Category: alumni relations

If you’ve been in the business of higher education for any stretch of time, you’ve likely heard the old saw that the reason academic politics is so vicious is because the stakes are so small.

From the perspective of Larry D. Lauer, the author of Advancing Higher Education in Uncertain Times (2006, CASE), politics is a fact of life in a campus setting. If you don’t have the stomach for it, you’re better off finding a job in some other sector. (Good luck, though, finding a line of work where politics doesn’t come into play.)

So, politics are a fact of life in education. But these days the stakes are anything but small.

That’s Lauer’s take on the situation, anyway. Because just like every other major institution in the world, the enterprise of higher education is undergoing “swift and possibly fundamental changes,” Lauer writes in the introduction. “There is a different attitude toward the role of governments, who should support education, the responsibilities of students and parents, higher education as a competitive industry, and even the declining reputation of American institutions. Some would say it is an industry at risk. At minimum, it is an industry about to change – and change dramatically worldwide.”

Advancing Higher Education in Uncertain Times is Lauer’s prescription for managing these changes and thriving in the uncertain days ahead. Not surprisingly, Lauer, a vice chancellor of marketing and communication at Texas Christian University who frequently speaks about and consults on integrated marketing topics, advocates a leading role for institutional advancement – especially marketing – in ensuring higher education’s success.

There’s good reason that Lauer is one of higher ed’s leading champions for integrated marketing. Throughout Advancing Higher Education in Difficult Times, Lauer consistently preaches the gospel of IM – sometimes boldly, often subtly. For instance, he advocates a marketing focus for strategic planning, explaining that “institutional marketing is a way of thinking, not a way of commercializing. It is a way to involve leadership in analytical processes that position an institution for managing change.” Most of us from the advancement side of higher ed will nod vigorously in agreement, even if our top administrators and the faculty haven’t yet bought into the notion.

Lauer’s book begins with an overview of the state of the world — touching on global terrorism, shifts in governmental philosophies, etc. — and its impact on higher education. He then moves on to describe the qualities of an ideal leader and to promote institutional advancement’s importance in charting the future course for colleges and universities. (For readers outside the higher ed biz: “institutional advancement” refers to the collection of school employees involved in fundraising, alumni relations, marketing and communications, and in some cases, student recruitment/enrollment management.) From there, Lauer drills down to discuss more tactical issues – such as how to conduct a communications audit, how to connect marketing efforts with the campus’ strategic planning and my favorite chapter, “Learning to Love the Politics.”

As a primer on the challenges facing higher ed and the role advancement professionals – especially marketers – should play in helping their universities cope, Lauer’s book is fine. It’s greatest value to practitioners may be the concrete how-to information it offers about conducting a communications audit or creating buy-in on campus. The appendices – two guides for developing either a marketing-driven strategic plan or a mission-driven marketing plan and a case study from a Canadian university, reprinted from CASE’s magazine, Currents – also provide valuable guidance. Lauer’s pragmatic take on university politics should also prove worthwhile to many readers.

My one disappointment in the book was its lack of attention to the role technological change is certain to play in higher ed – especially in advancement. In the chapter on alumni relations, for example, Lauer discusses the importance of an institutional web site and notes that electronic newsletters to alumni “will remain critical components of the electronic mix.” But there’s no discussion about how universities can use social networking sites like LinkedIn or Facebook might help alumni relations professionals build networks among alumni. Likewise, little is said anywhere about technology’s impact on media relations, the rise of blogging and viral video, or the use of RSS feeds to get our information to alumni, prospective students or other audiences. Overall, though, I like what Lauer has to say about the future of higher education and the importance of our work as advancement professionals. This book should be a valuable addition to any university marketer’s library.

Read an excerpt from Advancing Higher Education in Uncertain Times, by Larry D. Lauer.