CCCU New England Workshop Next Steps Presentation July 11-12, 2002

Goals of the Workshop  Update research with “hot-off-the-presses” findings  Review recommended check list of progress to date  Highlight areas for next steps

Hallmark Themes for the CCCU  Academic Quality: A high-quality education in a secular world.  Christian-centered Community: A close-knit, Christian community that emphasizes character development and spiritual growth.  Future Orientation: Preparation for life as well as a living.  Financial Investment: The value proposition.

New 2002 Research: Implications for the CCCU

Methodology  On-line survey  Partnership with FastWeb  Data collected in March 2002  Sample: FastWeb database of students  Over 73,000 high school seniors surveyed  Recruited via  Screened to be sure (1) senior in high school and (2) thinking about attending college in the next year or two  Incentive: Entered into a drawing for a $500 scholarship  Follow-up survey with students was conducted in June 2002 (data is currently being processed)

Religion – Top Mentions Preliminary Data

Religious Trends  The voices of prospective students who are Christian are well-represented in this database.  Increase in percentage of “none” responses to request for religious preference.  Increase in competitive advantage within a smaller market share.  Decrease in competitive advantage at the prospect development stage.

Implications for Christian- oriented Recommendations  Use language about Christian orientation even more carefully at the prospect and inquirer stages.  Connect character development and personal growth even more assertively to the Christian value system.  Appeal to parents to diminish the chances that their son or daughter will be impacted by growth in secularism.

Have the events of September 11 th changed your mind in terms of (1) the schools to which you applied or (2) the rankings of your preferences or (3) both? 7.6% say “yes” Preliminary Data

Have the events of September 11 th affected your preferred institution? Preliminary Data

Impact on College Search  Remarkably little impact of the 9/11 tragedy upon the choice set of prospective students.  Post-May 1 st follow-up survey will provide the information needed to determine if choices remained stable.

Ideally, how far from your permanent home would your college/university be? Geographic Location Preliminary Data

The Pull Toward Home  Travel distance has become a larger issue, with prospective students indicating a desire to stay closer to home.  Because the ordering of college choices has not been significantly affected, distance from home does not appear to have become an overriding issue.

Geographic Location Preliminary Data

Marketing Geographic Location  Christian colleges and universities in suburbs and rural areas have an opportunity to capitalize on a potential move away from major cities.  Christian schools within smaller or safer cities should bring attention to the “best of both worlds” – vast resources and relative safety.

State of the U.S. Economy Scale A: 1 = Extremely Concerned and 5 = Not at All Concerned Scale B: 1 = Will Heavily Influence Choice and 5 = Will Not at All Influence Choice Preliminary Data

Economic Forces  The economy is currently of greater concern to families than the events of 9/11.  Early communications about financial aid resources and counseling are of paramount importance in the foreseeable future.  Careful examination of current funding practices is a top priority.

Eleven of the 20 characteristics tested receive an overall mean rating above 4.0: Scale: 1 = Not at All Important to 5 = Extremely Important Preliminary Data

Seven of the 20 characteristics tested receive an overall mean rating between 3.0 and 4.0: Scale: 1 = Not at All Important to 5 = Extremely Important Preliminary Data

Two of the 20 characteristics tested receive an overall mean rating below 3.0: Scale: 1 = Not at All Important to 5 = Extremely Important Preliminary Data

Shifts in Priorities  The quality of a specific major (more than overall reputation) continues to be a top priority.  Get information about specific majors in the hands of inquirers.  Provide linkages on the Web site to relevant departments, students, and alumni.  Campus atmosphere has continued importance.  Accelerate efforts to develop a fuller image of campus life.  Provide more details about provisions for student safety.

Changes in Priorities  Access to a city is laden with new concerns since 9/11, offering new opportunities to some campuses and challenges to others.  For urban campuses and suburban campuses near a large city: – Address safety concerns even more assertively – Have explanations of evacuation plans immediately available – Clarify relationship of campus to city  For rural campuses: – Market advantages of bucolic location – Emphasize accessibility to home

Changes in Priorities  Study abroad programs are affected negatively by the economy, by concerns about air travel, and by an overall pull toward home.  Place emphasis on safety in off-campus programs.  Clarify the financial structure of study abroad opportunities. – Financial aid? – Additional or equivalent costs?  Connect study abroad experience to preparation for the future.

Progress to Date Checklist

Progress to Date: Check List  Start direct mail contacts earlier.  Build a communications plan from the point of contact, not the calendar.  Adapt hallmark themes to institution’s distinctive character.  Develop a definition of academic quality that fits the institution.  Review word choices re: Christian mission at prospect and inquiry levels.

Progress to Date: Check List  Send specific information about majors to inquirers.  Develop an electronic communications plan.  Monitor campus visits and design programs for each stage of the college search.  Establish a communications flow with parents.  Write a signature statement and a value proposition.

Next Steps: Mid-term Strategies

Hallmark Themes for the CCCU  Academic Quality: A high-quality education in a secular world.  Christian-centered Community: A close-knit, Christian community that emphasizes character development and spiritual growth.  Future Orientation: Preparation for life as well as a living.  Financial Investment: The value proposition.

Strengthening Academic Reputation  Create a way to communicate the institution’s approach to the liberal arts.  Collect tangible examples of academic quality (students, faculty, and alumni) from the community.  Provide prospective student access to faculty (in person, via correspondence or phone, electronically).

Building Appreciation of an Integrated Community  Develop messages describing Christian fellowship on campus and its impact on all aspects of student life.  Illustrate ways students work together in Christian and community service activities.  Relay how the institution fosters the development of the whole person and of character; then link these concepts to spiritual development.

Connecting to the Future  Demonstrate ways that students get “real world” experience while still enrolled.  Include study abroad, off-campus internships, and community service activities  Collect tangible evidence of outcomes.  Graduate school acceptances  First jobs  Career successes  Contributions to society  Link the liberal arts and life success.

Coordinating Marketing and Communications  Adapt the hallmark themes to apply to all key stakeholder audiences.  Create a standards guide for the “look” of all communications (print and electronic).  Build a depth and breadth Web site for admissions marketing and for other key audiences.

Establishing a Solid Financial Foundation  Determine the institution’s ideal enrollment.  Calculate total revenue potential, current total revenue, discount rate, and NTR.  Compare enrollment yields of:  need-based financial aid recipients,  financial aid applicants without aid,  no-need merit award recipients, and  full pay students who did not apply for aid.  Seek more effective aiding strategies to reach full enrollment.

Advancing Institutional Buy-in  Share the CCCU research results with public relations, communications, and admissions marketing staffs at all levels. Then put the research to work:  Present findings to senior staff, faculty, and trustees  Conduct an internal communications audit  Apply research to all forms of communication

Benefiting from the CCCU  Strengthen the bond between the CCCU and the membership for coordinated promotion of a Christian education.  Use the CCCU logo to add visibility to the community of Christian colleges and universities.  Hyperlink to the programs, services, and people of the CCCU.  Seek leadership from the CCCU for increasing the public’s awareness of the distinctive value of a Christian education.

TargetMarkets

Target Markets  Parents  Males versus females  High-ability students versus “bread-and- butter” candidates versus others  Students who attend church more than once per week versus once per week versus less than once per week

Parents  Prospective students gave even higher ratings to their parents’ role than parents did themselves.  Parents have a propensity to look at the big picture.  They attach higher priorities to the special opportunities provided by a Christian education.  They see a stronger linkage between academics and faith.  Financial aid plays a more dominant role in defining cost considerations.

Parents Member Recommendations:  Craft a communications flow for parents, based on the messages on the research.  Send a series of personalized letters.  Concentrate on communicating the benefits of integrating academics and a Christian- based community from the outset.

Parents Member Recommendations:  Create separate agendas for parents and students for on-campus events.  For parents:  Making the case for value  Faculty – Who they are  Continuation of family values  Financial planning  Safety and security  Career counseling and services

Parents Member Recommendations:  Provide evidence of investment value:  Job placement records  Lists of companies that visit the campus each year to recruit students  Holistic success stories

Gender  Demographic profiles of the men and women are remarkably consistent.  Market behavior was also quite consistent.  Same starting points for the college search  Similar patterns for how long they have known about Christian colleges and universities  Use of similar sources of information  Levels of awareness of, and appreciation for, Christian colleges and universities

Gender  At the prospect and inquirer stages:  Men rate “recreational athletic facilities” and “varsity athletics” as significantly more important  Male prospects gave a lower priority to “preparation for future careers.”

Gender  Male inquirers:  A liberal arts education is a lower priority  Admitted men:  Not as price sensitive  Less focused on certain community issues

Recommendations for Men  Use direct marketing initiatives to get males and their parents involved in the college search earlier.  Communicate with males in follow-ups to the direct mail initiative.  Evolve to messages about continuing the Christian values.

Recommendations for Men  Alert male inquirers who express an interest in any form of athletics to activities on campus through communications.  Increase retention of “at-risk” population  Promote the opportunities of the geographic area  Invite to sports events  Include testimonials from men on campus  Showcase the best sports and recreational facilities for tours, publications, and on-line media.

Academic Ability  Representation of top students increases between the prospect and matriculant stages of the admissions funnel.  Late arrivals to a Christian education are not the strongest students.  The use of information sources is relatively consistent across categories of student quality.

Academic Ability  Students in top 10% indicated a higher level of familiarity with Christian institutions.  Parents are seen as more influential by high-ability matriculants.  Best statements for high-ability students mirror the aggregate results.

Academic Ability Member Recommendations:  Carry the hallmark themes into any direct marketing initiatives intended for high-ability audiences.  Use the message themes about integrating faith and learning, fostering family values, and spiritual growth.  Begin the cultivation of high-ability students through direct marketing to high school sophomores.

Academic Ability Member Recommendations:  Include communications with parents in the recruitment plan for high-ability students.  Take steps to identify high-ability students early.  Enlist strong students to call high-ability candidates at the application stage of the admissions process.

Frequency of Church Attendance  Pockets of prospects who attend church more often can be found in the Southeast and the Midwest.  The length of time students have known about Christian colleges and universities and when they began the college search are not linked to their church attendance.

Frequency of Church Attendance  The biggest shift in how students designate their religious status takes place between the prospect and inquirer stages of the admissions funnel.  Tracing just those who attend church most often reveals a rise in Evangelical Christians (from 54% inquirers to 82% matriculants).  The most promising market for recruitment is the dedicated churchgoer.

Frequency of Church Attendance Member Recommendations:  Collect information about immediate family, relatives, and friends who are graduates of Christian colleges and universities on response cards.  Use this information to establish communications with and among prospective students, friends who are graduates of Christian institutions, and the college or university.

 Continue to cultivate early interest through churches and youth groups.  Consider providing financial incentives for student involvement in community service.  Attend to the language used in describing the Christian experience, especially among less-frequent churchgoers. Frequency of Church Attendance Member Recommendations:

 Create hyperlinks on the Web with affiliated churches and youth groups.  Reach out to the parents of prospects who are actively involved with their churches. Frequency of Church Attendance Member Recommendations:

“Give me the freedom of a tight strategy.” Norman Berry