providing - circlecircle.adventist.org/files/jae/en/jae201274040412.pdf · are through word of...

It has been well established that the majority of

Seventh-day Adventist high school-age students in

the North American Division (NAD) (United States,

Canada, and Bermuda) attend public schools, and

up to 75 percent of Adventist young people en-

rolled in tertiary institutions attend public colleges

and universities.1 Recognizing this, excellent min-

istries are operating on many public university

campuses, such as the Adventist Christian Fellow-

ship.2 But research also clearly demonstrates that

Adventist colleges and universities, as a whole,

have not been effective in contacting church

members attending public schools, in order to give

them an opportunity to consider Adventist institu-

tions in their college search process.3

B Y V I N I T A S A U D E R

5http:// jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • Apri l /May 2012

tend the NAD colleges are Adventist,6

but that the majority of college-age Ad-ventists attend public colleges or uni-versities. The AACU administratorswere united by a shared mission—toeffectively reach every Adventist youngperson, no matter what type of highschool they attended. They desired tooffer each young Adventist in NorthAmerica equal access and opportunityto attend a denominational college, ifhe or she so desired. As a result of AACU’s initiatives, a

coalition of the marketing and enroll-ment professionals from all the NADcampuses emerged under the auspicesof the Adventist Enrollment Associa-tion. They launched a research projectwhose goal was to understand andcommunicate more effectively with Ad-ventists attending public high schoolsin the United States.7 The group fo-cused on Adventist students attendingpublic high schools because the col-leges had collectively identified thispopulation as being very difficult totarget and reach. With a few exceptions, the church’s

colleges in NAD have traditionally de-voted the majority of their recruitmentresources to Adventist students in themore than 100 academies in the UnitedStates, Canada, and Bermuda. Adventistacademy students are relatively easy to

of the Adventists whograduated from publichigh schools in NorthAmerica and planned toenroll in college for the

2005-2006 school year, 77.4 percent re-ceived no recruiting contact from any ofthe Adventist colleges and universities inthe North American Division. In addi-tion, Adventist students in public highschools were generally unaware of mostof the church’s colleges in North Amer-ica. In focus groups, NAD families withchildren in public schools expressed adesire for contact with the church’s col-leges and universities; many couldn’tunderstand why they hadn’t been con-tacted. “Don’t Adventist colleges wantour young people?” they asked.4

This raises the possibility that manyAdventist young people in North Amer-ica are not attending denominationalcolleges and universities due to lack ofawareness and lack of contact by theschools. In church and school meetings,the reasons why Adventist young peopleare not attending church schools areusually alleged to be the following: (1)Most Adventist family incomes are low,so they cannot afford a private educa-tion; (2) Adventists don’t believe theirchurch’s schools offer excellent academ-ics; (3) there is a lack of commitmentand lack of support for denominational

schools; and/or (4) Adventists today areunwilling to sacrifice and save for a pri-vate education at an Adventist college oruniversity.5 While these factors may cer-tainly have an impact, the research de-scribed in this article challenges theseassumptions.This article will report on research

that details how Adventist families andyoung people describe their feelingsabout Adventist colleges as well as whatthey want and expect. The findingsshould be widely applicable to any Ad-ventist school, K-16, in the NorthAmerican Division, and also relevant tothe church’s schools elsewhere. The ar-ticle will also describe the steps takenby the NAD colleges and universities asa result of the research study.

Background for the ResearchIn 2003, the senior executive teams

of the accredited Adventist colleges anduniversities in North America, in orderto collaborate more closely, establisheda consortium called the Association forAdventist Colleges and Universities(AACU). Although most NAD institu-tions are owned and operated by unionconferences (several are directly gov-erned by the General Conference), itwas decided that collaboration wouldsurely benefit the constituents servedby the institutions. The group recog-nized that 60 percent of the approxi-mately 25,000 young people who at-

ProvidingOur Youth With

Access and Opportunity to Attend Adventist Colleges

thus, the focus on providing access andopportunity to Adventist youth attend-ing public schools has become a criticalstrategic initiative, not only for Advent-ist young people, but also for the futuresuccess of the colleges and universities.

Shifting DemographicsDemographics are shifting in the

North American Adventist Church,which affects school marketing and re-cruitment. There are fewer Adventistyouth in NAD now than 20 years ago.In a recent report titled “Seventh-dayAdventists in North America: A Demo-graphic Profile,” by Monte Sahlin andPaul Richardson, out of 1.2 million Ad-ventists in North America, 141,604 areyoung people between the ages of 15and 24. Due to the “graying of Adven-tism” (the median age for Seventh-dayAdventists in North America is 51,compared to a median age of 36 in theUnited States and 35 in Canada), onlyone NAD family in five has school-agechildren in its household; this repre-sents a 25 percent decline since 1990.9

With a shrinking base of young peo-ple, how do the NAD educational insti-tutions find individual students, particu-larly if they are attending public schools?Although the Adventist Church main-tains a centralized database of members,

primarily for membership records andaddress lists for a select group of churchpublications, no church department hascreated a comprehensive list of youth forschools to use in recruiting. Each schoolmust conjecture where the young peopleare through word of mouth, the goodwill of local pastors and church clerks,and requests from parents and studentswho are actively seeking information.This lack of an accurate, systematicmethod to identify and locate churchyouth complicates the ability of schoolsto provide access and opportunity toevery young member.Shifting demographics are evident

in the ethnic makeup of the church aswell. The percentage of Caucasian Ad-ventists in North America has declinedover the past 20 years to only half themembership. By 2030, Caucasians willno longer constitute a majority of theNAD membership, but neither will anyof the four largest ethnic segments;rather, there will be a “majority minor-ity” of African-Americans, Hispanics,Asians, and other ethnicities who incombination outnumber Caucasians. Itis important to note that in Adventisthouseholds with children, the “major-ity minority” already exists: 43 percent

6 The Journal of Adventist Education • Apri l /May 2012 http:// jae.adventist.org

recruit; they are already acclimated to anAdventist educational environment andgenerally value the academic, social, andspiritual benefits of an Adventist school.College recruiters visit these academycampuses multiple times a year, inter-viewing juniors and seniors, speaking inclasses, and sometimes conductingweeks of prayer. The union-operatedcolleges hold an annual College Daysevent, which academy students in theirunion are required to attend. The Ad-ventist Enrollment Association alsosponsors an annual college fair circuit(begun in 1999) on all academy cam-puses in North America, allowing the 13colleges a venue to simultaneouslyshowcase the entire accredited Adventisthigher education community at eachacademy. However, while the total aggregate

enrollment of the North American Di-vision colleges has increased steadilyover the past 20 years, the enrollmentin NAD academies has not followed thesame trend. Since 1990, academy en-rollments have decreased significantly,and several academies have closed ormerged.8 No longer can Adventist col-leges depend solely on academy stu-dents to meet their enrollment goals;

Andrews University


double that of the general populationin the United States.11 What is un-known is whether college attendanceamong current and future generationsof Adventist youth will continue at thathigh rate. Multiplying the number ofcollege-age young people in the churchby the average U.S. rate of college at-tendance suggests an optimistic projec-tion of available youth to populate theNAD colleges and universities, if accessand opportunity are provided.Against this changing demographic

backdrop and the uncertainty aboutthe motivations of today’s college-bound Adventists, the research studycommissioned by AACU asked the fol-lowing questions: What do Adventistyouth think about the church’s colleges?How aware are they of NAD Adventistcolleges? How can the colleges find andtarget Adventist young people attendingpublic high schools, and what messageswill resonate with them?Additionally, the study sought to as-

certain whether there were differencesin perception and attitudes betweenAdventists who attend denominationalacademies and those who attend publichigh schools, are home schooled, or at-tend other private high schools. Hasthe traditionally high perception of thevalue of an Adventist education dimin-ished?

The Research Study: ThreeGroups of StudentsThe study was constructed to occur

during a very specific time of theyear—in the summer after high schoolgraduation but prior to college enroll-ment in the fall. The study groupedAdventist students by the type of highschool they attended, so that informa-tion regarding the students attendingpublic high schools could be obtained. Three college-bound groups were

identified and compared throughoutthe study: (1) Academy/Adventist College (stu-

dents who graduated from an Advent-ist academy and were headed towardan Adventist college); (2) Non-Academy/Adventist College

(students who graduated from a publicschool, private non-Adventist school,or attended home school, and wereheaded to an Adventist college); and (3) Non-Academy/Other College

(students who graduated from a publicschool, private non-Adventist school,or home school, and were headed to-ward a non-Adventist college).A “mixed methods” approach was se-

lected for the research methodology, ap-plying both qualitative and quantitativetechniques in a sequential two-phase de-sign. The first phase of the research, anexplorative study using focus groups,was conducted in professional facilities

of NAD households with children areCaucasian; 57 percent are from otherethnic backgrounds.10 Therefore, en-rollment demographics for NorthAmerican Division schools are chang-ing rapidly, and marketing and com-munication methods must adapt tothese changes as well. The good news demographically is

that Seventh-day Adventists in NorthAmerica are a well-educated people.The percentage of members with a col-lege degree (61 percent) is more than

A A C U

The 13 accredited colleges and universities in the North AmericanDivision that are part of the Association for Adventist Colleges andUniversities enroll, collectively, nearly 25,000 undergraduate and grad-uate students each year throughout the United States and Canada.

• Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan)• Canadian University College (Lacombe, Alberta, Canada)• Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences (Orlando, Florida)• Kettering College (Kettering, Ohio)• La Sierra University (Riverside, California)• Loma Linda University (Loma Linda, California)• Oakwood University (Huntsville, Alabama)• Pacific Union College (Angwin, California)• Southern Adventist University (Collegedale, Tennessee)• Southwestern Adventist University (Keene, Texas)• Union College (Lincoln, Nebraska)• Walla Walla University (College Place, Washington)• Washington Adventist University (Takoma Park, Maryland)

La Sierra University

(over 70 percent). Following behindthe African-Americans were Hispanics,also attending public high schools andpublic colleges in high percentages(more than 60 percent). NAD Cau-casians who attended Adventist acade-mies enrolled at Adventist colleges at asignificantly higher percentage thanother ethnicities.14

These findings mirror what authorsRamirez-Johnson and Hernandez un-covered in a previous study calledAvance, a project conducted by the His-panic Education Advisory Committeeof the NAD among Hispanic adultsand youth. They found that of the 20percent of the Hispanics sampled whowere attending college, the majoritywere enrolled in public colleges anduniversities.15 Adventist minority stu-dents were, for the most part, not at-tending Adventist academies, nor werethey enrolled in Adventist colleges.

Are Public School Students Con-nected to the Church?School and conference administra-

tors often wonder about the connect-edness to the church of students whodo not attend Adventist academies orcolleges. In other words, if a studentdoesn’t attend an Adventist secondaryor tertiary institution, there is a percep-tion that the student or family must bepoorly connected to or grounded in the

church. The AACU study challengesthis myth, as it found no significantdifference between the three researchgroups in regard to church attendanceor Sabbath observance. CommittedAdventists appeared in equal percent-ages in all groups.16

Awareness LevelsThe students in both the Nashville

and Los Angeles focus groups showed asurprising lack of awareness of Adventistcolleges. This was especially the case forthe non-academy groups. While talkingto the Los Angeles group of non-acad-emy students headed to public colleges,the moderator said, “None of you se-lected a religious school. Were you con-sidering one?” There was silence, then“No” came from around the room. Themoderator began to read off the namesof the Adventist colleges, then added:“Tell me if you’ve ever heard of them.”After a few college names were read, onestudent asked, “Are these in, like, Califor-nia?” “No, they are all over the country,”the moderator replied. The telephone survey also revealed

that most non-academy respondentswere unaware of Adventist colleges.Academy graduates recognized thenames of the church’s colleges and uni-versities in the U.S. and Canada at twicethe rate of public school graduates. Un-


in Los Angeles, California, and Nash -ville, Tennessee. Focus-group partici-pants were Adventist students andparents from the three groups listedabove. A professional moderator guidedthe focus groups, while enrollment man-agers from the Adventist colleges ob-served from behind two-way mirrors. The insights gained from the focus

groups shaped the building of a surveyinstrument for use in a nationwidetelephone survey, which comprised thesecond phase of the study. In-depthphone interviews (lasting an averageof 18 minutes each) were conducted bya professional firm using computer-assisted software connected to a data-base of purchased and provided names.All the students in the database wereself-reported Seventh-day Adventists,having indicated their denominationalpreference on college entrance exami-nations and in other surveys used tocompile the database.

Findings and Recommendations12

About two-thirds of the youth con-tacted by telephone (64.8 percent) werenon-academy students; slightly morethan one-third (35.2 percent) wereacademy students. Of the non-academystudents, 82.3 percent attended publichigh school, 12.2 percent attended anon-Adventist private school, and 5.5percent were home schooled.The findings indicated that where a

student goes to college was clearly re-lated to the type of high school he orshe attended. Students who attendedan academy were more likely to attendan Adventist college. An interestingfinding was that Adventist studentswho attended a private non-Adventisthigh school were also more likely to at-tend an Adventist college, whereas stu-dents who attended a public highschool were more likely to attend apublic college or a private, non-Ad-ventist college.13

The study also revealed that, com-pared to all other ethnicities, African-American Adventists attended publichigh schools at a significantly higherrate and also attended non-Adventistcolleges at a significantly higher rate

Oakwood University


Abby. I would like the Adventist collegesto ask for the children that are in thechurch. None of these colleges contactedus or sent a letter. They should be say-ing, ‘Why don’t you join our college, whydon’t you come over here; this is whatwe offer.’ There was none of that.”18

The telephone survey also revealedsignificant differences between thegroups in terms of being contacted orexperiencing any form of recruitmentor communication from an Adventistcollege. Seventy-one percent of theAcademy/Adventist College group wererecruited by an Adventist college oruniversity, in contrast to only 44.8 per-cent in the Non-Academy/AdventistCollege group and 22.6 percent in theNon-Academy/Other College group.19

Unless Adventist colleges approachyouth in the non-academy groups,these young people will not have accessand opportunity to attend their institu-tions, and additional enrollment fromthese groups cannot be expected.The findings regarding lack of

awareness and lack of intentional com-munication or contact by NAD highereducation institutions again mirrorsthe Avance study, which cited severalreasons for Hispanic youth not attend-ing Adventist colleges. The most com-monly cited reason, according to

authors Ramirez-Johnson and Her -nandez, was the lack of awareness ofthe colleges and what they offer, Theysuggest that colleges be more aggressivein their recruitment of Hispanic Ad-ventists: “Assume that Hispanics areunaware that your institution exists.Not only are church institutions miss-ing an entire population of potentialstudents, but Hispanic Adventist youthare being denied the opportunity forthe Christian higher education that canbe so valuable both to their temporaland their spiritual well-being. Advent-ist higher education needs to make theHispanic community an integral partof its constituency.”20

College Choice Motivators: Differ-ent Yet the SameAt the beginning of the survey, stu-

dents were asked to list the college fac-tors that motivated them. An initialpattern of differences clearly emergedbetween students headed toward Ad-ventist colleges and those headed topublic colleges or other private col-leges. Students planning to enroll inAdventist colleges consistently placedimportance on the spiritual environ-ment, on friends, and on students shar-ing the same beliefs and values. Thesegroups already valued the environmentthat Adventist colleges offer.On the other hand, the students who

aided, non-academy graduates couldname only three of the 15 NAD collegesthat existed at the time of the survey.17

Focus groups of parents conductedin Nashville and Los Angeles producedsimilar results—they were also unawarethat the Adventist Church supportedmore than a dozen colleges. The par-ents reacted strongly, seeming annoyedthat the church or their pastor had notcommunicated this information tothem. This lack of awareness suggeststhat Adventist pastors should familiar-ize themselves with all of the Adventistcolleges and universities and informtheir church members about the offer-ings available. It should be noted thatin the Lutheran denomination, whichoperates 40 colleges in the U.S. andCanada, posters and informational kitsare made available to each church, list-ing all 40 Lutheran colleges. In addi-tion, Lutheran churches publish a Weblink (http://www.lutherancolleges.org)that showcases all the colleges. NAD Ad-ventist colleges are similarly showcasedat http://www.adventistcolleges.org.This Web link should be shared withevery church member.Parents in Los Angeles asked why

multiple non-Adventist colleges were re-cruiting their children, but none of theAdventist colleges had contacted themor their child. One parent said, “I no-ticed that other colleges were asking for

Pacific Union College

ing of the statements for the non-acad-emy students.22 Why did this group notvalue or mention the spiritual environ-ment factor in earlier questions andthen rate this statement highly towardthe end of the survey? The focus groupresponses suggested an answer.Within the focus groups, a sort of

transformation took place among thestudents headed toward non-Adventistcolleges. As the topics progressed, andthe moderator began mentioning thecollege attributes of a spiritual environ-ment and being able to associate withfriends of like beliefs, it was interestingto see these concepts sink in. Clearly,the Adventist students attending publichigh schools had never thought aboutthese concepts much before. The mod-erator, a Christian research profes-sional, almost found himself in anevangelistic position concerning thebenefits and offerings of an Adventistcollege, due to the audience reaction.As the students slowly absorbed the at-tributes commonly associated with Ad-ventist colleges during the focus group,they began to actively dialogue with themoderator about the value of a spiri-tual environment. The same phenome-non occurred in the parent groups.23

The college enrollment personnel be-hind the two-way mirrors at the focus

groups were fascinated by this shift inattitude among the non-academy partic-ipants in regard to the value of a spiri-tual college environment. The shiftpoints out the complete lack of familiar-ity and awareness of these young peopleand their parents with Adventist schoolenvironments. Their interest in the dia-logue about a spiritual environmentpoints out the value of communicationand conversation regarding the valuesand distinctiveness of Adventist colleges.Church groups, pastors, and leadersshould discuss these benefits with par-ents and families on a regular basis, andprovide proper opportunities for collegechoice by including the colleges and uni-versities operated by the church in con-versations. This research demonstratesthat these kinds of discussions make abig difference in perception and knowl-edge regarding the benefits of Adventistcolleges and universities.

A Myth: Academic QualityNot ValuedEducators sometimes postulate that

the reason the non-academy studentsdo not choose Adventist colleges is be-cause they perceive the schools as aca-demically inferior. This study appears


did not attend Adventist academies andwho were not headed toward Adventistcolleges valued factors such as locationor price, which confirmed findings froma study by the Institute for Higher Edu-cation Policy, which reported that ingeneral, students enrolling in public in-stitutions are more likely to choose loca-tion or price as their main reasons forchoosing a public college. Their peersenrolling at private colleges pick otherfactors as most important. These resultswere mirrored by the majority of Ad-ventist students in this study.21

But in spite of the initial choices onthe survey form, which indicated thatthe non-academy group was most in-terested in the location of a college orits price, it was interesting to note whathappened by the end of the focusgroups and phone interviews. Whenread a list of 10 statements that definedcollege attributes, the non-academygroup picked the statement, “Adventistcolleges can offer you spiritual growthand spiritual opportunities that yousimply can’t find elsewhere” as makingthem more interested in attending anAdventist college. In fact, this grouprated this statement at a higher aggre-gate percentage than the other twogroups; it was by far the most motivat-

Southern Adventist University


communicated as the strong base uponwhich the differentiators are supported.When shopping for colleges, studentstypically first check out the majors andprograms offered, and then they andtheir families consider the differentia-tors. It should be noted that it is possibleto highlight excellent academics throughan attribute all groups find important—personal attention from faculty. Mar-keters and recruiters can highlight fac-ulty connectedness, a hallmark ofteaching excellence, to emphasize thequality learning environment with en-gaged faculty and students at Adventistcolleges.

College Choice Barriers: Lack ofAwareness, CostThe study conclusively showed that

the largest barrier to attending an NADAdventist college was lack of awareness,followed by lack of knowledge of thebenefits of attending a church-spon-sored college, and the lack of recruit-ment among the non-academy group.The lack of awareness was the most sig-nificant finding of the AACU study. Itis critical that the Adventist Churchand its North American colleges anduniversities create higher awarenesslevels in the Adventist population. Afoundational principle in marketing,

including educational marketing, is tocreate awareness of a brand; without it,consumers will not know about thebenefits of purchasing the product.25

Although not as significant as thelack of awareness, secondary barriers toattending an Adventist college uncov-ered in the study were cost, distancefrom the student’s home, lifestyle re-strictions (mandatory worships, con-servative dress code rules, diet restric-tions), the perception of a strict orjudgmental environment on campus,the lack of a sports program, and a de-sire to attend a big-name school.While the survey found no significant

difference between the three groups withregard to household income, cost sur-faced as a factor of concern in the LosAngeles focus group and was rated by alarge percentage of the non-academygroup as a key concern.26 Because of thisconcern, affordability and the availabil-ity of financial aid need to be prominentin communicating with this group. Ac-cording to Lewison and Hawes, market-ing approaches should emphasize valueand benefits in contacting prospectivestudents and not focus on the negativeaspects of price and cost.27 Obstaclesto college attendance should be seenthrough the lens of value, focusing onthe brand experience and the value theyreceive from the product.28 It is espe-cially important to emphasize educa-tional value and benefits first, particu-larly among the non-academy group, aswell as to offer a financial planning ap-proach that makes a private college edu-cation affordable. Low-income studentswith good grades can often obtain gen-erous financial aid that enables them toattend college.A positive financial planning ap-

proach includes providing examples ofhow other families in similar circum-stances were able to achieve their edu-cational goals. Testimonies aboutscholarships, work opportunities, andsponsorships give families practical in-formation about affordability. Thegood news is that students headed to-ward Seventh-day Adventist collegesand universities in the survey reportedreceiving more financial aid than thestudents headed toward public colleges

to have soundly repudiated that myth.All groups of prospective students(those who were not aware of any ofthe Adventist colleges were not in-cluded in these results) gave high rat-ings to the Adventist colleges in thearea of academic excellence.24

The study showed that while aca-demic excellence is a foundational at-tribute for college choice, it was not amarketing differentiator among theAdventist groups. This came out clearlyin both the focus groups and the phoneinterviews. Students were not choosingAdventist colleges for their excellent ac-ademic programs (which they rank asimportant and perceive the colleges tohave); instead, they were choosing Ad-ventist colleges over public universitiesbecause of the differences in spiritual-growth opportunities, personal atten-tion from caring faculty, and the po-tential to form lifelong friendships withstudents holding similar beliefs andvalues. Therefore, these are the differ-entiators that Adventist colleges mustmarket. The differentiators, however,function only as long as academic ex-cellence is maintained as a foundation,and the schools offer strong academicprograms that interest students. Thus, this study does not suggest that

Adventist schools can neglect academicexcellence; rather, it must be the bedrockof each institution, and fostered and

Southwestern Adventist University


and universities, irrespective of house-hold income.29

A few students mentioned barriersto attending Adventist colleges beinglifestyle restrictions, required worships,and judgmental environments, whichmirrors the Maguire Associates studyin 2001 among 70 Christian colleges inthe Council for Christian Colleges andUniversities.30 Barriers to attendance inthat study included concerns about“closed-mindedness” and strict rules,so Adventist students are no differentthan students in other denominationsregarding concerns about strictnessand rules on a Christian campus. It is important to note that colleges

which provide a spiritual environmentand are connected to particular de-nominations often require chapel at-tendance and maintain rules consid-ered “strict” in order to highlight theirdistinctiveness and to foster a differentenvironment than the ones found onpublic college campuses. George Mars-den in The Soul of the American Univer-sity: From Protestant Establishment toEstablished Nonbelief,31 James Burt -chaell in The Dying of the Light: TheDisengagement of Colleges and Universi-ties From Their Christian Churches,32

and Robert Benne in Quality With Soul:How Six Premiere Colleges and Univer-sities Keep Faith With Their ReligiousTraditions33 have demonstrated collec-tively that it is in the best interest of adenominational college to retain thedistinctiveness of chapels, worships,and lifestyle requirements. Withoutthem, Christian colleges become likepublic institutions and over time, losetheir faith-based distinctiveness.

Marketing Communication: WhatMakes Students More Interested?Statements describing various col-

lege attributes were tested in the focusgroups and telephone surveys. Amongall groups, including the students whohad attended high school and wereheaded to a non-Adventist college, thetop three messages that were most mo-tivating and the most likely to increaseinterest were these: 1. Adventist colleges can offer spiri-

tual growth and spiritual opportunities

that you simply can’t find elsewhere;2. At Adventist colleges, you have

easy access to professors who under-stand the value of providing personalattention to each student; and 3. At Adventist colleges, you can de-

velop lifelong friendships and relation-ships with students who share similarbeliefs and spiritual values.34

These three top messages also ap-pear in prior research regarding Ad-ventist enrollment. D. W. Hunt’s 1996study identified top factors that fami-lies consider most important whensending students to Adventist boardingacademies: a spiritual environment,concerned and caring teachers, andschool climate.35 Philip Mainda’s 2001

research addressed the factors influenc-ing school choice among the Adventistpopulation in Michigan. He discoveredthat for grades K to 12, there was a sig-nificant relationship between schoolchoice and parental perceptions ofspiritual values-based education.36

Could these school choice factors betimeless differentiators for Adventistfamilies regardless of the level, whetherelementary, academy, or college? Theimportance of the spiritual environ-ment, personal attention, and closecontact with caring, believing teacherscannot be underestimated as a differ-entiating and motivating factor for Ad-ventist school choice.

Link to AdventistColleges.org

Help spread the word about Adventist colleges and universities by link-ing both your school and your church Webpage to AdventistColleges.org.Linking to the site keeps search engine rankings high, which helps youthlooking for information about Adventist colleges. The site can providevaluable information to families making decisions about college, and in-cludes information about the nearly 500 different programs of study avail-able, the admissions requirements, links to each college, and access to acommon online application.

Suggestions for sites to link to AdventistColleges.org include:• Church Websites• Conference and union Websites, including education sections• K-12 Website

Walla Walla University


collaborate to market and brand them-selves as a coordinated system of collegeswith a set of educational benefits andstrengths common to all.

Strategic Steps As a result of this research, and the

subsequent release of the full study in2008, the Adventist Enrollment Associ-ation and AACU have made significantprogress on collaboration to market toand communicate systematically withNAD youth who are not enrolled inAdventist academies. Success is morelikely through working collectively toreach this particular market. AACU hascreated a Joint Marketing Committee,which launched the following jointprojects: mailings to Adventists attend-ing public high schools, community/ church-based college fairs, calling cam-paigns, publicity, and advertising. Anonline application on a shared Website(http://www.adventistcolleges.org)went live in 2007. The mailings employa consortium branding approach, withall NAD colleges listed, and use the topthree marketing messages revealed bythe research to create interest among allgroups surveyed. The resulting “leads”and contact information for interestedstudents generated by these joint mar-keting projects are regularly sent to allof the colleges for follow-up. In 2009, AACU voted to hire a mar-

keting director to work on behalf of allthe NAD colleges and to expand thework of offering access and opportu-nity to Adventists attending publicschools. Funding for the position camefrom the NAD colleges and the unionconferences, along with the support ofa visionary donor who believes in thevalue of Adventist higher education totransform lives. Rob Weaver, a formerchair of the Joint Marketing Commit-tee and a former vice president for en-rollment at Union College, steppedinto the role and continues to expandand strengthen the collaborative mar-keting strategies. In 2010, underWeaver’s guidance, AACU intensifiedits communication strategy, launchingthe “Adventist Choice” campaign, im-plementing more focused mailings ande-mails to Adventist youth, and estab-lishing a parent e-newsletter. Becauseof the common application that is nowavailable, student applications have in-creased significantly at many of the col-leges and universities, and enrollmentsfrom the Adventist Choice strategy areaggressively tracked.37 So far, the strat-egy is showing success, although muchwork is yet to be done, and greater col-laboration is needed with unions, con-ferences, pastors, and local churches tobuild awareness and ensure ongoingconversation regarding the benefits of

Recommendations for ActionA fundamental recommendation as a

result of this study was that Adventistcolleges and universities, in partnershipwith the NAD Office of Education, cre-ate a comprehensive, integrated, and co-ordinated marketing plan to reach allAdventist youth, particularly those notattending denominational academies.The colleges should cooperate to create acommon branding strategy under theauspices of AACU. With the NAD’schanging demographics, colleges need towork together and collaborate closely inorder to ensure access and opportunityfor each Adventist young person. Goneshould be the days when individual col-leges battle for name recognition andworry about stealing students from eachother’s territories. The goal should be tofind the best college for each Adventistyoung person. The low awareness levelsby students and parents are simply unac-ceptable for a denomination that valueseducation so highly and has spent somuch to keep it viable.Like other denominational college

consortia that have already gone downthis road (the Lutheran, Catholic, andChurches of Christ college associations),Adventists will be more successful at in-fluencing non-academy students to en-roll in denominational colleges if they

Washington Adventist University


Adventist education at all of the col-leges and universities.AACU and the Joint Marketing

Committee continue to emphasize re-search and a data-driven approach toshaping future marketing strategies.Another research study currently un-derway seeks to evaluate student out-comes based on the college attended,whether Adventist or public or private.In addition, a study similar to the onedescribed in this article is being consid-ered, so that the results of the institu-tions’ recent collaboration can be eval-uated. Are students in public schoolsmore aware of NAD colleges now thanthey were five years ago?As N. Clifford Sorensen wrote in

2002 in this journal, regarding theNAD colleges collaborating together onvarious projects, “We can surely praisewhat occurred serendipitously . . . withrespect to joint endeavors. However,today’s environment requires a morecomprehensive and coordinated ap-proach.” Sorensen showed great fore-sight in calling for the commitment ofappropriate human and monetary re-sources to the collaborative process inorder to ensure success: “Given ourlong history of vigorous and competi-tive individuality, successful coopera-tion will require both a carefullycrafted strategy and the identificationof mutual benefits within partnershipagreements. We must define outcomesand expectations and commit the nec-essary human and monetary resourcesto this process, which cannot be viewedas a short-term or one-time quick-fixoperation. In summary, many factorswill impede or stall consortium efforts.Most if not all can be overcome bydedicated and unrelenting effort.”38

The North American Division andits colleges and universities have em-braced the concept of collaboratingsystemwide on marketing and enroll-ment management strategies to pro-vide every Adventist with an opportu-nity to learn about the college choicesavailable in the NAD. While an Advent-ist education may not be the right fitfor every family or all students, everyAdventist family deserves to be in-formed about the church’s education

MARKETING AND ENROLLMENT LESSONS FOR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS

The practical lessons learned from the AACU research and the collabora-tive work among the NAD tertiary institutions provide a road map for ele-mentary schools and academies, as well.

• Collaboration: The North American Division colleges and universitieshave discovered that working together on marketing and enrollment en-sures a professional focus on the art and science of communication andenrollment management. By joining forces, more can be accomplishedthrough shared budgeting, shared projects, and shared learning. This ap-proach can be used by elementary and secondary schools to build commonworking manuals, templates, and workshops that incorporate best prac-tices in marketing and enrollment techniques. A conference, or severalschools, might consider collaborating on mailings, advertising, informationsessions, and/or calling campaigns.

• Church focus: The students and families who attend public schools can bereached through local churches. Make sure pastors and youth leaders visityour facility and are familiar with your program. Find ways to engage yourpastors and churches in ensuring access and opportunity for every youth.

• Lavish and sustained communication: Just because the salient factsabout your school are obvious to your leadership team doesn’t mean thatthey are common knowledge among your constituents. Make sure to main-tain a constant flow of positive messages about school events and the suc-cesses achieved by your students. Effective ways to do this include mailingsto church members in your area and regular church bulletin inserts. Yourconference or union may be able to provide you with a mailing list by re-questing the E-Adventist database.

• Resources: In light of the economy and the bombardment of messagesfrom competing schools, a skilled and dedicated person who is trained in mar-keting should be in charge of your school’s marketing and enrollment efforts.

• Messaging: The research and literature show that Adventist familieschoose church-sponsored education for these differentiating factors: thespiritual environment, the personal contact and mentoring of excellentteachers, and the opportunity to learn in a community of like-minded be-lievers. These messages make a difference when academic excellence is acore value of the school and families can perceive quality and value fromthe combination of superior academics and a strong spiritual environment.

• Financial planning: Printed materials and messages should focus on af-fordability, detailing clearly the variety of ways that families can finance aprivate education.

• Follow-up: Track inquiries and quickly follow up with families who ex-press interest. Offer and promote school tours on a regular basis, and regu-larly schedule information sessions at your school and local churches.

• Evaluation and assessment: Ask a professional to evaluate your materi-als, your messaging, and your school tour. Pay attention to the small detailsthat make a difference.

• Benchmarking and Best Practices: Our NAD college professionalslearned quite a bit from looking at what the Lutheran colleges had done interms of collaborative research and marketing. If there is a successful pri-vate school in your area, no matter what the affiliation, see what they aredoing in the areas of communication, marketing, and recruiting. You couldpick up some valuable tips.

• Mission: Your goal should be access and opportunity for every Advent-ist youth to enroll in a Seventh-day Adventist school.


NOTES AND REFERENCES1. General Conference Commission on

Higher Education, Global Report and Recommen-dations, vol. 1 (Silver Spring, Md.: September2003).

2. The General Conference publishes Collegeand University Dialogue in four languages forstudents on secular campuses: http://dialogue. adventist.org.

3. Vinita Sauder, Marketing Seventh-day Ad-ventist Higher Education: College-Choice Motiva-tors and Barriers. Unpublished doctoral disser -tation, Andrews University, Berrien Springs,Michigan, 2008.

4. Ibid., pp. 130, 145.5. Larry Blackmer, “NAD SWOT Analysis.”

PowerPoint presented at the 2011 GC EducationAdvisory Council meeting, Silver Spring, Md.,March 29, 2011.

6. General Conference of Seventh-day Ad -ventists Archives and Statistics, annual statisticalreports 1988-2010. Retrieved December 23, 2011,from http://www.adventistarchives.org.

7. Adventist Enrollment Association AnnualMeeting Minutes, June 2004.

8. GC Archives and Statistics, annual statisti-cal reports 1988-2010. Retrieved December 23,2011.

9. Monte Sahlin and Paul Richardson, Sev-enth-day Adventists in North America: A Demo-graphic Profile (Milton-Freewater, Ore.: Centerfor Creative Ministry, 2008).

10. Ibid., pp. 13, 14.11. Ibid., p. 27.12. The differences among the three groups

of students were compared using crosstabula-tions and Chi-square, showing frequencies, per-centages, standard residuals, degrees of freedom,and p values. An absolute standard residual valueof 2.0 or greater, combined with an alpha p valueof less than .05, was used to indicate statisticalsignificance, or a significant difference, betweenthe groups. Perceptual maps were also con-structed to visually track the scores from thethree groups using college choice criteria andcollege performance scales.

13. Sauder, Marketing Seventh-day AdventistHigher Education: College-Choice Motivators andBarriers, op cit.

14. Ibid., p. 95.15. J. Ramirez-Johnson and Edward I. Her-

nandez, Avance: A Vision for a New Mañana(Loma Linda, Calif.: Loma Linda UniversityPress, 2003).


17. Ibid., p. 104.18. Ibid., p. 129.19. Ibid., pp. 130, 145.20. Ramirez-Johnson and Hernandez, Avance:

A Vision for a New Mañana, op cit., pp. 115, 116.21. A. F. Cunningham, The Policy of Choice:

Expanding Student Options in Higher Education(Washington, D.C.: Institute for Higher Educa-tion Policy, 2002).

22. Sauder, Marketing Seventh-day AdventistHigher Education: College-Choice Motivators and

Barriers, op cit.23. Ibid., p. 176.24. Ibid., p. 181.25. Philip Kotler, “A Generic Concept of Mar-

keting,” Journal of Marketing 36 (April 1972):46-54.


27. D. M. Lewison and J. M. Hawes, “StudentTarget Marketing Strategies for Universities,”Journal of College Admissions 196 (Summer2007):14-19.

28. T. J. Hayes, “Image and the University,”Journal of Marketing for Higher Education 4 (1/2)(1993):423-425.


30. Maguire Associates, “Attitudinal Study ofProspects, Inquirers, Parents of Inquirers, Non-Matriculants, and Matriculants”: http://www. ccu.org/projects/marketresearch/channel.reports/default.asp. Retrieved March 4, 2006.

31. George M. Marsden, The Soul of theAmerican University: From Protestant Establish-ment to Established Nonbelief (New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1994).

32. James Tunstead Burtchaell, The Dying ofthe Light: The Disengagement of Colleges and Uni-versities From Their Christian Churches (GrandRapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1998).

33. Robert Benne, Quality With Soul: How SixPremiere Colleges and Universities Keep Faith WithTheir Religious Traditions (Grand Rapids, Mich.:Eerdmans, 2001).


35. D. W. Hunt, The Factors That Impact Mar-keting and Enrollment in Seventh-day AdventistBoarding Schools. Unpublished doctoral disserta-tion, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 1996.

36. P. O. Mainda, A Study on Selected FactorsInfluencing School Choice Among the Seventh-dayAdventist Populations in Southwest Michigan. Un-published doctoral dissertation, Andrews Univer-sity, Berrien Springs, Michigan, 2001.

37. Association for Adventist Colleges andUniversities, Adventist College Strategy (Septem-ber 2011), received via e-mail.

38. N. C. Sorensen, “Forming PartnershipsWithin Adventist Higher Education,” The Journalof Adventist Education 65:2 (December 2002/Jan-uary 2003):48-50.

39. GC Commission on Higher Education,Global Report and Recommendations, vol. 1, opcit.

40. __________, Final Report of the GeneralConference Commission on Higher Education (Sil-ver Spring, Md.: October 2005).

41. The author wishes to thank her colleaguesDrs. Loretta Johns, Jimmy Kijai, and Doug Jonesfor their wisdom and guidance during the devel-opment and analysis of this study and the com-pletion of her doctoral education.

system and to know how to investigateits options for their young person. The church as a whole is called to this

task by the 2005 GC Commission onHigher Education: “The church looks toSeventh-day Adventist higher educationfor its next generation of leaders,”39 and“The church needs to take a serious lookat . . . how to best reverse the trend oflarge numbers of church youth choosingnon-Adventist institutions for theirhigher education needs as opposed toour own institutions.”40

With this encouragement, workshould continue, not only by AACU, butalso by all pastors and by all churchleaders and educators, on communicat-ing the advantages and benefits of anAdventist higher education to all churchconstituents. In addition to providingfair access and equal opportunity toeach college-bound Adventist in theNAD, this systematic strategy will ensurethat a healthy base of Adventist youngpeople continues to be available for eachinstitution into the future.41 �

This article has been peer reviewed.

Vinita Sauder,Ph.D., M.B.A., isVice President forStrategic Initiativesat Southern Advent-ist University inCollegedale, Ten-nessee. From 1998 to

2011, she served as Southern’s Vice Presi-dent for Marketing and Enrollment Serv-ices and helped grow the university bymore than 1,000 students. She founded theoriginal Joint Marketing Committee forthe Association of Adventist Colleges andUniversities (AACU) and is a past presi-dent of the Adventist Enrollment Associa-tion (AEA). Her doctoral study, “Mar -keting Seventh-day Adventist HigherEducation: College-Choice Motivators andBarriers,” is available at http:// www. southern.edu/~sauder. Dr. Sauder has alsoserved as a business professor, institutionalresearch and planning director, and associ-ate dean of academic administration.

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