Rebranding is a major undertaking for any business. When that business is a university system the size and scope of a small country, the risk and the resonance can be that much greater.
The State University of New York at 64 campuses strong, recently unveiled a new logo as well as a strategic plan called The Power of SUNY, rebranding itself as an active player in the economic revitalization of the state.
SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher kicked off a series of campus visits last month to outline the plan that addresses six areas of growth opportunity for the academic institution, which traces its roots back to 1948.
“The Land Grant Act of 1862 was monumental in saying to universities, ”˜Our research must be contemporary, we must reach out to our communities through extension and we must create more accessibility,” Zimpher said. “We see that SUNY as a system can be sort of a 21st century manifestation of that engagement.”
Realizing an organizational or business mission is often the first step in beginning anew, said Sherry Bruck, owner and creative director of Harquin Creative Group in Pelham.
“To put out a clear brand and personality to attract the highest-quality student and to be seen as a leader, it”™s about communicating a stronger point of view,” she said. “There is so much clutter in the marketplace and it can be difficult to communicate clearly because there are so many channels. It”™s important for them to know what they”™re trying to say.”
But in renewing their original mission, Zimpher noted the “deep economic issues that have changed the economy for New York from manufacturing to a more innovation and knowledge economy.”
Statewide, nearly a half-billion dollars have been cut or are proposed to be cut, she said.
The first installment of The Power of SUNY focused on capitalizing on ready resources.
“We are importers of federal investment,” Zimpher said. “We have about $1.3 billion a year in research dollars ”¦ we are bringing an increasing number of undergraduates to the research laboratory across the venues of the State University of New York. We need, however, to get better. We need to take our ideas to market.”
The second idea Zimpher presented was a cradle-to-career concept to increase college completion among students and retain qualified teachers.
“We”™ve proposed that introducing co-op, where students have internships in business, is one great way to ensure students who graduate from SUNY graduate with a job and stay to live and work in New York,” she said.
SUNY StartUP will connect students with business entrepreneurs for mentorships.
Boosting morale of SUNY students and teachers was another driver of the strategic plan.
“I think people need to feel they have strong leadership and to know where they”™re going,” Bruck said. “When they know where they”™re going, they want to get behind it.”
A “more contemporary” feel freshened up the SUNY logo, which was transformed from a traditional crest style to a fluid, atom-like feel.
New York”™s university system was not alone last month in unveiling the results of months-long branding brainstorms.
Farther east, the New London-based Connecticut College Camels witnessed their mascot and school seal shift to a sharper portrayal of their athletics and academic programs.
“The terms our students, alumni and community members most commonly associated with the camel were ”˜proud,”™ ”˜strong”™ and ”˜dignified,”™” said Vice President for College Relations Patricia Carey during early April”™s branding unveiling. “The new design really captures the spirit of those descriptors.”
Some 1,445 participants were virtually surveyed and Ohio-based Rickabaugh Graphics was retained to redesign the logo.
