About the editor - Mark Shay

Mark Shay is the founder, president and CEO of Educational Directories Unlimited, Inc (EDU). EDU is the leader in the emerging market of computer-based student recruiting delivering popular and effective solutions through StudyAbroad.com, GradSchools.com, and several other successful web sites. Shay has 22 years of experience in the collegiate marketplace and is one of the leading authorities in this field.

Shay began his college marketing business while a student at Syracuse University. After earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1984, he went on to becoming a Senior Systems Analyst at Conrail Corporation while continuing his marketing efforts part-time in Philadelphia. Business grew to a point where he resigned from Conrail in 1989 and officially began Liberty City Promotions.

As his reputation grew, Shay expanded Liberty City Promotions to include marketing services other than on-campus placement of advertising posters. In 1995, he developed a new product, StudyAbroad.com, in conjunction with EDU's Executive Vice President, Mark Landon. StudyAbroad.com, an online directory of study abroad programs, was soon followed by GradSchools.com. As the online directories flourished, the enterprise split into two separate companies: Educational Directories Unlimited and Liberty City College Promotions. Liberty City is now independent.

Through Shay's leadership, EDU has aggressively grown into a vibrant market leader, launching new products and innovative services to connect students and academic recruiters. Despite turbulent times for "dot com" businesses, EDU has flourished due in part to Shay's focus on serving the academic community and his adherence to the fundamental business practice of "service, quality and performance." Now with 2,000 academic customers, EDU provides a full suite of recruiting services in the fields of graduate, international and adult education, and has been listed on the Philadelphia 100 for the past four years, two years on Inc. Magazine's Inner City 100, and on the 2003 Inc. 500.

Through his experiences working with higher education and businesses, Shay offers unique perspective on issues regarding student recruitment, higher education trends, and international education. He has presented at a number of academic conferences, been quoted in national media and has appeared on CNBC and CNN. Click here to view "Out of the Cubicle and into the Classroom."

Shay grew up in Haddonfield, NJ and now has a home in Boothwyn, PA. He has three children and is active in his church and community, and he coaches children's sports. Shay is also a member and supporter of several education-related organizations including the Council of Graduate Schools, NAGAP, NAFSA and the Forum on Education Abroad. Recently he has become involved with K-12 as the co-founder of Voyager Charter School. Shay also sits on the Board of Directors of BoxBundles, Inc., a fast growing e-commerce company.

About the Journal

EDUInsight, is a new online journal highlighting best practices in student prospecting, enrollment and retention. I am Mark Shay, editor of this publication and founder of EDU (Educational Directories Unlimited), the group that produces StudyAbroad.com, GradSchools.com and IIEPassport.org - directories of academic programs that are designed to connect students with further educational opportunities.

In the twelve years I have been involved in student recruiting, I have seen and helped foster many innovative and effective methods to connect with students. It is my hope to harness this experience and my network of relationships into a powerful resource that can further the transformations happening throughout higher education.

EDU is now part of Halyard Education Partners (HEP), a leading interactive marketing and information services company focused on helping higher education institutions manage the student lifecycle from acquisition to alumni. Through some of the most visible education websites, like those at EDU, eLearners.com and EarnMydegree.com, as well its internet marketing services team, HEP has become one of the leading providers of qualified leads for higher education. It also offers a full suite of web-based products and services to manage the relationship across the entire student life cycle from inquiry to retention. HEP has expanded my network to be able to attract the best practices from a vast web of colleagues which can provide practical insights into managing the growing complexity of recruiting and retention.

I will start each week with a column, tied to one of the journal's themes of "managing the relationship with students from from lead through alumni." I will be offering perspectives and inviting others to join in the dialogue from personal experiences and opnions to summaries of conference presentations. I encourage you to bookmark this site and come back weekly for an update on the state of educational recruiting on the Internet.

"managing the student dialog, from lead through alumni"

Mark Shay
Chief Academic Liasion

Halyard Education Partners

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