Marketing, Enrollment, and Student Success Network Track

Capturing and Sharing the Voice of the Student in Changing Times
Jefferson West | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Strategic | Policy
Every interaction with a student or prospective student is an opportunity to provide direct value to the learner AND also a chance to hear and capture the learner’s needs and perspective. This session will highlight key themes that we are currently hearing from students nationally, while providing a deeper dive at two adult serving institutions and how they have used student perspectives to become more supportive and “student ready.”

• Jenni Murphy, California State University, Sacramento
• Bill Fritz, The Pennsylvania State University
• Kai Drekmeier, InsideTrack

Moderator: Karina Kogan, Education Dynamics

Development, Implementation, and Assessment of a College ‘Surround and Support’ Mentoring Model
Lincoln West | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Applied |
The primary objective of the college’s ‘Surround and Support’ mentoring model was to increase persistence by supporting the academic progress of first time in college (FTIC) students through the fostering of academic and personal success. Specifically, this initiative aimed to help FTIC students navigate the university successfully by achieving smooth social integration (Swail, 2004). Research suggests FTIC students significantly benefit when provided with networks that support them through their first year of college (Tinto 1997; Wells 2009; Zurita, 2005). The presenters will engage the audience with meaningful dialogue regarding the implementation process, and qualitative and quantitative findings.

• Eric Kollar, University of West Florida

Moderator: Jackson Boyar, Mentor Collective

Feeding the Content Beast: What’s the Right Diet?
Georgetown | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Applied |
How are marketers in professional, continuing, and online education strategically driving content that brings awareness to their site through relevant and unique content and produces quality content consistently enough to help their site rank high? What are key opportunities, challenges, and strategies for attracting traditional and post-traditional students to online education?  The University of Arizona Online marketing team presents a thoughtful case study on best practices centered on producing student-focused, highly relevant content to engage prospective students in every step of the funnel while maintaining a balance of offerings that resonates with current students to encourage completion.

• Eva Marie Hube, University of Arizona
• Mike Southworth, University of Arizona

Moderator: Lee Maxey, MindMax

It's Not Student Services, It Is Serving Students
Georgetown | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Applied |
As we look to the future of online education, it becomes apparent that we must do more than provide services, we must serve students. From prospect to graduation, we must develop a fully integrated and collaborative culture, processes, and practices that both meet students where they are, and provide support and guidance to the whole student throughout their journey. Please join us to learn how IU Online is fostering this approach. We will share an adaptable plan, pitfalls to avoid, the success we have seen post-implementation of many new initiatives, and a glimpse into where we want to go next.

• Whitnie Powell, Indiana University
• Stephanie Tinkel, Indiana University
• Kayla Scroggins, Indiana University

Moderator: Jason Smith, Anthology

We Belong, Too- Cultivating and Holding Space in Belonging Initiatives for Distance Students
Lincoln East | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Applied | Diversity & Inclusion
Belonging initiatives are everywhere. In the wake of the pandemic, institutions are placing increased emphasis on this critical element of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. The full integration of distance education students in belonging initiatives is often limited not only a lack of well-established best practices, but also old mindsets about the importance of and desire for a strong sense of belonging among post-traditional students. Join us to discussion about how belonging is experienced by distance students, how institutions can cultivate it, and how we can best advocate for the proactive inclusion of distance students in institutional belonging initiatives.

• Patricia Milner, University of Arkansas

Moderator: Chris Anderson, InsideTrack

How Do You Support Today’s Learners? Flexibility? Autonomy? Intentional Support?
Lincoln West | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Applied | Faculty, Policy
The session will focus on the importance of flexibility and autonomy in online degrees while identifying strategies to improve student experience and retention. Participants will understand how two institutions have focused on degree completion with strategies that have supported improving the student experience and retention.

• Jasmeial "Jazz" Jackson, Thomas Edison State University
• Cynthia Baum, Thomas Edison State University
• Donna DiMatteo-Gibson, Adler University

 Moderator: Mackenize MacNeil, Modern Campus

Research Roundtables
Monroe   

The Importance of Well Being
Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Foundational |
How do you offer well-being services and events to students, staff, and faculty in a non-traditional environment? This presentation will discuss the importance of well-being, discuss tangible ways to build sustainable programs, and how to implement them in our current environment.

• Nicole Winget, Campbell University

Using Rubrics to Advance Equity and Inclusion for Diverse Populations
Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Applied | Diversity & Inclusion
In this proposed session, attendees will: learn how the data informs opportunities to increase student performance at the course level and how faculty within a department utilize this data to inform their instruction and practice. The presenter will demonstrate to participants how this data project is informing our D, E, & I strategies related to student success and persistence. Programmatic and institutional outcomes are stronger when we work to build an inclusive culture, promoting value for all students while simultaneously removing barriers to success. Participants will be provided with relevant examples they can bring back to their institutions.

• Maggie Morgan, Purdue University Global
• Jessica Budzinski, Purdue University Global

Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success Network | Creating a Student-Centered Experience Across the Student Journey – Building a Comprehensive Digital Ecosystem for Maximum Impact
Georgetown | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | 
According to a recent survey of current and soon-to-enroll students enrolled in online programs, 70 percent of students begin their research into schools via a school’s website. Your digital ecosystem is by far the most important source of information for prospective and current students – and your website is the hub of that ecosystem. And yet, only one third of those same survey respondents indicated that it is very easy to find the information they most seek out on school websites. Join the MESS community for an engaging conversation about what it means to build a student-centered digital ecosystem across the student journey. We’ll discuss both why and how you can better help prospective and current students by providing the relevant data they most seek on the channels they access most. Starting from the consideration and RFI submission stage and transitioning into the student retention process, we’ll discuss strategies for sharing a truly customized and unique web experience through marketing automation and website UX best practices by looking at success stories from Excelsior College and other student-centered colleges and universities across the country.

• Jack Rodenfels, Elon University
• Marty Gustafson, Purdue Online
• Stacy Snow, Kennedy & Company
• Becky McCafferty, EducationDynamics

Moderator: Marleigh Perez, Oregon State University

Differentiating Your Program in Sea of Sameness
Jefferson West | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Strategic |
It’s a question we hear from institutions all the time. As online learning becomes an increasingly crowded space, how can we differentiate and stand out from the market? For online graduate programs this is a particularly pressing concern. According to NCES IPEDS data, as of 2020 there were nearly 40,000 master’s programs available in the United States, a staggering 24% increase versus 2012. With program growth outpacing student interest, it is inevitable that competition for students will be fierce. In this case study presentation with Glasgow Caledonian New York College, we will discuss a four-part framework that can be leveraged to grow and differentiate in the graduate space, while also ensuring that you’re meeting the needs of the modern student. We will then review Glasgow Caledonian New York College’s portfolio as an in-depth case study as they specifically reach those prospective students who desire career advancement with purpose.

• John F Albanese, Glasgow Caledonian New York College
• Kara Eldersveld, Anthology

Moderator: Kate Blom-Lowery, Baylor University

The Devil’s in the Details: Using Technical SEO to Solve Your Website Woes
Monroe | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Applied |
You put your institution’s search visibility and website traffic at risk when big—and even sometimes nominal—changes are made to your website. The more people that touch and edit your site, the greater at risk you are. To avoid costly mistakes that unknowingly impact search rankings and traffic, marketing teams need to understand technical SEO implications. Join Search Influence and the Tulane School of Professional Advancement to learn how your website structure can hurt or help your rankings, the impact of subdomains and microsites, and how to pull off a seamless website migration.

• Paula French, Search Influence
• Alicia Jasmin, Tulane University

Moderator: Mike Southworth, University of Arizona

Reimagining Student Engagement: Cultivating Student Success through Podcasts & Surveys
Lincoln East | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Foundational | Diversity & Inclusion
Opening the channels of communication with adult learners requires close collaboration between academic, marketing, data, and student success teams. In this session, participants will learn how surveys and podcasts can serve as those collaborative vehicles. Participants will walk away with tangible takeaways they can start to implement immediately to help create community connection and engagement on levels that inspire and enlighten students through their educational experience.

• Dennise Cardona, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Elliot Talbert-Goldstein, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Haley Dolosic, Washington University in St. Louis
• Sean Armstrong, Washington University in St. Louis

Moderator: Melissa Rekos, Carnegie

Marketing Across Institutional Boundaries
Jefferson East | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Strategic |
Decentralized marketing and limited resources present challenges at higher education institutions across the nation, and marketers often seek out external support in an effort to carry out larger initiatives. While consulting services have become a way of life, some institutions are creating models to leverage resources and expertise within.
The University of Arizona and UMBC have both implemented unique strategies to bring cross-institutional MarCom colleagues together to create synergy between decentralized teams through a new role overseeing the Arizona Campus Marketing Council and through the UMBC Marketing Commons. Learn through these case studies how both institutions assessed needs and organizational structures, created new models for information sharing and collaboration, and learned and adjusted along the way.

• Maya Patterson, University of Arizona
• Mike Southworth, University of Arizona
• Julie Gilless, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Elizabeth Regan-Butts, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Moderator: David Baylee, EducationDynamics

Students’ Lived Experiences in Transferring Credits: New Empirical Research
Lincoln West | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Strategic |
New empirical research, conducted by UPCEA and StraighterLine, identifies students’ lived experiences and perceptions regarding transferring institutions. As schools work with students to achieve their educational goals, policies should be evaluated to implement transfer friendliness. The study focuses on students’ transfer behavior, motivations, decision-making factors, and challenges. Two authors of the study will present key findings, insights, and the implications on students and colleges.

• Rhonda Capron, StraighterLine
• Bruce Etter, UPCEA

Moderator: Jennifer Myers, University of Virginia

Improving Access and Student Success By Rethinking Student Billing and Tuition Payment Processes for Adult, Online, and Continuing Education Students
Jefferson East | Marketing, Enrollment and Student Success | Foundational | Diversity & Inclusion
Many colleges and universities built student billing structures to serve an audience of what has been considered “traditional” 4-year students. This interactive session will explore how student billing processes can serve as a barrier to student success, by presenting data on student perceptions of the billing process and reviewing research findings on billing processes across over 50 different institutions.  The session will encourage participants to reflect on processes at their own institutions that might serve as barriers to student success and will provide strategies to assist in changing processes and service models to be more inclusive of all student types.

• Becky Copper Glenz, Fitchburg State University
• Brian Schremser, Fitchburg State University

Moderator: Tomea Knight, University of Pennsylvania