Higher ed's best marketers, unscripted. We dig into the real stuff: the budget tensions between teams, why ongoing presence beats a one-time campaign spike, and how to meaningfully reach students at every stage of their decision journey.
About the series
OnDeck & OffScript is a virtual video conversation series that features the voices of today’s marketing and enrollment leaders in higher education.
Each episode runs 20 to 30 minutes and is shared with the broader higher ed community, giving guests a platform to talk shop and share their thinking with peers across the field.
Video library
Guest spotlight
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![A man with light skin, a beard, and wearing a beige cap with a pink design, navy blazer, light blue patterned shirt, tan pants, and grey shoes, sitting in a chair with a white background.]()
"I can't calculate a 14-year-old that followed us on Instagram because we did something cool or funny, then 6 years later converted into a student because they trusted us."
Patrick Stone, Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing, Cape Cod Community College
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![Close-up of a middle-aged man with light skin, blonde hair, glasses, wearing a navy suit and a white shirt, smiling slightly, against a plain white background.]()
"The enrollment cliff isn't the problem. It's exposed the problem. Students haven't stopped making decisions. They've changed how they make those decisions."
Jeff Holeman, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer, Warrington College of Business, University of Florida.
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![Close-up of a woman with dark brown hair wearing a blue top and a pearl necklace, smiling.]()
"Marketing is step one. Recruitment is step two. It is a baton pass, but we are on the same team, running in the same darn race together towards a unified win."
Kristin Nichols, Chief Marketing Officer, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
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![Headshot of a man with short dark hair, glasses, and a beard, wearing a suit and tie, smiling against a white background.]()
"Higher ed has a sameness problem. Everyone says “community”, everyone says “professors know your name”, and everyone says “you're gonna belong here.”"
Andy Murphy, Director of Marketing, Siena University
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![Close-up of a woman with glasses and long, wavy brown hair, smiling, wearing a gray patterned sweater, against a white background.]()
"Every single person who works at our college is part of branding. Every single person has to keep that promise to our students."
Eve Markman, AVP for Brand Management and Operations, Community College of Philadelphia
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![Close-up of a smiling man wearing glasses, white dress shirt, and a dark patterned tie.]()
"You could get 5 million impressions. But if it doesn't help them become actual students, I don't care how many impressions we get."
Jim Sheets, Director of Professional Studies Recruiting & Strategic Initiatives, Roberts Wesleyan University
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![Close-up of a woman with long light brown hair, smiling, wearing a white top.]()
"Sometimes it pays off to play the long game. I’ve seen firsthand how a personal connection today can turn into an application two years from now."
Olivia Mann, Director of Enrollment, Averett Univeristy
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"The sooner an institution can identify a set of actual peers and competitors, the better off they'll be. You can't be everything, everywhere, all at once."
Shane Baglini, Executive Director of Marketing and Branding, William & Mary
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"If a student doesn't know anything at all about you, it's going to be really hard in one sales cycle to go from awareness all the way to enroll in that year. That's a big leap."
Dr. Carrie Phillips, Chief Comms & MKTG Officer, University of Arkansas - Little Rock
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"Being strategic in how you communicate, when, and how often, is key. Using funds efficiently is something we should all be looking at."
Jim Eaton, Director of Admissions & Recruitment at Hudson Valley Community College
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We love talking with leaders about awareness spending, budget tensions, AI in higher ed, and enrollment strategy. We're equally curious about whatever's on your mind. What's the story you want to tell?