Reaching Out
Written by Celeste Altus
MAE 2010 Volume: 5 Issue: 7 (September)
The passage of The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 led to the explosion of attendance at colleges and universities across America, and veterans are still very much on the minds of admissions offices at institutions of higher learning. The maturity and work ethic gained from military experience coupled with tuition assistance from programs such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill make them well-equipped to handle two of the biggest challenges of earning a degree: difficult coursework and paying the bill.
With many civilian families and prospective college-goers taking a hard look at cost as the country recovers from recession, marketing to veterans has become a priority for many institutions, who have in turn carefully crafted their efforts to appeal to the specific needs of the modern veteran.
Even in today’s high-tech environment, traditional avenues of reaching potential students can overshadow the rest. “Our biggest effort is through word of mouth,” said John Ruzicka, the assistant director of marketing at the University of San Diego (USD). “At least 70 percent of our students have found out about the program from somebody who’s already in it.”
Not surprisingly, having a beer with potential classmates or instructors can help along the process of securing interest in an institution. “We do some info sessions at a happy hour type of gathering where we’ll invite parents, students and alum to come and bring a friend,” explained Ruzicka. “So they’ll come on a Friday afternoon to meet current students and alum; they’ll bring some of their coworkers from the squadron and we’ll just have a conversation about the program and what it is. So we rely on the people that have been through the program, are satisfied with it and help us to keep it going.”
PHYSICAL PRESENCE
USD’s close proximity to Naval Base San Diego provides a natural advantage in the competition to reach prospective military students on their own turf. Distance learning institutions such as American Military University (AMU) are keenly aware of this. “Over time, we have found one of the best practices for a distance learning institution, for AMU in particular, is to have a physical presence located near our larger student communities,” said George Vukovich, director of military outreach for American Military University.
California State University (CSU) has taken a similar tack in keeping its various, separate state universities on the radar screens of prospective students serving their country. “Our 23 campuses offer their own regional niche and, depending on how close they are to a base, allow us to create outreach specific to those circumstances,” said Carolina Cardenas, associate director of academic outreach and enrollment management services at CSU. “In San Diego County, we work closely with Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, creating specialized programs and partnerships. We also rely on word of mouth. We’re doing similar work in Sacramento as well. Every region will have something very different. In Northern California, we have a program called ‘Every Day is Veteran’s Day,’ where veterans are invited from several counties to a one-day event in which students can bring their transcripts and get an idea of the best next step in their education.”
Thirty minutes north of New York City in Purchase, N.Y., Michael Seminara, the director of community relations and veterans affairs at Manhattanville College, recognized the value of face time by attending college fairs for veterans hosted by the county government and the state government, but pointed out that “having a strong presence online is the best way for veterans to find Manhattanville College.”
DIGITAL IMPORTANCE
Acknowledgement of the importance of a robust online presence is practically universal among colleges and universities, but the marketing methods that are employed for military students vary. “We feel the marketing presence is very important to the longevity of the university,” said Vukovich. “In today’s point and click environment, a computer user sees thousands of advertisements for a multitude of businesses in a range of fields. Our marketing department does a tremendous job of providing information for viewers to take action on, if they decide to pursue a university degree. The one thing this department does not do is inundate prospective students with sales e-mails. We know this is a turn-off for many people.”
Direct marketing through e-mail blasts is a balancing act of keeping the interested party thinking about the school while not being pesky. Social networking has helped ease that tension by connecting interested soldiers with those that are familiar with the program that they want to learn more about. University of San Diego accomplishes this “through Facebook and an alumni group page.” Ruzicka noted. “We do this mostly to get people engaged in talking about what they’re doing within the program. So people are posting pictures when they do a study abroad course or are working on a particular project for example.”
At CSU, the net broad marketing function is online. “On a system-wide level, we do online marketing,” acknowledged Cardenas. The public university system has the added benefit of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s support:
the Troops to College program was created to draw more veterans to California public universities with various outreach programs while working to make campuses more veteran friendly. Brochures and the Website, troopsforcollege.ca.gov, have helped increase inquires by veterans at CSU, according to Cardenas.
SPEEDY SERVICE
After the brochures and the Websites have had their impact, “the calls and the e-mails roll in and I connect them to the campus nearest to them or the one that interests them the most,” said Cardenas. “We find that a lot don’t know where to begin.” For a prospective student faced with thousands of options for what school he or she could attend, the first contact with a college representative is tremendously important. In some cases that person is an alumnus, student or instructor that is already in the program.
“It’s a lot of hustling actually, using our connections to make personal connections,” said Ruzicka. “So that fits into the university’s mission to give one-on-one, personalized education, and that starts with the recruitment and marketing process. Anybody who calls or e-mails gets a personal response from me, usually within 24 hours.”
The emphasis on responsiveness is similar at Manhattanville College. “The most important aspect of our program and institution is that every veteran receives personalized attention from application until graduation,” said Seminara.
At AMU, Vukovich noted that service practices have received positive endorsement. “From our student services to our admissions department, we strive to treat each and every student as we want to be treated ourselves,” he said. “We take a professional approach every step of the way and do our best to provide the highest level of support to our students regardless of where they are located. With a global student body, this is not an easy task, but we understand the importance of customer service since an unsatisfied student will probably become more interested in the offerings of another school.”
CURRICULUM AND FLEXIBILITY
University of San Diego polled alumni with graduate degrees from the School of Business Administration, where half of those enrolled are from the military, and asked what characteristics of the program were most important to them. The top two responses were first, curriculum and second, flexibility. Ruzicka cited the school’s business leadership graduate program as being particularly well-suited for veterans because of its emphasis on cross-cultural management and ethical leadership, skills that combine well with military service.
Flexibility is a necessity for most veterans. “We’re built for working professionals,” said Ruzicka. “For a lot of graduate programs you’ve got to take two years out of your life and put everything else to the side. We understand that most people, especially people in the military, aren’t able to do that. Specifically, what makes us appealing to military folks is what we call a hybrid delivery: an online, phone and class component for every course. We’re flexible with that for people that live outside of the area or travel for work.”
An element of the program that is particularly attractive to traveling servicemen and women is that they’ll only have to be at the campus for two one-week periods at the start and end of the 16-month program. “In between, they’re doing all the work online and collaborating remotely with their teams,” added Ruzicka.
An interesting option is the student’s ability to “press pause” on his or her education if called away on deployment. “When they’re ready to complete the program, they get put right back into another group in the same phase,” Ruzicka explained. “For them to know that that they’re not going to lose the work they’ve done if they’re called away to fight the war is definitely a plus.”
AMU has also made it part of their mission to be as flexible as possible with their students while setting high academic standards. “Students are completely satisfied with the quality of education they receive and while they want a relevant and respected curriculum, they also want faculty to understand that on a daily basis life happens,” said Vukovich. “Adult learners have commitments beyond their scholarly lives and our faculty does their very best to accommodate these situations and provide the students with necessary adjustments in order to complete assignments.”
At Manhattanville College, most veterans are attracted to graduate programs in teaching, but it also offers accelerated adult learning programs such as bachelor’s degrees that can be earned in two years. “Veterans who work full-time take full advantage of our flexible class schedules,” said Seminara. He also cited location as a primary factor. “Life at Manhattanville blends the leisurely pace of suburbia with the rich cultural resources and fast pace of New York City, which is only 30 minutes away.”
CSU’s situation as a state school system is different. Helping veterans determine what the next step in their education is a priority. “We encourage the campuses to build partnerships with the area community college because many students will not be fully eligible to come to a four year university,” pointed out Cardenas. “They’ll need that pipeline with the two year community college before they transfer. So at this office we try to institute a seamless academic [trajectory].”
FINANCIAL AID
Veterans, in some ways, are like any other prospective student: They want a school that they can afford. The Post- 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 has helped another generation of veterans with the cost of higher education. “With the Post-9/11 GI Bill, we saw phone calls and requests jump,” said Cardenas. “Many find us.”
According to Ruzicka, the bill has been integral to the recruitment of veterans. “Our assistant director is well-versed in the ins-and-outs of the bill,” he said. “A lot of students aren’t sure what they’re eligible for and we help them through the process. Ultimately a lot come to school and are able to have everything paid for—we’re not a state school and we’re not cheap. So for someone to go to a top 30 business school mostly paid for is a huge benefit.”
THE MESSAGE
Creating a message that resonates with veterans is a challenge that all schools hoping to draw their attention grapple with. Some schools find a specific niche— such as a suburban atmosphere just far enough from city culture to relax properly. The niche at AMU is largely veterans. “Our goal is to expand access to quality higher education with an emphasis on the nation’s military and public service communities,” said Vukovich.
“We provide relevant, respected and affordable online education to help our students achieve leadership positions in a global environment.” At the University of San Diego, the students will carry the message, observed Ruzicka. “It’s not just the university’s message; it’s what our students say. This is their program.”