Higher education marketing has reached a crossroads, and Jenny Petty knows it well.
In her second appearance on The VineDown, Jenny, VP of Marketing Communications at the University of Montana, dives into the “perfect storm” facing higher ed—a series of shifts reshaping how colleges recruit, engage, and retain students. From demographic changes to consumer expectations, Jenny unpacks what these challenges mean for today’s enrollment teams and how they can prepare for what’s next.
Jenny shares the balance we all have to maintain: between adapting to massive change and staying true to what makes an institution genuine.
So, what are the biggest challenges? And more importantly, how do we tackle them? Let’s dig in.
“We've been so focused on the demographic cliff for so long,” Jenny notes, “that there's a lot of other things going off of the demographic cliff that we're not paying attention to.” With lower high school graduation rates (projected to decline by 8% by 2031), colleges face a shrinking pool of applicants—a reality hitting smaller and rural schools especially hard. This shift forces schools to compete for fewer students, raising the stakes for enrollment teams.
To adapt, Jenny emphasizes reaching beyond traditional audiences, including adult learners and nontraditional students. Recruiting in this new world demands strategies that focus on audience diversity, not just volume.
“Higher Ed has traditionally relied on name buying through ACT, SAT, College Board...But the availability of names is starting to drop drastically,” Jenny explains. With fewer students taking the SAT and ACT, colleges can’t rely on the old data sources they used to fill their enrollment funnels. This shift, along with stricter privacy laws, means that buying names won’t cut it anymore.
Colleges should rethink how they reach prospective students and focus on personalized methods that respect privacy. Students want meaningful engagement, not mass outreach.
“Today’s students want a consumer-grade experience for what they are experiencing outside of higher ed,” Jenny explains. They expect seamless digital interactions, just like the brands they love. Yet, many colleges struggle to keep up with these expectations.
This shift challenges colleges to rethink their approach, treating programs as “products” that meet students’ diverse needs. It’s a tough adjustment, but Jenny emphasizes that it’s critical to provide a smoother, more intuitive experience to meet students where they are.
“Last year we had a college or a university close every week, which was startling, but also expected at the same time.” It’s important to remember that the only brands that stand out are the ones that stay true to their core identity. Colleges can’t afford to misrepresent themselves because students see right through it.
For the University of Montana, this means keeping the brand consistent with the actual experience on campus. Jenny warns against “over-personalizing” to the point that a campus feels different from what the marketing promised.
Her message is clear: in the rush to attract students, colleges must hold the line on authenticity.
Jenny also highlights the growing importance of student sentiment and privacy. With students increasingly cautious about how their data is used—especially women who feel vulnerable in today’s data landscape—colleges must make transparency and trust top priorities.
“We've got to be really keeping privacy concerns top of mind and starting to shift the way we do our work so that we're creating trust with our consumers,” she emphasizes. This isn’t just a compliance issue; it’s about fostering genuine connections with students.
Jenny introduced a new concept for many listeners (including myself!): “filter bubbles.” Hyper-personalized AI algorithms can narrow what students see, sometimes creating an echo chamber effect. While personalization can help engagement, it risks isolating students from diverse viewpoints.
Jenny calls this “over-personalization” and sees it as a danger. “We don’t want it to be so filtered that when students show up on campus, it doesn’t feel like what they signed up for,” she says. For colleges, the goal should be to use AI responsibly, ensuring that students still experience a well-rounded perspective.
So, where does AI fit in? Jenny sees AI as a powerful tool for efficiency, freeing up marketers to focus on more creative, human-centered work. “It’s not about replacing writers or marketers,” she says, “but about giving them more bandwidth to think strategically.” AI’s role is to streamline repetitive tasks while allowing human marketers to craft authentic stories and create meaningful connections.
At CollegeVine, we’re tackling these challenges head-on, bringing AI-driven solutions for universities that respect privacy and prioritize genuine engagement. We also believe that authenticity and technological solutions can coexist. By equipping institutions with the tools to personalize the recruitment process without losing sight of the human experience, we’re helping universities navigate this perfect storm and emerge stronger.
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