The Buzz

For universities, there exists a tension in the space between living an institutional mission and funding that mission. Ozan Jaquette is an Assistant Professor at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and is fascinated by the often curious organizational behavior of colleges and universities as they attempt to balance revenue generation, prestige accumulation, and the public trust. Professor Jaquette is an emerging voice in higher education, committed to holding universities accountable to "walk the walk" on funding college access. On this episode of The Weightlist, Thom and Brad discuss the tradeoffs universities sometimes make in broadening access to higher education including the recruitment of high income or out-of-state students to "pay" for higher need and in-state students. What role could open data play in studying how university recruitment practices influence low-income college enrollment in the United States? Grab a barstool and come on in for beer and enrollment data talk but fair warning, this episode pulls no punches.

Beers:

Thom: Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma, CA, lagunitas.com, Pils Czech Style Pilsner, https://untappd.com/b/lagunitas-brewing-company-pils/6725 

Brad: Fair State Brewing Cooperative & 45th Parallel Spirit, Minneapolis, MN, fairstate.coop & 45thparalleldistillery.com, Bottle 538, https://untappd.com/b/fair-state-brewing-cooperative-old-richmond-rye-batch-01/1205173 

References:

Sunday Sales in MN: http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/senate-passes-sunday-liquor-sales-minnesota-becomes-state-for-grown-ups/414888073 

New America, Colleges in the Age of Enrollment Management, https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/events/colleges-age-enrollment-management 

Ozan Jaquette, https://gseis.ucla.edu/directory/ozan-jaquette 

Music:

Artist: Mystery Mammal, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mystery_Mammal 

Track: Upright, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mystery_Mammal/Risk_Society/Upright 

Used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 No revisions made.

Now that May 1 has come and gone, how are enrollment planners assessing the effectiveness of their recruitment across a variety of related and interlocking tactics? As is the case in other areas, the dominant thinking in enrollment management is antiquated compared to the advanced marketing attribution models that exist in other industries. In this episode of The Weightlist, Thom and Brad walk through how multi-channel marketing attribution has evolved in the online retailing and marketing space and what strategic enrollment management can learn from it.

Beers:

Thom: Braxton Brewing Company, Covington, KY, www.braxtonbrewing.com, Revamp IPA, https://untappd.com/b/braxton-brewing-company-revamp/1950592

Brad: Red Hook Brewing Company, Woodinville, WA, redhook.com, American Pale Ale, https://untappd.com/b/redhook-brewery-american-pale-ale/1528689 

References:

Brad's Number:

https://nces.ed.gov/datapoints/2016406.asp 

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/loans/student-loans/college-students-fafsa-money/#table 

Thom's Number:

Elon Musk and Data Exhaust: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/feb/14/tesla-post-data-times-review 

Inside Higher Ed, Discounting Keeps Climbing, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/05/15/private-colleges-and-universities-increase-tuition-discounting-again-2016-17 

Move beyond last click attribution in AdWords, https://adwords.googleblog.com/2016/05/move-beyond-last-click-attribution.html 

R package Attribution: http://analyzecore.com/2016/08/03/attribution-model-r-part-1 

New York Excelsior Scholarship: https://www.ny.gov/programs/tuition-free-degree-program-excelsior-scholarship 

Tennessee Promise Program: http://tnpromise.gov/about.shtml 

Music:

Artist: Josh Woodward, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward 

Track: Once Tomorrow (Instrumental Version), http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Woodward/Breadcrumbs/JoshWoodward-Breadcrumbs-NoVox-09-OnceTomorrow 

Used under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, No revisions made.

Given the breadth of new data that is generated by the modern university, what does the future of higher education look like if it were to embrace big open data?  What could the transcript of the future look like, and how could admissions evaluation work?  There's big data, then there's the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, an open data set of more than 3 million astronomical objects.  Tim McKay serves as the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Physics, Astronomy, Education at the University of Michigan and is a major proponent for making the Sloan data open to everyone, arguing that doing so has generated unprecedented growth in the world's knowledge of the cosmos.  Could higher education similarly benefit from a national open data set?  Join Thom and Brad for a fascinating inter-disciplinary conversation about how the modern university lives in the information age.

Beers:

Thom: Margaritaville Brewing Company, Jacksonville, FL, www.landsharklager.com, Landshark Lager, https://untappd.com/b/margaritaville-brewing-company-landshark-lager/4721 

Brad: New Belgium Brewing Company, Fort Collins, CO, http://www.newbelgium.com, Tartastic, https://untappd.com/search?q=tartastic

References:

Tim McKay: https://lsa.umich.edu/physics/people/faculty/tamckay.html  Blog: https://21stcenturyhighered.com/author/tamckay  Twitter: @TimMckayUM

Sloan Digital Sky Survey: http://www.sdss.org 

Academic Innovation Initiative: http://ai.umich.edu/introducing-academic-innovation 

Turning Down Top Choices, Inside Higher Ed, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/23/study-shows-how-price-sensitive-students-are-selecting-colleges 

Music:

Artist: Ryan Little, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ryan_Little 

Track: Damage, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ryan_Little/~/Damage_1727 

Used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, No revisions made.

In 2001, a group of computer scientists gathered at a resort to collectively rethink the methods that had dominated software development projects for decades. This rise of "agile development" emphasized cross-functional teams operating within rapid iterative cycles and fast feedback loops and has fundamentally changed not only software development, but also organizational effectiveness. Keeping up with the ever evolving interests and needs of adolescents and young adults requires an equally rapid set of organizational habits within admissions offices. What can enrollment managers learn from agile development organizations like Google X? Eric Shriner, Vice President of Information Technology at Capture Higher Ed grabs a brew and joins the conversation.

Beers:

Thom: Sweetwater Brewing Company, Atlanta, GA, sweetwaterbrew.com 18 Belgian-Style Tripel Ale, https://untappd.com/b/sweetwater-brewing-company-18-belgian-style-tripel-ale/971296

Brad: Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, MO, boulevard.com Tell Tale Tart, https://untappd.com/b/boulevard-brewing-co-tell-tale-tart/1101942

Eric: Goodwood Brewing, Louisville, KY, goodwood.beer Walnute Brown Ale, https://untappd.com/b/goodwood-brewing-walnut-brown-ale/1077766

References:

Free State Brewing, Lawrence, KS, www.freestatebrewing.com

Standish Group 2015 Chaos Report, https://www.infoq.com/articles/standish-chaos-2015

NCAA Bracket Combinations: http://www.businessinsider.com/9-quintillion-ncaa-brackets-odds75808-2011-3

Bounded Rationality, Simon, H. A. (1957). Models of man; social and rational, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounded_rationality

Agile Manifesto, http://agilemanifesto.org

We kept it gray!, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjRd9h8xBiE

Music:

Artist: Doctor Turtle, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Doctor_Turtle

Track: It Looks Like The Future, But It Feels Like The Past, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Doctor_Turtle/Flush_Your_Rolex_1416/it_looks_like_the_future_but_it_feels_like_the_past

Used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, No revisions made.

The enrollment management field isn't well known for experimental design but Eric Maguire as Franklin and Marshall College's Vice President & Dean of Admission & Financial Aid is pushing that boundary.  His approach embodies the Edison Model that embraces experimentation and purposeful failure as key ingredients to enrollment success.  From the use of recruitment control groups to assessing the use of non-cognitive variables in selection, Thom and Brad's interview of this industry thought leader outlines a new framework for thoughtful enrollment management.  It's an all Pennsylvania episode of The Weightlist so come on in and join the conversation.

Beers:

Thom: Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, PA, www.victorybeer.com  Old Horizontal, https://untappd.com/b/victory-brewing-company-old-horizontal/3828 

Brad: Victory Brewing Company, Downingtown, PA, www.victorybeer.com  Prima Pils, https://untappd.com/b/victory-brewing-company-prima-pils/3820 

References:

Lancaster Brewing Company, www.lancasterbrewing.com 

Music:

Artist: Jason Shaw, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw 

Track: Rocky Top, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/ROCKY_TOP_traditional__1-44

Used under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us, No revisions made.

How do you recruit in new markets using predictive models that are built on your enrollment history?  If you have never enrolled a student from a particular market how can a "rear facing" prediction still apply.  In this episode, Thom and Brad tackle a listener submitted question that is especially important in the always evolving field of enrollment management.  Come on in, grab a bar stool, and join the conversation.

Beers:

Thom: Stone Brewing Company, San Diego, CA, www.stonebrewing.com IPA, https://untappd.com/b/stone-brewing-stone-ipa/821

Brad: Boom Island Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN, boomislandbrewing.com Django Hop Bier, https://untappd.com/b/boom-island-brewing-company-django-hop-bier/1413308

Music:

Artist: Broke For Free, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free

Track: Something Elated, http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated

Used under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us, No revisions made.

What happens when a young start-up rethinks the decades old practice of a lump sum approach to awarding financial aid? On The Weightlist this week we chat with George Kirkland, Co-Founder of Raise.me, a company that invented the concept of micro-scholarships and in so doing, has turned the financial aid industry on its head. What is the role of companies like Raise in fostering innovation in higher ed, how can data be used to promote equitable access, and what is the psychology behind mass discounting? Along the way, Thom and Brad discuss the latest in Prior-Prior Year FAFSA completions, educational attainment, and where are all the jet packs we were promised by now. Grab a pint and join the conversation.

Beers:

Thom: Terrapin Beer Company, Athens, GA, terrapinbeer.com Recreation Ale

Brad: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE, www.dogfish.com Namaste 2016

Links:

The Numbers

Brad: Educational Attainment in the U.S. among people ages 25-29

Thom: Why Invest in Increasing FAFSA Completion, National College Access Network, December, 2016

Additional Resources:

Raise Me, https://www.raise.me

The 21 Winners Of The Facebook, Gates Foundation Education App Contest Are Making College Easier

Choice Architecture:

Thaler Explains How "Choice Architecture" Makes the World a Better Place

Music:

Artist: Kevin MacLeod

Track: Hustle

Used under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/, No revisions made.

Enrollment management, at its core, is a prediction business. Annually, thousands of admissions officers polish off the crystal ball and project what the enrollment future holds for their institutions. Yogi Berra often quipped that "The future isn't what it used to be" and no where is that truer than in higher education enrollment predictions. Thom and Brad walk through the primary ways the enrollment prediction industry has missed the mark through antiquated methodology and folk theory. Modern machine learning techniques require a new mindset about how we as professionals think about our future. What can The Farmer's Almanac, Ron Popeil's rotisserie chickens, and Uber teach us about enrollment predictions? Pull up a barstool and join the conversation.

Beers:

Thom: Pabst Brewing Company, La Crosse, WI, oldstylebeer.com, Heileman's Old Style Lager

Brad: Bauhaus Brew Labs, Minneapolis, MN, bauhausbrewlabs.com, Stargrazer Schwarzbier

Links: The Numbers

Brad:

2015 National College Football Attendance

Thom:

Closure Concerns and Financial Strategies: a Survey of College Business Officers Inside Higher Ed, July 17, 2015

The Sustainable University, Bain and Company

Additional References:

The 5 Ways Enrollment Predictions Are Putting Colleges Out of Business

Jordan Ellenberg, How Not to Be Wrong: The power of mathematical thinking

How Accurate Is the Farmer's Almanac's Winter Forecast?

Music:

Artist: The Insider

Track: One Fine Day

Used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, No revisions made.

Could an algorithm ever do the job of an admissions officer? How do you build a data-driven analytic culture? How can universities best utilize analytics to shift their business processes? In part 2 of our interview with Zain Khandwala, the Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY we explore all of these and more.

Show Notes

Music

Artist: Jason Shaw

Track: Hoedown

Used under Creative Commons Attribution License, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, No revisions made.

What does the hype cycle and trough of disillusionment look like in the higher education data space? Have we been here before? Data Science, informatics, business analytics - are all these terms just buzzwords? Universities investing big resources in how they manage and leverage institutional data - and this interview with the Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY will help you sift through fact and fiction in the vast promises being made of about big data.

Show Notes

Beers:

Thom: Fat Bottom Brewery, Knockout IPA, Nashville, TN, fatbottombrewing.com Brad: Oskar Blues Brewery, Dales Pale Ale, Longmont, CO, oskarblues.com

Music:

Artist: Jason Shaw

Track: Hoedown

Used under Creative Commons Attribution License, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, No revisions made.