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An image for the Student Engagement article. A classroom of college students in various states of engagement, ranging from distracted and working on cell phones, to looking out the window and watching the teacher and engaging. A gauge overlay is in the middle to emphasize engagement level.

Student engagement is declining across higher ed.

As universities grapple with low student engagement, educators wonder if it is generational or a deeper systemic challenge.

Institutional Strategy /
By: May Ho
Your school magazine matters article image. A two-page magazine spread features a stylized roadmap illustrating the journey of alumni. The dark, winding road with dashed yellow lines with small icons, such as a graduation cap, briefcase, handshake, and diploma. Two simplified human figures appear walking along the paths, symbolizing different alumni experiences. The layout combines text with visuals in a neutral and warm color palette.

Your school magazine matters.

A well-crafted school magazine can deepen alumni connections in ways broader university communications often can’t.

Marketing /
By: Katherine Primus
We're still not talking enough about adult learners.A close-up of a young woman with curly red hair writing in a notebook with a pen. She is wearing a beige long-sleeve shirt. The background, intentionally blurred, shows a university campus with a large historic building, trees, and a small group of people walking.

We’re still not talking enough about adult learners.

With traditional enrollment declining, adult learners represent a crucial opportunity for colleges—it’s time to rethink recruitment and embrace this growing demographic.

Marketing /
By: Shane Baglini

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Aligning higher ed marketing and alumni relations teams to build stronger partnerships article image. A marble chessboard with black and white pieces set up for a game. The board is labeled diagonally with "DEVELOPMENT TEAMS" on one side and "CENTRAL TEAMS" on the other.

How can marketing and alumni teams collaborate?

Aligning goals and sharing resources between marketing and alumni teams can elevate engagement, enhance donor relations, and maximize institutional impact.

Marketing /
By: Katherine Primus
A split graphic with a social media influencer on the left side in front of a college building, and on the right side, a robotic android reminiscent of AI.

Are we ready for the social media influencer takeover?

Influencer marketing and AI are shaping social media in 2025—and higher ed must navigate these trends carefully to stay authentic and effective.

Marketing /
By: Kellen Manning
Using the Psychology of Persuasion to Boost Higher Ed Marketing article image. A black-and-white profile portrait of a bearded man overlaid with digital data visualizations, including graphs, session metrics, and percentages. Swirling blue and pink smoke surrounds the left side, creating a contrast between analytics and creativity, symbolizing data-driven decision-making and human intuition.

Using the Psychology of Persuasion to Boost Higher Ed Marketing

Higher ed marketers can leverage System 1 and System 2 thinking to create emotionally resonant and effective campaigns.

Marketing /
By: Chris Huebner

Impactful storytelling elevates marketing, but where do you start?

Actionable strategies for uncovering transformative higher ed stories to create powerful marketing campaigns that resonate and drive results.

Marketing /
By: John Azoni
Breaking Down Silos: Secrets to Collaboration in Higher Ed Teams article image. A diverse group of professionals collaborating around a wooden table, surrounded by laptops, tablets, and documents with charts and graphs. Speech bubbles are overlaid on the image, symbolizing communication and teamwork.

Want to know the secret to collaboration in higher ed teams? Breaking down silos.

Here are three strategies for fostering collaboration through clear goals, open communication, and strong leadership.

Marketing /
By: Joshua Charles
You’re cute when you care. How emotional storytelling transforms donor appeals article image. A joyful embrace between two graduates in academic robes outdoors, symbolizing achievement. The scene transitions into a historical university building overlaid with a filmstrip.

You’re cute when you care. Emotional storytelling transforms donor appeals.

Emotional storytelling bridges the gap between donors and institutions, creating meaningful connections that drive impactful giving.

Marketing /
By: Kim Hallman
A male runner with short dark hair and beard, wearing a white and black striped shirt and black shorts running through a race banner with the word "Myth" written across it multiple times.

Breaking Barriers: 3 Persistent Media Myths That Limit Potential

These media myths constrain higher ed marketing, but breaking the barriers can lead to more effective campaigns, even with limited budgets.

Marketing /
By: Chris Huebner
Three keys to turn students into stakeholders by humanizing the experience article image. Collage of four images, top left: A close-up of a hand signing a document with a pen. Top right: two students smiling and collaborating outdoors. Bottom left: a professional standing outside a university building, holding a tablet. Bottom right: a classic stone university building with an arched wooden door, surrounded by greenery. White circular arrows overlay the images.

Humanize the experience. Three keys to turn students into stakeholders.

What if, instead of focusing solely on retention rates, higher ed gauged success by the generational impact of student stakeholders?

Marketing /
By: Elliot Lollis
What speaks to your donors? Emojis, GIFS, smoke signals? article image. A woman is seated at a desk, working on a laptop in an office setting. She is surrounded by floating icons of envelopes with red dollar signs, symbolizing email fundraising or alumni giving donations.

What speaks to your donors? Emojis, GIFS, smoke signals?

One preparatory school did the leg work to find out what works best to solicit alumni giving. The answer may surprise you.

Marketing /
By: Danielle Hladky
"Breaking the one-size-fits-all trap by optimizing higher ed marketing, pr and communications for success." article image. Three women in a professional setting, each representing different roles: one on the left holding a laptop and smiling, the middle woman holding a camera up to her eye as if taking a photo, and the woman on the right with gray hair and glasses writing on a clipboard. The background shows a blurred office environment.

Optimizing higher ed marketing, PR and comms to avoid the one-size-fits-all trap.

Separating marketing functions can streamline efforts, boost results and enhance institutional reputation.

Marketing /
By: Melissa Horvath, PhD
Four different types of college campuses side by side with the word "we're not so different" emblazoned across the middle to showcase college branding strategy of being distinct not different.

Stop trying to be different. Distinction is the key to college survival.

In a crowded higher ed landscape, colleges must shift from emphasizing differences to embracing what makes them truly memorable to thrive.

Marketing /
By: Joseph Master
Yes, Chef. The 8 non-negotiables of a higher ed branding project. The image shows a close-up of a handwritten list titled "NON NEGOTIABLES." The list contains items like "Less is more," "Vibrant collaboration," and "Pursuit of excellence."

Yes, Chef. The eight non-negotiables of a higher ed branding project.

What Chef Carmy Berzatto’s handwritten list of “non-negotiables” in FX’s The Bear can teach all of us about kicking off a higher ed rebrand.

Marketing /
By: Joseph Master
A family of three enjoying different types of media: a father with a laptop, a child with a cell phone, and mother with a tablet. These represent generational media shifts in the media landscape.

Embrace the chaos, or get left behind. Three shifts to break through the noise.

Higher ed brands must abandon conventional approaches, redefine authenticity and turn innovative strategies into a powerful advantage that positions them for success.

Marketing /
By: Chris Huebner
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