In 2021, RHB published a research study of 108 higher education strategic plans. Beyond asking what makes a strategic plan strategic, we wanted to answer several questions: Who are these plans truly for? Why is the process so complex? Does it have to be? Amidst such rapid change, how relevant can a plan truly be?…Read more
Author: Rob Zinkan
A Conversation on Strategic Planning and the Future of the CMO Role
RHB vice president for marketing leadership Rob Zinkan recently joined the Higher Ed Demand Gen Podcast hosted by Shiro Hatori. Rob and Shiro discuss RHB’s research on strategic planning and explore how the CMO role can continue to evolve in higher education. Take a listen to Episode 55. The transcript is below · · ·…Read more
Transport Yourself With RHB’s Annual Summer Reading List
This year, we’ve got some summer reading picks that have some heft to them and capture a broad array of interests. With two doctoral students represented among our pickers here, we’re excited to show off what they’re working on and pondering at the same time we give you some options for thinking about how music…Read more
The Missing Element in CMO Position Descriptions and Roles
This article previously appeared in Inside Higher Ed and it is posted here with permission of the author. Nearly every position description for a vice president for advancement or chief advancement officer includes some reference to building a culture of philanthropy. No equivalent exists for marketing. As a result of this void, higher education marketing matures at…Read more
Transcript: Strategic Planning: Leading With Authenticity and Strategy
On April 12, Aimee Hosemann, Sam Waterson and Rob Zinkan hosted RHB’s latest webinar about its strategic planning research, analyzing 108 plans across higher ed. They discuss eight leadership themes that emerged from interviews with presidents of institutions that had the “most strategic” plans. For additional resources, you can watch a recording of the webinar, download the executive…Read more
Centralization Is Not the Objective: Marketing Organizational Structure Should Follow Strategy
This article previously appeared in Inside Higher Ed and it is posted here with permission of the author. “We’re so decentralized.” In my organizational design work for higher ed marketing and communications, I often hear this lament from leaders describing their current structure. The refrain, which is not exclusive to large institutions, implies that a centralized—or significantly…Read more
Institutional Strategic Planning and the Under-Leveraged Capability of Advancement
One objective of RHB’s study of 108 current strategic plans was to bring a constituent-oriented lens to this research. Faculty, staff and administrators play a central role in strategic planning. What about other core constituencies—students, alumni, donors and other stakeholders—and the functional areas responsible for them? For instance, we have previously discussed research implications for…Read more
Relationship-Building and the Intersection of Enrollment, Marketing and Technology
RHB Vice President for Enrollment Management Ken Anselment, Vice President for Client Technology Erin Gore, Senior Vice President for Relationship Development Alex Williams and Vice President for Marketing Leadership Rob Zinkan recently led a webinar as part of the Leading Edge Thinking in Higher Education Series from Bay Path University’s Center for Higher Education Leadership…Read more
Transcript: Strategic Planning That’s Truly Strategic
On October 12, RHB’s Aimee Hosemann and Rob Zinkan hosted a webinar, Strategic Planning That’s Truly Strategic, to share findings and critical lessons from RHB’s yearlong study of 108 current strategic plans across higher education. For additional resources, you can watch a recording of the webinar, download the executive summary of the research, purchase the full-report book…Read more
A Guide to AMA Higher Ed 2022
In the handful of conferences I’ve attended in person over the last year, I’ve noticed a welcome trend: greater presence and intention among conference-goers. Everyone has a renewed appreciation for being with one another. Fewer heads are buried in screens during sessions. My RHB colleague Alex Williams has called these experiences “joyful reminders of the…Read more