More students coming in, but where is the money to handle the students? I was recently sent a link via an online friend in a Twitter direct message that speaks greatly to the hard times hitting us all in one way or another.
This video is an excellent example of the rock side - higher education is losing a lot of funding from the government. Just read the articles like “The Jobless Go Back to School” and “Could CU go ‘private’?” As states go back to look through budgets, schools may end up getting less and less. Donors and alumni may also be giving a little less as they tighten the wallets for the economic wave.
On the hard place side are students. Yes, they may be going back to school, but there is some evidence that it may not be easy for them, either. The two articles above as well as the USA Today article “Students, schools adjust for struggling economy” suggest that families are having a hard time finding money or loans to go back to school. Lenders have stricter loan qualifications (not to mention that people are more in debt than ever, making it even harder to get a loan), federal lenders are cutting the amount of money they are giving out, and family members are losing jobs. So they may not be looking for the big state school, but the local community college first.
As we know well, it seems that when things get tough, the marketing money gets going. But… there is a third problem – the anvil – that is rarely mentioned. Prices for pretty much everything, from paper to ink to energy bills to employee insurance, have gone up, thus decreasing the marketing budget even more.
Sooooo… when more colleges are competing for the influx of students, what is to be done? Marketing! How do the higher education marketers get out from in between the rock, the hard place, and the anvil? Creativity (being a fool), saving money where possible , motivating the staff, and new media!
January 28, 2009 at 2:44 pm
First, thank you for the article and video embed.
As an alum, I received a call from the school I received my MBA from. Like many others, they were calling to “update our records” and solicit support. After confirming my address, the caller asked where I was working and what my title was. When I told her I was between full-time jobs, her response was “That’s Great!” I was shocked at how she was clearly reading from a script with only the end goal in mind, oblivious to my actual response. I am interested in helping my alma mater. I received financial assistance and I want to perpetuate the cycle of aid. But if you want my empathy, and my money, please be prepared to demonstrate a little empathy as well. Tell me about the ongoing career support available to alumni. Then tell me about non-financial contributions I can make. Time, knowledge, and energy are valuable resources. Perhaps I have some of these to offer.