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Marketing, Reputation, and Image Update
Tuition hikes slow, College Board study shows: That is the good news; the bad news are the facts: college tuition rose at a slightly slower rate this year compared to last, edging up only 10.5 percent at public, four-year colleges and six percent at private institutions. If you sold tires, cars, soft drinks, shoes - or health care, non-profit services, etc. - and your prices jumped five times the CPI annually, you would be in bankruptcy.
Another side to this story:
Can free beer be far behind? Some progressive schools are offering students an alternative to ripping music off of the Internet. The move, which is growing in popularity, has myriad positive benefits: the institutions avoid any legal or PR hassles should students be collared by zealous music industry lawyers, students learn the value of progressive tech moves - which some characterize as ÒsavvyÓ - by the institution, and the lesson Òthere is no free lunchÓ is hammered home, which is a good thing. Will others follow the lead?
ÒRate the ProfÓ websites are the rage, but what value do they offer students? That one has an interminable debate quotient, but one thing is clear: no institution seems to have perfected a way to respond effectively. Can some of these professors be as bad - or as good - as these websites suggest?
White enrollment at HBCUs rises steadily: Who would have thought years back that some HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) would soon become majority white, or that white students would flock to these institutions, which were often founded when minority students couldn't matriculate at public state colleges? The good news is that diversity appears to be in bloom on many campuses.
Alumni publications go glitter: The New York Times contends that colleges and universities have begun using - and expanding - alumni magazines as aggressive outreach efforts. Is it worth the investment, which can be tremendous?
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