What is so special about Western? How is it different from any other university in the country? Why should someone choose Western?
Challenging questions, but ones the university looks to answer with the help of students, staff, faculty and alumni as the university seeks to create a new communications strategy.
To help develop such a critical and essential plan, understanding the perspectives of faculty, staff, students and alumni on what Western is all about is vital to its success. A short online survey to a random sample of more than 30,000 current students, faculty, staff and alumni worldwide begins this week.
“Our objective is to concisely capture what is special about Western and then to work with all parts of the university to describe ourselves the same way,” says Vice-President (External) Kevin Goldthorp, noting the new communications strategy will play a significant role in the ongoing Make a Difference campaign.
“In a very crowded communications environment, with thousands of institutions sending out messages about themselves, Western must rise above the clutter and tell its story in a manner that is better than any of our peer institutions.”
A Strategic Communications Working Group, including President Amit Chakma, Provost and Vice-President (Academic) Janice Deakin, faculty members Carol Beynon, Chris Ellis, Kevin Wamsley and Tom Carmichael, King’s University College Principal David Sylvester, University Students’ Council President Mike Tithecott, and Western staff members Dan Sinai, Helen Connell, Kelly Cole, Lori Gribbon, Terry Rice and Goldthorp have been working for the last few months in preparing to launch this strategic communications strategy.
Goldthorp adds faculty and alumni tell him regularly the university needs to raise its profile and be much more clear about what is being done at Western.
“I always say, ‘Think about riding down an elevator with someone. You have seconds to answer the question: so what is special about Western or why should my daughter go to Western?'” says Goldthorp. “We are working on that answer, and then making sure that it is the basis for all we do and say about Western.
“When we have this, we will then turn to how we apply to it. We may change the ‘Make a Difference’ tagline and name, we may not. But whatever we adopt to describe the campaign will absolutely be in line with our core communications strategy, and will signal to our stakeholders what Western is all about.”
As of June 30, Western’s fundraising campaign has raised just over $175 million, or 35 per cent, towards its 2014 goal of $500 million.
“We are doing very well,” says Goldthorp. “We continue to ask for and receive very generous support. Our alumni and partners care deeply about Western, and fundraising results reflect that.”
Participation in the online questionnaire is important, says Goldthorp, with the responses vital to the future direction, and subsequent success, of the university.
“Given the conversations I have had over many years with alumni and faculty, I am very optimistic the Western family cares deeply about this issue and will help by responding,” he says. “This process is all about consultation, so there will be many points along the way to give feedback. This work will help us along our journey, and I thank all our students, staff, faculty and alumni for their help in producing the results.”