1. Trends, Truths and Themes: A report by the task force on competitive position

2. Being the “best of the very good” is a tough position.

3. Trend One: Getting students here

4. TREND ONE

5. Trend Two: Getting students through

6. TREND TWO

8. Trend Three: Getting students placed: The proliferation of external scorecards

9. In 2012, 18% of graduates had a job lined up – up slightly over three years. 21% had been admitted to graduate school – down by half over three years. 58% left Augie with neither a job offer nor a graduate or professional school placement TREND THREE

10. Starting salary: 7 th of 9 Mid-career salary: 3 rd of 9 TREND THREE

11. Truth One: We are, and will remain, dependent upon tuition

12. Tuition reliance TRUTH ONE

13. Truth Two: Resistance to paying a substantial fraction of our cost is rising

14. 2004 to 2013* Price: $28,173 to $44,937 (+$16,764) Ave. EFC (demonstrated financial need**): $12,927 to $14,212 (+$1,285) Ave. Grant: $9,009 to $18,914 (+$9,905) Ave. Net Revenue: $19,164 to $26,023 (+$6,859) *estimated **71% of pool in 2008 and 79% of pool in 2012 TRUTH TWO

16. Truth Three: We are experiencing more intense emphasis on outcomes

17. Who’s who and what’s what: The players who define our value Net Price Calculator (NPC) College Scorecard CollegeMeasures.org PayScale.com AlumniFactor.com WSJ’s “How do schools stack up?” TRUTH THREE

19. Truth Four: We have high fixed costs

20. High fixed costs There are other fixed costs not highlighted, such as the cost to maintain our physical plant and utilities, etc. TRUTH THREE

21. Truth Five: Making a compelling case continues to be difficult

22. Illinois State Marquette University of Illinois Bradley DePaul Illinois Wesleyan Loyola Northern Illinois University of Iowa University of Illinois-Chicago Who are our Top 10 competitors? The Simple Version TRUTH FIVE

23. For our bread-and-butter students, we compete with: Marquette Illinois State University of Illinois Bradley DePaul Loyola University of Iowa Illinois Wesleyan Carthage University of Illinois-Chicago For the kids who are desperately grateful to have gotten in here, we compete with: Illinois State Northern Illinois University of Illinois-Chicago DePaul Bradley Western Illinois Carthage St. Xavier St. Ambrose Elmhurst For our best students, we compete with: University of Illinois Marquette Illinois Wesleyan Northwestern Washington Univ. Bradley Illinois State Loyola University of Chicago Carthage Who are our Top 10 competitors? So, the total number of Top 10 competitors for these three groups is 18. Only Bradley, Carthage, and Illinois State are “common” competitors. Bold: Not Top 10 Competitors Bold red: Not Top 25 Competitors The Real Version TRUTH FIVE

24. Say “no” and focus: Strengthening our competitive position

25. Purpose: Make air travel efficient and comfortable … and profitable. Plan: Switch from “economies of scale” to “economy through innovation.” Series of actions: Create a a lighter, faster, long-range jet, which will allow more direct flights, decreasing reliance on “hub and spoke” model. Measureable goal: Deliver more airplanes than Airbus…and more happy customers, who want more airplanes. (2013, Malham) Boeing’s strategy

26. Purpose: Change the way the world gets funding. Plan: Democratize the fund-raising process and allow people or “campaign owners” to find financial backing for just about anything. Series of actions: Create open and accessible platform; develop powerful tools and a global reach; keep customers happy with a superior user experience, personalization and lots of hand-holding; respect and treat every funder equally. Measureable goal: Last for at least 100 years. 2013, Malham Indiegogo’s strategy

27. Attract a serious look Create a culture of successful results and placements Embrace our market Emphasize our strengths Advance beyond traditional campus-bound and calendar-based learning models Themes to guide strategy to strengthen Augustana College’s competitive position

28. Purpose: Rethink the current price/cost model to respond to a negative perception of affordability. Attract a serious look

29. Create a culture of placement Purpose: Make post-graduation advising and planning a priority from day one to ensure Augustana College graduates achieve the best possible post-graduation results and placements in graduate school and jobs.

30. Embrace our market Purpose: Compete for and enroll students who value and who have the greatest potential to benefit from the environment and experiences we can offer them.

31. Emphasize our strengths Purpose: Shift the focus of families toward our distinctive strengths, to deepen those strengths and to formally recognize students’ successful engagement in trans-curricular experiences.

32. Advance beyond traditional methods Purpose: Extend the reach and ambitiousness of our use of learning technologies, emerging technologies, more progressive pedagogy and alternative program structures.

33. Discussion