Brain Waves Blog

Perception is shaped by human feelings and opinions, and is dynamic in nature. Traditional research methods such as focus groups, interviews, surveys, and audience panels, often carry inherent biases and assumptions that impact the data collection process.

This spring, we hosted virtual roundtables that brought more than 300 higher ed professionals together to discuss the value of a college degree, innovative strategic planning, and growing graduate enrollment. 

The topic of graduate enrollment growth is having a moment in higher ed. With the FAFSA delays and decreasing undergraduate enrollment, expanding graduate programs feels like a quick and easy solution for many campuses.

Strategic planning is an opportunity to evaluate and prioritize resources so your institution can optimize its strengths and achieve its goals. Every campus has a strategic plan, but the process and approach for developing that plan varies. 

At a macro level, the value of a college degree is a constant topic in higher ed. At a micro level, you invariably need to consider how that value relates to your institution’s brand. There are many indicators of value, as well as internal and external factors contributing to this drop in confidence. But, as contributing expert Mallory Willsea shares, the decline is countered by research from Axios that college grads have significantly higher earning potential—indicating that perception doesn't match reality when it comes to the value of a degree. We see this same gap in perception in our latest research on rebuilding trust in higher education.

Your campus social media manager’s job is never done. They’re on call 24/7, very few people understand exactly what they do all day, and their talent and expertise are regularly dismissed by colleagues and the general public. Often they’re not appropriately compensated for their skills, overtime hours, and the comments and DMs they monitor and respond to may hurt personally even if they're not meant for them.