Presented by Dr. Brenda Harms Associate Vice President Stamats, Inc. Cedar Rapids, IA 52406

1. Serving Adult Students – Why, What and How! May, 2012 Presented by Dr. Brenda Harms Associate Vice President Stamats, Inc. Cedar Rapids, IA 52406 (800) 553-8878

2. About Stamats Stamats is recognized and respected as the nation’s higher education integrated marketing thought leader. Our comprehensive array of innovative products and services has set the standard for pairing insightful, research-based strategic counsel with compelling creative solutions. Our approach is simple: recognize the unique needs and expectations of each client and draw on more than 50 years of higher education experience for every project we undertake. At all times, we promise the highest level of professional service and attention to detail in the industry because, in the end, we know our success is measured entirely by the success of our clients. Research, Planning, and Consulting • Brand clarification and development • Image and perception studies • Tuition pricing elasticity and brand value studies • Recruiting and marketing assessments, plans, and counsel Strategic Creative • Institutional, admission, and advancement websites • Mobile and social media solutions • Recruiting and advancement campaigns and publications • Virtual and experiential tours • Institutional identity • Advertising campaigns • TV, video, and radio

3. Understanding the Adult Student and Their Role in Higher Education

4. The Perfect Storm • A confluence of three gales: • Changing demography • Rising cost to attend • Increased competition for students • …and a fourth – the economy • Add to the confluence: • Colleges and universities increasingly unable (unwilling) to make the tough decisions that will truly differentiate them from their competitors • The rise in for-profit education and their intentional efforts to serve underserved populations

5. Projected Change in H.S. Graduates to 2018–19 +6 -13 -9 -20 0 -16 +15 -8 -1 +34 -11 -12 -6 +4 -8 -21 +10 +4 -4 +6 +59 0 -1 +15 +7 +17 +53 +3 +30 -7 +11 +18 +1 +5 +13 -19 +33 +22 +33 +6 +11 +5 +7 +41 > 20% +11% to +20% 0% to +10% Decreases +11 +8 +40 -9 -19 +23 -6 Source:U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, December 2008

6. The Outlook According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2009) Between 2007 and 2018 enrollment is projected to increase: 9 percent for students who are 18 to 24 years old 25 percent for students who are 25 to 34 years old 12 percent for students who are 35 years old and over More of the story: 12 percent for undergraduate students 18 percent for graduate students 20 percent for first-professional students (dentistry, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatric medicine, veterinary medicine, chiropractic, law, and theology)

7. The Outlook According to the National Center for Educational Statistics (2009) And even more of the story: 4 percent for students who are White 26 percent for students who are Black 38 percent for students who are Hispanic 29 percent for students who are Asian or Pacific Islander 32 percent for students who are American Indian or Alaska Native 14 percent for students who are nonresident aliens

8. Education Required for Professional Success • Recent polls by Public Agenda indicate 55 percent of Americans consider higher education “absolutely necessary for success” in today's economy, a 24% increase from a similar poll in 2000 • Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce estimates: • 2018: 63 percent of all jobs will require some form of postsecondary education or training • mid-'70s: less than 30 percent of jobs required anything beyond a high school diploma Jamie Merisotis – CEO/President Lumina Foundation

9. For-Profit Institutions • Nine percent of all U.S. four-year college and graduate students attend for-profit institutions • About 22% of two-year college students attend for-profits • U of Phoenix is America’s biggest college—nearly 400,000 students • 37% of students at for-profits are minorities and almost 50% are first generation in their families to pursue higher education • Spend up to 1/3rd of the operational budget on marketing • Apollo Group spent $228.6 million in one quarter to capitalize on the recession. Source:Eduventures and Chronicle 2020: Students

10. Today’s Adult Students No Clear Definition 21-year-old working full-time, taking part-time classes 37-year-old widow returning to college full-time 53-year-old returning to school via NAFTA 30-year-old veteran wanting to take advantage of his educational benefits 44-year-old professional earning a master’s degree via an evening program 19-year-old single mom living at home with parents and working full-time job while attending evening classes 67-year-old taking classes for personal enrichment 39-year-old earning a certificate through the local college for work

11. Today’s Adult Students • Only 16% of college students fit the traditional model: age 18–22 years old, attending college full-time, and living on-campus • The “over 25” population is the fastest-growing student segment in higher education and has consistently increased during the last three decades • Despite this information, the majority of opportunities within higher education were/are designed with a traditional-aged student in mind

12. So What… Adults students are more important than they have ever been before, AND many senior administrators are realizing it!

13. BUT… It will be more difficult than it has been before. Gone are the days of build it and they will come OR being the only game in town. Today’s successful adult student programs will need to be innovative, nimble, andprogressivein their thinking. It is truly a time for creating the next phase of adult education.

14. 2012 Adult Students TALK™ Research

15. Methodology and Audience Information

16. Methodology • A web-based survey of 739 adults interested in continuing their education • The sample was intentionally drawn to look at certificate, associate’s, bachelor’s, and graduate degree seekers • Respondents were members of an online panel and were: • Between the ages of 25 and 54 • Currently at a level of education that was a GED/high school diploma or higher but had not yet completed a graduate degree • Somewhat or very likely to continue their education within the next three years • Dispersed nationwide

17. Geographic Distribution of Respondents • Surveys completed in Hawaii and Alaska as well

18. Use of Best-Worse Scaling (MaxDiff) • Best/worst scaling is an analytical approach that is uniquely effective for evaluating the relative strength or impact of attributes or factors (such as those impacting the college-selection decision) • This technique avoids the challenges associated with asking respondents to rate/rank various factors—both in terms of difficulties related to collecting responses and also related to statistical interpretation. This approach asks respondents to make a series of choices and then studies those choices so as to derive the relative importance of each factor mathematically • Specifically, each respondent is presented with three to five factors and is asked to identify the “most important” factor and the “least important” factor from each set of factors • Supports development of a profile of “factor importance”at the individual respondent level; importance can be portrayed in total or by segment • Above all, factor importance is portrayed as a “share” for each so that numeric differences accurately portray the true magnitude of difference between specific factors. For example, a factor at 20% is twice as important as a factor depicted at 10%

19. Demographics – Gender and Race What is your gender? Please specify your race. • Non-whites consist of Hispanics, Latinos, African Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Asians

20. Demographics – Employment Status Are you currently…?

21. 2012 Adult StudentsTALK™ Results

22. Degree of Interest What type of program or degree are you likely to pursue? Single choice. • The top four programs listed are the ones we will focus on in this report; there were too few cases of doctorate students in the overall survey to look deeper into this type of student

23. Certificate Program

24. Adult Student Challenges: Certificate Students MAX DIFF Which factor is most challenging to you? N=119 • Paying for college courses is the most challenging issue facing certificate students; managing time between work and classes is half as challenging as just finding the money to do it

25. College Selection Criteria: Certificate Students MAX DIFF Which factor is most important to you? N=119 • The most important college selection factor to prospective students is cost; student outcomes (job placements, income increases, career advancements) and flexible class scheduling are half as important in selecting a school as the overall cost to attend

26. Motivations for Education: Certificate Students Please rank your top three motivations for pursuing additional education. N=119 • Adults are very motivated by improving their economic or career status when considering going back to school

27. Enrollment Timeline – Certificate Students Where are you in the process right now? N=119 • Certificate seekers are mainly exploring options right now with no definite plans; there are more certificate seekers in this stage than those of any other degree program. Most likely they just apply and start

28. Type of School – Certificate Students Would you consider going to a …? N=119 • Almost all certificate seekers are considering a community college or technical school for a certificate program; consideration of other types of schools is significantly lower

29. Classroom Format – Certificate Students Which of the following classroom formats would you consider? Which do you prefer the most? N=119 • All formats are considered but a “hybrid format” or mix of online and traditional classroom time has the most preference

30. Class Meeting Time – Certificate Students Which of the following classroom meeting times would you consider? Which do you prefer the most? N=119 • All are heavily considered but a weeknight is preferred most

31. Course Duration – Certificate Students Which of the following durations for classes would you consider? Which do you prefer the most? N=119 • All are largely considered but an 8-week course format is most preferred

32. Defining Quality: Certificate Students How would you assess the quality of a program? What factors or characteristics would you look at? Unaided. Top mentions listed. N=119 Note: Multiple mentions.

33. Services to Consider – Certificate Students Please indicate your interest level in a college that provides this option. Very/Somewhat interested displayed. N=119

34. Information Sources Used – Certificate Students How frequently have you used the following information sources in your search for a college or university? N=119 • Students most frequently conduct general web searches with search engines to find out about colleges or universities they might like to attend and they also go straight to your website; this suggests that your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) must be working well to capture early leads

35. Influencers – Certificate Students Please indicate how involved each of the following people will be in your choice of a college. Very/Somewhat involved displayed. N=119 • Adult students most likely have a spouse or partner “very” involved in the decision process; the admissions counselor at the school or a friend may be somewhat involved but other types of influencers seem to have less impact overall

36. Website Information Sought: Certificate Students Please rank the most important pieces of information you are looking for on the website of a college or university program you might consider attending. Top mentions listed. N=119 • The most often mentioned website information that students are looking for when reviewing a website from a college or university are the cost to attend and the degrees offered

37. Social Media Use – Certificate Students Which of the following social media platforms are you a member of? N=119 • Facebook is the most prevalent social media platform for adult students overall • No significant differences exist in Facebook membership by degree type

38. Facebook Usage Frequency – Certificate Students How often do you visit your profile? Base: Members. N=89 • Six in 10 Facebook members are checking their profile on Facebook at least once a day, most of them are checking in several times a day • With such frequent usage, you may be able to get a message, event, or promotion quickly to Facebook users

39. Visited Facebook of College/University – Certificate Have you ever visited the Facebook of a college or university you were interested in attending? N=119 • While 75% of adult students are Facebook members; only one in 10 has actually visited the Facebook page of a college or university of interest • More 25- to 34-year-old certificate seekers have visited than older age groups • Among all degree types, there is no significant difference in visiting the Facebook page of a prospective college or university

40. Associate’s Degree Seekers

41. Adult Student Challenges: Associate’s Degree Students MAX DIFF Which factor is most challenging to you? N=117 • Paying for college courses is the most challenging issue facing associate degree students; managing time between family and classes or work is half as challenging as just finding the money to do it

42. College Selection Criteria: Associate’s Degree Students MAX DIFF Which factor is most important to you? N=117 • The cost to attend is the most important college selection criteria; the amount of financial aid available is half as important followed by flexible class scheduling

43. Motivations for Education: Associate’s Degree Students Please rank your top three motivations for pursuing additional education. N=117 • Adults are very motivated by improving their economic or career status when considering going back to school

44. Enrollment Timeline – Associate’s Degree Students Where are you in the process right now? N=117

45. Full-time or Part-time – Associate’s Degree Students Are you more likely to continue your education…? N=117 Are you considering going back to college…? N=117

46. Type of School – Associate’s Degree Students Would you consider going to a …? N=117 • Almost all associate’s degree seekers are considering a community college or technical school for a certificate program; the picture here is very similar to certificate seekers

47. Classroom Format – Associate’s Degree Students Which of the following classroom formats would you consider? Which do you prefer the most? N=117

48. Class Meeting Time – Associate’s Degree Students Which of the following classroom meeting times would you consider? Which do you prefer the most? N=117

49. Course Duration – Associate’s Degree Students Which of the following durations for classes would you consider? Which do you prefer the most? N=117

50. Defining Quality: Associate’s Degree Students How would you assess the quality of a program? What factors or characteristics would you look at? Unaided. Top mentions listed. N=117 • Associate and certificate students are mostly looking at cost, faculty, and flexible scheduling to assess the quality of a program Note: Multiple mentions.