We want you

We want you:Marketing highly selective four

year colleges to veterans

Kim BlankM.Ed. Higher Education

AdministrationCollege of William and Mary

Presentation Outline

• Background information

• Selection & Methodology

• Survey

• Selected Results

• Interpreting Results

• Practical Application

• Recommendations

Background

• Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (also called the G.I. Bill)

• Educational benefits– College, business

– Technical or vocational

– Apprenticeship/job training

– Flight training

Background

• Veterans’ Adjustment Act of 1952– Added Korean War veterans

• Veterans Readjustment Benefits Act of 1966– Added those who served in times of war and peace

• Veterans Education Assistance Program (VEAP): in response to the transition to an all-volunteer military

• Montgomery G.I. Bill

Background

• VEAP was Chapter 32 (for those who entered active duty between 1/1/77-6/30/85): contributions matched 2:1

• Post-9/11 G.I. Bill (Chapter 33) initially approved in 2008 and updated in 2010 and 2011– Extends eligibility to members of the National

Guard

– Adds provision for distance learners

Selection

• Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education– Highly selective– Not-for-profit– Four-year

• 338 colleges/universities– Remove non-English language websites– Remove for-profit– Collect email addresses for chief enrollment

officers (VP Enrollment, Director of Admissions, etc.)

Methodology

• Qualtrics Survey System

• Emailed survey to chief enrollment officers (personal email addresses when possible)

• Reminder survey one week from initial email

• 43/50 responses within the first week

• 4 respondents requested results

Survey

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Survey

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Survey

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Selected Results

Approximately how many veterans attend your institution?

0

1 to 15

6 to 15

16 to 30

31 to 60

61 to 100

Greater than 100

Selected Results

Does your institution have a separate office dedicated to services for veterans?

Yes

No

Selected Results

Who tracks individual G.I. Bill users at your institution?

Admissions

Financial Aid

Registrar

Veterans Benefits Office

Staff Member

Other

Selected Results

Does your institution contribute additional or matching funds (grants, scholarships, fellowships, etc.) to supplement G.I. benefits?

Yes

No

Selected Results

Have you seen an increase in veteran applicants in the past 4 years (since 2008)?

Yes

No

Unsure

Selected Results

Does your admissions office and literature include any specific information for veterans?

Yes

No

Unsure

Selected Results

Does your university market specifically to veterans?

Yes

No

Unsure

Selected Results

How well do you think your institution supports the unique needs of veteran students through the services you have previously identified?

Very Poorly

Somewhat Poorly

Somewhat Well

Very Well

Selected Results

• “We are currently looking into a variety of other services, such as a veterans orientation, programs to improve transition from the military to college, retention, and graduation. We are working closely with the collegiate student veterans group to ensure that the services we are providing and the avenues we are pursuing are meeting the needs of the veterans.”

• “Our small class size and student to teacher ratio of 11:1 makes the return to the classroom for most veterans far less daunting… Most of our students fit the Army ROTC “Scholar, Athlete, Leader” model.”

Website Screenshots

Website Screenshots

Website Screenshots

Website Screenshots

Website Screenshots

Website Screenshots

What do they mean?

• Enrollment is on the rise– should universities be acting differently?

• Only approximately ½ mention veterans in their literature– could they add just a line or paragraph?

• Many respondents are unsure of marketing strategies (see question 16)

• Few universities require separate offices, since the numbers are not large

Practical Application

• A separate office isn’t typically necessary• Many institutions provided website links;

could create a linked page at little cost• Few institutions report specific literature;

updates could be made to offer inclusion of basic info/link

• Few noteworthy differences between states

• Few noteworthy differences between public/private institutions

Recommendations

• Create prominent link on admissions website (many are hidden)–Include links to useful websites, like

Veteran Friendly Toolkit

–Link to other institutional sites (financial aid, residence life, etc.)

–Include in literature (see next recommendation)

Recommendations

• Update literature to include information for veterans – Create insert if publications are already

printed

– At least include a link to the website from the previous recommendation

– Consistency across publications

Recommendations

• Utilize outside sources (Veterans Toolkit, other websites)

–Veteran Friendly Toolkit

–VA website

–Yellow Ribbon Program

–Other military-supporting non-profits

Recommendations

• Better training of admissions staff– Consistent information (do we market to

veterans?)

– Sharing across departments (residence life, academic life, registrar, financial aid)

– Knowledge of outside resources (VA contacts, non-profits)

Additional Resources

• My Wiki Page– http://kbmastersproject.wmwikis.net/

• G.I. Bill

– http://www.gibill.va.gov/

• Yellow Ribbon Program

– http://www.yellowribbon.mil/

• Toolkit for Veteran Friendly Institutions

– http://vetfriendlytoolkit.org/

References

• See complete reference list at:

http://kbmastersproject.wmwikis.net/References