Does it bother anybody else?

[IrishSiouxFan]

I've been noticing quite a bit of advertising for NDSU athletics around Grand Forks. I've seen billboards very close to campus as well as advertisements in the Herald and on their website. I've lived here for seven years and don't recall ever seeing this before. NDSU seems like they are putting a lot into a statewide campaign to become North Dakota's main athletic program. Kind of scary times for UND right now with the visible programs on the downswing. Is it me or has anybody else noticed this as well?

[darell1976]

I've been noticing quite a bit of advertising for NDSU athletics around Grand Forks. I've seen billboards very close to campus as well as advertisements in the Herald and on their website. I've lived here for seven years and don't recall ever seeing this before. NDSU seems like they are putting a lot into a statewide campaign to become North Dakota's main athletic program. Kind of scary times for UND right now with the visible programs on the downswing. Is it me or has anybody else noticed this as well?

I live in Fargo and see ads for UND down here. The school (NDSU) is on a super high with all the publicity with its football team, when their dynasty comes to a halt, the hype will die down. On the other side of it, UND needs a trip to the dance, or a hockey title to up their game and gain some hype.

[MafiaMan]

I see NDSU signs all over my commute in the Twin Cities - they're everywhere.

[fightingsioux4life]

I've been noticing quite a bit of advertising for NDSU athletics around Grand Forks. I've seen billboards very close to campus as well as advertisements in the Herald and on their website. I've lived here for seven years and don't recall ever seeing this before. NDSU seems like they are putting a lot into a statewide campaign to become North Dakota's main athletic program. Kind of scary times for UND right now with the visible programs on the downswing. Is it me or has anybody else noticed this as well?

Yeah, I have noticed the same thing and you are right, it is scary.

[the green team]

I don't do their marketing but, I ask this question when doing mine...How many season ticket packages or tickets do they have to get in order to pay for the billboard? Or in my case, how many widgets do I have to sell to make the ad pay off? I don't know. It's just a question. I'm sure they get better rates on their billboards than I do for mine as they buy more- but still how many ticket buys do they have to sell in Grand Forks to make it pay off for them? Do you think they'll get that many ticket sales in GF or is just wasted $'s? Fair question

[Shawn-O]

I don't do their marketing but, I ask this question when doing mine...How many season ticket packages or tickets do they have to get in order to pay for the billboard? Or in my case, how many widgets do I have to sell to make the ad pay off? I don't know. It's just a question. I'm sure they get better rates on their billboards than I do for mine as they buy more- but still how many ticket buys do they have to sell in Grand Forks to make it pay off for them? Do you think they'll get that many ticket sales in GF or is just wasted $'s? Fair question

Having seen the billboards, I'm going to out on a limb here and say it has much more to do with enrollment than "ticket packages".

[Herd]

I agree that is has to do with trying to build enrollment. With NDSU being in a much stronger position than it was relative to the funding formula, there is a push to build enrollment and infrastructure, according to the recent state of the university address. Hopefully its about building quality, not just enrollment.

[UNDBIZ]

Hopefully its about building quality, not just enrollment.

"What's the difference?" - Joe Chapman

[UNDColorado]

I don't do their marketing but, I ask this question when doing mine...How many season ticket packages or tickets do they have to get in order to pay for the billboard? Or in my case, how many widgets do I have to sell to make the ad pay off? I don't know. It's just a question. I'm sure they get better rates on their billboards than I do for mine as they buy more- but still how many ticket buys do they have to sell in Grand Forks to make it pay off for them? Do you think they'll get that many ticket sales in GF or is just wasted $'s? Fair question

I have wondered the same thing. I think it boils down to a general branding campaign, rather than trying to sell tickets. If our basketball programs were terrible then it might make sense but even then I still don't think that the ROI is there if that were the case. This last year I got back into media sales (primarily digital) but if I were to pitch this to NDSU I would go the branding route versus trying to justify a ROI connected to increased ticket sales.

[Herd]

I have wondered the same thing. I think it boils down to a general branding campaign, rather than trying to sell tickets. If our basketball programs were terrible then it might make sense but even then I still don't think that the ROI is there if that were the case. This last year I got back into media sales (primarily digital) but if I were to pitch this to NDSU I would go the branding route versus trying to justify a ROI connected to increased ticket sales.

This campaign is about building the academic brand. Enrollment & quality of education, not athletics at all IMO from reviewing the state of the U address. Athletics is a window to an institution, so that is not completely removed from the equation.

[siouxjoy]

"What's the difference?" - Joe Chapman

[the green team]

So all the billboards are the University's (enrollment branding push)? And not NDSU Athletics? They should be2 different funds-- but all the billboards I've seen have "get your Basketball tickets now". If it was a enrollment push, wouldn't it say "Come learn about farming"?

[fightingsioux4life]

So all the billboards are the University's (enrollment branding push)? And not NDSU Athletics? They should be2 different funds-- but all the billboards I've seen have "get your Basketball tickets now". If it was a enrollment push, wouldn't it say "Come learn about farming"?

[BobIwabuchiFan]

NDSU had to cut back on its tuition waivers which allowed it to balloon in size during the Chapman years (I believe they were significantly higher than the # of waivers given by UND)...Since this won't be an option in the future to depend on for growth because of the legislature, I think they are looking at traditional ways of marketing to potential students to increase their student population.

[CAS4127]

NDSU had to cut back on its tuition waivers which allowed it to balloon in size during the Chapman years (I believe they were significantly higher than the # of waivers given by UND)...Since this won't be an option in the future to depend on for growth because of the legislature, I think they are looking at traditional ways of marketing to potential students to increase their student population.

@Bold: Got love the source of that "fact". Hey, have you checked out the number of "on-line" vs. "on-campus" students UND has compared to NDSU?

[jdub27]

NDSU had to cut back on its tuition waivers which allowed it to balloon in size during the Chapman years (I believe they were significantly higher than the # of waivers given by UND)...Since this won't be an option in the future to depend on for growth because of the legislature, I think they are looking at traditional ways of marketing to potential students to increase their student population.

Is that for the 2013-2014 school year?

Last year (2012-2013 school year) NDSU gave out $17,954,644 in tuition waivers to 3,892 students (25.1% of students received some type of waiver) up from 2011-2012 when they gave out $17,686,007 to 3,697 students. These numbers have grown ever year. For comparison, UND gave out $8,945,326 in waivers to 2,022 students in 2012-2013 (12.1% of students recieved a waiver of some sort). In 2011-2012, UND handed out $8,683,064 to 2023 students.

Note that a portion of these are not controllable by the schools themselves and there are valid reasons for some tuition waivers.

Edit - Some of the tuition charged/collected data doesn't quite match-up with what the chart says (though close), working on updating that properly

[darell1976]

Is that for the 2013-2014 school year?

Last year (2012-2013 school year) NDSU gave out $17,954,644 in tuition waivers to 3,892 students up from 2011-2012 when they gave out $17,686,007 to 3,697 students. These numbers have grown ever year. Note that a portion of these are not controllable by the schools themselves and there are valid reasons for some tuition waivers. But for comparison, NDSU charged total tuition of $104,113,337 to 15,480 students meaning that they collected 82.8% net tuition and 25.1% of students received some type of waiver. UND gave out $8,945,326 in waivers to 2,022 students in 2012-2013. Total tuition charged was $102,036,111 for 16,693 students, meaning that net tuition collected was 91.2% and 12.1% of students recieved a waiver of some sort. In 2011-2012, UND handed out $8,683,064 to 2023 students.

NDSU needs that extra money from tuition to pay for attorney fees for the football team.

[Shawn-O]

So all the billboards are the University's (enrollment branding push)? And not NDSU Athletics? They should be2 different funds-- but all the billboards I've seen have "get your Basketball tickets now". If it was a enrollment push, wouldn't it say "Come learn about farming"?

Must be different billboards than what we are seeing in the Twin Cities metro. My bad.

[UNDBIZ]

@Bold: Got love the source of that "fact". Hey, have you checked out the number of "on-line" vs. "on-campus" students UND has compared to NDSU?

Ndsu giving out double the $$ in tuition waivers compared to UND is a fact. Why are you trying to change the subject?

[molden]

UND's presence has been common on billboards in the Fargo area for years. It's mostly about enrollment. Touché

[westsidesioux]

While driving North out of Dickinson this morning past an oil company's regional office I noticed that they were flying an NDSU Bison flag on one of their flagpoles. Their kicking our butts at everything right now and it's scary as hell.

[CMSioux]

There is a UND BIllboard on the way to Minneapolis on I-94 - guess this means we are kicking every college in Minnesota's butt !!!! Oh but there is also a Jamestown College Billboard on the same road so guess that means they are also kicking butt.

[iramurphy]

_{The AC has doen a much better job of marketing for a number of years. They have done so for the school as well as their athletics. With their recent success in FB it has been a real boost free of charge. An article in Sports Illustrated years ago reviewed the studies done about the positive impact athletic success had on the schools enrollment and donations to the school not just the athletic department. At the time they used the Georgetown BB as the example. Were I the president of UND or the head of the UND alumni assn, I would meet with the Atheltic director, the head of enrollment services, the head of the Alumni office, my vice presidents and Deans. I would give them the responsibility of making clear to all UND faculty the importance of the UND brand and how UND athletics will benefit everything from enrollment to how well we can fund our Engr and Geography Depts. I would also assign a task force with the responsibility to return in early January with a comprehensive plan to make sure we reach all area prospective students, and we reach out to all of our present students to insure we keep them on campus.} I would also invest in a competent marketing firm to assist us. Freshmen should be admitted to athletic activites at times and coordinate that with a social funcition of some sort. All of our athletic teams and coaches should be eating at the different dorms, fraternities and sororities to show appreciation for whatever support we get. There needs to be competition between dorms and greeks for attendence and support at these events. Attending UND and our atheltic events needs to be an event for our students. Enrollment services used to send admissions counselors to virtually every area of N. Dak and northern Mn. They don't do that anymore and even scof at the idea. We are losing our edge more by what we aren't doing than by what someone else is doing.

[BobIwabuchiFan]

_{The AC has doen a much better job of marketing for a number of years. They have done so for the school as well as their athletics. With their recent success in FB it has been a real boost free of charge. An article in Sports Illustrated years ago reviewed the studies done about the positive impact athletic success had on the schools enrollment and donations to the school not just the athletic department. At the time they used the Georgetown BB as the example. Were I the president of UND or the head of the UND alumni assn, I would meet with the Atheltic director, the head of enrollment services, the head of the Alumni office, my vice presidents and Deans. I would give them the responsibility of making clear to all UND faculty the importance of the UND brand and how UND athletics will benefit everything from enrollment to how well we can fund our Engr and Geography Depts. I would also assign a task force with the responsibility to return in early January with a comprehensive plan to make sure we reach all area prospective students, and we reach out to all of our present students to insure we keep them on campus.} I would also invest in a competent marketing firm to assist us. Freshmen should be admitted to athletic activites at times and coordinate that with a social funcition of some sort. All of our athletic teams and coaches should be eating at the different dorms, fraternities and sororities to show appreciation for whatever support we get. There needs to be competition between dorms and greeks for attendence and support at these events. Attending UND and our atheltic events needs to be an event for our students. Enrollment services used to send admissions counselors to virtually every area of N. Dak and northern Mn. They don't do that anymore and even scof at the idea. We are losing our edge more by what we aren't doing than by what someone else is doing.

I agree to what you state about the need to market athletics within our own school system, but I would say they haven't being doing such a great job of marketing the athletics side in recent years because of the President's and his staff's distaste for the nickname. Since that has been gone, its amazing to me they aren't pushing this more on campus, but I could be wearing the "Fighting Sioux" glasses and not seeing their best efforts either.

[gfhockey]

we are becoming like the state of Ohio whre the state school is bigger then the u of ohio.

all hail Faison!

Kelly is god!

extend mussman

praise hak