube each day, and 75% of senior executives say they watch work-related videos at least weekly. (Earnest B2B) Riverland s YouTube Channel Riverland does have YouTube Channel and we do use this channel to post to Riverland s website and Facebook channels. We could enhance the uses of this channel as time permits: Link: Blogging Stats Companies that blog have 434% more indexed pages. And companies with more indexed pages generate far more leads from search. (Search Engine Journal) 32

34 The very first blogs appeared in 1998, and Blogger.com was launched in By 2006, there were more than 50 million blogs in existence. (HubSpot) Today, there are more than 158 million blogs (though only about 70 million are active). (Spin Sucks) B2C companies who blog regularly see an 88% increase in median monthly leads and B2B companies who blog see a 67% increase in leads. (V3 Integrated Marketing) Roughly 60% of business blogs are updated at least twice per week. (Marketing Charts) Another study found that while 60% of businesses have a blog, only 35% of those (i.e., 21% of all businesses) actively maintain them. (New Media Expo Blog) The two most popular blogging platforms are WordPress (used for 43% of all blogs) and Blogger (35%). Surprised it s that close. (New Media Expo Blog) Riverland Blogs The Communications has proposed a number of Blogs to integrate into our Web Communications. One blog, the Campus Buzz, (the media blog) has been fully integrated. Others proposed and built, but not integrated include the Alumni Newsletter (Meanderings), True North, Riverland Training and Development Blog. The benefits of full integration and usage: 1) News can be sent electronically 2) News can be fed to front page of the Riverland.edu, other Web pages, and employee site for increased readership opportunities. 3) Keeps our pages fresh and dynamic 4) Content can be added as they happen, saving from compiling full newsletters and publications. 5) Money saved in production of documents 6) Stories become searchable in Google and feeds content in Web searches as related to names and topics. 7) Can be used in correlation with Marketing with E-newsletters teasing opening paragraphs of story and then pulling readers to the blog and Web site for more information. 8) Archives information naturally for use in historical documents. Example of fully integrated Blog: Campus Buzz Riverland Community College Media Relations Blog 33

35 Content Marketing Findings The most popular forms of content marketing for B2B companies are social media excluding blogs (79%) and article posting (78%). 51% maintain blogs, 42% conduct webinars and webcasts, and 41% produce videos. Just 11% use mobile content and only 9% create ebooks. (Earnest B2B) However, 71% of B2B marketers view in-person events as effective while only 31% say the same about social media excluding blogs. (Earnest B2B) Relevance is critical is content marketing. 45% of consumers have unsubscribed from s due to irrelevant content, and on the B2B side, IT buyers say that 58% of vendor content is not relevant to them, and that this lack of relevance reduces the chance of closing a sale by 45%. (MarketingSherpa) Riverland s Content Marketing Options Within the last year, Riverland Communications purchased a subscription to Constant Contact (Constantcontact.com) and has the ability to send out s to up to 5,000 addresses per day. Currently, Riverland has 6,475 contacts separated into different groups. They include: 1) Riverland Employees 2) Riverland Students 3) Travel Study Group 4) Theatre and Music 5) Alumni Future Groups targeted: 1) Advisory Committees 2) Web Users using our site 3) Potential Students (gathering names through new inquiry process) 4) Web Mail (gathering names from Web s, University Tickets Riverland started using Constant Contact in 2011 by piloting with the theater and music as a way to communicate music events to their e-lists, Riverland employees and to Current Students. We ran into some problems as the Microsoft client we use for Current Students will not allow us to send to more than 250 students at a time, so the list had to divided into groups and sent separately. This slows down the mailing process, but there are benefits to using Contact Contact. They include: 1) Students can opt out of mailing and we can track how many are opting out with each mailing 2) We can track open rates and which Web links (if used as part of the content) are being used and follow clicks. 3) We can get full analytics on each process to use as data. 34

36 4) s can be viewed as a Web page. 5) All campaigns can be linked as social media campaigns on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to extend audience reach. 6) All s can be personalized to the recipient (first name, last name). 7) All s can lead readers to Riverland blogs or Web pages to build audience. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Facts 70% of the links search users click on are organic. (This is an overall average, however, and the share of clicks on paid results is considerably higher for many commercially oriented searches.) (Search Engine Journal) 46% of all searches are for information about products or services. (HubSpot) 75% of searchers never scroll past the first page of results (which also means of course that 25% do). (Search Engine Journal) 93% of online experiences (including b2b and considered purchases) begin with a search engine. (Search Engine Journal) Half of all local searches are performed on mobile devices. (HubSpot) 66% of new customers use search and online research to find local businesses. (HubSpot) 21% of all time spent online is spent on web searches. (MindJumpers) It s probably no surprise that the big three search engines (Google, Bing and Yahoo!) are among the five most-visited sites on the Internet. But consider that AOL is #7 and Ask is #10, meaning that five of the top 10 most-visited sites on the web are search engines. (MindJumpers) B2B companies that maintain active content (e.g., blogging) and SEO programs increased their total website traffic, on average, by 25% in the past year, while those who neglected SEO (either never did it or did SEO only as a one-time effort at site launch) experienced an average 15% decline in overall visits. (Webbiquity) How big is the SEO industry? Well, there are 863 million websites globally that mention SEO. There are 9.1 million searches conducted including the acronym each month, with the top two phrases being SEO services and SEO company. More than 60,000 Twitter users include SEO in their bios, there have been 13 million blog posts published that include SEO in the title, and Amazon.com carries almost 2,700 different books about SEO. (Search Engine Journal) 35

37 While it s vital for marketers to integrate search and social in terms of their strategies, it turns out consumers don t like the two actually mixed in search results. 62% say they do not want social results included on search engine result pages (SERPs), while just 19% do. (Search Engine Watch) If social results are going to be included on SERPs, consumers prefer Bing s layout (social off to the right side) rather than Google s layout (social mixed with organic results), 63% to 37%. However, by a 5-to-3 margin, consumers preferred Google s display of universal search results. (Search Engine Watch) Riverland s Optimization Efforts Riverland has worked toward optimizing our performance in search engines for several years. Until recently, we had a small committee that included Sandy Roe, our Web Developer and Computer Technology faculty exploring how to optimize searches so that Riverland and its programming appeared in searches. The addition of the Google search bar on our site has helped elevate our searches, as has Riverland s Campus Buzz and Twitter feeds. We also explored purchasing Google Words that would raise Riverland to the top ten, but it became obvious that this could be cost prohibitive before it made the desired impact. Also, it became increasingly obvious based on some search results that some of the larger private colleges could outspend us on these efforts. However, we add more Web-related content and blogs, our search optimization increases. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Online Advertising Every marketer knows that click-through rates on banner ads are very low. Why? 31% of users say they are worried if they click on an ad that their behavior will be tracked, while 57% fear they will receive spam from advertisers. (Get Elastic) The average person is more likely to apply and be accepted by Harvard or be dealt a full house in poker than to click on a banner ad. (Get Elastic) There are more tweets each month that include PPC (282,000) than there are that include SEO (248,000), though there are most searches on and blog posts written about SEO. (Search Engine Journal) Click-through rates (CTR) on search ads for keyword phrases with high commercial intent are up to 600 times greater than average CTR for ads on a typical Facebook page. (e-strategy Trends) Facebook Advertising: In an effort to use the niche demographics on Facebook, the department has begun experimenting with Facebook Advertising. The ads would only appear on pages that fit the 36

38 demographics selected. Advertising options include paying by exposure or paying by click through ads. The ads can reach very specified individuals. During the next year, we'd like to experiment with this for niche events, enrollment initiatives to see if we get results. Daily and weekly reports can be generated to track Return on Investment. For The three campaigns run, all running for less than 10 days each, we have generated 1,397,072 Impressions on Facebook. We set the campaign up to pay per click. We had 311 clicks which led to 53 further actions (like our page, looking at content links, etc.). The total amount spent was $ Ad Example and demographic choices: Although we haven t eliminated the option to more Facebook advertising, the documentation sited above suggests that these efforts are not the best use of our advertising dollars. Mobile Marketing Statistics There are about four billion mobile phones in use. Of those, 27% (1.08 billion) are smartphones. (HubSpot) 50% of all smartphone users use their devices to search the web, and 49% use them for social networking. (HubSpot) 8% of web hits worldwide are from mobile phones. In the US, 25% of mobile Web users are mobile-only. Further, 80% of this traffic will leave if your website isn t optimized for mobile a good case for having a mobile-friendly website. (Heidi Cohen) Do some research and consider carefully before investing in design and creation of a mobile app for your business. A quarter of all mobile apps are used only once. (Heidi Cohen) 74% of Americans are unfamiliar with the concept of checking in to a location via mobile device, and only 3% have ever checked in. (Convince & Convert) One in four employees use personal smartphones at work. (Earnest B2B) 37

39 Almost 40% of social media users access social media content from their mobile phone at least occasionally. (MediaPost) Mobile and video are the two hottest growth areas in marketing. 17% of marketers say they ve been using mobile marketing for less than a year, while another 17% plan to start using it in the coming year. The figures are 14% and 10%, respectively, for video marketing. (emarketer) In a July 2012 survey, 26% of respondents said they were interested in the iphone5, while 74% said they were over it just not that intrigued by another new Apple device. (SodaHead) Marketing Facts Nearly one billion Internet users are on Facebook. But 3.1 billion use . (HubSpot) Less than one out of five marketers include social sharing links in their s. Of those, 91% include a Facebook link while nearly half include Twitter. (HubSpot) 19% of all time spent online is spent on reading and responding to s. (MindJumpers) Other Social and Marketing Stats Instagram tripled its user base from 10 million in September 2011 to 30 million by April Its Android app had one million downloads on the day it was released. (Jeff Bullas) 97% of Pinterest s Facebook likes are from women. (Jeff Bullas) Google+ adds 625,000 new users each day. (Jeff Bullas) 67% of Google+ users are male. (Jeff Bullas) A majority of marketers worldwide say that less than half of all the analytics data they collect is actually useful for decision-making, and 34% say analytics are not integrated at all with their business plans. (emarketer) Read more 2012 at B2B.com 38

40 Riverland Facebook Riverland's most prominent social networking presence is the Riverland Facebook page Although less official and more social messages are posted to our Facebook fans, it has become a viable way to reach students, potential students and their parents. During the last year the entire Communications staff and college wide site administrators have made efforts to keep the site fresh. Each time someone adds new information to the site, it feeds the personal news feed of each fan and sometimes the friends of that fan. As Communications, we have tried to reduce the number of "specialty" Facebook sites devoted to Riverland groups and combine them giving each area administor rights to upload content. This keeps the main Facebook page fresh and full of information on a constant basis. As of January 2013, the original Riverland Facebook page is nearing 2,000 "likes" (fans). Each week Facebook sends updated reports of the pages' activity. Fans are up four fans from last week For example, the Weekly Report for the Week of January 14, 2013: Total Likes: 1,973 This is the number of unique people who like our page. Friends of Fans reached: 448,616 The number of unique people who are friends with our fans who may see feeds. People Talking About Riverland Posts: 166 (up % from last week s semester break) The number of unique people who have created a story about our Page in the last seven days. Weekly Total Reach: 1,025 The number of unique people who have seen any content associated with our page (including Ads or Sponsored Stories pointing to your Page) in the last seven days. Riverland Facebook Demographics From 11/1/2012 to 12/21/

41 40

42 Other Pages related and linked to Riverland's Facebook Page: Riverland Music and Theatre Riverland Alumni Association Be Your Best Summer Prep Academy Riverland Student Services Riverland CSI (Law Enforcement) 41

43 In an effort to grow the site, we have used events, posts, links, videos, polls and contests. It takes a significant focus to keep content fresh. According to Mayo's Social Media expert, Lee Aase, to keep Facebook from going stagnant and to continue growing, he recommends three to six posts a day. We rarely reach that objective daily. Riverland Twitter Although Twitter.com does not to be a favorite among our students and its uses seem less obvious, as part of the communications flow the department started a Twitter called RiverlandNews during FY2010. Immediately, a majority of news outlets, educators, student organizations and individuals started following. As of January, 2012, the Riverland News Twitter has 228 followers. A sample of those following: ABC6NEWS (KAAL TV) Albert Lea Tribune Anoka Ramsey Community College Austin Daily Herald Austin, MN (City of Austin, Minnesota) Axel Gumbel, KTTC Assignment Editor Bemidji Pioneer Sports Bill Spritzer, St. Charles Mayor BSUNEWS, Bemidji State University Century College Admissions Christina Valdez, Post-Bulletin Reporter CTL at MnSCU Distance Minnesota ecampus News Education Minnesota Jay Furst, Post-Bulletin Reporter Jeff Hansel, Post-Bulletin Reporter (Hansel's Pulse) KIMT TV KNLW-FM, Rochester (98.9) KSTP TV (Channel 5) KTTC TV Kurt Nesbitt, Post-Bulletin Reporter Lake Superior College, Duluth M State Wadena Marissa Block, Post-Bulletin Reporter Mike Dougherty, Post-Bulletin News Editor Minnesota Online Minnesota Reader Minnesota State College Association (MSCSA) Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) MnSCUfan Normandale Community College Normandale Community College Student Senate Normandale Store Post-Bulletin News Post-Bulletin Newspapers in Education ServSafe Minnesota St. Cloud State University Careers St. Cloud State University's Public Relations Student Society of America (SCSUPRSSA) Star Tribune Tim Post, Minnesota Public Radio(MPR) Reporter Trisha, Marczak, Austin Daily Herald Reporter Winona Daily News WCCO TV Breaking News WCCO TV Social Networking Statistic Sources:

44 YouTube Although Riverland has a YouTube Channel, it is currently used more as storgage point for Web videos than as an acctual subscription area for others to join. All Web videos taken from a Flip cam or a raw video source are uploaded to YouTube and then the links released to Facebook, or our public site. Most Flip cam videos are uploaded in the raw format, but we have experimented with some minimal editing using imovie on the Macintosh systems. Unedited footage: Disaster Simulation daily reports: Some Examples of slightld edited footage using imovie: Donation: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: Examples were linked to Riverland.edu and Facebook. For Facebook, we to use videos that are less than 2 minutes. Riverland Media Blog: Still relatively new, but a part of the public Website is the Media Blog known as Campus Buzz. One aspect that the blog offers is the Web content becomes searchable within in few hours. This makes the blog a worldwide product that is searchable in all Web search engines. This has led to national and International inquiries about our college. For example, the New York Times expressed interest in our Wind Turbine Technology program. We have had educators from as far away as the Middle East express interest in programs publicized on the blog. The blog also provides a way for news agencies to subscribe and receive RSS feeds when new information becomes available. As the blog develops, the desire is to have this be the primary way our news agencies access media information from the college. Some of our younger, Web savvy reporters have subscribed to the blog. 43

45 Riverland s Social Media Policy for Employees The following is Riverland Community College s Social Media and Social Networking Policy. This policy covers employees and contractors while at work, while using company communications devices, in accordance with the Use of Computers and Information Technology Resources policy and at any time the individual can be understood as officially representing Riverland Community College. This policy does not apply to content on students or faculty members personal sites. Official social networking and social media sites should be reported to the Communications department to ensure maximum exposure, cross-linking and collaboration with related projects. The lack of explicit reference to a specific site does not limit the extent of the application of this policy. Please consult with Riverland s Director of Communications if you have questions. In reference to other blogs, personal, business or media sites please note that in most cases Riverland discourages commenting to criticism of Riverland Community College or its personnel. Comment merely feeds more discussion. If negative comments about Riverland appear on a social media platform, please call or forward the link to the Director of Communications. If a response is needed from the college, the Director of Communications will work with college officials on the appropriate response. In all other cases, we will encourage personal interaction outside of the Internet in a way that does not fuel further comments and discussion online. Employees and student workers who administer Riverland social media sites or contribute content to them as representatives of Riverland Community College should: Protect and enhance the value of the Riverland Community College brand; avoid making derogatory comments about students, faculty or employees; and protect confidential information. Be honest about your affiliation with Riverland. Your honesty will be noted in the Social Media environment. If you have a vested interest in what you are discussing, be the first to say so. Be helpful. Offering advice in your area of expertise will provide value to the online community. Feel free to provide unique, individual perspectives on non-confidential activities at Riverland. Use the Riverland logos as advised, and to the extent possible conform to the overall Riverland Style Guide (add link once approved). Respond promptly to questions/comments when reasonably possible (within 24 hrs.). Remember that your readers include current students, potential students, alumni and parents, as well as current/past/future employees. Consider all audiences before you publish and make sure you aren t alienating any of them. Respect copyright laws, and reference or cite sources appropriately. 44

46 Remember all other Riverland policies apply. Employees commenting on other social media sites (not created by Riverland) should: Follow all applicable Riverland policies. For example, you must not share confidential or proprietary information about Riverland and you must maintain student privacy. Write in the first person. Where your connection to Riverland is apparent, make it clear that you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of Riverland. In those circumstances, you may want to include this disclaimer: The views expressed on this *blog; website+ are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer. Consider adding this language in an About me section of your blog or social networking profile. Do not make statements identifying yourself as a Riverland employee without first discussing your comment/statement with the Director of Communications. Be sure to follow Riverland Media Procedures prior to making public statements. Use a personal address (not your Riverland.edu address) as your primary means of identification. Just as you would not use Riverland stationery for a letter to the editor with your personal views, do not use your Riverland address for personal views. If your blog, posting or other online activities are inconsistent with, or would negatively impact Riverland Community College s reputation or brand, you should not refer to Riverland, or identify your connection to Riverland. Be respectful and professional to fellow employees, business partners, competitors and students. Avoid using unprofessional online personas. Ensure that your blogging and social networking activity does not interfere with your work commitments. Acceptable Use of Computers and Information Technology Resources (add link) Ask the Director of Communications if you have any questions about what is appropriate to include in your blog or social networking profile. As a general rule, if you wouldn t want your manager or others at Riverland to see your comments, it is unwise to post them to the Internet. Event Calendar The Communications department tries to encourage all departments, event committees and student organizations to post on the Riverland Event Calendar located on Riverland.edu. The department uses these events to help create: Media alerts: Our media partners have asked that we send media alert/photo opportunities within 48 hours of the event. Successful media alerts involve diversity, or activities. They are not often excited about sending media to presentations, lectures, and awards ceremonies. Media alerts are still sent for these events, but with limited success. Yearly events need a new angle to keep the media interested. 45

47 Calendars: Events placed on the calendar 30 to 60 days in advance have a better chance of appearing in monthly calendars in magazines, newspapers, chamber newsletters, Convention and Visitor calendars and electronic blasts. This information is sent as part of the ed event calendar. Marquee messages: Events promoted on the Austin Campus' Marquee are almost exclusively taken from the Event Calendar. Marquee messages are scheduled once a month, usually the last week of the month. All events that are on the event calendar prior to posting the month's messages will be included. Generally, the messages posted on the Marquee have relevance to the Austin campus. The marquee is reserved for Riverland and Student events only. Community messages have been prohibited because managing the content would become difficult. Exceptions are when events affect our potential Stakeholders, (Welcome Home Troops? Good Luck at State High School Tournaments, etc. Twitter messages, Facebook events, Web Feeds: The event calendar also feeds to other areas on the Web site and are often used to post on Facebook or send Tweets to the Riverland Twitter account. Using a Web tool called HootSuite, the messages are sometimes able to be sent to all accounts simultaneously with links to the events on Riverland.edu s Event Calendar. Web Banners: Our graphic arts specialist also will promote events on the Web site and on MyRiverland Web page using specially designed Web banners. Because Web Banners are customized for each event, banners are chosen not by event, but longevity of the banner. Will the event occur many times in a year? Will it appeal to a vast audience? Does the event promote one of our learning goals and advertise our college? Because a Web Banner rotates with other banners, Communications tries to pick banner subjects that can run for several days or a few weeks. They also are more graphic than text driven and encourage the viewer to click to a landing page. The event calendar entry may serve as a landing page or it could go to another existing page. All Web Banners do have to have a click through to more information. How to Schedule Calendar Events: On the home page, under the Upcoming Events header, 1) Click on the "View Events Calendar." 2) Check for conflicting events on the date of your event using Full Month View then navigating to the date of you desire. Remember, you may be competing for similar audiences if you choose a date that has other events scheduled. 3) Drive back to the main Calendar page and click "Submit Event" under the mini monthly calendar 4) Enter all the information 5) If your event is free, we recommend you enter "Free Admission" in the price field. 6) Once submitted, the event will not go live until Sandy Roe, our Web developer can verify the information is legitimate. If you have students enter the information, have them use your advisor name and as the contact person. The event will usually go live in less than 24 hours, many times within a few hours. 46

48 7) Work well ahead of your event for this step in your event planning. Area high schools and entertainment venues use our Calendar before scheduling their events. The further out you plan, the less competition you may have in that community. 8) Our media partners (KAAL TV, KTTC, Austin Daily Herald, etc.) often create stories based on events they find listed on our calendar, so take time creating your calendar listing. If you need suggestions, contact the Communications Department. 9) Finally, Communications uses the calendar to pitch story ideas, submit items to calendar publications and create banners, marquee messages, feed to Facebook, electronic feeds, etc. So, if you only do one step toward promoting your event, getting it listed on the College Calendar is that step to guarantee further steps will be taken to promote your event. Student Announcements on the website: To make it easier to post announcements for students on the Web site, the Web Developer has created the Student Buzz area to allow organization advisors, faculty, Enrollment Services, etc. to post student announcements on the Web. Marketing Guidelines Because our staff is limited and the needs for marketing are so vast across the college, marketing the college takes efforts from all areas. The following guidelines have been developed to help us focus those efforts. A worksheet is also available for a tool at planning meetings. Marketing and public relations are important to Riverland Community College in building public awareness, visibility and support for our institutions and programs. Well-integrated and well thoughtout marketing and public relations strategies can enhance the perception and reputation of Riverland Community College among prospective students, key stakeholders and the public. The Communications department at Riverland Community College oversees marketing and public relations activities for the system office. The following step-by-step guidelines are intended to assist departments within the college plan and execute marketing and public relations strategies. 1. Your first step should be to contact the Riverland Community College Communications department. They can help you identify your target audience and plan your strategies and tactics. The earlier the Communications department is informed and involved in your project, the better. All advertising, marketing communications, external publications and communications with the media must go through the Communications department for approval. This applies to all projects that are initiated or coordinated through the college. Even if the project is funded from a separate budget, the Communications department needs to be involved to make sure that the content and quality of college messages are consistent. 47

49 2. Schedule a preliminary planning meeting. The planning meeting is an important first step. It is a chance for all parties to clarify the target audience, the key messages, and the strategies and tactics you will use to reach that audience. Decisions made at this meeting will guide future steps in the process, so it critical that all key players are present. At a minimum, attendees should include all who will have an important role in the project. The client the person or group for whom the project is being undertaken is key, along with the people who will be responsible for carrying out the project. Be sure to include a representative from the Communications department. The preliminary planning meeting should take place before any decisions are made or before any commitments are made to outside vendors. Someone in the group should be designated to record decisions. Here are the basic questions that need to be answered: Who will be the project leader for this project? Who is going to be the person that represents the group as a liaison and work with the Communications department or outside agencies to see the project through to completion? Who, exactly, is the target audience? Be as specific as possible. The broader the audience, the less effective the marketing strategies and tactics are likely to be. What do you know about your target audience? Do you know of any market research or other research that would help you better understand your audience? If not, you may want to consider conducting some basic research first, such as interviews with people in your target audience, or small informal focus groups. You need to know how your audience prefers to receive information and what influences their decisions. What are the key messages you want the target audience to receive? Again, be as specific as you can. Do you want to increase awareness of a product or service among your target audience? Do you want to inform or persuade them of a concept or idea? Do you want them to take an action? What is best way to deliver the key messages? Describe the strategies and tactics that will reach your audience to achieve your purpose. As much as possible, base these decisions on market research or your own knowledge of your target audience. Don t discount strategies that are low cost or practically free, such as seeking media coverage, social media coverage or pursuing other public relations tactics. What is the available budget? This may dictate, to some extent, the type of marketing you will be able to do effectively. Don t assume there is a budget for a new initiative. How will you pay for the activities you are suggesting? How will you measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts? Think of ways to track how many members of your target audience see or hear your message, and how many responses you get. You may need to have a series of meetings to gather all the information you need and make these decisions. Once you have answered these questions, consider the best way to approach your project. Are resources available in-house to refine the key messages and implement the strategies and tactics, or will you need to bring in outside experts such as an advertising or public relations agency? 48

50 1. Make a plan. Once you have answered the planning questions, draw up a marketing plan. Be as clear as possible about your goals, and state how you will measure whether or not your goals have been reached. If you are working with outside experts, they will assist you in planning and implementing your marketing strategies (and they will charge you for this service.) Draw up timelines for the project. The Communications department is not opposed to the use of outside experts and agencies as long as the goals do not conflict with college efforts and the messages are consistent and unified with existing strategies. 2. Work with the Communications department and your in-house or outside experts to carry out your marketing plan. The Communications department can help you coordinate your project with other projects that may be underway or in planning stages, so that you can get more bang for your advertising or marketing buck. Remember, integration may take time to take hold, so you want to plan carefully 3. Evaluate your results. Once your plan has been implemented, hold a debriefing meeting to discuss what worked and what didn t. Invite the people who attended the original planning meetings. What lessons can you learn that will help you next time? MEDIA RELATIONS Media relations are an important focus of the Communications department. Effectively placed messages and news stories are not only cost-effective but provide third-party credibility for the college. Riverland is a bigger fish in most of our communities and they look to us for stories on education. We've also worked hard to create Communications as a "professional resource of experts to the media." If the media calls to ask if there is someone they can talk to from economics about the effects of Christmas shopping on the economy, I work hard to connect them to faculty that can offer them insight. In some cases, they have been used to assist with researching a story, but most times, they become a part of the story. This helps establish faculty and college credibility. To assist us with this, we have established Media Procedures to help us manage the media. Many people feel these procedures are policing the media, but in reality, our goals are simple: Media Goals: 1) Establish a relationship with reporters and have them come to us for stories. What might seem like an added chore for them at first, usually works to their advantage when they see that we can assist them, save them calls and get them faster response then they sometimes get when they try to contact faculty or administration directly. 2) Create a buffer between the media and Riverland personnel. If we establish this as procedure in all examples, it becomes easier to establish in crises. Obviously, in most cases, the reporter contacting the employee seems and is innocuous. But, consider this example: 49

51 A reporter calls an employee directly to discuss a college event they are chairing. The employee does the interview, no questions asked. A week later, that same reporter calls that employee and wants to interview them about allegations of sexual misconduct toward a student. This time, the employee suggests the reporter work through the communications department. Because there has been a change in procedure, the reporter may feel there is something to the story and pursue it more vehemently. To prevent this, we encourage all stories are handled through the Communications department. Awkward for innocuous stories, but appreciated if the story is negative. Most importantly, the buffer that is established will appear natural if used for all stories. In negative stories, it will also establish time for communications to create a strategy. a. Who is the best person to serve as spokesperson in this story? b. Does the Communications department need to discuss with Human Resources, administration, the faculty member, legal, etc. c. Who else needs to be aware before the media does the story? Does a communication need to be sent to the Admin Council, Riverland Community, etc.? d. Does the Communications department need to prepare talking points and prepare the spokesperson for the interview? e. Does the Communications department need to issue a written statement, a live statement, an interview? 3) Protect the reputation and integrity of the college, its administration and employees. 4) To facilitate the setup of interviews in a way that best utilizes the employee's or student's time. To facilitate these goals the following media relations have been established. Periodically these procedures are sent to all employees, usually at the beginning of semester or if there's a crisis) College Media Procedures 1. Contact the Communications Department Our preference is that you refer all representatives of the media to the Communications Department. Contact information is below. Please try not to make statements to or set up interviews with the media about any topic (no matter how harmless it may seem) without taking this important step. 2. Direct the media to the Communications Department Most media know to contact us before contacting a Riverland employee or student on campus, but you can help them understand the necessary steps. We are not trying to deny the media access, we are trying to coordinate the access so that it doesn't interfere with teaching and learning. Politely inform the media that all interviews are coordinated through the Communications office. 50

52 3. The Communications Department always confirms media contacts If the media tells you they have contacted me, consider this: we will always contact you BEFORE using you as a source or releasing your name to the media. We never release any information not accessible through Riverland.edu's staff directory without your permission. In most cases, we tell reporters that you will call them to set up the appointment. 4. You can always reach the Communications Department If for some reason James Douglass is not on campus, do not hesitate to contact James via cell phone. Finally, if James is out of the office or the service area, his voice mail and vacation rule always have an alternative designee for the media. Please contact that person. Primary Contact: James Douglass Director of Communications Direct (507) Cell: (507) james.douglass@riverland.edu Alternative Contacts: Celeste Ruble Vice President of Employee and Public Relations Direct: (507) celeste.ruble@riverland.edu BJ Witts Graphic Arts Specialist Direct: Bj.witts@riverland.edu Media Riverland campuses are positioned in a media rich location. The college faces more media inquiries than most of our sister colleges because of our geographical location. For example, Riverland has proximity to three television major television networks without much competition. Sure, KTTC and KAAL may sometimes favor Rochester Community and Technical College for college stories at times and KIMT may sometimes favor NIACC, but if something happens at Riverland that catches the attention of one station, the other two will compete for a similar story. The same is true in Newspapers and Radio stations. To illustrate, here are some of the stations and publications that our in our media territory. Primary Television Stations: KAAL TV 6 (ABC), Austin, Albert Lea, Rochester, Mason City KIMT 3 (CBS), Mason City, Austin, Albert Lea, Rochester KTTC 12 (NBC) Rochester, Austin, Albert Lea, Mason City 51

53 KXLT TV 47 (Fox) Rochester, Austin, Albert Lea, Mason City KTTC2 (CW) Rochester, Austin, Albert Lea Charter Cable (Assorted Networks) Austin, Albert Lea, Rochester and Owatonna KSMQ (PBS), Austin Albert Lea, Rochester, Owatonna Secondary Television Stations: KEYC-TV (CBS), Mankato KTCA TV (PBS) Minneapolis/St. Paul WCCO-TV (CBS) Minneapolis/St. Paul KSTP-TV (ABC) Minneapolis/St. Paul (Sister station to KAAL) KMSP-TV (Fox) Minneapolis/St. Paul KARE (NBC) Minneapolis/St. Paul KTCI-TV (PBS) Minneapolis/St. Paul Primary/Secondary Radio Stations: K252DM (KJLY), 98.3 FM Austin, Religious K277AD (KLSE), FM, Austin, Classical K280EF (KLSE), FM, Austin, Classical KATE, 1450 IS Albert Lea, News/Talk KAUS, 99.9 FM, Austin, Country KAUS, 1480 AM, Austin, News/Talk KBDC, 88.5 FM, Mason City, IA, Religious KDHL, 920 AM, Faribault, MN, Farm KIAI, 93.9 FM, Mason City, IA, Country KLSE, 91.7 FM, Rochester, Classical KMSK, 91.3 FM, Austin, Mankato State University Public Radio KNFX, 970 AM, Austin, Sports KNSE, 90.1 FM, Austin, Public Radio KNXR, 97.5 FM, Rochester, Easy Listening KOLM, 1520 AM Rochester, Nostalgia KOWZ, FM, Blooming Prairie, Classic Hits KOWZ, 1170 AM, Waseca, News/Talk KQPR, 96.1 FM, Albert Lea, Classic Rock KROC, FM, Rochester, MN Top-40 KSMA, 98.7 FM, Osage, IA Top-40 KVGO, FM, Spring Valley, Oldies KWWK, 96.5 FM, Rochester, Country KYBA, FM, Stewartville, Adult Contemporary KYTC, FM, Northwood, IA Country Primary Newspapers Albert Lea Tribune Austin Daily Herald Post-Bulletin Blooming Prairie Times 52

54 Community College Times Mason City Globe Gazette Secondary Newspapers: Adams Monitor Review Alden Advance Blue Earth - Faribault County Register Byron Review Calendonia Argus Chatfield News Des Moines Register Dodge Center Star Record Ellendale Eagle Fairmont Sentinel Faribault Daily News Fairmont Sentinel Grand Meadow - Meadow Area News Harmony - River Valley Reader Hayfield Herald Houston Banner Janesville Argus Kasson - Dodge County Independent Kiester Courier-Sentinel La Crescent - Houston County News Lake Crystal Tribune LeRoy Independent Lewiston Journal Mabel/Harmony News-Record Madison Lake - Lake Region Times Mankato - The Free Press Mankato Free Press Mapleton - Maple River Messenger Mason City Globe Gazette Minneapolis Star Tribune Minnesota Lake Tribune New Richland Star Northfield News Owatonna Peoples Press Preston - Fillmore County Journal Preston/Lanesboro Republican-Leader Rushford - Tri-County Record Sherburn - Martin County Star Spring Grove Herald Spring Valley Tribune St. Charles Press St. Paul Pioneer Press Stewartville Star 53

55 Truman Tribune Waseca County News Waseca County News Wells Mirror Wells Mirror West Concord Enterprise Winona Daily Winona Daily News Winona Post Student Hometown Newspapers accessed through the Link Service (i.e.: President s List, Dean s List, PTK, graduation, etc.) Free Newspapers/Shoppers: Eventos Fairmont Photo Press Faribault Area Shopper Fillmore County Journal Freeborn County Shopper Home Magazine Mower County Shopper Owatonna Area Shopper Waseca Area Shopper Winona Post Phone Directories with Paid White/Yellow page Listings: Albert Lea/Austin Mason City/Charles City Faribault/Owatonna Rochester Other Publications: (Includes paid advertising, news information or sponsorships) Amercian Association of Community Colleges Agri News (Rochester) Chamber Publications Community Convention Bureau Publications District Newsletters High School Newspapers High School Yearbooks InBusiness Magazine International Guides Military Friendly Schools Publication Rochester Magazine The Land (Agricultural News) Mankato 54

56 Trade Publications WDI Newsletters Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Publications and Activities: Amazing Facts-- handy reference guide for facts about the Minnesota State system Go Places Guide for High School Students Make College A Part of Your Future (languages) Media Expert Guide Minnesota State Colleges & Universities Magazine Minnesota State Fair Open for Business: Your Guide to Training, Education and Business Services Workforce of the Future: Leadership Reaches Out to Business Media Services There are countless events on the Riverland Community College campus communities each year and many great stories to tell. However, since any external mass communication that originates from a College-sponsored group is an official Riverland Community College communication in the eyes of the recipient(s), certain standards must be followed. The Communications Department is responsible for maintaining these standards. If you are conducting an event that requires media outreach, plan to request as much at least three weeks prior to the event date. This allows the Communications staff time to give each request its due consideration and allows ample time to consider such announcements. If your event requires posters, flyers, programs, or Web content, plan on requesting as much at least six weeks prior to the event/launch date. The Media Release Process: The Communications Department is ultimately responsible for the tone, quality and relevance of external College communications. As such, individuals or groups in the employ of, or sponsored by, the College who wish to issue any external announcement must do the following: Complete the web link and complete the Submit News Release. Once you submit, your announcement will be professionally edited and distributed to the appropriate news outlets. Some hints to consider when completing the template: Omit needless words, jargon and subjective phrases (except as part of a quote).obtain written ( is fine) approval for all quotes. Ensure titles are correct. 55

57 1. Review carefully for grammar, spelling and style (Communication Department will check content and align in accordance to the Associated Press Style Guide). 2. If attaching photos please identify all people in the photograph with full names, titles, organizations, etc. from left to right. 3. If you have questions about the news release request form, call James Douglass at or For radio or TV coverage, consider: Does your announcement/event involve either a controversial or quirky issue, compelling visuals, a prominent/well-known figure, something where the stakes are high, or a matter of broad and immediate interest to the public? If not, TV coverage is not a strong likelihood. Is your announcement/event on a reasonably large scale, open to the public, and of interest to a broad range of people? If not, radio coverage is not a strong likelihood. The Communications Department is here to help you get the best possible response for your event/award/story. We have the media relationships and know-how to ensure that your announcements get the results you want while preserving the integrity and public image of Riverland Community College. However, the issuance of a media release does not guarantee publication/coverage. As traditional print media continue to shrink and disappear, less and less attention will be given to events that have little news impact. Riverland Community College-generated news outlets such as the Web site, RSS feed and social media will continue to be of greater importance for both internal and external outreach. All completed news releases will still be posted on the Campus Media Blog and could become stories for Riverland publications. Media Preference Survey During the last several years, we have been trying to fund or have a survey done to find out more about the area's media preference. We did a student survey in 2007 and That survey told us the primary radio stations that our students use. We used that to help us better target our advertising to the top three of four stations in our region, saving the college money. We submitted a proposal to Tricia Whalen and the IDEA group in 2010 to see if we can piggy back onto another survey or if they could help us fund this study. We are operating on older media preference data and new data would help us make some of the decisions with the proposed project summary on the following pages. We can usually find out how to reach our students, but we're interested in how to reach the people we're not reaching. 56

58 The last survey done exclusively with a Marketing and Media Preference focus was in 2001 and helped us map out key messages and slogans that spoke to our audience. The money invested in Noel Levitz (Full Report in Appendix A) and the MnSCU Statewide Market Research Project (Appendix C) was helpful, we still would be interested in measuring the best way to target the following regional audiences: 1) Traditional Audience (High School Students) 2) Non Traditional Audience 3) Business and Industry 4) Community Members 5) Regional College Students that are not our students 57

59 COMMUNICATIONS PLAN Project Chart Tactic Strategy Audience Timing Responsible Notes Riverland Employee Site/Portal Using SharePoint 2010, a unified platform that allows us to build a connected Intranet and Internet leveraging our existing infrastructure and investments. The platform is integrated, scalable, and flexible. Riverland Employees 2013 to2014 Sandra Roe, Web Developer Full plan appears in full Communications Plan Document. Training occurred in March/April Project has been sidetracked numerous times, most recently to create AQIP, Policies and procedures, etc. The decision was made to use as pilot projects and training for the full website. 58

60 Tactic Strategy Audience Timing Responsible Notes Academic Referral Application Create Web application Faculty can use to provide information for counselors. Faculty/Counselors January 2012 Sandra Roe, Web Developer with Counselors/Faculty Done Moments of Success Online Planning and Budgeting Form Student Discounts Online Page County Fairs Create an application that students can access to recognize Faculty or other students Create form that lives online with ability to electronically view status A Web application that allows local businesses to post special offers or discounts to Riverland Students. Communications took over the fair booth from Student Services because their new structure didn t allow for them to help with this recruiting initiative Students/Faculty MyRiverland Community and Web surfers ON HOLD Sandra Roe, Web Developer Riverland Employees ON HOLD Sandra Roe, Web Developer with help from finance group Regional Businesses A value added for Riverland students with Student IDs External Stakeholders On HOLD June August 2013 Sandra Roe, Web Developer with James Douglass, Director of Communications James Douglass, Director of Communications BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist Sandra Roe, Web Developer Pending SharePoint process Pending SharePoint development process Gatekeeper, expiration dates to help maintain, upload coupons/logos. Campaign to promote to businesses, then students Did a PBS for the $8,000 required to do this project and fund parades. 59

61 Tactic Strategy Audience Timing Responsible Notes Mobile Devices, ipad, iphone, mobile devices Develop a strategy to ensure Web can be viewed in a mobile format. All Riverland Web stakeholders Project has been on hold for several years though we continue to explore Sandra Roe, Web Developer,James Douglass, Director of Communications and BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist See stats in Appendix B of this Communications Plan Front Page and interior Cosmetic Redesign Online Viewbook Site Printed Viewbook Photo shoot of all campuses and programs Using recommendation from Noel Levitz and front page Anayltics, we are going to redesign the front page to avoid scroll. To incorporate a new entry point for potential students that will provide them with the most pertinent path for enrollment Based on discussions about Enrollment, a printed viewbook will be created Try to update photo options for all programs and campuses All Riverland Web Stakeholders Potential students. The print version of the view book will also drive students to this site. We have been investigating for some time. Once redesigned, we will test on student focus groups. Spring 2013 Sandra Roe, Web Developer BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist and James Douglass, Director of Communications Sandra Roe, Web Developer BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist and James Douglass, Director of Communications Potential Students Spring 2013 BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist, and James Douglass, Director of Communications All internal and external stakeholders Fall 2012 BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist, and James Douglass, Director of Communications This is currently in progress but holding for available time to commit to the process Completed: See: Completed and mailed. Completed Sept

62 Tactic Strategy Audience Timing Responsible Notes Owatonna Insert for Spring Riverland Style Guide Insert 13,000 copies in Owatonna households Put all our media guidelines and processes on paper to assist college in communications processes and Brand as suggested by the Noel Levitz profile (Appendix A) Owatonna and surrounding area Riverland Employees and vendors Fall 2012 Spring 2013 James Douglass, Director of Communications and BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist James Douglass, Director of Communications, BJ Witts Completed Outline and content completed. Pending proofing and approval. Revise Inquiry Card Noel Levitz recommendation Appendix A Potential students and all college personnel Spring 2013 James Douglass, Director of Communications with Strategic enrollment committee In progress: We have established the need for different types of inquiry cards as well as some processes for employees and the call inquiries. Orientation Noel Levitz recommendation Appendix A Potential students and all college personnel Spring 2013 James Douglass, and BJ Witts, w/ Strategic Enrollment Committee In progress. 61

63 Tactic Strategy Audience Timing Responsible Notes Marketing Guidelines and Worksheet Since Communications staff is so limited and recommendations for marketing so strong, guidelines and worksheet has been developed All Riverland employees Spring 2013 James Douglass, Director of Communications First draft completed. Pending administration approval and support. Presidential Profile A document containing history, data, etc. as determined for Candidates for Presidency at Riverland July 2012 James Douglass, Director of Communications Completed. Web page version launched Program Banner Project Create program banners for all career programs using design concept to create a cohesive group of banners All Riverland Stakeholders Austin, Spring 2013 Albert Lea, Fall 2014 BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist This project is well in progress. Communications will pay half for a single banner as long as design matches template. Update Literature Displays Point of purchase displays featuring enrollment literature as all four buildings All Riverland stakeholders but targeting enrolling students. Content matches enrollment process brochures, etc. Spring 2013 James Douglass, Director of Communications and BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist Completed 62

64 Tactic Strategy Audience Timing Responsible Notes Constant Contact Marketing Marketing for Riverland. Communications purchased a contract from ConstantContact.com Current Lists: Riverland Employees Alumni Riverland Students Theatre and Music Future: RTD Advisory Councils Spring 2013 Once Theatre starts using E-Tickets through University Tickets (Summer 2013), we will build more e-lists. James Douglass, Director of Communications and BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist We have successful piloted programs with Music and Theatre and used the program to promote Spend Your Summer At the River campaign to students and Alumni BookWear Send Success Starts Here Riverland book wrapped T-Shirts to High School graduation parties and prom parties Traditional Age Students Spring 2013 BJ Witts, Graphic Arts Specialist Completed Media Release Process and Online Submission Provide a template for people to submit thorough media release information. More timely release. Riverland Deans and programs, etc. Winter 2012 James Douglass, Director of Communications; Sandra Roe, Web Developer Process completed. More work has to be done to get buy-in and online submission LinkedIn Group For Recent Grads and Alumni Engage second year students, alumni and advisory committees in a network that helps with job placement and helps us keep in touch with students Students, alumni, potential employers Spring 2013 James Douglass, Director of Communications Group has created and list of alumni created. Needs Content Administrator. It also needs second year curriculum implantation. 63

65 Tactic Strategy Audience Timing Responsible Notes 75 th Anniversary Campaign and Celebration Form a working committee that includes Riverland employees, Alumni, Community members and our Foundation. Preliminary ideas to explore with committee: All of Riverland s internal and external stakeholders, focusing on the vast numbers of alumni we have still living in our communities. Latter part of the academic year through the beginning of the academic year James Douglass, Director of Communications We will wait until Dr. Atewologun begins as president before executing this plan. We want to be sure it aligns with his vision and strategy for Riverland s future. Alumni lawn sign campaign: I started my success at Riverland. Community Celebration or Gala Rebranding Campaign 64

66 Appendix A Noel Levitz Report October 18, 2012

67

68 Next Level Up Strengthen Enrollment Advisor & Call Center Structure Reduce Excessive Activity Syndrome Build Procedure Manuals Address Performance Issues Reconsider the Course Schedule Collect Outcomes and make them central to marketing & communications, top of funnel through to the bottom Environmental Scanning: Get Some! Discussion and Questions

69 Recruitment Infrastructure Data (Strategic) Enrollment Planning Team Retention Financial Aid Marketing & Comm. Academic Program Mix Mid-Level Initiatives Tracking Source Codes Measuring Program Impact (based on Accountability Measures) Codify Recruitment Communications Flow Strengthen Accuplacer/readiness levels for Career & Technical Programs Beef up Orientation On-line Readiness Specialize Enrollment Advisors

70 Think Revenue Return On Investment (ROI) $164.60/credit $492 revenue per 3 credit class Adjunct: $3,000 7 students cover instructional costs Student #8: priceless Think $5,000 revenue per FYE Low Hanging Fruit KPIs = Accountability Measures: Get them Public... Publish Comparison Benchmarks Revise Inquiry Card Inquiry Entry Select issues (i.e. CSI): put the key players in a room... Build the Coordinating Structure

71 4Strengths & Recommendations Strengths Commitment to serving students A willingness to try new things A robust menu of support programs Can do attitude Diversity of programs & locations Faculty focused on student learning

72 Enrollment Growth Strategy Matrix Existing Programs/Services New Programs/Services Existing Markets Market Penetration Product Development New Markets Market Development Diversification Academic and Co-curricular Oriented Enrollment as % of Capacity Manage Reduce or Eliminate Sustain or Build Start Net Operating Income Per Student

73 Systems Approach D I V E R S E E N T R Y Web Analytics Name Purchase Social Media Integration S U B P O P U L A T I O N S Financial Aid Leveraging E-Comm. Flows Integrated CRM S U B P O P U L A T I O N S Curricular Offering Co- Curricular Offerings Retention Prediction Competition, market demand, and institutional strength Market Demand: What students want - Relevance Competition: Unoccupied market positions - Differentiation Program: What we do best - Authenticity

74 Noel-Levitz Approach Data Analysis Preparation Data Collection Key Performance Indicators Situation Analysis Strategies Strategy Development elopment Tactics Identified Strategy Prioritization ROI Considerations Enrollment Goals Enrollment Projection Goal-Setting Finalize Written Plan Implementation Implementation enta tion of Plan Form Strategic EM Council Communication is key to success Strategic Enrollment Planning involves: Process Purpose Product SEP Promotion Place Price Product (academic, cocurricular, services, support) Place (on-site, off-site, online, hybrid) Price and Revenue (tuition, fees, discounts, incentives) Promotion (marketing, recruitment, Web presence) Purpose and Identity (mission, distinctiveness, brand) Process (data-informed, integrated planning)

75 Traditional Planning Set goals then develop steps to achieve those goals Strategic Planning Align organization with its environment to promote stability, sustainability, growth, and/or excellence Effective Organizational Models Strategic Plan Mission Strategic Enrollment Plan Vision KPI Annual Plans Institutional Effectiveness Strategies Enrollment Goals Marketing Recruitment Success and Completion (PPRC/G)

76 Recruitment Infrastructure Data (Strategic) Enrollment Planning Team Retention Financial Aid Marketing & Comm. Academic Program Mix My institution has a written, long-range strategic enrollment plan Percent of respondents in agreement Type of institution Yes Yes and it s of excellent quality* Four-year private 69.5% 18.0% Four-year public 64.6% 23.1% Two-year public 61.4% 4.5% *Indicates the percentage of respondents who rated the quality of their plan excellent as opposed to good, fair, poor, or no (nonexistent) 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

77 My institution has a position that has primary responsibility for retention Percent of respondents in agreement Type of institution Yes Yes and it s of excellent quality* Four-year private 75.4% 26.2% Four-year public 67.7% 32.3% Two-year public 69.7% 11.1% *Indicates the percentage of respondents who rated the quality of their plan excellent as opposed to good, fair, poor, or no (nonexistent) 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions 3 Organization & SEP Fundamentals

78 My institution has a current, written retention plan Percent of respondents in agreement Type of institution Yes Yes and it s of excellent quality* Four-year private 60.0% 8.5% Four-year public 61.0% 19.7% Two-year public 60.0% 10.0% *Indicates the percentage of respondents who rated the quality of their plan excellent as opposed to good, fair, poor, or no (nonexistent) 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions My institution has a retention committee that leads and coordinates retention activities Percent of respondents in agreement Type of institution Yes Yes and it s of excellent quality* Four-year private 79.8% 22.5% Four-year public 70.8% 30.8% Two-year public 63.6% 10.1% *Indicates the percentage of respondents who rated the quality of their plan excellent as opposed to good, fair, poor, or no (nonexistent) 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

79 Five least effective practices at two-year public institutions 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Retention Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions Five least used practices at two-year public institutions 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Retention Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

80 10 most effective practices at two-year public institutions 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Retention Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions 10 most effective practices at two-year public institutions 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Retention Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

81 Riverland s graduation rate is 48% (2008) National graduation rates for public institutions Highly selective Selective Traditional Liberal Open AA BA MA Ph.D. Source: Compiled from ACT Institutional Data File, ACT, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Regional Graduation Graduation rate total cohort(drvg R2010) Graduation rate total cohort(drvg R2009_RV) Graduation rate total cohort(drvg R2008) Institution Name Rochester Community and Technical College South Central College Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical Ridgewater College Riverland Community College Minnesota West Community and Technical College Source: IPEDS

82 Riverland s retention rate is 53.7% (fall 2010 cohort) First- to second-year retention rates for public institutions Highly selective Selective Traditional Liberal Open AA BA MA Ph.D. Source: Compiled from ACT Institutional Data File, ACT, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Regional Retention Full-time retention rate 2010(EF2 010D) Part-time retention rate 2010(EF2 010D) Full-time retention rate 2009(EF20 09D_RV) Part-time retention rate 2009(EF20 09D_RV) Full-time retention rate 2008(EF20 08D) Part-time retention rate 2008(EF20 08D) Institution Name Minnesota West Community and Technical College Ridgewater College South Central College Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical Riverland Community College Rochester Community and Technical College Source: IPEDS

83 My institution has a written, annual integrated recruitment/marketing plan Percent of respondents in agreement Type of institution Yes Yes and it s of excellent quality* Four-year private 64.4% 11.0% Four-year public 61.5% 10.8% Two-year public 48.8% 2.3% *Indicates the percentage of respondents who rated the quality of their plan excellent as opposed to good, fair, poor, or no (nonexistent) 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions My institution has a standing campuswide committee Percent of respondents in agreement Type of institution Yes Yes and it s of excellent quality* Four-year private 48.8% 6.6% Four-year public 55.4% 7.7% Two-year public 59.1% 0.0% *Indicates the percentage of respondents who rated the quality of their plan excellent as opposed to good, fair, poor, or no (nonexistent) 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

84 My institution has a written, annual marketing plan Percent of respondents in agreement Type of institution Yes Yes and it s of excellent quality* Four-year private 75.9% 12.0% Four-year public 64.6% 12.3% Two-year public 65.1% 11.6% *Indicates the percentage of respondents who rated the quality of their plan excellent as opposed to good, fair, poor, or no (nonexistent) 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions My institution has a written, annual recruitment plan Percent of respondents in agreement Type of institution Yes Yes and it s of excellent quality* Four-year private 83.7% 18.1% Four-year public 81.5% 20.0% Two-year public 70.5% 15.9% *Indicates the percentage of respondents who rated the quality of their plan excellent as opposed to good, fair, poor, or no (nonexistent) 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

85 Five least used practices at two-year public institutions % using method RSS/XML syndicated feeds 7 Mobile apps 9 Loading a subset of purchased names into inquiry pool and treating them like Statistical modeling to predict the likelihood of an inquirer enrolling at your institution Statistical modeling to predict the likelihood of an admitted student % 25% 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions Median number of written contacts with a typical prospective student by enrollment stage (includes direct mail, , and text messaging) Four-year private institutions Four-year public institutions Two-year public institutions Purchased names/prospects Inquiries Admits 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

86 Top 10 most effective practices at two-year public institutions % very effective % somewhat effective Offering loans directly from the college or university % using method 30 Hosting open house events Academic programs within high schools for students to earn college Encouraging prospective students to apply on the admissions Web site College-sponsored trips to campus for prospective students Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% Five least effective practices at two-year public institutions Telephone directory ads % minimally effective 79 % using method 56 Listings in commercially published directories Online net price calculator Asking current students/ alumni for applicant referrals Blogging space for faculty or students % 25% 50% 75% 100% Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

87 More top practices in recruitment and marketing Four-year institutions: Weekend visits for high school students Using a statistical approach to determine aid awards Two-year institutions: Admissions decisions on the spot during visits High school visits by admissions representatives Offering loans directly from the college 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions Top 10 most effective practices at two-year public institutions Admissions decisions "on the spot" in high schools or during campus visits/open % very effective % somewhat effective % using method 43 High school visits by admissions representatives to primary markets Campus visit days for high school students Using enrolled students in recruitment/marketing Campus visit days designed for school counselors % 25% 50% 75% 100% 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

88 Riverland s Partial Funnel NL fall 2012 fall 2012 fall 2011 fall 2010 fall 2009 fall 2008 NL fall 2006 Inquiries applications accepts rate 65% 75% 77% 72% 78% 77% 89% Enrolled rate 65% 60% 80% 91% 86% 84% 73% note: fall 2012 survey: 4 institutions; fall 2006 survey: 8 institutions Top practices in student recruitment and marketing across sectors Open houses Campus visit programs Using enrolled students in recruiting Online applications 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Marketing and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

89 Two-year public institutions: Percentage changes in recruiting and admissions budgets* Budget decreased 2% or more Budget increased 2% or more Budget stayed the same 70% 64% 60% 55% 50% 40% 41% 30% 20% 10% 27% 9% 23% 23% 14% 9% 0% *Sample size was limited for this sector Budget vs Budget Budget vs Budget Reported Same Category Both Years 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Cost of Recruiting an Undergraduate Student: Benchmarks for Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions Funnel Management Enrollment Stage Prospect Inquiry Applicant Completed Applicant Accepted Confirmed Enrolled Enrollment Stage Rate Response Conversion Completion Acceptance Confirmation Capture Yield (accept to enroll)

90 Median number of new students enrolled per FTE employee in recruitment or admissions Four-year private Four-year public Two-year public* *Limited sample size for this sector 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Cost of Recruiting an Undergraduate Student: Benchmarks for Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions Median number of new students enrolled per FTE outreach employee Four-year private Four-year public Two-year public* *Limited sample size for this sector Noel-Levitz, Inc Cost of Recruiting an Undergraduate Student: Benchmarks for Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

91 Median cost to recruit a single student, Four-year private institutions Four-year public institutions Two-year public institutions* 2005 $2,073 $455 $ $1,941 $398 $ $2,143 $461 $ $2,185 $457 $108 *Limited sample size for this sector Noel-Levitz, Inc Cost of Recruiting an Undergraduate Student: Benchmarks for Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions Cost to recruit a single student 25th percentile Median cost 75th percentile $3,500 $3,000 $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $1,000 $500 $0 $3,172 $2,185 $1,364 $642 $342 $457 $313 $37 $108 Four-year private Four-year public Two-year public* *Limited sample size for this sector Noel-Levitz, Inc Cost of Recruiting an Undergraduate Student: Benchmarks for Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

92 2Recruitment & Retention Median cost to recruit a single student $2,500 $2,000 $1,500 $2,185 Riverland: $46 $1,000 $500 $0 *Limited sample size for this sector. $457 $108 Four-year private Four-year public Two year public* 2011 Noel-Levitz, Inc Cost of Recruiting an Undergraduate Student: Benchmarks for Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions

93 How many colleges offer distance education? Type Number % Offering Distance Education All colleges 4,200 66% Public two-year 1,000 97% Private, for-profit, two-year % Public four-year % Private, not-for-profit, four-year Private, for-profit, four-year 1,500 53% % Source: Data from academic year; NCES (2008) Growth in online learning (at least one course) continues to outpace total enrollment growth; of course, this implies a significant replacement factor Total Enrollment % Growth # Taking at Least One Online Course % Growth Online as % of Total Fall ,611,710 1,602, % Fall ,911, % 1,971, % 11.7% Fall ,272, % 2,329, % 13.5% Fall ,487, % 3,180, % 18.2% Fall ,758, % 3,488, % 19.6% Fall ,975, % 3,938, % 21.9% Fall ,199, % 4,606, % 25.3%

94 Workforce/HS Interest Gaps Readiness Gaps

95 Occupations with the largest percentage growth requiring at least a BA: Occupation % Change # of New Jobs 2008 Median Wage Biomedical engineers 72% 11,600 $77,400 Network systems and data 53% 155,800 $71,000 comm. analysts Financial examiners 41% 11,100 $70,930 Medical scientists 40% 44,200 $72,590 Physician assistants 39% 29,200 $81,250 Biochemists and biophysicists 37% 8,700 $82,840 Athletic trainers 37% 6,000 $39,640 Computer software engineers 34% 175,100 $85,430 Veterinarians 33% 19,700 $79,050 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, Edition An overview of bottom 13 student-planned educational majors: Computer/Info Science Engineering Tech Architecture/Env Design Agriculture Trade/Industrial Human/Family/Cons. Science Marketing & Distribution Phil/Religion/Theology Letters Business and Office Foregin Languages Mathematics Cross-Disciplinary Studies Source: Compiled from ACT Institutional Data File, ACT, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

96 Research to establish brand positioning Great Faculty Unique Riverland College Friendly Small Class Size Location Occupations with the largest numerical growth requiring at least a BA: Occupation # of New Jobs % Change 2008 Median Wage Registered Nurse* 581,500 22% $62,450 Accountants and 279,400 22% $59,430 auditors Postsecondary 256,900 15% $58,830 teachers Elementary school 244,200 16% $49,330 teachers Management analysts 178,300 24% $73,750 Computer software engineers, applications 175,100 34% $85,430 * Only requires an AA U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, Edition

97 Projected change in numbers of new high school graduates to Copyright 2011, The Chronicle of Higher Education. Reprinted with permission. This material may not be posted, published, or distributed without permission from The Chronicle. Sample statewide market share analysis 50% 40% Out-of-state Two-year Publics Four-year Publics Privates 30% 20% 10% 0%

98 1Environment Number of colleges and universities, Copyright 2010, The Chronicle of Higher Education. Reprinted with permission. This material may not be posted, published, or distributed without permission from The Chronicle.

99 Riverland Community College Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Analysis Lew Sanborne, PhD Associate Vice President This Morning s Agenda Environment Recruitment & Retention Organization & SEP Fundamentals Strengths & Recommendations

100 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 11 Environmental Scanning: Get Some! Over the course of my visit, I did not get a strong sense that folks had a good understanding of the broader context within which Riverland is located. Since my visit, I have seen encouraging reports from Dani Heini that suggests the college may have a broader portfolio than was initially evident. Strategic enrollment planning, when it is effective, is based on a solid understanding of the environment within which the college functions. Demographic trends, labor trends, and education trends all provide information that should influence strategic planning. As I mentioned during the exit presentation, strategic planning aligns the institution with its environment. Now is an excellent time to begin that environmental scanning process so that marketing messages and program developments align with the population that surrounds you and aligns the services the college offers with the needs of that population. Prioritization Considerations As I said during the exit, the organization of these recommendations is not a prioritized order. Low-hanging fruit items are simpler and easier to accomplish, and larger initiatives are more complex. That does not suggest that some of the more complex items should not be high-priority. In general, I recommend that initiatives that will build the top of the funnel, that will increase inquiries and your ability to track them, should be high-priority items. Marketing and recruitment efforts should come first. Riverland already has an expansive range of student success programs, so I would make attention to those programs a lower priority. Next Steps As I write this report, Riverland leadership is already moving forward to respond to the organizational recommendation above. That is an essential first step for the college. To support the need for focused attention to marketing and recruitment, I will be sending a proposal under separate cover that describes how Noel-Levitz can support Riverland Community College s enrollment goals.

101 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 10 Reduce Excessive Activity Syndrome The good news is that excessive activity syndrome at Riverland is a result of the good intentions of entrepreneurial people. The bad news is that, as you have added programs, you have neither combined nor cancelled existing programs. The other good news is that Riverland s graduation/completion rates look much better than national norms, so student success programs in particular appear to be making a difference. As important as adding new programs to meet emerging student needs is the review and elimination of existing programs, or the merging/consolidation of like programs. Riverland is not likely to see the creation of lots of new positions; organizationally, you need to work smarter and focus on those things that are truly having an impact. This recommendation links back to the measuring of program impact recommendation above. Focus efforts on the few programs that are having the most impact, and let programs that are no longer having an impact fade into the sunset. Build Procedure Manuals If adopted, this recommendation could lead to one of the longest-term projects to come out of this consulting visit. Quite simply, offices need procedure manuals. The classic excuse is we are too busy to build procedure guides, but the truth is, if you invest the time in building procedure guides and manuals, the daily work will go faster, new employee transitions will be facilitated, and more work will get done well when staff take time off and others pitch in to get the work done. Address Performance Issues Address performance issues was the recommendation line in the exit presentation, but the real recommendation may be to strengthen supervisor development. Too often the tendency is to develop work-arounds when individuals are not accomplishing work tasks in a timely fashion or with sufficient quality. Supervisors need to react constructively, identifying training and development needs when appropriate, and addressing performance gaps as they arise. Be sure that supervisors have the training they need in human resource development to do their jobs. Support them in their work to develop employees and to have the difficult conversations when appropriate. Reconsider the Course Schedule Most two-year institutions are adult-serving institutions. Riverland s course schedule, however, looks more like a traditional, residential college than it does an adult-serving twoyear school. Reports are that most liberal arts courses are scheduled between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Riverland my find a significant growth opportunity simply by expanding the schedule to accommodate adults who work during the day and who would prefer to take courses before or after work. Do the work to learn when your prospective students would like to take classes and be strategic about when you offer courses. Collect Outcomes and Make Them Central to Marketing and Communications, Top of Funnel through to the Bottom Alumni success stories make some of the best recruitment and retention tools. Comprehensively, Riverland need to be intentional about collecting student outcomes and then using those outcomes to support marketing, recruitment, and retention. Students want to see that others like them have used their Riverland education to improve their lives and to build careers.

102 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 9 to be successful, but the truth is that they do not know what they do not know. If students historically have not attended on-site orientation events, think creatively about how you can break up the various elements of orientation that students need and deliver them in nontraditional ways and at various times over the students first semester (or two) at Riverland. If possible, deliver orientation modules in the classroom. More importantly, deliver them when they are most relevant to the student. Modules about registration should occur just prior to early registration periods. Modules about financial aid should run February through April, when students are doing their taxes and will be more likely to complete the FAFSA. Deliver study skills and academic support units around the time the first batch of exams are delivered each semester. Expand the concept of orientation to be less linked to the days prior to the start of each semester, and more part of a first-year experience stretched over weeks and months. Online Readiness I strongly recommend that Riverland develops a mandatory online course readiness module. Require students who want to enroll in an online course to complete the module successfully prior to enrolling in an online course. Learning in the online environment requires a broad range of skills, from the technical to the motivational, and not everyone is suited to that environment. Make the module free and available to students who have applied and been accepted to the college. You should find a significant increase in the pass rate in the first online course for new students and, in the long-term, an overall improvement in online course completion and pass rates. Specialize Enrollment Advisors Practically, you may already have much of this accomplished, but I encourage you to identify academic program specializations for the enrollment advisors. Students should know that person A is specialized in transportation, person B and C in liberal arts, and person D in nursing and health. Obviously, with limited advisors, students will not always be able to work with the advisor who specializes in their academic program, but the opportunity to work with a specialist, instead of just the next available person, will increase the confidence levels of your students and your advisors. Larger Initiatives Strengthen Enrollment Advisor and Call Center Structure Numerous times during the visit, session participants prefaced their comments with, Since the reorg. In truth, it is time to move on from the now nearly two-year old reorganization and make the system work. There are a number of advantages to your current structure, and clearly some ongoing challenges too. One way to tackle some of these issues is to, as I describe above, put the participants in a room and do some brainstorming about how to improve the systems of these two areas. We heard evidence during my visit that one call center person was handling 80 percent of the calls. Call center staff and supervisors should schedule some time to work through current systems and processes and develop a plan to keep the workload balanced. Likewise, especially if you adopt the enrollment advisor (EA) specialization recommendation above, carve out time for an EA retreat with their supervisors (including site leads) to identify issues and work out solutions.

103 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 8 marketing piece is published so that call center staff are asking how first-time callers or inquiring students or their families learned of Riverland Community College. Call center staff must be informed and they must all be working from the same script (which must be updated regularly), and then the computing system must have the right fields and codes ready to handle the inquiry data input. So, when you invest in an insert in the Owatonna, or any newspaper, you track the number of inquiries or applications or registrations that result. With this kind of data, you can do more of what works and less of what doesn t. You must first have a plan to track, and the system in place to do the tracking. Measuring Program Impact (based on Accountability Measures) During my exit presentation, I talked about the enrollment funnel and the changing nature of that funnel because of the increase in stealth applicants; students whose first point of contact with the college is the application. In truth, every Riverland certificate or degree program needs its own funnel, from prospect (if names are bought) through to graduate or completer. If retention and graduation rates are part of the accountability measures, then you should know the retention and graduation rate for every program. Likewise, you should know the differential retention and graduation rates for students who participate in just about every Riverland co-curricular or support program. Do students who get tutors pass their classes at a higher rate than students who do not? Are they more likely to persist to the next semester, retain to the next year, or complete their intended certificate or degree? Every department or program head, whether curricular, co-curricular, or support, should know the success rates for the students who flow through their programs. They should know how their department or program contributes to the college s accountability measures. Codify the Recruitment Communications Flow Quite simply, put the recruitment communication flow down on paper. Sue is a great person, but the plan should not just live in her head. Every enrollment advisor should know what mailings and ings go to prospective students when in the process. The plan should be coordinated with financial aid and numerous other college offices and programs (the call centers, for example) so that communication efforts are supported and tracked. As with tracking inquiry sources, track response to mailings. Know how the timing of outreach efforts works or does not and, as you learn, adjust. The written communication plan is a tool everyone involved with new student enrollment should be familiar with and supporting. Strengthen Accuplacer/Readiness Levels for Career and Technical Programs Riverland has good cut-off scores for the liberal arts and transfer program, but I heard a number of concerns about the lack of usable cut-off scores in the vocational, career, and technical programs. If you know that students below certain levels in English, reading, or math do not have the skills to be successful in certain programs, adjust the cut-offs accordingly. Such an approach does not run contrary to your mission as an open-access institution. To the contrary, it ensures that students who need skill development get it before they step into a program where the faculty and staff know they are not going to be successful. Pay attention to the ethical standard; students should not be paying for programs if there is no evidence they can be successful in it. Beef-up Orientation One of the hardest things to accomplish at an adult-serving institution is participating on orientation programs. Adults have a tendency to believe they already know what they need

104 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 7 Enrollment Funnel History Fall 2012 Fall 2011 Fall 2010 Fall 2009 Fall 2008 Inquiries Applications Accepts Rate 75% 77% 72% 78% 77% Enrolled Rate 60% 80% 91% 86% 84% Inquiry Entry Related to revisions of the card are improvements to the inquiry entry system. Riverland has three persons staffing call centers, yet only one of those three people is directly entering inquiry data into the system. The other two are typing inquiry information into an that they then send to the one person doing data entry. In essence, you are double-entering data. Ensure that all call center staff are trained to do data entry on the spot and to ask the key questions that will support more effective entry, and so tracking, of source codes (see below). Select Issues (i.e. CSI): Put the Key Players in a Room This recommendation needs to describe a fundamental re-thinking of the way people at Riverland conduct day-to-day business. When an issue arises, put the key players together in a room and figure out what needs to be done. The College Student Inventory (CSI) planning was the example that came up during my visit, and it fits the general parameters I am recommending here quite well. Tricia, as the assessment administrator, was concerned about processes related to the planned pilot administration this spring of the CSI. Her questions were excellent, yet they revealed that all those who were to be involved in the pilot had not yet had an opportunity to develop a plan to operationalize the pilot. The answer is simple: when one person at Riverland has questions about a project or a process, or if they think they can improve the way things are currently being done, they should bring the right group of people together and resolve the questions, fix the process, or re-work the system. President Hanson made it clear during the exit briefing: he wants Riverland employees to feel empowered to take care of these sorts of challenges. Do not wait for a vice president to approve every working group meeting. Take initiative and make things work. Intermediate Complexity Tracking Source Codes One challenge for the Riverland folks involved in both marketing and recruitment is that you do not know what works. Like every college or university, you have limited resources, and so you must make smart decisions about how you expend them. To make wise investments in marketing dollars and to customize recruitment communications, you must track initial source codes for inquiries. The example we used during my visit was the Owatonna newspaper insert. Marketing must work with the call centers whenever a

105 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 6 Recruitment Infrastructure Data (Strategic) Enrollment Planning Team Marketing& Comm. Retention Academic Program Mix Financial Aid KPIs are Accountability Measures: Get them Public Also at the outset, institutional leadership must make the MNSCU s accountability measures, and the college s recent performance on those measures, public. Riverland has great faculty, staff, and administrators who will work diligently to support institutional performance on those metrics if they know where the college currently stands and where it needs to get. The cliché is apt: what gets measured gets done. Make the goals on those measures reasonable and well known. Your people will help you get there. Publish Comparison Benchmarks Related to making accountability measures (and goals) public is a similar publication of comparison benchmarks. The good news is that, since I was on campus, I learned from Dani Heini that a number of key benchmarks have already been collected. I also shared a few in my exit briefing PPT (included with this report). Revise Inquiry Card Make one of the first tasks of the newly formed strategic enrollment committee a thorough analysis of and revisions to the inquiry card. Be sure that you are capturing all the key information on the card and, perhaps more importantly, that you are capturing all inquiries. I shared the following funnels during my exit briefing and, if there is a clear implication from this table, it is that Riverland needs to build the top of the funnel: you need more inquiries!

106 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 5 Faculty Focused on Student Learning The faculty I met were all students-first individuals. Some may have been frustrated with some of the day-to-day challenges, either of the work-place (financial aid timing delaying tool kit purchase, for example) or of the challenges and complexities that students bring with them, but overall they exhibited a strong commitment to student learning. Recommendations Foundational to most of the recommendations that follow is my strong recommendation that Riverland adopt a net revenue lens through which it evaluates programs and considers prioritization. During the exit presentation, I showed the following scenario: Tuition is currently $164.60/credit Each student then generates $492 of revenue per three credit class Adjunct salaries run approximately $3,000 per three credit course Seven students cover instructional costs The eighth student: priceless Riverland faculty, staff, and administration need to adopt a net-revenue mindset. Essentially, a full-time student, enrolled for one year, generates approximately $5,000 for the college. Because of the way the MNSCU system apportions dollars, the college should only plan on this direct revenue from students. Programs, then, should consider how they attract and retain students. One criteria (and by no means the only criteria) new program proposals should be viewed through is this net-revenue lens. Existing programs, as well (see the recommendation below for measuring program impact ), should consider how they generate revenue for the college after considering their cost to deliver. A full-time student recruited who remains enrolled for a full year represents $5,000. A first-year student retained to the second year represents $5,000. Such an approach is not meant to be reductionist, but to help all college employees understand how their work supports the financial health of the college. As a former colleague once said to me, there is no mission without margin. Low-hanging Fruit Build the Coordinating Structure At present, Riverland does not have a coordinating group that looks comprehensively at enrollment, strategically or otherwise. The constructive step should be to form that coordinating body. Consider a group described in the following figure. The key is to regularly put all of those involved in enrollment planning (recruitment, marketing, financial aid, retention, academics, infrastructure, institutional research, and others as appropriate) at Riverland around the table to plan for the interactions among their respective spheres of influence at the college.

107 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 4 opportunities and challenges, once a strong marketing and recruitment plan is in place, Riverland Community College will be much better positioned to engage in strategic enrollment planning. Strengths When she introduced me before the exit presentation, Celeste said that we were taking a strengths-based approach to this enrollment analysis. That was truly the case. I heard repeatedly about a number of strengths at the college, and these strengths provide a solid foundation for continued growth. Please do not consider this list of strengths exhaustive; I was on the Austin campus all of one and parts of two other days, and at Albert Lea and Owatonna for less than a half-day each. This list of strengths, then, is clearly just a start. Commitment to Serving Students I was impressed at every session with faculty and staff s commitment to serving students. Riverland has many positions only one person deep, so people pitch in and do what needs to be done to serve students. In just about every session, I heard faculty and staff speak passionately about their desire to help students succeed and to take advantage of their academic opportunities at the college. A Willingness to Try New Things Student success programs abound at Riverland; re-organization is ongoing. Repeatedly, I heard staff seeking out new ways to do things so that they can do them better. When I made recommendations during a session, I did not hear excuses for why things could not be done differently. Be glad you have that spirit at Riverland; it is less common than you may think! A Robust Menu of Support Programs I was impressed with the number of support programs Riverland has to serve a variety of student groups. The challenge, as at many institutions, is not a lack of programs, but the difficulty in connecting students with needs to the programs available. Many Riverland students are busy adults, with jobs and families, trying to squeeze in classes. Support programs are just one thing too many. As I suggested while on campus, work to find ways to deliver programs to students in classes. Leverage the supplemental instruction model to deliver academic support programs to the classes where students are most likely to need them, rather than struggling to get students to go to yet another location for a support service. Can-do Attitude I was impressed with the can-do attitude expressed by many, many Riverland faculty, staff, and administrators. You are a resilient lot. Many work extra and odd hours to meet the needs of your diverse student body. Diversity of Programs and Locations Riverland s three locations and amazing range of programs are an immediately evident strength. You are well positioned to serve your communities in diverse ways, from cosmetology and truck driving to nursing and broad preparation in the liberal arts, and a healthy menu of programs in between. That many folks travel to different sites over the course of a week should be considered a great strength.

108 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 3 9:45 a.m. Meet with campus directors and other leaders that did not participate in previous meetings: Site Admissions, Counseling, and Student Success 10:45 a.m. Leave for Owatonna 11:30 a.m. Lunch meeting with campus directors and other leaders that did not participate in previous meetings: Site Admissions, Counseling, and Student Success 1:00 p.m. Leave for Austin 2:00 p.m. Meet with campus directors and other leaders that did not participate in previous meetings: Site Admissions, Counseling, and Student Success 3:00 p.m. Final Preparation Thursday, October 11, :00 a.m. Campus Presentation Live in Austin and streamed to Owatonna and Albert Lea 11:00 a.m. Final discussion items and next steps Leadership 12:00 noon Campus visit concludes Strategic Enrollment Planning Preparedness Assessment Riverland Community College (RCC) is at a unique point in its history, with interim leadership at the presidential and academic vice president positions. I do not recommend embarking on a full strategic enrollment planning project at this time. However, the college should move with all haste to improve its marketing and recruitment efforts. The college is in a competitive environment in Southern Minnesota and, as it explores its approach to enrollment management, should consider what Noel-Levitz has labeled as the six megatrends facing higher education and enrollment management today and in the immediate future: 1. The enrollment growth higher education has experienced over the past 25 years will slow considerably. 2. The demographic shifts that have been forecasted during the past decade will become reality. 3. Higher education will experience a changing economic model leading four-year public institutions to adopt financial models more akin to the private four-year sector. 4. Retention and completion pressures will intensify. 5. Institutions will be required to adopt and manage new learning modalities. 6. The technology required to communicate with prospective and current students will change, in and outside of the classroom. By definition, a successful strategic enrollment plan is one that efficiently and effectively leads an institution to an optimal alignment of is mission, enrollment, fiscal health, and a changing environment. With the identified six trends in mind, as well as unique institutional

109 Noel-Levitz Strategic Enrollment Planning Readiness Assessment Riverland Community College October 18, 2012 Page 2 Goals and Agenda Goals Comprehensively review annual marketing, recruiting, and retention strategies and tactics and their relationships to long-term planning; Evaluate current plan processes and how current enrollment planning is linked with academic planning or new program launch activities; Explore key performance indicators to measure progress toward goals in (strategic) enrollment planning; Assess existing market research and ways that research may be used in formulating strategic enrollment decisions; Inventory existing data and institutional research to support the planning process; Identify data and research not currently available to support the planning process; Review organizational structures that facilitate or impede enrollment strategies and make corresponding recommendations; Ascertain institutional readiness for a strategic enrollment planning process; and Develop recommendations for next steps. Agenda Tuesday, October 9, :15 a.m. Celeste Ruble 9:00 a.m. Meet with President Hanson 9:30 a.m. Meet with the President and Cabinet 10:15 a.m. Meet with the current Enrollment Management Committee, Retention, Marketing, and Web 12:00 p.m. Lunch meeting with Academic Leadership 1:30 p.m. Meet with the Dean of Recruitment and Enrollment Management, Institutional Research 3:30 p.m. Focused discussion on academic demand, trend, and capacity linked to enrollment management: AASC Committee 4:30 p.m. Brief Day One review with Celeste and Kent Hanson Wednesday, October 10, :30 a.m. Meet with those responsible for pricing and student financial aid packaging policies 9:15 a.m. Leave for Albert Lea

110 October 18, 2012 Celeste Ruble Vice President of Employee and Public Relations Riverland Community College th Avenue NW Austin, Minnesota Dear Celeste, Thank you again for your hospitality during my visit to Riverland Community College on October 9-11, I benefited from everyone s full and enthusiastic participation in the interviews and focus group meetings to evaluate Riverland s readiness to embark on a strategic enrollment planning (SEP) process. I commend the college s leadership for embarking on this analysis. Rather than simply mark time during his interim presidency, Kent Hanson has opted to undertake a thorough review of enrollment practices in order to strengthen the enrollment outlook for the next president. I do not recommend that Riverland embark on a strategic enrollment planning process at this time. Such an initiative should come from Riverland s next president. However, the college would certainly benefit from focused attention on its marketing and recruitment processes. The college has strong programs and excellent faculty; task one should be to attract more students from the service area and beyond. Two days on the Riverland campuses provides only a preliminary view of the college s strengths and opportunities. I am confident, though, that the report that follows flows naturally from the engaged commitment of many members of the Riverland community. If you have questions about this report, please give me a call, , or send me an e- mail, lewis-sanborne@noellevitz.com. It was great working with you. Sincerely, Lew Sanborne Associate Vice President LS/cvc c: Kent Hanson, president, Riverland Community College Dave Hietala, chief outreach officer, Riverland Community College All material in this document, including text and images, is the property of Noel-Levitz, Inc. Permission is required to share information beyond your campus.

111 Appendix B Mobile Device Analytics January 18, 2012 to January 17, 2013

112 [DEFAULT] Devices Jan 18, 2012 Jan 17, 2013 % of visits: 7.00% Explorer Site Usage 1,200 Visits 600 April 2012 July 2012 October 2012 January 2013 Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate 89, :02: % 33.44% % of Total: 7.00% (1,275,373) Site Avg: 3.34 ( 11.96%) Site Avg: 00:04:05 ( 42.70%) Site Avg: 25.52% ( 15.57%) Site Avg: 28.83% (15.99%) Mobile Device Branding Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate 1. Apple 41, :02: % 31.34% 2. Motorola 10, :02: % 34.33% 3. HTC 9, :02: % 41.37% 4. Samsung 8, :02: % 31.37% 5. SonyEricsson 6, :02: % 32.56% 6. (not set) 4, :02: % 33.13% 7. LG 4, :02: % 37.21% 8. Verizon :02: % 41.92% 9. RIM :03: % 39.34% 10. Google :03: % 30.85% 11. T Mobile :02: % 42.54% 12. Casio :02: % 29.79% 13. Nokia :03: % 35.16% 14. Asus :02: % 45.00% 15. Fujitsu :02: % 28.67% 16. BlackBerry :03: % 33.33% 17. Kyocera :02: % 44.60% 18. Toshiba :05: % 21.95% 19. Acer :03: % 30.10% 20. DoCoMo :03: % 21.98% 21. Huawei :04: % 34.48% 22. LogicPD :03: % 22.99% 23. ZTE :01: % 32.94% 24. Fujitsu Toshiba :03: % 16.67%

113 25. Dell :01: % 58.75% 26. Barnes and Noble :02: % 21.05% 27. Pantech :03: % 36.84% 28. Creative :02: % 39.06% 29. Amazon :05: % 26.32% 30. Alcatel :01: % 30.30% 31. Coolpad :02: % 35.00% 32. Sprint :08: % 31.58% 33. Pandigital :10: % 31.25% 34. Opera :03: % 15.38% 35. Velocity Micro :00: % 41.67% 36. Logic PD :01: % 54.55% 37. Polaroid :03: % 75.00% 38. Meizu :11: % 14.29% 39. HP :00: % 50.00% 40. ETEN :02: % 33.33% 41. Lenovo :06: % 33.33% 42. Archos :00: % % 43. COBY :22: % 0.00% 44. Sony :08: % 0.00% 45. HW :00: % % 46. NEC :02: % 0.00% 47. Sky :00: % % 48. ViewSonic :00: % % 49. Vizio :00: % % Rows 1 49 of Google

114 [DEFAULT] Devices Jan 18, 2012 Jan 17, 2013 % of visits: 7.00% Explorer Site Usage 1,200 Visits 600 April 2012 July 2012 October 2012 January 2013 Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate 89, :02: % 33.44% % of Total: 7.00% (1,275,373) Site Avg: 3.34 ( 11.96%) Site Avg: 00:04:05 ( 42.70%) Site Avg: 25.52% ( 15.57%) Site Avg: 28.83% (15.99%) Mobile Input Selector Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate 1. touchscreen 83, :02: % 33.45% 2. (not set) 4, :02: % 32.89% 3. clickwheel :03: % 37.89% 4. joystick :02: % 33.33% 5. stylus :02: % 25.00% Rows 1 5 of Google

115 [DEFAULT] Devices % of visits: 7.00% Jan 18, 2012 Jan 17, 2013 This report is based on visits (19.59% of visits). Learn more Explorer Site Usage 1,200 Visits 600 April 2012 July 2012 October 2012 January 2013 Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate 89, :02: % 33.44% % of Total: 7.00% (1,275,373) Site Avg: 3.34 ( 11.96%) Site Avg: 00:04:05 ( 42.70%) Site Avg: 25.52% ( 15.57%) Site Avg: 28.83% (15.99%) Screen Resolution Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate x480 28, :01: % 32.96% x , :02: % 27.20% x960 3, :02: % 31.38% x800 2, :02: % 42.70% x1433 2, :00: % 62.42% x1482 2, :01: % 28.27% x1280 1, :02: % 36.98% x1349 1, :02: % 39.61% x1197 1, :02: % 31.57% 10. 0x0 1, :02: % 71.86% x1413 1, :01: % 37.82% x :01: % 31.35% x :03: % 19.48% x :01: % 43.08% x :04: % 18.79% x :01: % 40.61% x :02: % 13.62% x :03: % 22.85% x :02: % 37.09% x :01: % 40.04% x :02: % 22.53% x :02: % 47.37% x :02: % 24.94% x :00: % 43.18%

116 x :04: % 12.71% x :02: % 54.47% x :01: % 43.27% x :02: % 18.37% x :00: % 63.99% x :04: % 37.84% x :02: % 29.18% x :01: % 16.67% x :04: % 48.24% x :03: % 39.59% x :02: % 52.24% x :01: % 40.00% x :01: % 11.82% x :01: % 6.82% x :01: % 66.03% x :01: % 63.64% x :05: % 9.57% x :02: % 9.80% x :01: % 43.72% x :00: % 51.32% x :04: % 14.13% x :02: % 22.28% x :03: % 33.33% x :02: % 11.90% x :05: % 8.93% x :01: % 29.11% x :03: % 19.62% x :04: % 53.59% x :03: % 20.26% x :02: % 0.00% x :02: % 41.22% x :02: % 25.17% x :00: % 13.99% x :06: % 18.84% x :02: % 14.49% x :01: % 36.96% x :01: % 38.35% x :02: % 0.00% x :01: % 15.62% x :02: % 47.66% x :06: % 35.04% x :04: % 22.22% x :01: % 45.54% x :00: % 28.97% x :02: % 18.69% x :03: % 68.04%

117 x :05: % 50.98% x :02: % 37.11% x :01: % 10.31% x :03: % 84.54% x :01: % 50.00% x :02: % 16.30% x :02: % 0.00% x :05: % 10.87% x :03: % 29.89% x :05: % 22.99% x :00: % 75.86% x :03: % 22.99% x :05: % 17.24% x :02: % 17.24% x :05: % 17.24% x :02: % 12.20% x :07: % 12.20% x :00: % 68.29% x :00: % 12.20% x :01: % 6.10% x :05: % 46.75% x :00: % 72.73% x :01: % 40.26% x :00: % 36.62% x :13: % 28.17% x :03: % 39.39% x :04: % 15.15% x :01: % 59.02% x :01: % 50.82% x :01: % 8.20% x :02: % 59.02% x :03: % 50.82% x :00: % 35.71% x :00: % 8.93% x :01: % 26.79% x :01: % 8.93% x :00: % 8.93% x :08: % 0.00% x :05: % 17.86% x :00: % 17.86% x :03: % 35.71% x :04: % 0.00% x :06: % 8.93% x :01: % 60.78% x :05: % 50.98% x :01: % 39.22%

118 x :01: % 70.59% x :02: % 9.80% x :04: % 19.61% x :00: % 19.61% x :02: % 19.61% x :05: % 19.61% x :02: % 29.41% x :01: % 21.74% x :06: % 32.61% x :01: % 32.61% x :01: % 10.87% x :00: % 56.52% x :01: % 32.61% x :06: % 21.74% x :00: % 10.87% x :05: % 48.78% x :00: % 87.80% x :04: % 12.20% x :06: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :01: % 12.20% x :00: % 36.59% x :00: % 36.59% x :03: % 36.59% x :00: % 27.78% x :01: % 0.00% x :04: % 13.89% x :11: % 0.00% x :02: % 13.89% x :13: % 0.00% x :02: % 41.67% x :02: % 41.67% x :02: % 27.78% x :01: % 0.00% x :03: % 0.00% x :07: % 13.89% x :06: % 0.00% x :07: % 0.00% x :09: % 27.78% x :05: % 0.00% x :03: % 27.78% x :05: % 16.13% x :03: % 48.39% x :00: % 83.87% x :05: % 48.39%

119 x :00: % 0.00% x :03: % 0.00% x :00: % 16.13% x :10: % 0.00% x :00: % 16.13% x :00: % 48.39% x :01: % 32.26% x :01: % 16.13% x :05: % 0.00% x :01: % 32.26% x :01: % 83.87% x :00: % 16.13% x :08: % 0.00% x :14: % 57.69% x :01: % 19.23% x :00: % % x :01: % 38.46% x :07: % 0.00% x :00: % 76.92% x :01: % 76.92% x :00: % % x :00: % 19.23% x :00: % % x :01: % 38.46% x :01: % 19.23% x :04: % 0.00% x :00: % 19.23% x :02: % 0.00% x :06: % 19.23% x :01: % 0.00% x :03: % 19.23% x :00: % 19.23% x :00: % 38.46% x :00: % 19.23% x :02: % 0.00% x :04: % 19.23% x :00: % 76.92% x :04: % 0.00% x :05: % 0.00% x :00: % 0.00% x :00: % 50.00% x :05: % 25.00% x :08: % 25.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :05: % 50.00% x :24: % 0.00%

120 x :13: % 0.00% x :11: % 75.00% x :13: % 0.00% x :05: % 0.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :02: % 50.00% x :00: % 25.00% x :00: % 50.00% x :01: % 50.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :00: % 25.00% x :01: % 25.00% x :02: % 0.00% x :00: % 50.00% x :11: % 0.00% x :03: % 25.00% x :00: % 0.00% x :00: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :09: % 0.00% x :02: % 25.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :01: % 25.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :00: % % x :04: % 75.00% x :02: % 75.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :00: % 0.00% x :08: % 0.00% x :02: % 50.00% x :03: % 25.00% x :18: % 0.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :01: % 66.67% x :01: % 33.33% x :00: % 66.67% x :01: % 0.00% x :03: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :02: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% Rows of Google

121 [DEFAULT] Devices % of visits: 7.00% Jan 18, 2012 Jan 17, 2013 This report is based on visits (19.59% of visits). Learn more Explorer Site Usage 1,200 Visits 600 April 2012 July 2012 October 2012 January 2013 Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate 89, :02: % 33.44% % of Total: 7.00% (1,275,373) Site Avg: 3.34 ( 11.96%) Site Avg: 00:04:05 ( 42.70%) Site Avg: 25.52% ( 15.57%) Site Avg: 28.83% (15.99%) Screen Resolution Visits Pages / Visit Avg. Visit Duration % New Visits Bounce Rate x480 28, :01: % 32.96% x , :02: % 27.20% x960 3, :02: % 31.38% x800 2, :02: % 42.70% x1433 2, :00: % 62.42% x1482 2, :01: % 28.27% x1280 1, :02: % 36.98% x1349 1, :02: % 39.61% x1197 1, :02: % 31.57% 10. 0x0 1, :02: % 71.86% x1413 1, :01: % 37.82% x :01: % 31.35% x :03: % 19.48% x :01: % 43.08% x :04: % 18.79% x :01: % 40.61% x :02: % 13.62% x :03: % 22.85% x :02: % 37.09% x :01: % 40.04% x :02: % 22.53% x :02: % 47.37% x :02: % 24.94% x :00: % 43.18%

122 x :04: % 12.71% x :02: % 54.47% x :01: % 43.27% x :02: % 18.37% x :00: % 63.99% x :04: % 37.84% x :02: % 29.18% x :01: % 16.67% x :04: % 48.24% x :03: % 39.59% x :02: % 52.24% x :01: % 40.00% x :01: % 11.82% x :01: % 6.82% x :01: % 66.03% x :01: % 63.64% x :05: % 9.57% x :02: % 9.80% x :01: % 43.72% x :00: % 51.32% x :04: % 14.13% x :02: % 22.28% x :03: % 33.33% x :02: % 11.90% x :05: % 8.93% x :01: % 29.11% x :03: % 19.62% x :04: % 53.59% x :03: % 20.26% x :02: % 0.00% x :02: % 41.22% x :02: % 25.17% x :00: % 13.99% x :06: % 18.84% x :02: % 14.49% x :01: % 36.96% x :01: % 38.35% x :02: % 0.00% x :01: % 15.62% x :02: % 47.66% x :06: % 35.04% x :04: % 22.22% x :01: % 45.54% x :00: % 28.97% x :02: % 18.69% x :03: % 68.04%

123 x :05: % 50.98% x :02: % 37.11% x :01: % 10.31% x :03: % 84.54% x :01: % 50.00% x :02: % 16.30% x :02: % 0.00% x :05: % 10.87% x :03: % 29.89% x :05: % 22.99% x :00: % 75.86% x :03: % 22.99% x :05: % 17.24% x :02: % 17.24% x :05: % 17.24% x :02: % 12.20% x :07: % 12.20% x :00: % 68.29% x :00: % 12.20% x :01: % 6.10% x :05: % 46.75% x :00: % 72.73% x :01: % 40.26% x :00: % 36.62% x :13: % 28.17% x :03: % 39.39% x :04: % 15.15% x :01: % 59.02% x :01: % 50.82% x :01: % 8.20% x :02: % 59.02% x :03: % 50.82% x :00: % 35.71% x :00: % 8.93% x :01: % 26.79% x :01: % 8.93% x :00: % 8.93% x :08: % 0.00% x :05: % 17.86% x :00: % 17.86% x :03: % 35.71% x :04: % 0.00% x :06: % 8.93% x :01: % 60.78% x :05: % 50.98% x :01: % 39.22%

124 x :01: % 70.59% x :02: % 9.80% x :04: % 19.61% x :00: % 19.61% x :02: % 19.61% x :05: % 19.61% x :02: % 29.41% x :01: % 21.74% x :06: % 32.61% x :01: % 32.61% x :01: % 10.87% x :00: % 56.52% x :01: % 32.61% x :06: % 21.74% x :00: % 10.87% x :05: % 48.78% x :00: % 87.80% x :04: % 12.20% x :06: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :01: % 12.20% x :00: % 36.59% x :00: % 36.59% x :03: % 36.59% x :00: % 27.78% x :01: % 0.00% x :04: % 13.89% x :11: % 0.00% x :02: % 13.89% x :13: % 0.00% x :02: % 41.67% x :02: % 41.67% x :02: % 27.78% x :01: % 0.00% x :03: % 0.00% x :07: % 13.89% x :06: % 0.00% x :07: % 0.00% x :09: % 27.78% x :05: % 0.00% x :03: % 27.78% x :05: % 16.13% x :03: % 48.39% x :00: % 83.87% x :05: % 48.39%

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126 x :13: % 0.00% x :11: % 75.00% x :13: % 0.00% x :05: % 0.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :02: % 50.00% x :00: % 25.00% x :00: % 50.00% x :01: % 50.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :00: % 25.00% x :01: % 25.00% x :02: % 0.00% x :00: % 50.00% x :11: % 0.00% x :03: % 25.00% x :00: % 0.00% x :00: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :09: % 0.00% x :02: % 25.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :01: % 25.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :00: % % x :04: % 75.00% x :02: % 75.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :00: % 0.00% x :08: % 0.00% x :02: % 50.00% x :03: % 25.00% x :18: % 0.00% x :00: % 75.00% x :01: % 66.67% x :01: % 33.33% x :00: % 66.67% x :01: % 0.00% x :03: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :02: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% x :01: % 0.00% Rows of Google

127 Appendix C Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Market Research Final Report January 29, 2013

128 Appendix D Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Market Research Final Report Executive Summary January 29, 2013

129 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Market Research Executive Summary Sponsored By: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities DMD Consulting + HatlingFlint + January 2013

130 Project Overview Introduction Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) has requested research to help assess the awareness and understanding of MnSCU campuses among key audiences. Specifically, it wants to discover how awareness and performance of MnSCU colleges and universities compares with that of the state s alternative higher-education options. Objectives Goal Gather an understanding of how key audiences perceive MnSCU colleges and universities (what they think of them) and what value they believe the campuses deliver. Understand how key audiences evaluate schools and how MnSCU colleges and universities stack up. Understand if target audience perceptions of the value MnSCU campuses deliver is in line with MnSCU leaders perceptions. Measure awareness of MnSCU colleges and universities. Market/communicate the value and increase awareness of MnSCU colleges and universities with the overall goal of increasing enrollment. The market research project consisted of four components and included the following: I. Discovery a. Planning session with MnSCU team b. Review existing market research II. Stakeholder in-depth interviews a. Institutional leaders (10) b. Business/community/opinion leaders (18) III. Qualitative research with key audiences (online bulletin board focused discussions and online) a. Currently enrolled MnSCU students (12) b. Currently enrolled non-mnscu students (18) c. Parents of MnSCU and non-mnscu students (16) IV. Quantitative research with targeted audiences (telephone and online surveys) a. Currently enrolled MnSCU students (248) b. Currently enrolled non-mnscu students (251) c. Parents of MnSCU and non-mnscu students (213) d. College and University Stakeholders (45 institutional leaders/administrators) e. General public (251) 1

131 RESEARCH ABSTRACT The MnSCU market research study was undertaken to produce information that can be used in two areas: 1) increasing awareness of MnSCU colleges and universities, and 2) increasing enrollment at the MnSCU institutions. Qualitative Research To better inform the development of a comprehensive market research survey, two key qualitative research activities were initially undertaken; these included: 1) in-depth interviews with institutional and community leaders, and 2) online discussion groups with MnSCU and non- MnSCU students, and parents of current students. This research was ultimately used as the foundation for the comprehensive quantitative surveys. Some of the key observations collected from in-depth interviews with institutional and community leaders include the following: MnSCU institutions are considered more affordable than their non-mnscu competitors. Target audiences are located relatively close to MnSCU institutions, although the primary audiences differ depending on whether the school is a 2 or 4-year institution. Enrollment and funding are strategic priorities for institutional leaders. Institution/business engagement is important to local community. Institutions are sometimes slow to respond to changing workforce needs. Findings from the online bulletin-board discussions revealed both MnSCU and non-mnscu students and parents found the key college selection factors to be the following: cost location flexible programs While half of the MnSCU students said they had been enrolled elsewhere, few of the non- MnSCU students had attended another school. A general finding was that the farther a school was away from their home, the less likely prospective students and parents were aware of the institution. MnSCU students were very likely to name colleges and universities within the MnSCU system as places they considered attending; whereas, non-mnscu students were far less likely to consider MnSCU institutions, particularly if they were from out of state. Quantitative Research The final component of the MnSCU market research study was the comprehensive survey to MnSCU institutional stakeholders, MnSCU and non-mnscu students, and parents. MnSCU target audiences were found to be less aware of MnSCU colleges and universities than they were the competition. When examined through the perceptions of the various audiences, MnSCU institutions possess the following common characteristics: accessibility quality-orientation affordability 2

132 A key part of the survey asked respondents to rate a variety of college attributes on how important they are and how well their home institution performed on each of the attributes. The perceptions that stakeholders and students have about what is important to students consistently emphasized the following: affordability quality of teachers and programs transferability When it comes to selecting a school, both MnSCU students and students at competing institutions identify the following as top considerations: cost, quality programs location The data revealed students at 4-year institutions give lower performance ratings than their ratings of importance ascribed to the attributes, thereby presenting a negative gap. In other comparisons, students at 2-year MnSCU institutions assigned higher performance ratings than their counterparts at the 4-year institutions for most of the items. SUMMARIZING COMMENTS The research provides a strong foundation for benchmarking/assessing awareness and development of brand differentiation and key messages. Findings from the research suggest that top decision factors deemed important by all audiences are well aligned with the MnSCU Strategic Framework. The research also finds that there is a common value proposition across MnSCU campuses. Additionally, students of 2-year and 4-year schools are more similar than expected when it comes to the most important college-selection decision factors. Finally, research findings indicate that while MnSCU schools are performing well in key areas, there are opportunities for improvement in some areas. Given the advantages mentioned in the research findings, MnSCU seems well-positioned to become more competitive in marketing the many affordable, accessible and quality programs within its 31 institutions. MnSCU s competitors are vulnerable in areas that are considered strengths of MnSCU schools when looking at the institutional offerings as a whole, such as the statewide distribution of MnSCU 2-year and 4-year schools. Research findings indicate MnSCU target audiences are less aware of MnSCU colleges and universities than they are the competition, so though MnSCU is well-positioned to become more competitive in marketing key attributes, key audiences are more aware of the competition. While the information gathered in the study will be useful in future benchmarking, it s more important utility is that it is instructive in the development of a suggested System-Wide Marketing Strategy. To be useful, and ultimately successful in its intended outcomes, the marketing strategy will make use of the information on reported institutional performance and various comparisons to competing educational providers. Potential uses will include emphasizing institutional strengths, defining effective communication channels based on audience segments, and communicating areas of needed improvement. This knowledge will be useful in the development of messaging and the means to disseminate the messaging. 3

133 RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations are based on all research findings, including interviews, discussion groups and surveys. With a general concept of good value as the foundation for marketing MnSCU institutions, the associated messaging should focus on the following: o cost o location o transferability o flexibility of programs o quality of programs A review of competitive spending reports and analysis of competing schools share of voice may provide insight relative to MnSCU s lower level of awareness and guidance for development of marketing initiatives. The research suggests that individual institutions should emphasize their academic and programmatic distinctions through expanded marketing efforts. However, institutions should also strive to accommodate those students whose academic interests may not be located on the campus nearest them, knowing the associated challenges associated with students not wanting to relocate to another campus. Accommodations on the part of MnSCU schools might involve the expanded use of technology or the enhanced collaboration among institutions within MnSCU. To better facilitate the development and/or expansion of academic programs, a MnSCU-facilitated enrollment management plan should be developed to assure that student and employer needs are met, if possible. With connections to academic affairs, student services, student recruitment and marketing, the development of an enrollment management model could offer improved marketing coordination among the MnSCU institutions, as well as institutional training in related areas. Encourage the continued concentration on improving communications and engagement between individual college/university leaders and the business community. With business leaders anticipating an impending workforce shortage in many areas, MnSCU institutions have an opportunity to proactively meet employer needs, as well as increase student enrollment. Finally, those college attributes shown to be areas of underperformance should be further studied to determine appropriate efforts to improve on their performance. Such study might be able to discern if the performance areas are systemic or relevant only to select MnSCU institutions. 4

134 Key findings from quantitative survey research Following is a review of key findings from the quantitative survey research illustrated with tables and graphs. A more extensive collection of additional tabulated data, charts and a more in-depth review of the survey data are available in the comprehensive MnSCU Statewide Market Research Supporting PowerPoint. College selection factors Top decision factors in selecting a school for 2-year and 4-year MnSCU and non-mnscu students are basically the same. As illustrated in the chart below, MnSCU students at both 2-year and 4-year schools view the following as top considerations when selecting a college or university: Cost Programs Location Quality programs The data also show that students at competitor schools have the same top decision factors as students at MnSCU schools. However, cost is more important among students at competitor schools, as is financial aid; but, financial aid is relatively low in relationship to other decision factors. Survey question: What were some of the most important things you considered when making your decision on which college or university to attend? (Unaided response) 5

135 Institutional importance/performance gap MnSCU and non-mnscu students: For each of the college attributes included in the survey, differences between importance and performance ratings were calculated and reported as importance/performance gap scores (see explanation of ratings at bottom of page 7). The following two tables show gap scores for MnSCU students and non-mnscu students; the tables are limited to those college attributes that received the students highest ratings on the importance scale. For both groups of students, most of the performance scores were lower than importance scores (producing negative gap scores); however, MnSCU gap scores are positive for friendly teachers and teachers with good English skills, and for non-mnscu students, the only attribute with a positive gap score is good reputation. Positive gap scores indicate over-performance and negative gap scores indicate under-performance. High Importance Attributes MnSCU students Green Highlight indicates stronger performance (From final report page 46) Non-MnSCU students (From final report page 51-52) 6

136 Institutional importance/performance gap students at 2-year schools: Below are tables presenting college attributes with the greatest distribution in gap scores for 2- year institutions, both MnSCU schools and non-mnscu competitors. The attributes are not necessarily those receiving high importance or high performance ratings, but rather they are the attributes with the largest positive gap scores and largest negative gap scores. The more positive the gap score, the greater the degree of over-performance on a given attribute; the more negative the gap score, the greater the degree of under-performance on that attribute. For example, the data below show 2-year MnSCU schools over-performing on social network communication and under-performing in specific workforce training. For 2-year competitor schools, the data indicate that they also are over-performing on social network communications but under-performing in program degree offerings. (From final report page 54) (In rating 27 college attributes on importance, survey respondents were asked the following question, Tell me how important each of the following are to you as a student of the school you are currently attending; please rate each on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is not at all important and 10 is very important. To rate school performance on each of the 27 college attributes, survey respondents were asked, How well does your school perform on the following factors, using the same 10-point scale.) 7

137 Institutional importance/performance gap students at 4-year schools: Below are tables presenting college attributes with the greatest distribution in gap scores for 4- year institutions, both MnSCU schools and non-mnscu competitors. As described in the preceding page, the attributes are not necessarily those receiving high importance or high performance ratings, but rather they are the attributes with the largest positive gap scores and largest negative gap scores. The more positive the gap score, the greater the degree of overperformance on a given attribute; the more negative the gap score, the greater the degree of under-performance on that attribute. The data below show 4-year MnSCU schools over-performing on the online course offerings attribute and under-performing in good value. For 4-year competitor schools, the data indicate that they are over-performing on the campus athletics attribute and under-performing in affordable. (From final report page 55) Additional qualitative and quantitative data can be found in the MnSCU Statewide Market Research slide deck. 8

138 Appendix E Minnesota State Colleges and Universities MnSCU Statewide Market Research Presentation January 29, 2013

139 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Market Research -Executive Summary Report-January 29, 2013 HATLINGFLINT DMD CONSULTING

140 A Review of the Overall Project Background Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) has requested research to help assess the awareness and understanding of MnSCU campuses among key audiences. Specifically, it wants to discover how awareness and performance of MnSCU colleges and universities compares with that of the state s alternative highereducation options Objectives Goal Gather an understanding of how key audiences perceive MnSCU colleges and universities (what they think of them) and what value they believe the campuses deliver. Understand how key audiences evaluate schools and how MnSCU colleges and universities stack up. Understand if target audience perceptions of the value MnSCU campuses deliver is in line with MnSCU leaders perceptions. Measure awareness of MnSCU colleges and universities. Market/communicate the value and increase awareness of MnSCU colleges and universities with the overall goal of increasing enrollment and familiarity 2

141 Methodology Overview The statewide research project consists of various phases to accomplish the objectives. This report consists of an executive summary of the findings and recommendations for implementation. Stakeholder interviews Phase 1: Qualitative Phase 2: Quantitative Informed Marketing Direction Gather hypotheses/ set foundation Discover performance attributes and MnSCU awareness Measure Act Telephone surveys to parents and students, the general public and online survey for stakeholders 3

142 Audience Representation Audience Quantity Qualifications MnSCU Students year and 4-year schools, mix of Non-MnSCU students 251 geography, (n=60) non-white, gender mix, (n=100) age 25+ Parents of MnSCU Students 148 Students in 2-year and 4-year schools Parents of Non-MnSCU Students College and University Stakeholders (45/57=79%) President 18 Marketing/Communications 5 Enrollment/Admissions 10 Academic Affairs 2 Other 10 2-year 36 4-year 9 General Public 251 Mix of geography, gender mix and age; 75 people in each age group: 18-25, 26-45, and (25) 65+ From final report pages 5-6 4

143 Overview - Key Findings MnSCU target audiences are less aware of our colleges and universities than they are of our competition. 5

144 AWARENESS: 2-YEAR VS 4-YEAR AND MNSCU VS COMPETITOR SCHOOLS Chart Title All audiences are more aware of four-year schools. All audiences are more aware of MnSCU s competitor schools than they are of MnSCU. 84% 73% 79% 46% 54% 82% 40% 60% 2 Year 4 Year 16% 27% 21% 18% MnSCU Competitor Student Parent General Public When you think of colleges in Minnesota and the surrounding area, what is the one first name that comes to mind? From final report page 11, 15 6

145 Overview - Key Findings There are a number of gaps between stakeholder and student perceptions. 7

146 OVERALL IMPORTANCE: 2-YEAR STUDENTS Stakeholder viewpoints align with students in 2-year schools in the importance of financial aid, affordability, quality teachers and credit transfers. Students also have a need for knowledgeable teachers and quality programs. Important for Students in 2-year Colleges Financial Aid Affordable Knowledgeable Teachers Quality Teachers Good Value Transfer Credits Quality Programs Importance from Stakeholders in 2-year Colleges Affordable Financial Aid Good Value In Line with Jobs Friendly Teachers Types of Programs Flexibility Quality Teachers Transfer Credits From final report page 8 8

147 OVERALL IMPORTANCE: 4-YEAR STUDENTS Stakeholders in 4-year colleges have slightly different viewpoints from students in 4-year colleges on what is most important. Important for Students in 4-year Colleges Knowledgeable Teachers Good Value Quality of Teachers Quality of Programs Affordable Types of Programs Wide Variety of Classes Has Financial Aid Transfer Credits Importance Among Stakeholders in 4-year Colleges Good Reputation In Line with Jobs in Demand Quality of Programs High Academic Standards Types of Programs Transfer Credits Financial Aid Knowledgeable Teachers From final report page 9 9

148 Overview - Key Findings Top decision factors in selecting a school for 2-year and 4-year, MnSCU and non-mnscu students, are basically the same. Central themes noted as important. Access Quality Affordability 10

149 DECISION FACTORS IN SELECTING A SCHOOL: MNSCU AND COMPETITOR STUDENTS MnSCU students at both 2-year and 4-year schools view the following as top considerations when selecting a college or university: cost, programs, location and quality programs. Students at competitor schools have the same top decision factors as students at MnSCU schools. Financial aid is more important among students at competitor schools, but still remains generally low in relationship to other decision factors. 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Cost Programs Location - Close to Home Quality Programs Location - Live at Home Size of Campus Financial Aid Community Reputation 2-year MnSCU 4-year MnSCU 2-Year competitor 4-year competitor Friends Attend Q8. What were some of the most important things you considered when making your decision on which college or university to attend? (Unaided) From final report page

150 Overview - Key Findings MnSCU schools are over performing in areas not as important and under performing in areas rated most important. Competitive schools are underperforming on several of the most important attributes. 12

151 IMPORTANCE/PERFORMANCE GAP: HIGH-IMPORTANCE ATTRIBUTES MnSCU schools performs very well based on student ratings. Green Highlight indicates stronger performance From final report page 46 13

152 IMPORTANCE/PERFORMANCE GAP: HIGH-IMPORTANCE ATTRIBUTES Competitor schools performs very well based on student ratings. STUDENTS Competitor Importance Competitor Performance Gap Good Value Knowledgeable Teachers Affordable Financial aid Quality Teachers Quality Programs Program Degrees Offerings Wide Variety of Classes High Academic Standards Good Reputation Teachers with Good English Skills From final report page

153 GAP ANALYSIS SUMMARY: HIGH/LOW IMPORTANCE ATTRIBUTES Gap analysis summary of student rating for 2-Year schools. MnSCU 2-Year Top 5 Gap Competitor 2-Year Top 5 Gap 1. Social Network Communication Campus Athletics Small Class Size Extracurricular Activities Online Courses Offerings Social Network Communication Campus Athletics Academic Support Extracurricular Activities Small Class Size 0.26 MnSCU 2-Year Bottom 5 Gap Competitor 2-Year Bottom 5 Gap 23. Wide Variety of Classes Quality Programs School provides job/internships related to my field of study High Academic Standards Specific Workforce Training High Academic Standards Financial aid School provides job/internships related to my field of study Good Value Program Degrees Offerings From final report page 54 15

154 GAP ANALYSIS SUMMARY: HIGH/LOW IMPORTANCE ATTRIBUTES Gap analysis summary of student rating for 4-Year schools. MnSCU 4-Year Top 5 Gap Competitor 4-Year Top 5 Gap 1. Online Courses Offerings Social Network Communication Campus Athletics Student housing options Small Class Size Campus Athletics Social Network Communication Extracurricular Activities Student housing options Online Courses Offerings 0.71 MnSCU 4-Year Bottom 5 Gap Competitor 4-Year Bottom 5 Gap 23. Wide Variety of Classes Quality Teachers Quality Programs Transfer Credits Good Value Program Degrees Offerings Knowledgeable Teachers School provides job/internships related to my field of study Wide Variety of Classes Affordable From final report page 55 16

155 Conclusions The research provides a strong foundation for: Benchmarking/assessing awareness Competitive spend vs. MnSCU share of voice in market Development of brand differentiation and key messages Top decision factors deemed important by all audiences are well aligned with Strategic Framework. While MnSCU schools are performing well in key areas, there exists an opportunity for improvement. 17

156 Conclusions There is a common value proposition across MnSCU campuses. Supported by Secondary research Students of 2-year and 4-year schools more similar than expected when it comes to most important collegeselection decision factors Celebrate uniqueness but leverage similarities (base communication on similarity vs. differences) The research suggests individual institutions should emphasize academic and program distinctions. 18

157 Comments & Recommendations Opportunity to accommodate students whose academic interests may not be located on the campus nearest them, i.e., expanded use of technology or enhanced collaboration among MnSCU institutions. Continued and/or deeper engagement between individual college/university leaders & business community to proactively prepare for impending workforce shortage(s). To assure student & employer needs are met, consider facilitation or development of a MnSCU-facilitated enrollment management plan. Improve marketing coordination among MnSCU schools Institutional training in related areas 19

158 Next Steps Research Instructive in Development of System-Wide Marketing Strategy Positioning (based on differentiators) Key Messages: Access, quality, affordability (cost, location, transferability, flexibility/quality of programs) Marketing Communications Plan/Execution Institutional performance vs. competition Recognize high performance Communicate areas of needed improvement 20