The Impact of IT on the Institution Brand

According to the 2015 Survey of Admissions Directors, half of admissions directors were very concerned about meeting their enrollment goals for the 2015-16 academic year, and 58 percent did not meet their goals. Naturally, this trend initiates discussion and debate.  Where are the students going?  What is driving them?

With any challenge today, technology often emerges – is it the answer?  Or is it the changing target market – or is it the costs and the rising issues around student debt?  In either direction we can be of one certainty – there is a change.  And with change comes evolution.  If you are part of an IT organization for Higher Ed you are no doubt feeling the pressure.

How will you evolve to meet these emerging challenges?  What will you do to help align with the school’s strategic goals – whether that manifests as self-service, increased breadth of services, student experience, response times – you will be asked to jump higher – taking a hard look at where you fall when it comes to maturity of your IT organization is a good start.  Are you reactive?  Do you have a systematic process? Are you optimized?  Are your resources appropriately deployed?

All of these factors contribute to the overall student experience, and ultimately the brand and reputation of the organization.  What steps are you taking to move your organization further?