Higher Ed Marketing Lab

Diversity, equity, and inclusion is top of mind for many higher ed marketers, but figuring out the practical side of applying DEI concepts to the actual creative work marketing teams produce is often easier said than done. In this episode, we'll hear from two marketing leaders at the University of St. Thomas - Minnesota who have a unique perspective on how to make it less intimidating and more actionable.

We talk with Dr. Chuck Bamford about crafting smart competitive strategies to differentiate your school in a crowded marketplace.

In the fourth and final episode of our VP Summer Series, we talk with Kevin Kropf, EVP of Enrollment at Drury University, about generational theory and managing teams that span multiple generations.

In part three of our VP Summer Series, we talk with Brad Pochard, AVP for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions at Furman University, about building collaborative relationships with colleagues across the campus.

As a senior leader, you need a strong working relationship with your board. Unfortunately, there's no manual for how to do that. As a result, most leaders end up learning through experience (read: observation, hard work, and some painful mistakes).

In our latest VP Summer Series podcast, we sit down with Joel Bauman, SVP of Enrollment at Duquesne University, and Karen Foust, former EVP of Enrollment at Hendrix College, to talk about the finer points of building collaborative, productive relationships with board members.

We discuss:

• Important ways board members can differ in their approach to the role
• Tips for effectively communicating the complexities of your work
• Why trying to be the smartest person in the room can backfire with board members
• The right way to go about delivering bad news
• How to respectfully nudge a board member back into their lane when they start to overreach.

This is the first installment in our VP Summer Series, a podcast mini-series focusing on the unique challenges facing senior enrollment and marketing leaders. In this episode, we'll be discussing the role of the Vice President--how it differs from other roles someone would occupy on the way to a VP-level position and what it takes to be a strong candidate if you've got your sights set on a VP-level job.

Joining us in the conversation is Mary Napier, Principal Consultant at Napier Executive Search. We're also joined by Echo Delta's own Laura Martin Fedich, who will be co-hosting each of our VP Summer Series podcasts.

In this episode, we talk about financial aid leveraging—the common, but sometimes controversial, practice of using data-driven approaches to inform how schools award financial aid.

Joining us in the conversation is Echo Delta data scientist and consultant, Dr. Jimmy Jung. As a higher ed veteran with over 20 years of experience, Jimmy has successfully led enrollment management at multiple institutions around the country and has consulted internationally in the areas of marketing, program evaluation, data analytics, and student success. We start by covering the basics of financial aid leveraging—what it is, how it works, and the kinds of data schools use to inform their financial aid models. Then, we dig deeper into the impact of financial aid leveraging, including improving net tuition revenue, controlling discount rates, and how it can help schools uncover hidden insights about their institution and the students they hope to attract. We wrap up by talking about some of the criticisms of the practice and hear Jimmy's thoughts on the ethical and responsible use of financial aid leveraging. This was a fascinating conversation full of essential information for anyone looking to understand more about financial aid leveraging.

The quality of input you deliver on creative work can be a make or break factor that helps your team reach new creative heights or sends them spiraling into uncertain territory. Echo Delta's Creative Director, Rachel Newell, joins us to talk about how to deliver the kind of feedback your team needs to reach the full potential.

Tracking and attributing marketing activities in the real world is far from straightforward. In this episode, analytics consultant and agency vet, Chris Sietsema, explains how analytics-savvy organizations get it right.