A Few Thoughts on Branch Campus Marketing
Early in my administrative career I became interested in marketing. Before a new campus dean and I were appointed, the campus had drifted toward the low end of its enrollment cycle, which also contributed to a budget deficit. I don’t remember how I moved from thinking about recruitment and retention to educating myself on marketing, but when I did, I found a natural fit for a psychologist interested in social behavior. I don’t want to overstate my own marketing contribution, because we had staff working on marketing and advertising, and we also used a local marketing firm. However, I did a lot of reading, and I talked with anyone I thought could help us. I also think I brought some leadership, in terms of linking marketing with academic and other strategies. The single most useful thing I did was to create a marketing advisory committee, including several small business executives. These folks gave me a master class in marketing, and...