Introduction

The recent downturn in the economy has prompted considerable dialogue among higher education enrolment professionals across North America. Many believe that during tough economic times, institutions of higher learning can expect to experience a surge in demand. Experienced enrolment professionals recognize that such trends may hold true at a systems level; however, at the institutional level there will likely be wide variation in the level of enrolment demand that is experienced. Over recent months, there have been a variety of news reports on the potential implications of a slowing economy on higher education. Some of the critical questions posited include:

• Will the nature of student demand change?
• Will higher education be valued as an investment?
• Will the cost of education become a greater factor in students' choice of institution?

This month's e-newsletter focuses on the substantive issues and potential strategies which have been raised in response to the slowing of the economy, including:

1. Impact of the Economy on Student Demand
   • Higher Education- An Opportunity or Cost
   • Student Expectations within an Uncertain Economy
   • Demand for Public Colleges and Universities
   • Demand for Graduate Education
   • A Focus on Employability Skills
   • Canada as a Destination for American Students
   • Implications for Private and Non-Traditional Education Providers
2. Education as an Investment
3. Fund-Raising Realities and Strategies
4. Professional Development Resources

We welcome your feedback on the content of this e-newsletter, contributions on Canadian best practices, and suggestions for articles and books of relevance to SEM practitioners.

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Faculty-Delivered Student Recruitment Strategies (Innovative Educators webinar), February 26

Customer Service Workshop (Community College of Baltimore County), March 2-4

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To learn more about the events, please contact (800) 494-3710 or info@semworks.net

  I. Impact of the Economy on Student Demand

Higher Education - An Opportunity or Cost

• Universities and the Great Depression: Then and Now? - During the 1930s, Canadian students faced severe financial challenges, and universities cut budgets, salaries, and jobs. York University historian Paul Axelrod observes in Academic Matters that while there would be some "haunting echoes" as a recession looms, there are a few stark differences between the Great Depression and now that might soften the blow of a severe economic downturn on universities. Read more
• Bad economy can be opportunity for education. With the global economic downturn squeezing everybody's pocket, spending thousands of dollar to go back to school may be unappealing, but for some it will be the key to long-term success. Read more

Student Expectations within an Uncertain Economy

• New Grads Have Great Expectations: - Nearly two-thirds of recent or soon-to-be PSE graduates believe current economic conditions will have either a positive or no impact on their post-graduate plans, according to an online survey conducted for BMO Bank of Montreal. Read more

Demand for Public Colleges and Universities

• Slow growth adds fuel to the enrolment debate - Applications from high school students to Ontario universities have continued to increase (by 1.1%) this year, according to preliminary numbers released by the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC). However, the rate of growth has slowed. Read more

Demand for Graduate Education

• Grad schools brace for upswing in applications: With entry-level job postings down as much as 25 per cent, Canadian graduate schools are bracing for an increase in applications for next year as students opt to stay in school longer rather than enter the work force at a time of economic uncertainty. (Article must be purchased). Read article
• Class dismissed, and depressed Post-undergraduate enrolment is climbing dramatically across the country, weeks ahead of registration deadlines. Rumour is rampant. (Article must be purchased) Read article

A Focus on Employability Skills

• Educational institutions need to work more closely with business - Results from a new poll conducted for Polytechnics Canada indicate that nine in ten (91%) say Practical Training More Important in Getting Laid Off Workers Back on the Job than Theoretical Education. Read more
• The skilled trades dilemma - Students are clamouring for spots in community colleges while employers are desperate for trained workers. But Canadian schools are struggling to keep up with demands. Read more
• Enrolment boom at NL trade schools: Enrolment growth at trade schools in Newfoundland and Labrador is being attributed to the impact of the economic downturn on work at Alberta oil fields. Read more

Canada as a Destination for American Students

• The Canadian Alternative Americans should think about Canada, not just as a place to get bargain prescription drugs, but as a quality, low-cost college alternative. This article presents a list of reasons why. Read more
• Canada: passport to higher ed, lower cost - Schools from Toronto to Halifax say many students in the Boston area and throughout the region are drawn by the allure of an international college experience relatively close to home. The number of Americans studying abroad has more than doubled in the past decade, and high school counselors say the influx to Canada reflects a broader trend of students attending foreign universities full time. Read more

Implications for Private and Non-Traditional Education Providers

• Private Colleges Worry About Dip in Enrollment - A new survey of private college and university presidents finds that fund raising, endowments, the availability of student aid, institutional debt, and student enrollment lead the list of campus economic concerns as the fall 2008 semester comes to an end. Read more
• Apollo Group, Inc. Reports Fiscal 2009 First Quarter Results up 24% - The parent company of the University of Phoenix and Fredericton-based Meritus University, reported that total degreed enrolment in the first quarter grew over 18%. Read more
• Who Needs a 5-Day Schedule? - When the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline peaked at more than $4 in July, a number of colleges and universities around the country were already experimenting with four-day - or shorter - workweeks to ease the load on their students' pocketbooks. Read more
• Open Education: A New Paradigm - With the demand for educated professionals outpacing the growth of the population with required skills, an "open education" model may help close the gap, writes Michael King in the latest issue of University Business. Read more

  II. Education as an Investment

• Investment in Post-secondary Infrastructure will Contribute to Canada's Economic Recovery - The federal budget responds for call for infrastructure investments in Canada's universities and colleges.
  Canada's Economic Action Plan 2009
  Investment in Post-secondary Infrastructure will Contribute to Canada's Economic Recovery
  Federal Budget Infrastructure Lacking for College Enhancements
  Government Answers Student Call for PSE Infrastructure Spending
• 'Permatemp' academics a looming crisis for universities - From the 1980s onward, various governments cut back on their funding, putting tremendous pressure on administrators to scale costs while enrolment and student-faculty ratios escalated. Read more
• Tougher to recruit talent: universities- Generation of researchers, teachers retiring - Canadian universities face increasing global competition to recruit and retain talent at a time when they also must deal with the retirement of a generation of researchers and teachers, says a report released yesterday to university presidents at their annual AUCC meeting. Read more

  III. Fund-Raising Realities and Strategies

• GLOBAL: Universities lose billions as recession deepens - Few higher education institutions around the world appear to have escaped the collapse of financial markets. In Asia, Africa, North America, Europe, Britain, and down under in Australia and New Zealand, universities have been hit hard as the value of their investments in property and shares and, in many cases, their income from diverse sources crumples. Read more
• Forecasting Slower Growth in Fund Raising - A new forecasting tool projects that giving to schools and colleges will increase by 5.3 percent over the next year, representing overall growth, but, given weaker economic conditions, below the 7 percent average annual growth rate over the last 20 years. Read more
• CASE offers tips on fundraising during financial crisis: The Council for Advancement and Support of Education offers some general guidance about fundraising efforts during the current market turmoil. Fundraisers should spend more time with donors to foster and strengthen relationships that will endure once the economic situation stabilizes. Fundraisers should understand a donor's own circumstances, then explore options that would allow the donor to continue to express their commitment. Schools should carefully review their current fundraising performance against previous years and adjust projections accordingly. Read more
• During Economic Downturn, Penn's Center for High Impact Philanthropy Guides Educational Philanthropists. - The Center for High Impact Philanthropy at the University of Pennsylvania has released its first investment guide for philanthropists seeking to make a meaningful impact on a core issue in the U.S. educational system: stopping the flood of at-risk students who fail to develop the skills necessary to become productive, self-reliant adults. Read more

  IV. Professional Development Resources

• SEM WORKS - 7 Ways to Effectively Engage Faculty in the Recruitment Process
  Thursday, February 26th - 1:00-3:00 EST More info
• SCUP. New Directions in Planning essays, which are an online part of and a companion to the SCUP book, A Guide to Planning for Change (Norris and Poulton, 2008).
  See book review
• AACRAO - SEM and Institutional Success: Integrating Enrollment, Finance and Student Access Read more