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Dakota State University Case Study

Institution Overview

Dakota State University is a public university in Madison, S.D. DSU serves more than 2,300 students, including undergraduate and graduate students. The school is well known for its innovative integration of technology and its consistently high placement rate for graduates.

Challenge

DSU wanted to better position itself as South Dakota’s institution for a technologically advanced education. It also wanted to stand out from competitor institutions by more effectively communicating its advantages, and emphasize academic rigor in a way that would attract higher achieving students. DSU also wanted to drive prospective students' perception of the university as a progressive institution that focuses on creating technologically savvy graduates, regardless of their degree.

Solution

DSU turned to James Tower, a long time partner. James Tower helped DSU put a fresh and contemporary face on its institution through all their publications and the web site. The pieces emphasized DSU’s use of technology as an educational resource and daily convenience to students. DSU and James Tower used actual DSU students in campus environments and portrayed a modern, hip, and more urban vision of the DSU experience. Prospective students saw real-life stories of current DSU students, demonstrating DSU’s understanding of student needs and how DSU helps students achieve their goals, get an edge up, and prepare for a career in a technology-focused world.

Results

The new design helped DSU set itself apart from competitive institutions in the region and differentiate its institutional focus and prospective student offering.

• Total prospective student inquiries have increased by 7%
• Average ACT scores for all applicants have increased, and the percentage of ACT score applicants of 28 or higher is up 73%
• The number of total accepted students is up 1%
  
• James Tower earned a Best of Show award in the 21^st Annual Admissions Advertising Awards for DSU’s print publications and web site