ROI-based rankings and the affect on Higher Education Communications
Read the NY Times Article Here:
Interesting article. While there are several college rankings, each with their own criteria, “value-based” or ROI-based rankings are growing in popularity. Earlier this year, President Obama proposed a plan to link federal financial aid to a universal ranking system that would grade colleges and universities based on metrics such as tuition, graduation rates, student loan debt and earnings of graduates. With the increased emphasis on ROI, many institutions are faced with the challenges of proactively communicating the value of the education they provide, while justifying the related costs.
Liberal arts colleges and art & design schools have a particularly challenging task. They are often some of the most expensive institutions and the ROI is not always immediately apparent. Historically, many top liberal arts and art& design schools have taken a passive approach to communications, relying largely on tradition or name recognition to attract students and donors.
This is beginning to change. Over the last year, Berkhemer Clayton has conducted critical searches for top higher education institutions looking for proactive, strategic leadership for their communications efforts. Throughout the course of our search work, we network with hundreds of communications leaders nationwide and have discovered that our clients are not alone. Many colleges are moving away from traditional structures where Communications and Public Relations report to Advancement. Most now want their senior-level communications professionals reporting directly to the President or Chancellor. These lead executives need communications professionals who can break from tradition to more proactively brand and position their institutions related to ROI.
While there are still those that have grown up in environments deeply rooted with liberal arts traditions, many of today’s prospective students, especially those outside of the Northeast, don’t have an inherent understanding of the value of a liberal arts education. The growing perception is that liberal arts and art & design graduates have greater difficulty finding jobs and earn less after graduation. Being a liberal arts graduate myself, I know there is tremendous value in this type of education, but the value has not been successfully communicated by liberal arts leaders to the general public. To meet this challenge, liberal arts institutions need creative, proactive communications leaders. I’m glad to see that many forward-thinking liberal arts colleges and art & design schools are now seeking to bring on communications pro’s who can help.
