Higher Ed Strategist · Speaker · Winston-Salem, NC

Higher ed marketing is student experience.

I'm Devin Purgason. I help colleges build the systems, language, and strategy that keep students moving forward after they show up.

Read My Writing Speaking & Podcasts Work With Me

The Core Belief

Enrollment can't be the finish line. It has to be the trailhead.

Most colleges are designed to get students in the door. Far fewer are designed for what happens next. My work lives in that gap.

The Work in Numbers

19→45%
Graduation rate at Forsyth Tech under the Student Care model
12→45%
Minority completion rate over the same three years
85%
AI chatbot answer rate, up from 53%
1.7M+
Minutes of staff time saved by AI agents

What I Do

01

Student Experience as Strategy

Marketing that stops at awareness is leaving students behind. I build integrated models that connect recruitment, onboarding, care, and retention into one human experience.

02

AI That Reduces Friction, Not Humanity

Not the vendor pitch version. The real version. I've led AI adoption at scale and write about what actually works versus what sounds good in a deck.

03

Community Colleges as the Answer

The most underestimated institutions in American higher education. I've spent my career making the case and building the marketing infrastructure to match it.

Topics

Student ExperienceThe first day of class is a marketing outcome. Enrollment MarketingEnrollment is the trailhead. Student RetentionRetention is a marketing problem too. AI in Higher EdAI is exposing your org chart. Institutional BrandingA rebrand is finished when the places people look are finished.

All five subjects

Featured Essay

Higher Ed Marketing · Student Experience · AI in Higher Ed

Writing on the systems, strategy, and people behind higher education.

Essays on community college marketing, student experience design, AI adoption, and what it actually takes to build institutions worthy of the students who show up.

Read the Writing

Recognition & Reach

Award

2024 AMA Emerging Marketer in Higher Education

Selected from three national finalists. Presented at the AMA Symposium, Las Vegas.

Award

Enrollify 2025 Hall of Fame

Recognized as one of higher ed's most impactful voices in enrollment marketing.

Publishing

Inside Higher Ed, Community College Daily & The EvoLLLution

Regular contributor on higher ed marketing, student experience, and AI strategy.

Stages

ASU+GSV, AMA, CASE, AACC, RNL, NACAC

National conference stages that shape higher education strategy and enrollment.

Podcasts

18+ Podcast Appearances

Higher Ed Icons, Enrollify, Higher Ed Geek, Modern Campus, EdUp, AACRAO, and more.

Consulting

Colleges & Universities

Strategic consulting for colleges and universities on enrollment marketing, student experience design, and AI adoption.

Photography

Photography Is Part Of How I Recharge.

The same instinct that drives my work in higher ed shows up behind the camera. Portraits, events, travel, and the quiet moments in between.

View the Work
A paper fan that says, "Forsyth Tech, We are one of America's Top 10 community colleges"

Let's work together.

Looking for a keynote, a workshop, a strategic partner, or a byline for your publication?

Consulting & Speaking About Devin