By Julius Calasicas Staff Writer
Identity crisis doesn't just occur in adolescents - it can happen to college institutions, too. In a world where universities compete for students, faculty and fundraising money, a brand identity can go a long way.
With a new logo ready to mark UP's individuality, the Office of Marketing and Communications aims to beef up the University's brand and bring awareness to unaffiliated groups.
Focus groups that included parents, recent graduates, local business leaders and consulting firms conducted comprehensive research to identified the key attributes that make up UP's image.
These qualities will be presented and emphasized in the university's publications and materials, including merchandise, view books and the upcoming new Web site.
According to the study, competitors of UP include Gonzaga and Seattle Universities. The research showed that UP stands apart from these colleges with a beautiful campus close to an urban setting, an excellent academic reputation - especially in nursing - and a combination of small class sizes, dedicated professors, and a Catholic foundation with a community that fosters exceptional independent learning.
The research also indicated areas for which the university is not well-known, including cultural diversity, caliber of facilities, extra-curricular activ-?ities and innovation level.
Director of the Office of Marketing and Communications Laurie Kelley has been with UP since 2006 and was specifically hired to strengthen UP's brand. The research - including qualitative and quantitative information - and a campaign strategy were presented in a series of slides.
The study also showed that affiliated groups - that is, people who have worked for, attended or know people from UP - have a high regard for what the university has to offer. Unaffiliated groups - a larger audience - know very little about UP.
Kelley aims to inform unaffiliated groups using a visual strategy and will shortly have a set of highly developed graphic guidelines, including the introduction of a new logo - not to be confused with UP's new athletic logo introduced earlier this year.
The findings of the study do not surprise senior Zoà Zuschlag.
"I didn't look at UP when I was looking for colleges," Zuschlag said. "I ended up here because I wanted to live in Portland after going to school in North Carolina for two years. (UP) had a better reputation than PSU."
Xi Lui, a graduate student in the School of Nursing, visited Portland with her husband two years ago from Emei, a small town in Southwest China. She was accepted by both UP and OHSU but decided to attend UP for its graduate program.
"I searched the Internet for schools of nursing and there were only five or so programs in Portland," Lui said. "(UP's) program is shorter for me to get my RN.
Lui thinks that the city has a good climate and enjoys the people but would have preferred a larger campus.
"I'd like a bigger university with more diversity," she said.
Research Objectives:
Identify UP's key attributes that differentiate it from its competitors
Better understand how UP is perceived by its key audiences
Uncover reasons behind these perceptions
Determine how best to position UP to maximize appeal among key stake holders
Create a baseline
Possible graphics (Ask Kelley, kelleyl@up.edu):
UP's new logo vs. old logo
Charts or tables from Laurie Kelley
