Branding

Okay, so a more serious post.

I had faculty senate tonight and part of it was a presentation on a current initiative to create a brand for my university. It all made sense to me. I assumed everyone knew that colleges and universities have to both brand and market themselves to future students, alumni, legislatures, the community they are a part of, etc., etc., etc.

But I guess not.

I'm not going to say that everyone in the room was against the idea, but many were. "How can you brand what we do?" "Our departments do different things." "Our students aren't consumers." "We create scholars, how can you brand that?"

Basically, the sense was that they were above the ugly business of advertising.

I don't say a whole lot at senate. I'm new, and I am still trying to figure the place out. I hardly said anything the first year I was on senate at Ye Olde University for the same reason. The second year I never shut up.

But today I spoke up.

The person who seemed the most offended about the idea of branding wanted to know of another school that had done anything like this successfully. After a few others agreed with her outrage, I spoke up. I said I understood the need for this and understood what they were trying to do. And I used Ye Olde University as an example. YOU had a big hill to climb as far a public opinion and reputation. YOU was slipping ten or so years ago. They had an uphill battle that included history, culture, stereotypes, and more. And personally, I think they did a damn good job of winning that battle. Or at least part of it. (I'll also add that it was noted my current school is one of the last institutions of higher ed to go through a process like this.)

Maybe I have had a better understanding of this because I am a librarian. As a librarian, one of the things I need to do is look at how our library is both perceived and used. Librarians have to know how their resources are being used, we have to know what our user needs are. We have to brand ourselves because we are no longer the only option for research and references regardless of whether we like it or not, we're not. If we don't market ourselves, we'll become nothing more than a warehouse for old dusty books. And some of the faculty I've met on this campus would prefer it that way. Some have yet to understand the need for computers or wireless internet access in the library.

Anyway... I was shocked at the backlash towards branding.

But it got me thinking. Is it just me? Am I not offended because I'm a business librarian? Am I not bothered because I think that everything I do as a librarian is a form of marketing for my library? Or is it because I am so inundated by marketing and advertising that I barely notice it? Or maybe it's because I am part of the Mtv Generation and we have the attention span of a gnat.

I'm curious. Opinion? Comments? Others my age, are you offended by the idea of branding a university?

Professor Quits Books

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/229564/

Interesting. A professor at Utah Valley State College isn't going to require students to buy textbooks. He's doing it to protest the high cost of textbooks. I don't blame him.

I didn't have to buy textbooks as an undergrad--they were provided as part of our tuition. Sometimes there was a workbook or supplemental readings for a history class, but I don't think I ever spent more than $80 on textbooks. In library school I woudl spend anywhere from $75 to $350 on textbooks, depending on the semester and the classes.

But textbook publishers are really ripping off students--they have a captive audience and they know it. When I was in-between jobs in 1997 I did some temp work at McGraw Hill. I was calling professors looking for reviewers for the next edition of some textbook. Several times the professor said, "But the last edition just came out two months ago." Now, it takes time to publish a book--editing, printing, etc. It won't happen over night. But even if it takes a year, that is too soon for a new edition. But, publishers will do it because they can.

So, good for this guy. I'm not sure if a one-man protest will make much of a difference, but it's nice to see someone taking a stand.