SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: THE MARKETING AND PROMOTION OF ALABAMA COMMUNITY ...

144 Pages·2012·0.88 MB·English

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: THE MARKETING
AND PROMOTION OF ALABAMA
COMMUNITY COLLEGES

by
CHRISTOPHER FRANKLIN
KARRI HOLLEY, COMMITTEE CHAIR
DAVID HARDY
MICHAEL HARRIS
CLAIRE MAJOR
AARON KUNTZ

A DISSERTATION

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Doctor of Education in the
Department of Educational Leadership,
Policy, and Technology Studies
in the Graduate School of
The University of Alabama

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

2012
Copyright Christopher Franklin 2012
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ABSTRACT

Recruiters and marketers within the Alabama Community College System are tasked
with increasing enrollment at their institutions. The methods of accomplishing this goal include
traditional strategies as well as new and emerging ones. Unlike personnel at other institutions of
higher learning, however, community college recruiters and marketers have a unique mission
that shapes their promotional strategies. Community colleges have historically tried to offer
“something for everyone” as part of their programming. With limited resources, recruiters and
marketers at Alabama community colleges must often decide if providing generic messages that
reach the largest number of potential students will provide better results than targeted messages
to the many diverse populations historically served by the community college.
The purpose of this study was to investigate how marketing and recruiting professionals
at Alabama’s community colleges promote their institutions. The study examined strategies such
as marketing to a diverse group of students balanced with developing focused messages which
speak to individual needs. Some questions to consider were:
1. How do college employees collaborate across organizational departments to develop
marketing and recruiting messages;
2. How do community colleges utilize formal marketing and recruiting plans to reach
potential students; and
3. What are the marketing and recruiting messages being sent by the institutions?
This qualitative study examined the experiences and perceptions of key community
college employees responsible for the development and practice of marketing and recruiting for
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their institutions, and currently enrolled students at their colleges. The key employees included
the president, public information officer, and recruiter. Additionally, document analysis and a
review of social media outlets examined the development and practice of marketing and
recruiting at the community colleges involved in the study.

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DEDICATION

To my parents, Jim and Nancy Franklin, who gave me the opportunities to learn lessons
in education, love, and life.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

One of my favorite poems is Ulysses. My favorite line in that poem is “I am a part of all
that I have met.” That is how I think of this dissertation. It has become a part of all that I have
met through so many ways. There are some who I would like to acknowledge specifically for
staying with me through this journey and helping me stay “strong in will to strive, to seek, to
find, and not to yield.” First, I want to thank my family, specifically my parents Jim and Nancy.
Also, thanks to Susan, Kim, Carlie, Jack, Tessa, and Alex for providing support, encouragement,
and a laugh when I needed it most. To my grandparents Joe, Etta, and Barbara, who showed me
the value and need for both common sense and a formal education. To Margaret Godwin, who
taught me more in my life than I could ever learn from a book. To special friends, Lynn, Jerry,
Ora, Audrey, Debbie, Dana, Kristi, Regina, Tasha, Chris, Sherry, and Kristen, thank you for
listening some days and for asking question some other days; they both helped. To my best
friend Camie Huett, I want to say thank you for your support. Hopefully this will be your last
dissertation.
I want to extend a special thank you to my dissertation committee – Dr. David Hardy, Dr.
Michael Harris, Dr. Claire Major, and Dr. Aaron Kuntz. I appreciate you all giving your time
and energy to help me reach my goal. A special thank you goes to my chair, Dr. Karri Holley.
To say that I could not have done this without you would be an understatement. Your support
has been invaluable and I will never forget that you never gave up on me, even when I thought
about giving up on myself.
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Finally, to my friend Nakia Robinson. To quote Francis Mulcahy, “Look on the bright
side: When they tell us to serve our time in Purgatory, we can say, no thanks, I've done mine.”
After this is all over, I will have a few extra letters behind my name, but what is more important,
I will have a friend for life.

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CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...............................................................................................................v
LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................................................x
LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... xi
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................1
Purpose of the Study ..............................................................................................................3
Research Questions ................................................................................................................4
Traditional Mission of the Alabama Community College .....................................................5
History and Mission of the Alabama Community College ...................................................8
Alabama Community College System Current Data ...........................................................11
Organization and Culture of the Community College .........................................................13
Alabama Community College System Public Relations Association (ACCSPRA) ....15
Summary and Framework ....................................................................................................17
CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................19
Guiding Framework .............................................................................................................21
Developing a Marketing Audit and Market Goal ................................................................24
Analyzing Market Opportunity ............................................................................................26
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Setting Market Objectives.....................................................................................................30
Developing and Stating Market Strategies and Tactics ........................................................31
Target Marketing .........................................................................................................35
Relationship Marketing ................................................................................................38
New and Emergent Strategies ......................................................................................41
Implementing the Plan .........................................................................................................48
Assessment of the Plan .........................................................................................................50
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................51
CHAPTER IIII: METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................53
The Problem ..........................................................................................................................54

Population .............................................................................................................................55
Sample ..................................................................................................................................56
Western State Community College ..............................................................................57
Eastern State Community College ...............................................................................58
Southern State Community College.............................................................................58
Methods ................................................................................................................................62
Research Design................ ...................................................................................................65
Trustworthiness .....................................................................................................................72
Summary ...............................................................................................................................73
CHAPTER IV: RESULTS OF THE STUDY ...............................................................................75
Major Themes of the Study....................................................................................................76
The Lack of a Cohesive and Collaborative Promotional Message ..............................78

Formal Marketing and Recruiting Plans are not Utilized ............................................82

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The Colleges are Focused on Traditional Recruiting Methods and Recruiting
Traditional Students .....................................................................................................88

Involvement of Currently Enrolled Students in the Development of Marketing
and Recruiting Messages and Strategies ...................................................................100

Summary ..............................................................................................................................104

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ..........................................................106

How Do College Employees Collaborate Across Organizational Departments to Develop
Marketing and Recruiting Messages? ..................................................................................108

How Do Community Colleges Utilize Formal Marketing and Recruiting Plans to Reach
Potential Students? ...............................................................................................................109

What are the Marketing and Recruiting Messages Being Sent by the Institutions? ............110

Recommendations from the Study .......................................................................................111

Implications for the Guiding Framework .............................................................................115

Recommendations for Future Research ...............................................................................117

Limitations ............................................................................................................................118

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................119

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................121
APPENDICES
A. Interview Protocols ...............................................................................................126
B. Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval .........................................................128

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