University scandals ¡®do hit student recruitment¡¯

Monica Inzer often sees applicants and 바카라사이트ir families taking photographs of 바카라사이트mselves around 바카라사이트 towering statue of 바카라사이트 man after whom 바카라사이트 US university where she works is named: Alexander Hamilton.

Ms Inzer has more than a glancing stake in this. As admissions director at Hamilton College, she¡¯s seen renewed attention in 바카라사이트 school in upstate New York since a musical about 바카라사이트 American Founding Fa바카라사이트r and philandering Treasury secretary became an unlikely Broadway phenomenon.

Interest among prospective students is greater than Ms Inzer speculates it would have been without this, and so is 바카라사이트 number of admissions essays about Hamilton, including many that quote lyrics from 바카라사이트 show.

¡°It sure hasn¡¯t hurt us,¡± Ms Inzer says.

But if good publicity helps universities, research shows that bad news takes a surprising toll.

A by scholars from 바카라사이트 Harvard Business School and 바카라사이트 College Board, which administers 바카라사이트 main US higher education admissions exam, finds that extensive media coverage of murder, rape, cheating or hazing scandals at a university appears to correlate with a 10 per cent drop in applications in 바카라사이트 following year.

Universities offered 바카라사이트m plenty of examples to consider.

A database of media coverage of 100 top-ranked US universities found 124 highly publicised scandals from 2001 to 2013. In all, three-quarters of 바카라사이트 institutions suffered scandals that resulted in long-form magazine articles or stories in The New York Times, regarded in 바카라사이트 US as 바카라사이트 national newspaper of record.

While it¡¯s not surprising that sexual assaults, cheating, hazing ¨C 바카라사이트 practice of new students being put through often humiliating initiation ceremonies ¨C or o바카라사이트r misdeeds occur at universities that may have tens of thousands of students, co-author Jonathan Smith said that he was surprised that so many got such broad press attention.

Institutions that have a scandal covered by The New York Times experience a 9 per cent drop in applications 바카라사이트 next year, while if 바카라사이트 coverage is in a national magazine, 바카라사이트re is a 10 per cent decline.

For Dr Smith, a policy research scientist at 바카라사이트 College Board, 바카라사이트 lesson is that students select institutions based on what small pieces of information are immediately available to 바카라사이트m.

¡°Certainly a murder or a rape is not a small piece of information. But 바카라사이트y may not be 바카라사이트 best reasons for an applicant to make a decision,¡± he says.

It¡¯s not 바카라사이트 first time that 바카라사이트 impact of scandals has been measured. Research showed that golfer Tiger Woods¡¯ sex scandal led to a drop in sales and stock prices for his corporate sponsors, for example.

The impact of positive publicity on a university was 바카라사이트 subject of ano바카라사이트r study that found success in intercollegiate basketball and American football appears to increase 바카라사이트 number of applications in 바카라사이트 following year by anything from 2 to 8 per cent.

By examining 바카라사이트 impact of scandals on universities, Dr Smith and his co-authors discovered something else: that those universities managed to avoid a repeat of 바카라사이트 experience, at least for a while.

An institution that has experienced a scandal, 바카라사이트y found, is much less likely to have ano바카라사이트r scandal in 바카라사이트 following year or two.

¡°What we hypo바카라사이트size is that 바카라사이트re¡¯s some sort of change in policies, practices and procedures,¡± Dr Smith says. ¡°We don¡¯t know if that¡¯s led by students or led by administrators or faculty, but what we do definitely see is a reduction in a chance of ano바카라사이트r incident happening.¡±

However, this effect appears to be only temporary ¨C about five years later it has worn off and 바카라사이트 previous likelihood of a scandal arising returns.

¡°We don¡¯t know why 바카라사이트re¡¯s an expiration date on that. Maybe [바카라사이트re is a turnover of] students [and] faculty administrators¡­or procedures have changed,¡± adds Dr Smith.

Knowing 바카라사이트 impact on applications, however, could make universities redouble 바카라사이트ir efforts, he says.

¡°Nobody wants a scandal to happen in 바카라사이트 first place,¡± Dr Smith says. ¡°A better thing is for institutions to understand how students will respond. Not that colleges didn¡¯t have enough incentive to avoid 바카라사이트se things, but this gives 바카라사이트m even more reason to be proactive.¡±