New York State Council on the Arts marketing plan

Touro NYScas Marketing Plan

Mission and Vision Statement

Touro College\'s mission is to educate, to serve, to perpetuate and to enrich the historic Jewish tradition of tolerance and dignity. The vision of Touro College is to be

“in the service of knowledge, compassion, and social justice” (Touro College, 2022). Touro’s mission can be compared to that of another college, Mercy College, whose mission statement focuses on being committed to providing motivated students the opportunity to transform their lives through higher education by offering liberal arts and professional programs in personalized and high quality learning environments, thus preparing students to embark on rewarding careers. Mercy’s vision statement, likewise, is to create a forward-looking picture of to answer where, when, what and how you want your personal life or your organization to be well into the future 3, 5, 10 even 20 years out. The point of comparing the two is to show that colleges are competing for students who want to transform themselves and their world for the better. The point of differentiation is how the colleges propose to provide that transformative experience and foundation.

These colleges have almost similar descriptions to their undergraduate divisions such as they promise the learners to achieve knowledge which is capable of liberating the learners from poverty by having rewarding careers. Touro therefore encourages it\'s learners to utilize their precious time to realize the best out of themselves. In summary, the Touro Colleges mission is to educate, perpetuate and enrich the Jewish history of tolerance and dignity—and this specialized focus provides it with the differentiating factor that will make it more appealing to Jewish learners. However, Touro is not just for Jewish learners, as its various colleges, like NYSCAS, are open to all students and welcome diverse learners of all backgrounds.

Target and Positioning

The target for Touro Colleges is to create an effective environment for teaching-learning by encouraging the learners and faculty to nurture their curiosity intellectually. Its core competencies include creative thinking and effective problem solving skills. It brands itself as a Jewish college that cares about Jewish principles, values, traditions, and strengths. However, it is not a college that is just for Jewish students, as it is open to all types of learners. It is positioned in the market well because it has access to a niche market that few other colleges have. However, it has the resources and infrastructure in place to provide a unique experience for this market as well as the wider and larger student market.

Primary Research

Touro (2022) states that it has a rich history in education and in the Jewish community overall: “Created as an independent institution that would support and strengthen the Jewish community, Touro has remained steadfast in its commitment to Jewish continuity and, more broadly, to humankind” (Touro College, 2022). The college also notes that its core values “are drawn from our Jewish heritage and the Jewish intellectual tradition, focusing simultaneously on individual development and the greater good” (Touro College, 2022).

Additionally, the college lists a number of educational goals that learners ought to seek to achieve, such as: learning to communicate effectively in writing, communicate effectively orally; develop and apply mathematical reasoning to solve problems; learning to analyze and use critical thinking skills; obtaining computer literacy; obtaining knowledge of culture and history, research skills, and understanding of the scientific method (Educational Goals, 2022). Touro thus represents itself as a school that will facilitate the development and strengthening of all general learning goals. The New York School of Career and Applied Sciences (NYSCAS) is just one of the many different colleges in the Touro system.

NYSCAS states that it serves “students of all backgrounds, offering them one-on-one guidance and support as we help them develop the real-world skills they need to succeed” (NYSCAS, 2022). The school aims to get students ready for whatever their future plans might be—whether that is getting a job in the field of their chosen career path, or moving on to graduate school. The school has been credited by some as being the main reason for their success in their careers—such as the case of Anya Khaimova, who as a single mother of four found it difficult to complete her degree and balance work and family life at the same time: but thanks to “constant encouragement that I received from Lorinda Moore, the NYSCAS Director of the Office of Student Advocate. Lorinda always remained in my corner. She inspired me, offered crucial guidance to help me overcome various obstacles, and pushed me to always do better” (NYSCAS Stories, 2022).

Secondary Research

Lord (2015) has noted that Touro offers students an option in Queens with its NYSCAS college offering “associates and bachelor’s degrees in biology, business management and administration, human services, education, psychology, paralegal studies, social sciences, liberal arts and sciences, information technology and digital multimedia design, in addition to professional opportunities in pre-law, pre-medical and pre-dental.” Lord (2015) also explains what sets NYSCAS apart from other schools in the area and why the Touro college is so helpful: “With approximately 3,500 students in 2014, NYSCAS is set apart by the personal attention it offers, according to site director Naum Volfson. ‘We direct you, we advise you,’ he said. ‘You’re never on your own. We try to assist you in as many ways as we can. We try to make you feel at home.’ Help at NYSCAS takes a variety of forms, including individual tutoring in many subjects; online 24/7 assistance; and personal counseling in academics, financial aid and program planning.” Thus, NYSCAS stands out as a unique option for students looking for a supportive school that will help them to achieve their goals.

SWOT

SWOT analysis is the acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that face the business which can be both internal or external. Touro college has many strengths such as accessibility to the underserved populations due to its multi-campus locations, it offers the learners multiple opportunities for professional preparation and the college is culturally sensitive to the needs of its diverse student population. The weaknesses includes use of outdated technology, limited resources and it uses static website which is old. However, the college has various opportunities at its disposal such as introduction of blended learning which leads to high intake, increased use of online and video conference courses and threats such as challenges of associate recruitment due to lower tuition structure of CUNY. In addition changes in both federal and state regulations have been a threat to the college.

The NYSCAS poses a threat to colleges due to its competitive nature, hence the learners are willing to be connected to financial resources so as to afford quality college education. The competitors’ strengths include transparency in assessment policies, processes, and activities, use of modernized technology, offering of scholarship to its learners and they engage in quality improvement continuously.

Market MAP

The competitors aspect of the market map includes competitors who offer campus-based education as well as online education. Touro focuses on the former and thus does not have much lead in the latter. Pricing-wise, Touro is right in the mix with competitors. Investors-wise, Touro does not have nearly the foundation of investment that schools like Harvard have, but it does have campuses and it does have a solid network of colleges around the world.

As can be seen from the map, competitors include CUNY and New York University, while one of the largest vendors is Harvard because of its financial support. In terms of the niche market, colleges like Queens and Fordham University are there, and both Columbia and Yeshiva University are high performers that could double as niche market performers and excellent vendors. Thus, NYSCAS of Touro has to differentiate itself among these various competitors.

Promotion and Social Media

NYSCAS is on social media, but it only posts inconsistently—sometimes multiple times a month and sometimes only once a month. To date it has only 3751 tweets on Twitter, and there is very little evidence of engagement with other users. Its Twitter account only has 1859 followers, and most posts receive no comments and almost no re-tweets. This lack of engagement indicates that the school is not doing enough with social media to interact with the community.

Likewise, NYSCAS is also on Facebook but it receives very few likes for its posts and there appears to be little engagement. The posts are generally promotional, and draw attention to programs or to students who succeed. But there are too few informational and personal posts that might resonate more with users.

On YouTube, NYSCAS and Touro’s posts are also lacking engagement. Most posts have only a few hundred views if that. The posts are diverse and include student testimonials and tours. However, it is evident from these posts that most of the testimonials are coming from Jewish students, which means that if the school is trying to show itself as having a diverse student body it should include testimonials from non-Jewish students as well.

Overall, NYSCAS and Touro in general need to improve their promotional and social media content. Social media is a great way for a school to succeed in gathering new followers and to broaden its service. But there needs to be some highlighting of what the school offers to all students and more engagement with users.