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Executive Summary: The Changing Shape of Student Life Facilities

by Patrick Cain (opens in new tab), Daniel Fusch (opens in new tab)

READ THE FULL SERIES Earlier this year, we conducted a study of how institutions are planning for the design and placement of student life facilities over the next 12 months. Our study included: We want to take this moment to share our findings with you. They’re intriguing: Finding 1: Student Life Facilities are Being Planned in Tandem We were fascinated to learn that institutions are now thinking about core student facilities in conjunction with one another in ways that we haven’t seen in the past. These are no longer isolated projects. In fact, 40% of institutions are planning all of these facilities in the next two years, and 50% are planning more than one. FROM OUR INTERVIEWS “Recreational facilities, residence halls, the student center: we used to think about these facilities independently, but student needs have forced us to think about them collectively. How can we think creatively about maximizing finite space in conjunction with student improvement goals? How can we create spaces for spontaneous student interaction and organic student programming?”Respondent from a small women’s college in the West Finding 2: Institutions are Continuing to Push for More Intentionality in Design and Placement The survey validated that the push for a […]

How One Institution is Taking an Accelerated, Synchronous Approach to Online Developmental Education

by Brooks Doherty (opens in new tab)

Here’s how Rasmussen College has increased its developmental education pass rates by double digits while decreasing the number and percentage of students who require remedial coursework. FROM RASMUSSEN COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION STUDENTS: “I am one who hated math because I couldn’t understand it. I came into this class with the attitude that I was going to fail and have to retake the class. I am so amazed that my average is in the 90s and I have even gotten a score of 100 on a test! I really amazed myself! Just take plenty of notes so that you can go back and look at examples and see how to do the problems.” “The demonstrations really help. There is still a lot I don’t get, but with these videos I am beginning to understand.” Driven by faculty-based action research, redesigned residential and online courses, and changes to placement testing, Rasmussen College has increased its developmental education pass rates by double digits while decreasing the number and percentage of students who require remedial coursework. Like many institutions of higher education, Rasmussen College prioritizes developmental education given its impact on new-student experience, graduation, and overall institutional health. In 2012, the college committed to an […]

A Quick Assessment for Your Phonathon Scripts

by Jessica Neno Cloud, CFRE (opens in new tab)

A NEW SERIES FROM JESSICA NENO CLOUD This is the third in a series on donor acquisition by Jessica Neno Cloud, CFRE, the author of Successful Fundraising Calls: A Phonathon Scripting Workshop. Cloud is the assistant director for fundraising initiatives and planned giving at the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation. She practices evidence-based fundraising with a focus on return on investment, and has a variety of innovative and effective techniques to share. You may also be interested in the other articles in this series: How Data Mining Can Increase Direct Mail AcquisitionHow Data Mining Can Increase Phonathon Acquisition It’s approaching the time of year when a phonathon manager might be able to take a quick breath to plan and prepare for a busy fall. If you are managing a call center, one of the tasks on your summer to-do list is to review and revise your phonathon scripts. Especially if your fundraising priorities do not change, it can be quite a challenge to know where to begin. You’ll want to make the language fresh but keep it simple for callers to follow. You (and your managers) will also be hoping to make tweaks to the script that will result in more dollars […]

Special Report: Why Donor Relations is the Next Game-Changer

Donor Relations: A Strategic Asset to Your Fundraising Program The field of donor relations has undergone a transformative few years. In the summer of 2014, we embarked on a comprehensive survey of more than 300 chief advancement officers at higher ed institutions and discovered more shops making a significant investment in their donor relations programs. With 35% of shops nationwide reporting making a ‘strong’ or ‘very strong’ investment in donor relations in FY2015, compared to 27% in FY2014, now is the time to consider your donor relations program and ensure it is strategically designed to support all of your advancement efforts. This research brief includes key data from our survey as well as a few excerpts from our most popular articles highlighting how donor relations can strategically support all of your fundraising efforts. Read the brief. __________________________ See Upcoming Advancement Events

How One Institution Makes Faculty Development Exciting While Keeping Costs Down

by Lisa Cook (opens in new tab)

A FACULTY DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDY With minimal budget for faculty development, McKendree University has taken a unique approach to: Here is the story of what McKendree University has tried and what is working. At McKendree University, the idea to attach a theme to a week of faculty development activities was initially a bit of a fluke according to Tami Eggleston, associate dean for institutional effectiveness and professor of psychology. She was preparing for a series of professional development workshops offered in conjunction with provost Christine Bahr after classes ended in May, and they decided to decorate the conference room. She bought some beach balls and sand buckets as decorations, and faculty liked it enough that they specifically mentioned it in their post-workshop evaluations. Since then, the university has raised the bar each year to keep faculty development engaging and fun while also addressing specific themes to improve teaching. We talked with Eggleston to learn more about how McKendree spices up their development activities on a small budget — and why she advocates for May as the perfect time to tackle faculty development. Keeping Faculty Development Fun After classes end in May, McKendree faculty are invited to participate in a couple of […]

How Higher-Ed Leaders Need to Rethink Tuition Discounting

Rising institutional costs and greater price sensitivity on the part of prospective students and families have caused many institutions to strategically rethink their tuition discounting strategy. The following is an excerpt from a brief interview conducted with enrollment management expert John W. Dysart, president of The Dysart Group, who spoke at Academic Impressions’ conference on tuition discounting in Phoenix, AZ on . Sarah Seigle Peatman, AI: John, conversations about the discount rate in higher education continue to steal headlines in 2015. What has especially caught your attention this year? John Dysart: The trends in the most recent NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers) Discounting Survey are not encouraging, especially for small, private colleges and universities: Discount rates continue to climb for newly enrolled freshmen.  The rate reached a record 44.8% in 2012 was projected to top 46% in 2013. Discount rates are rising while enrollment often remains flat and 17% of the participating institutions reported declines in freshmen enrollment of at least 10%. These two trends in particular are cause for concern. The important outcome of the current conditions is that net tuition revenue has remained virtually flat over the last decade when adjusted for inflation. The news is […]

Cultivating the Next Generation of Wealth

by Mary Solomons (opens in new tab)

We are in the midst of a tsunami of wealth transfer. It is predicted that over the next 50 years, anywhere between 20 and 40 trillion dollars of wealth will pass from parents to their children. This year the federal estate tax exemption is nearly $5.5 million dollars, or roughly $11 million if two parents are leaving funds to a child. To look at it another way, 10% of wealth is changing hands every five years. Millennials are inheriting their wealth at a rate faster than their parents or their grandparents; one third of millionaires under the age of 32 inherited their money. As fundraisers, what are we doing to engage this next generation of wealth? Changing the Way We Cultivate the Donor Pipeline Historically, when did we begin to engage with children of means? Alumni might connect with their alma mater when their children are beginning the admission process. We might approach them when we’re looking to fill a board seat or leadership volunteer role. However, this is usually years after they graduated, a period during which these potential young philanthropists have already established their philanthropic priorities—and you may not be among them. We know that Millennials think about their charitable giving […]

Spotlight on Innovation: How Hampton University Plans to Increase STEM Retention and Completion through Course Redesign and Engagement

by Lisa Cook (opens in new tab)

How do you increase the number of underrepresented minority students attaining STEM degrees? Hampton University has a holistic approach. SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. Hampton University has set a specific goal of increasing the number of underrepresented minority students who graduate with STEM degrees, and Hampton is looking to address several obstacles to degree completion for minority students, including access, affordability, and engagement. Hampton intends use its $3.5 million First in the World grant to identify students who have declared a STEM major and engage them with a number of activities designed to boost success and completion. The project includes partnerships with several other organizations to facilitate internships and other opportunities for STEM majors. To learn more, we reached out to Dr. Ira Walker, project director of the grant and associate professor […]

10 Ways Leadership Development Programs Fail in Higher Ed

Diagnosing Leadership Development Programs In the past decade, institutions of all types and sizes have started in-house leadership development programs—programs aimed at developing key faculty, staff, and administrators. While building in-house leadership development programs is a critical long-term strategy, these investments are not without risk. These programs often come at considerable cost and can potentially alienate some members of campus who are not selected to participate. To set programs up for long-term success, campus officials need to be cognizant of common pitfalls that derail a program or limit its effectiveness. In this paper, we review ten of the most common ways internal leadership development programs fail and some strategies to deal with them. Read the paper. Come to the Conference Get more out of the time and resources you spend developing your faculty and staff. At our Building an In-House Leadership Development Program in Higher Education conference, join us for a one-of-a-kind program that will help ensure your in-house leadership development program is highly effective and impactful over the long-term. We will cover key components of organizing your LDP as well as dozens of resources and activities that you can incorporate in your program. See Other Topics in Leadership

Spotlight on Innovation: How Central Georgia Technical College Success Coaches Will Provide Collaborative Support to At-Risk Students

by Lisa Cook (opens in new tab)

Here’s how Central Georgia Technical College is expanding a student success coach program, focusing especially on GED students and students placed in developmental education. SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 24 colleges and universities that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are pursuing, how their approaches are unique, and what other colleges and universities can learn from these new efforts. A little more than half of the students at Central Georgia Technical College are first-generation students who may not have the family support they need to successfully navigate college. Officials at the two-year college have spent more than a decade incubating strategies to effectively support first-gen and other underrepresented and academically underprepared students through graduation. This includes an effective model for using success coaches and a college success course to help guide students through their academic career. Now with the help of a $3.2 million First in the World grant, CGTC will expand the success coach model to all three CGTC campuses. They are also […]

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