We’re extremely excited for our first Client Spotlight: Brandman University. A long time partner of TargetX, Brandman is pushing the envelope with their unmatched student-first approach to retention, and their hybrid (a blend of online and on-campus) education model, both of which allowed them to adapt easily to a fully online environment in the wake of COVID-19.
Brandman was an early adopter of the TargetX Retention Suite, and their commitment to student success has only grown in the intervening years. With over 13,000 students enrolled across their campuses, they are laser focused on supporting nontraditional students. In fact, 87% of their enrolled students are working adults, and 48% are first-generation college students. Because of this, everything they do at Brandman comes back to their core value of student success. With a hybrid education model that allows students the flexibility to complete their courses on their own schedule, Brandman has been a leader in the evolution of adult learning. This hybrid model meant that Brandman’s staff and students were well suited to change course quickly when the COVID-19 pandemic took most of the higher education world by storm. And, while many were still reeling from the change from in-person to online learning, Brandman saw a 3% increase in their overall student satisfaction score, bringing them to their highest level in over two years.
How do they maintain such a high level of satisfaction, and not to mention a full time graduation rate of 81%? They put students at the heart of everything they do. Then, they make sure their staff is properly trained and held accountable for all of their interactions with students. Brandman’s staff to student ratio is 150 to 1, which Saskia Knight, Executive Vice Chancellor for Enrollment and Student Affairs at Brandman calls a “non-negotiable” for the school. While this level of attention to students was critical prior to COVID-19, it’s proving more important than ever as students adjust and rely further on support from the school. Brandman has been championing students throughout this difficult time, urging them to use the increased time at home to focus more on their courses, and to view this part of their education as another stepping stone to their future careers.
What Brandman has accomplished is no small feat, and while not everyone has the ability or the budget to have such a small staff to student ratio, there is definitely something to be said for putting students first, especially when things are as unprecedented and unknown as they are right now.
