Status Report of Rutgers Comprehensive Communications ...

THE RESEARCH-BASED CASE FOR A COMPREHENSIVE
COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM AT RUTGERS
Introduction
Rutgers’ multiyear Comprehensive Communications Program is aimed at sharpening Rutgers’
identity, enhancing its reputation, and building pride and appreciation for Rutgers as
The State University of New Jersey—an institution that occupies a special “category of one”
status within New Jersey.
The project was initiated by the Board of Governors and President Richard L. McCormick
in response to a number of factors, including declining state investment in Rutgers and
New Jersey public higher education and the increasingly blurred lines in the eyes of the
public between the state’s comprehensive public research university and other state colleges
and universities.
Kim Manning, Vice President for University Relations, was charged by the President and
the Board with leading the initiative to research, develop, implement, and assess a comprehensive,
multiyear communications and branding program.
Constituency Research
The project began with baseline research conducted in 2004 to assess the strength of the
Rutgers brand within New Jersey and to understand how Rutgers is perceived by its many
stakeholders. The results and analysis of the research, conducted by Schulman, Ronca &
Bucuvalas, Inc. (SRBI), a highly respected, independent survey research firm, were provided
in the far-reaching and detailed ”Constituency Research Report,“ which was based on
quantitative findings. The report focused on 10 key New Jersey audiences, including:
influential policymakers and business leaders;
faculty, students, staff, and alumni, in recognition of their importance to the institution’s
reputation and their influence on prospective students and colleagues; and
New Jersey residents, whose children are prospective students and who are potential
supporters of the university.
The report revealed that Rutgers was well known and highly regarded in New Jersey,
but that people did not fully understand its distinctive role as the state’s premier public
research university.
The report recommended that the university undertake an improved and targeted communications
program to better differentiate Rutgers from other publicly funded schools.
It stressed the need to build pride among Rutgers’ internal constituencies, who are the
university’s primary ambassadors, and to develop common messages about the university
for key audiences. The report noted that the university was represented by hundreds of
logos, which contributed to confusion about the institution and diluted the Rutgers brand.
The full ”Constituency Research Report“ is available at identity.rutgers.edu/
constituency_research.pdf.
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