Brain Waves Blog

“We report quarterly, but no one really gives feedback.” “Our information goes into an annual board report, and we’re not sure if anyone even reads it.” “We work hard, but don’t always feel seen.” “We have a new leader coming in and want to position our team’s value effectively.” We hear comments like these all the time, and campus communicators are genuinely concerned their efforts are lost in the sea of competing priorities. 

Higher ed marketing isn’t synonymous with pushing boundaries, but some CMOs are trying to change that. We sat down with Jenny Petty, University of Montana, and Gabriel Welsch, Duquesne University, to pick their brains on the importance of boundary pushing in higher ed marketing. 

As presidential digital leadership evolves, marketing leaders and their teams are more likely to support an executive social media presence. Even if you haven’t done this in the past, presidents change, and each change in leadership brings with it a change in social media presence. Being a leader on social media without a strategic focus is risky, and every executive should have a thoughtful approach to their online presence. Marketing leaders can help guide and mold the presidential approach to social media.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected, but the anger arose faster and more intensely than anticipated when I referred to prospective students as customers in a conversation about recruitment.

In​ ​an​ ​era​ ​driven​ ​by​ ​24/7​ ​coverage​ ​of​ ​everything, college​ ​presidents​ ​must​ ​be​ ​accessible​ ​and responsive ​while also taking a ​careful​ ​and​ ​measured​ ​approach​ ​to​ ​their social​ ​media presence.​​ The​ ​president owns​ ​the​ ​brand​ ​and​ ​the​ ​messaging​ ​of​ ​the​ ​institution​ ​and​ ​can​ ​quickly​ ​and​ ​effectively​ ​convey​ ​the mission​ ​through​ ​social​ ​media​ ​posts​ ​and​ ​interactions.​

When I began in higher education as an academic advisor, I interacted with undergraduate students daily. From each conversation, I gleaned insights into needs, barriers, and successes students experienced at my institution. As I moved into university administration, that student-centered perspective greatly informed my work on retention and graduation initiatives. Heading into my fifth year in administration with little direct student interaction, my sense of the current student experience feels a little out of date. I realized this challenge was likely not unique to me and set out to learn what’s worked for seasoned university administrators to remain connected to the current student experience at their institutions. Here’s what I learned.