How to Launch a Brand New University

This Fall Season of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is proudly sponsored by NextGrad.

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Building a university from scratch forces leaders to meet today’s needs while planning years ahead. Matthew McGee, Provost and Executive Vice President of Orlando Christian University, shares how OCU is pairing faith, accreditation, and careful planning to launch an accessible Christian higher education model. He explains why clarity builds trust, strategic church relationships strengthen enrollment, and excellence can coexist with iteration.

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What We Cover in This Episode

🔘 How OCU’s mission grew from a need for Christian leaders

🔘 Why accreditation can strengthen a new institution from the beginning

🔘 How excellence and attention to detail help an unknown university earn trust

🔘 Why new programs need relentless clarity and intentional storytelling

🔘 How church relationships can create sustainable enrollment pathways

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Episode Highlights

00:20 - Balancing immediate needs with long-range planning

01:29 - The need that led to Orlando Christian University

06:43 - The prospective student who made the mission personal

08:31 - Using accreditation to build a stronger institution

13:25 - Keeping the face of the student at the center

15:56 - Why excellence is a practical way to earn trust

19:37 - Communicating a new institution with relentless clarity

24:23 - Building church relationships strategically and genuinely

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NextGrad helps colleges and universities reach students where they already are, inside the high school itself. With a network of over 2,500 schools across North America, NextGrad puts your institution's message in front of future students every single day. Be the school they remember when it's time to decide.

Nextgrad.com, Where students see you first.

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The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is powered by Caylor Solutions, your go-to partner for higher ed mission-fit marketing strategies, enrollment, AI expertise, and branding needs. 

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