Donna Talarico

The Trend: Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence mean chatbots are getting a reboot. They are more sophisticated, more conversational, more versatile – and are being more widely adopted across the .edu landscape.
The Rest of the 'Higher Ground' Columns
Exhibit A: Forsyth Technical Community College in North Carolina launched BlazeBot in summer 2023. Devin Purgason, associate vice president for student experience, marketing and outreach, says this tool has expanded the availability of ...

New search optimization strategies can help institutions attract engaged visitors.

If there’s a Bruins game on, the Giannettos are likely gathered in their living room, glued to the television screen. Three of the five family members now have something else in common.
Michael ’85 studied accounting and, at graduation, took a corporate finance job at Data General, a pioneer in the microcomputer space. That’s where he met Terry (Mahoney), MBA ’92. She took advantage of the company’s tuition assistance program and came to Bentley for a graduate degree. This fall, their younges...

Abstract
In the COVID-19 era, things are changing fast. When it comes to how this situation affects how we market educational programs to adult learners, we're often learning as we go.
During the past few months, I've seen many higher education web and marketing professionals come together to share resources with one another. For example, Oho Interactive, a Boston-based digital marketing agency, held town hall–style meetings, which brought together experts from campuses of all kinds to discus...

Abstract
Remote learning has been thrust into the spotlight as colleges and universities moved their traditionally face-to-face campus programs to online platforms in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every aspect of running an institution of higher education has been impacted by the virus, and marketing and communications professionals have been charged with communicating hard decisions to the campus community and the general public. After handling crisis communications and ensuring the cam...

Abstract
When I worked in tech school admissions in the early 2000s, my director would set aside a day at least once a year for office organizing. We'd dress down, order pizza, and get to work. As part of this, we also usually rearranged our “cubbies” (a term of endearment for our small, square, sans-door offices). Moving my desk, small bookcase, and two visitor chairs — coupled with a thorough cleaning of drawers and surfaces — gave me a sense of accomplishment. As an admissions team, togeth...

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Meeting prospects face-to-face is a fantastic way to create a connection between school and student. Likewise, holding events for current adult learners boosts engagement and morale. Recruiting events and on-campus functions take work, though.

Abstract
What are people saying about your school? What questions about careers and education are people posing to the internet at large that you have answers to? You don't know unless you're listening.

Abstract
Other search engines exist, but Google dominates. How this tech giant displays results on the screen has evolved over the decades, and it continues to change its secret algorithm. As content marketers, we have to do our best to keep up on these trends and, therefore, keep our content up to par.

Committing your time and resources to attend a writing conference or workshop is a big step in your writing career. The options available for writers keep proliferating – which is awesome. But even if you narrow it down to a certain genre or region, choosing where to go is a difficult process.
So we talked to the real experts – working writers who’ve had fellowships, been residents, netted invitations to conferences, or helped organize workshops – for their insights. Many writers didn’t want ...