The Situation Analysis and the brand positioning statement TLG developed have moved us miles toward crafting our brand identity. Never have I seen such an absence of ‘boilerplate' in a consultant's work.

— Ronald J. Stephany
Vice President for University Relations (retired)
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

Client Testimonials

In Their Own Words

Combining analysis and ideas that generate lasting marketing strategies with fast-paced reaction to ‘we need it now’ requests have made The Lawlor Group an excellent partner in our recruitment efforts.

— Mark H. Anderson
Vice President for Admission and Student Financial Assistance, Dean of Admission
Gustavus Adolphus College
Saint Peter, Minnesota

The TLG staff is committed, professional and responsive. TLG intimately understands the concept of branding and brings that knowledge to the table through its expert designers and skilled writers in a manner that results in a finished product that accurately and creatively portrays a college’s essence.

— David Anderson
Senior Associate Director of Admission
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Not only is The Lawlor Group a smart, creative, fun and inspiring team that produces smart, creative, fun and inspiring work, but with The Lawlor Group you get a thought leader. They remind you to think about the things you should be thinking about (and sometimes forget) as an admissions/enrollment professional.

— Ken Anselment
Director of Admissions
Lawrence University
Appleton, Wisconsin

The Lawlor Group excels in really getting to the heart of what matters on a college campus.  Most importantly, TLG is able to present their findings appropriately to a variety of campus constituencies.  Illinois Wesleyan will be a stronger institution moving forward with a shared understanding of our identity, and we have The Lawlor Group to thank for putting us on the right path.

— Tony Bankston
Dean of Admissions
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

Lawlor understands DePauw as well as I do. They have the ability to internalize how this institution is different from others. Lawlor captures the essence of the institution, and that’s why we keep working with them. We get results.

— Dr. Robert Bottoms
President Emeritus, Director of the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics
DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana

I would recommend The Lawlor Group because the staff is excellent; they are professionals in every sense of the word; they are flexible, creative and energetic, and they get the job done on schedule; and they customize the work to fit your institution.

— Dr. Earl Brooks
President
Trine University/Tri-State University
Angola, Indiana

TLG was extremely responsive to our goals, limited resources and aggressive timeline, and their flexibility and understanding of all of our needs proved invaluable. I often had the feeling CTCL was their only client!

— Virginia Buege
Project Director
Colleges That Change Lives
www.ctcl.com

The Lawlor Group has become an integral part of our team. They are a group of professionals who want our enrollment team to succeed almost as much as we do.

— Dr. James W. Carr
Executive Vice President
Harding University
Searcy, Arkansas

I don’t believe I could have received a more attractive and appropriate set of publications than those The Lawlor Group produced for us, no matter how much more I paid or how famous the design firm.

— Larry Clendenin
Director of Admission
St. John's College
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Rarely have I found an organization that seems to be good at what it does, ethical in its interaction and passionate about the work they do and relationships they develop. Lawlor is that unique organization.

— Jim Collins
President
Loras College
Dubuque, Iowa

The Lawlor people take time to get to know the culture and personality of an institution. They ask great questions, they listen, and they capture what they have heard into a coherent picture.

— Dr. Richard Cook
President (retired)
Allegheny College
Meadville, Pennsylvania

The highlight of partnering with TLG throughout our working relationship is the spirit of true collaboration we enjoy. And, just as important, we have fun because we all find joy in our work.

— Terry Cowdrey
Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
St. Lawrence University
Canton, New York

Most firms will provide you with a polished product. What differentiates The Lawlor Group is their capacity to listen actively. They are unusually attuned to the voices of the campus community and, as such, are able to convey the vital spirit of Grinnell. To do this takes grit, sensitivity and energy—all qualities that The Lawlor Group amply offers.

— Vincent Cuseo
Former Director of Admission
Grinnell College
Grinnell, Iowa

Now Director of Admission
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

I would recommend TLG for two key reasons: because they understand the landscape of higher education better than any other consulting firm out there and because their solutions are tailored to an individual institution’s needs.

— Jennifer Delahunty
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Kenyon College
Gambier, Ohio

The Lawlor Group makes you feel like you are their only client. And working with them is like having an extension of our admissions and marketing offices. They are very approachable, accessible, and totally invested in the success of your institution.

— Jeff Dittman
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions
Alvernia University
Reading, Pennsylvania

The Lawlor Group gave us a refreshing look at the strengths and weaknesses of the College and provided information we needed to develop a strategic enrollment management plan. Their professional and congenial approach made them immediately credible, even as they asked probing and important questions about our past, present and future. Guidance provided by TLG was critically important to the development of a new web site and printed materials for the admission office.

— Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio
Former President
Heidelberg College
Tiffin, Ohio

Now President
Tarleton State
Stephenville, Texas

Finally, a consultant that actually collaborates with the client. TLG asks great questions, listens carefully, works very hard and creatively, presents a variety of suggestions and solutions, encourages response, and once again listens very carefully.

— Paul Driscoll
Dean of Admissions
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

The Lawlor Group is smart, focused, easy to work with and does a terrific job in basing their observations and recommendations on careful, in-depth and probing research. They are at the forefront of contemporary thinking about branding and marketing complex institutions.

— Dr. Donald R. Eastman III
President
Eckerd College
St. Petersburg, Florida

We interviewed several firms, but The Lawlor Group had an edge. I was impressed by Lawlor’s skill with enrollment management. This gives them an enormous competitive edge because they understand the priorities of college and university enrollment professionals.

— Dr. Tom Flynn
President
Alvernia University
Reading, Pennsylvania

I have truly enjoyed working with the folks at The Lawlor Group in my roles at three different institutions. I consider them collaborators, colleagues, motivators and teachers. Together we have had a long record of success and satisfaction.

— W. Scott Friedhoff
Vice President for Enrollment and Communications
Allegheny College
Meadville, Pennsylvania

Among the many attributes that allow The Lawlor Group to be successful in interpreting institutional strengths and distinctions, what stands out is that they listen carefully. Through their own sense of discovery, we have been better able to rediscover ourselves.

— Jeffery G. Hanna
Former Executive Director of College Relations
The College of Wooster
Wooster, Ohio

Now Senior Director of University Relations
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia

The recommendations we have received have been on target and, when implemented, have achieved the desired results. I have enjoyed my association with The Lawlor Group and intend to use the firm in the future.

— Harry J. Haynsworth
President and Dean (retired)
William Mitchell College of Law
St. Paul, Minnesota

The Lawlor Group was thoughtful, observant, and very flexible and effective in communicating with our constituents, from students to faculty to trustees. As a result, we are more effective in capturing the attention of prospective students, and positioning the distinctive qualities of the Colgate experience.

— Mary Hill
Former Dean of Admission
Colgate University
Hamilton, New York

Now Co-Director of College Counseling
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul, Minnesota

The Lawlor Group is cutting edge, head’s up, can-do, delivers more value than asked for, and the value delivered keeps earning for the client long term. We would recommend TLG to others in a flash.

— Dr. William Hynes
President (retired)
St. Norbert College
De Pere, Wisconsin

We thought we were just hiring a consultant to help us with our publications. What we experienced was a true collaborative partner who respected our history, traditions and internal knowledge, but appropriately challenged us to think more creatively and boldly about our competitive position in the crowded higher education marketplace.

— Raymond R. Kennelly
Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Initiatives
Lewis University
Romeoville, Illinois

TLG was enormously collaborative—they were quick to offer their expertise and advice while always reminding us that the final design decisions were ours, and made sure we were absolutely satisfied with the final project.

— Rob Killion
Executive Director
The Common Application
Herndon, Virginia

The Lawlor Group listens to how people describe an institution and then helps that institution channel those comments into stories. It’s those stories—both visual and textual—that attract people to St. Norbert.

— Bridget Krage O’Connor
Vice President of Enrollment Management
St. Norbert College
De Pere, Wisconsin

When hiring a consultant, you’re hiring people, not companies. You want the top people involved every step of the way, not just at the beginning and end of the engagement. It’s The Lawlor Group’s experience, judgment, intellect and savvy that are the difference makers.

— Matt Kurz
Vice President for Public Relations
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

I think The Lawlor Group has a very comprehensive understanding of nontraditional students at the undergraduate level. They understand how and why students buy and select a college, which is very different from the behaviors of traditional students.

— Joan Lewis
Dean Graduate and Continuing Studies
Alvernia University
Reading, Pennsylvania

The ‘Lawlor Approach’ is a splendid combination of fact-based analysis, intelligent and sensitive investigatory skills, and superb power of inference, all wrapped up and tied with a very professional bow.

— Dan Lundquist
Former Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid
Union College
Schenectady, New York

The Lawlor Group’s level of expertise, professionalism and responsiveness is the best I’ve seen in the business.

— John McCloskey Jr.
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Alvernia University
Reading, Pennsylvania

The Lawlor Group took the time to fully understand the challenges and issues that confront St. Norbert in the marketplace, helping us to determine who was our true competition and which schools do we see as aspirants.

— Dan Meyer
Former Dean of Admissions and Director of Enrollment Management
St. Norbert College
De Pere, Wisconsin

Now Vice President for Enrollment
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, Indiana

Some firms can provide branding, but fall short on the design side; some get print right, but not web design. TLG gets it all—and they do it with style and a sense of humor—such a plus!

— Martha "Marty" O'Connell
Executive Director
Colleges That Change Lives
Westminster, Maryland

Nobody understands nor pays as much attention to the challenges private higher education faces quite like Lawlor does. As a result, their interaction with trustees, president, senior staff and the entire campus community is informed by sound research, an understanding of the marketplace and twenty years of doing great work for an impressive list of clients. The added value they bring to the relationship is honesty, integrity, credibility and availability. They simply deliver.

— Bob Preloger
Vice President for Marketing & Communications
Augustana College
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Because we value the importance of integrating the brand message of our print materials with the web, we chose TLG because of their extensive higher education marketing experience, empathy for the unique challenges confronting private colleges, and the intellectual capital to help us make smart web decisions. The web audit that Lawlor conducted for us illuminated all kinds of issues and challenges we needed to address in our web redevelopment initiative.

— Bob Preloger
Vice President for Marketing & Communications
Augustana College
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The Lawlor Group helped us better understand who we are as an institution through careful research and thoughtful interviews. Lawlor’s consulting team was enormously respected by the campus community and well liked by everyone they dealt with on campus.

— John Reynders
President
Morningside College
Sioux City, South Dakota

The Lawlor Group is a first-rate partner in enrollment management. Their reputation in the market and proven results made the choice to retain their services an easy decision. We just completed a significant research and positioning project with them, and TLG exceeded our expectations—which were quite high—with deliverables that will help take Willamette to the next level.

— Madeleine Rhyneer
Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid, Chief Marketing Officer
Willamette University
Salem, Oregon

The Lawlor Group did a lot of homework and got it right. We never before captured the essence of who we are and what makes us what we are. Lawlor’s greatest strength is their experience.

— Daniel Ritchie
Chancellor Emeritus
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado

We can do our homework and know our facts, but it’s passion that persuades. For our publications, we chose a firm that is thorough and professional, yet helps us relay the passion we have for Kalamazoo College.

— Joellen Silberman
Dean of Enrollment
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, Michigan

We felt we had the full attention and energy of the TLG staff and that they worked hard with us to identify the best solution within our budget. They were high energy and engaged, and clearly enjoyed their work.

— Audrey Smith
Dean of Enrollment
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts

Lawlor listens, and then together with their client, discusses and develops strategies to help the institution find its voice and then broadcast it above the increasing noise of the educational and economic marketplace.

— Peter and Susan Smith
Vice Presidents for Enrollment Management and University Relations
The University of Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa

The Situation Analysis and the brand positioning statement TLG developed have moved us miles toward crafting our brand identity. Never have I seen such an absence of ‘boilerplate’ in a consultant’s work.

— Ronald J. Stephany
Vice President for University Relations (retired)
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

We have been extremely pleased by the results. John and his colleagues are smart, easy to work with, and do what they say they will do on time. We are very satisfied customers.

— Daniel F. Sullivan
President (retired)
St. Lawrence University
Canton, New York

The Lawlor Group understands the culture of the small college campus and understands where faculty are coming from, what students’ concerns might be, and what alumni might be needing to hear.

— Dr. Saundra Tracy
President
Alma College
Alma,, Michigan

I have found The Lawlor Group to be professionals of the highest caliber: dedicated, intelligent, creative, honest to a fault and fun to work with. John’s team encompasses solid, well-grounded individuals who listen, yet speak from and share years of experience for the benefit of the client.

— Ralph Wagoner
President
Lutheran Educational Conference of North America
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

The Lawlor Group has exceeded our expectations in developing and producing our primary marketing materials. What I have appreciated most is the sense that they are very much a part of our team. They understand our needs and continue to provide intelligent solutions that continue to produce dramatic results.

— Tom Willoughby
Vice Chancellor for Enrollment
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado