Plus, Drexel University names new Senior VP. Plus, enrollment forecast to increase. Plus, IHE looks hiring a fractional CMO.
Issue 7
Enrollment Climbs at University of Washington, Breaks 50,000
According to reporting from the University of Washington, enrollment continues to climb.
From the story:
UW welcomed an incoming undergraduate class size of 8,559 students at the Seattle campus for the 2023-2024 school year, bringing the combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment to a total of 50,097 students. These numbers mark a 16% increase in total enrollment since the 2011 school year, according to UW records.
Drexel University Combines Departments, Names New Senior VP of University Marketing & Communications
According to a release from the Drexel University, the school is merging two departments to create the “Division of University Marketing & Communications.”
Accordingly:
Tracy Powell is leading this Division as Drexel’s first senior vice president of University Marketing & Communications. Powell comes to Drexel from Penn State where she collaborated with key leaders to help brand and promote academic initiatives
Inside Higher Ed Looks at the Benefits of a Fractional CMO.
It’s a step-by-step guide to the idea of using a fractional, as opposed to part time, CMO to set goals and manage an institution’s marketing and enrollment activities. From the story:
Colleges and universities interested in hiring an FCMO can structure the collaboration in various ways, including hiring a part-time employee with a defined scope and a limited contract or hiring them as an independent contractor. I recommend 12 to 24 months (unless a longer-term engagement makes sense for both parties). To set an FCMO up for success, their contracts should limit work to 20 to 32 hours per week. Anything under 20 would not allow for meaningful engagement with stakeholders and teams. Anything over 32 would too closely mirror a full-time CMO role and put the person and institution at risk of losing focus on what matters to the role.
2030 Enrollment Will Exceed 2013 Numbers
Our friends at Higher Ed News by VI, posted to LinkedIn recently that, according to reporting from NCES, higher ed enrollment in 2030 will equal or surpass that of 2013.
They write:
In 2010, total #highereducation enrollment peaked at just over 21 million students. As of 2022, there were 19.02 million students enrolled. By 2030, enrollment is projected to be 20.54m, roughly equaling 2013 levels – albeit with significantly fewer universities.
While the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) projects that enrollments will grow at a 0.97% CAGR through 2030, other #marketresearch providers project that total higher education revenue will grow much faster with projected CAGRs between 7.2% and 10.4%.
Not sure about the “significantly fewer,” as there’s little evidence for that. Still, steady and fast growth in enrollment and enrollment revenue is welcome. And 2030 is just five annual enrollment cycles away.
