The document discusses Synergis Education, a company that helps institutions expand their graduate program offerings through scalable and tailored solutions. It provides an overview of Synergis' approach, emphasizing flexibility, growth, and removing barriers. The document also introduces John Donohue and Clay Gillespie, two executives at Synergis with extensive experience in higher education and marketing. It then shifts to discussing considerations for 21st century graduate students and programs, focusing on access, relevance, transparency, and adapting integrated marketing strategies to engage modern students.

1. Design and Delivery of Graduate Programs:
A 21st Century Approach for 21st Century Students
John J. Donohue, Ph.D.
Clay Gillespie
Synergis Education
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2. Proprietary and Confidential 2
Synergis
Elevate the core strengths of respected
institutions, to help increase their capability to
grow and serve high quality students.
Keys to Success:
Nimble
Institutions come to Synergis with goals that often include: expanding
program offerings, growing enrollment, diversifying delivery models (to
online and blended), extending reach and access to non-traditional
students, enhancing institutional reputation and increasing revenue
Scalable and tailored
Synergis helps institutions by developing scalable programs with a focused
strategy, providing a pathway to integrating new and improved learning
modalities and removing barriers to growth and expansion.
Industry leading talent
The Synergis team combines over 80 years of higher education experience,
with notable expertise in adult education, learning technologies,
instructional design, college administration and finance.

3. John Donohue
John J. Donohue, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President for Partner Development
and In-Account Growth
• Almost 28 years in higher education
• Ph.D. in anthropology from Stony Brook University, and has served as
tenured professor, dean, vice president, provost and acting president.
• An expert on curricular design and program development
• Has worked at a variety of colleges and universities that were committed to
curricular innovation and the design of programs targeted to serve the
needs of non-traditional learners.
• He has also has served as a consultant for chief executive officers in higher
education, providing analyses of program costs and benefits and creating
analytic tools that assist institutions to support organizational missions,
while simultaneously improving operational return on investment.
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4. Clay Gillespie
Clay Gillespie
President & Chief Marketing Officer
• 20 years of progressive and innovative marketing experience to institutions
of higher learning across the country.
• Served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Career Education
Corporation (CECO), Chief Marketing Officer for both ECPI University and
Orbis Education.
• Has launched, shaped and guided multiple high profile brands across
numerous industries, including Postsecondary Education, Finance,
Pharmaceutical, Sports and Entertainment, and e-Commerce.
• He is recognized for delivering strong bottom-line performance through
effective adaptation to rapid changes in consumer behavior, technology,
and new media.
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5. CONSIDERATIONS
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Overview
 Students in graduate programs are increasingly
“non-traditional” in their characteristics, seeking
enhanced access, relevance and transparency from
graduate programs.
 Enrollment growth has tapered overall, but online
continues to grow.
 Increased competition has driven higher marketing
acquisition costs.
 Rapid changes in consumer behavior have been
influenced by innovations in technology (e.g.; social
media, mobile, etc.).

6. A 21ST CENTURY MARKET
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The 21st Century Market
• Between 2008 and 2018 the number of jobs requiring a
master’s degree will increase by about 18% during this time
period and those requiring a doctoral degree by about 17%
Council of Graduate Schools and Educational Testing Service. (2010). The Path Forward: The
Future of Graduate Education in the United States. Report from the Commission on the Future
of Graduate Education in the United States. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. p 17
• 83.0% of all first-time graduate students in fall 2013 were
enrolled in programs leading to a master’s degree or a
graduate certificate, while 17% of all first-time graduate
students were enrolled in doctoral programs.
Allum, J. (2014). Graduate enrollment and degrees: 2003 to 2013. Washington, DC: Council of
Graduate Schools.
• The broad fields of education, business, and health sciences
enrolled the largest numbers of graduate students.

7. WITH 21ST CENTURY STUDENTS
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21st Century Students
“Traditional” students declining, more
“nontraditional” students are appearing on the
horizon.
 They are older, engage in work, family, and school
activities at the same time, and view graduate
education as a means of changing or improving
their employability.
Council of Graduate Schools and Educational Testing Service. (2010). The Path Forward: The Future of
Graduate Education in the United States. Report from the Commission on the Future of Graduate
Education in the United States. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

8. WHAT THEY WANT
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21st Century Programs Key Points
 Access
• Flexibility in policies
• Procedures
• Delivery
 Relevance
• Connection to concrete
career pathways
 Transparency
• Clarity in processes, rationale,
and outcomes

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To maximize share-of-voice for graduate program enrollment:
• Adapt to the way consumers absorb media today,
o by implementing an integrated marketing approach
across the entire student lifecycle,
o incorporating a balance of Push and Pull mediums,
o with an emphasis on digital marketing.
Marketing Overview

10. 38%
75%
113%
175%
0%
50%
100%
150%
200%
Google CPC…
Industry Trends
10
Marketing Costs are on the Rise
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In the wake of significant increased competition, Education marketing costs have
soared throughout the industry.
Source: Google Education Industry Report, 2014
– Google’s average cost-per-
click for education terms
have increased more than
365% in three years.

11. Industry Trends
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Growth of Distance Education Student Population
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Source: Babson Survey Research Group, 2014
School Year
Students Taking at Least
One Online Course
% of Total Enrollment
2002 1,602,970
2003 1,971,397
2004 2,329,783
2005 3,180,050
2006 3,488,381
2007 3,938,111
2008 4,606,353
2009 5,579,022
2010 6,142,280
2011 6,714,792
2012 7,126,549
2013 7,390,231
70.7% of all active, degree-granting
institutions that are open to the
public have some distance offerings.
- IPEDS, 2014

12. Industry Trends
12
Distance Education Enrollment Change (2012 to 2013)
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Source: Babson Survey Research Group, 2014
– The year-over-year growth
in distance enrollments
was uneven based on
institutional type.
 Public institutions
grew by 4.6%.
 Private not-for-profit
institutions grew
12.6% (on a lower
base).
 Private for-profit
institutions decreased
by -7.9%.

13. Industry Trends
13
Adapting to Changes in Consumer Media Habits
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Source: eMarketer, Sep 2014
There is still a significant gap between where advertisers’ spend their budgets
and where consumers spend their time – at least in some mediums.

14. Industry Trends
14
Adapting to Cross-Platform / Multi-Screen Behavior
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On average, consumers spend 4.4 hours of their daily leisure time in front of
screens.
77% of the time consumers watch TV is with a second screen –
smartphone, PC, or tablet.
– Google Consumer Behavior Study

15. Integrated Marketing Strategy
15
Offline Media
Digital
Display
Advertising
Social Media
Search
Marketing
Education
Portals
Brand
Website
Inquiry
Capture
Optimization
Enrollment
Funnel
Optimization
Push
• TV
• Radio
• Social Media
• Online Display –
Behavioral /
Retargeting
• Mobile Media
• Targeted DM /
Email
Pull
• Paid Search
• Secondary
Search Portals
• Mobile Search
• CPL Media
• Local Online
Directories
Optimization
• Microsite
Optimization
• Live Chat
• Call Center -
Speed to Contact
• Contact
Management
Optimization
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16. Integrated Marketing Strategy
16
Online Display: 1:1 Targeting
• Rather than traditional
CPM buys, deliver 1-to-1
messaging to prospects
who are more likely to
enroll based on three
targeting methods:
– Predictive targeting
– Cookie-based
behavioral, contextual,
remarketing
– Social Media -
advanced segmentation
and look-a-like
modeling in Facebook,
LinkedIn, and Twitter
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Push Pull Optimize

17. Integrated Marketing Strategy
17
Online Display: Geo-Fencing
• Geo-Fencing combines target
audience profile with pinpoint
geo-targeting and search
behavior to better optimize our
display ads – right person, right
place, and right time.
• Target prospective students
down to their exact locations
(e.g. Hospitals, Community
Colleges).
Push Pull Optimize
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Example: Community colleges

18. Integrated Marketing Strategy
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SEM: Paid / Sponsored Search Push Pull Optimize
• Paid search within Google and
Bing is a critical part of your
integrated marketing approach.
• SiteLinks, Location Extensions,
Call Extensions, Review
Extensions, etc. – will maximize
share-of-voice among prospects
who are actively researching
schools.
– Open Houses
– Live Chat
– Refer a Friend
– Military Benefits
– Schedule an Appointment
– Locations
– Tuition Guide
– Career Guide
– Program Pages
Site Links
Call
Extensions Location
Extensions

19. Integrated Marketing Strategy
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SEO: Search Engine Optimization Push Pull Optimize
• Organic rankings within a search
engine are also important to
achieve a multiple listing
strategy for programmatic terms.
• There are three primary tactics to
optimize organic rankings:
1. Site Optimization (On-Page)
2. Content Creation
3. Link Building (Off-Page)

20. Integrated Marketing Strategy
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SEM: Online Directory Advertising Push Pull Optimize
• 92% of consumers use online
local search directories when
researching products or
services, particularly late in the
purchase lifecycle.
• Universal Business Listings
(UBLs) will push accurate data
to most online directories and
GPS systems.
• Performance campaigns with
SuperPages.com,
CitySearch.com, etc. generates
more high quality leads.

21. Integrated Marketing Strategy
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Landing Page / Microsite Optimization
• Your brand website and
microsites should be
responsive and adapt to
the specific screen
prospects are using.
• This is critical to site
conversion optimization
and to maintain a high QS
within the search engines.
Push Pull Optimize
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22. Integrated Marketing Strategy
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Live Chat
• Live Chat is a way to
engage prospective
students in an active,
yet less threatening
way, who may not
otherwise complete an
inquiry form on your
brand website or
microsites.
Push Pull Optimize
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23. Integrated Marketing Strategy
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Enrollment Funnel Optimization Push Pull Optimize
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Contact
Appointment
Interview
Application
Start
Retention
Drop-in
Cost: $100 Conv: 16%
Cost: $650
Conv: 70%
Cost: $893 Conv: 65%
Cost: $1,374
Conv: 52%
Cost: $2,642
Inquiry Brochure
Financial Aid Brochure
Appointment Reminder
Welcome Kit
Alumni Re-engagement
Drop-In Campaign
• OBTM
• SMS
• Email
• DM