What prompted Rutgers to undertake the Comprehensive Communications Program?
In 2004, the Constituency Research Project, a report commissioned by the university, assessed how Rutgers is perceived by its many stakeholders. The Constituency Research Project showed that Rutgers has a familiar but vague and undifferentiated image in New Jersey, and that Rutgers is "top-of-mind" and considered to be of high quality with a good reputation, but is not seen as the premier public university in New Jersey. The report strongly recommended that the university undertake an improved and targeted communications program. The Constituency Research Report is available at http://www.president.rutgers.edu/pdf/constituency_research.pdf.
Who is leading the initiative?
The initiative was called for by President Richard L. McCormick and the Board of Governors and is led by Vice President for University Relations Kim Manning. The program has been developed in partnership with the communications firm Lipman Hearne and through extensive consultation with members of our governing boards, administration, faculty, staff, student body, and alumni.
What are the goals of the program?
The primary goals of the program are to better communicate the university's distinct strengths and to sharpen the Rutgers identity, enhancing the university's ability to recruit faculty, students, and staff; generate revenue and garner grants; engage alumni; and attract external support. Another important goal of the program is to ensure that communications between the university and its many audiences are efficient and effective.
Have other universities done similar communications initiatives?
Many peer institutions have launched similar programs, though their approaches vary. Benchmarking of "best practices" of institutions nationwide (among them the University of Michigan, Penn State, the University of Maryland, the University of Florida, and Indiana University) has shown how other successful universities manage their identities through comprehensive and coordinated communications programs. A number of these universities also have spirit marks in addition to their more formal marks.
What is the university doing to improve communications in addition to implementing a new visual identity system?
There are many additional components to our approach, among them developing a short-term and long-term communications strategy that includes reworking the university's websites to make them more dynamic tools for advancing Rutgers, increasing coordination among our communications offices universitywide, bettering our promotional practices to more aggressively engage our constituencies, and providing ongoing professional training. We will continue to pursue placement of academic and institutional accomplishments in state, regional, and national media, using all the tools at our disposal.
Why did the university hire an outside consultant and what exactly did the firm do?
Lipman Hearne, selected by a faculty-led committee through a competitive process, is nationally recognized for its strong record of assisting colleges and universities to communicate more effectively. To develop its recommendations, Lipman Hearne conducted a comprehensive review of all Rutgers communications; analyzed Rutgers' current market environment; interviewed New Jersey higher education, business, and public policy leaders; and conducted focus groups with New Jersey citizens, Rutgers alumni, and current university faculty, staff, and students.