Alumnus
makes gift of valuable domain names to Prescott College
by
Ann Haver-Allen
Rob
Grant '75 of Rob Grant & Associates in Saranac Lake, recently made a significant
gift to Prescott College in the form of educational domain names designed to drive
Internet traffic to the Prescott College Web site.
Rob
Grant, President
Adirondacks.com "I
am especially excited about the potential for domains like www. conservationism
.com that would allow Prescott College the opportunity to create a major portal
dedicated to environmental concerns and showcase the many achievements of Prescott's
faculty and alumni." Rob
Grant '75 | Grant
worked closely with the college exploring and developing a unique online network
of educational Websites through his Internet consulting firm Adirondacks.
com. Grant said his company worked with Rachel Yoder, director of alumni
relations, and Kevin Beyer, Web administrator, to make the domain transfers possible.
"These education domains represent a wonderful opportunity for
Prescott College to build-out and create a unique network of dedicated 'vertical'
sites that can showcase the College's unique academic programs online and attract
potential applicants to the college admissions process," Grant said.
"This is especially important in today's highly competitive environment
where private colleges are struggling to attract students and maintain enrollment.
Very few, if any, private colleges have such a powerful network or online admissions
platform." A recent survey conducted by Peterson's Educational Guide
found that more than 35 percent of all U.S. students used the Internet to search
for schools and apply online. The domains Grant donated to Prescott College
include: o EnvironmentalScienceDegrees.com o Conservationism.com o
LiberalArtsDegrees.com o LiberalArtsScholarships.com o FourYearDegrees.com
o TwoYearDegrees.com o MasterDegreePrograms.com o BachelorofScienceDegree.com
o BachelorofArtsDegree.com o BachelorofFineArts.com o OnlineSchoolDegrees.com
o CollegeEndowment.com o CapitalFundDrive.com o FinancialGrant.com
This means that a potential student anywhere in the world who types one of
these URLs will be routed to the Prescott College Web site. Grant said
that by branding these various education domains and building sites around them,
Prescott College will benefit from search engine traffic and from intuitive searches.
"A student looking for www.EnvironmentalScienceDegrees.com will default directly
into one of Prescott College's education sites," Grant said. "This is
why major companies like Peterson's Guide own important domains like www.BoardingSchools.com.
These domains generate highly qualified leads to the company's educational directory.
In turn, schools pay Peterson's significant dollars to advertise on their site
and gain exposure tothese potential applicants." Grant said a domain essentially
has two components of value: a brand value and an intuitive value. "The more
descriptive and memorable a domain is, the higher its brand value is in the eyes
of the consumer," he said. "This is especially true if a domain
translates well across a variety of media including print, TV, radio, the Internet,
etc. Generally, the more highly targeted a domain is, the more valuable its brand
appeal is. A good example of this is a premier domain like www.CatholicSchools.com."
Intuitive value is created when a computer user types in a specific name or topic
followed by the dot-com extension. "These domains represent the most valuable
assets in the industry and command staggering prices," Grant said. "Recent
sales of significant domains include business.com for $7 million, wine.com for
$3 million, and autos.com for $2.2 million." The gifted domains to Prescott
College are valued at $60,000. Grant's company has been acquiring domain properties
since 1996. The process, he said, is complicated and depends on a variety of factors.
"I have many fond memories of Prescott and the many wonderful and highly
unusual friends I made during the late 70s," he said. "My hope is to
help the college as much as I can. The Internet is a good first step."
|
Paul Smith's College Pres. George Miller (left)
and Rob Grant Pres. Adirondacks.com |
Paul Smith's College Receives Internet Gift From Rob Grant
PAUL SMITHS - Paul Smiths
College announced today that they have received a significant gift in the form
of educational domain names designed to drive Internet traffic to their PaulSmiths.edu
web site. The gift was made by
Rob Grant of Rob Grant & Associates in Saranac Lake. Mr.
Grant has worked closely with the college since 1999 exploring and developing
a unique online network of educational web sites through his internet consulting
firm Adirondacks.com "These
Internet domains are extremely powerful and very intuitive," said Mr. Grant.
"They represent important generic industry brands in various academic fields
that are the focus of the Paul Smiths curriculum." These domain names include
the following: www.LandManagement.com,
www.EnvironmentalStudies.com, www.EnvironmentalSchools.com According
to a recent survey conducted by the nations largest educational directory "Petersons
Educational Guide", over 35% of all U.S. students actively used the Internet
to search for schools and apply online. Consulting firm CollegeNet estimates that
over 50% of all international students search for schools and apply directly online.
As the Internet has continued to grow worldwide, online admissions has become
an essential tool for any school hoping to compete globally for prospective applicants.
For an organization like Paul Smiths college, controlling such important educational
domains means that Paul Smiths now becomes the electronic destination for any
student anywhere in the world who conducts a search by typing in any one of these
URLs. As Paul Smiths continues
to grow and expand from a 2-year college to a 4-year institution, its goal is
to raise enrollment from 800 students currently to over 1,100 students by the
year 2005. In order to accomplish such an ambitious task the internet will play
an increasingly pivotal role as Paul Smiths competes with other academic institutions
from around the globe to attract students to the Adirondacks. Commenting
on the recent gift to the college, Paul Smith president George Miller noted that
"as the colleges web presence continues to evolve, the addition of
these valuable domains will enhance that presence in many significant ways. This
gift will be used to direct prospective students and other interested parties
to the colleges web site, thereby helping to increase enrollment and build awareness
of our institution. Such a gift is deeply appreciated as we continue to seek better
ways to serve our students as well as the greater Adirondack community."
Mr. Miller also thanked Rob Grant for "his continuing support of our work
at PSC and in making a difference in the future of Paul Smiths College". Click
here for The Paul Smiths College Website
Grant
Family Site For Educational Gifting
43
Broadway
Saranac Lake, New York 12983
Phone: 518-891-3745 Fax: 518-891-3768
E-Mail: robgrant@northnet.org
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