Southeast Community College to Ramp Up Student Recruiting

BEATRICE – With a new logo, new facilities being constructed and learning centers across the region, Southeast Community College is bolstering efforts to recruit students.
Vice President of Public Information and Marketing, Stu Osterthun says SCC is putting more resources into competing for high school graduates…and those in the age range of 18 to 24.

He said it’s a matter of trying to build on momentum.....with new facilities, a switch to a semester calendar and a new logo and branding guide.
Firespring is the Nebraska company that helped SCC come up with a new logo and branding message. Osterthun says the college is emphasizing the theme, “Choose You….Your Choice”…..aimed at harvesting energy around the college as it modernizes.

The recruiting campaign will focus on the school’s 15-county area…targeting the so-called centennial generation.
Osterthun says, "These are students who were born in 1997, and later....high school students seeking a four-year degree, those focused on a trade career, and then prospects 18 to 24".

The recruiting effort includes testing of advertising with students on radio, streaming, digital banner advertising , digital billboards and Google ads, among others.
"We want to deliver messages high high frequency....and we're going to do it with a mix of media".
Osterthun made a presentation before the college board at the SCC Continuing Education Center, Tuesday. He says the school’s admissions database has produced a list of 8,000 to 10,000 prospective students.

"These are people who have not applied yet, to the college. We may have a contact card from them, from a high school visit, Husker Harvest Days, any college fair.....and that's what makes up these eight thousand to ten thousand prospects", Osterthun said.

The recruiting campaign includes an online survey of prospective students about their college program interests and other information. Osterthun says the main campaign for recruiting students will be from January through May.
"We've never done anything to this extent. We've done a lot of mini-campaigns that are far more targeted, but this is really exciting. We need to turn those eight to ten thousand prospects.....it's probably not realistic to turn all of those into students....but if we can get a good percentage of those.....they already have a good connection to SCC...so let's get them turned into a student".

The increased recruiting effort was part of expanded budget proposals this year at Southeast Community College, which converted from the quarter system to semesters, beginning this fall. Enrollment this year at SCC is about 9,700 students.