Colleges and Universities are Revamping Print Materials and Web Sites

The initial impetus for a successful brand strategy is a common need or opportunity that is widely felt. If the need is clear--we need more students, we need to change our profile, we need to support the capital campaign, we need to gain traction in a changing marketplace--then there will be greater internal buy-in, and by extension, less resistance.

Not surprisingly, the support of the president is essential. The president must be a visionary for what a solid brand can do for the institution and must be willing to not only commit the necessary resources, but commit the necessary political capital as well. The president must see that the senior team and the middle managers that report to that team support the strategy as well. The president's support must be visible, ongoing, and robust.

Brands are utilitarian; they are designed to accomplish a goal. Most often this goal is tied to admissions and/or fundraising. The clearer the goal, the better the strategy and the ability to measure progress. (University Business) Read more

Lack Funding Biggest Challenge Facing U.S. Community Colleges

Presidents and other key leaders of American community colleges are confident that their institutions provide students with a high-quality education, but a majority (58 percent) consider a lack of state and local funding their single most important challenge, according to a study administered by the independent research firm Rockbridge Associates, in cooperation with education funding leader Sallie Mae and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), which represents close to 95 percent of all accredited U.S. community colleges.

The survey also found that the overwhelming majority -- 80 percent -- of respondents consider retaining students until graduation to be a "major" challenge, and more institutions expect the problem to grow in the future (45 percent) than diminish (25 percent).

The survey sample consisted of senior college executives who are members of AACC; 88 percent were college presidents. The survey was conducted online and via telephone from Feb. 23 to March 15, 2006. The margin of error is plus or minus 6 percentage points. "Community Colleges Today: The Presidents Speak" can be accessed online in PDF format. Read more

Omnilert LLC Announces Release of e2Campus 2.0

Omnilert LLC, the leading provider of selective mass communications, announced the release of e2Campus version 2.0, the mass notification system specifically designed for colleges and universities that offers instant communication to the entire campus community. The unprecedented value of mobile phones is that today's students carry them wherever they go. With various studies showing more than 90% of college students carrying mobile phones, schools can utilize this untapped communication tool to increase public safety.

e2Campus is a cross-carrier mobile content service that enables school officials to use Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging to communicate important news, updates, and reminders on students' mobile phones. e2Campus 2.0 is available for purchase today and pricing varies by the size of the school. The new version of e2Campus can be purchased and operational in the same day. For many public schools, government funding for safety and security initiatives are available to cover the low cost of e2Campus. Read more