EducationDynamics Announces Acquisition of RW Jones Agency and Rankin Climate

Lenexa, Kansas, Sept. 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — EducationDynamics (EDDY), the nation’s leading experts in marketing and enrollment management services for higher education institutions, is proud to announce the acquisition of RW Jones Agency (RWJ) and Rankin Climate. The RW Jones Agency is a nationally recognized leader in strategic communications, institutional brand marketing and research. Rankin Climate is a leader in campus climate research. EDDY is a portfolio company of Renovus Capital Partners.

The acquisition comes at a time when higher education faces growing student recruitment challenges on multiple fronts. The combined Company’s long-term strategic partnerships and marketing execution capabilities make it uniquely adept at addressing the key challenges facing colleges and universities. EducationDynamics stands out for its ability to design and implement a consistent and unified branding, marketing and enrollment growth strategy.

EducationDynamics CEO Bruce Douglas sees this acquisition as a boon for EDDY and RW Jones clients, as well as higher education in general. “Today, most institutions think of students in two categories: traditional and non-traditional. “Schools tend to manage unrelated brands with separate communications, marketing and enrollment strategies for these two segments,” says Douglas. “The reality is that the old distinctions no longer apply and age is no longer a predictor of learning modalities. We believe our combined teams of higher education experts will be better able to help colleges and universities thrive by providing communications, recruiting, change management and strategic services that impact all members of the institution’s community.”

The RW Jones and Rankin Climate brands and teams will remain unchanged and will continue to be led by Scott Willyerd and Sean Rossall.

“It was important to us that RW Jones and Rankin maintain the ability to serve more than 125 institutional partners. Fortunately, EducationDynamics, RW Jones and Rankin collaborate closely on engagement and services for higher education and the modern learner,” says Willyerd. “We strongly believe in the idea that storytelling and great communication shape an institutional brand and are the foundation of strong marketing campaigns. In EDDY, we have found a leader in marketing and recruitment management, which gives us the opportunity to deliver better solutions to the market.”

“Together, EducationDynamics and RW Jones will continue to challenge the status quo and create unique solutions that go beyond the written record and enable the combined company to engage more deeply with the student lifecycle,” said Ruchi Hazaray, director of Renovus. “We are confident that this acquisition will enable EducationDynamics to provide even greater value to its customers. EDDY’s industry-leading marketing execution capabilities combined with RWJ’s strategic services will enable the end-to-end delivery of end-to-end services proven to improve institutional health and student outcomes.”

If you have any questions, please contact: Eric McGee, Senior Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at [email protected].
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About EducationDynamics

EducationDynamics is a strategic transformation partner that helps schools meet the challenges and opportunities of serving today’s learner. Our mission is to expand opportunity through education, helping colleges and universities understand, engage and serve all students. Offering services including marketing, enrollment management, market research, enquiry generation, consulting and retention, we have dedicated the last 35 years to helping schools thrive as the largest provider of unconnected enrollment growth services. More information can be found at: educationdynamics.com.

About RW Jones
The RW Jones Agency is a strategic communications and marketing firm focused exclusively on serving higher education. We provide our partners with the research, strategy and activities they need to identify their audiences, assess their perceptions, strengthen their reputation and express their differentiators. As trusted colleagues for over 30 years, our dedicated team has served hundreds of organizations across the country – from R1’s flagship and regional public institutions to mid-sized private universities, small liberal arts colleges, educational nonprofits and associations. We’re committed to helping you lead critical conversations, solve impact challenges, identify and strengthen brands, and make connections that matter. More information can be found at: rwjonesagency.com.

About Rankin’s climate
Rankin Climate provides data-driven insights that have helped over 250 institutions adapt to their culture and campus climate. The company, which is best known for helping institutions build processes and conduct campus climate assessments, also serves institutions with DEI consulting and providing interim leadership and support in the Title IX office. More information can be found at: rankinclimate.com.

About Renovus Capital Partners
Founded in 2010, Renovus Capital Partners is a lower middle market private equity firm specializing in the knowledge and talent industries. From its headquarters in the Philadelphia area, Renovus manages more than $2 billion in assets across its funds. The company’s current portfolio includes more than 30 U.S.-based companies specializing in education and workforce development and service companies in the technology, healthcare and professional services markets. Renovus typically invests in control buyouts in founder-owned businesses, leveraging its industry expertise and network of operators to drive operational improvements, recruit top talent and pursue additional acquisitions. Visit us at renovuscapital.com and follow us on LinkedIn.