| A thriving marketplace of knowledge-based organizations has developed around the traditional higher educational institutions in the United States. Not only do students have more academic and training options, but faculty, donors, and others do as well. Higher education institutions compete for enrollment, quality faculty, public affinity, donations, tax appropriations, and media attention.; The majority of the current literature focuses on how research universities or nationally prominent institutions market themselves and how they build upon established prestige factors. Other literature focuses on the rapid growth of proprietary institutions and how they are targeting many programs and students at traditional institutions. Such changes have generally necessitated a shift to more marketing approach for public institutions, especially for master's and baccalaureate colleges and universities as defined by the Carnegie Foundation. Regional institutions often find themselves competing with not only the more prestigious institutions in their geographic region but also community colleges, corporate universities, proprietary institutions, and all varieties of private traditional institutions.; This quantitative study explores the marketing perceptions of presidents and chief marketing and communication officers at public master's and baccalaureate colleges and universities. A survey instrument was utilized to gather feedback concerning the experience using various marketing strategies, the perceived reputation levels of stakeholders, the importance of rankings, the importance of program expansion, the use of pillars of excellence and centers and institutes, the identified competitions, and the perceived market pressures.; Results are descriptive for current experience and perceptions of the survey participants. The data do reveal differences according to institutional, respondents career and geographic characteristics. |
