Balancing the Brain Bank
Aligning academics around new narratives
Commissioning client
Vice President of Academic Affairs
Industry
Higher Education
No. of employees
781
Phase
New administration
Years of collaboration
2018-2020
MEB category
Strategy
Focus
Brand identity
Capabilities
Salve Regina University
Organization
1934
Year founded
Liberal arts university
Business type
Ownership model
Private; Catholic
Strategic communications
Function
Executive counsel
Writing
Thought leadership
Executive communications
Consensus building
Commissioned by Vice President of Academic Affairs to consult with faculty and write new narratives for undergraduate and graduate programs.
UNITE | MODERNIZE | GROW
Following transition of new administration and a full-scale brand study, worked with client and communications team to adapt insights and strategy into new narratives for the undergraduate and graduate programs.
LISTEN | SYNTHESIZE | ALIGN
Conducted a comprehensive listening tour of key stakeholders:
60 On-campus listening tour of individual and small group meetings, covering 60+ audience stakeholders representing marketing, admissions, faculty, donors, administration, alumni, and current students
15 self-initiated conversations with additional stakeholder groups: college-seeking high school students and college-seeking parents
A thorough audit of peer or competitive institutions’ narratives against a pre-determined set of values and intents, to identify opportunities for differentiation or amplification in Salve’s positioning within narrative
A one-day workshop of 25 different grad-school and administration stakeholders to replicate the undergraduate listening tour and build consensus and support, test theories for graduate narrative
Drafted and ushered copy to final review cycles of both undergraduate and graduate narratives
Designed and built new narrative presentation for both undergraduate and graduate narratives to help deconstruct the process and reinforce participant contributions
Counseled client and team on narratives roll out to faculty
case study: CHP program
case study