Belonging Is the Only Product Higher Education Has Left That No One Else Can Sell
Belonging predicts student persistence more reliably than any other factor community colleges can control, yet most institutions have assigned it to a program, a department, or orientation week, and called it done. I argue that belonging is higher education's last durable competitive advantage in an environment where cost, credentials, and outcomes are all eroding, and that marketing owns more of it than most teams realize.
Your AI Strategy Won't Work Because Your Org Chart Won't Let It
AI adoption in higher education marketing jumped from 49% to 66% in a single year. The outcomes aren't keeping up. The problem isn't the tools — it's the org chart they're dropped into.
Marketing's Accountability Doesn't End at Enrollment
The conditions that predict whether a student persists through her first year are largely set before she ever sits down with an advisor. Marketing helped set them. Marketing should own part of fixing them.
Community college marketing Has A discovery problem
Community college enrollment grew 3% in fall 2025. The cost advantage has never been wider. Public trust is higher than it's been in a decade. And a prospective student asking ChatGPT where to start her healthcare career probably didn't find you. The way students discover institutions has been fundamentally rewired by AI search — and most community college marketing teams are still running a 2018 playbook. Here's what changed, what the stealth applicant trend actually means for your funnel, and what to build next.
Enrollment Can’t Be the Finish Line
What does it actually take to keep a student enrolled after they walk through the door? More than a great application process. More than a welcoming orientation. It takes a system designed for the Maria who shows up on a day when no one is waiting for her.