Advancing Student Recruitment Methods in

Online Education:
The Role of the Corporate Alliance Program at
Penn State World Campus

April 27, 2016

The Team

Cyd Blatt-Smith

Benefits Specialist
Community College
of Beaver County

Kate Bryant

Admissions
Counselor Penn
State University

Julie Cooper

Market Research
Analyst
Penn State
University

Brenna Mateljan

Senior Admissions
Counselor
Cedar Crest
College

Jordan Moore

Admissions
Counselor
James Madison
University
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Overview
Traditional student recruitment methods in higher education
Occupational summary: Postsecondary education administrators
Introduction to the Corporate Alliance Program (CAP)
Student recruitment metrics
Benefits of the World Campus CAP
World Campus student headcounts: CAP and Non-CAP channels
World Campus CAP partners
Comparable student recruitment strategies

Traditional Recruitment:
Actively seeking out high school age
students providing them with
information about a particular
institution through a variety of
avenues.
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U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics

Postsecondary Education Administrators
Job titles include: Academic Affairs Dean, Academic Affairs Vice President, Academic Dean, Admissions
Director, College President, Dean, Dean of Students, Financial Aid Director, Provost, Registrar

2014 Median Pay - $88,390.00 per year

Entry Level Education - Masters Degree
Work Experience - Less than five years
Number of Jobs in 2014 - 175,000
Job Outlook 2014 to 2024 - 9% increase

Corporate Alliance Program (CAP):

A talent management strategy that
ultimately serves the educational
needs of a company's employee base

Recruitment Differences
Large Public

Small Private

CAP

Admissions Counselors: 18

Admissions Counselors: 6

Admissions Counselors: 2

Travel Budget:
$250,000-$300,000

Travel Budget:
$80,000-$100,000

Travel Budget:
$10,000-$14,000*

On Campus Events:
$65,000-$70,000

On Campus Events:
$55,000-$65,000

On Campus Events:
None

Applications: 24,000

Applications: 1,000

Applications: 1,500-1,800*

Data retrieved from James Madison

University Annual Budget Report

Data retrieved from Cedar Crest

College Annual Budget Report

*Data estimated based travel

expenses for the number of off
campus events hosted.

Who Benefits from the Corporate Alliance Program?

World Campus

Minimize costly, untargeted advertising expenses

Goal = 45,000 students
Increased revenue stream

Corporate Partners

Lower tuition reimbursement

Customized program offerings
Track employee development

CAP Students

Tuition reduction and a deferred payment option

Convenience and flexibility of online programs
Worldwide network of 645,000 alumni
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CAP client

PSU World Campus Headcount

Non-CAP client
17,602

CAP introduced in 2013

11% increase among

traditional applicants

59% increase
among CAP clients

15,491

1,562

982

14,509

16,040

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2014-15

2015-16

Data Retrieved from Penn State's Integrated Student Information System on 4/6/16

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Other Corporate Partnerships

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The CAP is an effective, innovative

student recruitment strategy in higher
education, particularly for online
learning.

Conclusion

Components for success:

Start-up funds to build a B2B team

Profit margins that allow for tuition

discounts
Course capacity

IR reporting capabilities

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Questions?

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References
!Corporate Connections -- The Pennsylvania State University. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from http://www.corporateconnect.psu.edu/
Blumenstyk, G. (2014). Starbucks plan shines a light on the profits in online education. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1543463005?accountid=13158
Blumenstyk, G. (2016). Why more colleges are emulating deals like the ASU-Starbucks Alliance. The Chronicle of Higher Education, Retrieved
from http://chronicle.com/article/Why-More-Colleges-Are/235013
CAP topic of study for OMR colleague master's [E-mail to A. Shauger]. (2016, February 22).
Fain, P. (2014, May 6). College for America hits $10,000 mark with new, competency-based bachelors degrees. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved
from https://www.insidehighered.com
Fain, S. (2015, June 2). No-Cost degrees for Anthem employees at College for America. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.
insidehighered.com
Interview with Bill Harvey [Personal interview]. (2016, March 8).
Interview with Douglas Byerly [Personal interview]. (2016, April 12).
Jaschik, S. (2014, June 16). Starbucks announces it will pay for employees to take junior and senior years at Arizona State online. Inside
Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com

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References, continued
McCoy, A. (2012). The challenges of on-campus recruitment events. College and University, 88(1), 43-44,46. Retrieved from http://search.
proquest.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/docview/1239088142?accountid=13158
Penn State Alumni Association's Annual Update and Impact Report FY201415. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://alumni.psu.
edu/about_us/annual-update-and-impact-report-fy2014-15-1
Penn State Integrated Student Information System. (2016)
Request for data from iTwo [E-mail to C. Kite]. (2016, April 7).
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2016). Postsecondary Education Administrators. Retrieved from http://www.bls.
gov/ooh/management/postsecondary-education-administrator.htm
Woolf, M. (2015, June 2). The bottom line on corporate partnerships. Eduventures. Retrieved from http://www.eduventures.com
Zillman, C. (2015, June 2). Anthem joins growing roster of companies offering free college tuition to employees. Fortune.com. Retrieved from
http://fortune.com
Zinshteyn, M. (2015, November 24). A for-profit college initiative that just might work. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.
com/education

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