External Bridges

The Power of Stevens total reached $116.4 million and remains ahead of schedule toward the $150 million campaign goal. Stevens ascended to #69 in the Fall 2017 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” issue, up two places since the prior year. Advances were made toward creating a more compelling campus visitor experience including the completion of the McLean Building lobby renovation, and new initiatives underway for campus signage, lighting, landscaping, a virtual tour, and campus video displays. Volunteer efforts by Stevens students totaled more than 41,000 service hours, and numerous ongoing and new or enhanced initiatives built engagement between the City of Hoboken and students, faculty, and staff. Key university partners became engaged with Stevens in multiple endeavors, including student exchanges, joint programs and research.  

SP4-External-1000x300


Goal E1

The President’s Initiative for Excellence will be successfully completed, raising at least $30 million.

OWNER: VICE PRESIDENT EDWARD EICHHORN

Completed. 


Goal E2

A philanthropy target of $70 million will be achieved in order to support key initiatives in the first five years of the strategic plan; an additional $100 million will be raised during the balance of its implementation.

OWNER: VICE PRESIDENT BRODIE REMINGTON

In FY17, Stevens secured $23.4 million in new gifts and pledges, and The Power of Stevens campaign total reached $116.4 million, thereby remaining ahead of schedule.  A record-tying number of major gifts ($25,000 and greater) – 98 – were recorded.

Y5 Development Gifts


Goal E3

The undergraduate giving rate will increase from a 2011 baseline of 17 percent to at least 23 percent by 2017 and 26 percent by 2022.

OWNER: VICE PRESIDENT BRODIE REMINGTON

Despite another record number of donors, the undergraduate giving participation rate decreased slightly, from 16.63 percent to 16.33 percent (for reporting purposes, the number is rounded down to 16 percent).  Significant changes have been adopted to improve the giving participation rate for FY18.   

Y5 UG Alumni Giving Rate


Goal E4

We will achieve a 10-year growth in the value of the endowment, not including return on investment, of at least $60 million.

OWNER: VICE PRESIDENT BRODIE REMINGTON

A total of $6,091,216 in new gifts and pledges was secured for the endowment in FY17, and $4,486,598 came in as payments. Thus far, Stevens has received more than $56 million in gifts, pledges, and bequest expectancies of endowment since 2012. 


Goal E5

We will develop and formalize mechanisms that ensure that our alumni are more engaged with Stevens faculty and students, with important and tangible benefits to all.

OWNER: VICE PRESIDENT BRODIE REMINGTON

Attendance at FY17 events reached 1,367, compared to 1,579 in FY16. In FY17, events were hosted in 21 cities around the country, including networking/career events, stewardship events, social and affinity gatherings, and faculty/administration speaking engagements.  Additional measures beyond event attendance will be proposed for use in FY18.


Goal E6

Comprehensive review of current resources and future needs related to strategic communications and marketing will be completed.

OWNERS: PRESIDENT NARIMAN FARVARDIN AND VICE PRESIDENT RANDY GREENE

Completed.


Goal E6-A

Enhance and expand the reputation and increase the prestige of Stevens Institute of Technology among peer institutions, graduate and undergraduate admissions stakeholder groups, business and industry, the media, and other key constituencies commensurate with our substantial contributions in research, our stellar educational and career outcomes, and our legacy of innovation.

OWNER: VICE PRESIDENT EDWARD STUKANE

After the overhaul and relaunch of the Stevens web site in FY16, which reduced the number of pages of the web site and streamlined navigation, page views declined, but other metrics have improved.

Site wide Stevens.edu Data:  (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017)

Metrics YoY: July 1-June 30

FY15

FY16

FY17

Growth Percentage 2016-2017

Pages per session

2.84

2.99

3.07

2.77%

Average session duration

3.16

3.12

3.20

4.13%

Bounce rate

52.97%

49.58%

39.86%

-19.60%

Pageviews

7,864,312

8,214,932

7,172,870

-12.68%

School Data: (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017)

School

FY16

FY17

Increase Total Percentage Increase

 SES

 400,935

 618,836

 217,901

 54%

 SSE

 112,026

 196,316

84,290 

 75%

 SoB

349,910 

452,566 

102,656 

 29%

 CAL

48,200 

 63,217

 15,017

 31%

Growth of social media channels continued during Year 5:

 

2015

2016

2017

Growth% 2016-2017

Facebook

17,049

21,397

23,750

11%

Instagram

2,378

4,526

5,161

14%

LinkedIn

8,082

9,831

51,003

419%

Twitter

5,054

6,405

7,568

18%

Tier 1 media placements totaled 56 during Year 5, and prominent Tier 2 placements totaled 161 for an overall total of the top two categories of 217, compared to 167 in the prior year.  Within the Tier 1 category, 28 placements appeared in one outlet with editorial content that is specific to a particular business or industry. Additional efforts throughout Year 5 resulted in significant media results that appeared at the beginning of Year 6, including the Forbes article, "Turnaround University: Quant School on the Hudson."

Stevens’ first high school counselor reputation campaign was launched, focusing on the remarkable outcomes of Stevens students. This approach included the targeted print/digital buys in industry-specific publications and targeted email communications to counselors at high schools nationwide.

A marketing plan to promote the pre-college programs was developed and executed. Results demonstrated an 11 percent growth in YoY applications as of June 30, 2017.  A Pre-College market research survey was launched to inform future program development, recruitment, and marketing activities. 

To highlight the extraordinary progress of the School of Business, the school’s first fully integrated recruitment marketing campaign, “Stevens Means”, was developed an executed, and included out-of-home ads, print ads, digital ads, and sponsorships.  Also launched was the first peer reputation campaign for the School of Business, including the first Dean’s Report. 

For the College of Arts & Letters, the Division of Communications and Marketing undertook and completed a priority program positioning report, which leveraged faculty interviews, student focus groups, and competitive research to identify strengths and unique positioning for CAL’s enrollment leading programs (Music & Technology and Visual Arts & Technology).

The alumni magazine was refined and delivered engaging and informative issues that showcased Stevens’ progress and alumni success.  The organization and production processes of the publication were streamlined.

Key peer, VIP and community communications were developed to share the five-year progress of the university under the President’s leadership.  These communications included multiple e-marketing activities such as targeted email, direct mail, higher-ed media advertising and more.


Goal E7

A compelling campus visitor experience will be created that conveys our rich history, our transformative aspirations for the future, the achievements of our alumni, our educational philosophy, our commitment to sustainability and our strong relationship with Hoboken.

OWNERS: VICE PRESIDENT ROBERT MAFFIA, VICE PRESIDENT MARYBETH MURPHY AND VICE PRESIDENT EDWARD STUKANE

An architectural firm has been competitively selected to design the campus-wide signage and wayfinding program.  Design and installation will begin in FY19.  The McLean Building lobby has been redesigned and renovated and the outside plaza of McLean is in design, improving the entrance experience and hiding the River Terrace transformers. 

A landscape architect has been selected and is creating a landscape master plan; several projects have already been completed and several major new projects, including the Ninth Street Entrance, are in the planning phase.  

New LED site lighting has been installed on the path from the Howe Circle to the Williams Library, as well as the Palmer Circle and surrounding area. 

A new interactive, mobile responsive campus map and the development of a virtual tour of the campus were completed in October 2017.  The map allows one to select a campus building by type and learn about the building and the services available there.  The map will be available on the Stevens website in December 2017 and in a printable form.  The virtual tour of the campus has nearly 150 location descriptions and student commentary videos. Using this tool, prospective students, their families, and high school counselors can now watch candid comments of current students and faculty members about Stevens.

The Division of Communications and Marketing is also supporting content provision for 30 monitors, an increase of 18 over the previous year, around campus that carry news and information regarding faculty and student outcomes, research, athletics, and overall university accomplishments.


Goal E8

In partnership with key stakeholders from the City of Hoboken, we will develop a plan to further integrate and engage Stevens and our students within the local Hoboken community for the benefit of all.

OWNERS: PRESIDENT NARIMAN FARVARDIN, VICE PRESIDENT MARYBETH MURPHY AND VICE PRESIDENT ROBERT MAFFIA

The significant contributions—financial, programmatic, volunteer efforts, and in-kind support—provided by Stevens to Hoboken and the region were summarized in an economic impact report and a brochure disseminated broadly to Hoboken officials and community members.  Approximately 1,445 Stevens students provided community service in the form of tutoring, sports clinics, park cleanups and tree plantings, set-up and support for City-wide events, and more, totaling over 41,000 service hours.  President Farvardin continued traditions of the Hoboken Community Barbecue, which included the addition of tours of research laboratories in AY16-17, and the Hoxie House Holiday Reception.  Also during this period, Hoboken community members participated in a range of Stevens intellectual and cultural offerings, including the President’s Distinguished Lecture Series and the newly-launched OnStage at Stevens series featuring the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.  Stevens was again a sponsor of Propelify, a technology entrepreneurship festival on the Hoboken Waterfront and engaged a number of Hoboken business executives in the Stevens Venture Center’s activities. 


Goal E9

We will continue to seek an agreement with a partner institution that significantly enhances the work of the faculty and the learning opportunities for students from both universities.

OWNERS: PRESIDENT NARIMAN FARVARDIN AND PROVOST CHRISTOPHE PIERRE

Coincident with the Strategic Plan Midpoint Review process, Stevens has revised its criteria for potential partners to focus on well-respected, private institutions in the Northeast with complementary academic programs in order to develop 3+2 or similar types of programs.  A list of potential partners has been developed, and outreach to institutions will begin in Year 6.

Over the last six years, the number of students participating in international experiences has increased significantly (120 students during the AY16-17, up from 24 in AY11-12), including semester-long engagements and short-term (six to eight week long) undergraduate research excursions, international service trips, and internships.  

Through the year, Stevens received one graduate Fulbright Student from Argentina, sponsored by Laspau, and a total of five exchange students, four of whom are from the University of Amsterdam and one from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (KU – Leuven).

Thirteen international universities were considered for partnerships and upon thorough review, 10 were approved to proceed with the development of program-specific agreements, as follows: 

Singapore University of Technology and Design

Nanjing University, China

Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China

Ecole d’Ingenieurs (ECE Paris, France)

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Tunghai University, China

Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunication, China

Kingston University (UK)

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain                                                       

University of Liverpool (UK)

In addition, Stevens proceeded with certifying agreements at various levels (MOUs, student exchange, study abroad) with eight universities this year, as shown in the table below:

University Name

Agreement Type Executed

Singapore University of Technology and Design 

MOU

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

MOU

Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications

MOU, 4+1 pending

Southwestern University of Finance and Economics 

MOU, 4+1 pending

Queen Mary University

Student Exchange 

University of Naples, Italy

Study Abroad 

University of Twente,

 

The Netherlands

Research and Education

Central University of Finance and Economics, China

Student Exchange 


Goal E10

Stevens will pursue a small number (6-8) of strategic, long lasting institutional-level international partnerships that enhance our global presence and name recognition in strategic geographical locations.

OWNERS: PRESIDENT NARIMAN FARVARDIN AND PROVOST CHRISTOPHE PIERRE

With the addition of a new Provost and Dean of the School of Engineering and Science, a review of existing international partnerships was conducted and initial outreach to several prestigious universities in Europe and Asia has taken place.

Key university partners are engaged with Stevens in multiple endeavors, including student exchanges, joint programs and research.  These efforts continued in Year 5:

Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU-China):  Research collaboration in the area of micro-devices involving support for 10 doctoral students over the last four years by the China Scholarship Council (which has recently renewed its commitment through one more round of funding for the next three years in support of research efforts by collaborating faculty in the two institutions).   

University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD) - Stevens is working with UBD to develop Systems Engineering undergraduate curricula in Energy, Product Development, and Networked Communications, all based on Stevens’ design-spine based model. UBD’s ultimate goal is to establish ABET accredited programs in these areas. This effort involves instructional assistance, content transfer, “train the trainer” efforts for all design-spine courses, and delivering the Entrepreneurial Thinking course at UBD, in a face-to-face-format. The joint development and rollout of a 4+1 program (bachelor’s Degree at UBD and master’s degree at Stevens) is under development.  

A new partnership agreement between Stevens and the University of Twente in Enschede (the Nertherlands) was signed in Year 5 to launch collaborative efforts on research and education programs in Urban Resilience, with a focus on establishing a Transatlantic Resilience Center involving the Davidson Laboratory at Stevens and the Twente Water Centre, with the goal to create a world-class institute in urban coastal resilience.  This partnership launched the first educational project focusing on understanding the latest frameworks to evaluate, analyze and improve Urban Resilience projects, while the second included the review and evaluation of protocols for post disaster communications and assessing green infrastructure.