1 / 44

Prospect Survey Research

Prospect Survey Research. College Board Middle States Regional Forum 2008 Daniel J. Rodas, Long Island University Heather Gibbs, Long Island University Herman Kane, Kane-Parsons & Associates Thursday, February 14, 2008. Outline. Overview of prospect survey research

deva
Télécharger la présentation

Prospect Survey Research

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Prospect Survey Research College Board Middle States Regional Forum 2008 Daniel J. Rodas, Long Island UniversityHeather Gibbs, Long Island UniversityHerman Kane, Kane-Parsons & Associates Thursday, February 14, 2008

  2. Outline • Overview of prospect survey research • Case Study: Brooklyn Campus • Case Study: C.W. Post Campus • Campus Comparisons • Discussions & Questions

  3. Overview

  4. Objectives • Understand what students expect from attending college and what benefits they hope to receive • Chronicle the reasons for choosing a particular college or university • Clarify institutional image and how well it matches a college’s/university’s sense of itself

  5. Objectives • Improving the Numbers • Higher yield from admitted applicant to matriculant • Higher conversion from inquiry pool • Greater selectivity • More effective recruiting of targeted populations (by race/ethnicity, academic caliber, geographic region, socio-economic subgroups, etc.)

  6. Sample Selection • Students and parents, segmented by level of interest in the college/university • Candidates not in the inquiry pool • Non-applicant inquirers • Admit-declines • Incoming matriculants

  7. Sample Selection • Influencers • Parents • High school guidance counselors • High school teachers (especially when targeting students with already defined specialized interests, e.g., art, music, engineering, etc.)

  8. Methodologies • Telephone vs. self-administered electronic surveys • Advantages • Disadvantages

  9. Survey Content • Academic quality dimensions • Quality of student life • Experiential learning • Student-faculty interaction • Outcomes • Cost and financial aid • Location

  10. Survey Content • Background information • Institutional image • Comparative numerical ratings • Identification of attributes with college/university and its key peers • Testing of positioning options

  11. Information Sources • The influence of counselors, parents, institutional communications, third-party assessments, in making inquiry, application, campus visit and final selection decisions

  12. Findings • Creation or modification of positioning and core messages • Recommendation of programmatic and communications initiatives • Marketing and communications priorities

  13. Findings • Closing the gap between external perceptions and reality in: • Web • Viewbook • College fairs • High school visits • Campus tours

  14. Long Island University Market Research

  15. Purpose • To survey Long Island University’s student prospect constituencies • To understand better their • demographic profile and other background characteristics • academic and career direction • perceptions of the University and Campuses • To provide an empirical basis for academic planning, enrollment communication, program marketing, and student recruitment

  16. Long Island University • Founded in 1926 as a private, co-educational, non-sectarian institution • Mission of “Access and Excellence” • 18,600 degree-seeking students • 600 degree and certificate programs • $360 million operating budget • $100 million endowment • $1 billion replacement value/physical assets

  17. Long Island University • Two residential campuses: • Brooklyn • C.W. Post • Four regional campuses • Brentwood • Riverhead • Rockland • Westchester • 653 full-time faculty • 162,000 living alumni

  18. Approach • “Blind” telephone interviews with three samples

  19. Approach • Representative sample, including: • Applicants who are likely to enroll (“likelies”) • Applicants who may enroll (“possibles”) • Inquirers who are not likely to apply (“unlikelies”)

  20. Case Study: Brooklyn Campus

  21. Background of First-year Prospects • Unlikelies • 90% non-white • 69% female • 57% of fathers and 63% of mothers do not have college degree • Median household income of $30,000 • Likelies • 91% non-white • 71% female • 53% of fathers and 54% of mothers do not have college degree • Median household income of $36,000

  22. Highest Rated Selection Criteria Among First-year Prospects

  23. Lowest Rated Selection Criteria By contrast, the lowest-rated college selection criteria are: • An outstanding athletic program • Availability of online classes • Opportunity to join a religious organization

  24. Findings • Academic ratings much stronger today, e.g., among admit-declines, now ranked #2, but was ranked #6 in 1987 among closest competitors. • Strong identification with health-related programs parallels earlier finding Incidence of males is lower today (possibly related to pharmacy inclusion and omission) • Incidence of whites is also lower

  25. Findings • Greater emphasis today on outcomes, especially jobs, as indicator of excellence. • Faculty teaching quality, while the #3 measure today, was #1 in 1987 • Greater competitive prominence of certain institutions • Accessibility to public transportation continues to be the strongest locational attribute

  26. Other Findings • Scarcity of non-science liberal arts candidates, especially in the arts and humanities • Most expect to work and will count on assistance in finding employment. • Post-graduate job placement and academic program considerations are paramount.

  27. Ratings of Educational Quality Among First-Year Prospects 1.0 = poor 5.0 = mediocre 10.0 = outstanding

  28. Other Findings • The Brooklyn Campus is often perceived to be a public university – less than 50% of first-year, non-matriculants are aware that Long Island University is a private university • The Brooklyn Campus competes overwhelmingly with public institutions

  29. Recommendations & Opportunities • Counter the public/private confusion • Increased emphasis on the business/financial/communications opportunities in downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan • Accentuate Brooklyn’s cultural and artistic saturation • Document and emphasize the reciprocal relationship between Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Campus

  30. Recommendations & Opportunities • Capitalize on the Campus’ strong image in the health sciences • Highlight the potential for post-college connections and networking • Reinforce outcomes • Expand assistance programs to help students find attractive term-time jobs • Address language barriers of prospect parents, especially Asian and Eastern-European communities

  31. Case Study: C.W. Post Campus

  32. Background of First-year Prospects • Unlikelies • 50% white • 30% male, 70% female • 50% of fathers and 55% of mothers do not have college degree • Median household income of $68,000 • Likelies • 75% white • 48% male, 52% female • 54% of fathers and 46% of mothers do not have college degree • Median household income of $74,000

  33. Highest Rated Selection Criteria Among First-year Prospects

  34. Lowest Rated Selection Criteria Consistent with results from the Brooklyn Campus, the lowest-rated college selection criteria are: • An outstanding athletic program • Availability of online classes • Opportunity to join a religious organization

  35. Findings • The Campus enjoys a strong image in: • Education • Business • Criminal Justice • C.W. Post’s attractiveness: • Location • Campus attractiveness • Reputation for individualized attention • Affiliation with Long Island University

  36. Findings • Prospective liberal arts majors, although still a minority, are more numerous than they were in 1987 • Interest has risen in: • Criminal Justice • Education • Interest has declined in: • Business

  37. Findings • Jobs obtained by graduates is perceived to be a much more important measure of educational excellence. • Long Island is a primary source of transfers but other areas, including NYC, are becoming prominent. • More students, including transfers, expect to live on or near campus.

  38. Program Appeal • The Campus has had limited success attracting prospective majors in: • Liberal Arts and Sciences • Natural and physical sciences • Humanities • Social sciences (except Psychology). • More prestigious pre-professional programs • Pre-medicine • Pre-Law

  39. Ratings of Educational Quality Among First-year Prospects 1.0 = poor 5.0 = mediocre 10.0 = outstanding

  40. Recommendations & Opportunities • Reduce public/private confusion • Enhance the academic image by further emphasizing faculty and programmatic quality • Focus on specific, measurable outcomes • Recruit high-ability women • Recognize the prominence of the Web site. • Target guidance counselors.

  41. Summary of Findings:

  42. Similarities • Public / private confusion • Levels of parental education • Focus on professional studies, but different mix of fields • Importance of program quality and job outcomes as primary college selection criteria • Relative lack of importance of athletics, online class and religious organizations in college choice

  43. Differences • Ethnic/racial makeup • Geographic source of students • Socio-economic status • Incidences of preferred on-campus living • Academic reputation relative to competitors among non-matriculants • Locational attributes • Prominence of public sector competitors

  44. Discussion & Questions

More Related