This document provides a marketing analysis and recommendations for the Department of Community and Public Health at Idaho State University. It includes a SWOT analysis, industry and competitor analyses based on research. Key findings are that high school students, undecided college students, and those interested in health careers should be targeted. Face-to-face contact and purchasing student names are important tactics. The top competitors are other public health programs within 200 miles. Recommendations focus on increasing awareness of public health careers and the department's program.

1. Jessie James, Faisal Alotaibi, Zayed Almulayfi, Mohammed Almutairi
SERVICESMARKETING, FALL 2015 | PROFESSORJOHN NEY
Marketing Project
THE DEPARTMENTOF COMMUNITYAND PUBLIC HEALTH

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary…………………………………………….2
Research and Analysis………………………………………….3
SWOT Analysis…………………………………………...3
Industry Analysis………………………………………….3
Competitor Analysis………………………………………4
Interview………………………………………………......7
Focus Group……………………………....……………….9
Survey……………………………………………………11
Outside Research………………………………….……..13
Target Market…………………………………………….16
Marketing Recommendations…………………........................16
Resources Used…………………..............................................20

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I. Executive Summary
The department of Community and Public Health has existed for more than twenty years
and recently combined the Department of Health Education and Promotions with the Master of
Public Health. The purpose of the department is to prepare students to work in the field of Health
Education, become a Certified Health Education Specialist, further their studies in a professional
health program, and serve their communities as health education specialists. The DCPH offers a
Master of Public Health or Bachelor of Health Education. The bachelor has three emphases:
Community/Worksite, School Health, and Addictions Option. Students can also take classes to
become a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. The major components of this deliverable will
consist of research and analysis and marketing recommendations based on our analyses.
1. Research and Analysis: The purpose of this section is to analyze the DCPH, gather opinions
about recruiting and communication channels, look at competitors, and establish the target
market.
a. SWOT Analysis: This analysis lists the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats facing the DCPH.
b. Industry Analysis: This analysis looks for trends in the public health industry and
how they may affect college public health programs.
c. Competitor Analysis: This analysis looks at competitors within a 200-mile radius
of ISU; information was gathered by searching competing programs’ websites.
d. Interviews
i. Craig Joseph: Our interview with Craig Joseph centered on most and least
effective recruitment tactics, trends in recruiting students, and what
geographical regions students are recruited from.
ii. Melissa Orgill: We emailed questions to Melissa Orgill asking about the
program itself.
e. Focus Group: This analysis gathered information from actual health education
students about their awareness of public health prior to joining the program, how
they found information about the program, or would have preferred to find out
about it, and what methods they suggested for raising awareness about public health.
f. Outside Research: This section introduces three research studies that provide
insight into the most and least effective recruiting tactics, as well as preferred
communication channels by college-bound students.
g. Target Market: This section identifies what we believe to be the target market on
which the DCPH should focus its marketing efforts.
2. Marketing Recommendations: Finally, this section offers marketing recommendations
based on all of the above research we have completed.
Key findings are as follows:
 High school students, college students who are undecided, and college students who are
undecided, but interested in health professions should be targeted by the DCPH.
 The top reasons students choose ISU are location, affordability, and convenience.
 The top reasons students chose their major are personal interest, future career
goals/aspirations, and an introductory class they took.
 Purchasing names and face-to-face contact are important marketing tactics.

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II. Research and Analysis
SWOT Analysis
The following SWOTanalysis analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats faced
by the Department of community and Public Health:
Table 1
Strengths
● Strong curriculum
● Quality faculty
● New ideas from new faculty members
● Low student to teacher ratio
● Good placement of students in field
experience locations
● Prepares students for CHES
certification
● PHSA club
● Addiction Studies Emphasis
Weaknesses
● Not an undergraduate professional
program
● Small program: lost some faculty
● Can’t offer as many electives
● People don’t know what public health
is
● DCPH not well known
● Few marketing efforts
● In comparison with competitors,
department website is not the most
user-friendly
● Not easy to find DCPH page or degree
page on ISU website
Opportunities
● Increase in careers in public health
● Ability to target students not accepted
into professional majors such as
nursing or dental hygiene
● Develop courses for general objectives
so students can learn what public
health is and see if they are interested
● Partnership with other departments on
campus
Threats
● Bachelor of Science in Health Science
● Not many job opportunities in local
region
● Graduate degree is the standard
● Perception that health education isn’t
worthwhile
● More limited program due to fewer
faculty
● A number of competitors within 200
miles
● Small budget: Not much interest, so
funding is cut
Industry Analysis
Public health is defined as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and
promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations,
public and private, communities and individuals." It deals with the health threats that is faced by
the population through analysis and interpretation of population health status. A study shows that
public health is facing a lot of unpredictable changes and, therefore, necessitating for a well-
organized information that allows continuous study learning and ability to adapt. This has,

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therefore, lead to various trends in public health that strive to ensure an effective public health
work (Beck et al., 2015).
Examples are given whereby carbon emission in one continent affects other continents, and
also enterprises like tobacco and beverages are global, hence any shortage in control measures in
one country can cause health risks elsewhere (Beck et al., 2015).
Field opportunities are therefore required that will bridge the gap between theoretical
knowledge and practice to promote appreciation and to understand global public health point of
view. There is a great need to focus on a bi-directional way of providing public health-based
assistance to the resource poor countries that will enable both learning and understanding of
cultural influence on health (Hodge Jr et al., 2013).
Demand is also increasing for public health workers with opportunities available across
many settings. This not only leads to more job opportunities, but is an avenue for creation of
collaborations of public health with other sectors which will lead to community redesigning, access
to more fresh foods and development through the formation of interdisciplinary networks by
bridging philosophical, political and organizational barriers. These networks are important as it is
evident that public health alone is unable to solve all important public health problems, but needs
other stakeholders (Hodge Jr et al., 2013).
According to Hodge Jr, et al. (2013), public health workers are now becoming more
involved in other fields unrelated to the public health since they are trained to have critical thinking
and analytical skills, which together with the general knowledge in several topic areas gives them
problem-solving ability that can be used in other fields. Public health entails the offering of
services with compassion, which is a reason many are attracted to the field and. Therefore, there
is an urge for schools to uphold this standard and teach and equip people with the necessary skills
to convert compassion into progress.
Competitor Analysis
The next part of our research is a competitor analysis. We began by researching all schools
within a 200-mile radius of Pocatello, but narrowed our analysis to eight major competitors: a
competing program offered at ISU, Boise State University, BYU-Utah, BYU-Idaho, Utah State
University, University of Utah, Westminster College, and Utah Valley University. We analyzed
each competitor’s offerings based on the 7P’s of the marketing mix. Below is a breakdown of the
information we attempted to find for each competitor:
 Product: Competing program and emphases, if available
 Place & Time: How the program is distributed: online, in person? What semester the
program starts or is offered. Classes offered during the day or at night? Separate campuses
where the program may also be offered? In all cases, the program is distributed on the main
campus of each university.
 Price: Cost of attendance for four full-time years for both residents/LDS or non-
residents/non-LDS.

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 Promotion and Education: What information colleges provide on their website, how they
persuade students of the merits of their program
 Process: Required credits to complete the program. Is the program nationally certified?
 Physical Environment: Initially we attempted to find information about what makes the
facility(ies) where competing programs are held special, but were unable to find specifics.
 People: We attempted to find information about department faculty at competing schools:
how well they are trained, if any are particularly well-known or have won awards. None of
the universities highlighted any specific faculty members, but all did mention that their
faculty were highly trained, qualified, committed, and there to mentor students.
The first competitor and biggest threat to the DCPH is the Bachelor of Science in Health
Science offered through the Division of Health Sciences at ISU. This program is a major threat
because the Division of Health Sciences is more well-known than the Department of Community
and Public Health, especially since the department was recently renamed. The Bachelor’s of
Science offered through the Division of Health has a large amount of promotional information to
educate customers on its website, including general information about the program, entry
requirements, course requirements, and a ranking of #20 among the top 25 in the national
according to TheBestSchools.org; almost all information students need to know about the program
and how to apply is on the program’s page. A total of 120 credits are required to graduate. Tuition
costs are the same as for the degree in the DCPH, and the program is offered fall and spring as
well. In researching this competing program, we noted how user-friendly the website was: all
information was contained on the same page, or if information was located elsewhere on the ISU
website, a link was provided on the program page so viewers would not have to navigate away
from the page.
The next competitor is Boise State University, which offers a Bachelor of Science in Health
Science with General Health, Public Health, Gerontology, Health Informatics and Information
Management, Health Policy and Leadership, Prevention and Addiction Studies, or Science
Emphases. It is offered on their campus in Boise, and tuition costs for four years in-state and out
of state are $55,008 and $83,704, respectively, making it much more expensive than the DCPH’s
program. Their website provides background information about the program, emphasis options,
and required curriculum. Again, 120 credits are required to successfully complete the program.
BYU-Utah is another competitor, offering its own Bachelor of Science in Public Health
with Health Science, Health Promotion, Environmental/Occupational Health, and Epidemiology
emphases. Tuition for four years in the program is $20,600 if LDS, and $41,200 if non-LDS, which
is very competitive with ISU. Their website contains general information about the program and
required coursework. The program requires 55 credits (not including generals) to complete, and
prepares students to take the CHES exam. BYU-U also has a Public Health Association that is a
department-sponsored and student-run club.
BYU-Idaho is the next competitor, which offers a Bachelor’s of Science in Public Health
with a Health Science or Health Education and Promotion Emphasis. Like BYU-U, the school also
has a Public Health Society for students. Being a year-round school, students can take courses for
their degree in fall, winter, and spring. Their website contains a general description of the degree

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and shows emphasis options. Tuition costs are $15,320 if LDS or $30,640 if non-LDS, which is
cheaper than ISU. The program requires 120 credits and prepares students to take the CHES exam.
Utah State University is the next competitor. Like other competitors, it offers a Bachelor
of Science in Public Health, but this degree is through the biology department, not a health or
medical department. Three emphases are offered: Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Health, and
Public Health Education. Its website provides general information about the program, shows
emphasis options, and provides reasons for why students should choose USU. The cost of USU’s
degree is $26,654.16 for residents and $76,534 for non-residents. This school also requires a total
of 120 credits to graduate.
The University of Utah is another Utah-based competitor. It offers a Bachelor of Science
in Health Promotion with emphases in Community Health, Consumer Health, Emergency Medical
Services, and Nuclear Medicine Technology. The university’s program is more competitive, and
the community health option only accepts 35 students each academic year. U of U’s website
contained general information about the degree, emphasis options, and listed faculty with links to
information about them, which was a bit different from previous competitors. Tuition is also very
competitive at $27,668.40 for both residents and non-residents. The degree requires 114 credits to
complete.
Westminster College offers a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and is a very well
established university. It has been recognized on the Princeton Review as one of the top
universities. Their website has a general overview about the program and why students should
choose Westminster. Tuition is the same for both residents and non-residents at $62,456. Seventy
credits are required to complete the program.
Utah Valley University is the final competitor we researched and offers a Bachelor of
Science in Community Health Education, School Health Education, or Health Services
Administration. The program prepares students for the CHES and requires 120 credits to complete.
The school’s website has general information about the program, credit requirements and a faculty
listing. Tuition costs are $21,544 for residents and $60,808 for non-residents.
Overall, all of the competitor programs are designed with the same purpose in mind as the
DCPH’s program: to prepare students for studies in professional fields without having to begin
studies in a professional program as they enter college. The majority of competing programs also
require about 120 credits to graduate. ISU falls somewhere in the middle of the price spectrum,
with several colleges offering cheaper tuition, others costing about the same, and a few options
being more expensive. Competitors did a better job of educating students about their degree
programs: the programs were easy to find on the overall university website, and department pages
were more user-friendly and visually appealing.

8. 7
Interviews: Craig Joseph & Melissa Orgill
Craig Joseph
We interviewed Craig Joseph, Assistant Director of Admissions, Communications, and
Marketing for ISU about effective and ineffective ways students are recruited, as well as trends he
has noticed among recruited students. Our questions and his responses are listed below.
What is your job title and what are you responsibilities?
Assistant Director of Admissions, Communications and Marketing. He handles communications
efforts for recruitment at ISU. Purchasing names from name acquisition database companies
entails gathering hundreds of thousands of names and sending out search mailers to see if people
are interested. Some companies they purchase names from are: The College Board, ACT,
NRCCUA, CBSS, CAPPEX, Chegg. The goal is to get students to inquire. He also helps with
email communication, working with marketing and communications for website initiatives and
social media initiatives.
What methods do you use to recruit students?
The traditional means of going to high schools, community colleges, and college fairs are used,
along with purchasing names. All of these activities are used to try and get students through the
enrollment funnel, from suspect to prospect, from inquiry to applied, to admitted and enrolled.
What methods do you believe are most effective?
He believed using as many activities as possible to spread the word is important. He did mention
website being particularly helpful, as more than 75% of students use websites as their main source
of information about colleges. Purchasing names and sending communication to students that fits
exactly what they want is important. Lastly, he mentioned that campus visits/inviting students to
campus is crucial because potential applicants get to physically see all the information they’ve
been receiving throughout their inquiries, and they can talk to someone face to face about the
program.
What methods have you tried that weren’t effective?
Tables at high schools in a hallway or during lunch were ineffective because students do not reach
out unless someone reaches out to them at this point in their educational journey.
Where are students you are recruiting mostly coming from?
They mainly focus on Idaho, but also recruit students from Alaska, Washington, Oregon,
California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.
What trends have you seenin recruiting students? What methods do students tend to like?
In terms of trends, he said more college-bound students are using social media. Students tend not
to like phone calls and emails early in the enrollment funnel, but after they are interested and have
applied, these two methods are appreciated. Students that are closer geographically to ISU tend to
want to get away from Pocatello, but students closer to the Treasure Valley are more interested in
science and come to ISU for physical science, biological sciences, and health professions; most
students looking at these majors will come to ISU.

9. 8
Have you noticed any trends in how students respond to marketing efforts?
Craig noticed two trends in how students respond to marketing efforts. Students from Idaho love
handholding: they appreciate extra efforts from recruiters and counselors in helping them through
the enrollment process. On the other hand, students from outside of Idaho do not need to be walked
through everything and are more independent throughout the enrollment process.
Departments are encouraged to partner with the Office of Admissions in recruiting students, and
contact for Craig Joseph is listed below.
Craig Joseph, Assistant Director of Admission, Communications and Marketing
Phone: (208) 282-2123
Fax: (208) 282-4314
Email: josecrai@isu.edu
Melissa Orgill
We also emailed some questions to Melissa Orgill, an instructor in the Department of
Community and Public Health. The questions were centered on how they market the program as
well as the uniqueness of the program. Our questions and her responses are listed below.
What are you doing to market your program to potential students now?
Currently they have rack cards and flyers that are handed out to potential students, and they also
attend ISU recruitment fairs.
What do you believe makes your program unique/what specific benefits do you believe
students receive from joining the program?
Upon completion of our program students can take the CHES exam and become a Certified Health
Education Specialist. The field is growing and there are many unique job opportunities.
What kind of image do you want to portray?
Melissa was unsure of the meaning of this question.
Do you have any feedback about the program from students? Positive/negative?
They did not have any specific program feedback.
Do you offer scholarships or internships for students? If not, is this something you have
considered doing, or are currently working toward?
According to Melissa, they do not offer any department-specific undergraduate scholarships, but
there are two Graduate Teaching Assistant positions each year. Their department is not currently
working toward offering scholarships.
Do you have statistics for how many students you’ve recruited over the past few years?
There has been no tracking of students.

10. 9
Focus Group
We conducted a focus group consisting of eight students majoring in health education that
lasted for approximately 30 minutes. Their demographics are listed in the table below.
Table 2
Age Gender Year in
School
Place of
Residence
Major/Minor
22 Female Senior “Local” Health Education
24 Female Senior Blackfoot Major: Spanish in Health
Professions
Minor: Non-teaching Health
Education
22 Female Senior Idaho Falls Health Education: Addiction
Studies
29 Male Senior Oregon Heath Education: Addition
Studies
21 Female Senior Pocatello Major: School Health Education
Minor: English
23 Female 5th year senior Pocatello Health Education
22 Female Senior Brigham City, UT Health Education: Community
Worksite Emphasis
54 Female Senior Preston, Idaho Health Education: Community
Worksite
During the focus group, the following questions were asked:
Did you know what public health was before joining this program? If not, how did you learn
about it?
Five out of the eight participants did not know what public health was before joining the program.
One person did know what it is, but felt it was a bit vague. Another respondent said it was difficult
for her to connect public health with health education. On hearing the term “health education” she
had the perception that she would be teaching health education, so that threw her off initially; she
really did not want to be a teacher at a school, but did want to be in public health.
What made you choose public health?
One participant had a few family members in the health field. Another’s father was a counselor,
so she was always exposed to counseling, and chose public health because it had more options
than counseling. Three respondents took an introductory health education class and loved it.
How did you hear about ISU’s program?
One participant had a sister who was already in the program. Two respondents found out through
the website, and another found out through her advisor.
Where would you have liked to find out information about the program?

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One student responded that he would like to have found out more about the program during the
admissions process, because he had no idea Addiction Studies was an emphasis under health
education; he thought it was its own major. Another student would have liked to find out more
information during freshman orientation; she thought it would be helpful if the program provided
some kind of activity during freshman orientation to get students interested. She believes she
would have picked it as a major sooner if there had been something to catch her attention at
freshman orientation. The final respondent would have liked to find out about DCPH through a
career advisor.
What made you join ISU’s program?
Respondents listed five main reasons they joined the program at ISU: location (could not afford to
go elsewhere), scholarships (offered by ISU as a whole, not DCPH), convenience, affordability,
and the Addiction Studies emphasis.
Did you know that there is a competing degree in the Division of Health Sciences?
None of the students were aware of a competing program in the Division of Health Sciences.
How do you think this program helps you with employment after graduation? Are
employment opportunities one of the reasons you chose this degree?
A student said that employment opportunities was not one of the reasons she chose this degree.
However, another participant said with health she has more opportunities to get a master’s and
work somewhere outside of a school. She had previously switched from an English major because
the only thing she could do with her degree was teach English.
Would knowing that graduates of the DCPH make $60,000 on average affect your decision
of what to major in?
One respondent said that knowing graduates of the program make $60,000 on average would not
affect her decision of what to major in, and another student said it may have a little. A final
respondent said it may have mattered if she was comparing a degree from the DCPH to another
degree; if she was solely looking at a degree from the DCPH, however, it may not have been a
factor.
Before you joined the program and when finding information, what were the most helpful
ways you found information?
A student talked to her sister, another mentioned a class she took, and another talked to her advisor
about the program.
What are your opinions on the website? Good/bad?
Two respondents had not recently seen the website, but another student looked at the website
before joining the program and she remembers not really understanding what public health was
based on the website.
What other universities were you looking into before deciding to come to ISU?
Two students specifically mentioned University of Idaho and Boise State University. Two other
students listed anywhere in-state. One participant was looking into Texas State in San Marcos, TX,
but overall when she was looking up health education, there was no particular program at any

12. 11
particular school that stuck out to her. Interestingly, another respondent said that ISU picked her;
during high school she had no idea what she wanted to do, so instead of looking at what degrees
she may be interested in, she looked at degrees based on scholarship dollars offered.
Next, we askedthe students to provide some feedback on the two DCPH flyers.
Surprisingly, only one out of the eight students had seen either of the flyers; one student had seen
the smaller one in her advisor’s office, but had never seen the larger flyer. The students all strongly
preferred the larger flyer; specifically, they liked the statistics about salary, jobs, and that it showed
growing career opportunities. One student said it felt like “a study guide about the program” that
tells students what the DCPH does and what they can do with the degree.
We askedthe participants a sub-question about the flyers: if flyers were to be placed around
campus, where do you think they would receive the most recognition? Where would you
want them to be placed for you to see them?
Several people mentioned Reed Gym, as many students into health and exercise frequent this
building. Rendezvous and SUB were also mentioned, as well as coffee shops (college market,
mocha madness) and health & supplement stores (such as GNC). Respondents suggested placing
them in areas students frequent and maybe spend a moment or two of time, such as near drinking
fountains or vending machines. An interesting suggestion one student gave was to attach a program
flyer to waiver forms when students sign them as part of their PE classes.
What methods would you suggest to increase awareness of the program?
Several students believed putting flyers around reed gym where students who are interested in
health and exercise frequent would be helpful. Another interesting idea mentioned was making a
short survey for the program and placing it throughout Reed; one student mentioned seeing a short
survey for the Dietetics program that asked students a few questions to determine their interest in
the program, and if they discovered they were interested, encouraged them to contact the
department. Another suggestion was to advertise that public health is a growing field and that there
are job opportunities. Along these same lines, another participant suggested listing job
opportunities in the state of Idaho. Lastly, one respondent recommended having career fair booths
at high schools: she remembers seeing booths for nursing and business, and believes it would have
been beneficial to have a booth for public health to capture attention at the high school level.
Survey
The survey conducted over the span of about a week collected data from approximately
149 respondents, aged mostly 15 years and above. It is worth noting, however, that not every
respondent answered every question of the survey. The majority of the respondents were either
attending high school or college, and 85% had completed at least some college. Ninety-nine
respondents were college students, 35 were graduate students, and nine were high school students.
Of the eight high school students who responded, seven of them plan to attend college. We were
hoping this survey would garner more responses from high school students, as we believe they are
a crucial part of our target market, which will be discussed later.
Eighty-nine percent of participants report being an ISU student or alumni, with that same
percentage attending classes primarily on the Pocatello campus. Approximately 70% have majors

13. 12
in the College of Business, 9.37% from the College of Science and Engineering, and 14.8% from
the Division of Health Sciences. The top three reasons students chose ISU were location at 43%,
scholarship at 15%, and academic program at 13%. The most influential factors in why students
chose the major they did were personal interest at 41%, classes taken or personal experience at
20%, income potential at 19%, and family/friend recommendation at 11%.
The following figure shows open-ended responses for the most common reasons students
listed for how they selected their major.
Figure 1
As can be seen from the above figure, the most common reason students listed for how they chose
their major was personal interest; their major was something they knew they were interested in, or
it was their dream. The second highest reason related to their major helping them achieve future
goals or career aspirations. Other reasons students chose their major related to a professor or class
they took that sparked their interest, job outlook or opportunities in their selected field, and the
salary that could be expected with their field. A couple students chose their major because it helped
with their current job.
In terms of questions specifically related to the DCPH, 81% of respondents were unaware
they could pursue a degree in this department, and 94% were not aware of career options related
to a degree in public health. To raise awareness of the program, the most students ranked high
school visits first, meetings with school counselors second, website third, direct mail fourth and
fifth, and “other” sixth. For those who listed “other,” only fifteen respondents specified another
answer. The most common response was word of mouth, through spokespeople going to classes,
career/job fairs, and recruiting tables. The next most common answers were social media and
flyers/posters around campus. If they had known that graduates of the DCPH make $60,000 on
43
4
7
2
21
5
6
How Students Selected Their Major
Personal Interest High Salary Professor
Current Job Future Goals & Career Job Outlook/Opportunity
A Class

14. 13
average, 24% said they would be slightly more likely to choose the major, but the majority (59%)
surprisingly said they would be neither more or less likely to pursue the degree.
Outside Research
Along with conducting an industry analysis, competitor analysis, interviews and a focus
group, we also conducted research on the most effective ways to communicate with and recruit
students. We found three particularly helpful reports:
1. VII Annual 2015 High School Students’ and Parents’ Perceptions of and Preferences for
Communication With Colleges
2. Noel-Levitz Report on Undergraduate Trends in Enrollment Management-2011 Marketing
and Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions
3. 2014 E-Expectations
Each study provided a very valuable insight into preferred and effective communication methods
and recruitment tactics. For the purpose of this report, only major findings of each report will be
discussed. A copy of each full report can be provided at the discretion of the DCPH, however.
2015 High School Students’ and Parents’ Perceptions of and Preferences for
Communication with Colleges
This report interviewed 1,600 high school students aged 15-17 via telephone and email
during April and May 2015 to determine their opinions perceptions, and preferences for
communication with colleges. The following table shows students’ actual and preferred channels
for first communication with an institution.
Table 3
Actual Preferred
Direct Mail 30% 37%
Email 65% 49%
Phone 5% 13%
Text Message 0% 1%
As can be seen from this table, students prefer more direct mail and telephone calls and less use of
email as the first contact with a college or university.
Other key findings from the study are as follows:
 Almost three-quarters (72%) of students who preferred direct mail for initial contact with
a university would research a campus online rather than respond directly to the piece of
mail they received.
 Students who preferred phone calls first were more likely to call the institution directly or
return a reply card in the mail.

15. 14
 After becoming interested in an institution based on an email they received, students who
preferred telephone as the first communication channel were more likely to close the email
and research the institution on their own.
Noel-Levitz Report on Undergraduate Trends in Enrollment Management
This report provides findings about the most and least effective recruitment methods at
private four-year institutions, four-year public institutions, and two-year public institutions. A 97-
item based poll was sent to the enrollment and admissions officers of 277 participating colleges
and universities. Of these participants, 168 were from private four-year institutions, 65 from four-
year public institutions, and 44 from two-year public institutions. For the purpose of this report,
we will be focusing on results for four-year public institutions because ISU fits in this category.
The most effective methods by percentage very effective, percentage somewhat effective, and
percent of participating institutions using the method are listed in the table below.
Table 4
Method Percent Very
Effective
Percent
Somewhat
Effective
Percent Using
Method
Campus visit days for high school
students
74% 25% 94%
Hosting open house events 68% 29% 98%
Using enrolled students in
recruitment/marketing
68% 27% 86%
Community college articulation
agreements
53% 38% 98%
Weekend visits for high school
students
53% 38% 98%
Encouraging prospective students
to schedule campus visits on the
admissions website
52% 41% 97%
Using a statistical, analytical
approach to determine financial
aid awards
48% 44% 44%
Campus visit days designed for
school counselors
47% 47% 79%
Admission decisions “on the
spot” in high schools or during
campus visits/open houses
47% 38% 49%

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The least effective recruitment methods by percent minimally effective are listed in the following
table.
Table 5
Method Percent Minimally Effective
Telephone directory ads 88%
Podcasting 81%
Listings in commercially-published
directories
48%
Ads in high school yearbooks or newspapers 77%
Ads in college magazines/publications 69%
From this report we gathered that campus visits are essential to attracting students early on in the
enrollment process.
2014 E-Expectations
This study interviewed 1,000 college-bound high school seniors and 533 parents in March
2014 to determine their expectations, attitudes, and behaviors about e-recruitment. The following
table shows preferred types of communication for high school seniors.
Table 6
Type of Communication Percentage of Seniors
Preferring This Method
Web-based resources are better for me to learn about
college and universities.
62%
I prefer phone calls and print materials to learn about
colleges and universities.
38%
I’m more likely to consider schools that use traditional
ways to communicate with me, like brochures and
phone calls.
41%
I’m more likely to consider schools that use email, text
messages, orsocial media to communicate with me.
59%
Schools should put more effort into getting prospective
students to campus for visits and admissions events.
76%
Schools should put more effort into virtual tours and
interactive maps.
24%
If I have to choose between looking at a school’s
website or Facebook page, I’ll opt for the website.
94%
If I have to choose between looking at a school’s
website or a Facebook page.
6%
This table shows that students believe campus visits, and visiting a school’s website instead of
their social media page are the most preferred methods for communication. However, this does

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not rule out other methods of communication; it just shows that a balance of both traditional and
e-recruitment methods should be used.
Other findings of the study are listed below:
 Seventy-seven percent of high school seniors listed college website as the most influential
tool when performing college searches. Fifty-three percent listed email as the second most
influential tool.
 The majority of seniors reported that an institution’s website does affect their perception
of that institution; 64% of seniors reported visiting a college website either the day they
were surveyed or within the past week. This means that colleges should actively maintain
their website and ensure that information is accurate, helpful, and clear.
 Once students view a website their top five informational priorities are academic program
listings, cost, scholarships, financial aid, and academic program details. In order to find
this information, students are no longer navigating through the website, but are instead
using search terms. This means that academic pages should be optimized for students to
easily search for, and find information specific to the key words they entered.
 In terms of social media, the three most-used platforms used are Facebook, Youtube, and
Instagram.
 Fifty-one percent of high school seniors have visited a college’s Facebook page, but the
study showed that this did not necessarily mean that seniors were active on the college’s
Facebook page. Less than 40% of students “liked” the page, and over 30% neither clicked
“like,” nor asked to join a group.
Target Market
Based on our research, we believe the target market consists of high school students
planning to go to college and college freshman and sophomores who are either completely
undecided, or undecided but interested in health professions. High school students are key because
they are particularly malleable; many of them do not necessarily know what they want to major in,
and this provides a perfect opportunity for programs such as the DCPH to reach out and try to
spark interest in potential applicants before they are snapped up by interest in other areas. Once
students have come to college, they are more likely to have figured out a major, but students who
start college and are still completely undecided are also a potential pool the DCPH should go after.
Lastly, students interested in health sciences should be targeted specifically because this gives the
department the opportunity to, in effect, “steal” students from health sciences. Students who are
undecided health professions are most likely interested in professional programs, but if the DCPH
can show them that they provide much of the same preparation without as vigorous of courses as
the professional programs, they can win over many undecided health professions students.
III. Marketing Strategy and Recommendations
Our recommendations are summarized in the following bullet-pointed list and further
explained in the paragraphs following.

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 Improve the DCPH website and the searchability of the department page and bachelor
degree program within the ISU website.
 Partner with the Office of Admissions to get the word out about the program to students
before they decide on a college major. High school students are especially key here.
 Advertise an introductory course in health education or public health.
 Advertise job stats, outlook, and listings for careers in public health.
 Use a balance of both traditional (brochures, flyers, emails, phone calls) and non-traditional
methods (social media) to reach students.
o Reaching out via face to face contact is particularly important, in the forms of career
fairs, campus visits, and visits to high schools and colleges.
o Involve enrolled students in recruitment
o Place flyers strategically throughout campus, not just in the DCPH office or advisor
offices.
o Campus visits
 Long-term suggestion: offer scholarships to students.
Website Improvements
In terms of improving the website, there are a number of issues that should be addressed.
First, when “Department of Community and Public Health” is searched, a link to the department
should show up at the top of the page. Currently, a link to Health Education is at the top, with the
DCPH within this link, and this can be a little misleading for students. According to our research,
students are now doing more keyword searches, and they are looking for results that will match
their search terms exactly. Along these same lines, there needs to be a link directly to the Bachelor
of Science in Health Education degree; currently a link to the Bachelor of Science in Health
Science, the competitor degree shows up as the first option, which will divert students away from
the DCPH to the Division of Health Sciences. Next, the website needs to be more user friendly
and easier to find information within. Many competitors (the Bachelor of Science in Health
Science for example) contained all information on the same page. Students could find information
about the department, degree, career outlook, tuition costs, course requirements, and program
faculty. If they were unable to find all necessary information on that same page, links to outside
pages (such as tuition) costs were provided, so students did not have to do an entirely separate
search for this information or navigate away from the department page. In completing the
competitor analysis, we found websites that were all-inclusive provided a much more user-friendly
experience and less-time consuming search.
Next, it should be clear that although the DCPH is under Health Education, the
departmental page still belongs to the DCPH. Currently, the only place on the page where the
DCPH is mentioned is in a small box that contains contact information. This was a bit confusing
for even us because it is not necessarily clear that the DCPH offers degrees, or if they are offered
through Health Education; it was not clear what the DCPH’s relationship with Health Education
was. To alleviate this problem, competitor websites have a banner across the top of the page with
the department name, making it clear through which department the degree is offered. Lastly,
information needs to be logically placed. Some students in the focus group complained that they
had no idea what public health was, which suggests that at the top of the page should be a small
amount of information explaining what public health. This should then be followed by an overview

19. 18
of the program, and then more specific details. Currently there is a “Why Choose ISU” section that
discusses the highlights of the bachelor and master’s program, followed by an “Overview” section
that talks a little about public health and what graduates of the program would be able to do, but
does not explain what public health is, nor does it provide details about the undergraduate program
itself.
Office of Admissions
Partnering with the Office of Admissions is encouraged because its practice of purchasing
names can help with targeting high school students and overall getting the word about the program
out to a very large pool of college-bound students. The larger the pool of people who receive
information about the program, the more inquiries, and the more people there are in the enrollment
funnel who may eventually join the program.
Introductory Course
According to our research, for many people, their interest in public health or whatever they
chose as their major, came from an introductory course they took. This led us to conclude that the
DCPH should advertise introductory health courses in fliers, at recruiting events, and whenever
recruiters are discussing the program with potential students.
Career Information
Job statistics, outlook, and listings for public health should also be advertised using the
same avenues as mentioned above for introductory health courses. The majority of survey
respondents were not aware of career options for public health, and focus group participants stated
this is information they would be interested in.
Use of Tradition and Non-Traditional Recruiting Methods
Although some methods of recruiting students may be more helpful than others, use of both
traditional and non-tradition recruiting methods is important. As shown in our research, student
preferences of communication change from year to year and according to advances in technology.
Different forms of communication are also more effective at different times in the enrollment
funnel (as is the case with emails and phone calls). Campus visits and face-to-face communication
are particularly important, because getting an interested student to campus and talking with them
about the program is half the battle of getting them enrolled in the program, according to Craig
Joseph. Using enrolled students in recruitment is important as well because it allows students to
interact with someone they can relate to who was once in their shoes choosing a major. According
to our research, placing flyers strategically throughout campus would also help with increasing
awareness about the program; these flyers should be placed in buildings students frequent, like
Reed Gym, the SUB, and the Rendezvous, as well as areas where students pause or spend small
amounts of time, such as near water fountains and vending machines.

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Scholarships
We are aware that scholarships are not necessarily something the department is working
on right now, but it is worth mentioning that in the long-term it may be beneficial to offer them.
As shown in our focus group and survey research results, affordability and scholarships do play a
role in why students choose ISU. If the department could advertise scholarships they offer, this
could spark more interest in ISU’s program in comparison with competitors simply because it is
more affordable and financial aid options are available.

21. 20
Resources Used
Beck, A. J., & Boulton, M. L. (2015). Trends and Characteristics of the State and Local Public
Health Workforce, 2010 -2013. American Journal Of Public Health, 105(S2), S303-
S310. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302353
Hodge Jr., J. G., Barraza, L., Bernstein, J., Chu, C., Collmer, V., Davis, C., & ... Orenstein, D. G.
(2013). Major Trends in Public Health Law and Practice: A Network National Report.
Journal Of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 41(3), 737-745.
Noel-Levitz Report on Undergraduate Trends in Enrollment Management-2011 Marketing and
Student Recruitment Practices at Four-Year and Two-Year Institutions
VII Annual 2015 High School Students’ and Parents’ Perceptions and preferences for
Communication With Colleges
2014 E-Expectations