Top Takeaways from the Conference!
Just back from Stamats’ Adult Student Marketing Conference and WOW—what a great group we had this year! The presentations were excellent, the participants were engaged, and the conversations were rich. I think it is fair to say everyone in attendance went home with a new idea or two to put into practice right away to benefit their program.
I like to end events like this by asking participants to share what they felt were some of the “bests” from the presentations – the point that really was a learning moment for them. I received some comments at the conference and others through e-mail afterwards. I would like to share some of those “best moments.” It truly is a testament to the level of learning that took place.
Hands down the information provided about Veterans was tremendous. Many of those at the conference have been charged by senior administration to tap into this population. Dr. Porter from Incarnate Word was able to give us all our next steps both in trying to connect with this population as well as in what we need to provide at our institutions.
As is his style, Todd Gibby from Intelliworks engaged the audience in a way that made us not only think about the conversations we have with our prospective adult students but also helped us to realize that the “noise” in the marketplace is extensive. Our goal in converting students really needs to be focused on breaking through that noise in a meaningful way.
The data shared by the Director of Research at CAEL regarding Prior Learning Assessment was terrific and certainly allowed audience members to consider the benefits of offering credit for experience in a very different way.
Data, data, data wins the top prize. Benchmarks, national stats, and even averages are so challenging to find with this population. In order to leverage understand among our constituents, we tend to grab hold of all the facts we can. It is my great pleasure to have been able to share (for the very first time) the data from Stamats’ Adult StudentTALK™ research. I thank you for the kind comments about the importance and relevance this information brings to your work. We have included much of the research information in our book, Up to Speed: Marketing to Today’s Adult Student. I hope I have provided a document that you can readily share on your campuses throughout the country. (If you are interested in purchasing the book please e-mail jillian.perry@stamats.com).
I close with a thank you to those of you who were able to be a part of this event. The week of this conference tends to be among one of my favorites and this year’s conference was no exception. The opportunity to spend quality time together, sharing ideas, frustrations, and solutions is truly my honor. If you were with us this last week – thank you. If you were unable to join – please watch my blog and your e-mail as I will always share all updates and information I have concerning next year’s conference. It would be my pleasure to see there!
