EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Qualitative

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Qualitative Quantitative
Research
for University Advancement
and Student Affairs Divisions
California State University, NorthridgeAugust 6,
2007
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I. Freshman Transfer Student RecruitmentKey
Audience Research
Conducted Spring 2007 for CSUN Division of
Student Affairs
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Project Objectives

• 
  
• Gain a better understanding of the motivations
  and decision factors of high school seniors and
  community college students involved in the
  college application process.
• Obtain insights into the current perspectives of
  potential applicants and their advisors regarding
  CSUN.
• Inform future positioning and communications
  strategies in order to recruit a larger number
  of academically prepared students.

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Research Methodology

• INTERNAL
• Strategic Briefing Session
• Current CSUN Student Focus Groups
• Communications review
• Recruiter focus group
• EXTERNAL
• College-bound High School Community College
  Student Focus groups (6)
• College Counselors Interviews (18)
• High School and Community College Student
  Surveys (591 respondents 7
  high schools, 2 community colleges)

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OVERVIEW CSUN Image Awareness

• High level of name recognition little
  understanding of academic programs/activities.
• Overall impressions were neutral to good.
• General agreement regarding attractive campus,
  suburban/urban experience.
• Best programs business, education,
  entertainment, music, speech pathology/deaf
  studies and engineering.
• A place to get a good, solid education may not
  offer the college experience some may be
  seeking.
• Does a very good job of preparing students for
  success in the real world.

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CSUN Image (continued)

• Location is a plus and a minus.
• Perceived as very easy to get into
• CSUN is not for the prestige conscious.
• The school of choice for those who want to attend
  a 4-year college and stay close to home.
• Re nomenclature, both Cal State Northridge and
  CSUN have a place
• - Cal State Northridge is formal and
  prestigious - CSUN is friendly
  and approachable.

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College Counselor Mind Set

• View each student as an individual
• Seek to find the right fit GPA, finances,
  family dynamics, location, comfort with size of
  school, etc.
• Students see college counselors as allies
• Correlation between time invested by universities
  and recruitment success
• Personality of recruiter is key to success

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College Counselor Mind Set (continued)

• CSUN has excellent faculty (teaching focus a
  positive for students, may limit the school
  reputation vis a vis research).
• Do not believe it can be the top choice for the
  4.0 students.
• Do believe can be school of choice for 3.0-3.7
  students for specific programs and/or if finances
  an issue.
• Primary competition is CSUs and less competitive
  UCs, plus UCs using the transfer strategy.
• Handling of accepted students is not always
  timely, personal or organized may cause loss of
  students.

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Other Influencers

• Parents are influential for high school students
  but rarely the final decision makers.
• Parents roles diminish substantially with
  community college students.
• Independent college counselors do not appear to
  be a significant factor in these schools

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Student Decision Making Trends

• Overall institution reputation is important, but
  most students go deeper and look carefully at
  individual majors and programs.
• Factors that most frequently influence college
  decisions are
  - visits to campus
  - academic
  opportunity
  
  - preparation for a good job
  
  - overall reputation
  
  - specific majors
  
  
• Communication via multiple channels email,
  websites, in person, phone calls and written
  letters.
• Do not use Instant and text messaging, online
  chats or blogs
• Attending state school for 2 years to minimize
  expenses a growing trend
• -

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Student Decision Making Trends (continued)

• Competitive UCs actively encouraging high school
  students to pursue a transfer strategy
• Ultimately, students are comfortable making
  college choices that they believe are right for
  them, despite what their parents, counselors or
  friends think.
• -

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CSUN Recruitment Perceptions

• Varies by school site, from very positive to
  somewhat negative.
• Positive schools had active CSUN representatives
  who carried out a variety of activities at the
  school site
• Negative schools felt CSUN representatives not
  always available, couldnt answer questions or
  relate to students, information not always timely
  or accurate.
  
• Getting students to visit CSUN is critically
  important

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CSUN Recruitment Materials

• In focus groups, print information was viewed as
  attractive, organized and on par with other
  institutions
• In survey, only 1/3 of students felt materials
  increased their interest in the campus
• CSUNs communications, (electronic and print) are
  more compelling to community college students
  than high school students

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Question 1 Which of the following factors
influenced your decision on where to go to
college? (check all that apply)
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Top 10 factors influencing college decision
making
With only slight variations in rank order,
students at both high schools and community
colleges identify the same factors as being
influential in selecting the college they will
attend.
High school
Comm. College
Campus visit (58) 58 51
Academic opportunities 50 52
Info from website (45) 45 45
Will prepare me to get a good job 45 45
Has a great reputation (44) 44 57
Specific majors they offer 44 45
Its close to home (44) 44 55
Like the size (41) 41 35
Talked with current students 37 38
Its affordable (37) 37 36
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Question 2 a) What do you think are the best
ways for YOU to get information/communicate with
colleges, and b) What do you think are the best
ways for COLLEGES to communicate with
you? (check all that apply)
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Preferred method of communication
Students clearly prefer communicating with
colleges via a mix of email, websites, in person,
telephone and written letters there is very
little interest in using other methods for this
purpose.
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Question 3 During your college search process
a) Did you get information directly from CSUN
in any of the following ways, and b) How did
it affect your interest?
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Materials received from CSUN
About half the high school students and one third
of college students recalled receiving electronic
and print materials from CSUN about 1/3 had
personal contact with a CSUN representative at
some point in the process.
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Effect of Materials on Interest in CSUN
The materials and information received from CSUN
increased the interest about one third of high
school students. Impact on community college
students was greater for every type of media,
particularly personal contact with a CSUN
representative.
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Question 4 Please rate each of the following
statements about CSUN in two ways a) Do you
believe it is true or false? b) If it is true,
would it increase your interest in CSUN?
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Highest Credibility Statements - High School
Students
The majority of students have no opinion of CSUN
on most attributes. Of those who have opinions,
they are primarily positive. Items of note
include strong agreement with the first two
statements, and high number of students whose
friends and family do not think highly of CSUN
True False Dont Know
CSUN is the best of both worlds close to the excitement and opportunities of LA, but located in a nearby suburb 49 9 43
The CSUN campus is an attractive, park-like place 44 6 49
Some of CSUNs departments and programs are among the best in the U.S. (e.g. Cinema/TV, Music, Business). 34 6 61
CSUN has a thriving student residential community with students who live on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood. 33 5 62
CSUN cares about its students. 32 2 66
CSUN has state of the art buildings and facilities 30 2 68
CSUN offers plenty of on-campus cultural and entertainment opportunities for its students 26 2 72
My friends and family think highly of CSUN 26 25 49
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Highest Credibility Statements - College Students
Like high school students, nearly half of college
students believe that CSUN offers the best of
both worlds in terms of urban/suburban, and that
the campus is attractive. They are also slightly
more likely to believe CSUN has a thriving
student community, offers on campus cultural
opportunities and cares about their students.
True False Dont Know
CSUN is the best of both worlds close to the excitement and opportunities of LA, but located in a nearby suburb 53 5 43
The CSUN campus is an attractive, park-like place 43 7 50
CSUN has a thriving student residential community including students who live on campus and in the surrounding neighborhood. 41 6 53
CSUN offers plenty of on-campus cultural and entertainment opportunities for its students 40 2 58
CSUN cares about its students. 40 7 53
My friends and family think highly of CSUN 39 22 39
CSUN specializes in giving students hands-on learning so they can hit the ground running in their careers 37 5 57
CSUN has state of the art buildings and facilities 36 2 62
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Most influential
Statements

• Nearly half of these high school students and
  3/4 of community college students would be more
  interested in CSUN if they knew the following
  statements to be true
• Students from CSUN are well prepared and get into
  top graduate schools.
• Some CSUN departments and programs are among the
  best in the U.S.
• CSUN is the best of both worlds close to the
  excitement and opportunities of LA, but located
  in a nearby suburb.
• CSUN specializes in giving students hands-on
  learning so they can hit the ground running in
  their careers.
• There are plenty of on-campus cultural and
  entertainment opportunities for students.
• There are many internship opportunities preparing
  students for grad school/workplace.
• CSUN campus is very safe.
• CSUN cares about its students.
• CSUN campus is an attractive, park-like place.
• CSUN has outstanding faculty who truly care about
  their students.

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• II. Quantitative Study of
  Alumni and Friends of
  California State University,
  Northridge
• Conducted for California State University
  Northridge
• University Advancement
• Spring 2007

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Research Objectives

• Update and compare the benchmark study conducted
  in 2002, taking the pulse of alumni donors,
  alumni non donor prospects and Friends.
• Include an additional audience Found alumni
  (graduated 1958-1979, have been receiving
  communications for 2 years).
• Explore additional topics.
• Develop recommendations for refining
  communications strategies.

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OVERVIEW Perceptions of CSUN

• Overall perceptions of the University are
  positive, but general.
• Still no strong top of mind brand identity
  associated with the University.
• Positive shift in perceptions of quality of
  instruction and preparation for the workforce,
  among Alumni donors and Alumni non donors.
  Friends opinions are unchanged.
• Overall quality of the institution, faculty
  quality and importance to the regional economy
  were rated very positively by over ¾ of
  respondents.
• Cultural and community service contribution rated
  highly by over 2/3 of respondents.

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OVERVIEW Ratings of Key Attributes

• Quality of the student experience, customer
  service orientation, impact of alumni and
  research contribution pose the biggest
  challenges - only half the respondents give these
  high ratings.
• Compared with 2002 results, opinions on quality
  of instruction improved, ratings for economic
  importance and community service fell
  somewhat. Other attributes remained constant.
• There was an increase in the number of dont
  know responses to several questions,
  particularly the Presidents Priorities, which
  appears to have reduced the number of positive
  ratings.

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SUMMARY Top Ratings Given to CSUN
(rated
4 or 5 on a 5 point scale)
2002
2007
Quality of instruction 62 76
Overall quality of institution (not rated) 76
Quality of faculty 68 70
Workforce preparation 62 66
Importance to regional economy 76 63
Cultural contribution to region 64 58
Quality of student experience (not rated) 54
Community service contribution 62 51
Impact of alumni (not rated) 38
Customer service orientation (not rated) 35
Research contribution 34 35

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OVERVIEW Campus Visits

• Friends are more likely to have been on campus
  recently
• Top reason for visit is to attend a cultural
  event
• Campus visits have dropped significantly for all
  groups since 2002

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OVERVIEW Information Sources

• The majority feel they hear from CSUN every 1-6
  months, and are satisfied with that timing.
• Direct mail is by far the main source of
  information.
• Very few visit the website - those who do find it
  useful.
• About 3/4 of those who are aware of the
  Universitys publications find them valuable
  25-50 are not aware of specific publications.
• A correlation exists between those who read and
  value Northridge Magazine and Community_at_CSUN and
  those who give CSUN significantly higher than
  average ratings for cultural contribution
  community service contribution research
  contribution alumni impact, and success in
  strengthening connections to the community and
  enhancing private support for the University.

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Respondents who receive and value
Northridge Magazine

.
Respondents who reported they read Northridge
Magazine and found it valuable (rated it 4 or 5)
also had a statistically higher opinion of CSUN
than the general respondent population had, on
the following attributes.
Value Northridge
Full
Magazine sample

Rated the following attributes 4 or 5 on a five
point scale
Cultural contribution to the region (n552) 80 68
Community Service contribution (n503) 77 69
Research contribution (n429) 66 55
Impact of Alumni (n485) 66 56
Presidents Priority to strengthen community connection (n465) 81 71
Presidents Priority to enhance private support 81 70
n 429 the base sample size for each attribute,
made up of respondents who rated Northridge
Magazine and who also gave a response to the
attribute question (i.e. dont knows from both
questions were removed.)
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Respondents who receive and value
Community_at_CSUN

.
Respondents who reported they read Community_at_CSUN
and found it valuable (rated it 4 or 5) also had
a statistically higher opinion of CSUN than the
general respondent population had, on the
following attributes.
Value Community
Full _at_CSUN
sample
Rated the following attributes 4 or 5 on a five
point scale
Cultural contribution to the region (n458) 80 68
Community Service contribution (n416) 84 69
Quality of the Faculty (n482) 89 79
Research contribution (n358) 73 55
Impact of Alumni (n393) 74 56
Presidents Priority to strengthen community connection (n399) 88 71
Presidents Priority to enhance private support (n361) 84 70
n the base sample size for each attribute, made
up of respondents who rated Community_at_CSUN and
who also gave a response to the attribute
question (i.e. dont knows from both questions
were removed.)
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OVERVIEW Presidents Priorities
1. Strengthening connections to the community 2.
Enhancing private support of the University 3.
Maintaining a user friendly campus

• About 40 of respondents responded dont know
  to questions of how well the University was
  achieving the presidents priorities.
• However, of those who felt qualified to answer,
  over 70 felt the University is doing an
  excellent or good job on all three.
• Friends -- who visit campus more than the other
  groups -- gave the highest ratings in community
  connections and user-friendliness.

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OVERVIEW Personal Attachment to CSUN

• Alumni were asked to characterize their feelings
  about CSUN. The most prevalent emotion is
  gratitude, felt strongly by nearly 60 of alumni
  nearly half feel proud of their association with
  the University, about 1/3 feel strong sense of
  loyalty.

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OVERVIEW Personal Attachment to CSUN

• Almost 2/3 of alumni would be definitely or
  somewhat likely to encourage their own child
  attend CSUN.
• Most common reasons for sending their child to
  CSUN include the quality of education and the
  good reputation of the school.
• Most predominant reason for not encouraging their
  child to attend CSUN was location.

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Implications

• OVERALL MESSAGING
• Reframe current messaging into 3-4 clear and
  consistent themes that focus on attributes, that
  bring the strongest qualities of the University
  to the top of alumni and friends minds.
• PRESIDENTS PRIORITIES
• Intensify efforts across all media to provide
  specific evidence of how the University is
  strengthening ties to the community, enhancing
  private support and maintaining a user friendly
  campus.

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Implications

• CAMPUS VISITS
• Actively develop and promote reasons to come to
  campus, including athletic events, to cultivate
  stronger relationships with alumni
• COMMUNICATIONS
• Consider expanding publication distribution
• Re-orient communications from institution-centric
  focus to reader-benefit focus, better demonstrate
  the value and relevance of the University to its
  constituents.
• Communicate better internally (among departments,
  colleges, faculty and staff) regarding key
  message points.
• Use print media and email outreach to drive
  visits to the website

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Implications

• EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT
• Create specific message theme highlighting alumni
  and their feelings of gratitude toward the
  University.
• DEMOGRAPHICS
• Aggressively update lists or otherwise expand
  contact information to obtain a more diverse
  ethnic and age representation of both alumni and
  friends.

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Points of Intersection

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Common Perceptions

• The populations included in these two studies
  were notably different across key demographic
  variables, particularly age and ethnic
  background. Yet, they were strikingly similar in
  their perceptions of Cal State
  Northridge.
• Perceptions are positive to neutral awareness
  is high, in-depth understanding is low.
• There is interest in learning more compelling and
  relevant information about CSUNs programs and
  people.
• Communications must be through multiple channels.
• Communications tone and focus must be
  audience-centric.
• Getting people to visit campus is key to building
  and strengthening bonds among all audiences

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Discussion