Making the Case

Key Messages and Data • Making the Case Resources • Media Activity • Speeches and Addresses • Books and Reports •

MAY 2001
Vol. 2, No. 3

PRESIDENTS EDITION

Welcome to Communications Resources, CIC’s periodic kit of tools and ideas to help you tell your institution’s story. Your public relations director has received a similar mailing. In this issue, we present a stimulating presidential inaugural address, a publication that redirects misconceptions of arriving first-year students, data that you can use to structure your communications program, and a study that compares your institution with others in the context of integrated marketing communications. We hope these publications, websites, and reports will help you think about ways to communicate the strengths and uniqueness of your institution. Enjoy.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Last fall, Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles experienced the historic inauguration of its first lay president, Jacqueline Powers Doud. Her address, "Tradition, Transition, and Transformation: The Good News," was delivered on the 75th anniversary of the school and the 350th anniversary of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Her address sets the stage for leadership changeover. It describes the evolution of the school's values-based, liberal arts education and confirms its commitment to compassion, involvement, and justice.

Hartwick College (Ithaca, NY) confronts new-student anxieties with its publication, "The Top 10 Myths About College Life." You’ll find that Hartwick’s points hold true elsewhere.

For a copy of "The Top 10 Myths About College Life," and/or Dr. Doud’s talk, please contact CIC's Communications Office at (202) 466-7230.

FINDING THE FACTS

Attending a private college or university has never been a better or more widely misunderstood investment. CIC recently contributed to NAICU’s production of Independent Colleges and Universities: A National Profile. The Profile (found at http://www.naicu.edu/pubs/index.shtml) explains that 65 percent of students who received a bachelor's degree from a private college were able to complete their degrees in four years or less, compared with only 34 percent of graduates of state universities. As the Profile explains, those who attend a private college are nearly twice as likely as those attending a public institution to graduate in four years. Interestingly, too, the amount of debt held by private students leaving college was only $2,300 more than those from public institutions (in the study year of 1995-96).

KEEPING UP

Want to stay informed about the for-profit sector? Familiarize yourself with the For-Profit Higher Education Research Project, based at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education.
The website, http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/curry/
dept/edlf/policy/forprofit/, collects working papers, information on conferences and conference presentations, and the latest news on for-profit education providers. The site includes links that let you access information and issues that are central to understanding the emerging market factors for higher education.

ADVANCING YOUR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

Advancing Small Colleges, edited by Wesley K. Willmer of Biola University, is the fourth in a series of books co-sponsored by CASE and the Council of Independent Colleges. It is based on a survey of nearly 300 CIC members. The book's eight authors examine and synthesize these survey data and put them in the context of their own advancement experiences. The price is $45 for CASE and CIC members, $60 for nonmembers. Place an order on the CASE website (www.case.org/books), call (800) 554-8536, or mail a check or PO to CASE Books Order Dept, Dept 4022, Washington, DC 20042-4022.

Some other engaging materials available will help market your institution. A nicely done brochure from the Minnesota Private College Council demonstrates how to emphasize your college's value to the local community. Minnesota's Private Colleges: Serving a Public Purpose, provides several compelling reasons to attend or invest in an independent college.

The Lipman Hearne/CASE report, "The 2000 Integrated Marketing Survey," reveals how 420 responding colleges and universities (including 120 CIC members) handled their marketing activities. The study reveals the type of investments it will likely take to differentiate an institution’s position within its educational marketplace.

For a copy of Minnesota's Private Colleges: Serving a Public Purpose and/or "The 2000 Integrated Marketing Survey," please contact CIC's Communications Office at (202) 466-7230.

WANT TO SHARE SOME OF YOUR WRITING?

Several presidents and PR directors have suggested articles for Communications Resources, and other presidents have asked us to consider some of their writing for future issues. If you have a short speech, op-ed, report, or other article that you think would be of interest to your colleague presidents in CIC, send them to editor Laura Wilcox at CIC. At present, we’re especially looking for articles about values, the return on investment that CIC colleges provide to students, and the meaning of “independent” in independent higher education.

MAY 2001
Vol. 2, No. 3

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTORS EDITION

Welcome to Communications Resources, CIC’s periodic kit of tools and ideas to help you tell your institution’s story. Your president has received a similar mailing. We include in this issue a thought-provoking piece by an integrated marketing strategist, an important point or two from the most recent national profile of independent colleges, an excellent new website for following advancements in for-profit education, and a plug for the insightful new Wes Willmer text on small college advancement. Finally, we describe what was included in your president's mailing. Enjoy.

FINDING THE FACTS

Attending a private college or university has never been a better or
more widely misunderstood investment. CIC recently contributed to production of Independent Colleges and Universities: A National Profile. This profile (found at http://www.naicu.edu/pubs/index.shtml) explains that 65 percent of students who received a bachelor's degree from a private college were able to complete their degrees in four years or less, compared with only 34 percent of graduates of state universities. As the Profile explains, those who attend a private college are nearly twice as likely as those attending a public institution to graduate in four years. Interestingly, too, the amount of debt held by private students leaving college was only $2,300 more than those from public institutions (in the study year of 1995-96).

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The latest in a series of Stamats White Papers, “Five Audacious Moves,” will test your institution’s marketing mettle. In it, Robert Sevier promises “five moves that will help you and your institution move ahead decisively in a marketplace that is ripe with opportunity.” Sevier’s thoughtful piece, for those of you who may have missed it, is enclosed. By the way, we have sent to your president some other engaging materials. (We did not have enough copies to send a duplicate to each PR Director.) First, a nicely done brochure from the Minnesota Private College Council demonstrates how to emphasize your college's value to your local community. "Minnesota's Private Colleges: Serving a Public Purpose," provides several compelling reasons to attend or invest in an independent college. Next, the Lipman Hearne/CASE report, "The 2000 Integrated Marketing Survey," reveals how 420 responding colleges and universities (including 120 CIC members) handled their marketing activities. The study reveals the type of investments it will likely take to differentiate an institution’s position within its educational marketplace. The survey is available on the CIC website. Finally, Hartwick College (Ithaca, NY) confronts new-student anxieties with its comprehensive and creative publication, "The Top 10 Myths About College Life." You’ll find that Hartwick’s points hold true elsewhere. The publications are worth your review, if you can secure the copies from your president.

KEEPING UP

Want to stay informed about the for-profit sector? The For-Profit Higher Education Research Project, based at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education (http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/curry/
dept/edlf/policy/forprofit/) collects working papers, information on conferences and conference presentations, and the latest news on for-profit education providers. The site includes links that let you access information and issues that are central to understanding the emerging market factors for higher education.

ADVANCING YOUR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

Advancing Small Colleges, edited by Wesley K. Willmer of Biola University, is the fourth in a series of books co-sponsored by CASE and the Council of Independent Colleges. It is based on a survey of nearly 300 CIC members. The book's eight authors examine and synthesize these survey data and put them in the context of their own advancement experiences. The price is $45 for CASE and CIC members, $60 for nonmembers. Place an order on the CASE website (www.case.org/books), call (800) 554-8536, or mail a check or PO to CASE Books Order Dept, Dept 4022, Washington, DC 20042-4022.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK….

How can we improve Communications Resources to best serve your needs? Let us know. Contact editor Laura Wilcox, director of communications, at (202) 466-7230; e-mail lwilcox@cic.nche.edu; fax (202) 466-7238.

WANT TO SHARE SOME OF YOUR WRITING?

Several presidents and PR directors have suggested articles for Communications Resources, and other presidents have asked us to consider some of their writing for future issues. If your president has a short speech, op-ed, report or other article that you think would be of interest to other CIC presidents, please send them to Laura Wilcox at CIC. At present, we’re especially looking for articles about values, the return on investment that CIC colleges provide to students, and the meaning of “independent” in independent higher education.

CIC PR LISTSERV

If you’re not on CIC’s “listserv” discussion group for public relations directors and their staff and would like to join, send your e-mail address to Maxine Morris at mmorris@cic.nche.edu, and we’ll add you. There’s no charge for this service. Participation is restricted to PR practitioners from CIC member institutions. CIC also sponsors listservs for presidents, chief academic officers, business officers, and lead staff in student affairs, advancement, and IT. See CIC’s website or newsletter for details.