Vinita looked at the collaboration involving the 15 colleges in NAD

First step was to do research, funded by NAD

• looked at why we’re losing our young people to public colleges
• the SDA population is declining
• used a mixed-methods
• input from enrolment managers
• 2005, 7 focus groups in 2 cities with professional moderators, scripts; parent group, student groups
• major themes that we learned were applied in a nationwide telephone survey (253 results)
• result: complete lack of awareness among those who do not attend academies
• we have no way of finding out where the students are or who they are – the church has no database of youth (challenge also affects academies and elementary schools)
• tested marketing messages to see what would resonate – three key ones:
  • faith-based environment with Christian worldview
  • vast network of friends, peer mentors, professors with Christian worldview
  • connection (one-on-one) with professors vs. 200 in a class at public universities

  did joint website, mailing, etc.

• hoping to be pre-defending in the fall, hooding by Christmas
• finances? students who don’t attend have an income of about 20,000 less than those who are planning to attend -especially on the West coast
• enrolment managers meet twice a year, trying to meet away from academies
• working with local pastors and e-Adventist (NAD database), buying lists
• academies need to learn to work together as well.