university reputations and the public

A Roadmap for Higher Education Leaders

Welcome

Walking across the campus of a great university on the first day of classes recently reminded me why higher education continues to

be one of our nation’s top exports. The mood was palpable – so many minds ready to get started, so little cynicism. People of the

world were walking across the quad.

Anyone that spends time on campuses – and pays attention to what good schools do well - witnesses perhaps one of best things this

nation has to offer: higher education.

Yet on the same week of my visit, national headlines spoke of equally palpable worries about higher education: student debt,

unemployment, lack of access, and questions of the “return on investment” of a college degree. The public is in a crisis of confidence

about higher education, with very real people voicing very real concerns.

There is a significant and growing disconnect in America – between those that spend their lives dedicated to higher education and

those that pay for and “consume” it.

Edelman launched a study to further understand this disconnect, and the results are surprising. The divide now extends to the very

assumptions about what higher education is for, and the gap in expectations is impacting university reputations in the public.

This study is meant to shed some light on that gap, and perhaps provide a roadmap for university leaders on new ways to bridge and

build to new paths of conversation about the role of higher education in society.

Julia WeedeExecutive Vice President

Education Practice Lead

Edelman

Methodology

Timing

The online survey took place between October 19-22, 2015.

Objective

To understand how the U.S. public evaluates the reputations of higher education institutions, and how

these reputational drivers vary across socio-economic and generational groups.

The research investigates both the stated and the derived importance of a series of reputational attributes by first

asking for stated opinion, and then comparing that opinion against the attributes of a set of actual universities to

determine their derived importance. (Also see slide #21)

Audiences

• General Population -- a sample of 2,001 U.S. general public were interviewed and selected to be representative

against U.S. Census data by region, age (16-64), gender and ethnicity. A result of 50% is +/- 2.2% at 95%

confidence level.

• Informed Public – U.S. citizens aged 25-63, working and degree educated, on upper quartile income who engage

frequently with top-tier media and have an interest in public policy.

• Academics – a secondary sample of 100 academics from four-year higher education institutions. A result of 50%

is +/-9.8% at 95% confidence level.

3

THE GOOD NEWS:

It is less about what universities offer.

It is more about how they communicate

what they offer.

4

THE ISSUE:

The public and academics are

deeply disconnected on the role of

universities and therefore what

drives reputation. Overlooking the

public’s point of view puts

institutions at risk.

Key Insights

There is a

fraying belief

in the state of

higher

education in

the U.S.

There is a

disconnect

between

academics and

the public in

the role of

universities.

Academic

excellence is

not enough.

The public

expects more.

You must

demonstrate

real-world

impact, both

personal and

societal,

to change your

reputation.

Academics’

media

preferences

diverge greatly

from the public’s

and should not

be the sole

driver of

external

university PR

strategy.

1 2 3 4 5

5

INSIGHT: ONE

There is a fraying belief in the state of

U.S. higher education.

6

Right direction

49%Wrong track51%

Right direction

41%Wrong track59%

Source: Edelman 2015 University Reputations and the Public

Q21: Do you feel that the higher education system in the US is heading in the right direction or off on the wrong track?

Percent who feel the higher education system in the U.S. is headed in the right direction vs. off on the wrong track:

THE STATE OF U.S. H IGHER EDUCATION:

6 in 10 outside of academia say higher education is on the wrong

track. Even 1 in 2 academics agree.

AcademicsGeneral

Population

7

We asked:

Which of the following statements

do you agree with most?

1) The traditional role of the

university is critical to society

2) Society demands the

traditional role of the university

needs to evolve

OR

59%

39% 39% 39%

35%

40% 41%

Academics GeneralPopulation

Informed Public Generation Z(16 - 24)

Generation Y(25 - 39)

Generation X(40 - 49)

Boomers(50 - 64)

Percent who agree the traditional role of the university is critical to society (vs. wanting to see it evolve):


Q26: Which of the following statements do you agree with most? 1) The traditional role of the university is critical to society; 2) Society demands the traditional role of the university needs to evolve

As opposed to nearly 6 in

10 academics who agree

THEY RESPONDED:

Only 4 in 10 public citizens say

the university’s traditional role is critical to society.

9

20-point

disconnect

41%

61% 61% 61%65%

60% 59%





Boomers(50 - 64)

Percent who agree that society demands the traditional role of the university needs to evolve

(vs. the traditional role is critical):

20-point

disconnect


Q26: Which of the following statements do you agree with most? 1) The traditional role of the university is critical to society; 2) Society demands the traditional role of the university needs to evolve

THEY RESPONDED:

Inversely, 6 in 10 say that the role of the university must evolve.

10

Much of higher education’s focus on reputation

is among peers and inside academia.

Overlooking the public’s point of view can

put your institution at risk. Enrollment, tuition

and tax-payer funding are at stake.

TAKEAWAY:

INSIGHT: TWO

There is a significant disconnect between

academics and the public in the role of

universities.

12

We asked:

Which of the following statements

do you agree with most?

1) It is more important that

universities focus on providing

a well-rounded education and

student experience2) It is more important that

universities focus on providing

students with tools and

resources they need to succeed

in a specific career

OR

THEY RESPONDED:

Academics want to provide a well-rounded education…Percent who feel it is more important that universities focus on providing a well-rounded education and student experience (e.g.

strong academics, moral/social development, exposure to new ideas, personalized attention):


Q25: Which of the following statements do you agree with most? 1) It is more important that universities focus on providing a well-rounded education and student experience (e.g., strong academics, moral / social development,

exposure to new ideas, personalized attention 2) It is more important that universities focus on providing students with tools and resources they need to succeed in a specific career (e.g. career-specific classes, internships, career

services, networking opportunities)

71%

44%47%

43%45% 46%

44%


Informed Public Generation Z Generation Y Generation X Boomers

27-point

disconnect

14

THEY RESPONDED:

… while the public wants tools and resources for a successful career.

Percent who feel it is more important that universities focus on providing students with tools and resources they need to succeed in

a specific career (e.g. career-specific classes, internships, career services, networking opportunities):


Q25: Which of the following statements do you agree with most? 1) It is more important that universities focus on providing a well-rounded education and student experience (e.g., strong academics, moral / social development,

exposure to new ideas, personalized attention 2) It is more important that universities focus on providing students with tools and resources they need to succeed in a specific career (e.g. career-specific classes, internships, career

services, networking opportunities)

29%

56% 53%57%

55% 54% 56%


Informed Public Generation Z Generation Y Generation X Boomers

27-point

disconnect

15

WHEN ASKED ABOUT CRIT ICAL CHALLENGES FACING HIGHER EDUCATION:

Academics worry about quality—the public worries about jobs.


Q29 Looking at the list below, which of the following do you feel are the most critical challenges facing universities in the US today, aside from costs? Please select up to 3 choices.

Support for

creative/analytical thinking

Faculty too focused on

research (vs. teaching)

Lack of graduate’s prep for

globalized world

Academics

High graduate

unemployment

Low income post-graduation

Inadequate career services

General Public

High graduate

unemployment

Inadequate career services

Low income post-graduation

Informed Public

16

TOP 3 CONCERNS BES IDE COST

9%

55%

33%29%

16%19%

33%

6%

19%

10%

4%

17%

22%

17%

56%

41%37%

21%

9%

16% 15%

7%

Teaching

Percent who selected one or more in each category as a top 3 critical challenge facing U.S. universities today:

(33)

Training Programmatic OfferingsAccess

+27 +25 +18

CRIT ICAL CHALLENGES FACING H IGHER EDUCATION:

Academics and the public disagree on what’s most important.

Neither worry most about programmatic offerings.

Too

competitive/

inaccessible

[Not enough]

creative/

analytical

thinking

Faculty too

focused on

research vs

teaching

Unemploy-

ment after

graduation

Low income

post-

graduation

Inadequate

career services

Lack of global

experience

Low variety of

programs

Too few STEM

programs

Low

graduation

rates

Lack of post-

graduation

networking

Academics General Population


Q29. Looking at the list below, which of the following do you feel are the most critical challenges facing universities in the US today, aside from costs? 17

High importance

to academics

High importance

to the public

55%

33%29%

16%19%

22%

17%

56%

41%37%

[Not enough]

creative/

analytical

thinking

Faculty too

focused on

research vs

teaching

Unemployment

after graduation

Low income

post-

graduation

Inadequate

career services

Teaching


Q29. Looking at the list below, which of the following do you feel are the most critical challenges facing universities in the US today, aside from costs?

(33)

TrainingAcademics know an excellent education

leads to preparation for the job market.

The two are intrinsically linked,

but this link is not obvious to the public.

THE GOOD NEWS:

It is less about what universities do.

It is more about how they communicate what they do.


This truth is not self evident

18

High importance

to academics

High importance

to the public

Connect the career dots.. A great education has

always created career paths but the public doesn’t

currently believe the connection is real. This

disconnect is as much about communications as it is

about university offerings.

TAKEAWAY:

INSIGHT: THREE

20

In order to gain a top-notch university

reputation, academic excellence is not

enough: the public expects more.

We surveyed 24 attributes of university reputation, asking survey respondents which attributes they think are important

to be considered a top university. We grouped these attributes into 6 categories for analysis:

Teaching Training Impact Offering Prestige Access

• Quality faculty

• Deep

exploration/study

• Resources

• Research

• Recognition

• Job opportunities

• Success post-grad

• Access to mentors

• Student success

• Achieve personal

goals

• Real-world

approach

• Solve long-term

challenges

• Research works

in real world

• Top firms recruiting

• Alumni network

• Cultural activities

• Athletics

• Diversity

• High-caliber

students

• Ranking lists

• Financial support

METHODOLOGY:

What are the Attributes that Drive Reputation in Higher Education?

21

Academics:

Deep field expertiseGeneral Population:

Top jobs


Q31.Thinking about different qualities of a university, please indicate how important it would be for a university to deliver on each statement in order to be considered a top university.

STATED IMPORTANCE:

When asked the most important 3 attributes of a top university,

academics and the public disagreed on the most important one.

22

Provides students with access to top job

opportunities

Has faculty who provide personalized attention and are

invested in the success of their students

Provides sufficient financial support for

students making the university accessible to students

of all socioeconomic backgrounds

Encourages a deep exploration of a field of

study to develop expert theorists and practitioners

Provides sufficient financial support for

students making the university accessible to students

of all socioeconomic backgrounds

Has faculty who provide personalized attention and are

invested in the success of their students

1

2

3

1

2

3

STATED IMPORTANCE :

The public says that academic excellence matters—but they value access,

impact and training even more right now.

72%

62%

51%

60%

46%

31%

71%68% 68%

63%

53%50%

75% 74% 74%

69%

62%

56%

Access Impact Training Teaching Prestige Offering

Percent who agree it’s important for a university to deliver on each cluster of attributes to be considered a top university, in rank order by

General Population:


Q31.Thinking about different qualities of a university, please indicate how important it would be for a university to deliver on each statement in order to be considered a top university.

+17 +23 +7 +16 +19 +25+6 +12

Academics General Population Informed Public

23

Academic excellence matters to the public,

but is not the top attribute on their list.

Financial support is the top

stated attribute for everyone.

It’s not just about you, it’s also about them.:

The public expects universities to be excellent at

what you do. They are looking to you to use that

excellence to provide opportunity beyond the

academic walls.

TAKEAWAY:

INSIGHT: FOUR

You must demonstrate real-world

impact, both personal and societal,

to change your reputation.

25


Q38: Thinking about what you now know about <INSERT UNIVERSITY> and what you knew before, how well does each of the following statements describe <INSERT UNIVERSITY> If you are not familiar with <INSERT

UNIVERSITY, please use your best judgment. Please use a scale of 1 – 10, where 1 means “Does not describe at all” and 10 means “Describes completely.”

Reputation Drivers:

Comparing What They Say Vs. What They Think

26

1. We then asked respondents to select from a randomized list

of top universities and asked what attributes described that

university. From these results, we graphed the attributes

according to how strongly respondents believed each one

drives the reputation of the schools they consider top

universities.

2. This analysis provides insight on the drivers of top university

reputations.

Sta

ted Im

port

ance

of

Att

ribute

s

Not a Driver: These features

are not rated and do not have a strong

impact on reputation for top or

leading universities

Expected: Benefits that are

required for universities to be

considered leaders, but do not drive

reputation. The “must haves,” but not

“only haves”

Drivers: These attributes are compelling

AND they drive reputation. They should

be “headlined” from a communications

standpoint

Opportunities: These benefits sound

less compelling, but have a strong impact

on a university’s reputation. These are the

benefits that should be demonstrated vs.

headlined, and are often “hidden gems”




Derived Impact on University Reputation

Actual attributes of the top-rated universities (derived)

Att

ribute

s people

say a

re

import

ant

(sta

ted)

Quadrants are set at the means for each axis: .034 on x, 62% on y axis

27

TOP DR IVERS OF UN IVERS ITY REPUTAT ION:

How to Read the Stated vs. Derived Chart

Teaching

• Has high quality faculty and professors who are renowned in their field

• Provides resources and relationships that allow students and faculty to achieve breakthroughs in their research

and areas of study

Training

• Prepares students to be leaders post-graduation

• Provides students with access to top job opportunities

Impact on Real World

• Is future-focused and solves long-term challenges facing the world

• Focuses research and innovation on creating things that are actually introduced to the market and work in the real

world

• Promotes an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving that is relevant to how challenges are solved in the real

world

Prestige

• Enrolls a high caliber class of motivated and high performing students

DriversTOP DRIVERS OF UNIVERS ITY REPUTATION:

Not Just Prestige and Academic Excellence:

5 of 8 Top Drivers are Training and Impact

28

These attributes fell in the top right-hand quadrant and are considered to be the drivers of university reputation.

TOP DRIVERS OF UNIVERS ITY REPUTATION:

Teaching attributes — those most valued by academics —

fall along the midline for the public.

Teaching

• Has high quality faculty and professors who are renowned in their field

• Provides the resources faculty and students need to make advancements and breakthroughs in their

field, including grants, funds

and equipment

• Encourages a deep exploration of a field of study to develop students and faculty that are expert

theorist and practitioners

• Allows students and faculty to customize their academic experience, including working across

disciplines, to meet their individual goals

• Provides resources and relationships that allow students and faculty to achieve breakthroughs in

their research and areas of study

• Provides a global platform for faculty and researchers to gain recognition for their work

• Offers opportunities to collaborate and work on projects with businesses and companies located

near the University


Real-world impact & training dominate the top quadrants

for reputation drivers in the public.

Training

• Provides students with access to top job opportunities

• Prepares students to be leaders post-graduation

• Supports entrepreneurial initiatives of students and faculty by providing funding and access to

mentors, venture capitalists and industry leaders

Impact on Real World

• Has faculty who provide personalized attention and are invested in the success of their students

• Promotes a balanced teaching approach of academic scholarship and practical innovation in order to solve real world

challenges

• Instills students with the courage and confidence to achieve their personal goals

• Promotes an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving that is relevant to how challenges are solved in the real

world

• Is future-focused and solves long-term challenges facing the world

• Focuses research and innovation on creating things that are actually introduced to the market and work in the real world

Balanced teaching approach

Interdisciplinary real-world approach

Research/innovations introduced in the real …

Faculty provide personalized attention/invested in success of students

Instills students with courage/confidence to achieve personal goals

Not a Driver Opportunities

DriversExpected




Faculty provide personalized

attention/invested in success of

students

Instills students

with courage /

confidence to

achieve personal

goals

Balanced teaching

approach

Future-focused/solves long-term

challenges

Research/innovations introduced in

the real world


Real-world impact must have both personal & societal benefits.

Personal impact is

required/table stakes

31

Interdisciplinary real-

world approach

Impact

Diverse range of studentsSocietal impact is a

key reputation driver

It is critical to connect academic excellence to

real-world impact—both personal and societal.

This means finding ways to “live” your brand in

authentic and credible ways with external

audiences.

TAKEAWAY:

INSIGHT: FIVE

Academics’ media preferences diverge

greatly from the public’s and should not

be the sole driver of external university

PR strategy.

33

MEDIA PREFERENCES:

The public listens to universities. They also rely on many sources

for information about higher education.Percent who use the following sources of information when researching or reading about higher education,

ranked in order of importance for the General Population:


Q41. When researching or reading about higher education, which of the following sources of information would you use?

Direct Engagement External Engagement

34

56%

43%

62%

35%

42%

10%

28%

60%

10%

26%

21%

13%

48% 47%

53%

46%

35%

27% 26% 25%23%

21% 20%

5%

52%

46%

55%

47%44%

28% 25%

32%

27%29%

36%

9%

Visiting thecampus

Universitybrochures

Onlinesearch

Friends andfamily

Online news Socialnetworks

A teacher A colleague TV Newspapers Magazines Officialrankings

sites


Academics go to their

peers for information.

52 5254

50

36 3739

22

26

20

14

44 44

52

47

38

33

2326

2321 21

46 45

56

45

33

21 22 2220

17

21

51

46

53

43

33

18

22

2623

25 24

Visiting thecampus

Universitybrochures

OnlineSearch

Friends andfamily

Online news SocialNetworks

A teacher A colleague TV Newspapers Magazines


Q41. When researching or reading about higher education, which of the following sources of information would you use?

MEDIA PREFERENCES:

Social networks are becoming important sources for higher

education information, especially for younger audiences.Percent who will use the following sources of information when researching or reading about higher education:

Percent %

Generation Z Generation Y Generation X BoomersDirect Engagement External Engagement

35

MEDIA PREFERENCES:

The public may listen to universities, but they collect their

news and information from different sources than academics.Percent who regularly use the following media sources for news and information:

78%

73% 72%69%

51%49%

24%22%

17%

11% 10%6%

1%

55%

74%

43%

52%

42%

26%

11%

49%

24%

14%10%

5%3%

Online news TV Newspapers SearchEngines

Radio orRadio News

Magazines Governmentwebsites

SocialNetworks

ContentSharing Sites

Blogs CorporateComms

Corporate orProduct

Advertising

None of theabove



Q40. Which of the following media sources do you use regularly for news and information?

The public can more likely be found

on social networks, content sharing

sites, and blogs for their news and

information.

MEDIA PREFERENCES:

External audiences—especially younger audiences—are using

social networks far more than academics are.Percent who regularly use social networks for news and information:

22%

49%53%

62% 60%

39%34%





Boomers(50 - 64)

40-point

disconnect

from

academics


Q40. Which of the following media sources do you use regularly for news and information?

+38+27 +31 +17 +17

37

MEDIA PREFERENCES:

External audiences use a variety of social networks—many of

which academics do not use.

67%

29%

10% 13%

53%

17%

2%

18%

78%

36% 34% 32% 29% 27%

11% 10%

79%

44%

36%

25%

53%

32%

22%

8%

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn Google+ WhatsApp None

Percent who participate in the following online social networks, ranked in order of importance for the General Population:



Q39. Which of the following online social networks do you participate in?

+7

38

Almost 1 in 5 academics are

not using any social networks

The places where the public discusses higher

education are online, diverse and changing rapidly.

You need to be where they are to inform their

opinion about your reputation..

TAKEAWAY:

ACTION ITEMS

A new roadmap for building

reputation in higher education

40

The New Roadmap for Building and Managing

Reputations in Higher Education

1. Much of higher education’s focus on reputation is among peers and inside academia. Overlooking the public’s

point of view can put your institution at risk. Enrollment, tuition and tax-payer funding are all at stake.

2. Connect the career dots. A great education has always created career paths but the public doesn’t currently

believe the connection is real. This disconnect is as much about communications as offerings.

3. It’s not just about you, it’s also about them. The public expects universities to be excellent at what they do.

They are looking to you to use that excellence to provide opportunity beyond the academic walls.

4. It is critical to connect academic excellence to real-world impact—both personal and societal. This means

finding ways to “live” your brand in authentic and credible ways with external audiences.

5. The places where the public is discussing higher education are online, diverse and changing rapidly. You need

to be where they are to inform their opinion about your reputation.

1

2

3

4

5

41

For more information, please contact:

Julia Weede

Executive Vice President, Edelman

Education Sector Lead

[email protected]

(317) 664-5360

42

Contact

mailto:[email protected]

THANK YOU