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Environmental Mapping ReportDominican University GSLISWhat follows are the results of an external environmental mapping report with regards to the Dominican University Graduate School of Library and Information Science. In it, I have identified what I believe to be the top five library schools with whom Dominican GSLIS potentially competes for new students. The assessments are based on information from a variety of sources, including the schools themselves, federal education statistics and news reportage.Owing to the specialized nature and limited number of graduate library school programs accredited by the American Library Association within the cost structures of both public and private institutions, geography and tuition will no doubt be high priorities for consideration, depending on a student’s desire to remain close to family, for example, and also, his or her finances. However, adding another variable to this mix is the recent proliferation of online LIS programs, which are ALA-accredited, and can be usually completed with only minimal campus residency, or none, at all.The process used to choose competitors leaned heavily on geographical consideration. Dominican GSLIS is in relatively close proximity (2-6 hours) with six other university library schools; a potential student from the Midwest, or one interested in studying here, would have several choices based on location, in addition to Dominican.On the basis of geography, relative size and other factors examined in this report, I determined the main Dominican competitors to be:University of Illinois—ChampaignUniversity of Wisconsin—MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin—MilwaukeeWayne State University (Detroit)For the fifth competitor, I have included San Jose State University, which has garnered international attention for its LIS online program, which can be completed without any type of campus residency. With the growing popularity of these types of schools, I felt that we must acknowledge their influence, and compare, within ability, with one of the most popular programs of this nature.Below are the seven factors against which each Dominican competitor was determined, and is analyzed, based on its potential strengths in attracting students, as well as providing discussion of market issues for Dominican to contemplate as future strategies are developed. Those are:US News and World Report National Rankings of Graduate SchoolsCredit Hours of Completion Needed (Master’s Degree)Annual Tuition CostsNumber of Faculty Number of 2011 LIS Program GraduatesFull-Time LIS Student PopulationUrban PopulationThe following report is comprised of a quantitative and qualitative comparison of the competitive set based on the market indicators above.US News Graduate School RankingsNo analyses of college and university programs for the past three decades would be complete without acknowledging the perceived status and influence of the annual college rankings compiled by US News & World Report, a formerly print publication, now published exclusively online. Began in 1983, the yearly feature provides, in order of “quality” a ranking of American colleges and universities based on a methodology of scores computed from a questionnaire sent to school officials and faculty. The rankings not only provide scoring for universities, but are also available for graduate school programs, as well CITATION Mor12 \l 1033 (Morse, 2012).The rankings are not without controversy. On at least two occasions this past year, the New York Times published both a feature CITATION Per12 \l 1033 (Perez-Pena & Slotink, 2012) and an editorial CITATION Noc12 \l 1033 (Nocera, 2012) highly critical of concept of the rankings themselves, and which pointed to evidence that some universities, mindful of the growing influence on potential students, were attempting to manipulate the standings in hope of stimulating admissions.Whether or not the rankings are actually substantive measures of a college’s worth, they have been proven in influence students. Bowman and Bastedo (2009) in their research concluded: First, moving onto the front page of the U.S. News & World Report rankings results in substantial improvement in admissions indicators in the following year, and these effectsare apparent for both national universities and liberal arts colleges. For highly qualifiedstudents, the front page of the rankings may essentially serve as a potential list of schools to consider. With this discussion in mind, let us examine the Dominican GSLIS competitive set and how they fared in the US News rankings for the most recent year compiled, 2009: Figure 1. 2009 US News Rankings of Schools of Library and Information Studies, for Dominican GSLIS competitive set--49 schools were evaluated CITATION USN12 \y \l 1033 (US News & World Report)Dominican GSLIS faces stiff competition in the context of the US News rankings; having the nation’s number one ranked library school as its in-state rival, as well as the fact that it is a public university.Also noteworthy is the fact that Dominican GSLIS considers one of its main strengths to be children and youth library services, and while it was not ranked in the US News LIS specialty rankings, UI-Champaign and UW-Madison were ranked number one and five respectively.As pointed out, there is considerable criticism regarding these rankings and their methodology, and at this point, the current set is becoming somewhat dated. However, Dominican GSLIS should be aware of, and use, their public relations value when possible, but probably little can be done to effect change, so energies should be placed on other areas with more tangible ROI.Hours for Degree CompletionNext, we will compare the number of credit hours needed in each competitor institution for completion of their equivalent master’s degree in library and information science. Depending on the program, 2-3 years is usually expected for completion. Dominican requires at least 36 hours for its Master’s program.In Figure 2 below, we see that Dominican GSLIS is on a par with two other schools in the set in terms of required work, and not appreciably less than the other three; therefore, no perceived lack of quality should be associated with a Dominican degree based solely on hours of coursework.Figure 2. Number of credit hours needed for LIS degree completion in competitive set (Information from school websites).Also, though the difference in number of hours between programs is relatively negligible, it is possible that a 36-hour degree, as opposed to one requiring 40 hours and/or above, possesses a marketable edge to potential students wanting to spend as little time (and money) as possible in pursuit of this, their second, or even possibly third, postsecondary degree.In any event, Dominican remains competitive in this aspect, until such time that trends begin to dictate otherwise.TuitionWhen comparing tuition prices for the library and information studies programs in our competitive set, two considerations must be made up front. One, Dominican, as a private institution, and therefore not subsidized by government funding, does have a higher rate than its competitors, all of whom are public universities. The second factor to keep in mind is that in the tuition costs for the competitors in the figure below represent in-state or resident rates. So, if a student is interested in a program outside his or her state of residence, the price per hour is approximately double for all our competitors, except San Jose State, where out-of-state hourly rates are still roughly 30% higher than for California residents.Let us, for the sake of illustration, compare Dominican with its competitors at their in-state tuition rates:Figure 3. Annual tuition costs for full-time students, based on in-state/resident rates CITATION Ins12 \y \l 1033 (Institute of Education Sciences).If we do a quick computation doubling annual competitor rates (except San Jose—add 30%), we find that Dominican has a distinct advantage in cost where potential students from outside Illinois are concerned.Of course, cost is not usually touted as part of the marketing campaign of a renowned university, but the profound effects of the recent economic downturn that have resulted in tighter college budgets for younger students, and a return to school for laid-off, or undertrained, older workers has made the concepts of cost and value more important than ever, and an opportunity for Dominican in this particular scenario. However, we must acknowledge the attractiveness of San Jose State, which offers a 100% online degree program, negating the need for living or transportation expenses, as well as the fact that online students at Wayne State pay only in-state tuition, regardless of residency.Number of Faculty and 2011 LIS GraduatesWe will examine these next two data points as parts of a whole, since together; we see how they may or may not project a positive presence to potential students.First, here is breakout of total faculty positions (full-time and adjunct) for Dominican GSLIS and its competitors:Figure 4. Total number of LIS faculty (School websites).Now, consider the number of 2011 graduates from each program:Figure 5. Number of 2011 LIS graduates CITATION Ins12 \l 1033 (Institute of Education Sciences).What can we surmise from these two figures, and how can we use that information? First, we see that Dominican’s faculty size may make for a more intimate learning environment, and we could speculate that they must work very hard in order to help produce the relatively same number of graduates as their geographic competitors.While the promise of a more causal environment per small faculty size can be seen as a positive, when combined with the second set of data, we (and potential students) could also perceive this as proof of a large student-to-faculty ratio in the Dominican program, unfortunately giving the impression of a more impersonal classroom setting.Until Dominican increases its faculty size, we can, going forward:Promote graduation rates, but downplay faculty sizeIf faculty size is brought in the competitive conversation, point to the academic level of faculty in other programs, as opposed to Dominican. For example, Of UW-Milwaukee’s sixty listed faculty members, 43% are adjunct CITATION Uni12 \l 1033 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Graduate School of Information Studies., 2012).Our final two points of analysis examines each LIS school with regards to academic and living culture for its students. Full-Time LIS Student PopulationCertainly, one aspect of Dominican GSLIS contrasts sharply with others in its competitive set—the percentage of full-time students vs. part time:Figure 6. Percentage of LIS students who attend on a full-time basis CITATION Ins12 \l 1033 (Institute of Education Sciences).Dominican’s position as seen through this lens could be both a positive and a negative factor within its market.On the positive side, the low number of full-time students strongly implies that the program is populated with commuter students—those who are already in the work force, perhaps, pursuing the degree as the means to a second career, or trying to return to work, after being laid off or raising a family. For prospective students in similar positions, knowing the program make-up is such might be an attractive proposition.However, for those students coming straight from an undergraduate degree program, this statistic may suggest that the demographics of the program population are not a good fit—Dominican GSLIS students are perhaps much older, with full-time jobs and families, and have little on-campus presence, all factors that can discourage prospects that are seeking a graduate program experience comparable to the academic and social culture of an undergraduate program.In either case, this data should be carefully considered in any marketing strategy.Urban PopulationFinally, we discuss an area that plays to one of Dominican’s strengths: the urban location of market schools. The city where a student will spend 2-3 years, living and studying, can be a potent influence by way of consideration of population density, services, culture, entertainment, crime, and other factors. Here is the most recent population data for the host cities of our competitive set:Figure 7. Population of host cities for competitive set CITATION USD12 \l 1033 (US Department of Commerce, 2012).Since San Jose State is only being considered for its online program, we can disregard it in this instance. Students considering our market set have a broad set of choices, depending on their preference for a living environment, be it a relatively small “college town” (Champaign) or a major urban area (Detroit). However, in this area, Dominican can, and should be able to, exploit one of its great strengths.Dominican’s campus is located in River Forest, a lovely, wooded suburb of approximately 11,000 in population. However, it lies just 11 miles west of downtown Chicago CITATION Goo \y \l 1033 (Google Maps), with easy access via roads and public transit. So for a student wishing for a quiet setting for graduate work, Dominican provides such, as well as proximity to the third largest city in the United States. ConclusionLocated in a relatively close cluster of library schools in the Midwest, Dominican GSLIS faces a tough challenge in recruitment. It falls behind in several areas:Low US News rankingSmall facultyHigh tuition (for in-state students)The presence of the leading national LIS school in the same statePerception of “commuter school” cultureHowever, Dominican possesses a solid set of competitive attributes, as well:Smaller, causal environmentEqual tuition rates regardless of residencyAttractive degree requirementsProximity to ChicagoPerception of conducive culture for working or part-time studentsDominican GSLIS will need to continue to be vigilant about monitoring trends in the LIS school environment, especially in terms of online education and recognizing what academic areas in which it needs to be proficient; for example, the online/digital component of our field will demand more curricula in the future. However, the guiding mission for Dominican and other LIS schools should be that they are now expected to produce information catalysts, and not just information specialists. Works Cited BIBLIOGRAPHY Bowman, N., & Bastedo, M. (2008, August 1). Getting on the Front Page: Organizational Reputation, Status Signals, and the Impact of <i>U.S. News and World Report on Student Decisions. Research in Higher Education, 50(3), 415-436. Retrieved from Maps. (2012). Retrieved from Jose State University School of Library & Information Science. (2012). Retrieved from of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Science. (2012). Retrieved from of Wisconsin-Madison School of Library and Information Studies. (2012). Retrieved from of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Graduate School of Information Studies. (2012). Retrieved from State University School of Library and Information Science. (2012). Retrieved from University Graduate School of Library and Information Science. (n.d.). Retrieved from of Education Sciences. (n.d.). Intergrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Retrieved October 9, 2012, from National Center for Education Statistics: , R. (2012, March 12). Methodology: Graduate Library and Information Studies Rankings. Retrieved from : , J. (2012, September 28). The College Rankings Racket. New York Times, p. A23. Retrieved from , R., & Slotink, D. E. (2012, January 31). Gaming the College Rankings. New York Times. Retrieved from Department of Commerce. (2012). US Census Bureau. Retrieved from News & World Report. (2012). Library and Information Studies. Retrieved from : ................
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