Dan Kennedy's Magnetic Marketing Podcast What Happens When a University Starts Thinking Like Dan Kennedy?
Feb 6, 2026
Roger Clodfelter, Senior VP for communications and enrollment marketing at High Point University, led a radical recruitment and campus marketing transformation. He discusses applying direct-response principles to higher ed. Topics include campus visits as sales tools, retention tactics, celebrity residencies to drive revisits, targeted lead qualification, and testing offers and CTAs to boost enrollment.
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From Dusty College To Rapid Growth
- Roger Clodfelter recounts joining High Point University in 1996 and working admissions before a major transformation began in 2005.
- After Nido Qubein became president they rebuilt the campus, moved marketing under communications, and enrollment grew dramatically.
Make The Institution Serve The Customer
- Academia often builds processes for institutional convenience rather than for students as customers.
- Shifting to a customer-focused culture required blunt leadership and rapid execution at High Point University.
Articulate A Clear Unique Identifier
- Position your school with a clear unique identifier that parents understand, like 'Premier Life Skills University.'
- Emphasize practical education and outcomes that matter to parents such as job placement and safety.