The Community College of Philadelphia reached a tentative agreement with its faculty and staff union, staving off an impending strike, 6ABC Action News reported.
The union, AFT Local 2026, or the Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College of Philadelphia, threatened to strike Wednesday morning if a deal wasn’t reached. But union and college leaders say they worked through Tuesday night to arrive at an agreement after more than a year of bargaining over employee contracts.
“After a long night of bargaining, Community College of Philadelphia is glad to have reached a tentative agreement with our partners in the Faculty and Staff Federation,” Donald Guy Generals, president of Community College of Philadelphia, said in a press release. “We are grateful for the hard work and collaboration that brought us to this milestone. The agreement secures fair terms and wage increases while ensuring the financial sustainability of the College. The College is thankful the spring semester will proceed uninterrupted for our students, faculty and staff.”
The outstanding issues previously holding up an agreement were union proposals for wage and staffing increases and SEPTA passes for employees and students. The tentative agreement includes class size reductions and wage increases that were a compromise between the college and the union’s proposals. The union will also be invited to join ongoing discussions with SEPTA about securing public transportation benefits, according to the release from the college.
“We showed what can happen when faculty, staff and students stand in real solidarity with each other,” Rainah Chambliss, co-president of the federation, said in a union press release. “This campaign wasn’t just about us. It was about our students and our community.”
Entering the workforce can be a daunting experience for recent college graduates. A May 2024 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found 68.9 percent of current students are at least somewhat stressed when they think about and prepare for their life after graduation.
Working in a career that resonates with their interests is also a goal for students: Two-thirds of young people globally say they want their job to be meaningful and make them happier than they were last year. Of respondents’ top three work ambitions, young people in the U.S. identified financial stability (65 percent) and achieving work-life balance (52 percent) as priorities.
To help students engage in career wellness, a group of students from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona—supported by advisers from Cal Poly Pomona—created Tune In to Strive Out, which encourages students to channel their inner potential for future success and collective well-being.
The program, housed at the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT) at Madison, includes student resources and facilitator training. The initiative launched in spring 2022 and has supported over 150 students to date.
Survey Says
A survey of young people in the workforce (ages 27 to 35) found about one in four respondents strongly agree their employer has policies or structures in place to support work-life balance.
How it works: The Tune in to Strive Out Career Wellness Program guides students through practices that build their self-efficacy and understanding of their wellness. The goal is to bridge theory and practice in ways that are applicable and flexible to various circumstances students may be in.
The intervention can be offered as a stand-alone program or integrated into existing courses.
Tune in to Strive Out includes five modules, rooted in the radical healing framework, which focus on students’ development of values, career goals, resiliency and senses of hope and community. The program includes a supplemental tool kit of resources for students to explore as well.
“The program addresses unique challenges individuals face by emphasizing the importance of community and cultural strengths in healing and strategies to foster radical hope to persist in the face of barriers,” said Mindi Thompson, executive director of CCWT.
To guide practitioners on delivering the intervention, the center provides a three-hour facilitator training, which costs $30 per person and fulfills continuing education hours for National Career Development Association credentials.
Once training is completed, a facilitator receives access to a portal containing the detailed facilitation manual, a student workbook and presentation slides.
The impact: Seventeen students from three different postsecondary institutions participated in a pilot study, which has since been scaled to involve more than 150 student participants and 90 professionals who completed the facilitator training to deliver the program.
In the future, CCWT hopes to further scale and reach practitioners with the resources so they can better support student success.
Do you have a career-focused intervention that might help others promote student success? Tell us about it.
Professor Antony C. Moss is Pro Vice Chancellor Education and Student Experience at London South Bank University.
The recent announcement from Universities UK that it will be setting up a taskforce to look at efficiency and transformation across the higher education sector is very welcome, if not long overdue. As our sector faces existential challenges regarding financial sustainability, it is absolutely right that we look more critically at the way we organise ourselves and run our institutions. This means more than looking at shared professional service models, moving IT systems into the cloud, or diversifying income streams. The argument I want to develop here is that we desperately need a more diverse workforce to support a higher education sector which serves a far broader purpose for society than it did when our current workforce model was first established.
The Uneven Growth of the Higher Education Sector
It is a fascinating exercise to visualise the growth of the UK higher education sector over time. Robbins reported the total number of full-time UK students in 1960 was just short of 200,000. Fast forward to the latest data available via the Higher Education Statistics Agency, and in 2022/23, that number has grown to almost three million. While that 1960 figure does not include student numbers enrolled in the polytechnics of the day (which of course mostly became universities in 1992, stimulating a sudden burst of growth in student numbers), this remains an extraordinary expansion by any standard.
As a sector, we have weathered much criticism in recent years regarding the extent to which we are recruiting too many students. While this might be a tempting conclusion given the figures cited above, it is worth keeping in mind that the needs of our labour market have also changed dramatically since 1960. For example, in 2021/22, over 160,000 of the 2.25 million students in higher education that year were studying towards a nursing qualification. In other words, the nursing student population of 21/22 equates to more than three-quarters of the entire full-time UK university student population in 1960. We all benefit from advancements in modern medicine, but this requires us to invest in a workforce with an ever-increasing level of technical knowledge and skill. This same argument could be made for the workforce in many other sectors of our economy, and so we should continue to expect expansion and diversification of our education sector to support the types of jobs and skillsets required for the future.
While we might debate and reflect on the number of students entering higher education, it is less common to hear debates and discussions on the size of the workforce who are the backbone of our own sector. While I have been unable to locate accurate workforce data as far back as 1960, the Higher Education Statistics Agency have published data from 2005/6. At that time, UK higher education providers employed a total of 355,410 staff, of which 164,875 were in academic roles. Moving ahead to 2022/23, we now employ 480,845 staff, of whom 240,420 are in academic roles. In itself, this is a significant workforce expansion – a total increase in staffing of over a third, and a 50% increase in academic staff numbers over a 17-year period. Or in more human terms, that is a net increase of 75,545 full-time equivalent academic staff.
What is perhaps most remarkable is that this expansion of our workforce has been, at a national level, an organic process. We have no whole-sector workforce plan and no sector-wide discussion around the shape and size of the workforce we need in 5, 10, or 25 years’ time. In their 2021 review of HE sector workforce changes, Alison Wolf and Andrew Jenkins illustrated both the expansion and changing shape of the sector workforce but also demonstrated that this has been largely reactive and not driven by a clear set of principles or plans.
The reason this all matters in the context of discussions about financial sustainability is that the expansion of the higher education sector has been uneven in terms of the growth of our different areas of activity. As illustrated in Figure 1, over the past ten years, the overwhelming majority of our income growth has been linked to teaching.
Figure 1: Income of UK Higher Education Providers by income type and academic year (£ millions)
From a workforce perspective, with teaching income rising sharply against relatively stable income for research, it would be reasonable to assume that the additional 75,454 academic staff noted above would be almost entirely focused on teaching. However, the best available data we have on the proportion of time spent by academics on different activities – the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) returns published by the Office for Students – shows that there has been almost no change in the proportion of academic staff time spent on research activity. For years where there are comparable TRAC data, we can see that in 18/19, research activity accounted for 35.3% of academic activity, while in 22/23 that figure was 34.1% (and from Figure 1, we can see that teaching-related income grew over this period by over £7bn, while research income only grew by £821m). If research income to the sector had been growing at the same rate as teaching income, these figures would not be a concern – but that is very clearly not the case.
One interpretation of these figures could simply be that this is how higher education has always operated. Tuition fees are, in part, spent on recruiting academic staff, and academics are typically recruited on contracts which include an expectation of them engaging in research and scholarly activities. Moreover, the argument goes, this is fundamental to the mission of universities, which is not solely to teach degree courses but also to generate new knowledge.
This argument is flawed, however, due to a decade of tuition fee freezes set alongside the massive growth in student numbers, which far outstrips growth in research-related income. Our workforce model cannot simply continue growing in a linear fashion while the demands and expectations placed on the workforce are changing as significantly as they have. To provide an analogy, if the government were to announce a massive boost in research funding for universities, and the sector were to respond to this by indicating that around a third of this money would actually be spent on teaching, I would expect eyebrows to be raised across the board. But this is precisely what we have been doing, over a long period of time, in relation to teaching-related income.
Developing a Workforce Model for the Future
As noted above, our sector does not have a workforce plan; we have essentially grown our workforce using traditional contract types and workload models. On the other hand, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is an example of taking a whole-sector approach to reflect on workforce needs for a large and complex sector. Importantly, the plan proposes a significant expansion of its workforce, which will depend heavily on the capacity and ability of our further and higher education sectors to deliver. This does not simply entail the expansion of current training routes for existing professions, but the diversification of the types of qualification we offer, and continued development of curricula to ensure the skills being taught reflect long-term workforce needs.
There are many examples of other sectors and, indeed, government departments developing workforce plans and strategies which similarly rely upon the capacity and expertise of further and higher education institutions to fulfil education and training needs. What is invariably missing from such plans is any meaningful reflection on the assumptions made about the capacity and structure of our tertiary education sector. Shortages in teachers can be addressed by funding more training, but are we confident that we have a large enough workforce of teacher-educators to meet this demand? Similarly for nurses, doctors and allied healthcare professionals and, indeed, for any other sector who may be assuming that the tertiary sector is ready and waiting to absorb a continued expansion of students to meet their own future workforce needs.
Moving beyond subject expertise and whether we can simply recruit a large enough workforce to teach, the higher education sector has also changed beyond recognition in terms of the range of qualifications we offer. The three-year undergraduate degree remains the most common study route, but higher education providers now also offer degree apprenticeships, higher technical qualifications, and a growing number of professional and technical qualifications which are quite different to traditional university study. These differences arise due to the type of students they attract, the content of the qualifications themselves, and also the very different regulatory frameworks which underpin their delivery and monitoring.
These changes place a very different set of needs and expectations on our workforce – both academic and professional services colleagues. Degree apprenticeship programmes require a different pedagogic approach to a traditional undergraduate degree, and come with a significant set of additional regulatory expectations. Very few academics will have ever encountered the Education and Skills Funding Agency prior to the growth of apprenticeships standards, and Ofsted was the regulator of everyone except us (outside of university education departments). These changes are not trivial, but they have happened rapidly, and without overt consideration of the way we need to support, develop and expand our own workforce.
While 1960s higher education was, in relative terms, a fairly monolithic sector, today’s higher education sector is extraordinarily diverse and delivers massive economic and societal benefits, which are incomparable to the past. Our sector has changed, and I would strongly argue it has changed for the better. However, in the current climate of deep financial challenge, we must also reflect critically on the way we develop and diversify our own workforce. This, in my view, means stepping outside the well-trodden path of introducing so-called ‘teaching only contracts’ for academics – essentially, academic contracts where the focus is on professional practice and pedagogic leadership, which still retain a career pathway through to the highest academic ranks. Rather, we need to invest in developing a new segment of our workforce, of expert educators who are specialised in areas such as skills development and technical education. If done well, this has the potential to deliver a range of benefits:
Stabilising the financial precarity of our sector. When teaching income is rising faster than research income, we need to ensure we are not disproportionately growing the cross-subsidy of research from teaching income (while recognising that some degree of cross-subsidy is part of the higher education funding model).
Improving the quality of education. By developing more specialised roles within the sector, we can deliver better experiences and outcomes for students, and ensure that they are better able to succeed beyond their time in higher education.
Improving working conditions for all staff. Through the creation of more specialised roles and career pathways which are better aligned to the needs of the sector as a whole.
Supporting our national ambitions for Growth and Skills. As Skills England looks at our future workforce needs, it is critical that we have a stable and high-performing education sector to educate and train the workforce. We cannot continue to take for granted that our education sector can organically bend itself to meet changing industrial and economic needs, without a strategy to support the reforms which will be required.
Universities UK and its taskforce on efficiency and transformation should, I suggest, prioritise a review of our underpinning workforce model to ensure that we are collectively fit for the future. But this work cannot happen in isolation. Our sector will be able to respond more effectively to changing demands if we work together with Skills England and the Department for Education to better understand the role that higher education can play in delivering on national ambitions for growth and skills development.
An international student from Tufts University has been detained. Rumeysa Ozturk, 30, was meeting friends for iftar, a meal that breaks a fast at sunset during Ramadan when she was arrested.
Video obtained by The Associated Press appears to show six people, their faces covered, taking away Ozturk’s phone as she yells and is handcuffed.
Ozturk co-wrote an op-ed in The Tufts Daily criticizing the university’s response to its community union Senate passing resolutions that demanded Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide,” disclose its investments and divest from companies with direct or indirect ties to Israel.
After the arrest, hundreds of Tufts students protested.
This arrest is consistent with Trump Administration efforts to intimidate and deport Muslim foreign students. Students from Cornell, Georgetown, Columbia University have also been detained.
Last week I was in the US, as part of the CASE Global Leaders Programme, visiting five leading universities – Harvard, Boston, Princeton, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown. I also visited the United Nations, the Washington Post, the British Embassy and US university associations. I met and spoke with over 100 senior staff – mostly under the Chatham House rule – about the severe current challenges facing US universities.
US universities are under “an unprecedented political attack,” I was told – it is “a very dangerous moment.” The Trump administration has unleashed a “flood the zone” strategy. University leaders are shocked at the rapid speed and breath of the policy and political assault. Universities are reeling from the ferocity of the attacks. The Trump administration “has declared war on colleges.”
The Trump administration tactics are clear – they are attempting to weaken and undermine major institutions that they see as liberal ballast, a barrier to the MAGA agenda. The playbook should not be a total surprise. It was largely outlined in Project 2025, with a raft of policies to deconstruct the US administrative state. For universities, it is time for a reckoning.
Shocks and tremors
The elite research institutions are the primary target. Amongst these, the President’s Office have deliberated targeted a number of specific institutions – pulling $400m (£310m) of federal funding from Columbia University, saying that it failed to fight antisemitism on campus, and suspending $175m (£135m) in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over the school’s policy regarding transgender athletes. Making an example of these universities – through public humiliation and bullying – is an attempt to strike fear in to other institutions and scare others from speaking out. There has been a notable lack of public figures speaking out in defence of these institutions. The tactics were described to me as “if you cross them, they will come after you.”
Worryingly, the MAGA attacks have some grounding in public opinion, coming at a time when US public confidence in higher education has been falling for a decade. Public opinion research by the Association of American Universities (AAU) shows that only 29 per cent of the US public agree with the statement that Ivy League universities “make us better off” – whereas 57 per cent believe that they “make us worse off.” Although Republicans are even more critical than Democrats, a large majority of both parties’ supporters think Ivy League universities make people worse off.
Across US universities there is a sense of crisis, with leaders struggling to cope with the tidal wave of political attacks. Shocks and tremors are being felt across the sector – but there is no agreement on which are the primary challenges. The hierarchy of these concerns varies and the impact is certainly not uniform. I heard about over a dozen current threats:
removal of federal funding due to accusations of “woke ideology”
major research funding cuts due to cuts to USAID
detaining and deporting faculty and students accused of holding views and speaking on controversial topics
tightening of visas for international students
threats to increase tax on university endowments
federal government instruction to withdraw specific research funding
increasing levels of disinformation
hostile environment leading to loss of faculty to universities overseas
falling philanthropic donations, due to reputational damage and economic weather
falling investment income from an economic downturn
a chilling effect on free speech and academic freedom
flight of international students as families overseas view the US as not a welcoming place to send their children
the growing possibility of a new cold war with China
splits and tensions amongst the alumni and donor communities.
Despite the huge wealth, resources, influence and global reputation, I witnessed a university sector unprepared for the tsunami of political challenges and unsure about how to respond. It is a “a very destabilising moment, we’re trying to work things out… how do we navigate the challenges, the politics…”
After the crisis response
US universities face choices: to fight back, to “lean in” towards the Trump agenda, to hunker down, to uphold their values, to adapt or evolve – though these options are not mutually exclusive.
For some, it is clear that they will speak out powerfully and fight back to defend universities,
This brave article by the president of Princeton explains how American universities have given the country prosperity and security, and strikes back against the The Trump administration’s attack on academic freedom.
For others, there is a recognition that this is “not just about telling a better story, we also need to do things better.” Maybe universities haven’t really listened enough to the dissatisfied and acted on concerns. Perhaps there is some truth in the accusations that some parts of higher education have exasperated or created inequality, protecting the “haves” and ignoring the “have nots”. This Atlantic article How the Ivy League broke America is essential reading in this genre. For some, the answer is a much stronger focus on reaching out across divides, and renewed efforts to increase civic impact – and perhaps the curtailment of some activities.
For all, there is a sense that this is not simply a crisis response moment, rather that universities need to think long-term, to protect the values of higher education and redouble efforts to demonstrate their impact. There is a need to think about the longer term stewardship of the institutions and “play the long game” rather than simply respond to the immediate shocks.
The search for something to hold onto
I also heard many comments that gave me reasons for hope. Public opinion research by the Association of American Universities (AAU) shows that 42 per cent most trust American research universities to find a cure for diseases like cancer whereas only five per cent most trust the government, and only three per cent most trust large US corporations.
At some universities, alumni donors are coming forward to offer support to help plug the financial gap being created by research funding cuts. Many universities are refusing to back-track on commitments made on DEI issues – citing very strong support from faculty and students – and arguing clearly and consistently that diversity of people (minds, experiences, backgrounds and thought) and plurality of views is vital to support excellence.
On the day on my visit, Harvard became the latest elite school to announce that families with incomes under $200,000 will not pay tuition as a way to bolster diversity. There is also a view that the combination of the stock market falls, public opinion and the Supreme Court may soon have the impact of curtailing some of the President’s most aggressive actions.
Overall, my visit to the US has left me with mixed emotions: deep concerns for US universities, the loss of vital research programmes, the negative impact on access to universities, the weakening of international collaboration and the personal threats to faculty and students. I also recognise that many of the political and public views which have contributed to this onslaught do not feel alien to the situation in the UK.
However, the trip has also given me hope. These are deeply resilient institutions, led by exceptional people, with brilliant faculty, supportive alumni and donors. There is continuing strong demand from students for a higher education – and these students want to experience a plurality of views. By upholding their values, by redoubling efforts to build public support by doing things even better, by demonstrating impact, and by taking the longer-term view I am confident that US universities can ride through this storm.
The sector is so split on the issue it can seem at once both an intractable issue never to be fully realized and an obvious enough mechanism to promote access and mobility.
In reality, it’s somewhere between the two and, today, a new report from QAA looks at where we might find that common ground. After looking at what the current state of play on credit transfer is last year, this year we’ve delved into why it is that way and what might instigate change.
Hierarchies of need
Credit transfer is the process by which a provider recognises the credit a student has accrued at another institution, exempting them from modules they’ve already undertaken elsewhere. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) doesn’t require credit transfer, but it will fall far short of its vision if more isn’t done to facilitate transfer between institutions.
The current financial precarity of much of the UK’s higher education sector has also brought into sharper focus the value for students of being able to transfer their credit and their studies between providers – whether prompted by the threat of course closures, the movement of key teaching staff, or even the prospect of institutional collapse.The latest Office for Students board papers tell us that this has happened recently in the case of the Applied Business Academy.
Last year’s Student Academic Experience Survey found that more than a fifth of students said they would, with the benefit of hindsight, have chosen a different institution or/and course. Smoother processes of credit transfer would make it possible for those students to change courses midstream. Those mechanisms wouldn’t just reinforce their rights as consumers; those opportunities should enhance their satisfaction, their chances of completion and academic success, and their employment prospects.
Credit transfer is more important for some providers than for others. The Open University receives over 6,000 applications for credit transfer every year. At multiple specialist providers, credit transfer accounts for more than 10 per cent of their annual intake.
Some providers may feel sufficiently confident in the profile of their provision to welcome an open system of credit transfer that would result in their net gain. Others have concerns about the administrative burden posed by credit transfer, the logistical complexities caused by the unpredictability of shifting student numbers, and its impacts on institutional autonomy and their academic brands.
In short, it seems clear that a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t fit all, or indeed suit anyone. So, what might work? We thought it might be a good idea to ask.
Mission: Improbable
QAA’s latest research, published today, involved a survey of sector perspectives, and a series of stakeholder conversations and focus groups involving representatives both of providers and of professional statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs).
Those we engaged in this research overwhelmingly agreed that credit transfer is a valuable tool for students and can underpin lifelong learning. The advantages most cited were the flexibility it provides and its impact on widening participation, particularly for returners to learning – as well as the practical benefits for students who can gain qualifications and learning in a shorter time and at a lower cost, by removing the need to duplicate learning unnecessarily. The benefits also extended to institutions, particularly as an instrument to promote retention and improve completion rates.
The idea of a sector-owned framework was also welcomed by our participants, with 84 per cent agreeing it would be helpful to achieve credit transfer at scale. But our participants were rather less optimistic about the possibility of a more formal integrated sector-wide system of credit transfer. The providers themselves tended to consider this prospect unrealistic, while sector organisations were more likely to welcome the idea.
While participants were positive about the effectiveness of institutions’ individual approaches, their responses expressed concerns around transparency, resourcing and cultural resistance. Though our stakeholders largely agreed that credit transfer was a valuable route and necessary to facilitate lifelong learning, they often doubted the feasibility of delivering it at scale.
The art of the possible
Action on credit transfer falls into three (fairly) neat buckets, each with its own level of impact and compromise.
For starters, there’s some low hanging fruit that would make this process work more smoothly for applicants. Our participants observed that applicants often don’t realise credit transfer is an option – and that its processes are difficult to understand. We’d therefore recommend that providers embed greater transparency and promotion of credit transfer – and agree a sector-wide terminology to explain it.
But there’s little point making the policies more accessible if what applicants find there isn’t great. We also have to work to improve the policies themselves. We’d recommend the development of a sector-owned good practice guide to the key principles of credit transfer policy; student engagement in determining the information required and how it should be presented; and that providers consider routes through which forms academic credit can be automatically recognized for transfer.
The greatest challenge is to develop multi-institutional initiatives to ease transfer between providers. There are pockets of the sector where this would be welcome, and others where it would be hard to get it off the ground. We’re not recommending hard enforcement on credit transfer – frankly, the sector has enough to be getting on with – but some level of accountability through regional consortia or partnerships, a charter of best practice, or folding its focus into existing regulatory processes would be a start.
What’s clear is that credit transfer remains in limbo until we get a clearer direction from the government on just where the LLE is going. It might help the policy’s ambitions, but without a better sense of what the government wants the sector to achieve, it’s understandably falling down the list of priorities.
To move beyond this impasse, the government needs to make clear where the strategic imperative is for action, so the sector can get to work on addressing the cultural and practical barriers.
As the Trump administration escalates its attack on universities, three fascism scholars and vocal Trump critics are leaving Yale University for the University of Toronto. But their given reasons for crossing the border vary.
Jason Stanley, Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale and author of multiple books—including How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them—said he finally accepted Toronto’s long-standing offer for a position on Friday after seeing Columbia University “completely collapse and give in to an authoritarian regime.”
In a move that has unnerved faculty across the country, Columbia’s administration largely conceded to demands from the Trump administration, which had cut $400 million of the university’s federal grants and contracts for what it said was Columbia’s failure to address campus antisemitism. Among other moves, the Ivy League institution gave campus officers arrest authority and appointed a new senior vice provost to oversee academic programs focused on the Middle East.
“I was genuinely undecided before that,” Stanley said. Now he’s leaving Yale to be the named chair in American studies at Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. According to the university, the intent is for Stanley also to be cross-appointed to the philosophy department. Two popular philosophyblogs previously reported the move.
“What I worry about is that Yale and other Ivy League institutions do not understand what they face,” Stanley said. He loves Yale and expected to spend the rest of his career there, he said; while he still hopes for the opportunity to return some day, he’s nervous Yale “will do what Columbia did.”
Stanley said Toronto’s Munk School “raided Yale” for some of its prominent professors of democracy and authoritarianism to establish a project on defending democracy internationally—an effort that began long before the election.
Also leaving Yale for the Munk School is Timothy Snyder, author of books including The Road to Unfreedom: Russia, Europe, America, and Marci Shore, author of The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution and other works. Snyder and Shore are married.
Stanley said Toronto reached out to him back in April 2023, during the Biden administration, and he restarted conversations after the election. He finally took the job Friday. The university told Inside Higher Ed it had been trying to recruit Snyder and Shore for years, saying, “We’re always looking for the best and brightest.”
Snyder, the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale, will become the Munk School’s inaugural Chair in Modern European History, supported by the Temerty Endowment for Ukrainian Studies. A spokesperson for Snyder said he made his decision for personal reasons, and he made it before the election.
In an emailed statement Wednesday, Snyder said, “The opportunity came at a time when my spouse and I had to address some difficult family matters.” He said he had “no grievance with Yale, no desire to leave the U.S. I am very happy with the idea of a move personally but, aside from a strong appreciation of what U of T has to offer, the motivations are largely that—personal.”
But when asked for her reasoning, Shore told Inside Higher Ed in an email that “the personal and political were, as often is the case, intertwined. We might well have made the move in any case, but we didn’t make our final decision until after the November elections,” she wrote.
Shore, a Yale history professor, will become the Munk School Chair in European Intellectual History, supported by the same endowment as her husband.
“I sensed that this time, this second Trump election, would be still much worse than the first—the checks and balances have been dismantled,” she wrote. “I can feel that the country is going into free fall. I fear there’s going to be a civil war. And I don’t want to bring my kids back into that. I also don’t feel confident that Yale or other American universities will manage to protect either their students or their faculty.”
She also said it didn’t escape her that Yale failed to publicly defend Snyder when Vice President JD Vance criticized him on X in January. After Trump nominated Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, Snyder—who has repeatedly excoriated the Trump administration in the media—posted that “a Christian Reconstructionist war on Americans led from the Department of Defense is likely to break the United States.”
Vance reposted that with the caption “That this person is a professor at Yale is actually an embarrassment.” Elon Musk, X’s owner, responded in agreement.
‘They Need to Band Together’
Leaving for Canada might sound like a futile move, given that Trump has threatened to annex it.
“That’s why I’m definitely not thinking of it as fleeing fascism; I’m thinking of it as defending Canada,” Stanley said. “Freedom of inquiry does not seem to be under threat in Canada,” he said, and moving there will allow him to be engaged in “an international fight against fascism.”
Nonetheless, he said it’s heartbreaking to leave the Yale philosophy department. He would consider returning to Yale “if there’s evidence that universities are standing up more boldly to the threats,” he said. “They need to band together.”
Yale spokesperson Karen Peart told Inside Higher Ed in an email that Yale “continues to be home to world-class faculty members who are dedicated to excellence in scholarship and teaching.” She added, “Yale is proud of its global faculty community which includes faculty who may no longer work at the institution, or whose contributions to academia may continue at a different home institution. Faculty members make decisions about their careers for a variety of reasons and the university respects all such decisions.”
To be sure, the Yale professors are not the first or only U.S. faculty to accept academic appointments outside the country. European universities, at least, have been trying to recruit American researchers. But before Trump’s re-election, there was a dearth of data on the previously rumored academic exodus from red states to blue, supposedly spurred by conservative policy changes.
Isaac Kamola, director of the American Association of University Professors’ Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom, said he’s now had conversations with multiple faculty members who are naturalized citizens “and still think that the administration might be coming after them.”
And while star professors at Ivy League institutions are more likely than other faculty to have the opportunity to leave, Yale law professor Keith Whittington, founding chair of the Academic Freedom Alliance, said he thinks such professors are more likely to take those opportunities now.
“I’ve seen efforts by high-quality academic institutions in other countries to start making the pitch to American academics,” Whittington said. He noted that even faculty at prestigious and well-endowed universities have concerns that their institution and higher ed as a whole are “not as stable as one might once have thought.”
He said the Trump administration has targeted specific universities with “quite serious efforts to threaten those institutions with crippling financial consequences if they don’t adopt policies that the administration would prefer that they adopt.” And such a playbook could easily be repeated “at practically any institution in the country,” he said.
Student retention is one of the most critical challenges faced by colleges and universities. While recruitment is essential to maintaining a thriving institution, keeping students engaged and enrolled until they complete their programs is just as vital. Why is that?
High dropout rates can impact institutional reputation, funding, and overall student satisfaction. As an education marketer, ask yourself: how can you create an experience that ensures students feel supported and motivated to stay the course? You’re in luck because today, we’re discussing the answer to this question at length.
Understanding the factors contributing to student retention in higher education is the first step toward building effective marketing strategies that help students persist through their academic journey. From engagement initiatives to personalized support systems, there are various approaches you can take to increase student retention and position your institution as one that truly cares about student success. Let’s explore ten of them together!
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Understanding Retention Marketing
What is retention marketing? Retention marketing is the strategic use of targeted campaigns, communication, and engagement initiatives that keep current students enrolled and actively involved in their educational journey. Unlike traditional marketing, which focuses on acquiring new students, retention marketing is about maintaining student satisfaction and addressing concerns before they result in attrition.
Investing in retention marketing helps schools build stronger student relationships, providing the necessary support to ensure academic persistence. Now let us explore key college student retention strategies to incorporate into your marketing plan.
Source: HEM
1. Personalizing Communication to Address Individual Student Needs
One of the most effective ways to retain students is through personalized communication. Today’s students expect tailored messaging that speaks directly to their needs, challenges, and aspirations.
Automated email campaigns, segmented messaging, and personalized advising can go a long way in making students feel seen and heard. Implementing AI-driven chatbots and predictive analytics can help anticipate student concerns before they escalate, allowing your institution to intervene at critical moments.
2. Creating a Strong Sense of Community and Belonging
Feeling connected to a campus community is a key driver of student success. Institutions that foster a sense of belonging through student organizations, mentorship programs, and social events tend to see higher levels of college student retention.
Marketing teams can contribute by showcasing stories of engaged students and alumni, creating social media groups, and facilitating virtual and in-person networking opportunities that keep students feeling involved.
Example:Here, Nichol’s College demonstrates its commitment to student belonging with a dedicated Instagram for making its current students feel at home. In addition to fostering belonging in your classrooms, clubs, and offices, to improve retention through your digital marketing efforts, it’s essential to champion each student’s role as a valued member of your community in posts and site content.
Source: Nichols College | Instagram
3. Offering Robust Academic Support Services
Academic challenges are one of the leading reasons students drop out. By promoting tutoring centers, academic coaching, and faculty office hours, your institution can reinforce its commitment to student success. Marketing these services effectively ensures students know where to get help when needed. Outreach campaigns can highlight real student success stories, demonstrating the impact of these resources.
Beyond traditional support, schools can integrate technology-driven solutions such as virtual tutoring and on-demand academic workshops. Proactively reaching out to students who show signs of struggling, such as declining grades or low attendance, can also prevent academic disengagement.
Additionally, faculty can offer structured study groups or mentoring programs to ensure students receive guidance outside of class hours. By fostering a strong academic support network, institutions can significantly improve student persistence and overall satisfaction.
Example: Discover the robust academic support system available to students at UC Berkeley. On their website, they make it clear that they are committed to meeting the learning needs of every student. Below, you’ll see an array of academic resources tailored to different subgroups of the Berkeley student body. Low-income, underrepresented, first-generation, and students with disabilities are acknowledged and supported to reach their full potential.
Source: UC Berkeley
In addition, UC Berkeley leverages technology to serve its students through the AIM platform, specifically tailored to learners with disabilities. AIM, pictured at the bottom, is an accessible Student Information System designed to facilitate communication between students and faculty, streamline the process of requesting accommodations, and centralize the management of their information.
To boost retention, make sure students know how you support their learning. Make it as convenient and inclusive as possible for students to access your resources.
4. Providing Career Development Opportunities Early On
Students often enroll in college with long-term career aspirations in mind, yet many feel uncertain about how to achieve their goals. By integrating career services from day one, schools can help students see a clear pathway from education to employment. Internship programs, networking events, and job placement support should be at the forefront of marketing efforts. When students perceive that their investment in education will lead to tangible career outcomes, they are more likely to persist.
To enhance engagement, institutions should provide hands-on career workshops, alumni networking events, and mentorship opportunities that connect students with professionals in their fields of interest. Career counselors can conduct personalized career assessments to help students identify potential career paths that align with their strengths and interests.
Additionally, integrating career-focused coursework, such as resume-building sessions and mock interviews, can help students feel more confident about their job prospects post-graduation. Schools that establish strong employer partnerships can also facilitate job placement programs, internships, and co-op opportunities that give students real-world experience while still in school, reinforcing their motivation to stay enrolled and complete their studies.
Example:In this video, AAPS, an institution that mainly appeals to graduate students who are focused on starting or developing their careers, markets its career services which include: access to career and employment experts, resume writing support, and interview workshops.
Source: Academy of Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences | YouTube
Their marketing shows how effective the career services at AAPS are, citing their 100% employer satisfaction rate and a solid 88% graduation rate. As you promote your career services, be sure to provide tangible results because that’s what your prospects and current students are looking for.
5. Focus on Student Engagement Initiatives
Student engagement plays a crucial role in student retention, as engaged students are more likely to complete their programs and feel a strong connection to their institution. Schools must take proactive steps to foster engagement through meaningful initiatives that encourage academic, social, and extracurricular involvement.
One way to drive engagement is by creating dynamic student events, such as leadership workshops, cultural festivals, and career networking opportunities. These events provide students with valuable connections, skills, and a greater sense of belonging, reducing feelings of isolation and disengagement.
Another highly effective strategy is gamification, where game design elements, such as rewards, leaderboards, and challenges, are integrated into academic and extracurricular activities. For instance, you could introduce a points-based system that rewards students for attending classes, participating in discussions, or completing extra-curricular workshops.
Social media engagement is another powerful tool. Schools can create dedicated student communities on platforms like Discord, LinkedIn, or Instagram where students can connect, share experiences, and support one another. Institutions that regularly post interactive content, student highlights, and live Q&A sessions see stronger student participation.
Additionally, peer mentorship programs help students build support networks that enhance their academic and personal experiences. New students, especially freshmen, often struggle with the transition to college life. Pairing them with experienced peers who can guide them through academic and social challenges creates a sense of stability and reassurance, leading to increased persistence.
Finally, experiential learning opportunities, such as service-learning projects, research collaborations, and internships, allow students to see the real-world value of their education. When students feel that their coursework directly impacts their future career prospects, they are more likely to remain engaged and committed to completing their studies.
Example: As part of their Student Life Program, the University of Toronto offers Mentorship and Peer Programs to increase student engagement, keeping them invested in both their studies and social lives at U of T, in turn, supporting student retention. In this video, they make the voices of their student body heard, allowing them to express just how the Mentorship and Peer Support programs at U of T have impacted their education. When promoting your student engagement initiatives, try to leverage student testimonials for better relatability and credibility.
Source: U of T Student Life | YouTube
6. Utilizing Data-Driven Insights to Address Student Challenges
Predictive analytics and student data tracking allow institutions to identify at-risk students and intervene early. By analyzing factors such as attendance, engagement levels, and academic performance, schools can proactively reach out to students who may be struggling. Automated alerts and personalized advising sessions ensure students receive timely support tailored to their individual needs.
In addition to tracking academic performance, you can use data insights to improve curriculum design and support services. For example, if a large number of students are struggling with a specific course, faculty can adjust the syllabus, provide supplemental learning materials, or offer additional tutoring sessions.
Schools can also analyze patterns of student engagement in extracurricular activities and campus events to determine what initiatives are most effective in fostering a sense of community. By using data to refine support systems continuously, institutions can create a proactive, student-centric approach that minimizes dropouts and maximizes success.
7. Enhancing Financial Aid Awareness and Support
Financial difficulties are one of the biggest reasons students leave college before completing their programs. Many students are unaware of the full range of financial aid options available. Your school’s marketing team can provide students access to vital scholarships, grants, and payment plans. Institutions should regularly communicate financial aid opportunities through social media, email campaigns, and student portals to alleviate financial stress and keep students enrolled.
Example: Unfortunately, many students leave their education behind due to their financial situations. Surely, some of these students are unaware of the financial assistance options available to them. To boost student retention, let your community know you can help them invest in their futures. Here, Queen Beauty Institute promotes its financial aid programs on social media, letting students know that support is available should they need it.
Source: Queen Beauty Institute Instagram
8. Promoting a Flexible and Inclusive Learning Environment
Flexibility is key to student retention in higher education, particularly for non-traditional students balancing work, family, and school. Online learning options, hybrid models, and asynchronous coursework can make higher education more accessible. Schools should highlight these flexible learning opportunities in their marketing materials, emphasizing how they accommodate diverse student needs and lifestyles.
In addition to offering different learning formats, you can provide adaptive scheduling options that allow students to select courses that fit their personal and professional commitments. Some colleges have introduced weekend or evening classes to serve students with full-time jobs or family obligations. Additionally, having a robust support system for online students, such as virtual study groups, 24/7 tech support, and faculty office hours, ensures they receive the same level of engagement as in-person learners.
Another important aspect of fostering inclusivity is providing accessible resources for students with disabilities. Ensuring that digital learning platforms are compatible with screen readers, offering captioned lecture videos, and creating inclusive classroom environments can greatly enhance the learning experience. You can also implement specialized advising services to assist students in navigating academic and personal challenges, further reinforcing your commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Example:Here, the Academy of Learning Career College introduces students to its Integrated Learning System, an educational resource designed to put students “in the driver’s seat of their learning experience”. It fosters flexibility and was created with many learning styles and neurodiversity in mind. Make it known how your school aims to meet students where they are.
Source: The Academy of Learning Career College | YouTube
9. Encouraging Faculty-Student Engagement
Professors play a crucial role in retaining students. Meaningful connections between students and faculty members can significantly impact a student’s decision to persist in their studies. Your marketing team can facilitate this by spotlighting faculty members in newsletters, creating video content featuring faculty mentorship stories, and promoting faculty office hours as a key resource.
Institutions can also encourage faculty to take an active role in student success by implementing early intervention programs. If a professor notices a student struggling, they can reach out with personalized support or recommend tutoring services. Additionally, fostering a culture of open communication through regular check-ins, discussion forums, and one-on-one mentorship opportunities helps build trust and rapport between faculty and students.
Another approach is incorporating faculty-led engagement opportunities such as research projects, community outreach programs, and interdisciplinary collaborations. When students work closely with faculty on meaningful academic projects, they feel more invested in their studies and are less likely to disengage. Schools that promote faculty involvement as a cornerstone of student support will see stronger connections, higher levels of academic motivation, and improved retention rates.
10. Establishing Clear Pathways for Student Success
Students are more likely to stay enrolled when they clearly understand their academic roadmap. Schools should provide structured academic pathways, regular progress check-ins, and advising support to help students navigate their journey efficiently. Marketing teams can assist by crafting student success stories highlighting how structured pathways have helped past students graduate on time and achieve their goals.
In addition to offering clear course sequences, institutions can provide academic planning workshops that help students map out their degree completion plan. Schools should also ensure that students have easy access to academic advisors who can guide them in selecting courses aligned with their career goals. By integrating digital tools such as degree audit software, students can track their progress and receive real-time updates on their academic standing.
Offering flexible course options, such as summer sessions or online alternatives, can further help students stay on track and avoid delays in graduation. When students feel they are making steady progress, they are more likely to stay motivated and complete their degrees successfully.
How to Improve Student Retention With a Comprehensive Marketing Strategy
How to improve student retention? A comprehensive marketing strategy should involve consistent engagement with students through multiple touchpoints, addressing common concerns before they lead to dropout. By implementing strategic communication, financial aid awareness, community-building initiatives, and academic support, you can foster an environment where students feel valued and encouraged to complete their education.
At Higher Education Marketing, we specialize in crafting tailored marketing strategies that attract students and keep them engaged throughout their academic journey. HEM specializes in student retention strategies that drive measurable success. Let’s craft a marketing plan that keeps students engaged from enrolment to graduation. that fosters long-term student success.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is retention marketing?
Answer: Retention marketing is the strategic use of targeted campaigns, communication, and engagement initiatives that keep current students enrolled and actively involved in their educational journey.
Question: How to improve student retention?
Answer: A comprehensive marketing strategy should involve consistent engagement with students through multiple touchpoints, addressing common concerns before they lead to dropout. By implementing strategic communication, financial aid awareness, community-building initiatives, and academic support, you can foster an environment where students feel valued and encouraged to complete their education.
Are you an administrator or marketer at a small private school? If so, you likely face unique challenges in growing your school community. Unlike large institutions with extensive resources, your budget may be more limited, and your brand may not have the same level of recognition. Yet, your school likely offers something invaluable: a personalized, high-quality educational experience that deserves greater visibility. Your marketing strategy should spotlight the unique selling points that differentiate your private school from other institutions.
How do you market a small private school? Traditional outbound marketing methods, such as print ads and direct mail, are costly and less effective in today’s digital market. Instead, try inbound marketing, a group of strategies that offer a cost-efficient and impactful way to attract, engage, and retain families interested in your school. Keep reading to explore ten effective private school marketing ideas that will grow your community.
Struggling with enrollment?
Our expert digital marketing services can help you attract and enroll more students!
What Is Inbound Marketing and Why Is It Ideal for Private Schools Like Yours?
Inbound marketing is a strategy that focuses on attracting prospective families to your school through valuable content, SEO, social media engagement, and other digital efforts. Instead of pushing advertisements onto audiences who may not be interested, inbound marketing creates meaningful connections with families actively looking for the right educational institution.
If you’re wondering how to market a new private school using inbound strategies, remember that the key is to build trust and provide the right information at the right time. Parents today research extensively before choosing a school for their children. Though many outbound strategies remain relevant today, namely to increase visibility, offer useful content, address concerns, and showcase your school’s strengths. Inbound marketing can position your institution as the best choice. Now, let’s explore specific ways that you can grow your private school community.
Source: HEM
10 Proven Inbound Marketing Strategies for Private Schools
Incorporating these tactics into your marketing strategy can reach your target audience, create relationships by providing value, and incite desired action. An effective private school marketing campaign combines several, if not all, of the techniques discussed below. If any are missing from your current plan, now’s the time to start implementing them!
1. Create a High-Quality, SEO-Optimized Website
Your website is the foundation of your school marketing strategy. It must be visually appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized for search engines. Parents should find essential information, such as tuition, curriculum, testimonials, and admissions requirements quickly and effortlessly. A well-structured website should include dedicated pages for admissions, academic programs, extracurricular activities, and student life.
Ensuring mobile responsiveness and fast load speeds will improve user experience and increase engagement. Incorporating multilingual and culturally adapted content can expand your reach, particularly if you’re targeting international students. Regularly updating your website with blog posts, news, and event details ensures prospective parents see a dynamic, engaged school community.
Example: Are you trying to expand your private school community beyond borders? If so, you’ll want to borrow this effective SEO technique from Crimson Global Academy. Below, you’ll see that they’ve tailored their site content to different countries and used subdirectories in their URLs.
Using sub-directories (/uk/, /ca/) signals to search engines that the content is tailored for a specific region. Google prioritizes localized content in search results, meaning parents and students searching for private schools in their home country are more likely to find your institution.
The benefits of this SEO strategy are far-reaching. They include broadened international reach, higher performance in multilingual searches, and higher click-through rates due to relevance.
Source: Crimson Global Academy
2. Develop Engaging Blog Content
A well-crafted blog is a valuable resource for current and prospective families, positioning your school as a thought leader in education. By publishing informative and engaging content, you can address parents’ most pressing concerns, showcase student success stories, and highlight what makes your school unique.
For example, you can write about how to help children transition to a new school successfully by offering expert advice and real-life experiences from parents and students. Another great topic is discussing the benefits of small class sizes and how they enhance student learning, highlighting the personalized attention and academic advantages your school provides.
You can also explore how your school’s curriculum prepares students for future success in higher education and beyond, showcasing testimonials from alumni who have excelled. Additionally, sharing success stories from students and faculty can illustrate the positive impact of your educational programs.
Finally, providing a step-by-step guide for parents navigating the private school admissions process can ease their concerns and position your school as a supportive and transparent institution. Consistently publishing high-quality blog posts improves search engine rankings, making your school more visible to families searching for private education options.
Example: The Great Lakes College of Toronto publishes blogs relevant to their prospects – students from all over the world interested in attending prestigious Canadian universities. With their target audience in mind, GLCT creates content that provides value. For example, learning tips for ESL learners, how to prepare for Canadian universities, and much more. Make sure your blog content aligns with your site visitors’ needs and provides valuable information.
Source: Great Lakes College of Toronto
3. Leverage Social Media Marketing
Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are powerful tools for building community and engagement. Your school can foster stronger connections with prospective and current families by posting student achievements, behind-the-scenes content, and faculty highlights.
Live Q&A sessions can address frequently asked questions about your school’s programs and admission process. Hosting interactive polls, student takeovers, and parent testimonials can increase engagement and trust.
Additionally, investing in paid social media advertising can expand your school’s reach to target families actively searching for private school options. Schools can also create private Facebook groups for prospective and current parents, providing a space for questions and engagement.
Example: This Instagram post from CLS West Covina highlights the strength of the school community. In addition to academic excellence, your private school should highlight other features of the student experience that contribute positively to learning, such as extracurricular activities, a nurturing environment, community involvement, global awareness, and more. Social media remains the perfect stage for your school’s unique selling points.
Source: CLS West Covina | Instagram
4. Implement a Lead Nurturing Email Campaign
Once a prospective family expresses interest, it’s essential to maintain communication through well-crafted email campaigns. Personalized drip campaigns can guide them through enrolling, providing timely information about your school, key deadlines, and success stories from current students.
Automated email sequences can include welcome emails, event reminders for open houses, and curriculum overviews. A segmented approach, where emails are tailored to different stages of the admission journey, can significantly improve conversion rates. Sending personalized content based on user interaction, such as downloadable brochures, testimonials, and exclusive invitations, keeps families engaged throughout the decision-making process.
5. Use Video Marketing to Showcase Your School’s Culture
Video content is one of the most effective ways to give prospective families an immersive experience of your school. Creating high-quality video tours, faculty introductions, and student testimonials can provide a dynamic look into daily life at your institution. Highlighting classroom environments, extracurricular activities, and real-world student experiences can create an emotional connection with families.
Short-form videos on platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok can help boost engagement among younger audiences, while long-form content on YouTube and your website can provide in-depth insights. Hosting live virtual tours where prospective families can ask real-time questions enhances engagement.
6. Optimize Your Google My Business Profile
Many parents start their search for private schools on Google. A fully optimized Google My Business profile ensures your school appears in local search results with accurate contact details, reviews, and images. Encouraging satisfied parents to leave positive reviews can significantly enhance your school’s online reputation.
Regularly updating your profile with recent photos, upcoming events, and engaging posts can make your school stand out among competitors. Answering common parent inquiries directly on your profile, such as tuition costs and curriculum highlights, helps streamline decision-making. Additionally, responding promptly to positive and negative reviews demonstrates strong community engagement and builds trust with prospective families.
Example: This is what your private school looks like in search results when you optimize your Google My Business account. This essential feature provides an easily digestible snapshot of your institution, presents a professional image to web users, and makes it much easier for your target audience to find you.
Source: Groton School | Google
7. Host Virtual and In-Person Open Houses
In today’s digital landscape, virtual open houses offer a convenient way for parents to learn about your school from anywhere. In-person tours and interactive virtual sessions cater to a broader audience while answering common questions in real time.
A well-structured open house should include live presentations from school leaders, faculty members, and current students who can share their experiences. Offering breakout sessions for different grade levels or programs allows parents to focus on the most relevant aspects of your school.
Additionally, incorporating Q&A panels, video tours of classrooms and facilities, and even virtual meet-and-greet opportunities with teachers can help prospective families get a more personal feel for your school’s community. Recording these sessions and making them available on your website also ensures that families who couldn’t attend live still have access to the information.
Example: Queen Anne’s School makes it a priority to offer prospects a positive first impression through in-person “Open Morning” events and a virtual tour to showcase their beautiful campus. They also offer personal tours, group tours on site, taster days, and taster boarder experiences to accommodate every prospect’s preferences. Wow future students and their families by giving them a taste of your unique student life experience.
Source: Queen Anne’s School
8. Invest in Paid Digital Advertising
While organic traffic is essential, strategic paid advertising can help small private schools reach highly targeted audiences. Google Ads and Facebook Ads can be optimized to reach families searching for private school options in your area.
Displaying retargeting ads to parents who previously visited your website can help keep your school top-of-mind. Running A/B tests on ad creatives and messaging can improve ad performance and maximize return on investment.
9. Create Downloadable Resources to Capture LEADS
Providing valuable downloadable resources, like e-books, checklists, and guides, can encourage prospective families to share their contact information. For instance, a downloadable guide on “Choosing the Right Private School for Your Child” can position your institution as an industry expert while generating qualified leads. Interactive tools, such as school comparison charts and tuition calculators, can further engage visitors and increase conversion rates.
To maximize the effectiveness of downloadable resources, schools should ensure that these materials are highly relevant, visually appealing, and easy to understand. Including real-world examples, student success stories, or insights from school faculty can add credibility and value.
Additionally, placing lead capture forms strategically throughout the website, such as on admissions pages, blog posts, and program descriptions, can encourage more sign-ups. Schools can also create exclusive content for different stages of the enrollment journey, such as a “First-Time Parent’s Guide to Private School Admissions” or a “Step-by-Step Checklist for Enrollment Success,” providing tailored resources that guide families through the decision-making process. Regularly updating these materials ensures they remain relevant and aligned with current education trends.
10. Utilize Retargeting Strategies
Most parents don’t enroll immediately after visiting your website. Retargeting strategies, such as displaying ads to users who previously visited your site, can help keep your school top-of-mind. This ensures interested families receive gentle reminders to revisit your offerings and complete the application process. Email remarketing campaigns can also re-engage families who started but did not complete an application.
To enhance retargeting effectiveness, schools should segment their audience based on engagement levels, such as visitors who viewed tuition pages, downloaded an admissions guide, or attended a virtual open house. Personalized messaging, such as an email featuring student testimonials or a special enrollment incentive, can encourage hesitant families to take the next step.
Schools can also leverage dynamic display ads that adjust content based on a user’s previous website activity, like showing program-specific ads for those who viewed a particular course or highlighting upcoming admissions deadlines. Schools can effectively nurture leads and increase enrollment conversions using a multi-channel approach, combining retargeting ads with personalized email follow-ups.
Getting Professional Marketing Support Can Help Your Private School Grow
Navigating the complexities of digital marketing can be overwhelming, especially for small private schools with limited resources. That’s where expert guidance can make all the difference.
At Higher Education Marketing, we specialize in helping educational institutions maximize their online presence through customized inbound marketing strategies. Whether you need assistance with content creation, SEO, social media management, or lead nurturing, our team of education marketing experts ensures that your school effectively reaches its target audience.
With over 15 years of experience, we understand the nuances of school marketing ideas and tailor our solutions to your institution’s specific needs. Our digital marketing services include:
SEO Optimization
Paid Advertising Campaigns
Social Media Management
Website Development
Email Marketing Automation
Start Growing Your Private School Today
By embracing inbound marketing, your small private school can attract the right families, establish a strong online presence, and build a thriving school community. Whether you’re looking to optimize your digital strategy, refine your content marketing approach, or improve engagement through paid advertising, HEM is here to help.
The combination of a strong website, engaging blog content, an active social media presence, and targeted email marketing ensures that your school remains visible and competitive in the evolving field of education.
Struggling with enrollment?
Our expert digital marketing services can help you attract and enroll more students!
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: How do you market a small private school?
Answer: Traditional outbound marketing methods, such as print ads and direct mail, are costly and less effective in today’s digital market. Instead, try inbound marketing, a group of strategies that offer a cost-efficient and impactful way to attract, engage, and retain families interested in your school.
Question: How to market a new private school?
Answer: The key is to build trust and provide the right information at the right time. Parents today research extensively before choosing a school for their children. Though many outbound strategies remain relevant today, namely to increase visibility, offer useful content, address concerns, and showcase your school’s strengths. Inbound marketing can position your institution as the best choice.
“Global law firms have for years played an outsized role in undermining the judicial process and in the destruction of bedrock American principles.” —Executive Order (3-14-25)
“Law firms refuse to represent Trump opponents in the wake of his attacks” — The Washington Post (3-25-25)
The wolf is at the door.
Those who do not yet realize this may be forgiven for perhaps two reasons: They do not know the wolf is ravenous, and they do not know the door is ajar.
To get but a whiff of this, just read Brad Karp’s March 23 memo to his colleagues at the Paul Weiss firm, from which the title of this edition of FAN gets its title.
Also this, from MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin:
[The attacks on law firms] began with Trump issuing executive actions punishing three firms — Covington & Burling, which did not react; Perkins Coie, which fought back and won a partial temporary restraining order; and Paul Weiss, which ultimately capitulated to a deal announced last Thursday, the terms of which are still a matter of some debate. But the president has now directed Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a memo issued Friday night, to seek sanctions “against attorneys and law firms who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation against the United States.”
Now back to the Paul, Weiss controversy.
A little background at the outset to help set the retributive stage: According to Wikipedia, Karp “is a bundler for Democratic Party presidential candidates . . . having raised sums for the presidential campaigns of Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, and others.”
In other words, if Trump was out for political retribution, Karp was a perfect target. And then consider this: One of Karp’s former partners was Mark Pomerantz, author of “People vs. Donald Trump: An Inside Account,” which details the attempt to prosecute former president Donald Trump, written by one of the lawyers who worked on the case and who resigned in protest when Manhattan’s district attorney refused to act.
And now on to the Executive Order from March 14, “Addressing Risks from Paul Weiss.” Excerpts below:
In 2022, Paul Weiss hired unethical attorney Mark Pomerantz, who had previously left Paul Weiss to join the Manhattan District Attorney’s office solely to manufacture a prosecution against me and who, according to his co-workers, unethically led witnesses in ways designed to implicate me. After being unable to convince even Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that a fraud case was feasible, Pomerantz engaged in a media campaign to gin up support for this unwarranted prosecution.
Additionally, Paul Weiss discriminates against its own employees on the basis of race and other categories prohibited by civil rights laws. Paul Weiss, along with nearly every other large, influential, or industry leading law firm, makes decisions around ‘targets’ based on race and sex.
My Administration is committed to ending such unlawful discrimination perpetrated in the name of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies and ensuring that Federal benefits support the laws and policies of the United States, including those laws and policies promoting our national security and respecting the democratic process.
Now, the Weiss law firm’s memo in response, from Brad Karp:
Brad Karp
Only several days ago, our firm faced an existential crisis. The executive order could easily have destroyed our firm. It brought the full weight of the government down on our firm, our people, and our clients. In particular, it threatened our clients with the loss of their government contracts, and the loss of access to the government, if they continued to use the firm as their lawyers. And in an obvious effort to target all of you as well as the firm, it raised the specter that the government would not hire our employees.
We were hopeful that the legal industry would rally to our side, even though it had not done so in response to executive orders targeting other firms. We had tried to persuade other firms to come out in public support of Covington and Perkins Coie. And we waited for firms to support us in the wake of the President’s executive order targeting Paul, Weiss. Disappointingly, far from support, we learned that certain other firms were seeking to exploit our vulnerabilities by aggressively soliciting our clients and recruiting our attorneys.
We initially prepared to challenge the executive order in court, and a team of Paul, Weiss attorneys prepared a lawsuit in the finest traditions of the firm. But it became clear that, even if we were successful in initially enjoining the executive order in litigation, it would not solve the fundamental problem, which was that clients perceived our firm as being persona non grata with the Administration. We could prevent the executive order from taking effect, but we couldn’t erase it. Clients had told us that they were not going to be able to stay with us, even though they wanted to. It was very likely that our firm would not be able to survive a protracted dispute with the Administration.
Commentary:
President Donald Trump’s crackdown on lawyers is having a chilling effect on his opponents’ ability to defend themselves or challenge his actions in court, according to people who say they are struggling to find legal representation as a result of his challenges.
[Such executive orders and pressured settlements set] an ominous precedent for future presidents to exploit. . . . [H]ow can a lawyer who is considering representing a politically controversial client know that she will not be targeted the next time control of the White House changes hands? The safest course of action will be to avoid representing clients of any political salience, right or left, even if their cause is just.
Related
Constitutional scholars on the Trump Administration’s threats against Columbia University
We write as constitutional scholars — some liberal and some conservative — who seek to defend academic freedom and the First Amendment in the wake of the federal government’s recent treatment of Columbia University.
The First Amendment protects speech many of us find wrongheaded or deeply offensive, including anti-Israel advocacy and even antisemitic advocacy. The government may not threaten funding cuts as a tool to pressure recipients into suppressing such viewpoints. This is especially so for universities, which should be committed to respecting free speech.
At the same time, the First Amendment of course doesn’t protect antisemitic violence, true threats of violence, or certain kinds of speech that may properly be labeled ‘harassment.’ Title VI rightly requires universities to protect their students and other community members from such behavior. But the lines between legally unprotected harassment on the one hand and protected speech on the other are notoriously difficult to draw and are often fact-specific. In part because of that, any sanctions imposed on universities for Title VI violations must follow that statute’s well-established procedural rules, which help make clear what speech is sanctionable and what speech is constitutionally protected.
Yet the administration’s March 7 cancellation of $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University did not adhere to such procedural safeguards. Neither did its March 13 ultimatum stipulating that Columbia make numerous changes to its academic policies — including the demand that, within one week, it “provide a full plan” to place an entire “department under academic receivership for a minimum of five years” — as “a precondition for formal negotiations regarding Columbia University’s continued financial relationship with the United States government.”
Signatories
Steven G. Calabresi Clayton J. and Henry R. Barber Professor of Law, Northwestern Law School
Erwin Chemerinsky Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, Berkeley Law School
David Cole Hon. George J. Mitchell Professor in Law and Public Policy, Georgetown University Law Center
Michael C. Dorf Robert S. Stevens Professor of Law, Cornell Law School
Richard Epstein Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Law, NYU School of Law
Owen Fiss Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law, Yale Law School
Aziz Huq Frank and Bernice J. Greenberg Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School
Pamela Karlan Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law, Stanford Law School
Randall Kennedy Michael R. Klein Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Genevieve Lakier Professor of Law, Herbert and Marjorie Fried Teaching Scholar, University of Chicago Law School
Michael McConnell Richard and Frances Mallery Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
Michael Paulsen Distinguished University Chair and Professor, St. Thomas Law School
Robert Post Sterling Professor of Law, Yale Law School
David Rabban Dahr Jamail, Randall Hage Jamail, and Robert Lee Jamail Regents Chair in Law, University of Texas Law School
Geoffrey R. Stone Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School
Nadine Strossen John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School
Eugene Volokh Thomas M. Siebel Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Keith Whittington David Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law School
SCOTUS denies review in case urging that Sullivan be overruled
Wynn v. Associated Press (issue: Whether this Court should overturn Sullivan’s actual-malice standard or, at a minimum, overrule Curtis Publishing Co.’s expansion of it to public figures)
On the Trump administration targeting campuses
The United States is home to the best collection of research universities in the world. Those universities have contributed tremendously to America’s prosperity, health, and security. They are magnets for outstanding talent from throughout the country and around the world. The Trump administration’s recent attack on Columbia University puts all of that at risk, presenting the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s. Every American should be concerned.
Until recently, it was a little-known program to help Black and Latino students pursue business degrees.
But in January, conservative strategist Christopher Rufo flagged the program known as The PhD Project in social media posts that caught the attention of Republican politicians. The program is now at the center of a Trump administration campaign to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in higher education.
The U.S. Education Department last week said it was investigating dozens of universities for alleged racial discrimination, citing ties to the nonprofit organization. That followed a warning a month earlier that schools could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life.
The investigations left some school leaders startled and confused, wondering what prompted the inquiries. Many scrambled to distance themselves from The PhD Project, which has aimed to help diversify the business world and higher education faculty.
Zoom webinar on strategies to combat attacks on free speech in academia
Thursday, March 27, 2025, 1:00 – 2:00 PM ET
As efforts to silence dissent grow more aggressive, the immediate and long-term threats to our constitutional freedoms — especially in educational institutions — cannot be ignored.
This virtual panel will bring together top legal minds and policy experts to examine how these actions affect student activists, journalists, and marginalized communities. Together, we’ll explore the legal strategies needed to safeguard First Amendment rights and resist the erosion of civil liberties.
Featured Panelists: Maria Kari, Human Rights Attorney Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-03) Jenna Leventoff, Senior Policy Counsel, ACLU Stephen F. Rohde, MPAC Special Advisor on Free Speech and the First Amendment Whether you’re a student, educator, advocate, or supporter of civil rights, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
➡️ Register today and join us in defending the values that define our democracy.
Whittington on diversity statements and college hiring
Keith Whittington
The University of California is the godfather of the use of so-called diversity statements in faculty hiring. I have a piece forthcoming at the Nebraska Law Review arguing that such diversity statement requirements for general faculty hiring at state universities violate the First Amendment and violate academic freedom principles everywhere. It seems quite likely that in practice such diversity statement requirements are also used to facilitate illegal racial discrimination in faculty hiring.
The University of California system’s board of regents has now put an end to the use of such diversity statements at those schools. This is a truly remarkable development. Not unreasonably, this decision is being put in the context of the Trump administration’s extraordinary attack on Columbia University, a move that I think is both lawless and itself a threat to academic freedom. But there’s no question that it got the attention of university leaders across the country, and if it encourages some of them to rededicate themselves to their core institutional mission and its central values then at least some good will come of it. So silver linings and all that.
Trump rails against portrait at the Colorado Capitol
Institute for Free Speech files brief in campaign disclosure-fee case
The case is Sullivan v. Texas Ethics Commission. The issue in the case is whether — and if so, under what circumstances — the First Amendment permits the government to require ordinary citizens to register and pay a fee to communicate with their government representatives.
Amicus brief here. Counsel of record: Alan Gura. The Institute’s brief argues that the 1954 precedent of United States v. Harriss no longer reflects modern First Amendment jurisprudence and fails to protect the right to speak anonymously about matters of public policy.
Forthcoming book by Princeton’s president on campus free speech
The president of Princeton, a constitutional scholar, reveals how colleges are getting free speech on campuses right and how they can do better to nurture civil discourse and foster mutual respect
Conversations about higher education teem with accusations that American colleges and universities are betraying free speech, indoctrinating students with left-wing dogma, and censoring civil discussions. But these complaints are badly misguided.
In Terms of Respect, constitutional scholar and Princeton University president Christopher L. Eisgruber argues that colleges and universities are largely getting free speech right. Today’s students engage in vigorous discussions on sensitive topics and embrace both the opportunity to learn and the right to protest. Like past generations, they value free speech, but, like all of us, they sometimes misunderstand what it requires. Ultimately, the polarization and turmoil visible on many campuses reflect an American civic crisis that affects universities along with the rest of society. But colleges, Eisgruber argues, can help to promote civil discussion in this raucous, angry world — and they can show us how to embrace free speech without sacrificing ideals of equality, diversity, and respect.
Urgent and original, Terms of Respect is an ardent defense of our universities, and a hopeful vision for navigating the challenges that free speech provokes for us all.
Forthcoming scholarly article on AI and the First Amendment
This paper challenges the assumption that courts should grant outputs from large generative AI models, such as GPT-4 and Gemini, First Amendment protections. We argue that because these models lack intentionality, their outputs do not constitute speech as understood in the context of established legal precedent, so there can be no speech to protect. Furthermore, if the model outputs are not speech, users cannot claim a First Amendment right to receive the outputs.
We also argue that extending First Amendment rights to AI models would not serve the fundamental purposes of free speech, such as promoting a marketplace of ideas, facilitating self-governance, or fostering self-expression. In fact, granting First Amendment protections to AI models would be detrimental to society because it would hinder the government’s ability to regulate these powerful technologies effectively, potentially leading to the unchecked spread of misinformation and other harms.
2024-2025 SCOTUS term: Free expression and related cases
Cases decided
Villarreal v. Alaniz(Petition granted. Judgment vacated and case remanded for further consideration in light of Gonzalez v. Trevino, 602 U. S. ___ (2024) (per curiam))
Murphy v. Schmitt (“The petition for a writ of certiorari is granted. The judgment is vacated, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit for further consideration in light of Gonzalez v. Trevino, 602 U. S. ___ (2024) (per curiam).”)
TikTok Inc. and ByteDance Ltd v. Garland (The challenged provisions of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.)
Review granted
Pending petitions
Petitions denied
Free speech related
Thompson v. United States (decided: 3-21-25/ 9-0 w special concurrences by Alito and Jackson) (interpretation of 18 U. S. C. §1014 re “false statements”)
This article is part of First Amendment News, an editorially independent publication edited by Ronald K. L. Collins and hosted by FIRE as part of our mission to educate the public about First Amendment issues. The opinions expressed are those of the article’s author(s) and may not reflect the opinions of FIRE or Mr. Collins.
