Higher Ed Pulse

We are thrilled to announce that Jenny Li Fowler, who is the Director of Social Media Strategy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and author of a brand new book called “Organic Social Media”, will be joining Enrollify as host of Season 2 of our podcast, Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager.

Jenny has spent her career working in social and is currently in charge of developing and executing institute-wide social media initiatives for more than 200 departments, labs, and centers. She also manages MIT’s flagship Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts. Before MIT, she served as Social Media Manager and Web Editor for the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Jenny is a recurring correspondent for Hubspot's INBOUND and a recognized voice across the social media marketing space.

In this new season, Jenny covers the do's, don'ts, and dynamics of the complex, challenging, and changing social media ecosystem. Together with other higher ed social media managers, she’ll bring on the podcast, she’ll analyze the successes and failures of those in the higher education social space — what went right, what went wrong, and what are the lessons learned. You can also expect novel and actionable steps so you can push past the pitfalls others have faced. No matter if you're on a team of 20 or a team of one, you’re bound to find something of value in this podcast.

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About the Show:

Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager covers the do's, don'ts, and dynamics of the complex and challenging social media ecosystem. We analyze the successes and failures of those in the higher education social space — what went right, what went wrong, and what are the lessons learned. We’ll share actionable steps so you can push past the pitfalls others have faced. No matter if you're on a team of 20 or a team of one, we've got you covered.

Confessions of a Higher Ed Social Media Manager is hosted by Jenny Li Fowler and is a proud member of the Enrollify Podcast Network.

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Connect With Our Co-Hosts:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

Seth Odell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethodell/
https://twitter.com/sethodell

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.

Attend the 2025 Engage Summit!
The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the next generation of student engagement, supercharged by AI. You'll leave ready to deliver the most personalized digital engagement experience every step of the way.

Register now to secure your spot in Charlotte, NC, on June 24-25, 2025! Early bird registration ends February 1st -- https://engage.element451.com/register

How should colleges and universities measure the impact of branding and marketing? In Episode 7 of How to Market a University, Terry Flannery answers this question by introducing listeners to short-term, medium-term, and long-term measures of results, progress, and ROI.

Furthermore, Terry unpacks the KPIs that Higher Ed CMOs should be held accountable to, she discusses who from leadership should be involved in marketing goal setting, and she offers a couple of unique frameworks for how to think about funding the marketing function at an institution effectively.

Register for Enrollify’s Mastercourse on How to Market a University with Terry Flannery.

Learn more about this episode in our show notes.

More About the Series:

The How to Market a University Podcast series features vignettes of Dr. Teresa Flannery’s book, How to Market a University.

Terry Flannery has spent her entire career in higher education. She was the first marketing director and chief marketing officer at the University of Maryland, the first Vice President of Communications at American University, and most recently the interim vice president for marketing and communication at Stony Brook University.

At a time of declining public support, a shrinking pipeline of traditional college-bound students, and a steady rise in tuition and discount rates, higher education leaders have never been under more pressure.

How can they ensure steady or growing enrollments while cultivating greater philanthropic support, increasing research funding, and diversifying revenue streams?

In How to Market a University, Terry argues that institutions can meet all of these goals by implementing strategic integrated marketing in ways that are consistent with academic culture and university values.

Enrollify and Terry have joined forces to produce Enrollify’s first-ever Mastercouse that mirrors the robust learnings and deep insights packed into Terry’s book. Over the next eight weeks, this special podcast series will give you a taste of what you can expect in the Mastercourse.

But that’s it...just a taste! To unpack all of the language, frameworks, tools, and tactics that CMOs or aspiring CMOs will need to lead the work of marketing in higher education, we invite you to register for the Mastercourse on How to Market a University at www.enrollify.org/mastercourse.

This Mastercourse features guest experts like Seth Odell, Jenny Petty, Jaime Hunt, Ethan Braden, Michael Stoner, Angela Polec, Binty Harvey, Bob Johnson, and many more. It’s also filled with downloadable templates and worksheets to help you retain the course material.

And last but certainly not least, this course was made possible by the leading agencies in higher education marketing who came together to support this effort.

We want to thank SimpsonScarborough, Mindpower, DD Agency, and Ologie for their incredible guidance and partnership.

Register for the Mastercourse on How to Market a University here.

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Connect With Our Co-Hosts:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea

Seth Odell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sethodell/
https://twitter.com/sethodell

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.

Attend the 2025 Engage Summit!
The Engage Summit is the premier conference for forward-thinking leaders and practitioners dedicated to exploring the transformative power of AI in education. Explore the strategies and tools to step into the...

In this special episode of the Higher Ed Pulse podcast series, recorded live at the American Marketing Association (AMA) conference, Mallory Willsea speaks with Dan Giroux, AVP of Advancement Communications & Stewardship at Drexel University. With a focus on personalized engagement, operational efficiency, and AI-powered predictive analytics, Dan shares insights on leveraging technology to enhance advancement efforts and build meaningful relationships with donors.

Key Takeaways

• AI’s Role in Advancement: AI tools, like ChatGPT, offer efficiency and personalization opportunities in advancement, filling gaps for teams with limited resources.
• Predictive Analytics Potential: AI can transform donor engagement by analyzing data to inform outreach strategies, predict giving patterns, and improve campaign development.
• Institutional AI Integration: The higher education sector awaits seamless AI integration within existing platforms, which will likely drive widespread adoption in advancement.
• Practical Use Cases for AI in Advancement: From drafting content to strategic donor engagement, AI provides practical solutions to ongoing challenges in advancement.
• Continuous Learning with AI: For advancement professionals, embracing AI through regular exploration and experimentation is essential to staying ahead in the evolving higher ed landscape.

Why Does AI Matter in Advancement?
The podcast opens with Dan explaining the importance of AI in advancement efforts, especially as these teams face increasing demands and limited resources. AI provides ways to automate tasks, personalize engagement, and support decision-making—all critical in the alumni and donor relations space. By using AI tools, advancement teams can streamline workflows and communicate more effectively with constituents, enhancing overall efficiency without adding headcount. This is especially useful for content creation, such as personalized donor thank-yous, targeted emails, and solicitations, which often require a consistent tone of voice and branding.

Addressing Resource Constraints with AI
Mallory and Dan discuss a significant challenge in advancement: open positions and budget constraints. Dan notes that Drexel University’s advancement team has faced unfilled positions for two years. For teams stretched thin, AI serves as a valuable tool to tackle basic but essential tasks, like generating first drafts of communications or tailoring messages to different donor levels. This capability not only relieves pressure on understaffed teams but also ensures a more personalized experience for constituents. AI allows smaller teams to handle large volumes of content and maintain a cohesive voice, a function once dependent on extensive editorial guidelines.

Current AI Tools in Advancement: Are We There Yet?
Mallory inquires about AI’s integration into existing tech stacks within advancement. Dan explains that while some AI features are starting to appear in niche tools, broader integration into major platforms like Salesforce or Anthology Encompass is still in its early stages. Institutions are beginning to explore AI’s potential, with tools like “AI gift officers” gaining attention, though the landscape is still developing. Without comprehensive institutional support, many professionals are experimenting with AI independently, often without clear guidance. As more universities form task forces to evaluate ethical AI use, these technologies will likely become better integrated into the advancement workflow.

Predictive Modeling and Donor Engagement
The conversation turns to predictive analytics as a promising AI use case in advancement. Dan suggests that AI’s potential for donor engagement lies in analyzing donor history to create targeted outreach and even develop customized offers. By understanding constituent patterns, advancement teams can make strategic decisions about where to invest their time and resources. While true AI-driven predictive modeling in advancement may not yet be fully realized, this approach could transform campaign development and improve ROI by identifying the most promising donor segments.

Preparing for Strategic Shifts in Advancement Marketing
Looking ahead to his AMA session, Dan previews how he plans to address ongoing strategic shifts in advancement marketing. Drawing on his experience at Drexel, he’ll discuss how teams can stay adaptable and evolve even as industry changes continue to accelerate. Attendees can expect insights on managing advancement amidst shifting priorities and learning to position advancement as a strategic university partner. These themes resonate across advancement, university marketing, and college-based roles, making them applicable for a broad audience seeking to elevate their strategies.

The Value o...

In episode one of this special four part series on branding in higher ed, Zach and Ian Evenstar (founder and CEO of Unincorporated) unpack the importance of brand manifestos.

This episode is chalked full of knowledge and advice for higher ed. Some key topics covered include...

• Defining brand in simple terms
• Exploring the core components of a brand manifesto
• Examining successful brands outside of and inside of higher ed
• Presenting a framework for how folks should develop a brand manifesto

Brand Camp is made streamable by Unincorporated - a higher education agency committed to building engagement, growing enrollments, and solving major challenges facing universities, schools, and academies.

Brand Camp is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Our podcast network is growing by the month and we’ve got a plethora of marketing, admissions, and higher ed technology shows that are jam packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks all designed to empower you to be a better higher ed professional. Our shows feature a selection of the industry’s best as your hosts. Learn from Mickey Baines, Jeremy Teirs, Jaime Hunt, Corynn Myers, Jaime Gleason and many more.

Learn more about The Enrollify Podcast Network at podcasts.enrollify.org. Our shows help higher ed marketers and admissions professionals find their next big idea — come and find yours!

Mallory and Seth dive into the significance of personal branding, especially in today's volatile job market. They share personal stories and actionable advice on how to build and maintain a personal brand that stands out. From leveraging LinkedIn to the power of newsletters and speaking engagements, this episode is packed with tips for higher ed professionals at any stage of their career.

Key Takeaways

• Audit Your LinkedIn Profile: Ensure it reflects your current skills and professional image.
• Identify Your Expertise: Define what you want to be known for and focus your content around these themes.
• Engage in Content Creation: Start posting on LinkedIn or other platforms to share your knowledge and insights.
• Build Relationships: Networking and personal branding go hand-in-hand; invest in building meaningful connections.
• Embrace Conflict: Don't shy away from sharing controversial or challenging opinions; it can drive engagement and growth.
• Use Tools: Leverage analytics tools like Shield App to optimize your LinkedIn strategy.

Related Links:

https://engage.element451.com/register

https://hbr.org/2024/05/your-personal-brand-needs-a-refresh-heres-where-to-start

https://www.shieldapp.ai/

https://mailchi.mp/ashleybudd/inbox?mc_cid=f252eae153&mc_eid=481c140c8a