Concurrent Sessions
Draft agenda as of Jan. 19, 2019; subject to change
Jim Langley, president of Langley Innovations, will lead a discussion exploring current and emerging practices that are proving effective at increasing and sustaining alumni engagement, and how effective alumni engagement can be measured. This exploration will include lifestyle programming, segmented alumni markets and the distinct appeals that work best within each, and how to identify and engage alumni according to “affinity corridors.”
Facilitator: Hudson Akin, Executive Director, University Advancement, Lipscomb University
Speaker: Jim Langley, President, Langley Innovations
This session will begin with an extensive Q&A to follow the morning keynote on marketing research, followed by a rich discussion on branding that covers the five steps of the brand-building process and uses examples from a variety of institutions. This audience-driven session will respond to your questions, comments, and challenges, equipping you with the insight you need to return to you campus with a strong branding framework in your toolkit.
Elizabeth Johnson, CEO, SimpsonScarborough
Trends in higher education show large scale shifts in demographics and forecasts a decline in high school graduates. During this session will be review trends, enrollment projections through 2032, and the implications for enrollment. Through utilizing data science, we will explore ways to strategically position your institution to thrive.
During this session we will:
• Review the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Knocking at the College Door report on projections of high school graduates through 2032
• Explore different methods of utilizing the data, its impact on an institutions future enrollment, and review examples of utilizing data to effect change
• Discuss best practices in positioning an institution to appeal to the new growing market of students. Examples will include attracting and retaining transfer students and Latino students.
Amanda Slaughter, Associate Vice President for University Enrollment, Biola University
Data has shown that Americans are working longer and harder than ever before which has led to a higher frequency of professional burnout. In today’s ever challenging higher education marketplace where the common refrain is “doing more with less budget, “ burnout can be a key factor driving the challenge of retaining competent staff. It is also costly and a major drain on already shrinking budgets because of the expense of recruiting and training staff. In this session Marian Dill, a seasoned financial aid professional, will lead the group through a discussion of strategies and centering practices to help prevent burnout for you and your staff.
Marian Dill, Director of Financial Aid, Lee University
Jim Langley, president of Langley Innovations, will share his research findings and those developed by other organizations that reveal how philanthropic preferences and behaviors are changing, how those preferences are affecting the choices that donors are making, and how best practice is responding to these new realities. This session will show how long-held assumptions about fundraising are being challenged with every passing year and how institutions will need to alter their practices in response to these sea changes.
Facilitator: Drew Flamm, Vice President of Advancement, Grace College & Seminary
Speaker: Jim Langley, President, Langley Innovations
How do you engage your alumni in significant work that matters to your university and to the volunteer? How do you ensure volunteerism supports the most important priorities of your institution? What strategies and tools are you using to locate, engage and empower volunteers? Hear one campus' story about re-envisioning alumni and volunteer engagement tailored to meet specific institutional priorities and deepen relationships with alumni.
Teri Bradford Rouse, Senior Director of Alumni & Parent Relations and Reed Sheard, Vice President for College Advancement/CIO, Westmont College
Dan and Jeff share results from the 20th Annual Bethel Study (Financial Aid Survey of CCCU Institutions). Using data from two decades of surveys, they analyze trends in enrollment, college costs, financial aid, discount rates, student debt, and family wealth. Then they combine these data to reveal patterns of institutional financial health (net revenues) and student and family affordability (net price compared with family wealth).
Dan Nelson, Vice President for Institutional Data & Research, and Jeff Olson, Director of Financial Aid, Bethel University
*Closed to media
From their search habits to their expectations for college, we know that Gen Z thinks and behaves fundamentally differently than their Millennial predecessors. Yet, many schools remain stuck on “autopilot,” using marketing tactics honed five years ago. Learn about what Eduventures’ research says about these two generations, and how institutions around the country are pivoting their messaging and marketing strategy to reach this new generation of students.
Kim Reid,Eduventures Principal Analyst, ACT/NRCCUA
In recent years, many institutions have faced problematic state legislation or have dealt with high profile legal cases. This panel brings together representatives from CCCU institutions to discuss the various legal challenges they’ve faced in recent years and share different methods of effectively engaging in a variety of contexts.
Moderator: Shapri D. LoMaglio, Vice President for Government & External Relations, CCCU
Panelists: Carla Gross, Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, Messiah College, Mark Kahler, Vice President for University Communication, Trinity International University, Jill Monroe, Director of Public Affairs, Point Loma Nazarene University, and Ryan Spear, Director of Admission, Houghton College
*Off the record
When do metrics enhance advancement performance (including fundraising, alumni relations, donor relations, and other key areas) and when do they discourage and frustrate even the most productive practitioners? How can individual performance be fairly measured in a field where success is proving to team-driven? Jim Langley, president of Langley Innovations, will explore these and other difficult questions and provide a “Do’s and Don’ts List” for the effective application of metrics.
Facilitator: Ashlee Johnson, Executive Director for Advancement/Director of Development, Missouri Baptist University
Speaker: Jim Langley, President, Langley Innovations
The social media age has changed the way we interact with others. Rather than spending money on a postcard and waiting for it to land in mailboxes, you can now reach your alumni for free in a matter of minutes with the use of social media. Join us as we discuss who should handle your team's social media platforms, what strategies have been successful (and unsuccessful), and some simple tips and tricks to keep you platforms active and relevant.
Kaia Larson, Alumni & Family Relations Specialist and Jennifer Scott, Associate Director of Alumni & Family Relations, Bethel University
In an environment in which marketing budgets are shrinking but demand for marketing programs to increase fundraising, improve recruiting and generate more revenue is unprecedented, organizational structure is a key factor that should be optimized for maximum institutional effectiveness. How can marketing & communication teams better support the work of internal departments and encourage cross-campus collaboration to achieve maximum effectiveness without increased spending? In this session, a panel of leaders from advancement, enrollment management, and marketing will discuss how teams at various institutions have implemented a variety of organizational structures to achieve greater influence, effectiveness and efficiency using both centralized and decentralized models and reporting structures.
Moderator: Betsy Bugg Holloway, Vice President for Marketing & Communication, Samford University
Panelists: Tim Ellens, Director of Communications and Brand Steward, Calvin College, Adam Morris, Vice President, University Advancement, Biola University, Irene Neller, Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing & Communications, Westmont College, and Rick Sweeney, Vice President for Marketing & External Relations, Gordon College
How do you balance strict data security with excellent customer service? How do you handle it when students express surprise or concerns about costs and student borrowing? How are you handling the loss of Perkins loans? This session will provide an opportunity to hear from and share best practices with your colleagues from CCCU institutions across the country on these and other timely issues.
Facilitated by the CCCU Financial Aid Administrator Commissioners
*Off the record
As Baby Boomers age and ensuing generations seem less inclined to follow in their loyal philanthropic footsteps, virtually every college and university watches apprehensively as their donor pipelines grow thinner. Those apprehensions are compounded by studies revealing growing numbers of donors gravitating away from institutional support and from giving itself. Jim Langley, president of Langley Innovations, will interpret these trends, point to which are most significant and most persistent, and suggest ways that donor pipelines can be maintained and enriched even in the face of these rigorous challenges.
Facilitator: Will Smallwood, Senior Vice President for Advancement and University Relations, Oklahoma Baptist University
Speaker: Jim Langley, President, Langley Innovations
The merging of alumni relations and career services is a trend in higher education that acknowledges the importance of network building and the role alumni can play in preparing students for life after graduation. In 2015, Wheaton College moved its career development office to the Advancement/Alumni Relations division. In this session, Cindra Stackhouse Taetzsch will share the results of that strategic decision and how it has made an impact on giving, faculty involvement, prospective student interest, and student and alumni engagement.
Cindra Stackhouse Taetzsch, Senior Director for Vocation and Alumni Engagement, Wheaton College
Each summer since 2007 Credo has surveyed thousands of admitted students to understand their college choices. Who influenced them on and off campus? What role did campus visits and financial aid play in their decisions? Would more financial aid have made a difference in their final choice and if so, how much more aid would it have taken? What factors attracted their initial interest and which ones dominated their final thinking? How did the admission team do in serving them?
In 2014 Credo began to survey parents of admitted students as well, asking many of the same questions to understand how student decision factors compared to those of their parents. In this session we’ll review highlights from this data and discuss the strategy implications for recruiting, marketing and the campus at large. This interactive session will combine presentation and extensive discussion to explore this important topic, informed by enrollment leaders on client campuses.
Tim Fuller, Senior Vice President/Owner and Dave Burke, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Solutions, Credo
Private Colleges and Universities are approaching an average discount rate of 50%. College Presidents and CFOs recognize that the high cost - high discount model is difficult to sustain and credit rating agencies are beginning to penalize institutions with high discount rates and flat to declining enrollments. Come hear how Income Share Agreements can be used to diversify your unfunded discounting strategies and why connecting cost and value provides institutions a differential advantage in the quest to address affordable recruitment, retention, and graduation efforts.
Bill Brosseau, Co-founder & Vice President, Vemo Education and Pam Macias, Director of Financial Aid, Point Loma Nazarene University
It is always important for our member institutions to be aware of the legislative efforts the CCCU is undertaking in Washington, D.C. on your behalf. Communications & public affairs leaders are an important partner in these efforts as you help your campuses respond to and engage in current issues. In this session, members of the CCCU’s external affairs team, as well as representatives from CCCU institutions, will provide a brief update and share options on how you can stay engaged with the CCCU’s ongoing federal public policy work.
Shapri D. LoMaglio, Vice President for Government & External Relations, CCCU, and Greta Hays, Director of Communications & Public Affairs, CCCU
*Closed to media
Moderator: Vicki Pugh
Panelists: David Hoag, President, Warner University and Donald W. Sweeting, President, Colorado Christian University
As the field of alumni relations is becoming increasingly vital to the institution’s advancement goals, there is greater focus on the performance and accountability of the alumni organization. This session will discuss development and usage of alumni engagement metrics that will help to drive the organization’s strategic planning.
Christopher J. Vlahos, Senior Consultant & Principal, Alumni Relations, Marts & Lundy
Today's over-committed and under-connected marketplace requires an understanding of the economics and engagement around social media and storytelling. A panel of social media veterans from CCCU campuses will present an overview of the ever-changing landscape of social media and share tips for maximizing social media engagement and using available platforms to take your narrative to the next level.
Moderator: Bryce Chapman, Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and University Communications, Missouri Baptist University
Panelists: Danielle Ran, Director of Communications, Messiah College, Josh Sieders, Director of Marketing and Communications, Redeemer University College, and Brenda Velasco, Senior Director of University Communications
As enrollment competition increases, there is a sense of all hands on deck. With this in mind, can faculty play a role in the marketing and recruiting of prospective students? In this session, a recent research study on how chief enrollment officers are utilizing faculty in their marketing and recruitment efforts will be reviewed. In addition, some practical applications will be discussed that emerged from the research that may be applicable to your institution.
Anthony Turner, Vice President and Dean of Student Enrollment Services, Moody Bible Institute
What happens in Washington doesn’t stay in Washington. From the amount of the Pell grant, to financial aid counseling requirements, to Public Service Loan Forgiveness, the decisions made in our nation’s capital have a significant impact on your work and your students’ success. In addition, your ability to be faithful to your Christian mission is often challenged. In this session, the CCCU’s Government Relations team will give a legislative and regulatory update, answer your questions, and equip you to participate in advocacy work on behalf of your students, your institution, and Christian higher education.
Shapri D. LoMaglio, Vice President for Government & External Relations and Brad Crofford, Legislative Assistant, CCCU
*Off the record