Providence College reports an increase in new students for the second year in a row, bucking the downward trend affecting many Christian post-secondary schools.
“College new students ?are up 17 per cent and were up eight per cent last year,” says David Johnson, executive vice president and provost. “Aviation students are up by? 50 per cent over last year; Business Administration students are up by 25 per cent; ?Communications and Media are up by 20 per cent; and Social Science is up by 60 per cent.”
The school credits many areas with the achievement.
“Concerted recruitment effort on behalf of the entire institution in combination with changing demographics,” says Bob Wiebe, director of educational marketing at Providence. “Although the Marketing Department plays a primary role in recruitment of students, various departments have contributed to the recruitment effort through programming and networking within the local, regional and international community.”
Providence has also employed new marketing strategies in the past few years that may be positively impacting enrollment.
“We have placed a stronger emphasis on Internet-based marketing initiatives,” says Wiebe, “which has included the launch of our new websites and the use of search engines and social media for advertising. We have also focused on identifying lead generation opportunities through non-traditional marketing channels.”
This past year in particular, Providence has placed more emphasis on program-specific advertising, improving their follow-up process, and developing leads through social media and web-based initiatives.
“Also, the addition of campus-based recruitment events and the removal of barriers to financial aid have all had a positive impact,” says Wiebe.
Providence College and Seminary is a Christian academic community in the evangelical tradition that teaches people to grow in knowledge and character for leadership and service. Providence is located in Otterburne, MB.
