Breaking Barriers: How Marketing Drives Inclusion in Access Institutions

Full Transcript

Enrollify_ConfessionsofaHigherEdCMO_Audio_Ep30S3E5_MylaEdmond_Version1

[00:00:00] Jaime Hunt: Hi. I'm a higher ed CMO and I have a confession to make. I am not impressed by A School's, US News and World Report making, and I am not impressed by a school's selectivity. What I am impressed by is a school's ability to improve the social mobility of its students, to serve students that. May not have had access to the type of resources that wealthier students may have had to serve students who come from underrepresented communities.

[00:00:25] And so I'm really excited to have this conversation with Myla Edmond about access institutions and the important role that they play and the important role that marketing can play in serving the types of students who attend these schools. So I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I had having it.

[00:00:58] Welcome to [00:01:00] Confessions of a Higher Ed cmo, the podcast designed for higher education marketers. I'm your host, Jamie Hunt, and I am so excited to have this opportunity to share insights and inspiration with Confessions of a Higher Ed cmo. I'm designing a different kind of podcasting experience. With each episode, I'll be bringing in a guest for a deep dive into the challenges.

[00:01:21] And joys we all face in higher education marketing. After each episode, you can join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag higher ed cmo. I would love to see this become like a book club, but for a podcast. And be sure to follow me on Twitter at at Jamie Hunt i m c, that's j A i m E H U N T I M C for more opportunities to connect.

[00:01:51] I am happy to be here with my colleague and friend, Myla Edmond, who is the Associate Vice President of Communications and Marketing at California [00:02:00] State University, Dominguez Hill. Hi, Myla. How are you? I'm doing well. How are you, Jamie? Better now that I'm talking to you, I'm excited about our conversation today, but before we jump into that, can you tell us a little bit about your higher ed journey?

[00:02:13] Myla Edmond: Yes. Uh, while I studied marketing and psychology and undergrad, I actually wanted to go to law school. So my first job outta a college, I was a paralegal. Uh, and I'm thankful for that experience because it redirected me. Most of the cases settled. There was not enough courtroom drama for me. And so looking back, I'm gonna date myself a bit, but I think I was looking for like an Ali Mcbe experience and that was not what I got.

[00:02:40] So, uh, as I consider next steps, marketing called back to me and I also have a love for words and how they can evoke emotion. I left the law school idea behind and pursued marketing. And the job that excited me most was when I was doing that search, was an assistant director of Alumni Relations. It was essentially a [00:03:00] marketing communications role, and I loved it.

[00:03:03] Um, I found a blend of my professional expertise and, uh, personal fulfillment. And that work was challenging. It exposed me to writing for the web, uh, social media was just kind of getting off the ground for organizations, and I discovered that I believed in the mission of higher ed. So it was touching and exciting and heartwarming to connect people to what they called their most memorable and best times of their lives.

[00:03:29] And I was completely hooked after that. I left that institution to work for semester at Sea for a voyage as the alumni and development Coordinator. And then I directed marketing for the College of Arts and Sciences at another institution. Um, and then I led marketing for international ed for a university system until 2021.

[00:03:51] And now I'm at California State University, Dominguez 

[00:03:54] Jaime Hunt: Hills. So when you were at the semester at sea, were you at SEA or were [00:04:00] you marketing semester at sea, or, 

[00:04:01] Myla Edmond: I was, I was at sea. Uh, my role was the alumni and Development Coordinator and they called on me because I was actually an alum of the program.

[00:04:11] And so from August to December I was on the ship with them sailing around the world, and it was just, it was incredible. As I said, I, I did this as a student too, and it was just great to be back as an alum doing the same work. 

[00:04:25] Jaime Hunt: That is awesome. I bet that experience gave you a lot of insight that those of us who haven't done that have, oh my 

[00:04:33] Myla Edmond: goodness.

[00:04:34] It was, it was incredible. I would do it again if I could just, just seeing people experience the world at that age, you know, they're 17 to, to 21. Um, and some of the faculty and staff brought their families, so you saw kids experience in the world. It was just incredible. 

[00:04:51] Jaime Hunt: That sounds amazing. I really wanted to do that.

[00:04:54] It's not 

[00:04:55] Myla Edmond: too late. It's not too late. 

[00:04:57] Jaime Hunt: I'm just gonna tell, you know the president. I'm gonna take a [00:05:00] little hiatus and go for a SW ET sea. There you go. One of the things that you and I, I think share is a passion for. Institutions that provide access to underrepresented students. And yes, and for me it's, you know, I was a first generation college graduate from a blue collar family, the first person in my family to graduate from college.

[00:05:22] But for you, what interests you in serving, um, access 

[00:05:26] Myla Edmond: institutions? So, in terms of serving at access institutions, that's new for me. I've predominantly worked at, uh, PWIs, predominantly white institutions. In those spaces. I wanted to improve the experiences for students of color, but I didn't work at Access Institutions.

[00:05:45] I, I saw the percentages of underserved students at my previous jobs. I saw the looks on those students' faces as they questioned whether they belonged and. Honestly, I felt that as a student and an employee in those [00:06:00] roles. So I wanted to improve that life and speak up for them and show them themselves and the work that I was doing, uh, to make sure that they had representation and also make sure that they knew someone who looked like them was at the table.

[00:06:15] Uh, in my current role, you know, Dominguez Hills is 88% students of color. We're a Hispanic serving institution. Uh, we are second in the nation for social mobility. So my decision to come here was intentional. Uh, I wanted to learn from this cohort. I wanted to expand what I knew by working at an institution that didn't just use terms like diversity and access because they should.

[00:06:40] Uh, at Dominguez Hills it's, it's who we are. And in my two years here, I've learned so much about. Communications with this cohort, like you really have to ask yourself, uh, some serious questions about how to communicate about a campus event or some deadline when two outta three of your [00:07:00] students are food insecure.

[00:07:01] Mm-hmm. And one outta six of your students have experienced homelessness. That provides some perspective. Um, and just in marketing in general, you know, you have to understand your audience and what they need, uh, what problems exist out for them outside of the classroom and what's on their minds, what we do.

[00:07:20] It, it just can't be about us. And I've learned that in such a real way in the last two years. Uh, the other thing I'll add is just. All of the top talent in marketing communications can't and shouldn't just go to the same type of school. For me, that's another way to perpetuate privilege, and so I wanted to bring my expertise and experience here.

[00:07:44] That was a deliberate 

[00:07:45] Jaime Hunt: decision. I love that and I love that there's like, This intentionality about being somebody that students can look to that look like them. Um, and who've had some perhaps similar [00:08:00] experiences. I know when I was at, um, I went from a H B C U that had almost 60% of the students being PE eligible.

[00:08:09] Mm-hmm. Um, and the under-resourced. Um, nature of that campus and what we were able to provide and how scrappy we had to be. Um, I went to a elite university that had definitely served a higher, uh, socioeconomic status student. Mm-hmm. And it was the first time that I wasn't at a university that was providing access and it was like, These are the students that are going to be successful wherever they go because they have the resources and the network and the parental support and the finances or whatever to be successful.

[00:08:49] I remember when I was in the UNC system, Margaret Spellings during her brief time as president of the UNC system said, you know, the students who go to Chapel Hill are going to be [00:09:00] successful everywhere, anywhere, you know? Mm-hmm. To take a student with that, Takes absolutely no risk to take the type of student that, that, um, can afford or whatever.

[00:09:10] But if you, the student, the schools that are doing the real work of changing our society, changing our culture, changing our communities, are the schools that are serving the students that, um, are the first in their family, the first in their community or whatever to go to college. And that just jumped out at me when I was at that, that pwi.

[00:09:33] Elite school that I wasn't a fit for that, that that mission wasn't a fit for me. Um, And it's so rewarding to be back at a school. We're, we're majority minority at odu. And like you were saying, it's just like the diversity and inclusion of the campus is just part of who we are. And that just feels really good.

[00:09:55] Myla Edmond: It does, uh, it, it takes our mission and makes it to me a little bit more real. [00:10:00] Uh, because if we're just gonna only educate those who are coming from privileged backgrounds, how are we improving society? And that's what we say. We educate communities for us to improve society. But it's not an improvement if you're only educating those who are going to be fine regardless.

[00:10:20] Yeah. 

[00:10:21] Jaime Hunt: Yeah, like the, the whole idea of, you know, unpaid internships at like condo nat or something, right? Where you're, you know, your mom knows the publisher or whatever, and so you can do these internships and get these high paying elite jobs and no matter where you went, you know you're gonna have that kind of thing to fall back on.

[00:10:43] Versus, you know, the type the student that maybe. The career that they get after graduation is helping to pay their family's bills. Absolutely. Paying for their kid's sister to go to college in a few years or, you know, that kind of thing. That social mobility piece is so [00:11:00] important. 

[00:11:00] Myla Edmond: It is. And those unpaid internships come at a cost to students whose family are depending on them to help contribute.

[00:11:08] Jaime Hunt: Yeah. Yeah. So in your opinion, um, what role does marketing play in creating a more diverse and inclusive campus 

[00:11:17] Myla Edmond: community? Yeah, so I think marketing can save the world, but, but to be honest, uh, I think marketing has an expansive role in creating more diverse and inclusive, uh, communities. Uh, first, our, our work is highly visible.

[00:11:31] And so you have to ask yourself, do, do your students and employees of all races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, sexual identities, socioeconomic statuses and abilities, do they see themselves reflected on your website, in your videos, and in the features and profiles that you do? Uh, second, how is your institution managing inclusive language?

[00:11:54] Does your content speak to individuals or only about them? Mm-hmm. I, I think marketing [00:12:00] teams can and should share that responsibility alongside our diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice colleagues. I see us as being advocates for all spectrums of our audience base. And third, I think the way we work actually can create more diverse and inclusive community, welcoming different processes and ideas and opinions and the way we manage everything from our website presence, uh, to engaging our colleagues and improving communication strategies and helping the campus understand branding and everyone's role in it.

[00:12:32] I think just, uh, creating more collaborative and open means to approaching our work. Can create community that's inclusive, uh, because our colleagues need the feel, value then included too. So we can set that example in how we approach our work and bring others into that space too. 

[00:12:51] Jaime Hunt: Hey all. I hope you're enjoying this episode of Confessions of a Higher Ed C M O.

[00:12:55] I wanna take a moment to thank my friends at mindpower who are making season two of [00:13:00] this volfi podcast. Possible. Mindpower is a full service marketing and branding firm celebrating nearly 30 years of needle moving. Thought-provoking research, fueled creative and strategy. Mindpower is woman founded and owned, W B E N C, certified nationally recognized and serves the social sector, higher education, healthcare, nonprofits, and more.

[00:13:22] The Mindpower team is made up of strategists, storytellers, and experience creators from market research to brand campaigns, to recruitment to fundraising. The agency exists to empower clients, amplify brands, and help institutions find a strategic way forward. You can learn more about their work in the world by heading on over to Mind Power Inc.

[00:13:42] That's m i n D P O W E R I N c.com. And be sure to tell the crew that Jamie sent you their way. I love that idea of setting the example. I think there's. So much to be said for where a marketing office sits in that. Yeah. Like we're the, [00:14:00] we're the words, right. We're the, the images, we're the storytellers of the institution and we definitely set a tone.

[00:14:07] Oh, for 

[00:14:08] Myla Edmond: sure. I think it, it's what we produce, but I also, I. We have to figure out how we produce it too. That and that matters. I think we're natural collaborators because we have to work with everyone and we represent everyone, and so even in the work that we do, it does set an example for how others should collaborate and coordinate their efforts.

[00:14:28] Jaime Hunt: We recently brought our AVP for diversity equity inclusion to our, um, campus communicators forum so that, you know, people could hear a little bit about what she does and what our students face day to day. And it was super well intended and everybody was really, really engaged. And I just think there actually is a hunger among communicators to be more.

[00:14:51] Um, to be better allies, to be better communicators, to, to various and diverse audiences, and to be more inclusive. And for me, it's like I, [00:15:00] what can I do to help foster that sense of belonging? Mm-hmm. Because a student who feels like they belong is more likely to stay in school degree, feel motivated, get their degree, and then we're not having somebody come in, in a disadvantaged financial situation already, net.

[00:15:16] Possibly, but then having them come in and not be successful at college and leave with debt and no credential. And I think fostering that sense of belonging is just super, super 

[00:15:28] Myla Edmond: important. It's critical. And, and you know, as everyone talks about the enrollment cliff and all these things, uh, Enrollment is part of it.

[00:15:37] Retention has to be part of the conversation, and that is a big part of retention is if I don't feel like I belong in this space, I'm not gonna stay in it. And so I think that's 

[00:15:47] Jaime Hunt: critical. Absolutely it. There's so many, there's so many obstacles that students face, and if we can smooth the path on, you know, some of those so that it isn't quite as daunting, I just think [00:16:00] that's, that's really important.

[00:16:02] You mentioned a little bit. The word collaborating. Mm-hmm. And that kind of spins me into my next question, which is how do you collaborate with other departments and stakeholders to make sure that your marketing efforts are aligned with your institutional mission regarding access for underrepresented 

[00:16:18] Myla Edmond: groups?

[00:16:19] I honestly just welcome as many people to the table as possible. Uh, I operate using the same approach that I would want others to do for me and my team, and that's, I include folks from the beginning, you know, tell them what you're trying to do, give them the overall picture, show them the alignment to the mission, vision, and values.

[00:16:40] Ask what they think. Who is missing from the table? And then actually listen, uh, to what they tell you. That's true. And then, yeah, I mean, you, you know, you, you can't just do it for show. And, and I'll give you an example. Uh, we constantly hear that, you know, students are inundated with email. And folks have [00:17:00] too many, how do we change that?

[00:17:02] So I wanted to know how many emails reach the level of inundated, like what does that mean? Yeah. So I asked it to send me a report of all emails that were going to certain list serves, and I was receiving weekly reports for a semester and I realized like, this isn't really helping me. So I needed to, uh, approach it differently.

[00:17:22] So I asked a couple colleagues. Who should be included in like a short-term working group on communication. And I ended up having a list of 30 people, and you can imagine how difficult it can be to schedule meetings with 30 people, but I wanted to be inclusive, so I went for it. And we put together some groups that we wanted to focus on.

[00:17:45] Um, first year incoming students rose to the top of the list. But it was also transfer students, second year students, um, graduating seniors, international students, and then faculty and staff. And so we are systematically going through each group and [00:18:00] listing all communications that those groups get. And the numbers are fascinating.

[00:18:05] Wow. It's taking longer than I would like for us to go through it. It took us about six months to go through the first year incoming student list. But I think it's so important. It's gonna inform our work. Um, it's gonna help us coordinate messaging better. Uh, I think it's helping people seek out more ways to collaborate.

[00:18:23] We're even looking at the timing of some of these messages and reassessing the medium that some of these messages are sent. Well, really my goal here in this work is to create a seamless communications experience for our students. Um, same voice and tone throughout their time here. And what I'm finding is in the collaborative space, I'm letting people know that we can't just operate from a.

[00:18:46] The perspective of our infrastructure if we're really gonna be student centered. And I think my colleagues are committed to that. We just haven't figured out how to do that from a communication standpoint. So that's the intent of this. And I, [00:19:00] this does not work without collaboration. 

[00:19:03] Jaime Hunt: No, it really, really doesn't.

[00:19:04] And I think bringing all those voices to the table is absolutely brilliant because everybody has, um, a different experience with our students. They do and knows different aspects of the student experience. It's just, I. It's not something we can 

[00:19:20] Myla Edmond: just know. No, and and certainly the types of content that people have to send them.

[00:19:24] I don't know all of that. You know, there's, there's things about housing, there's things about new student orientation, there's things about holds on accounts. I don't have access to all of that, so this does not work without including all aspects of campus. Yeah. 

[00:19:41] Jaime Hunt: And I think there's. Sort of this idea that college students are expected to learn our jargon, you know?

[00:19:49] Yes. I had a former colleague who would be like, well, if they don't know what that means, then they should Google it. Oh. And it's like, [00:20:00] why are we creating these barriers, these false barriers for understanding. I work in higher ed and I still don't know what a birther is. You know, like how do we expect a a 18 year old who is the first in their family to go to college to understand?

[00:20:17] Any of what colleges, I mean, it's so bizarre. Everything that we have is so 

[00:20:21] Myla Edmond: bizarre. It is bizarre. One of the things, so we have a communicators network, uh, that I lead, we meet once a month, and so I ask them, you know, how can we as communicators improve cation around campus? And one thing that I asked us to all agree to is to stop using jargon.

[00:20:41] Yeah. You know, the acronyms spell them out the first time. Even if you think everyone knows, they don't, we, we look at access and language and so when you think about some of our students, English is not their first language, are you? Are you creating a barrier because they don't understand what you're saying?

[00:20:59] Why [00:21:00] would you do that? So I think just some very simple things like. Stop using educational jargon, I think would help improve communications around campuses. 

[00:21:10] Jaime Hunt: I think about just the heartbreak of picturing people looking at a communication from us and feeling like, I'm not smart enough to do this. Mm-hmm.

[00:21:20] Because we're using jargon that they have no reason to understand, but if they feel like they should, it breaks my heart. To think about them feeling less than because they don't 

[00:21:32] Myla Edmond: No, and and that's accurate. I think that there are students who already question whether or not they belong on a college campus, and we should not perpetuate them.

[00:21:41] Questioning that. 

[00:21:42] Jaime Hunt: Yeah, for sure. Like our job isn't to make people feel excluded or feel like they're not worthy. Absolutely not. Yeah. So are there any, um, emerging trends or technologies in higher education marketing that you're really excited about that you think [00:22:00] could benefit access institutions or minority serving institutions?

[00:22:04] There 

[00:22:04] Myla Edmond: are a few things I'm excited about. Um, I'm a fan of anything that forces us to be innovative. And I think student and employee expectations are doing that. Um, marketers I think have known this for some time, but higher ed is finally coming around to understand that the student experience is not just compared with other universities.

[00:22:26] People are looking at experiences they have shopping. With entertainment, uh, corporate values, and they're expecting interactions with every entity, including higher ed, to carry that same innovation, personalization, uh, responsiveness, inclusivity, and authenticity. And in higher ed, we can't keep thinking that, be, that we inherently know better than our students about what they need or that they'll just accept what we offer because we offer it.

[00:22:57] Yeah, so I'm loving [00:23:00] seeing us wrestle with that and trying to innovate and reimagine while we still remain committed to our original mission, vision, and values. Um, there's room for both and we have to explore how to evolve while bringing the core of who we are with us. So I see more recognition of the importance of the student experience and employee expectations and evaluating what we do and how we do it, and I think that's a good thing.

[00:23:26] Um, in terms of access, what I look forward to is us not simply focusing on improving experience for the majority of our students. There are people behind those numbers, and while I understand the need to prioritize because of resource constraints, when you solely focus on the majority of your student population, you leave people out, not percentages of people.

[00:23:52] You leave people out. So now that we're having all these conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, [00:24:00] we can't afford to save meeting the needs of those populations of less than 10% of, you know, predominantly white campuses for when we have time. Mm-hmm. So I look forward to us seeing the people in the percentages and treating them.

[00:24:16] Like, we don't just want them on our campus, but we want them to belong and feel like they belong. And so, you know, it gets back to what we were talking about earlier with retention. If they, if we just recruit them and they don't feel like they belong, we're gonna end up losing them. 

[00:24:32] Jaime Hunt: Mm-hmm. Belonging is just so, so, so important.

[00:24:36] Um, I was at this Senior Toast on Friday, so you know, the seniors got to have a little breakfast brunch, and one of the students that spoke, um, she was a refugee. I. From, and I can't remember what country, but she was Muslim. Okay. And a, a refugee who came here in 2015. And she was talking about how when she came here and started going to high school, she was really [00:25:00] ostracized left out.

[00:25:02] And her only real friends were her siblings. Um, because there was just. She was just not welcomed. And she started at odu, expecting to be a commuter student who was, you know, still seeing her siblings as her best friends. And she found a place where people welcomed her and were curious about her and learned about her culture and her experience.

[00:25:26] And instead of saying, you know, why are you wearing a hijab, we're saying, Tell me about why wearing a hijab is important to you and what it means to you. And she was talking about how she felt this sense of belonging and she was crying and I was crying and everybody was crying. Um, but you know, for me that was a really sharp reminder of how important belonging is.

[00:25:49] And I think that, you know, for me, seeing. And deliberately seeking out opportunities to play a role in creating that sense of belonging on [00:26:00] campus is really, really important to me. Um, being present at things like the Rainbow graduation as a queer woman, showing them that there is a member of your executive cabinet who, um, you know, is representative of this community.

[00:26:15] Um, Being part of those conversations about how to help students feel a sense of belonging and find their place. I just think that's, that's an incredible privilege that we have to be able to do that. 

[00:26:26] Myla Edmond: It is, and we should always take time. Uh, I love the question, the way that you phrased that, you know, instead of saying, why are you wearing that?

[00:26:34] Tell me more about what it means to you. You know, people are okay with being you, being curious as long as it's respectful and, and so I think it's more focused on the person and not the difference, and I think that's, that's what matters there. 

[00:26:49] Jaime Hunt: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So, um, you're probably in a, a slightly different environment than in California than, uh, I was say in Ohio or [00:27:00] even North Carolina or Virginia.

[00:27:01] But how have you worked to ensure that your team is trained and prepared to really communicate and engage underrepresented groups, especially those who might be from a different cultural background than they're from? 

[00:27:15] Myla Edmond: Yes. So I, I share a lot of resources with my team, uh, articles, webinars, research, findings, and certainly conference, uh, opportunities.

[00:27:25] But I also encourage them to spend time with our audience because nothing can take the place of that time. So since I joined, uh, Cal State Dominguez Hills, I've been adamant about us spending time with our audience. Uh, when I started, we were all working remotely and while I support hybrid work schedules, Our marketing teams need to spend time with our community.

[00:27:48] We can't write to or tell stories about people we don't know. Yeah. So I'll encourage sharing resources with them and, but I also encourage spending my time encouraging my team to spend time with our [00:28:00] people. So more of them volunteer to work commencement this year, and some of them volunteered for the first time.

[00:28:06] So I do think that message is getting through. Um, and I also share that the history of Dominguez Hills attracts, uh, employees to this campus too. Mm-hmm. We were originally in Palo Verde's, but after the Watts Rebellion, a decision was made to relocate the campus to Carson. Which is where we are now outside of la and the decision was based on providing educational access specifically to this community.

[00:28:32] So that attracts students because of that, but also employees. So many of them already have an interest in engaging with this, this community. So that's helpful. 

[00:28:43] Jaime Hunt: I love that you've kind of inspired me to think about maybe bringing a panel of students or something to come and, and talk to our communicators, or talk to, to even just my team, um, about their experiences.

[00:28:56] We have a, a pretty good international student. Population and [00:29:00] perhaps bringing them to come talk about their experiences coming to a country and just being plopped, you know, sort of on campus. Yeah, 

[00:29:07] Myla Edmond: that's a great idea. There's so much courage and bravery with that, you know? Yeah. I think about, of course, I talked about studying abroad earlier, but that was in such a vacuum.

[00:29:18] Um, It was a group of 600 students and we landed together in a country, you know, at the same time, I can't imagine what that would be like to go to class and be separated from my family for four years or however long it would take. That's just a different experience, and so when I see international students, I'm always impressed and just intrigued by their decision and proud of them for making that choice, because it's not easy.

[00:29:46] Yeah, 

[00:29:47] Jaime Hunt: no. And some of them are coming from situations where they're maybe not safe, right. Where they, their home country was, or, you know, we have some students from Ukraine, which is a very difficult, it's a very difficult time for those [00:30:00] students to, you know, know that their families are there or Right. You know, uh, it's just, it takes incredible courage to, to pick up and move to a country that you've maybe never even visited before and start a life there.

[00:30:12] And as. The ones who are graduate students, you're finding your own housing, you're finding your own way around. Um, it's just incredibly brave. Um, I really, really admire them cuz I definitely didn't have that, um, courage when I was that age. I agree. I. One of the things that, um, I think I, I talked about a little bit on this podcast before with Christian Ponte from when I was at Miami, we brought in, um, different speakers to talk to our communicators about issues related to underrepresented groups.

[00:30:43] So we had, we had a group of Latinx students come in and talk about, You know, their experience at Miami, their experience in our state. Um, we had somebody come in and talk about, you know, the L G B T Q experience, and I think we did them about every six weeks or so, and then we gave, [00:31:00] you know, folks kind of a certificate for participating in these like quote unquote cultural competence activities.

[00:31:06] But there's just, there's so much that we can do to expose people to like, To your point, like, people are people, right? Like That's right. There's no monolith. 

[00:31:17] Myla Edmond: No, and I, I think that's a really great idea. I'm, I'm gonna take that note too and, and see how I can incorporate more of that into, into our team meetings.

[00:31:26] I think that's a really great idea. It 

[00:31:28] Jaime Hunt: was, it was so fun, you know, like to talk to people about what they were gonna share with the group. And, you know, Christian really led that charge. He, he had this idea and I was like, yes, do it. And he just ran and did it. But it was such a fantastic opportunity for people to learn about different communities that, you know, we had a predominantly white staff.

[00:31:50] I mean, we were in rural southwest Ohio, like that's, It's not an area that's particularly diverse. So we had to, you know, [00:32:00] find a different way to bring people in, um, because our student population was coming from all over the country, so they weren't as limited by geography that Right as staff was. So, can you tell me about perhaps a project or something that you worked on that you're especially proud of?

[00:32:16] Myla Edmond: A project. Yes. So, so first I'm very proud of my team. I'm, I'm proud of the quality of their work, their flexibility, their thoughtfulness, um, the, their trust in me and their willingness to try not only new projects, but a new way of existing. I'm often telling them that we have to recognize, recognize our influence, and I think it's starting to sink in.

[00:32:39] Uh, a project that I'm especially proud of is our most recent recruitment campaign. When I started, I evaluated our past recruitment campaigns and, and saw some areas of missed opportunity. So we made some adjustments and it's already proven it's worth, uh, one, we were doing a new campaign each year, so we were [00:33:00] losing continuity and brand equity, and we weren't being efficient with our time by starting from scratch every year.

[00:33:06] Yeah. Uh, we also needed to collaborate more closely with enrollment management. So we, I made it a point for us to find out their goals because that influences our decisions. So we found out that they wanted to expand their outreach to new geographic areas that may not have been, uh, familiar with our campus.

[00:33:26] So that caused us to shift both our output and our mediums. And then the other thing is we focus more on our location. We are very close to LA and we weren't. We weren't showcasing that. And so we incorporated that in our visuals and place became more of a central focal point. And our visuals are just so compelling and vibrant and we've been more intentional about integration.

[00:33:51] So I'm very proud of our latest recruitment campaign and, and since we're committed to building that brand equity, [00:34:00] It's not just used for recruitment. So we reinforce the use of the visual elements in other spaces. And then another piece of it is because we're Dominguez Hills, we kind of did a play on d and h.

[00:34:13] And so we use phrases like Dream here, discover here. Um, and we've placed those prints, like just print advertisements of those and we put 'em in the, uh, administrative building. But this year we had a colleague reach out and ask if we could put prints in the student health center. So I view that as a win because people want to see this in their spaces and they identify with it and they're proud of it.

[00:34:38] But then the other win is that our future student page views increased from one year to the next by 45%. Whoa. So I'm excited to see how far we can take this, and I think it's just making those tweaks and adjustments that resulted in this 

[00:34:54] Jaime Hunt: success. Do you have any concerns about schools that are [00:35:00] PWIs now and seeing the enrollment cliff going, oh, we need to poach some Dominguez kill students?

[00:35:06] Myla Edmond: Oh, yeah. It's already happening. Uh, we're, we're seeing more people basically change how they, how they. Not only reach out to students, but who they accept. And so it is gonna have a cascading effect on our number of students. Um, right now we've been, you know, we've been impacted by these changes in the drop in, you know, transfer students, but not as bad as other spaces.

[00:35:37] I'm curious to see how that's gonna be impacted as time goes on. 

[00:35:42] Jaime Hunt: I'm thinking about. When I was at a previous institution longer, much longer ago, we were deliberately targeting, um, African-American students in a certain part of the state. Our enrollment when I first got there was like 14% students [00:36:00] of color, and it was like over 30% students of color five years later when I left.

[00:36:05] Wow. And yeah, it was, it was huge. But we were sort of like poaching from, and I hate to say it, the. Area of the state where I live, right. And work right now. Right. But trying to, you know, po you know, poach the, uh, student populations that are growing, um, which is not your white students, right? It's right.

[00:36:25] It's, it's students of color, um, and. You know, in retrospect it's like, you know, we didn't necessarily have the best track record of serving those students in the past, but we were poaching them. Right? And I kind of feel like go to the schools that have always been for you, go to the students for this where it's where you've always mattered.

[00:36:44] That you mattered before 2020, that you mattered before 2023. Um, but you know, you. You can't really tell an 18 year old you didn't matter. You don't, you won't matter at these schools or you're just, you're just a number or a grab at these [00:37:00] schools. And that, I'm not saying that's what everybody's doing.

[00:37:02] Right. Um, certainly, but, you know, there's, there's definitely like a little bit of bitterness on my part for, for like, you know, only just now coming to the party that you need to have a diverse campus. 

[00:37:14] Myla Edmond: Well, you know, I'm, I'm hoping that. Again, with these national conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, that people's intentions are what they say they are.

[00:37:26] Because, you know, even the predominantly white institutions benefit from having more diverse students on campus. Yeah. And so I hope that they're not just trying to get them in the door, that they're actually taking care of them when they 

[00:37:40] Jaime Hunt: get there. Yeah. And not using this sort of, Um, them language correct.

[00:37:46] You know, like where you're like, oh, we're giving them something, you know, and not seeing what they're bringing to the table. That's rich and valuable. Absolutely. And something that makes our campuses [00:38:00] better. How do you see the role of higher ed marketing evolving in the future, and what do you think will be the biggest challenges and opportunities for schools like ours that serve underrepresented students?

[00:38:13] Myla Edmond: Yeah, so I'll start with the end. I think schools that serve under-resourced students are most likely under-resourced schools. Yep. So we have to do more with less, and not just less resources like funding, but honestly less consideration. Mm-hmm. And all of that impacts the students we're able to attract and the talent we're able to attract, which impacts the reputation of the school.

[00:38:42] So being here, I know that our students are impacted by coming to Cal State Dominguez Hills. I see it. I hear their stories. I hear the alumni stories. I hear the stories from faculty and staff, and the impact that we have has been incredible and part [00:39:00] of the, you know, Part of what makes it incredible is because we don't have the same level of funding and support at schools that aren't serving 88% students of color.

[00:39:10] Mm-hmm. So I'm, I'm very proud of what we do and who we do it for, but our biggest challenge is that we're under-resourced. Um, another challenge is that a large percentage of our students are coming in with more financial need. Uh, as I shared earlier, one and six have space homelessness. So when I think about my colleagues, they prov provide more than an education.

[00:39:34] They care, and they're supporting the entire student in ways that other higher ed professionals may not have to or may not face in the same capacity. When I think of an educational institution lifting people and communities, few have shown me the impact as much as I see at my current institution. And at the same time, these challenges make us, us.

[00:39:59] Mm-hmm. You know, [00:40:00] we, we care about these students. We care about them and their families and what happens to them after they graduate. And that's not to say that other institutions don't care, but we have an opportunity to share these stories and their impact on their families, their neighborhoods, their communities.

[00:40:16] This is not a situation where, Their mom can get them an unpaid internship at the Smithsonian. Right? Um, and as a result, we, we attract those type of students and those employees who are most interested in being in an environment like this one, and donors and policymakers who care about lifting community the same way that we do.

[00:40:36] Uh, so I, I find that the challenge, but also the thing that makes us so great and, uh, hopefully more people will really care about. Access and education and not just saying that they care about it. 

[00:40:52] Jaime Hunt: You make a really good point about people being drawn to the mission. Mm-hmm. Because I feel like [00:41:00] the, the teams I've worked with and the people I've worked with at.

[00:41:03] The majority of places I've been have felt just a passion for the students. Just like I love these kids. I will work myself to the bone to support these kids because I know that the work I'm doing is making a difference and it's market. The difference on a campus where that isn't the case. It's new market.

[00:41:24] True. It's true. And the kind of effort that people are willing to put in to serve students who, you know, haven't had all the opportunities in life and aren't driving a Tesla or, you know, a Porsche or whatever, you know, to, to school. Um, the students who are hustling, they're working a full-time job and going to school full-time, or they're, they have to live at home because they have to help their parent with rent or whatever.

[00:41:50] Right. It's so easy. To believe in the mission when you can see the kind of outcomes and the life changing and community changing [00:42:00] outcomes. I agree. In terms of working at an access university and, and you know, what you'd say to somebody who's like maybe weighing a job offer from some. From, you know, a PWI that has it all versus, you know, maybe a regional university or comprehensive university or access University.

[00:42:17] What, what thoughts would you share with that person who's weighing those opportunities? 

[00:42:22] Myla Edmond: Yeah, that's a good question and I'll, I'll start because we, we haven't talked about this and I, I think I'll be remiss if we didn't. So if someone is debating PWI or an experience at a minority serving institution, Higher ed in general has a real opportunity, uh, to investigate the value of, of higher ed and how our individual institutions are living out these values and, you know, raising students to live out their own values after they graduate.

[00:42:52] I'm excited for us to respond. To the value of the higher ed question in a way that's relevant. [00:43:00] And we can't simply hold onto this idea that we were created to, you know, improve society through education and teaching critical thinking without examining how to do that in modern times. So, you know, in this country in particular, when university started, We weren't focused on access or equity or diversity, and certainly not inclusion or justice.

[00:43:25] You know, education has been one of the most segregated institutions. So if someone's thinking about, do I work at A P W I or not, there's nothing wrong with serving that mission. You know, education is a powerful mission no matter where. But you have to ask yourself what your purpose is and what your value really is.

[00:43:47] Uh, and so this, this question about value is a challenge, but I think it's also a great opportunity. No one would ever outright say that I'm only interested in improving certain aspects of society. [00:44:00] We're all connected. So if you really wanna improve society, you don't do that by only giving access. To improvement to those who are already privileged.

[00:44:12] So in your examination, think about how your intentions for the institution you work for are reflected in 2023. Um, and think about your institution, your future institution's mission, vision and values, and what they look like in 2023. Hmm. It's not good enough to provide education. We have to provide access to education, and to me, that's where the real value lies.

[00:44:40] And so that's what I would, that's what I would toy with. Ask yourself those kinds of questions. What does the way the campus I'm about to work for, how does that. Look in 2023. That is so 

[00:44:55] Jaime Hunt: powerful and you make such a strong point about the [00:45:00] history of higher education not being. A history of access. No, it's been a history of exclusion for since day one.

[00:45:09] Yeah. Centuries. Centuries of exclusion. Um, and there's somebody you know on Twitter who, who coined the phrase like, highly rejective mm-hmm. Universities instead of highly selective. And it's like kind of carry on that history and legacy of. Keeping people out more than letting people in. 

[00:45:28] Myla Edmond: Yeah. And I understand the allure with wanting to work at an institution like that and having that in your background, but again, you have to tie it to what you value.

[00:45:38] And, and, and for some of us values changed over the years. And so for me it was more important to come to an institution like Dominguez Hills, uh, than to try to beef up my professional 

[00:45:53] Jaime Hunt: history. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's, that's such a perfect way of phrasing it. It's, [00:46:00] it's, you know, I, I had somebody send me a job at a, a very elite, uh, institution that she'll go unnamed, but that's, let's just say like, very elite.

[00:46:09] Um, and I was like, and no, I don't wanna be there. You know what I mean? Like, they have a long and storied history of excluding people, um, and excluding people. Long like in, you know, in the Jim Crow era, excluding people, like excluding people into the time where there are still people who were part of the folks that were excluded.

[00:46:33] Right. Wow. The chancellor of Winston-Salem State, who I worked for, I. Was excluded from going to anything but an H B C U in the UNC system, and he is just retiring now. So we're not talking about, we're not, you know, the long ago, olden days. We're talking about in the lifetime of people who are still working Adults.

[00:46:56] People 

[00:46:57] Myla Edmond: forget that. Yeah. People forget that. It is [00:47:00] not, it is recent history, essentially. Yeah. 

[00:47:03] Jaime Hunt: Yeah. And there's, if there's an opportunity to like reverse that or to do something that can help change that for, for future generations in a permanent way. Cuz I do feel like our country is at this point where it's like, are we gonna go backwards?

[00:47:20] Um, And are we gonna go back and, and eliminate access and eliminate those access institutions? If there's anything that we can do as marketers to prevent that from happening, to make sure that we don't end up with this highly siloed society of the haves and have-nots, that there's opportunity for the people who grew up as have-nots to become haves, um, and to make the world a better place.

[00:47:43] I think that's something we should be proud 

[00:47:45] Myla Edmond: of. Yeah. And I, I look at our. Current generation of students and have hope because I think that they care more about access and inclusion than even those of us who [00:48:00] work in these fields. And so I have hope that we won't go back into that space. 

[00:48:07] Jaime Hunt: Well, I know you were at the AMA Senior leadership experience in the fall, cuz you know, you're, you're the co-chair of the symposium planning.

[00:48:16] I kind of 

[00:48:16] Myla Edmond: have to be there. 

[00:48:19] Jaime Hunt: But, you know, we had that panel of students and it struck me that every single one of them talked about some level of inclusion or equity or access, whether it was accessibility or you know, Gender identity or whatever. All of them they did, spoke to 

[00:48:36] Myla Edmond: that. No, and it was beautiful to see because this thing that for some of us, we think that there's a certain generation that thinks that it's good for us to talk about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, and then.

[00:48:52] You know, our generation, I think we're getting to the space where it's expected, and I think for those students it's gonna [00:49:00] be required. Mm-hmm. Like, if you don't, I don't wanna be here, I don't wanna be affiliated with you. Um, these students are looking at leadership. Do I see myself reflected in this leadership and not even myself, but do I see diversity reflected in this leadership and, and if I don't, it's just talk.

[00:49:18] Uh, and so I think that's beautiful. All of those students mentioned that, as you said. And I remember one in particular saying, if you don't provide me with these accommodations, your school is not even going to be considered. Yeah, 

[00:49:31] Jaime Hunt: that was powerful. That I went, um, back from that and immediately made an appointment with our disability services person.

[00:49:40] Mm-hmm. To be like, how can we make sure that the, it's easy for students to find accommodations. Cause 25% of our students have some form of disability. Correct. And that's a huge number. I'm at the school island and that's just Who reports? Yeah. Yeah. Right. At, at the school that I'm at, 25% of our [00:50:00] students are veterans.

[00:50:00] And that gets a lot of resources. Right. But we should be, if 25% have a disability, that they should get the same level of 

[00:50:08] Myla Edmond: resource. Absolutely. Absolutely. Could not agree 

[00:50:10] Jaime Hunt: more. Yeah. That was such a powerful, powerful, as long as I have you Ms. Uh, chair of the AMA Conference, um, can you tell people a little bit about what to expect with the conference this year?

[00:50:23] Where is it and what should people look forward to? 

[00:50:27] Myla Edmond: Yes, so AMA American Marketing Association, higher Ed Symposium will be November 12th through the 15th in one of my favorite cities, uh, in the world. I will say Chicago, Illinois. And what can you expect? This is a group, the largest group of higher ed marketers getting together and just really learning from each other, connecting.

[00:50:52] Uh, our conferences have just continued to get better and better. You know, Jamie, you just mentioned last year and us having [00:51:00] the students come to the senior leadership experience and talk about what they expect from. You know, our shops as it pertains to university and how they choose. And so we are just trying to find more ways to make this conference unique and add value to those who come.

[00:51:19] And it's not just for, you know, our newbies to the field. It's also we're bringing new things and adding value for those who have been working in higher ed communications and marketing for years. Uh, so I encourage folks to come. To look at, you know, come to the sessions, but also connect with your colleagues and get some, I think get some community and just build friendships and connections with people so that you can connect with them when the conference ends.

[00:51:49] Um, so that's what we're hoping to provide is just a really great professional development opportunity that, that makes you feel good and f and full 

[00:51:58] Jaime Hunt: when you leave. [00:52:00] It's an outstanding conference and I think that you walk away feeling like you're not the only one. With the challenges that you have, you walk away with ideas to solve some of the challenges that you do have, um, connections with both people inside higher ed and the vendor community and Correct.

[00:52:20] It's a fabulous conference and one of the things I love about it is the, that the. Sessions are all juried, right? Correct. It's a stringent review, so people are putting their best foot forward. They have to have a really strong abstract, with really strong takeaways to, to get a chance to, um, have a voice at the conference.

[00:52:41] And so that means it's super high quality content. Yeah. 

[00:52:44] Myla Edmond: So Jamie didn't say this, but she's also on the. On the planning committee, and so yes, as she mentioned, all of the sessions are peer reviewed, and so we sit down and go through each one of them to ensure that we are bringing the best, most diverse [00:53:00] content possible to to our colleagues.

[00:53:03] Jaime Hunt: It's a great experience. If you haven't been, you should go. Um, and I think probably, you know, the conference committee is welcome to, uh, or open to volunteers if you know there's things to do at the conference and beyond. Absolutely, 

[00:53:17] Myla Edmond: absolutely. We are always interested in volunteers and expanding our network.

[00:53:21] Jaime Hunt: Well, Myla, how can people find you if they wanna have a conversation with you about, you know, anything marketing or anything ama 

[00:53:28] Myla Edmond: Yes, so I'm on LinkedIn, Myla Edmond, no s only one me. Uh, and then I'm also on Twitter at Myla, denise, uh, and certainly open to emails. My email address is my edmond, m y e d m o n d, at csudh.edu.

[00:53:49] Jaime Hunt: Well, there you go. If you wanna have a conversation with Mila, that's how you can re reach her. If you wanna talk with me, I am on Twitter at Jamie Hunt i m c, that's j A I M [00:54:00] E H U N T I M C. I'm also on LinkedIn, same name, same spelling. Consider using the hashtag higher ed c m o to have the conversation about this episode, both on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

[00:54:13] And I hope to hear from you. Um, thank you so much for coming on the show, Myla. It was. Been a great conversation and to listeners, let's go bust some silos.

[00:54:27] Zach Busekrus: Hey y'all, Zach Here're from Enroll five. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Confessions of a Higher Ed C M O with Jamie Hunt. If you like this episode, do us a huge favor and hit that follow and subscribe button below. Furthermore, if you've got just two minutes to spare, we would greatly appreciate you leading a rating and a review of this show on Apple Podcasts.

[00:54:46] Our podcast network is growing by the month, and we've got a plethora of marketing admissions and higher ed technology shows that are jam-packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks that are all designed to empower you to become a better higher ed professional. [00:55:00] But in RFI is far more than just the podcast network in RFI is where higher ed comes to learn new marketing skills, discover new products and services.

[00:55:08] And find their next job. We're a growing learning community of 4,000 members, and we'd love to welcome you into the fold. You can access our free blog, articles, newsletters, e-courses, and more, or purchase our master course on how to market a university with Terry flannery@enrollfi.org. We look forward to meeting you soon and welcoming you into the community.

[00:55:28] Again, you can subscribe for free@enrollfi.org.