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The University commenced a major branding initiative in 2003. After two years, it was considered to be time to evaluate the effectiveness of these efforts. The latest survey sought the views of students, staff, faculty, alumni, National Capital Region (NCR) residents, alumni from other Canadian universities and the general Canadian population.
“Overall, I’m persuaded that we are on the right track,” says David Mitchell, vice-president, university relations, while cautioning that “we haven’t come to any quick conclusions” about the latest numbers.
According to the survey, the University has had some notable success in raising its visibility among key stakeholders. Faculty, staff and students noted an increase in “seeing” the University in the media and elsewhere, but residents of the NCR and alumni didn’t report any significant change. Increased visibility is important for the University as it continues to create positive associations among the internal and external publics.
“As visibility increases, our reputation grows,” says Mitchell. “The more people hear about the University, the more they like it.”
And like it they do – the University continues to get favourable reviews from a number of audiences including an increase in positive impressions among students, alumni and residents of the NCR.
The University describes itself as “Canada’s university,” a message that elicits generally positive reactions. However, some respondents felt that the statement discounts the fact that there are “other good or better universities.” On a positive note, alumni, followed by faculty and staff, felt most strongly that the statement fits the University.
