Using Data to Beat COVID: Gray Associates Launches Enhanced Program Evaluation Software to Help Higher Education Institutions Thrive Despite COVID-19

CONCORD, Mass., Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To help institutions understand and respond to changes in student demand and employment since the onset of COVID-19, Gray Associates today announced the launch of a new version of their proprietary Program Evaluation System Plus (PES+) software. It delivers invaluable, current data on student demand, millions of job postings, and thousands of competitors by academic program and market in the U.S. Using this data, higher-education institutions can customize scoring rubrics, rank programs, and evaluate their local, regional, and national markets for over 1,000 academic programs. 

PES+ helps higher-education institutions of all kinds find substantial growth opportunities that can offset recent enrollment declines and cuts in state funding.   Clients, ranging from small trade schools to large public universities, have used PES+ to select and invest in existing and new programs that have generated millions of dollars in incremental tuition revenue. 

Since COVID, there has been a dramatic increase in online students.  Many students are attending online programs at local colleges; however, hundreds of thousands of students are enrolled in online programs offered by nationwide competitors. 

Winning back these students can be a source of growth for local institutions.  But first, it helps to know how many students are being lost to national players.  IPEDS makes this a challenge:  it reports online students in the headquarters location of the institution (e.g., Phoenix for the University of Phoenix).  GRAY's software puts students back in the markets where they are studying, so institutions can see correctly who is competing in their backyard and win back these local online students, program by program.

"PES+ empowers schools to make smart program decisions in light of quickly changing market conditions," says Bob Atkins, CEO of GRAY Associates. "GRAY is dedicated to helping schools identify new growth opportunities while finding strategies that reduce expenses in order to fund program investments and make program portfolios more resilient."

"GRAY is uniquely equipped to help colleges and universities navigate the challenges ahead.  Our data is more current, more robust, and more granular than other sources. Additionally, we have deep expertise and extensive experience working in higher education. We have the tools and services that colleges and universities need to inform and facilitate their program decisions."

About Gray Associates 

Gray helps colleges and universities make data-informed decisions about their academic programs. Gray's software integrates the best-available data on student demand, employer needs, and competitive intensity for the precise market served by each institution. Faculty and administrative leaders use the software to score, rank, and evaluate programs in a collaborative process that builds consensus on programs to start, sunset, sustain, or grow. With Gray's tools and processes, institutions identify paths to increase enrollment, revenue, and efficiency, while investing in their mission and strengthening relationships among faculty and administrators.

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SOURCE Gray Associates