Breakout Sessions
In this session, you will learn about important perspectives on the college search from your most highly engaged prospective student audience, compared to and contrasted with the perspectives of their parents, who are typically the primary influencers during the admissions and selection process. An Admitted Student Intel participant will also share how his institution has prioritized this research over the last two years in refining enrollment and marketing strategies.
Dave Burke, President, Legacy Higher Ed and Brandon Huisman, Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, Dordt University
In this session, you will learn about important perspectives on the college search from your most highly engaged prospective student audience, compared to and contrasted with the perspectives of their parents, who are typically the primary influencers during the admissions and selection process. An Admitted Student Intel participant will also share how his institution has prioritized this research over the last two years in refining enrollment and marketing strategies.
Dave Burke, Vice President, Fuller Higher Ed Solutions and Brandon Huisman, Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, Dordt University
In today’s crisis-driven world, how do Christian higher education institutions measure up? This session will delve into the results of a recent survey that explored the current state of crisis on CCCU member campuses. Together we’ll examine the crises that concern us most and those we feel most prepared to handle—both from overall and regional perspectives. Attendees will walk away armed with proactive tools to help campus communicators set themselves up for success when the next crisis breaks down the door.
Angela Meluski, Vice President for Marketing & Communication, California Baptist University and Dr. Amanda Staggenborg, Chief Communications Officer, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
Homecoming can be a win for your entire university! Come hear how Oklahoma Baptist University has worked to create "The Weekend" which not only encompasses time-honored traditions for alumni, but now includes Family Weekend for current students and their families and an official preview day for prospective students and their families. It has become THE weekend to be on campus! In this session, we will be discussing why this model has been beneficial and practical ways to implement.
Lee Ann Fannin Quirk, Director of the OBU Alumni Association, Oklahoma Baptist University
This session will explore the innovative approach employed by California Baptist University (CBU) in measuring major gift officer success through an advanced metric that undergoes fine-tuning each year. CBU's methodology encompasses a comprehensive range of metrics, including face-to-face visits, solicitation efforts, tracking of current and deferred goals, and a host of other dynamic indicators that are subject to annual revisions. This session will provide attendees with valuable insights into the development, refinement, and application of these metrics in the context of higher education fundraising.
Paul Eldridge, Vice President for University Advancement, California Baptist University and Kim Cunningham, Senior Director of Development, California Baptist University and Kelli Johnson, Associate Director of Research and Portfolio Management
In this session, learn how a major campus event influenced enrollment and financial aid both positively and negatively at Asbury University. Hear what we’ve learned and changed, as well as how our campus and enrollment processes have been impacted, including areas such as recruitment efforts, financial aid strategies, and partner relationships like Ardeo’s Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP).
Leslie Kurtz, Director of Financial Aid, Asbury University and Jennifer McChord, Vice President, Enrollment and Marketing, Asbury University and Holland Meyer, Director of Client Service, Ardeo Education Solutions
No one has more influence on a student than their family. By thoughtfully engaging parents and families, institutions can help develop them into advisors that can not only provide information and support, but keep them on track to graduation. In fact, when family members receive updates on their student's progress, those students have retention rates 8% higher. Messiah University has scaled their family engagement strategy to bolster student success. Despite a small staff, they have been able to leverage technology to provide personalized content, timely notifications and reminders, and proactive communications that speak directly to their student and family populations (first-gen, transfer students). Learn how Messiah has partnered with departments across campus and with tech solutions to turn parents into partners for student success.
Jay McClymont, Director of Alumni and Parent Relations, Messiah University and Chris Allbrook, Director of Sales, CampusESP
Appealing to young donors and young alumni is a challenge for institutions of all types. Supporters under the age of 40 are the key to future, sustainable giving and there are strategies that are useful for engaging the younger and newer donor pool. From messaging to methods, we will share steps that you can take to engage, invite, and activate this important, and sometimes elusive, group. Topics include:
- The values that all successful performance metrics programs support
- The three biggest pitfalls of performance metrics and how to avoid them
- Accurately (and fairly) measuring gift officer activity – visits, dollars, etc.
- A time-tested goal-setting process
- The best possible outcomes of a gift metrics system
You know there must be a more efficient and effective way to assess the productivity of your gift officers. We can show you how.
Erin Phillips, Senior Consultant, Gonser Gerber and Walter Collins, Senior Consultant, Gonser Gerber
In the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of higher education, student media plays a pivotal role in shaping campus culture, engaging students, fostering dialogue, and influencing the school’s reputation. In this session, learn about the challenges and opportunities unique to student-run media and discover best practices that foster goodwill and collaborative partnerships with student media groups on campuses. The panelists will also discuss strategies they have implemented for handling sensitive topics and crisis situations while respecting editorial independence and protecting the school’s reputation.
Brenda Velasco, Senior Director of University Communications, Biola University and Jason Cook, Vice President for Marketing and Communication and Chief Marketing Officer, Baylor University and Sarah Moss, Director of Public Relations, Dordt University
Christian colleges and universities have always focused on recruiting students from private Christian high schools, but many of these students enroll at secular institutions. During this session, you’ll hear the results of a NACCAP survey sent to over 1,000 private Christian high school guidance/college counselors about how they understand and promote Christian higher education, as well as what they believe are the obstacles that keep Christian high school students from attending Christian colleges or universities. The session will also cover the counselors’ perspectives on college visits, parent education, standardized testing, and Christian higher education resources.
Denise Cunningham, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives, North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals (NACCAP)
To better recruit the students of today, enrollment teams need to increase capacity to relentlessly pursue students for visits to campus. They also need to increase resources to provide a fuller and more customized experience to connect students deeply and intentionally to their school. Taking a concierge approach to the college visit experience has been one of the major factors in the recent growth at Calvin University. Come learn about Calvin’s plan and how you can adapt it to effectively recruit students at your institution.
Melissa Rousseau, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Calvin University
This open-ended Q&A session will be moderated by the CCCU Financial Aid Commissioners. Any topic related to financial aid will be open to discussion, with an opportunity for others to share experiences and best practices. Participants will be specifically encouraged to discuss financial aid-related issues that may be of mutual interest to Christian colleges and universities. This will also be a good time to check in with your CCCU colleagues on how FAFSA Simplification is impacting Fall ‘24 packaging.
Troy Martin, Director of Student Financial Services, Eastern Nazarene College and Financial Aid Commissioners
In this presentation, we will explore various modalities of alumni engagement not typically considered as key strategies. These venues will include traditional and non-traditional ways of involving alumni. For example, these include online prayer teams, Bible study groups, faith integration in the workplace, spirituality & community, and spiritual ceremonies to rekindle calling. We will explore the practical ways to incorporate these strategies into alumni engagement. As a Christian University, we see ourselves as a gateway to spiritual development and enrichment. We host chapel services, devotions, group experiences, and times of prayer with the intent of helping our students develop spiritual rituals and anchoring so that they can walk with God for a lifetime but these are not typically considered with alumni engagement.
Karen Erisman, Azusa Pacific University
Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are one of the fastest-growing vehicles for charitable giving. Why are donors using DAFs instead of giving directly to universities or other nonprofit organizations, and how are DAFs helping donors maximize their philanthropy? Learn the latest data and research as well as the changing legal landscape so that you can fully incorporate DAF donors into your fundraising strategies.
Bill Stanczykiewicz, IU School of Philanthropy
Hear how Concordia University Irvine and their agency partner, Kanahoma, led the most comprehensive brand study initiative in the institution's history, which culminated in a brand strategy guide and brand platform, manifesting in a new university logo, academic seal, athletics branding, and even a new mascot. This rebrand was unveiled to the community through the launch of the marketing campaign, Freedom to Explore. In this collaborative session, Concordia's associate vice president of marketing, George Allen, and Kanahoma's CEO and founder, Seth Odell, will share key takeaways on how they were able to build trust, align processes, and deliver a modern, digital-first rebrand designed to drive results.
George Allen, Associate Vice President of Marketing, Concordia University Irvine and Seth Odell, CEO, Kanahoma
This session will explore the many ways in which various campus entities can benefit from collaborating on alumni affinity groups. Using Messiah University's newly formed "Law Alumni Council" as a model, we will examine how a partnership between academics, career center, alumni relations, and development have proven successful in a myriad of ways, including helping with student retention, career development, donor cultivation, and university marketing.
Abby Book, Director of Advancement Affinity Programs, Messiah University and John Zeigler, Executive Director of Development, Messiah University
Successful major gift programs fuel significant higher education growth and impact. In this session we’ll share a framework to rapidly increase your major gift revenue and expand relationships to maximize impact.
Derric Bakker, President, DickersonBakker
Diversity in higher education is not just a catchphrase; it is an essential component of creating a rich and vibrant academic environment. Institutions that actively recruit and retain a diverse student population benefit not only from an enriched educational experience but also from the myriad of perspectives, ideas, and talents that different students bring to the table. In this session, we will discuss the various strategies our colleges can implement to recruit and retain students from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, including engaging with the local community, providing financial aid opportunities to first-generation and underrepresented groups, and hiring for diversity within your admissions office.
Tony Turner, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing, Charleston Southern University and Rina Campbell, Director of Strategic Enrollment Planning, enrollmentFUEL
In this workshop, alumni-relations practitioner Pete Brumbaugh will share how he grew his alumni board from five members to 30+ in just over a year and how the board helps to extend his staff’s capacity and creativity to pull off great events almost every time – from webinars, regional events, and Homecoming weekend to mentoring mornings and giving days. Pete will also discuss different schools of thought you might consider when building your alumni board and provide you with a practical roadmap to follow to build it effectively, so it makes your programming more effective.
Pete Brumbaugh, Director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, Mid-America Nazarene University
Alumni departments are often under-resourced and are responsible for engaging with an increasingly large audience that may be spread across the globe. In this session, attendees will discover strategies to engage alumni online, creating an instant and convenient connection to double your numbers, reach a wider audience, and span the globe. Explore how to use online strategies to create a “living room” setting, how to establish a warm and personal connection, how to utilize a people-centric model to reach and retain alumni, and more.
Karen Erisman, Azusa Pacific University
In many traditional higher education models, the financial aid office reports through the enrollment division, separate from the student accounts office. But what would it look like to combine the financial aid office with the student accounts office? Change is hard, and the combination of heavily regulated technical responsibilities can be a challenge—but change might be necessary for the benefit of the institution and the students it serves. This session will provide an overview of a recent structural change to student financial services at John Brown University.
David Burney, Chief Student Finance Officer, John Brown University
During this roundtable discussion, facilitator Pete Brumbaugh will guide you on a topical discussion regarding how best to measure alumni engagement at your college or university. Pete will provide you with a framework and viable places to start. As the conversation continues, attendees should be prepared to share what you are measuring at your institution and how you are going about collecting the data. Attendees are also encouraged to share success stories about how the data helped inform their programming decisions.
Pete Brumbaugh, Executive Director, University Communications & Alumni Engagement, Mid-America Nazarene University
In an era of rising concerns about student loan debt and financial challenges facing students and families, this 45-minute presentation will be an exciting announcement of our innovative solution: Student Loan Insurance. Designed to help students with low incomes repay their student loans after graduation, like LRAPs, Student Loan Insurance provides students and families with a significant financial safety net. This session will educate and inform higher education administrators about this groundbreaking tool. Discover how Student Loan Insurance can help overcome concerns about student loans, increase enrollment and retention rates, and provide substantial financial benefits to graduates with student loan debt and low incomes.
Matt Osborne, Senior Vice President fo Client Service, Ardeo Education Solutions
This session will provide an overview of the issues most relevant to higher education and religious liberty within the three branches of government.
Joy Mosley, Associate VP for Government & Strategic Relations, CCCU and Jacob Dunlap, Director of Government & External Relations, CCCU
In this interactive session, Senior Advisor at 5 Degrees Branding Ryan Morabito will share some of the latest higher ed marketing trends. Attendees can expect to learn about the power and importance of executive visibility and personal branding, developing a marketing action plan (MAP), and how best to measure your institution's marketing impact and to identify gaps and opportunities. You’ll learn how thriving institutions are leveraging their marketing investment to drive enrollment and fundraising success and gain insight on using LinkedIn to build your personal and professional brand.
Lee Insko, Vice President and Partner, 5 Degrees Branding and Ryan Morabito, Senior Advisor, 5 Degrees Branding
The focus of the Session will be to highlight developments in the growing Faith-Driven Investing landscape and the impact this has on how Christian Colleges and Universities both align their investing priorities and communicate these in a positive way to enhance their mission and relations with their donor and other priority communities. As the various forms of “values-based investing” continue to gain prominence within capital markets, it is important for faith-driven investors to understand the expectation of faith-drive investment returns, as well as the ability to identify faith priorities within investment opportunities. Faith-based allocators, including CCCU institutions and non-profit foundations, faith-based asset managers and other faith-driven market participants will be convening at Regent University on January 16-17, 2024, to discuss these and related topics in an educational environment and will generate the content to be reported and discussed further in this Multi-Academic Conference Session.
Lyle Minton, Chief Investment Officer, Keel Point and Additional CCCU co-presenters
Effective board of trustee's presentations and reports need to be crafted carefully, telling an accurate and compelling story and providing time for meaningful engagement. This session will provide an overview of what goes into effective board presentations and reports with some insights from recently interviewed board members. The session will also provide time for group discussion on best practices.
Amanda Slaughter, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Bethel University (IN)
Giving Days are a growing trend across non-profit institutions. In higher education advancement Giving Days can accentuate annual giving strategies, and at times disrupt them. They are an excellent tool to identify new donors, but they can also be leveraged to renew and upgrade annual donors. In this session you will hear from three advancement professionals who have begun or expanded Giving Days over the past five years. They will share their lessons learned, best practices they've identified, successes, and failures. There will also be a portion of the session to generate ideas from the audience as we learn from one another about this quickly growing fundraising tactic.
James Smith, Vice President for University Relations, Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Laura Capo, Director of Development and Engagement, Vanguard University of Southern California
Tapping the combined 30-plus-year career wit, wisdom, and “war room” experience of two VP-level CCCU marketing/communications/PR veterans, this session will offer real examples and analysis in handling a wide range of issues management scenarios and crises that every CCCU school has faced or will face. Attendees will leave the session with actionable ideas and strategies that can ensure they have the proper “seat at the table” in assisting their school leadership teams in anticipating and managing these situations.
Rick Sweeney, Vice President for Communications and External Affairs, Gordon College and Irene Neller, Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication, Westmont College
This session will cover the history of the Gainful Employment and disclosure requirements and then provide an overview of the changes to expect for the 2024 reporting cycle and beyond. In addition, the presenters will review the new Financial Value Transparency reporting requirements, with recommendations on how to implement the requirements on your campus.
Greg Gearhart, Director of Financial Aid, Messiah University and Jeff Olson, Director of Financial Aid, Bethel University (MN)
One of the most valuable elements of our CCCU conferences is hearing directly from peers throughout Christian higher education. We’ve put together a panel of seasoned leaders who will share their wisdom and experience with the group. There will be a moderated discussion followed by Q&A. Don’t miss a fascinating conversation informed by decades of combined experience!
Facilitators: Dr. Jill Hartness, Vice-President and Chief Advancement Officer, CCCU and Paul Eldridge, Vice President for University Advancement, California Baptist University