Academic Quality Improvement Program - Mission-driven assessment of Student Markets and College Programs
September 13, 2005
AQIP Action Project Update
1. Describe the past year's accomplishments and the current status of this Action Project.
Augsburg College continued to analyze its Weekend College program for working adults and the possible reasons behind a ten-year decline in enrollment in the program. Adult undergraduate students are a vital part of the College's educational mission and the College has made it a strategic priority to reverse this downward trend.
Tuition was held flat for 2005-2006 because Augsburg had become a price leader among adult undergraduate options in the Twin Cities. A new marketing campaign emphasized the distinctive characteristics of Augsburg's Weekend College program: a high quality, campus-based, traditional baccalaureate program offering the same curriculum and faculty as the day program. The promotion failed to get results, however, as enrollments fell again in Fall 2005.
Even as it promoted the existing Weekend College program, the College also began developing ideas for evening adult undergraduate programs, ideally with shortened time to completion. A new business major offered on weekday evenings in a cohort format is planned for Winter 2005-2006. A consulting group that specializes in adult learners has been retained to conduct a three-part market study aimed at better understanding adult undergraduate market potential in the Twin Cities area.
2. Describe how the institution involved people in work on this Action Project.
A new position, Vice President for Planning and Market Development, was created in December 2004, separating these responsibilities from Enrollment Management oversight. A Director of Marketing and Communications position also was created. This person will be responsible for driving the development of fully actionable marketing plans for each academic program, in collaboration with program directors and department chairs.
A work team consisting of the Provost, Associate Dean for Adult Programs, Dean of Enrollment Management and Director of Weekend College and Graduate Admission met monthly to develop ideas and action steps aimed at responding to the needs of the adult student market. A strategic plan for adult programs is currently in draft form and has been discussed with faculty and with the Board of Regents committee on Academic and Student Affairs.
3. Describe your planned next steps for this Action Project.
While this is Year 3 of this Action Project, the work of evaluating current programs, assessing market needs, and aligning them both with the College's mission and strategic plan is ongoing. The results of the market research described above will be shared with faculty, and should spark new energy around proposals to refine the curriculum, schedule, and delivery modes for adult students.
The marketing effort has been rather decentralized and as a result has been cumbersome to coordinate. The new Director of Marketing and Communications will be very helpful in building an integrated marketing plan which has the institution's strategic plan as its foundation.
In addition to enhancing program options for adult learners, the College will need to focus more attention in the next three years on the traditional undergraduate market. The state of Minnesota will experience a decline in the number of high school graduates, and significant changes in the racial and ethnic composition of that population. Our prospective day students may be less academically prepared for college and less able to afford the expense.
4. Describe an "effective practice(s)" that resulted from work on this Action Project.
Complex work such as strategic planning and marketing requires focused attention in order to move forward. The creation of staff positions dedicated to these efforts will be very helpful, even as we continue to aim for broad involvement of key stakeholders. While strategic planning and marketing efforts should engage faculty, staff, students, regents and community partners, among others, it is likely to languish without identified leadership. This is not a new or particularly innovative concept, but it is an improvement in our practice at Augsburg College.
5. What challenges, if any, are you still facing in regards to this Action Project?
The major challenge we face currently has to do with a tremendous amount of staff transition in areas that are significant to the marketing effort. In the past three months, we have had changes in the Institutional Advancement division and in Enrollment Management in several key positions, including the Director of Undergraduate Admission, Director of Adult Program Admission, Director of Alumni Relations, and Vice President for Institutional Advancement. As previously mentioned, we also have a new Director of Marketing and Communications. Energy and enthusiasm are high, and so the period of learning and context-building is likely to be limited.
6. If you would like to discuss the possibility of AQIP providing you help to stimulate progress on this action project, explain your need(s) here and tell us who to contact and when.
We do not require any assistance at this time.