Karen Francis Executive Blog
Can a Reignited Women’s Movement Stimulate Education Reform and Economic Recovery?
Posted by Karen Francis on Tuesday, December 27th 2011
I recently had the honor of co-hosting an event here in Silicon Valley called “Off the Sidelines” featuring U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and a number of women leaders. This local event focused on Senator Gillibrand’s national “Off the Sidelines” campaign to inspire women to become involved and to make their voices heard on the issues they care about. She started the effort because she feels strongly that the women’s movement needs to be reignited, that women need to take part in the debate and have a seat at the table when decisions are being made that affect every aspect of their lives. Senator Gillibrand believes that women are the key to our economic recovery and rebuilding the middle class and that having women at the table can start to change our economic landscape and help create opportunities for small businesses and jobs.
Higher Education and Higher Earnings
There are a myriad of issues women will no doubt embrace as part of this movement, including the pervasive issue of pay equality. Did you know that white women earn an average of about 78 cents for every dollar earned by men; for African American women it’s about 71 cents and for 62 cents for Latino women? (Source: USA Today). According to Senator Gillibrand, if women earned dollar for dollar what men do, it could raise the GDP by 9%.
How Private Sector Schools Can Develop the Fabric of Community
Posted by Karen Francis on Wednesday, August 10th 2011
In June I had the honor of moderating a panel for the APSCU 2011 Convention entitled “Developing the Fabric of Community: Referral, Retention and Placement Strategies for Your Students.” The panel featured a lively and informative discussion with the following dynamic industry leaders: Kai Drekmeier, Founder and President, InsideTrack, Inc.; Rhonda Gaines Associate Dean of Career Services, DeVry University; Doug Mandell, former General Counsel, LinkedIn; Dr. Elizabeth Tice, President, Ashford University; and Scot Stapleton, Senior Vice President, Career Services, Education Corporation of America.
I consider this topic critical to the lasting success of private sector schools, as they continue to attract larger and more diverse student bodies and their graduates rise through the corporate ranks.
Private sector schools have done an excellent job of developing curriculum and programs that provide their students with the educational content, functional training and skills development necessary to forging successful careers. But the support structures provided by traditional colleges, such as career centers and alumni networks, have not typically been a priority of private sector schools. Additionally, with today’s technology revolution, redefining how we all “socialize,” finding the support necessary to stay informed and inspired can be a challenge.
The panelists shared valuable insights into some of the most critical elements to creating an enduring community. I’ve summarized below a few of the key points made:
Keeping Students on Track
With persistence a key issue in private sector higher education, all panelists agreed that creating a dialogue with students goes a long way toward ensuring successful matriculation. This dialogue should commence even before their formal studies begin and the check-ins should continue throughout their college studies to gauge progress and identify personal or academic challenges, so schools can intervene with assistance before issues become seemingly insurmountable. Ideally this communication occurs through a combination of in-person, phone, email and social network sites.
The panel also discussed the fact that many private sector students are first-generation college students, and how that dynamic can greatly impact persistence. Schools like Ashford University are developing curricula and scheduling designed specifically for adults juggling numerous demands such as studies, work and family. Many private sector students also live in remote rural areas, making it all the more important to create a sense of belonging through ongoing communications.
Social Studies
Social network sites like LinkedIn and Facebook can prove invaluable in creating a sense of community and belonging throughout a student’s college experience and beyond. Active university Facebook pages can provide timely information to students and will encourage them to seek out advice and resources from their peers and professors. While LinkedIn and Facebook are critical tools, it’s extremely important for schools to create social media and professional brand management plans.
LinkedIn can be leveraged not only for job placement assistance but also for referrals, building on the site’s concept of “degrees of connection.” Through LinkedIn, current and former students can generate buzz around where they go to school and why they like it. Referrals were an area viewed as not fully tapped by private sector schools, though DeVry is leading the way with its launch of a nationwide customer service initiative.
Alumni Communities
Panelists agreed that private sector schools need to do a better job of cultivating engaged alumni bodies whose members are vested in the continued success of their alma maters. As private sector graduates grow in numbers and in influence, they can serve as valuable ambassadors. Many of the larger private sector schools have fostered strong alumni communities, like DeVry, which offers alumni exclusive benefits including lifelong career services and transcripts and library access. It’s important that schools of all sizes place a strong emphasis on alumni relations and it’s also important that the cultivation of future alums starts early in a student’s college career. The aforementioned social media tools, as well as communications processes related to persistence, can play a key role in this process. AcademixDirect, for example, has introduced an interactive community called AlumNet that consolidates a school’s alumni network to connect successful, employed graduates with prospective and newly enrolled students to mentor and encourage them throughout the college experience. Schools should seek out appropriate tools that help them connect to their alumni and, in turn, connect their alumni to their current student body.
The Corporate Connection
Corporate connections were strongly emphasized. Private sector universities such as DeVry have developed extensive networks of corporate partners to provide, in essence, a jobs pipeline for qualified graduates. DeVry’s network includes numerous Fortune 500 corporations like Intel and Microsoft that are actively hiring. It was noted that the qualities these companies seek when interviewing private sector graduates versus traditional school graduates are the same — they want candidates who not only have earned a degree but who can demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to work on a team. The hiring rules are the same. Corporate partnerships also involve companies sending students to private sector schools, including Ashford University, to fast-track them to finish their degrees. In this “who you know” jobs market, creating strong corporate relationships is essential for private sector schools seeking to help students launch a successful job search and, ultimately, forge a strong career path.
Stay Tuned
These are but a few of the points touched upon during what was a panel discussion. The topic of developing the fabric of community covers a lot of territory and, given that there was such high interest and many areas that still remain to be addressed, we are planning to continue the dialogue back here in Silicon Valley. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on plans.
Mobile Apps – a New Frontier in Higher Education
Posted by Karen Francis on Monday, April 4th 2011
Mobile Apps – a New Frontier in Higher Education
With more than a million Apple iPad 2s sold during its March 11th weekend launch, and with 70% of those going to new buyers, Americans are embracing mobile communications with committed enthusiasm. One distinguishing feature of the new iPad that Josh Lowensohn of CNET points out is the number of apps available – more than 65,000 native iPad applications that make up part of the 350,000 total apps available in the App store, almost all of which will be able to run on the iPad 2. Mobile technology and the numerous accompanying learning apps – from educational games, to video chat, to accessing real-time test scores – are accelerating a widely shared mission to make education more accessible to all.
College students in particular are embracing mobile technologies and their interactive features. According to Educause, 43% of all college students used mobile gear to get on the Internet every day in 2010, compared with ten percent of students in 2008. Teens are also a big part of the mix. eMarketer just forecasted that close to 84% of US teens will own a mobile device by the end of 2011. Smartphones are driving mobile Internet use in this segment, according to the research firm’s Demographic Profile – Teens report, with almost half of all teens expected to be online using their mobile devices in the next five years, an increase of 13% on 2011.
As lower prices and additional features continue to draw users, and tablet entries from Apple competitors like Samsung and Dell enter the market, usage by the youth population will continue to skyrocket.
It’s critical that institutions of higher learning keep pace with this generation of mobile users on a number of levels – because while the mobile revolution is changing the paradigm of how students learn, it will also impact how prospective college and graduate students initiate their school searches.
To meet the changing needs of potential students and to further enhance its advisory role to online schools, AcademixDirect is launching a new mobile site called m. degreepath.com that allows potential students to search for schools that best match their interests with the ease of a smartphone. Prospective students will now be able to find their best school matches wherever they are and whenever the spirit moves them to initiate their potentially life-changing search – while waiting for a bus, on a work break, or walking to their next class. They can choose to be connected immediately to the school of their choice with one button. In our fast-paced society, this kind of ease of use and immediacy is so important. Equally important is the fact that AcademixDirect’s patented matching technology will be optimized for the mobile experience so the quality of leads will remain high. The development of mobile college search is a natural evolution – just as more students are seeking the convenience and targeted experience of online matriculation, they are seeking the same attributes for their college search experience.
The AcademixDirect team is excited to roll out this mobile launch as we simultaneously look ahead to the next big trends in college inquiry, for our goal is to always remain a few steps ahead of the curve.
A New Era in Compliance
Posted by Karen Francis on Friday, February 25th 2011
A New Era in Compliance
Compliance is a hot topic in the private sector higher education industry. Compliance is a hot topic in the private sector higher education industry. While the House resoundingly approved an amendment that would block the U.S. Department of Education from using any of its 2011 fiscal funds to carry out proposed regulation that would require schools to ensure their students are prepared for “gainful employment,” the budget debate in the Senate continues, with a March 4 deadline looming.
Our industry has spent months providing data, revising internal practices, and defending itself against criticisms about effectiveness and intentions.
There are those who view this unprecedented scrutiny as industry bias. However, that view takes the focus off the real opportunity at hand to elevate our industry. Everyone agrees that the existing educational system in the U.S. is not sufficiently effective to keep us at the forefront of international standards and competitiveness.
So let’s fix it. Let’s not try to disassemble a significant component of our educational system, which seeks to get even more people educated and trained to help us compete globally. Let’s work to continue the American heritage of making life better for each generation, providing different education formats for people regardless of their life stage. Allowing flexibility enables so many more people to access the knowledge we need in our society to face even more complex future issues and develop solutions.
Should the advertising and language used to communicate educational opportunities be misleading? No. Should there be promises made that aren’t guaranteed? Of course not. We all agree, understand and welcome the opportunity to move forward toward our shared goals of quality education for all.
At AcademixDirect, our response to a more rigorous regulatory environment is to work to become the most transparent education marketing partner in the industry. We recently appointed a Director of Compliance to ensure we deliver quality traffic that meets all customer compliance requirements. Our newly formed internal compliance task force is creating proprietary technologies and processes that effectively track and route student inquiries as requested by each school customer.
We also have a seat on the APSCU (Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities) Putting Students First Task Force, an initiative that educates the industry on best practices in the area of regulatory compliance.
In essence, the AcademixDirect team has the expertise to serve as a trusted resource to our partner schools during this challenging time. While the road ahead promises more debate, we believe the scrutiny will ultimately benefit the students we serve – and will bring a new level of understanding and respect for the industry as a whole.
It’s Time to Get Serious about Jobs
Posted by Karen Francis on Thursday, January 13th 2011
It’s Time to Get Serious about Jobs
With a new year and the new 112th Congress in session, it’s time to focus on the issue of utmost concern to Americans. It’s time to get serious about jobs.
The national unemployment rate is stubbornly hovering around 9.4 percent, leaving us with a prolonged economic downturn unlike anything most have experienced in our lifetime. The average American is tired of struggling to save their job or their house. We are all keenly aware of how important job stability is and how rare it is to attain.
To establish an effective jobs agenda, we must support innovation leaders and the ones I see here in Silicon Valley are mirrored in other innovation hot spots around the country. Technology leaders are blazing new trails in clean tech, biotech and digital technology and investors are bringing these innovations to market.
Sustained global success in these sectors however, requires an educated and skilled U.S. workforce. That education and jobs go hand-in-hand is universally accepted but a focused intersection is now imperative. We need to develop a generation of uniquely skilled workers, from scientists to engineers to technicians and manufacturers, equipped to handle the rigors of emerging industries.
Institutions of higher education, regardless of whether they are private or public, online or on-campus, must lay the foundation for future economic success but they cannot do it alone. Corporate collaborations with schools, like the consortium led by the University of Michigan (www.umich.edu) to advance technologies for clean energy vehicles under the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC), should be replicated for a wide variety of emerging industries. This consortium’s members include Ohio State University, MIT, Sandia National Laboratories, American Electric Power, GM, Ford, Toyota and Chrysler, among others.
There has been no shortage of discourse about the higher education industry and there is no question that the establishment of higher standards and firmer compliance must be achieved. But what must not be lost in the dialogue is that our current and future workforce needs an unwavering commitment from both higher education and corporate sectors to truly prepare them to contribute to the new economy. From restructuring curriculum, to increasing industry-focused practicum, to developing jobs pipelines from schools to businesses, there are numerous ways we can improve the training and placement of our workforce.
The extraordinary level of innovation represented by breakthrough technologies must be equally matched by the level of innovation in our approach to education. With our nation at a crossroads, now is the time for business, education and political leaders to work collectively to prepare the nation’s workforce for sustained success in a global marketplace.
About Karen C. Francis
Francis is an accomplished marketing leader who is applying her advertising and branding experience to the world of online higher education as CEO of education marketing firm AcademixDirect (www.academixdirect.com). Prior to joining AcademixDirect, Francis served as Chairman and CEO of Publicis & Hal Riney. A Harvard MBA and former member of Dartmouth College’s Board of Trustees, Karen aims to elevate the dialogue surrounding online schools and shine a light on the role these schools will play in the 21st century workforce.
Waiting for…Innovation
Posted by Karen Francis on Thursday, November 11th 2010
Davis Guggenheim’s latest documentary “Waiting for Superman” has drawn tremendous attention to the state of our nation’s public education system. Whatever your opinion of the film, and there are many, it has achieved an impressive feat – people are talking about education. Not just parents and educators but business leaders, philanthropists, the media and politicians are all taking stock of our education system.
Many of them view “Waiting for Superman” as an educational call to action. I see it as a call to innovation.
No longer can we ignore the remarkable untapped potential of the Internet to improve our nation’s education system. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s 2010 study found that about a third of our nation’s youth have computers with Internet access in their bedrooms and daily media use is up dramatically http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia012010nr.cfm So much attention has been paid to how the Internet has changed how kids socialize and consume media – and its potential for negative impact – but let’s not forget the broad, positive influence the Internet can exact.
Higher education institutions have successfully embraced the Internet as a learning tool – from online classes to online textbooks, the higher education industry is leveraging the Internet to increase access and options for students of all walks of life. It’s time for our primary and secondary public schools to do the same.
With over-stretched teachers facing growing class sizes, and increasingly tighter school budget constraints, many students are not receiving the attention necessary to progress to the next grade level or to graduate. Of those who do graduate, roughly one-half of the nation’s entering postsecondary students do not meet placement standards and are not ready for college-level work. Our students, regardless of where they live and what school they attend, deserve better. An effective solution must come from a cohesive national agenda that leverages technological advances to increase access and close the learning gap.
A free, Internet-based tutoring platform, supported by the Department of Education (DoE) and introduced to schools nationwide, would be a resourceful, cost-effective and high-impact use of the Internet. There already exist impressive examples of this kind of learning model. There is the non-profit Khan Academy (www.khanacademy.org) founded by Harvard MBA and former hedge fund manager Sal Khan, who produces online lessons in math, science and other topics (1,600+ videos to date) that are available on YouTube. Deemed the most popular educational site on the web, Khan Academy has followers from countries spanning the globe, including the U.S., England, Australia, and India. There are also many other educators out there taking the time and effort to share their expertise and produce Web tutorials for use not only by their students but by anyone with an interest in the topic. One such educator is physics teacher Dr. James Dann, of the Menlo School in California, who has filmed 120 physics lessons now posted on YouTube and also incorporated into the free digital textbook, The People’s Physics FlexBook, available from CK-12 Foundation at www.ck12.org.
A DoE-sanctioned national model with tutorials covering all subjects at all grade levels, in a variety of languages, would provide students and parents with sorely needed additional resources and teachers with the opportunity to scaffold lessons for students at all learning levels. It is an innovative and personalized approach to helping students learn in this digitized era.
About Karen C. Francis
Francis is an accomplished marketing leader who is applying her advertising and branding experience to the world of online higher education as CEO of education marketing firm AcademixDirect (www.academixdirect.com). Prior to joining AcademixDirect, Francis served as Chairman and CEO of Publicis & Hal Riney. A Harvard MBA and former member of Dartmouth College’s Board of Trustees, Karen aims to elevate the dialogue surrounding online schools and shine a light on the role these schools will play in the 21st century workforce.
