TASK FORCE
Amy Cronin, chief of staff, President’s Office
Phil Giaramita, vice president for communications, Darden
Ken Kipps, director of communications, College of Arts & Sciences
Michael McKee, director of development for the Heart Center
Bill Sublette, director of development communications
Nancy Tramontin, director of publications/Webmaster
Jenny Wyss-Jones, assistant to the vice president for development
Carol Wood, director of news services, University Relations; task force chair

LOGO COMMITTEE WORK GROUP
Ken Kipps, director of communications, College of Arts & Sciences
Bill Sublette, director of development communications
Nancy Tramontin, director of publications/Webmaster
Maureen Wellen, director of marketing & communications, Health System
Carol Wood, director of news services, University Relations; chair


Background
In January 2000, a task force of eight communicators from across schools and divisions was appointed to study the University’s communications structure, internal and external media relations, and integrated marketing. Our charge from Bob Sweeney, the University’s vice president for development, was to develop a plan for creating nothing less than “the best communications program in higher education.”

We realized that this process of research and review would have to lay the groundwork for a cultural transformation among communications offices across the University, a transformation that is essential to achieving the goals outlined in this report. If we are to succeed at making the University’s communication efforts the most effective in higher education, all University communicators must work together toward this objective. We urge our colleagues across the Grounds to do as we have in this study: to embrace change, encourage innovation, and work as a team. Furthermore, we call on all members of the University community – not just University communicators – to do their part in delivering key messages to our many publics.

For the past decade, the University of Virginia has been blessed with ample student applicants and generous support from alumni and friends. We have succeeded in making the public aware that we are a good value, a place where students receive a high-quality education at a bargain price. We also have presented an effective case for private funding, making it clear to potential benefactors that we cannot sustain excellence with state tax dollars alone. These are important achievements, but how do they distinguish us from any other college or university in the country? In an age of increasing competition for students and for philanthropic support, the University must project a distinct institutional character in powerful and innovative ways.

How does the University wish to position itself in the higher education marketplace? How can it set itself apart? Increasingly, institutions of higher learning are adopting a model long used in business to make themselves more visible and clearly distinguishable. They are recognizing that a strong brand is the single most powerful competitive weapon a company can wield.

According to marketing expert John Lawlor, institutions with strong brand identities “carry a halo of positive assumptions that build trust and confidence in the institution and lead to positive outcomes: a prospective student choosing to attend the institution, a reporter seeking a professor there to quote in a news story, a legislator taking time to meet with a campus representative, or an alumnus deciding to make a major gift."

The task force’s primary recommendation is to create and promote a brand identity for the University of Virginia. To begin this process, we brought in a consultant from Coca-Cola to conduct a series of seminars for University faculty, administrators, communicators, and development officers. Additional sessions were held for students and alumni. The product of these discussions was a comprehensive positioning outline that reveals the University’s distinct identity. With its rich history, its well-defined values, and its idyllic setting, the University represents the American ideal for higher education. Building a brand around this concept will enable the University to differentiate itself from every other institution of higher education in the country. Furthermore, it will greatly enhance the University’s stature among prospective students, parents, alumni, legislators, and the citizens of the Commonwealth and the nation.

The recommendations that follow relate to strengthening the formation and communication of the U.Va. brand, both inside and outside the University.


KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

• Create and promote a brand identity for the University of Virginia.
• Develop a mission statement and set of values for University communicators.
  
• Develop a strategic communications plan that dovetails with the University’s operational and development goals and aspirations.
  
• Create a centralized marketing/promotion operation that emphasizes research, consumer surveys, and test marketing.
  
• Build a community of University communicators that will meet regularly to discuss University-wide issues and messages, exchange ideas, and plan communications strategies.
  
• Use the Web to more effectively advance the University’s public relations and marketing objectives, in addition to expanding Web services to meet the growing demands and constant innovations that are taking place in the industry.
  
• Launch a University-wide online publication that defines and illustrates the University brand -- targeted to the University community, as well as alumni, prospective students, parents, and friends of the University.
  
• Emphasize the university’s public service role – and its overarching commitment to the public good -- in all University communications.
  
• Develop a comprehensive University-wide crisis communications plan.