You’re under increased pressure to make better, data-informed decisions. However, most colleges and universities don’t have the budget to build the kind of data team that drives strategic progress. And even if you can hire, you’re competing with other industries that pay top dollar, making it hard, if not impossible, to find the right data resource with all the skills to move your operation forward. Don’t let hiring roadblocks make you settle for siloed insights and stagnant dashboards.
In this webinar, Jeff Certain, VP of Solution Development and Go-to-Market, and Dan Antonson, AVP of Data and Analytics, break down how a managed services model can help you create a high-impact data team at a fraction of the cost and give you access to a robust bench of highly specialized data talent. They will also share some real-world examples of nimble, high-impact data teams in action.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or trying to scale a lean team, this session will offer practical, flexible strategies to get there faster — and more cost-effectively.
If you are a data-minded decision-maker in higher ed or a cabinet-level leader being asked to do more with less, this webinar is for you.
Jeff Certain
VP of Solution Development and Go-to-Market
Collegis Education
Dan Antonson
AVP of Data and Analytics
Collegis Education
It’s time to move past the piecemeal approach and start driving real outcomes with your data. Complete the form to reserve your spot! We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, August 26.
You’re sitting on mountains of student data scattered across CRMs, SIS, LMS, and advising tools. Systems don’t talk. Dashboards are disconnected. And AI? Not even close. Without connection, context, or clarity, that data is nothing more than a headache and a barrier to impact.
In this webinar, Bryan Chitwood, Director of Data Enablement, breaks down how you can start building your students’ Digital Twin and turn your fragmented data into real-time, actionable intelligence. We’ll show you how unified student data profiles fuel more innovative outreach, personalized engagement, and predictive insights across the student lifecycle.
If your campus is drowning in data but starving for strategy, this is the conversation you need.
If you are a data-minded decision-maker in higher ed or a cabinet-level leader being asked to do more with less, this webinar is for you.
Bryan Chitwood
Director of Data Enablement, Collegis Education
Complete the form on the right to reserve your spot! We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, July 24.
In today’s competitive higher education landscape, institutions can no longer afford to rely on instinct alone when it comes to academic program planning. The stakes are too high and the margin for error too slim.
Leaders are facing increasing pressure to align their portfolios with market demand, institutional mission, and student expectations — all while navigating constrained resources and shifting demographics.
The good news? You don’t have to guess. Market intelligence offers a smarter, more strategic foundation for building and refining your academic program mix.
Most institutions have at least one program that’s no longer pulling its weight — whether due to declining enrollment, outdated relevance, or oversaturated competition. At the same time, there are often untapped opportunities for growth in emerging or underserved fields.
But how do you decide which programs to scale, sustain, or sunset?
Optimizing your portfolio requires more than internal performance metrics. It calls for an external lens — one that brings into view national and regional trends, labor market signals, and consumer behavior. When done effectively, academic portfolio strategy becomes less about trial and error, and more about clarity and confidence.
The strongest portfolio strategies begin with robust external data. At Collegis Education, we draw from sources like the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS), Lightcast labor market analytics, and Google search trends to assess program performance, student demand, and employment outlooks.
National trends give us the big picture and a foundation to start from. But for our partners, we prioritize regional analysis — because institutions ultimately compete and serve in specific geographic contexts, even with fully online programs. Understanding what’s growing in your state or region is often more actionable than knowing what’s growing nationwide.
Our proprietary methodology filters for:
This data-driven process helps institutions avoid chasing short-term trends and instead focus on sustainable growth areas.
Higher ed is hard — but you don’t have to figure it out alone. We can help you transform challenges into opportunities.
Collegis’ latest program growth analyses — drawing from 2023 conferral data — surface a diverse mix of high-opportunity programs. While we won’t detail every entry here, a few trends stand out:
What’s most important isn’t the specific programs, it’s what they reveal: external data can confirm intuition, challenge assumptions, and unlock new strategic direction. And when paired with regional insights, these findings become even more powerful.
Having market data is just the beginning. The true value lies in how institutions use it. At Collegis, we help our partners translate insight into action through a structured portfolio development process that includes the following:
By grounding these decisions in both internal and external intelligence, institutions can future-proof their portfolios — driving enrollment, meeting workforce needs, and staying mission-aligned.
Program portfolio strategy doesn’t have to be a guessing game. With the right data and a trusted partner, institutions can make bold, confident moves that fuel growth and student success.
Whether you’re validating your instincts or exploring new academic directions, Collegis can help. Our market research and portfolio development services are built to support institutions at every step of the process — with national insights and regional specificity to guide your next move.
Higher ed is evolving — don’t get left behind. Explore how Collegis can help your institution thrive.
Let’s cut to it: Higher ed is sprinting toward the AI revolution with its shoelaces untied.
Presidents are in boardrooms making bold declarations. Provosts are throwing out buzzwords like “machine learning” and “predictive modeling.” Enrollment and marketing teams are eager to automate personalization, deploy chatbots, and rewrite campaigns using tools like ChatGPT.
The energy is real. The urgency is understandable. But there’s an uncomfortable truth institutions need to face: You’re not ready.
Not because you’re not visionary. Not because your teams aren’t capable. But because your data is a disaster.
Somewhere along the way, higher ed started treating AI like a miracle shortcut — a shiny object that could revolutionize enrollment, retention, and student services overnight.
But AI isn’t a magic wand. It’s more like a magnifying glass, exposing what’s underneath.
If your systems are fragmented, your records are outdated, and your departments are still hoarding spreadsheets like it’s 1999, AI will only scale the chaos. It won’t save you – it’ll just amplify your problems.
Take the California State University system. They announced their ambition to become the nation’s first AI-powered public university system. But after the headlines faded, faculty across the system were left with more questions than answers. Where was the strategy? Who was in charge? What’s the plan?
The disconnect between vision and infrastructure was glaring.
Elsewhere, institutions have already bolted AI tools onto outdated systems, without first doing the foundational work. The result? Predictive models that misidentify which students are at risk. Dashboards that contradict themselves. Chatbots that confuse students more than they support them.
This isn’t an AI failure. It’s a data hygiene failure.
Before your institution invests another dollar in AI, ask these real questions:
If the answer is “not yet,” then congratulations — you’ve found your starting point. That’s your AI strategy.
Because institutions that are succeeding with AI, like Ivy Tech Community College, didn’t chase the trend. They built the infrastructure. They did the work. They cleaned up first.
Let’s be honest: there’s no shortage of vendors selling the AI dream right now. Slick demos, lofty promises, flashy outcomes. But most of them are missing the part that actually matters — a real, proven plan to get from vision to execution.
This is where Collegis is different. We don’t just sell transformation. We deliver it. Our approach is grounded in decades of experience, built for higher ed, and designed to scale.
Here’s how we help institutions clean up the mess and build a foundation that makes AI actually work:
Our proprietary Connected Core solution connects systems, eliminates silos, and creates a single source of truth. It’s the backbone of innovation — powering everything from recruitment to reporting with real-time, reliable data.
We don’t just implement tools. We align technology to your mission, operational goals, and student success strategy. And we help you implement AI ethically, with governance frameworks that prioritize transparency and accountability.
We transform raw data into real insights. From integration and warehousing to dashboards and predictive models, we help institutions interpret what’s really happening — and act on it with confidence.
We help you reimagine how your institution operates. By identifying inefficiencies and eliminating redundancies, we create more agile, collaborative workflows that maximize impact across departments.
Our solutions enable personalized student engagement, supporting the full lifecycle from inquiry to graduation. That means better conversion rates, stronger persistence, and improved outcomes.
Clean data isn’t a project — it’s a prerequisite. It’s the thing that makes AI more than a buzzword. More than a dashboard. It’s what turns hype into help.
And when you get it right, the impact is transformational.
“The level of data mastery and internal talent at Collegis is some of the best-in-class we’ve seen in the EdTech market. When you pair that with Google Cloud’s cutting-edge AI innovation and application development, you get a partnership that can enable transformation not only at the institutional level but within the higher education category at large.”
— Brad Hoffman, Director, State & Local Government and Higher Education, Google
AI can only be as effective as the foundation it’s built on. Until your systems are aligned and your data is trustworthy, you’re not ready to scale innovation.
If you want AI to work for your institution — really work — it starts with getting your data house in order. Let’s build something that lasts. Something that works. Something that’s ready.
Curious what that looks like? Let’s talk. We’ll help you map out a real, achievable foundation for AI in higher ed.
You stuck with me to the end? I like you already! Let’s keep the momentum going. If your wheels are turning and you’re wondering where to start, our Napkin Sketch session might be the perfect next step. It’s a fast, collaborative way to map out your biggest data and tech challenges—no pressure, no sales pitch, just a conversation. Check it out!
Higher ed is evolving — don’t get left behind. Explore how Collegis can help your institution thrive.
In higher education, it’s easy to feel stuck.
You know something isn’t working — maybe enrollment processes are clunky, or student support services feel disconnected. You’ve tried new tools, updated systems, created initiatives to create change, and added staff, but the problem persists. It’s like there’s a giant boulder in your way, and no matter how hard you push, it doesn’t budge.
It turns out, you don’t need a bulldozer – just a napkin sketch to start building momentum to move the boulder standing in the way.
It’s a surprisingly simple concept, using visual design thinking exercises to help colleges and universities get unstuck. Not with more tech, or a fancy AI solution, but with more clarity to understand how things work today to create a framework for change tomorrow.
Because real innovation in higher education doesn’t come from software or a technology — it starts with understanding the systems and the processes you already have so you can visualize what they could be.
The napkin sketch is exactly what it sounds like: a back-of-the-napkin-style drawing that quickly maps out how a particular process actually works in your institution so it can be reimagined.
It’s low-tech, but high-impact.
Think of it as building a gameboard for players to play. Like a Monopoly board, everyone knows the players, the rules, and the steps. It makes the choices that need to be made for each player’s turn clear. When these choices are laid out visually, it becomes much easier to pinpoint where the real opportunities (and challenges) are.
I usually start these sessions by asking one simple questions with a key follow-up
Then we get to work. Together, we sketch out the entire process: from first interaction to the final outcome. We account for every step, system, and stakeholder that’s involved. We highlight the costs, the tools and technology handoffs, potential delays, and where things might be falling through the cracks.
We typically conduct the sketch in a virtual drawing space, where we can collaborate in real time to map out the full process. It’s not about polished visuals — it’s about building a shared understanding of how things operate today.
And in about 60-90 minutes, we always have at least one person in the group say out loud “I didn’t realize that’s how it actually works.” And another will inevitably ask “You’re going to send us this napkin sketch, right? I want to print it out.”
Higher ed is hard — but you don’t have to figure it out alone. We can help you transform challenges into opportunities.
In our experience working with hundreds of institutions of all shapes and sizes, we’ve found that many face surprisingly similar challenges. This exercise consistently shines a light on hidden opportunities, creating a blueprint for change.
Common things we uncover include:
In short, the napkin sketch helps institutions see what’s really going on — and what needs to change to move forward.
Higher ed innovation often stalls because teams are too close to the problem or too deep in their own silo to see the bigger picture. The napkin sketch breaks through that by creating a space for everyone involved to step back and collaborate.
Here’s why it’s effective:
Most importantly, it shifts the focus away from jumping to solutions and toward understanding the system. Once you understand the system, smart solutions become much more obvious — and effective.
Whether it’s enrollment workflows, transcript processing, student communications, or data handoffs between systems or teams, the napkin sketch exercise can help untangle a wide variety of operational challenges. No two institutions are exactly alike, but many face similar complexities — manual processes, siloed teams, and unclear ownership that stall progress.
Here are a few discoveries we uncovered in recent napkin sketch sessions I’ve led:
In each case, the aha moment didn’t come from buying something new — it came from clearly seeing what was already happening so it could be improved upon.
If you’re wrestling with outdated processes, disconnected systems, or unclear handoffs — you’re not alone. Many institutions are trying to drive higher ed innovation with limited resources and overwhelming complexity.
But you don’t need to have all the answers right now. You just need a clearer view of the problem so you can develop a thoughtful solution.
That’s what the napkin sketch offers: a simple, collaborative way to map your reality, uncover opportunity, and take a smarter next step forward.
Let’s sketch it out — and see what we find!
Reach out to schedule your own session and take the first step toward smarter solutions.
AI is the latest buzzword in higher ed, but without a clear strategy and solid data, institutions risk overinvesting in additional products, platforms, and applications they can’t fully support or operationalize. Instead, take a step back and ask, “What’s the impact I want to achieve, and how can AI fit or support my broader goals?”
In this webinar, AI Jumpstart Kit: How to Build Toward IMPACT with AI in Higher Ed, Collegis Education’s AVP of Analytics & Technology Solutions, Dan Antonson, and Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation, Wes Catlett-Miller, will guide attendees through an interactive discussion about how to approach key use cases with AI in higher education. We’ll whiteboard out what an AI-enabled institution can look like, how it all works, and live demo actual AI initiatives Collegis has deployed for its partners.
No clunky PowerPoint slides. Just a clear path for approaching AI enablement.
College enrollment has been on a downward trend for the past decade. With more schools vying for fewer students, higher ed leaders are focusing more intently on what it takes to keep students engaged and–ultimately–enrolled.
As the student population modernizes and changes, so too must each institution’s approach to persistence.
In this e-book, we provide:
Fill out the form to download our e-book to learn how your school can create a student retention strategy that keeps students engaged from their first day through graduation.
Facing challenges in enrollment, retention, or tech integration? Seeking growth in new markets? Our strategic insights pave a clear path for overcoming obstacles and driving success in higher education.
Unlock the transformative potential within your institution – partner with us to turn today’s roadblocks into tomorrow’s achievements. Let’s chat.
In late 2021, the College of Western Idaho (CWI) needed to address a consistent enrollment decline and improve student retention. With an ambitious vision to improve and optimize its technological infrastructure and student outreach, CWI sought to build a best-in-class system to enhance student engagement and elevate enrollment strategies. To ensure that data and technology were aligned with CWI’s growth objectives, the college partnered with Collegis Education to analyze their combined impact. Were its data and tech aligned for impact, or were gaps hindering progress and creating unnecessary burdens across the team?
CHALLENGES:
SOLUTIONS:
Collegis Education and CWI began collaborating on building a best-in-class student journey from the point of initial inquiry through graduation.
A comprehensive evaluation of existing CWI systems allowed Collegis to assess the college’s digital readiness, technology infrastructure, and enrollment ecosystem to understand how they aligned with its growth objectives. The partnership quickly proceeded from consultation to implementation.
Collegis prescribed a set of solutions to enhance student engagement from first contact and elevate the school’s enrollment strategies:
Collaborating closely with CWI, Collegis developed a well-defined student retention strategy that established meaningful student-advisor relationships early on, ensuring students felt supported from their first interaction onward.
By working with Collegis, CWI could focus on its student journey and how it could better use data and technology to deliver superior student engagements and reach its growth targets. This has helped not only stop, but reverse historical enrollment declines. In 2024, CWI projected year-over-year growth for the sixth consecutive academic term. The school has achieved an average year-over-year term growth of 5%, with a trendline for fall 2024 of over 9% growth.
Value-based conversations with prospective students have resulted in increased applications. Further, pre-start engagement from the advising and student success coaching teams has increased registrations from admitted students.
By fostering a culture of meaningful interaction and support for students, CWI paved the way for improved student retention. The LMS-based at-risk model has driven 19,000+ proactive student engagements and interventions in one academic year.
Within just one year of implementing these targeted strategies, CWI witnessed a remarkable increase in retention rates, all while alleviating the workload on faculty and staff. Similar retention strategies deployed by other Collegis partner institutions have yielded term-over-term retention rates exceeding 90%, underscoring the effectiveness of our approach.
With a proven retention strategy and access to a proactive model, CWI can now build out its internal retention capabilities and plans to take over the student success coaching function.
CWI’s commitment to embracing change and being agile is demonstrated by the school’s evolving partnership with Collegis to exceed industry best practices and realize sustained growth. Ongoing services and incremental work are targeting LMS initiatives to stabilize, standardize, optimize, and transform CWI’s instance of Blackboard Learn and redesign its new student orientation, among other things.
Institution Type:
Community College
Location:
Treasure Valley, Idaho
Total Enrollment:
30,000+
Facing challenges in enrollment, retention, or tech integration? Seeking growth in new markets? Our strategic insights pave a clear path for overcoming obstacles and driving success in higher education.
Unlock the transformative potential within your institution – partner with us to turn today’s roadblocks into tomorrow’s achievements. Let’s chat.
In 2023, Saint Louis University’s (SLU) School for Professional Studies (SPS) celebrated its 60th anniversary. This offered a unique opportunity to highlight the school’s six decades of leadership and innovation in adult and online education — an area most schools have only recently entered. SLU partnered with Collegis to develop an integrated creative and digital campaign to bring this new messaging to market.
SLU has a storied history and expertise in online and adult education — a key advantage for aspiring adult learners. Collegis was challenged with bringing this message to market in an impactful way, which was achieved through an awareness media campaign centered on newly produced brand video content.
The videos amplify the authentic voices of real SLU students, showcasing diverse narratives about educational experiences and outcomes. Going beyond campus, the production captured moments at students’ homes and workplaces. These personal glimpses help viewers identify with the subjects and build trust in the brand, illustrating SLU’s understanding of adult learners’ wants and needs.
Collegis then developed a paid media strategy that included connected TV (CTV) and cross-device video to maximize impact through multiple touchpoints. The campaign’s primary objective was driving awareness, which was measured by video completion rate, brand lift, and brand search impact.
The 60th anniversary campaign was successful in raising awareness of SLU’s School for Professional Studies. The data supports that the awareness media contributed significantly to both brand health and revenue goals. The results were as follows:
287% return on ad spend for the campaign
5.9 million CTV and cross-device video impressions throughout Missouri and Illinois
89% video completion rate
10.7% lift in brand awareness, 3.5% ad recall lift, and 4.2% lift in consideration
541% increase in brand PPC spend while reducing cost per conversion by 44%
1,050% increase in brand PPC conversions YoY
About Saint Louis University
Institution Type:
Catholic, Jesuit institution
Location:
St. Louis, Missouri
Student Enrollment:
13,500
Services:
Key Results:
Facing challenges in enrollment, retention, or tech integration? Seeking growth in new markets? Our strategic insights pave a clear path for overcoming obstacles and driving success in higher education.
Unlock the transformative potential within your institution – partner with us to turn today’s roadblocks into tomorrow’s achievements. Let’s chat.
With the volume of programs outpacing demand from prospective students, schools that want to stay competitive will have to rethink their marketing strategies to grow enrollment. Let’s explore five key components to optimizing your digital marketing for higher education.
Leverage your data to understand how prospective students engage with your school’s online presence. Connecting website, social media, email marketing, and other data can help your marketing team identify trends, optimize marketing channels, and strategically allocate resources.
Read more: Data-Driven Strategies to Increase Enrollment
Content marketing is the heart of a long-term, organic online presence optimization as it builds authority and boosts search engine optimization (SEO). Utilize SEO best practices to guide your content, then embrace analytics to understand audience engagement and finetune your strategy.
Read more: Capturing Interest: Content Marketing for Higher Education
Paid media still has an important place at the table for a healthy higher education marketing strategy. Balance content marketing with paid media — which is particularly useful for targeting and nurturing specific audiences — to get the most out of the digital landscape.
Read more: Rethinking Paid Media’s Role in the Marketing Mix
Artificial intelligence (AI), such as chat bots, can create a more efficient student experience. Our work suggests that students who use chat bots have a conversion rate over 2x higher than those who do not. AI can be used for predictive analytics and personalized marketing strategies, with new developments emerging regularly.
Read more: Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
For any strategy to be as successful, marketing and admissions teams need to work together. Break down the silos to create a collaborative culture, sharing data and engagement insights to best serve students and grow enrollments.
Read more: Marketing and Admissions: Better Together
Embracing a holistic approach to a higher education marketing strategy is key to rising above the crowded market and reaching students. This takes time, expertise, and an understanding of which marketing technology tools are worth investing in. Collegis is the expert in leveraging data and technology to create comprehensive marketing strategies that grow enrollment. Need help? The innovation enablers at Collegis are ready to get to work on your strategy.
Higher ed is evolving — don’t get left behind. Explore how Collegis can help your institution thrive.