Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Wes Creel founded Student Horizons, Inc. in 2002 to help high school students and parents navigate the college admissions landscape. Student Horizons, Inc. provides online tools that enable students to find colleges and universities that appeal to and complement their personalities and aspirations. After all, “the right fit” is not necessarily a highly ranked school on a commercially-driven media list.

“I have two daughters that have gone through the college search process, so I know the pressure on parents and high schoolers first-hand. I remember the cocktail party chatter. If your child could not get into one of forty or so schools, you as a parent were a failure. Your son or daughter was destined for a lifetime of mediocrity. Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth. Both of my daughters received strong undergraduate educations at excellent, although perhaps smaller and lesser known institutions, and I’m happy to say, both are now extremely successful in the careers of their dreams. I want more kids to have the same fruitful undergraduate experiences as my daughters. Teenagers and parents need to know that an Ivy degree does not guarantee a fulfilling career, and although football games might lead to a few fun Saturday afternoons, they do little to prepare students with the critical thinking, writing, and people skills necessary for a successful career and engaged citizenship.”

Student Horizons, Inc. launched its first initiative, Colleges of Distinction, in October 2003. The Colleges of Distinction website identifies and profiles approximately 200 colleges in the U.S. that excel at engaging students, providing outstanding teaching, offering vibrant communities, and producing successful outcomes, the pillars of a strong and active undergraduate education. Recently, its weekly e-newsletter, Campus Happenings, reached 500,000 in circulation.|

In 2004 Creel launched College Athletes, a website focused on schools with NCAA Division III athletics. “All of the focus in college sports today is on big time athletics and scholarships. I wanted to develop a tool that would promote DIII athletics so that good high school athletes would have a chance to continue their participation for four more years.”

In 2005 Creel founded the Center for Student Opportunity (CSO) as a partner organization to Student Horizons, Inc. CSO is an independent non-profit foundation focused on “first-generation” college initiatives. “I am a first-generation college student, and I certainly would not have had the opportunities afforded me without attending a four-year residential college. DOE statistics show that 90% of first-generation college students attend local community colleges or local commuter state institutions, and only 10% of those students graduate with a bachelors degree. I founded Center for Student Opportunity to specifically address this problem. A 10% success rate just isn't good enough. While local community colleges or state schools are fine for some, I believe it is not the best place for many first-generation students who need the personalized education a small residential college affords. We must develop programs and initiatives that get more first-generation kids to leave home and attend four-year residential colleges. A country desperately in need of engaged citizens demands this.”

Center for Student Opportunity launched its website, CSO College Center, in late 2005 to serve as a national clearinghouse of information on first-generation initiatives and an online resource to match students with schools.

In 2006, Student Horizons, Inc. will launch Beyond the Books to promote experiential learning in the United States. “Out-of-classroom experiences bring higher education to life. Students are no longer relegated to an education based exclusively on lectures and discussions. My daughters each participated in service learning programs and internships. One studied abroad several times. Kids need to be aware that these opportunities exist, and they should select schools that meet their needs and aspirations.”

Creel also founded a technology practice within Student Horizons, Inc. to assist colleges and universities with digital marketing and communications. To afford schools access to leading edge technologies, Student Horizons, Inc. partnered with several companies in Silicon Valley to develop a suite of ASP applications designed to provide schools with inexpensive, best-of-breed technology solutions.

“I saw early on in my visits to schools that they are two to three years behind private business in embracing digital technologies. Colleges and universities need to migrate quickly from their old marketing paradigms and adopt digital marketing strategies and programs to compete effectively. However, they are often unsure where to begin. Most leading technology companies don’t target the higher education market so schools are left with small vendors who don’t have the R&D bandwidth to stay ahead of the technology curve. Plus, few vendors understand the unique needs of colleges and universities.”

Today Creel continues to manage and grow Student Horizons, Inc. The company plans to launch another initiative in 2007, and the digital marketing practice is aggressively expanding its suite of ASP applications. “While we are no longer the little organization that launched Colleges of Distinction in 2003, I believe Student Horizons, Inc.’s original mission and values are deeply embedded in our current strategy and direction.”

Background

Creel grew up in Texas and New York. He attended the Virginia Military Institute on an Army ROTC scholarship and received his bachelor’s degree in history from Syracuse University. Creel did the coursework for a PhD in American Civilization at the University of Texas Austin but was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug before completing his dissertation. He founded his first company, Creel Morrell, Inc., in 1978, and for ten years served as President and CEO of Creel Morrell, a marketing communications firm headquartered in Houston. Creel Morrell grew to become an industry leader and was selected to Inc. Magazine’s list of the 500 fastest growing companies in the United States for three straight years in the 1980’s.

In recent years Creel has played an active role in incubating various web-based ventures. Creel and Nancy, his wife of 33 years, live in Potomac, Maryland. They have four daughters.