CECU Announces New Guide Designed for Educational Marketing

Developed with the Belief that Education Advertising Must Be Transparent

SUNRISE, FLORIDA (January 2020) — Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), a national organization serving postsecondary career education schools, their staff, students, employers, and communities, announces the release of Compliance & Best Practices in Student Inquiry Generation: A Guide for Schools, designed to provide institutions nationwide with the best practices and procedures when working with third-party education marketing vendors. CECU developed the report to help institutions protect against any inaccurate, misleading, and sometimes dishonest third-party marketing practices involving lead generation companies providing education-related and school-specific information to prospective college students.

CECU leadership and its membership are united in the belief that every student has the right to receive truthful, straightforward, and accurate information to help them find the schools that are right for them. The August 2019 FTC settlement with Career Education Corporation was the impetus behind CECU forming the Student Inquiry Generation Compliance Taskforce, which authored this groundbreaking report.

“I was outraged when I learned about companies creating fake military recruitment websites and people masquerading as recruiters with schemes meant to generate leads for colleges and universities,” said Mitch Talenfeld, CEO of MDT Marketing and Taskforce Co-Chair. “Companies employing illegal and immoral tactics such as these don’t care who they hurt to make a buck. And by mixing illegally-obtained leads with legitimate ones and then selling them through intermediary companies, those looking to scam students know they can avoid detection by schools.”

Mitch Talenfield

“We created the guide to be broken down into three parts, first describing the complexities of the third-party lead generation ecosystem,” said Dr. James Hutton, CEO of Quest Education, and the Taskforce’s other Co-Chair. “Second, it explains multifaceted marketing law that colleges and universities need to know before third, wrapping up with step-by-step best practice third-party lead generation guidance that schools can use to protect themselves and their students.”

Over 30 professionals volunteered countless hours on the Taskforce to compile this comprehensive report. The group consisted of experts in education, education marketing, consumer and marketing law, and education compliance, teaming together to tackle monumental marketing challenges that have plagued schools and their students since the infancy of the Internet and third-party affiliate marketing.

By releasing this report, CECU hopes that higher education colleges and universities will build or update their third-party lead generator processes accordingly to ensure marketing messages are honest, easy-to-understand, and compliant with education and marketing law. Additionally, CECU will offer live webinar discussions with Taskforce members to introduce the report and answer any questions related to third-party lead generation compliance. CECU members and prospective members will receive hard copies of the guide. For more information or to download a digital version, visit www.career.org.

About MDT Marketing

MDT Marketing is a South Florida-based digital marketing agency specializing in helping educational institutions improve their marketing, student communications, and technology systems. Their seasoned team of agency professionals is trusted by college and university marketing departments across the nation to develop creative and engaging student recruitment strategies that get results. To learn more, visit www.MDTMarketing.com.

About Career Education Colleges and Universities

Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) is a national organization serving postsecondary career education schools, staff, and students. As a voluntary membership organization, CECU serves as the national voice for the sector with a membership of over 500 campuses across the nation. Schools represented offer programs of all skills ranging from diploma and credential through Associate, Baccalaureate, and beyond. Most CECU member institutions participate in federal student financial assistance programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act. For more information visit www.career.org.learn how to get the most value out of your data. Read through the different benefits that each type of data hygiene has to offer, and which is right for your institution.