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Market Issues
A-HEC: What is your advice on implementation of marketing
programs to other higher education executives? You have been successful at expanding your reach beyond the local area.
Is this something that you would recommend, and, if so, what is important to consider?
AL: My most important advice is that any image enhancement has to be in harmony with the institutional
mission. You can’t be all things to all people. You need to say what you mean and deliver what you say.
Extending beyond the local region is a decision that should be made based on how competitive your program and institution
is in that environment. So, looking at competitive positioning is key in that respect.
A-HEC: What do you consider to be most distinctive about the Peirce programs?
Why?
AL: As mentioned previously, Peirce provides an educational experience with no geographical or physical
boundaries and features the same high quality across all three delivery lines. We believe that this represents “academic
freedom” for the intelligent education consumer.
In addition to institutional accreditation by Middle States Association, Peirce also provides the degree specific accreditations
students are looking for. The Bachelor of Science and Associate in Science degrees and the Certificate of Proficiency in Paralegal
Studies are approved by the American Bar Association (ABA). The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)
endorses Peirce College’s Bachelor of Science and Associate in Science degrees and the Certificate of Proficiency in
Business Administration.
We focus on the practical side of the baccalaureate level and have found that our combination of flexibility and quality
is very competitive in the market.
A-HEC: It appears that putting entire programs online has been a major success for
Peirce, and Peirce has been a major beneficiary of being ahead of the curve in this regard. How do you see the competitive
landscape evolving for Peirce for online degrees for career-oriented individuals?
AL: Many traditional institutions have been putting degrees online primarily at the graduate level.
At the undergraduate level the large majority of traditional institutions are committed to a campus-based experience and online
is a supplement to the campus experience. So, we believe that Peirce’s online undergraduate degrees compete well
with traditional institutions. As for the for-profit institutions, we feel that our 139 year tradition, accredited degrees,
and quality services will continue to compete well.
A-HEC: Can non-profit institutions grow at the amazing rate of some of the for-profit
institutions focused on career-oriented education? Should more non-profits be considering a growth-oriented strategy?
How do you see the competition between non-profit and for-profit schools evolving?
AL: There is no question that the market opportunity is large and growing. The competitive landscape
is also very complex. The for-profit institutions have set some high expectations that will get harder and harder to
deliver on as they get larger and larger. Recently we have seen some backlash and reduced valuations as a result of
unmet expectations.
At Peirce we are focusing on planned incremental growth. We see double-digit growth as positive and achievable,
but, most importantly; it must be manageable to maintain our standards.
The higher education establishment is focused more on traditional models.
Leaders need to think more about public accountability and economic realities. Costs are continuing to rise and
economic uncertainty abounds. The price to the student is a fraction of the actual costs. A key question is to what
level the taxpaying public will continue to subsidize such a model. Through technology, some institutions, such as Peirce,
have been able to facilitate growth at a price students can afford and are competitive with for-profits and subsidized public
institutions.
A-HEC: Do you find that there is increased competition in developing corporate relationships
and, if so, what is the best approach to serving your corporate partners/sponsors?
AL: The world of work is experiencing rapid change. In corporate relationships it is important
to demonstrate value-add. At Peirce this value add comes from teaching on-site and working with the students to cover
actual and relevant real world experiences and case studies. By combining this with our high quality curriculum we achieve
a real value-add. We also provide the benefit of being able to serve a corporation that is geographically dispersed
with our online capabilities.
At Peirce we have implemented an accelerated degree model. This is a tried and true model that has been used by
many for 25 years. We have multiple start points throughout the year, which allows us to customize the schedule for
a corporate partner, while maintaining integration and consistency of quality.
A-HEC: Finally, do you have any predictions on the types of strategic partnerships
we will see emerging among institutions or between institutions and corporations to meet the ever expanding lifelong learning
needs of adults?
AL: We have a current relationship with eCollege as our e-Learning platform provider. We think
this is an example of a sophisticated, contractual, 21st century partnership that we engaged in only after looking at all
of the alternatives. While our relationship with eCollege is very close, Peirce maintains control over all content-related
issues, which is key to quality assurance. The advancement of technology to support teaching and learning is vital to
our mission.
We have spent a large amount of time studying the healthcare and banking industries because we believe that there may
be lessons to be learned from the evolution of these industries for higher education. This is not to say that we should
repeat their mistakes, but we believe there may be indications as to where our industry may be going. However, our programming
focus on workforce and economic development will continue to guide us through changing times. Our commitment to working
adult learners will remain steadfast.
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"My most important advice is that any image enhancement has to be in harmony with the institutional mission.
You can’t be all things to all people."
----------------------------------
"Extending beyond the local region is a decision that should be made based on how competitive your program
and institution is in that environment."
----------------------------------
"We focus on the practical side of the baccalaureate level and have found that our combination of flexibility and quality
is very competitive in the market."
----------------------------------
"At the undergraduate level the large majority of traditional institutions are committed to a campus-based
experience and online is a supplement to the campus experience. So, we believe that Peirce’s online undergraduate
degrees compete well with traditional institutions."
----------------------------------
"As for the for-profit institutions, we feel that our 139 year tradition, accredited degrees, and quality
services will continue to compete well."
----------------------------------
"Leaders need to think more about public accountability and economic realities. Costs are continuing to rise and
economic uncertainty abounds. The price to the student is a fraction of the actual costs. Through technology, some institutions,
such as Peirce, have been able to facilitate growth at a price students can afford and are competitive with for-profits and
subsidized public institutions."
----------------------------------
"We have spent a large amount of time studying the healthcare and banking industries because we believe that there may
be lessons to be learned from the evolution of these industries for higher education. This is not to say that we should
repeat their mistakes, but we believe there may be indications as to where our industry may be going."
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Click Here to download the entire interview
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