MKT 310: Marketing Research: Finding Associations

Look for keywords related to your topic (e.g. "Bookstores") and you can try to see if there's a group specifically for colleges. Some words in the association name might be "College" or "University" or "Campus". If more than one association seems relevant, compare the size of their budgets, or number of members. These may be useful indicators of the strength and influence of a group.

Trade Associations are a source of research and publications that benefit their members--and they can benefit you. Think, "Who would care about this topic?", and you are likely to find a corresponding association. Associations are staffed by experts in the field, who are familiar with the latest trends.  If some of the information that's collected by a trade association isn't freely available online to nonmembers, you may still be able get assistance (and information) by directly contacting the association's librarian or research specialist. StudentAffairs.com maintains a comprehensive list of associations related to higher education programs and activities.

In some instances, the campus-level organization may have a national presence (e.g. Circle K International; Alpha Kappa Psi, etc.)

Research Tip:  You can look for research or commentary from an association by searching for the association name in one of the article databases mentioned in this guide, or the name of a relevant association may come up in your topic search, particularly in trade publications. If you try searching in Google, focus on results with .org domain names.

Listed below are some associations that may be relevant to projects for this course. There are others, so be sure to check the resources (online and print) listed at the bottom at the bottom of this page. Or you could ask senior employees (in departments at TCNJ that are relevant to project) about the associations to which they belong, or for advice on publications they read to keep up with their profession.

Admissions
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

Alcohol & Drug Education Program (ADEP)
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Athletics
NCAA -- research

Bookstore
National Association of Campus Stores

Career Services
National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) | Research

Center for Student Success / Tutoring
Association of American Colleges & Universities (AACU): Student Success
Center for First-Generation Student Success
The Institute for College Access & Success

Counseling (Mental health)
Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD)
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): includes the NAMI college guide

CUB and other campus programming (e.g., Lion Late Night; Sophomore Year Experience; Greek organizations; etc.)
National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) [Includes recent issues of Campus Activities Programming magazine; and The Journal for Campus Activities Practice & Scholarship]

Financial Aid
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)

Fitness Facilities (PEC, Rec Center)
National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA)

Food Service
National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS)

Fundraising (alumni phonathon, etc.)
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE); note especially the resources for members interested in fundraising

Global Engagement
CIEE -- Council on International Educational Exchange

Greek life
North American Interfraternity Conference
National Pan-Hellenic Council
National Panhellenic Conference

Health Services
American College Health Association

Housing (dormitories, ResEd, etc.)
Mid-Atlantic Association of College & University Housing Officers (MACUHO) -- a chapter of the Association of College and University Housing Officers - International (ACUHO-I)

Student Housing Business [not a trade association; this is a dot-com; but it includes publications and other resources.]

Intramurals
NIRSA [formerly National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association]. Resources include Research & Assessment and Publications.

Leadership
Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Ed (NASPA) -- note especially the links to Publications & Resources, and Focus Areas

National Clearinghouse for Leadership Programs (NCLP). Resources include Assessment Tools, Journals & Newsletters, and the Leadership Identity Development Model.

Library
Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL); note especially the sections on Marketing, Value of Academic Libraries, and White Papers and Reports

Newspaper (The Signal)
College Media Association

Parking
National Parking Association

Radio Station (WTSR)
Intercollegiate Broadcast System (IBS)

RES.net
The Association of College & University Technology Advancement (ACUTA) -- The Association for Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education
EDUCAUSE: promoting the intelligent use of IT in higher education

Restaurants (for Panera or other Campus Town eateries)
National Restaurant Association

Student Government
American Student Government Association (ASGA)

Sustainability (recycling; eco-mugs, etc.)
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) -- resources

Textbook Publishing | Open Educational Resources (OER)
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
Covers all types of publishing; includes a link to FAQs about student spending on course materials and inclusive access programs

International Publishers Association (IPA)
A branch of this organization is focused on educational publishing

Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER)

SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition)
Includes the Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions (COAPI); and discussion around the Affordable College Textbook Act (H.R.7040/S.3818)

Online resources for finding trade associations

Two of the Library's online databases, IBISWorld and Plunkett Research Online, include lists of associations related to the industries that they cover.  Some of these industries (retail, media & entertainment, fitness, etc.) are related to your projects. Additionally, the online RKMA Market Research Handbooks include references to the trade associations and other organizations from which many of their compiled statistics originate.