[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":2790},["ShallowReactive",2],{"settings":3,"post-the-defence-moment":55,"posts":198,"bench":2490,"services":2648},{"id":4,"title":5,"description":6,"email":7,"extension":8,"footerNote":9,"knowsAbout":10,"linkedin":19,"meta":20,"name":21,"nav":22,"stem":53,"__hash__":54},"settings\u002Fsettings.yml","TINCT — Canadian Brand & Marketing Consultancy for Higher Ed and Place Brands","TINCT is a Canadian boutique brand and marketing consultancy for higher education and place brands built on fractional expertise, delivering disTINCT campaigns, experiences and stories.","hello@tinct.ca","yml","TINCT. Canadian Brand & marketing consultancy. ",[11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18],"Higher education brand strategy","Student recruitment marketing","Primary market research","Advancement and donor engagement","Place Branding","Marketing Campaigns","Post Secondary Institution Strategy","University differentiation","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fcompany\u002Ftinct-ca",{},"TINCT",[23,26,41,44,47,50],{"label":24,"href":25},"Philosophy","\u002F#philosophy",{"label":27,"href":28,"children":29},"Services","\u002F#palette",[30,32,35,38],{"label":31,"href":28},"The palette",{"label":33,"href":34},"Thinking partner","\u002F#thinking-partner",{"label":36,"href":37},"Brand Coach™","\u002F#brand-coach",{"label":39,"href":40},"SignalSense™","\u002F#signalsense",{"label":42,"href":43},"Experts","\u002F#bench",{"label":45,"href":46},"Work","\u002F#work",{"label":48,"href":49},"Stories","\u002Fstories",{"label":51,"href":52},"Compliance","\u002F#compliance","settings","tudzMi_8HUh_8GczqBTJt1_2oiFgG4iK6ma21AsMPYU",{"id":56,"title":57,"author":58,"body":59,"date":185,"description":186,"extension":187,"meta":188,"navigation":189,"path":190,"seo":191,"stem":192,"tags":193,"__hash__":197},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fthe-defence-moment.md","The Defence Moment: A Social Sensing Benchmark of Canada's Post-Secondary Sector","lindsey-fair",{"type":60,"value":61,"toc":177},"minimark",[62,67,71,74,77,81,84,87,122,125,129,132,135,152,155,159,162,165,170],[63,64,66],"h2",{"id":65},"a-changing-national-conversation-a-changing-institutional-landscape","A changing national conversation. A changing institutional landscape.",[68,69,70],"p",{},"Defence is having a moment in Canada. Increased national attention, evolving government priorities, new investment and an expanding conversation about Canada's defence capabilities are creating new opportunities — and new expectations — for the post-secondary sector. But how are institutions responding?",[68,72,73],{},"Which universities, colleges and polytechnics are actively positioning themselves in this emerging landscape? How are institutions talking about defence, security, advanced technologies, workforce development and national priorities? Who is shifting their institutional narrative, who is leading the conversation, and who has yet to weigh in?",[68,75,76],{},"TINCT is undertaking a sector-wide social sensing project to understand how Canada's post-secondary institutions are navigating this moment — and what the emerging patterns can tell us.",[63,78,80],{"id":79},"beyond-what-institutions-say-theyre-doing","Beyond what institutions say they're doing.",[68,82,83],{},"Using Dr. Lindsey Fair's proprietary SignalSense™ methodology, this project examines the public-facing signals institutions are putting into the world over a 24-month period.",[68,85,86],{},"Looking across institutional brand messaging, website homepages, news coverage, announcements and other public communications, we'll identify:",[88,89,90,98,104,110,116],"ul",{},[91,92,93,97],"li",{},[94,95,96],"strong",{},"Who is moving:"," Which institutions are making meaningful shifts in how they position themselves in relation to defence and national security?",[91,99,100,103],{},[94,101,102],{},"What's changing:"," How are institutional narratives, priorities and areas of emphasis evolving?",[91,105,106,109],{},[94,107,108],{},"Who's leading:"," Which institutions are establishing a visible presence in the conversation, and what themes are they owning?",[91,111,112,115],{},[94,113,114],{},"Who's staying quiet:"," Where is there little or no visible engagement, and what might that tell us?",[91,117,118,121],{},[94,119,120],{},"Where the opportunities are:"," What emerging patterns, gaps and competitive spaces are taking shape across the sector?",[68,123,124],{},"This isn't simply a count of defence-related programs or announcements. It's an examination of how institutions are positioning themselves, communicating their relevance and how everyday Canadians are responding to these changes.",[63,126,128],{"id":127},"why-participate","Why participate?",[68,130,131],{},"The defence moment is bigger than engineering, robotics and drones. It touches workforce development, skilled trades, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, health, supply chains, research, human behaviour, analytics, communications, innovation and the broader talent ecosystem.",[68,133,134],{},"For institutional leaders, understanding how the sector is responding can help inform:",[88,136,137,140,143,146,149],{},[91,138,139],{},"Institutional positioning and brand strategy.",[91,141,142],{},"Strategic priorities and emerging areas of opportunity.",[91,144,145],{},"Partnerships with government, industry and defence stakeholders.",[91,147,148],{},"Program development and workforce alignment.",[91,150,151],{},"Communications, reputation and stakeholder engagement.",[68,153,154],{},"Most importantly, it provides a view beyond your own institution. You can see where your organization sits in relation to the broader sector — and where there may be opportunities to lead rather than follow.",[63,156,158],{"id":157},"participate-and-receive-your-institutional-report","Participate and receive your institutional report.",[68,160,161],{},"We're inviting Canadian universities, colleges and polytechnics to participate in this research initiative. Participating institutions will receive an individual report highlighting their institutional findings and positioning within the research. A comprehensive sector benchmark, including the comparative findings and broader dataset, will also be available as a separate paid research product.",[68,163,164],{},"Whether you're already deeply engaged in the defence conversation or just beginning to explore what it means for your institution, this is an opportunity to better understand the landscape before it moves again.",[68,166,167],{},[94,168,169],{},"The conversation is changing. Are you part of it?",[171,172,174],"cta-button",{"subject":173},"TINCT's Defence Moment Project",[68,175,176],{},"Let's talk",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":180},"",2,[181,182,183,184],{"id":65,"depth":179,"text":66},{"id":79,"depth":179,"text":80},{"id":127,"depth":179,"text":128},{"id":157,"depth":179,"text":158},"2026-11-03","Defence is having a moment in Canada. We're using SignalSense™ to track how universities, colleges and polytechnics are positioning themselves in this emerging landscape — and inviting institutions to participate and receive their own report.","md",{},true,"\u002Fstories\u002Fthe-defence-moment",{"title":57,"description":186},"stories\u002Fthe-defence-moment",[194,195,196],"research","brand strategy","social sensing","XRIqSj_bJquxJokCh57ssAz4fcMldwBrPgOnwVN4hWY",[199,394,604,688,825,890,963,1137,1651,1977,2132,2365,2427],{"id":200,"title":201,"author":58,"body":202,"date":380,"description":381,"extension":187,"meta":382,"navigation":189,"path":383,"seo":384,"stem":385,"tags":386,"__hash__":393},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fbeyond-your-backyard.md","Beyond Your Backyard: Rethinking Interprovincial and Regional Student Recruitment",{"type":60,"value":203,"toc":373},[204,209,212,215,218,222,225,228,231,234,238,241,244,247,250,253,256,263,266,269,272,276,279,282,287,290,295,298,301,306,309,314,317,322,325,328,332,335,338,341,344,347,350,354,357,360,363,366],[68,205,206],{},[94,207,208],{},"As application deadlines approach and campus open houses get underway, Canadian colleges and universities have an increasingly important question to consider: Are you recruiting students in the places where they are most likely to choose you?",[68,210,211],{},"For many Canadian post-secondary institutions, the next few weeks represent a critical period in the enrolment calendar. Application deadlines are approaching, open houses are underway, prospective students are narrowing their choices, and recruitment teams are working to convert interest into applications and confirmed enrolments.",[68,213,214],{},"At the same time, the challenges facing international student recruitment have changed the enrolment equation for many institutions. Policy changes, study permit restrictions, affordability concerns and increased competition have made international recruitment less predictable. For some institutions, this has put renewed pressure on domestic enrolment. For others, domestic recruitment remains strong, and existing targets are already within reach.",[68,216,217],{},"Regardless of where an institution sits today, one opportunity deserves a closer look: interprovincial and regional student recruitment.",[63,219,221],{"id":220},"is-your-domestic-student-recruitment-strategy-too-geographically-comfortable","Is your domestic student recruitment strategy too geographically comfortable?",[68,223,224],{},"Most institutions have established recruitment territories. They know their local high schools, feeder communities, regional markets and historical enrolment patterns. They have relationships with guidance counsellors, attend familiar recruitment fairs and return to the same communities year after year. There is good reason for this. Recruitment resources are limited, and investing in markets with a proven history of student interest makes sense.",[68,226,227],{},"But historical recruitment patterns can also become a constraint. If your institution is primarily recruiting within its own province, are you overlooking prospective students in neighbouring provinces or other Canadian regions who might be a strong fit? Are there communities with the right student demographics, academic interests and propensity to pursue post-secondary education that simply aren't on your recruitment map?",[68,229,230],{},"Interprovincial student recruitment is not necessarily about competing for students everywhere. It is about identifying where there is a credible opportunity to attract students who may not have previously considered your institution.",[68,232,233],{},"And that requires a more thoughtful approach than simply expanding your recruitment territory.",[63,235,237],{"id":236},"start-with-why-students-choose-you-not-just-where-they-come-from","Start with why students choose you, not just where they come from",[68,239,240],{},"One of the most useful questions an institution can ask is deceptively simple: Why do students choose us?",[68,242,243],{},"Application surveys, student decision research, enrolment data and market research can reveal motivations that are much more useful than geography alone. Students may be drawn to a particular program, institutional reputation, campus experience, affordability, career outcomes, sense of community or lifestyle.",[68,245,246],{},"These motivations can help identify new recruitment markets that might otherwise be overlooked.",[68,248,249],{},"Consider a campaign I developed for an institution where application survey responses revealed something interesting. Students were frequently identifying proximity to the mountains and the beauty of the surrounding city as reasons for choosing the institution.",[68,251,252],{},"That insight created an opportunity to look beyond the institution's traditional recruitment markets.",[68,254,255],{},"Rather than simply targeting other cities that looked or felt similar, we identified communities that did not necessarily offer the same geographic advantages, but had the right prospective student profiles and potential demand. We then developed a targeted campaign to introduce those audiences to the institution, and more importantly - the city and mountains, and what it could offer them. Internally we called this campaign the ‘ugly cities strategy’, on the outside it looked like this:",[68,257,258],{},[259,260],"img",{"alt":261,"src":262},"Six sponsored SAIT social ads pairing mountain and campus photos with the lines \"Come for the adventure,\" \"Stay for your future\" and \"Live and learn a better way at SAIT.\"","\u002Fposts\u002Fbeyond-your-backyard.jpg",[68,264,265],{},"The thinking was straightforward: if students were choosing the institution partly because of the lifestyle and experience associated with its location, could we find prospective students elsewhere who would value those same things, even if they weren't currently considering that destination?",[68,267,268],{},"It was a shift from recruiting where students had historically come from already (as we didn’t need to spend money there) to identifying where the next students might come from.",[68,270,271],{},"The lesson is important. Your existing student population can tell you a great deal about your potential future recruitment markets, but you need to look beyond the obvious patterns.",[63,273,275],{"id":274},"interprovincial-recruitment-requires-more-than-a-bigger-advertising-budget","Interprovincial recruitment requires more than a bigger advertising budget",[68,277,278],{},"Expanding domestic student recruitment into new provinces or regions is not simply a matter of increasing digital advertising spend or adding another recruitment fair to the calendar.",[68,280,281],{},"A successful regional student recruitment strategy needs to consider several factors.",[68,283,284],{},[94,285,286],{},"1. Identify the right prospective student markets.",[68,288,289],{},"Start with demographic and market intelligence. Where are the populations of prospective students? Which communities have the right academic interests, socioeconomic characteristics and propensity to pursue post-secondary education? Are there regions where students are underserved by local program offerings or where your institution has a compelling competitive advantage?",[68,291,292],{},[94,293,294],{},"2. Understand what motivates students in those markets.",[68,296,297],{},"A student in another province may have very different considerations from someone living 30 minutes from campus. Cost of relocation, housing availability, distance from family, employment opportunities, climate, lifestyle and perceptions of the destination can all influence their decision.",[68,299,300],{},"Understanding these motivations is essential to developing relevant recruitment messaging.",[68,302,303],{},[94,304,305],{},"3. Make the case for leaving home.",[68,307,308],{},"Interprovincial recruitment involves competing not only with other institutions, but also with the appeal of staying close to home. Institutions need to communicate the value of relocating, including the academic experience, career opportunities, campus community and quality of life.",[68,310,311],{},[94,312,313],{},"4. Align recruitment messaging with actual student motivations.",[68,315,316],{},"Generic messages about academic excellence, student experience and campus facilities are unlikely to create meaningful differentiation. Recruitment campaigns need to give prospective students a compelling reason to choose your institution over the alternatives available in their home province.",[68,318,319],{},[94,320,321],{},"5. Connect recruitment to the student experience.",[68,323,324],{},"Attracting a student from another province is only part of the equation. Institutions also need to consider the supports, services, housing, orientation and sense of belonging that will help those students successfully transition to a new community.",[68,326,327],{},"Recruitment promises need to align with the experience students will actually have once they arrive.",[63,329,331],{"id":330},"not-every-institution-needs-more-domestic-enrolment-but-every-institution-needs-to-understand-its-markets","Not every institution needs more domestic enrolment. But every institution needs to understand its markets.",[68,333,334],{},"There is an important distinction between institutions that need to replace lost international enrolment, those looking to diversify their student population, and those that have already achieved their domestic recruitment targets.",[68,336,337],{},"A college or university that has reached its domestic enrolment goals may have little immediate incentive to expand into new markets. In fact, doing so without considering program capacity, student services and institutional resources could create unnecessary pressure.",[68,339,340],{},"But that doesn't mean regional and interprovincial market intelligence has no value.",[68,342,343],{},"Understanding where future student demand is emerging, how competitors are positioning themselves and what motivates students to relocate can help institutions make better decisions about program development, recruitment investment and long-term enrolment planning.",[68,345,346],{},"For institutions facing enrolment pressure, these insights can help identify new sources of domestic student demand. For those with stronger enrolment positions, they can support market diversification and future planning.",[68,348,349],{},"The point isn't that every institution should recruit everywhere. It's that every institution should understand where its next students could come from.",[63,351,353],{"id":352},"the-next-recruitment-market-might-not-be-where-you-think","The next recruitment market might not be where you think",[68,355,356],{},"Canadian post-secondary institutions are operating in a more competitive and unpredictable enrolment environment. International recruitment pressures have made domestic student attraction more consequential for some, while demographic shifts, regional competition and changing student expectations continue to influence recruitment across the sector.",[68,358,359],{},"As application deadlines approach and prospective students make their decisions, institutions should be asking more than how many applications are coming in.",[68,361,362],{},"They should be asking whether they are reaching the right students, in the right markets, with the right reasons to choose them.",[68,364,365],{},"Sometimes the opportunity isn't in recruiting harder in the markets you already know. It's in looking at the evidence, challenging your assumptions and finding the students you haven't been talking to yet.",[68,367,368,369],{},"We can help. Say hello: ",[370,371,7],"a",{"href":372},"mailto:hello@tinct.ca",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":374},[375,376,377,378,379],{"id":220,"depth":179,"text":221},{"id":236,"depth":179,"text":237},{"id":274,"depth":179,"text":275},{"id":330,"depth":179,"text":331},{"id":352,"depth":179,"text":353},"2026-11-06","With international recruitment less predictable, interprovincial and regional student recruitment deserves a closer look. It starts with understanding why students choose you, not just where they come from.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbeyond-your-backyard",{"title":201,"description":381},"stories\u002Fbeyond-your-backyard",[387,388,389,390,391,392],"recruitment marketing","recruitment","marketing strategy","integrated marketing","enrolment","SEMM","wbw563RFqNTdxzddN3qztOA0AQVtWnNEmW6GA8kf0kY",{"id":395,"title":396,"author":397,"body":398,"date":593,"description":594,"extension":187,"meta":595,"navigation":189,"path":596,"seo":597,"stem":598,"tags":599,"__hash__":603},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fadvancement-marketing-at-the-table.md","Advancement Marketing Should Have a Seat at the Fundraising Strategy Table","tiffany-emery",{"type":60,"value":399,"toc":586},[400,406,409,412,415,418,422,425,428,431,434,437,440,444,447,450,453,456,459,462,494,497,500,504,507,510,513,516,519,522,525,528,532,535,541,547,553,559,562,566,569,572,575,578,583],[68,401,402],{},[259,403],{"alt":404,"src":405},"A gold heart containing an open book and a graduation cap on a navy background, above the words Giving Tuesday.","\u002Fposts\u002Fadvancement-marketing-at-the-table.png",[68,407,408],{},"For many universities and colleges, the fall is one of the busiest periods in the advancement calendar. Giving campaigns are underway, Giving Tuesday is approaching, year-end appeals are being developed, and alumni and donor engagement activities are competing for attention.",[68,410,411],{},"It's also when a familiar challenge becomes particularly visible: advancement marketing is brought into the conversation after the fundraising strategy has already been set.",[68,413,414],{},"By then, the priorities have been selected, the audiences identified, the campaign brief written and the fundraising goals established. Marketing is asked to make it compelling, develop the creative, build the campaign assets and get the message out.",[68,416,417],{},"The work might be perfectly competent. The campaign might even perform well. But there may be a much bigger opportunity left on the table.",[63,419,421],{"id":420},"the-missed-opportunity-in-advancement-marketing","The missed opportunity in advancement marketing",[68,423,424],{},"I've seen variations of this challenge across complex organizations. One team sets the strategy, another owns the audience relationship, and a third gets asked to make the message compelling.",[68,426,427],{},"In higher education, advancement teams bring an invaluable understanding of donors, alumni, philanthropic priorities and the relationships that sustain giving. They know the institution's fundraising history, understand donor motivations and have insight into the conversations that happen well beyond a campaign landing page.",[68,429,430],{},"Marketing teams bring a different, equally valuable perspective. They understand brand positioning, audience behaviour, market research, institutional reputation and the broader communications environment in which a fundraising campaign will compete for attention.",[68,432,433],{},"These are complementary forms of intelligence. Neither is a substitute for the other.",[68,435,436],{},"Yet, too often, they operate sequentially rather than collaboratively. Advancement determines what needs to be raised and from whom. Marketing is then asked to figure out how to communicate it.",[68,438,439],{},"What if they started together?",[63,441,443],{"id":442},"giving-tuesday-is-a-good-example-of-why-timing-matters","Giving Tuesday is a good example of why timing matters",[68,445,446],{},"Giving Tuesday has become a significant moment in the higher education fundraising calendar. It offers institutions an opportunity to mobilize alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and community members around causes that matter.",[68,448,449],{},"But it also creates a crowded communications environment. Universities and colleges are competing with other institutions, charitable organizations and causes for attention, engagement and philanthropic support.",[68,451,452],{},"Simply having a Giving Tuesday campaign is no longer a strategy.",[68,454,455],{},"The institutions that take the time to understand their audiences, identify meaningful points of connection and build a compelling case for giving have an opportunity to create something more than a one-day fundraising appeal.",[68,457,458],{},"That work needs to happen before the campaign brief is written.",[68,460,461],{},"Consider the questions that advancement and marketing could explore together:",[88,463,464,470,476,482,488],{},[91,465,466,469],{},[94,467,468],{},"What do we know about this audience?"," Beyond giving history, what motivates different alumni and donor segments? What causes, experiences or institutional priorities resonate with them?",[91,471,472,475],{},[94,473,474],{},"What does the institution mean to them today?"," Is their relationship with the university or college rooted in their student experience, a particular faculty, a research breakthrough, a community connection or something else entirely?",[91,477,478,481],{},[94,479,480],{},"Which institutional priorities connect with their interests?"," Are we communicating the initiatives that donors care most about, or simply the ones that are easiest for us to explain?",[91,483,484,487],{},[94,485,486],{},"What are they already hearing from us?"," How does the fundraising campaign fit within the broader institutional communications environment? Are we creating a consistent narrative or adding to the noise?",[91,489,490,493],{},[94,491,492],{},"What would make this initiative meaningful beyond the immediate ask?"," How might a Giving Tuesday campaign strengthen a relationship that continues long after the donation is made?",[68,495,496],{},"These conversations can fundamentally change the strategy, not just improve the creative.",[68,498,499],{},"They might lead to a different audience segmentation, a more compelling campaign proposition, a stronger institutional narrative or an entirely different approach to engaging alumni and donors.",[63,501,503],{"id":502},"from-fundraising-appeals-to-meaningful-relationships","From fundraising appeals to meaningful relationships",[68,505,506],{},"There is a temptation to measure advancement marketing primarily through campaign performance: dollars raised, number of gifts, conversion rates, email open rates and campaign reach.",[68,508,509],{},"These measures matter. But they don't tell the whole story.",[68,511,512],{},"Fundraising is fundamentally about relationships. A successful campaign should ideally do more than generate a transaction. It should reinforce someone's connection to the institution, help them understand the impact of their support and give them a reason to remain engaged.",[68,514,515],{},"This is particularly important in higher education, where the relationship between an institution and its alumni can span decades and evolve through many different life stages.",[68,517,518],{},"A recent graduate might connect with student financial assistance. A mid-career alumnus might be interested in research or innovation. A retired graduate might feel strongly about preserving the traditions and experiences that shaped their time at the institution.",[68,520,521],{},"A single institutional fundraising message is unlikely to resonate equally with all of them.",[68,523,524],{},"Marketing can help advancement understand these differences and translate them into meaningful audience experiences. Advancement can ensure those experiences are grounded in authentic relationships, institutional priorities and philanthropic opportunities.",[68,526,527],{},"Together, they can move beyond simply asking people to give and toward helping them understand why giving matters.",[63,529,531],{"id":530},"the-opportunity-extends-beyond-giving-tuesday","The opportunity extends beyond Giving Tuesday",[68,533,534],{},"While the fall fundraising season makes this challenge particularly visible, the same principle applies throughout the advancement calendar.",[68,536,537,540],{},[94,538,539],{},"Campaign planning:"," Marketing should help identify audience opportunities, test campaign propositions and shape the narrative before fundraising priorities are translated into communications.",[68,542,543,546],{},[94,544,545],{},"Alumni engagement:"," Alumni relationships shouldn't be treated exclusively as a pipeline to future donations. Understanding what keeps graduates connected to an institution can help create more meaningful engagement opportunities over time.",[68,548,549,552],{},[94,550,551],{},"Donor stewardship:"," The relationship doesn't end when a gift is received. Marketing can help develop consistent, compelling ways to communicate impact, reinforce institutional priorities and demonstrate the difference philanthropic support makes.",[68,554,555,558],{},[94,556,557],{},"Institutional reputation:"," Every fundraising campaign contributes to how people understand the institution. The stories we tell, the priorities we elevate and the impact we demonstrate all shape perceptions of institutional value.",[68,560,561],{},"This is especially important at a time when universities and colleges are being asked to demonstrate their relevance, public value and contributions to society. Advancement communications are part of that larger institutional story.",[63,563,565],{"id":564},"its-not-about-better-handoffs-its-about-shared-ownership","It's not about better handoffs. It's about shared ownership.",[68,567,568],{},"The real opportunity isn't simply improving the handoff between advancement and marketing. It's recognizing that both teams have a role in understanding, building and sustaining the relationship between an institution and its supporters.",[68,570,571],{},"That requires more than good collaboration or an invitation to a campaign planning meeting. It requires giving marketing a seat at the table early enough to influence the decisions that matter.",[68,573,574],{},"It means bringing advancement and marketing together before the fundraising strategy is finalized, not after. It means sharing audience insights, institutional research, campaign performance data and brand intelligence. And it means recognizing that the best fundraising campaigns are often the result of strategic thinking that happens well before anyone writes a headline or designs an appeal.",[68,576,577],{},"As Giving Tuesday and year-end fundraising approach, it's worth asking a simple question:",[68,579,580],{},[94,581,582],{},"Is your advancement marketing team helping shape the fundraising strategy, or are they mainly being asked to communicate it?",[68,584,585],{},"The distinction matters. And it could make a meaningful difference to the relationships, engagement and philanthropic support your institution builds long after this year's fundraising season is over.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":587},[588,589,590,591,592],{"id":420,"depth":179,"text":421},{"id":442,"depth":179,"text":443},{"id":502,"depth":179,"text":503},{"id":530,"depth":179,"text":531},{"id":564,"depth":179,"text":565},"2026-11-05","Why bringing advancement and marketing together earlier can make all the difference during Giving Tuesday and year-end fundraising.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Fadvancement-marketing-at-the-table",{"title":396,"description":594},"stories\u002Fadvancement-marketing-at-the-table",[600,601,602],"advancement","alumni engagement","fundraising","qz66xljsHHaevbaGPXFgeR5Mqh19wJ82TpYFi7zUxoA",{"id":56,"title":57,"author":58,"body":605,"date":185,"description":186,"extension":187,"meta":685,"navigation":189,"path":190,"seo":686,"stem":192,"tags":687,"__hash__":197},{"type":60,"value":606,"toc":679},[607,609,611,613,615,617,619,621,643,645,647,649,651,663,665,667,669,671,675],[63,608,66],{"id":65},[68,610,70],{},[68,612,73],{},[68,614,76],{},[63,616,80],{"id":79},[68,618,83],{},[68,620,86],{},[88,622,623,627,631,635,639],{},[91,624,625,97],{},[94,626,96],{},[91,628,629,103],{},[94,630,102],{},[91,632,633,109],{},[94,634,108],{},[91,636,637,115],{},[94,638,114],{},[91,640,641,121],{},[94,642,120],{},[68,644,124],{},[63,646,128],{"id":127},[68,648,131],{},[68,650,134],{},[88,652,653,655,657,659,661],{},[91,654,139],{},[91,656,142],{},[91,658,145],{},[91,660,148],{},[91,662,151],{},[68,664,154],{},[63,666,158],{"id":157},[68,668,161],{},[68,670,164],{},[68,672,673],{},[94,674,169],{},[171,676,677],{"subject":173},[68,678,176],{},{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":680},[681,682,683,684],{"id":65,"depth":179,"text":66},{"id":79,"depth":179,"text":80},{"id":127,"depth":179,"text":128},{"id":157,"depth":179,"text":158},{},{"title":57,"description":186},[194,195,196],{"id":689,"title":690,"author":58,"body":691,"date":816,"description":817,"extension":187,"meta":818,"navigation":189,"path":819,"seo":820,"stem":821,"tags":822,"__hash__":824},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Frace-cars-and-robots.md","Race Cars, Robots and the Problem with Looking Innovative",{"type":60,"value":692,"toc":812},[693,696,699,702,705,709,712,715,718,721,724,727,731,734,737,740,743,746,749,752,755,758,761,764,767,770,773,776,779,782,785,788,791,794,797,800,803,806,809],[68,694,695],{},"If every engineering program looks innovative, how does any of them become distinct?",[68,697,698],{},"When I began this research in 2023, I wanted to understand how Canadian universities were positioning their engineering programs in an increasingly competitive higher education landscape. Six research-intensive universities were selected for comparison: the University of Victoria, Queen’s University, Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Calgary and Dalhousie University.",[68,700,701],{},"The question was not simply what each university was saying about engineering. I wanted to understand the relationship between what an institution promoted, how it was portrayed by others, and what stakeholders actually perceived. The distinction matters. A university can decide what it wants its brand to stand for, but it has considerably less control over what students, alumni, faculty, industry partners, media and other audiences actually say about it. In a digital environment, those external voices are not peripheral to the brand. They are the brand.",[68,703,704],{},"The study therefore combined a perceptual survey with social sensing and thematic content analysis of digital and institutional artifacts, including social media, Reddit, institutional websites, viewbooks and Maclean's profiles. Across 59 coded artifacts, the analysis generated almost 4,000 thematic references. What I found was both unsurprising and surprisingly revealing.",[63,706,708],{"id":707},"when-innovation-starts-to-look-the-same","When innovation starts to look the same",[68,710,711],{},"Engineering has an unusually rich visual and verbal vocabulary. It is easy to understand why. A race car demonstrates that students build things. A robot communicates technology and innovation. A rocket suggests ambition. A lab suggests serious research. A student team suggests community and experiential learning.",[68,713,714],{},"The problem isn't any individual symbol. The problem is repetition.",[68,716,717],{},"Across the six universities, race cars, robots and related technology were repeatedly used to communicate innovation, hands-on learning and student experience. At the same time, every institution was competing in the space of women in engineering.",[68,719,720],{},"Again, these are important stories. Engineering absolutely should be talking about women in the discipline. Student teams really do build race cars and robots. Experiential learning really does matter.",[68,722,723],{},"But when competitors repeatedly use the same evidence to make the same claims, those claims become less useful as sources of distinction.",[68,725,726],{},"This is one of the central challenges of brand strategy in higher education. Institutions tend to look at the things that matter most to their audiences and then communicate those things more forcefully. But if everyone is doing the same thing, greater volume does not create greater distinctiveness. It simply makes the category louder.",[63,728,730],{"id":729},"the-problem-with-a-crowded-category","The problem with a crowded category",[68,732,733],{},"The research showed considerable similarity among the six engineering brands. Student experience was the strongest driver of choice across the group, while themes such as innovation, research, experiential learning, sustainability and diversity appeared repeatedly across institutions.",[68,735,736],{},"None of those territories is inherently wrong. In fact, they are probably necessary parts of an engineering brand. But a brand cannot become distinctive simply by assembling a longer list of things that are all true. The more interesting question is: which truths are particularly ownable? That is where the study began to reveal some unexpected opportunities.",[68,738,739],{},"Graduate success was relatively underused. So were top-employer recognition, work-integrated learning—particularly co-op and fieldwork—and undergraduate research. Internationalization also appeared to have room to grow as a point of distinction. On the brand-personality side, ruggedness and activism were comparatively underrepresented.",[68,741,742],{},"These findings don't mean that every engineering school should suddenly reposition itself around being rugged, activist or career-focused. The point is that distinctiveness often lives in the spaces a category has overlooked. That is a very different exercise from trying to make a familiar message more memorable.",[68,744,745],{},"##The faculty story we weren't hearing",[68,747,748],{},"Perhaps the most interesting finding concerned faculty. Across the six institutions, faculty were overwhelmingly represented as researchers. Research, awards, funding, partnerships and academic recognition were prominent parts of the story. What appeared much less frequently was faculty as teachers, educators and mentors. This is a curious gap.",[68,750,751],{},"Research excellence is an important part of the value proposition of a research-intensive university, but students experience a university through people as much as through institutional achievements. They encounter professors in classrooms, laboratories, design studios and project teams. They rely on them for guidance, mentorship and feedback. They remember the people who made a difficult concept click or encouraged them to pursue something they hadn't considered. Yet the institutional brand can make those same people almost invisible as educators.",[68,753,754],{},"That creates an interesting strategic possibility. Rather than simply finding another way to say that faculty are world-class researchers, an institution might ask whether the teaching, mentorship and relationships students experience are themselves part of what makes its engineering education distinct.",[68,756,757],{},"Sometimes the most valuable brand territory is hiding inside something an organization has stopped noticing.\nA brand doesn't stop at the edge of the marketing department.\nThis was ultimately the reason for looking at the promoted, portrayed and perceived brands together.",[68,759,760],{},"Universities are accustomed to thinking about brand as something they manage through official communications: the website, campaign, viewbook, social channels, advertising and visual identity. Those things matter, but they are only one part of the picture.",[68,762,763],{},"Students create content. Alumni tell stories. Faculty publish and post. Industry partners talk about their relationships with institutions. Journalists frame achievements. People comment, recommend, criticize and compare. Increasingly, prospective students encounter all of this before they ever arrive at an official university website. The brand therefore exists in a much larger ecosystem of signals.",[68,765,766],{},"In this study, social sensing helped make some of those signals visible. By examining digital artifacts alongside institutional communications and perceptual data, it became possible to see where the official story and the organic story reinforced one another—and where they didn't. That distinction is important because a brand strategy based entirely on institutional communications can produce a beautifully articulated position that doesn't necessarily reflect what people actually experience or talk about.",[68,768,769],{},"The most useful brand work has to hold both things at once: what you want to be known for and what the world is already telling you about yourself. Three years later, the question still matters",[68,771,772],{},"The research was completed in 2023, so it would be irresponsible to suggest that it provides a current measurement of every engineering brand in Canada. But some more recent evidence suggests the underlying strategic challenge remains relevant.",[68,774,775],{},"A 2025 study examining how engineering students choose universities identified factors including program standing, career development and institutional standing among important considerations, and specifically argued for engineering programs to establish a distinct brand image rather than relying primarily on broad institutional reputation.",[68,777,778],{},"And the familiar symbols haven't disappeared. Race cars, rockets, robots and competitive engineering teams remain prominent ways for universities to demonstrate hands-on learning and technical capability.",[68,780,781],{},"Which brings us back to the original question. If everyone can show innovation, what makes yours distinct?",[68,783,784],{},"##The race car isn't the problem.",[68,786,787],{},"I don't think the answer is to stop showing race cars.\nIf students have designed and built an extraordinary vehicle, it is a great story. The same is true of robots, rockets, drones and any number of other engineering projects.",[68,789,790],{},"The issue is what happens when the artifact becomes the message. A race car can demonstrate a distinctive educational experience. But a race car photograph, on its own, doesn't tell a prospective student why this engineering program is meaningfully different from another engineering program with a race car.",[68,792,793],{},"The distinction has to live somewhere deeper: in the experience, the culture, the people, the outcomes, the relationships, the place or the particular combination of strengths that another institution cannot credibly replicate.",[68,795,796],{},"This is where brand strategy becomes more interesting than messaging. The goal isn't to manufacture something different for the sake of being different. It is to identify something true, relevant and ownable, and then build enough consistency around it that people begin to recognize it without being told what to think.",[68,798,799],{},"##The lesson extends well beyond engineering",[68,801,802],{},"Engineering simply provides a particularly clear example of a broader higher education problem. Universities operate in crowded categories. Most can credibly claim innovation, impact, student-centredness, research excellence, sustainability, inclusion, community and opportunity. Most have talented people, successful graduates and impressive facilities.",[68,804,805],{},"The challenge is not finding more good things to say. It is deciding which good things matter most, which are genuinely distinctive, and which can be supported by what people actually experience and say.",[68,807,808],{},"That requires looking beyond the brand guidelines and the institutional narrative. It requires listening to the signals accumulating around the institution and understanding where those signals converge, where they conflict and where there may be unexpected territory worth exploring.",[68,810,811],{},"Because your brand is not simply what you say about yourself. It is the relationship between what you say, what people experience and what they say when you're not in the room. And somewhere in that space is the opportunity to become distinct.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":813},[814,815],{"id":707,"depth":179,"text":708},{"id":729,"depth":179,"text":730},"2026-10-06","Engineering programs are competing in an increasingly crowded category, where innovation, hands-on learning, race cars, robots and research have become familiar signals rather than distinctive ones. Drawing on research across six Canadian engineering programs, we explored where the real opportunities for distinctiveness may lie—and what universities could be saying, showing and owning that others aren’t.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Frace-cars-and-robots",{"title":690,"description":817},"stories\u002Frace-cars-and-robots",[195,823,387,194],"brand management","W9pwE-GWNIHjgIp0IOOQakuPoNEs7Rwjxqz1y-Ga-8c",{"id":826,"title":827,"author":828,"body":829,"date":881,"description":882,"extension":187,"meta":883,"navigation":189,"path":884,"seo":885,"stem":886,"tags":887,"__hash__":889},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Flistening-challenge.md","Most campuses don't have a marketing challenge","jp-rains",{"type":60,"value":830,"toc":877},[831,834,837,841,844,847,851,854,874],[68,832,833],{},"I've now interviewed more than a thousand people about how they chose a school — students, parents, guidance counsellors, faculty, the people who answer the phone in admissions. The thing that surprises leadership teams is never what prospective students dislike. It's how little of the message reached them at all.",[68,835,836],{},"A campus will spend eighteen months refining a positioning statement, then discover that the moment which actually decided a student's application was a two-minute phone call with a program assistant, or a residence photo on a forum the institution doesn't monitor. The strategy wasn't wrong. It just never made it to the places where the decision happened.",[63,838,840],{"id":839},"map-the-decision-not-the-funnel","Map the decision, not the funnel",[68,842,843],{},"A funnel describes what you wish people did. A journey map describes what they actually do, including the parts that embarrass you — the dead-end page, the form that asks for a student number they don't have yet, the four-week gap between application and any human contact.",[68,845,846],{},"The exercise is uncomfortable because it relocates the problem. It's much easier to commission a new campaign than to fix the fact that nobody answers email in July.",[63,848,850],{"id":849},"what-to-do-first","What to do first",[68,852,853],{},"Before the next brand refresh, do three things:",[88,855,856,862,868],{},[91,857,858,861],{},[94,859,860],{},"Interview twenty people who chose somewhere else."," They will tell you things your enrolled students no longer remember.",[91,863,864,867],{},[94,865,866],{},"Walk your own funnel"," with a stopwatch, from first search to first human reply.",[91,869,870,873],{},[94,871,872],{},"Find the moment of highest anxiety"," in that walk, and put a person in it.",[68,875,876],{},"None of this requires a new logo. Most of it requires admitting that the institution has been talking considerably more than it has been listening.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":878},[879,880],{"id":839,"depth":179,"text":840},{"id":849,"depth":179,"text":850},"2026-09-18","After a thousand stakeholder interviews, the pattern is hard to miss: the institutions that struggle to recruit are rarely the ones with the weakest message. They're the ones that never checked whether anybody was listening.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Flistening-challenge",{"title":827,"description":882},"stories\u002Flistening-challenge",[888,388,194],"journey mapping","Ad3XVbqXbTr9Yegh5uCZYWUC8mAF_7BgxflDDLsScig",{"id":891,"title":892,"author":893,"body":894,"date":952,"description":953,"extension":187,"meta":954,"navigation":189,"path":955,"seo":956,"stem":957,"tags":958,"__hash__":962},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fthe-rollout-was-the-strategy.md","The strategy was fine. The rollout wasn't.","deanna-davies",{"type":60,"value":895,"toc":948},[896,899,902,906,909,912,916,919,945],[68,897,898],{},"I have sat on boards with twenty-three competing partners around one table, and I have taught project management to a decade of students who wanted a Gantt chart to solve a people problem. The lesson is the same in both rooms: strategies don't fail on the page. They fail somewhere between the approval and the third month.",[68,900,901],{},"The pattern is familiar. A leadership team spends two quarters and a consultant's budget arriving at a genuinely good plan. It gets approved. It gets announced. And then it meets the forty people who will have to do their jobs differently, most of whom heard about it for the first time in the announcement.",[63,903,905],{"id":904},"announcements-are-not-adoption","Announcements are not adoption",[68,907,908],{},"A launch communicates that a decision has been made. It does nothing about capability, incentive or fear — the three things that actually determine whether someone changes how they work on a Tuesday.",[68,910,911],{},"If the new plan asks a team to drop something they have been rewarded for doing well, and nobody changes what gets rewarded, the plan loses. Not because anyone sabotaged it. Because people are rational.",[63,913,915],{"id":914},"build-the-rollout-into-the-strategy","Build the rollout into the strategy",[68,917,918],{},"The organisations that get this right treat implementation as part of the design, not a phase after it:",[88,920,921,927,933,939],{},[91,922,923,926],{},[94,924,925],{},"Name who has to do something differently",", by role, before signing off.",[91,928,929,932],{},[94,930,931],{},"Say what stops."," A strategy that only adds is a wish list.",[91,934,935,938],{},[94,936,937],{},"Give the middle a script."," Directors and managers carry the change; if they can't explain it in their own words, it doesn't exist.",[91,940,941,944],{},[94,942,943],{},"Measure adoption, not activity."," Slides delivered is not the same as behaviour changed.",[68,946,947],{},"Change management isn't the soft side of strategy. It's the part where the strategy either becomes real or quietly doesn't.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":949},[950,951],{"id":904,"depth":179,"text":905},{"id":914,"depth":179,"text":915},"2026-09-11","Change management gets treated as the soft bit you do at the end, once the real thinking is finished. It's actually the mechanism that decides whether any of the real thinking survives contact with the organisation.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Fthe-rollout-was-the-strategy",{"title":892,"description":953},"stories\u002Fthe-rollout-was-the-strategy",[959,960,961],"change management","implementation","leadership","RISNGu2tHU87OhJpwaQeQQ_6i608WoXEX9CX5uNVQ14",{"id":964,"title":965,"author":58,"body":966,"date":1127,"description":1128,"extension":187,"meta":1129,"navigation":189,"path":1130,"seo":1131,"stem":1132,"tags":1133,"__hash__":1136},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fbrand-implications-of-restructuring.md","The Brand Implications of Restructuring in Post Secondary Institutions",{"type":60,"value":967,"toc":1118},[968,974,977,980,983,989,993,996,999,1002,1005,1009,1012,1015,1018,1021,1024,1028,1031,1034,1037,1040,1043,1047,1050,1053,1056,1059,1062,1066,1069,1072,1075,1078,1081,1085,1088,1091,1094,1097,1101,1104,1107,1110,1115],[68,969,970],{},[259,971],{"alt":972,"src":973},"An abstract organizational chart: a large orange circle at the top branching down through connected boxes.","\u002Fposts\u002Fbrand-implications-of-restructuring.jpg",[68,975,976],{},"Institutional restructuring is one of the most consequential exercises in higher education leadership. Whether driven by financial pressures, declining enrolment, changing demographics, government policy, technological disruption or the need to respond to new market realities, universities and colleges across Canada are reconsidering how they organize, operate and deliver value. From faculty and program consolidation to administrative restructuring, shared services and changes to governance, these decisions can fundamentally reshape an institution.",[68,978,979],{},"Much of the attention is understandably focused on organizational design: determining which functions should be centralized, which should remain decentralized and where a hybrid operating model might offer the greatest benefit. Leaders assess reporting structures, resource allocation, operational efficiencies, service delivery and opportunities to reduce duplication. But there is another important consideration that often receives far less attention: what does institutional restructuring mean for the organization's brand, reputation and identity?",[68,981,982],{},"Too often, brand strategy enters the conversation after the organizational decisions have been made. New structures are established, departments are consolidated, faculties are reorganized and responsibilities are reassigned. Only then does someone ask how the institution should communicate the changes, whether its identity needs to evolve or how it will be perceived by the people who matter most.",[68,984,985,986],{},"This is a missed strategic opportunity. Institutional restructuring changes more than how an organization operates. It changes how people experience it, understand it and talk about it. ",[94,987,988],{},"Brand strategy should inform institutional transformation from the beginning, not simply package the outcome at the end.",[63,990,992],{"id":991},"the-relationship-between-organizational-structure-and-institutional-brand","The relationship between organizational structure and institutional brand",[68,994,995],{},"An institution's brand is not simply its name, visual identity or positioning statement. Particularly in higher education, brand is the accumulated understanding of what an institution represents, what it delivers and what people believe they can expect from it. It is shaped by academic reputation, student experience, research impact, employer relationships, alumni engagement, community connections and thousands of interactions across the institution.",[68,997,998],{},"Organizational restructuring can affect all of these dimensions. A university moving from a decentralized faculty model toward centralized administrative services may improve consistency and operational efficiency, but it may also change how faculty, students and external partners access services and perceive institutional responsiveness. A college consolidating academic divisions may create opportunities for interdisciplinary programming and stronger resource allocation, while also raising questions about the future of established areas of expertise. A hybrid operating model may offer the best of both approaches, but only if the relationship between central leadership and distributed academic or administrative units is clearly understood.",[68,1000,1001],{},"These structural decisions have implications beyond internal operations. They can influence perceptions of institutional priorities, academic quality, accessibility, responsiveness and relevance. A change that makes perfect sense from a financial or administrative perspective may be interpreted very differently by students, faculty, alumni, employers or community partners.",[68,1003,1004],{},"The distinction between organizational intent and stakeholder perception is important. Leaders may see restructuring as a necessary step toward sustainability, modernization or institutional growth. Stakeholders may see the same changes as a reduction in institutional commitment, the loss of a valued program or the erosion of a distinctive identity. Understanding that gap is essential to managing both organizational change and brand reputation.",[63,1006,1008],{"id":1007},"centralized-decentralized-or-hybrid-the-brand-implications-of-organizational-design","Centralized, decentralized or hybrid: the brand implications of organizational design",[68,1010,1011],{},"The debate over centralized, decentralized and hybrid operating models is familiar to university and college executives. Centralization can create efficiencies, strengthen institutional alignment, improve governance and provide more consistent service delivery. Decentralized models can preserve local expertise, support faculty autonomy, encourage responsiveness and maintain close relationships with specific academic and external communities. Hybrid models attempt to balance these benefits, establishing institution-wide direction while retaining the flexibility and specialized knowledge of individual faculties, schools or departments.",[68,1013,1014],{},"There is no universally correct model. The appropriate organizational design depends on institutional size, culture, strategic priorities, financial circumstances and the nature of the services being delivered. However, each model creates a different set of brand and reputation considerations that should be understood before implementation.",[68,1016,1017],{},"For example, centralized marketing and communications functions can strengthen brand consistency, improve coordination and ensure that institutional messaging reflects a shared strategic direction. However, if centralization removes too much local expertise or flexibility, faculties and departments may struggle to communicate effectively with their own audiences. Conversely, highly decentralized marketing structures can support strong local relationships and subject-matter expertise, but they can also produce fragmented messaging, inconsistent visual identities and competing institutional narratives.",[68,1019,1020],{},"Hybrid models introduce their own considerations. They require clarity around decision-making authority, brand governance, service expectations and accountability. Without this clarity, institutions risk creating a structure in which central teams are accountable for institutional reputation but have limited influence over how the brand is represented across the organization.",[68,1022,1023],{},"These are not merely operational questions. They are fundamental brand management considerations. The organizational model should enable the institution to deliver on its brand promise, not create additional barriers between institutional ambition and stakeholder experience.",[63,1025,1027],{"id":1026},"understand-institutional-reputation-before-making-structural-changes","Understand institutional reputation before making structural changes",[68,1029,1030],{},"University restructuring and college restructuring often begin with extensive internal analysis. Financial modelling, enrolment projections, program demand assessments, workforce planning and operational reviews provide important evidence for decision-making. Yet institutions do not always undertake an equally comprehensive assessment of their existing reputation, stakeholder relationships and perceived areas of strength before making structural changes.",[68,1032,1033],{},"This information matters. Institutional reputation is not distributed evenly across an organization. Some faculties, programs, research areas and service functions may carry significant reputational equity, even if their contributions are not immediately apparent in organizational or financial models. Others may have established relationships with employers, communities, industry or government that could be affected by changes to their structure or mandate.",[68,1035,1036],{},"Understanding these assets helps leaders make more informed decisions about what should be preserved, what can be integrated and where there may be opportunities to build something new. It also helps identify potential reputational risks before they become public challenges.",[68,1038,1039],{},"Traditional consultation and stakeholder engagement remain important, but they should be complemented by a broader understanding of how people are actually discussing and experiencing the institution. Social listening, reputation research and longitudinal social sensing can help identify emerging perceptions, shifts in institutional confidence, areas of reputational strength and points of friction that may not surface through formal consultation processes.",[68,1041,1042],{},"The objective is not to allow public opinion to dictate organizational design. Rather, it is to ensure that institutional leaders understand the environment in which their decisions will be interpreted and experienced. That insight can help shape both the restructuring strategy and the brand strategy that supports it.",[63,1044,1046],{"id":1045},"organizational-integration-does-not-automatically-create-brand-integration","Organizational integration does not automatically create brand integration",[68,1048,1049],{},"One of the most common challenges in institutional mergers, faculty consolidation and administrative restructuring is the assumption that bringing organizational units together will naturally create a more cohesive institution. In practice, organizational integration and brand integration are two different processes.",[68,1051,1052],{},"Faculties, schools, colleges and departments often have their own cultures, histories, reputations, stakeholder relationships and value propositions. These identities may have developed over decades and can carry considerable equity with students, alumni, employers and communities. Moving these units into a new reporting structure does not automatically align their priorities, establish a shared narrative or resolve questions about their future identities.",[68,1054,1055],{},"This is particularly important when institutions are considering changes to brand architecture. Should faculties and schools retain their existing identities? Should they adopt a more consistent institutional identity? Are there opportunities to create stronger connections between previously independent units? Which legacy brands have sufficient recognition and reputational value to warrant preservation?",[68,1057,1058],{},"These decisions require more than a visual identity refresh or a new naming convention. They require a clear understanding of the relationship between the institutional brand and its component parts, supported by a deliberate approach to brand architecture, governance and implementation.",[68,1060,1061],{},"The goal should not necessarily be to make everything look and sound the same. A strong institutional brand can accommodate diversity, specialization and distinctiveness while still communicating a coherent overarching identity. The challenge is determining where consistency matters, where differentiation creates value and how the various parts contribute to a shared institutional ambition.",[63,1063,1065],{"id":1064},"change-management-needs-to-include-brand-and-reputation-management","Change management needs to include brand and reputation management",[68,1067,1068],{},"Institutional transformation is as much about people as it is about organizational structures. Even well-designed restructuring initiatives can encounter resistance when employees, students, alumni and external stakeholders do not understand the rationale for change or cannot see how the new model benefits them.",[68,1070,1071],{},"Change management in higher education typically focuses on leadership alignment, employee engagement, internal communications, implementation planning and the transition to new operating models. These are essential components, but they need to be connected to a broader understanding of institutional identity and reputation.",[68,1073,1074],{},"People need to understand not only what is changing, but what is not changing, why the changes are necessary and what the institution is working toward. They need to see how the new structure supports academic quality, student success, research excellence, community impact or long-term financial sustainability. Most importantly, they need to believe that the institution's underlying values and commitments remain credible.",[68,1076,1077],{},"This requires a compelling institutional narrative that connects operational decisions to strategic ambition. It also requires consistency between what leaders communicate and what stakeholders actually experience. A promise of improved service delivery, for example, must be reflected in how centralized services operate. A commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration must be supported by structures, resources and incentives that make it possible.",[68,1079,1080],{},"Brand is not something that can be communicated into existence. It has to be demonstrated through the decisions an institution makes and the experiences it creates throughout the restructuring process.",[63,1082,1084],{"id":1083},"restructuring-is-an-opportunity-to-rethink-institutional-positioning","Restructuring is an opportunity to rethink institutional positioning",[68,1086,1087],{},"While institutional restructuring can create significant uncertainty, it also presents an opportunity to reconsider how an institution positions itself in an increasingly competitive post-secondary environment. Changes to academic portfolios, research priorities, administrative structures and partnerships can create new opportunities to articulate institutional strengths and establish greater relevance with students, employers, government and communities.",[68,1089,1090],{},"For some institutions, this may mean moving beyond traditional faculty or disciplinary boundaries to tell a stronger story about interdisciplinary expertise and applied research. For others, it may mean better connecting academic programming to regional economic development, workforce needs or emerging industry sectors. A new operating model may also create opportunities to strengthen the student experience, improve access to services or demonstrate a more integrated approach to lifelong learning.",[68,1092,1093],{},"The important distinction is between simply describing what has changed and demonstrating why the change matters. A new organizational chart is not an institutional value proposition. A consolidated faculty is not, in itself, a compelling reason for students to choose an institution. And a centralized service model is not a brand promise unless it produces a demonstrably better experience.",[68,1095,1096],{},"The institutions that navigate restructuring successfully will be those that connect organizational transformation to a meaningful institutional direction. They will identify what makes them distinctive, understand the reputational assets they need to protect and communicate a credible vision of what comes next.",[63,1098,1100],{"id":1099},"put-brand-strategy-at-the-beginning-of-institutional-restructuring","Put brand strategy at the beginning of institutional restructuring",[68,1102,1103],{},"Universities and colleges cannot afford to treat brand as a finishing touch on institutional restructuring. Whether an institution is pursuing centralized services, a decentralized academic model, a hybrid operating structure, faculty consolidation or a broader organizational transformation, brand and reputation should be considered alongside governance, financial sustainability and operational effectiveness.",[68,1105,1106],{},"That means involving brand and marketing expertise early enough to inform decisions, not simply support their communication. It means assessing institutional reputation before changes are announced, understanding the implications for different stakeholder groups and developing a brand architecture and institutional narrative that reflect the intended future state.",[68,1108,1109],{},"Ultimately, the success of institutional restructuring should be measured by more than operational efficiencies, reduced administrative duplication or the effectiveness of a new organizational chart. It should also be measured by whether students, faculty, employees, alumni, partners and communities understand the institution's direction, recognize its continued value and believe in its future.",[68,1111,1112],{},[94,1113,1114],{},"A new organizational structure changes how an institution works. A thoughtful brand strategy helps determine what that change means, both inside and outside the institution.",[68,1116,1117],{},"At TINCT, we bring senior brand and marketing expertise to complex institutional change. We help universities and colleges understand the reputational implications of restructuring, assess stakeholder perceptions, make informed decisions about institutional identity and build brands that reflect not just where they've been, but where they're going.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":1119},[1120,1121,1122,1123,1124,1125,1126],{"id":991,"depth":179,"text":992},{"id":1007,"depth":179,"text":1008},{"id":1026,"depth":179,"text":1027},{"id":1045,"depth":179,"text":1046},{"id":1064,"depth":179,"text":1065},{"id":1083,"depth":179,"text":1084},{"id":1099,"depth":179,"text":1100},"2026-08-01","Institutional restructuring changes more than how an organization operates. It changes how people experience it, understand it and talk about it, which is why brand strategy should inform transformation from the beginning, not simply package the outcome at the end.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbrand-implications-of-restructuring",{"title":965,"description":1128},"stories\u002Fbrand-implications-of-restructuring",[961,959,823,1134,1135],"organizational design","organizational effectiveness","JBhilZMa7-m7cPamO-fYy-3l1ArEaELkQLMEo-MeEsw",{"id":1138,"title":1139,"author":58,"body":1140,"date":1642,"description":1643,"extension":187,"meta":1644,"navigation":189,"path":1645,"seo":1646,"stem":1647,"tags":1648,"__hash__":1650},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fthe-first-100-days.md","The First 100 Days: 10 Priorities for a New VP of External Relations or Enrolment",{"type":60,"value":1141,"toc":1629},[1142,1147,1150,1153,1156,1159,1162,1166,1169,1172,1175,1178,1181,1184,1189,1193,1196,1199,1202,1225,1228,1231,1234,1237,1241,1244,1247,1250,1253,1256,1276,1279,1282,1286,1289,1292,1295,1298,1318,1321,1324,1327,1330,1334,1337,1340,1363,1366,1392,1395,1399,1402,1405,1408,1428,1431,1435,1438,1441,1444,1447,1468,1471,1475,1478,1481,1501,1504,1508,1511,1534,1537,1540,1544,1547,1592,1595,1598,1602,1605,1608,1611,1614,1626],[68,1143,1144],{},[94,1145,1146],{},"Starting a new executive role in a university or college? Your first 100 days will shape more than your priorities. They will influence your relationships, your reputation, your team's confidence and your ability to deliver results.",[68,1148,1149],{},"Being appointed Vice-President of External Relations, Advancement, Marketing, Communications or Enrolment is an exciting opportunity. It is also a complicated one.",[68,1151,1152],{},"You are expected to provide strategic leadership, build relationships, understand institutional priorities, assess organizational capacity and demonstrate early momentum. Often, you are doing all of this while inheriting a team, a portfolio and a set of expectations that you did not create.",[68,1154,1155],{},"In higher education, the challenge is particularly nuanced. Universities and colleges are complex environments with distributed decision-making, established governance structures, deeply held institutional traditions and stakeholders who may have very different definitions of success.",[68,1157,1158],{},"Whether you are a new VP of External Relations, VP of Enrolment Management, VP of Marketing and Communications or another senior higher education executive, the first 100 days are an important opportunity to understand the institution before trying to change it.",[68,1160,1161],{},"Here are 10 priorities to consider as you navigate your first 100 days in a university or college leadership role.",[63,1163,1165],{"id":1164},"_1-understand-the-institutional-landscape-before-setting-your-agenda","1. Understand the institutional landscape before setting your agenda",[68,1167,1168],{},"Your first priority is to understand the institution you have joined, not just the portfolio you have been hired to lead.",[68,1170,1171],{},"Read the strategic plan, institutional budget, academic plan, enrolment plan, recent board reports, program reviews and any major institutional reviews or restructuring documents. Understand where the institution is financially, academically and reputationally.",[68,1173,1174],{},"But do not stop at the documents.",[68,1176,1177],{},"Find out what is actually happening. Which strategic priorities have traction? Which have stalled? Where are there competing interpretations of institutional direction? What commitments have been made to government, the board, donors, students or external partners?",[68,1179,1180],{},"Pay particular attention to the relationship between your portfolio and the institution's broader strategic objectives.",[68,1182,1183],{},"For example, a VP of External Relations may inherit responsibility for government relations, advancement, communications, marketing, community engagement and economic partnerships. These functions may sit together organizationally, but that does not necessarily mean they are working toward a shared set of priorities.",[68,1185,1186],{},[94,1187,1188],{},"Your first 100 days should help you distinguish between what the institution says it wants to achieve and what it is actually organized to deliver.",[63,1190,1192],{"id":1191},"_2-build-relationships-with-the-people-who-influence-institutional-decisions","2. Build relationships with the people who influence institutional decisions",[68,1194,1195],{},"In higher education, your organizational chart will tell you who reports to whom. It will not necessarily tell you who influences decisions.",[68,1197,1198],{},"Relationship-building should be a deliberate part of your executive onboarding strategy.",[68,1200,1201],{},"Schedule introductory conversations with:",[88,1203,1204,1207,1210,1213,1216,1219,1222],{},[91,1205,1206],{},"The President and Provost, to understand institutional direction and executive expectations.",[91,1208,1209],{},"Deans and academic leaders, to understand faculty priorities, enrolment pressures and research ambitions.",[91,1211,1212],{},"Board members and senior governance representatives, where appropriate.",[91,1214,1215],{},"Student leaders and student-facing teams, to understand the student experience.",[91,1217,1218],{},"Your direct reports and key operational leaders.",[91,1220,1221],{},"Government, industry, community and institutional partners.",[91,1223,1224],{},"Advancement, alumni and research leaders, particularly where your portfolio intersects with their work.",[68,1226,1227],{},"Ask good questions and listen carefully.",[68,1229,1230],{},"What do people believe the institution does well? Where do they see opportunities? What frustrates them? What do they need from your portfolio that they are not currently getting?",[68,1232,1233],{},"Also ask what they hope you will accomplish in your first year.",[68,1235,1236],{},"You may discover that different stakeholders have very different expectations of your role. Identifying those differences early is much easier than trying to reconcile them after you have announced your priorities.",[63,1238,1240],{"id":1239},"_3-assess-your-organizational-structure-mandate-and-decision-making-authority","3. Assess your organizational structure, mandate and decision-making authority",[68,1242,1243],{},"One of the biggest challenges for a new VP in higher education is understanding whether the organizational structure supports the mandate. A portfolio may be centralized, decentralized or operate through a hybrid model. Each has advantages and challenges.",[68,1245,1246],{},"In a centralized model, functions such as marketing, communications, digital engagement and recruitment may be coordinated through a central team. This can improve consistency, strategic alignment and institutional brand management.",[68,1248,1249],{},"In a decentralized model, faculties, schools and individual departments may retain considerable control over their own marketing, communications and recruitment activities. This can support local responsiveness but may create duplication, inconsistent messaging and competing priorities.",[68,1251,1252],{},"Hybrid models attempt to balance institutional coordination with faculty-level autonomy, but require clear governance, defined responsibilities and effective working relationships.",[68,1254,1255],{},"As a new VP, consider:",[88,1257,1258,1261,1264,1267,1270,1273],{},[91,1259,1260],{},"Are reporting relationships clear?",[91,1262,1263],{},"Who owns institutional strategy and who is responsible for execution?",[91,1265,1266],{},"Where does decision-making authority sit?",[91,1268,1269],{},"Are faculties and departments aligned with central priorities?",[91,1271,1272],{},"Are there gaps, duplication or unnecessary layers of approval?",[91,1274,1275],{},"Does the current structure reflect the institution's strategic needs?",[68,1277,1278],{},"Resist the temptation to restructure immediately. First understand why the organization is structured as it is, what has been tried before and where the real barriers to performance exist.",[68,1280,1281],{},"Sometimes the problem is organizational design. Sometimes it is unclear accountability, insufficient capacity or a lack of shared direction. Those require very different solutions.",[63,1283,1285],{"id":1284},"_4-get-to-know-your-team-before-making-changes","4. Get to know your team before making changes",[68,1287,1288],{},"Your direct reports are among your most important sources of institutional knowledge.",[68,1290,1291],{},"They also have their own expectations about your appointment. Some may be excited about new leadership. Others may be uncertain about what it means for their roles, responsibilities or future.",[68,1293,1294],{},"Start with individual conversations. Understand their professional strengths, current responsibilities, challenges and ambitions.",[68,1296,1297],{},"Ask:",[88,1299,1300,1303,1306,1309,1312,1315],{},[91,1301,1302],{},"What is working particularly well?",[91,1304,1305],{},"What is getting in the way of your team's success?",[91,1307,1308],{},"What would you change if you could?",[91,1310,1311],{},"Where are we under-resourced or overextended?",[91,1313,1314],{},"What decisions are you waiting for?",[91,1316,1317],{},"What should I know that might not be obvious from the outside?",[68,1319,1320],{},"Look beyond the senior leadership team. Spend time with the people doing the work.",[68,1322,1323],{},"In marketing, communications and enrolment, operational teams often have a much clearer understanding of where institutional processes break down than the people overseeing them.",[68,1325,1326],{},"You may find that the team is highly capable but lacks strategic direction, that talented people are spending too much time on low-value requests, or that the institution has significant capability gaps.",[68,1328,1329],{},"Your job is not simply to evaluate performance. It is to understand what your people need to perform at their best.",[63,1331,1333],{"id":1332},"_5-establish-a-baseline-know-what-success-looks-like-today","5. Establish a baseline: Know what success looks like today",[68,1335,1336],{},"You cannot establish meaningful priorities without understanding current performance.",[68,1338,1339],{},"For a new VP of Enrolment, this means going beyond application numbers. Examine the entire recruitment and student lifecycle, including:",[88,1341,1342,1345,1348,1351,1354,1357,1360],{},[91,1343,1344],{},"Applications, offers, confirmations and registrations.",[91,1346,1347],{},"Conversion rates by program, region and student segment.",[91,1349,1350],{},"Domestic and international enrolment trends.",[91,1352,1353],{},"Student recruitment costs and return on investment.",[91,1355,1356],{},"Retention, persistence and student progression.",[91,1358,1359],{},"Program capacity and demand.",[91,1361,1362],{},"Recruitment marketing performance and channel effectiveness.",[68,1364,1365],{},"For a VP of External Relations or Marketing and Communications, consider:",[88,1367,1368,1371,1374,1377,1380,1383,1386,1389],{},[91,1369,1370],{},"Institutional reputation and brand awareness.",[91,1372,1373],{},"Media visibility, sentiment and share of voice.",[91,1375,1376],{},"Government and community relationships.",[91,1378,1379],{},"Advancement and fundraising performance.",[91,1381,1382],{},"Alumni engagement.",[91,1384,1385],{},"Marketing and communications effectiveness.",[91,1387,1388],{},"Digital engagement and audience behaviour.",[91,1390,1391],{},"Internal communications and stakeholder confidence.",[68,1393,1394],{},"Importantly, look at trends rather than isolated results. What has changed over the past three to five years? Where is the institution gaining ground? Where is it losing relevance? What external factors are influencing performance? Establishing a baseline also helps you distinguish between performance issues that your team can influence and broader institutional or market conditions that require a different response.",[63,1396,1398],{"id":1397},"_6-understand-the-external-environment-and-what-people-are-saying-about-your-institution","6. Understand the external environment and what people are saying about your institution",[68,1400,1401],{},"Your institution does not exist in isolation. It operates within a changing environment shaped by demographic shifts, public policy, government funding, labour market needs, regional competition, public perceptions and changing expectations of post-secondary education.",[68,1403,1404],{},"For a new VP, understanding this environment is essential. Look at what prospective students, parents, employers, alumni, government representatives, community members and the broader public are saying about your institution and its competitors. Do not rely exclusively on internal research or the institution's own perception of its reputation.",[68,1406,1407],{},"Consider:",[88,1409,1410,1413,1416,1419,1422,1425],{},[91,1411,1412],{},"How is the institution perceived compared with its competitors?",[91,1414,1415],{},"What are people saying about its programs and graduate outcomes?",[91,1417,1418],{},"Are there emerging reputational risks?",[91,1420,1421],{},"What is changing in the regional and national higher education landscape?",[91,1423,1424],{},"Are institutional messages resonating with the audiences they are intended to reach?",[91,1426,1427],{},"Where is there a gap between institutional positioning and public perception?",[68,1429,1430],{},"This is where social listening, reputation research and social sensing can provide a valuable perspective. Understanding the conversation around your institution can reveal emerging issues and opportunities that traditional institutional reporting may not capture. It can also help you identify where the institution needs to change its communications, its strategy or potentially the underlying experience it is delivering.",[63,1432,1434],{"id":1433},"_7-identify-the-institutional-priorities-that-need-attention-now","7. Identify the institutional priorities that need attention now",[68,1436,1437],{},"Not everything can be a priority. By this point, you should be developing a clearer picture of what needs immediate attention, what requires longer-term planning and what may not need to change at all.",[68,1439,1440],{},"For a VP of Enrolment, immediate priorities might include addressing an application conversion problem, responding to changes in international student recruitment, improving regional student attraction or strengthening collaboration between recruitment and academic units.",[68,1442,1443],{},"For a VP of External Relations, they might include rebuilding government relationships, addressing reputational challenges, improving institutional communications or aligning marketing and advancement activities around shared strategic objectives.",[68,1445,1446],{},"Separate your findings into three categories:",[1448,1449,1450,1456,1462],"blockquote",{},[68,1451,1452,1455],{},[94,1453,1454],{},"Immediate priorities:"," Issues that present a significant operational, reputational or strategic risk and require action now.",[68,1457,1458,1461],{},[94,1459,1460],{},"Strategic opportunities:"," Areas where better alignment, investment or leadership could deliver meaningful institutional value over the next 12 to 24 months.",[68,1463,1464,1467],{},[94,1465,1466],{},"Longer-term transformation:"," Structural, cultural or organizational changes that require consultation, evidence and sustained leadership.",[68,1469,1470],{},"The objective is not to arrive with a fully developed transformation agenda. It is to demonstrate that you understand what matters, why it matters and how your portfolio can contribute to institutional success.",[63,1472,1474],{"id":1473},"_8-establish-a-shared-vision-and-clear-expectations-for-your-portfolio","8. Establish a shared vision and clear expectations for your portfolio",[68,1476,1477],{},"A new VP needs to establish what their portfolio is there to accomplish. This sounds obvious, but many higher education portfolios have evolved over time through reorganizations, leadership changes and the addition of new responsibilities. The result can be a collection of functions rather than a cohesive strategic portfolio.",[68,1479,1480],{},"Work with your leadership team to define:",[88,1482,1483,1486,1489,1492,1495,1498],{},[91,1484,1485],{},"The purpose and mandate of the portfolio.",[91,1487,1488],{},"Its contribution to the institutional strategic plan.",[91,1490,1491],{},"The outcomes it is accountable for delivering.",[91,1493,1494],{},"How success will be measured.",[91,1496,1497],{},"How it works with other portfolios, faculties and academic units.",[91,1499,1500],{},"Where responsibilities and decision-making authority need clarification.",[68,1502,1503],{},"For example, is marketing primarily responsible for promoting programs, or does it have a role in shaping institutional positioning and reputation? Is enrolment management simply responsible for recruitment targets, or does it influence program mix, student experience, retention and institutional sustainability? Is external relations a collection of communications and partnership functions, or does it provide an integrated approach to how the institution engages with the world around it? These distinctions matter. They shape how your portfolio operates, how it is resourced and how its contribution is understood by the rest of the institution.",[63,1505,1507],{"id":1506},"_9-find-a-few-early-wins-without-confusing-activity-with-progress","9. Find a few early wins without confusing activity with progress",[68,1509,1510],{},"New executives are often under pressure to demonstrate results quickly. There is nothing wrong with identifying early wins. In fact, they can build confidence, establish credibility and create momentum. But be careful not to mistake visible activity for meaningful progress. An early win should address a real problem, demonstrate your understanding of the institution and create value beyond the immediate outcome. Examples might include:",[88,1512,1513,1516,1519,1522,1525,1528,1531],{},[91,1514,1515],{},"Resolving a long-standing decision-making bottleneck.",[91,1517,1518],{},"Improving coordination between central marketing and faculty teams.",[91,1520,1521],{},"Establishing a shared enrolment performance dashboard.",[91,1523,1524],{},"Addressing an emerging reputational issue.",[91,1526,1527],{},"Strengthening a key government or community relationship.",[91,1529,1530],{},"Improving communication between recruitment and academic leadership.",[91,1532,1533],{},"Clarifying accountability for a major institutional initiative.",[68,1535,1536],{},"Choose opportunities that are achievable without distracting your team from more important work. And be generous in recognizing the people who helped make them happen.",[68,1538,1539],{},"Your first 100 days are not an opportunity to demonstrate how much you can personally accomplish. They are an opportunity to show what your team and institution can accomplish under your leadership.",[63,1541,1543],{"id":1542},"_10-develop-your-first-year-leadership-plan","10. Develop your first-year leadership plan",[68,1545,1546],{},"Your first 100 days should culminate in a clear plan for what comes next. You do not need a fully developed five-year strategy. You do need a credible direction, a set of priorities and a way to measure progress. Your first-year leadership plan should include:",[1548,1549,1550,1556,1562,1568,1574,1580,1586],"ol",{},[91,1551,1552,1555],{},[94,1553,1554],{},"What you have learned:"," Key findings from your institutional assessment, stakeholder conversations and performance review.",[91,1557,1558,1561],{},[94,1559,1560],{},"What needs attention:"," The most significant risks, challenges and opportunities.",[91,1563,1564,1567],{},[94,1565,1566],{},"Your strategic priorities:"," Three to five areas where your portfolio can make the greatest contribution.",[91,1569,1570,1573],{},[94,1571,1572],{},"What will change:"," Specific actions, improvements or initiatives.",[91,1575,1576,1579],{},[94,1577,1578],{},"What needs investment:"," Resources, capabilities, organizational changes or additional expertise.",[91,1581,1582,1585],{},[94,1583,1584],{},"How success will be measured:"," A manageable set of performance indicators and milestones.",[91,1587,1588,1591],{},[94,1589,1590],{},"How you will lead:"," Your approach to communication, collaboration, decision-making and team development.",[68,1593,1594],{},"Share your plan with the President, Provost, direct reports and relevant institutional stakeholders. Invite feedback. Make adjustments. Establish regular opportunities to report on progress.",[68,1596,1597],{},"Most importantly, make sure your priorities are connected to the institution's broader ambitions rather than becoming a standalone agenda for your portfolio.",[63,1599,1601],{"id":1600},"the-most-important-thing-to-remember-about-your-first-100-days","The most important thing to remember about your first 100 days",[68,1603,1604],{},"There is a temptation to arrive in a new executive role with a plan to make your mark. But the strongest leaders understand that credibility comes before change.",[68,1606,1607],{},"Your first 100 days should be about building the knowledge, relationships and organizational understanding that allow you to make better decisions.",[68,1609,1610],{},"You are learning an institution while simultaneously helping it move forward. You are building trust with people who may have very different expectations of your leadership. And you are trying to identify where your experience can make the greatest difference.",[68,1612,1613],{},"You do not have to figure everything out alone. In fact, one of the most valuable things a new executive can do is find someone outside the immediate institutional environment who can provide perspective, challenge assumptions and help make sense of what they are experiencing. That is often where the real work of leadership begins.",[68,1615,1616,1617,1625],{},"TINCT's ",[370,1618,1622],{"href":1619,"rel":1620},"https:\u002F\u002Ftinct.ca\u002F#thinking-partner",[1621],"nofollow",[94,1623,1624],{},"Thinking Partner program"," connects higher education leaders with deeply experienced executives, strategists and specialists who have been in the roles, navigated the challenges and understand the realities of institutional leadership. This is not traditional executive coaching or generic mentorship. It is an opportunity to work with someone who can help you see what you might not see when you are in it.",[68,1627,1628],{},"Whether you need a sounding board for a difficult decision, perspective on organizational design, help navigating institutional politics, a second opinion on your strategic priorities or support developing your first-year leadership plan, we bring the experience and outside perspective to help you think differently.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":1630},[1631,1632,1633,1634,1635,1636,1637,1638,1639,1640,1641],{"id":1164,"depth":179,"text":1165},{"id":1191,"depth":179,"text":1192},{"id":1239,"depth":179,"text":1240},{"id":1284,"depth":179,"text":1285},{"id":1332,"depth":179,"text":1333},{"id":1397,"depth":179,"text":1398},{"id":1433,"depth":179,"text":1434},{"id":1473,"depth":179,"text":1474},{"id":1506,"depth":179,"text":1507},{"id":1542,"depth":179,"text":1543},{"id":1600,"depth":179,"text":1601},"2026-07-03","A new VP's first 100 days are an opportunity to understand the institution before trying to change it. Here are 10 priorities for building the knowledge, relationships and plan that allow you to lead well.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Fthe-first-100-days",{"title":1139,"description":1643},"stories\u002Fthe-first-100-days",[961,959,1649,1134,1135],"external relations","796KIIUw6mQmEIkYQTlbE1E8Tdb3MvT1VkstuLEKk14",{"id":1652,"title":1653,"author":58,"body":1654,"date":1966,"description":1967,"extension":187,"meta":1968,"navigation":189,"path":1969,"seo":1970,"stem":1971,"tags":1972,"__hash__":1976},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fcommunicating-institutional-value.md","Communicating Institutional Value Amid Public Skepticism: A Leadership Challenge for Universities and Colleges",{"type":60,"value":1655,"toc":1956},[1656,1659,1665,1668,1671,1674,1678,1681,1690,1699,1702,1705,1708,1712,1715,1718,1721,1724,1727,1730,1733,1736,1739,1743,1746,1749,1752,1755,1758,1772,1775,1778,1782,1785,1788,1791,1794,1797,1800,1803,1806,1809,1812,1816,1819,1822,1825,1830,1833,1836,1839,1842,1845,1849,1852,1855,1858,1861,1866,1869,1874,1877,1882,1885,1890,1893,1898,1901,1906,1909,1912,1916,1919,1922,1925,1928,1931,1934,1938,1941,1944,1947,1950,1953],[68,1657,1658],{},"Universities and colleges have a value story to tell. The challenge is that fewer people are willing to take that value for granted.",[68,1660,1661],{},[259,1662],{"alt":1663,"src":1664},"A woman on a rainy city sidewalk looks through an iron fence toward a stone university building, with a streetcar passing behind her.","\u002Fposts\u002Fcommunicating-institutional-value.jpg",[68,1666,1667],{},"Across Canada, post-secondary institutions are navigating questions about affordability, graduate employment, research relevance, institutional priorities, public funding and their broader contribution to society. Governments are asking harder questions about return on investment. Students and families are weighing the cost of education against uncertain career prospects. Employers want graduates with skills that match changing workforce needs. Communities want to understand what their local institutions contribute beyond the campus gates.",[68,1669,1670],{},"For university and college presidents, vice-presidents and senior leadership teams, this creates a communications challenge that goes well beyond marketing and public relations. It is about demonstrating institutional value, maintaining public trust and making a credible case for the role of higher education in Canada's future.",[68,1672,1673],{},"And it requires more than telling people how important universities and colleges are. It requires showing them.",[63,1675,1677],{"id":1676},"the-higher-education-value-proposition-is-being-questioned","The higher education value proposition is being questioned",[68,1679,1680],{},"Public skepticism about higher education is not necessarily the same as declining support for universities and colleges. In Canada, the picture is more nuanced.",[68,1682,1683,1684,1689],{},"A ",[370,1685,1688],{"href":1686,"rel":1687},"https:\u002F\u002Funivcan.ca\u002Fnews\u002Fcanadians-see-universities-as-community-anchors-in-a-changing-economy-new-polling-says\u002F",[1621],"January 2026 Universities Canada and Abacus Data survey"," found that 61% of Canadians trust universities to act in the public interest. More than three-quarters also recognize universities as anchors of local economies that create jobs and grow businesses. Yet the same research points to a visibility problem: the contributions of universities can be so fundamental to communities that people do not always recognize how they connect to their everyday lives.",[68,1691,1692,1693,1698],{},"Other research highlights the tension. A ",[370,1694,1697],{"href":1695,"rel":1696},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.caut.ca\u002Fbulletin\u002Fnew-caut-poll-post-secondary-education-enjoys-high-public-trust-among-canadians\u002F",[1621],"2024 CAUT survey found that 60% of Canadians"," believed the value of a college or university education had declined over the previous four years, even while Canadians continued to express strong support for post-secondary education and its contribution to society.",[68,1700,1701],{},"The distinction matters. Institutions are not necessarily facing a wholesale rejection of higher education. They are facing more scrutiny of what they deliver, who benefits and whether the investment is justified.",[68,1703,1704],{},"For institutional leaders, this changes the conversation. It is no longer enough to point to the historic importance of higher education, the number of graduates produced or the volume of research published. Those are institutional achievements, but they do not automatically translate into perceived public value.",[68,1706,1707],{},"The question is increasingly direct: What difference does this institution make, and to whom?",[63,1709,1711],{"id":1710},"institutional-impact-needs-to-be-communicated-beyond-campus","Institutional impact needs to be communicated beyond campus",[68,1713,1714],{},"One of the most persistent challenges in higher education communications is the gap between institutional activity and public understanding.",[68,1716,1717],{},"Universities and colleges generate enormous economic, social and cultural value. They educate the workforce, support innovation, attract investment, conduct research, strengthen public services, develop entrepreneurs, preserve culture and contribute to the vitality of the communities around them.",[68,1719,1720],{},"But much of this work is communicated through institutional language and internal measures of success.",[68,1722,1723],{},"Research funding secured. Publications produced. Programs launched. Enrolment growth. Partnerships signed. Buildings constructed. Rankings achieved.",[68,1725,1726],{},"These measures matter, but they are not necessarily meaningful to someone outside the institution.",[68,1728,1729],{},"A local employer may be more interested in how a college is addressing a shortage of skilled tradespeople. A municipal government may want to understand how a university contributes to population growth, downtown revitalization or regional innovation. A parent may want evidence that a degree or diploma will prepare their child for meaningful employment. A taxpayer may want to know how public investment translates into better health care, stronger communities or economic resilience.",[68,1731,1732],{},"The underlying institutional activity may be the same. The value proposition is different depending on the audience.",[68,1734,1735],{},"This is where strategic communications and institutional reputation management become particularly important. Leaders need to translate institutional outputs into outcomes that audiences can recognize, understand and connect to their own priorities.",[68,1737,1738],{},"The objective is not to simplify the work. It is to make its significance visible.",[63,1740,1742],{"id":1741},"stop-communicating-institutional-excellence-start-demonstrating-public-value","Stop communicating institutional excellence. Start demonstrating public value.",[68,1744,1745],{},"Higher education institutions have become very good at communicating excellence. They celebrate research breakthroughs, showcase award-winning faculty, promote successful graduates and publish impressive institutional statistics.",[68,1747,1748],{},"There is nothing wrong with this. But excellence and value are not interchangeable.",[68,1750,1751],{},"An institution can be academically excellent and still struggle to demonstrate its relevance to the community. It can produce world-class research without communicating how that research changes policy, improves lives or creates economic opportunities. It can graduate thousands of students without making the connection between its programs and regional workforce needs.",[68,1753,1754],{},"For presidents and vice-presidents responsible for institutional positioning, the opportunity is to move from communicating what the institution does to demonstrating what happens because it does it.",[68,1756,1757],{},"Consider the difference:",[88,1759,1760,1763,1766,1769],{},[91,1761,1762],{},"Instead of reporting the number of research partnerships, demonstrate how those partnerships are helping businesses innovate, improving public services or addressing regional challenges.",[91,1764,1765],{},"Instead of promoting graduate employment statistics alone, show how graduates are contributing to the communities and industries that need them.",[91,1767,1768],{},"Instead of celebrating new academic programs, explain which emerging workforce needs they address and how employers helped shape them.",[91,1770,1771],{},"Instead of reporting the economic impact of the institution as a standalone figure, illustrate how the institution contributes to local business development, talent attraction, population growth and community resilience.",[68,1773,1774],{},"This shift is particularly important when communicating the value of public investment in higher education. Governments and taxpayers need more than a list of institutional accomplishments. They need a clear connection between investment, institutional activity and public benefit.",[68,1776,1777],{},"The strongest institutional value proposition is one that can be demonstrated, not simply declared.",[63,1779,1781],{"id":1780},"different-audiences-require-different-evidence-of-value","Different audiences require different evidence of value",[68,1783,1784],{},"One of the mistakes institutions make when communicating their value is assuming there is a single story that will resonate with everyone.",[68,1786,1787],{},"There isn't.",[68,1789,1790],{},"Students and families may be focused on affordability, return on investment, employment outcomes and the overall student experience. Employers may be interested in talent pipelines, applied research, skills development and access to specialized expertise. Governments may prioritize economic development, workforce readiness, innovation, productivity and public accountability. Communities may care about local employment, cultural vitality, health, accessibility and the institution's contribution to quality of life.",[68,1792,1793],{},"Even within these groups, perspectives differ.",[68,1795,1796],{},"A university's value to a prospective student considering a $40,000 investment is not necessarily the same as its value to a municipal economic development office. A college's contribution to a regional labour market may look very different to a local business owner than it does to a provincial ministry.",[68,1798,1799],{},"This is why institutional communications strategies need to be informed by audience research, not just institutional priorities.",[68,1801,1802],{},"Understanding what people already believe about an institution, what they value, where they see gaps and what evidence would change their perceptions is foundational to developing effective messaging.",[68,1804,1805],{},"It also means moving beyond traditional stakeholder engagement exercises that ask audiences what they think about institutional plans. Leaders need to understand what people are saying when the institution is not in the room.",[68,1807,1808],{},"What questions are emerging? What assumptions are shaping public perceptions? Which institutional contributions are understood, overlooked or misunderstood? Where is there a disconnect between the experience the institution believes it delivers and the experience people actually have?",[68,1810,1811],{},"These insights can help institutions identify not only what to communicate, but what needs to change.",[63,1813,1815],{"id":1814},"public-trust-is-built-through-consistency-between-promise-and-experience","Public trust is built through consistency between promise and experience",[68,1817,1818],{},"Communications can help make institutional value more visible. They cannot manufacture value where audiences do not experience it.",[68,1820,1821],{},"This is an important distinction for senior leaders.",[68,1823,1824],{},"If an institution promotes itself as accessible but prospective students encounter unnecessary barriers, the messaging will eventually lose credibility. If it talks about workforce relevance while employers struggle to find graduates with the required skills, a polished campaign will not resolve the disconnect. If it celebrates community partnerships but local organizations see little evidence of meaningful collaboration, the institutional narrative will ring hollow.",[68,1826,1827],{},[94,1828,1829],{},"Public trust is shaped by the relationship between what an institution says, what it does and what people experience.",[68,1831,1832],{},"This makes institutional reputation management a leadership responsibility, not simply a communications function.",[68,1834,1835],{},"It requires alignment across academic planning, enrolment management, student services, research, government relations, advancement, community engagement and institutional communications. The value proposition needs to be reflected in institutional decisions and operational priorities, not just in brand messaging.",[68,1837,1838],{},"It also requires a willingness to acknowledge where the institution is falling short.",[68,1840,1841],{},"Transparency about affordability challenges, program relevance, student outcomes, research priorities and institutional performance can be uncomfortable. But avoiding difficult questions or responding with defensive messaging can create a larger credibility problem.",[68,1843,1844],{},"Institutions do not need to agree with every criticism. They do need to understand why it exists, distinguish perception from evidence and respond with substance.",[63,1846,1848],{"id":1847},"make-institutional-value-a-continuous-conversation-not-a-campaign","Make institutional value a continuous conversation, not a campaign",[68,1850,1851],{},"Too often, communicating institutional value becomes a reactive exercise. A funding announcement triggers an economic impact story. A public controversy prompts a reputation management response. A government consultation creates a flurry of advocacy materials. A strategic plan produces a new set of institutional messages.",[68,1853,1854],{},"These activities can be useful, but they are not a substitute for a sustained approach to communicating institutional relevance.",[68,1856,1857],{},"For presidents and senior leadership teams, the opportunity is to make public value a consistent part of institutional communications and engagement.",[68,1859,1860],{},"This means:",[68,1862,1863],{},[94,1864,1865],{},"1. Establish a clear institutional value proposition.",[68,1867,1868],{},"Be explicit about the institution's contribution to students, employers, communities and society. What does it uniquely bring to its region, its sector and the country? Where does its impact extend beyond the campus?",[68,1870,1871],{},[94,1872,1873],{},"2. Understand public perceptions before developing messages.",[68,1875,1876],{},"Use research, stakeholder interviews, social listening and ongoing environmental scanning to identify the issues shaping institutional reputation. Do not assume internal consensus reflects external understanding.",[68,1878,1879],{},[94,1880,1881],{},"3. Connect institutional priorities to public priorities.",[68,1883,1884],{},"Translate strategic plans into tangible contributions to workforce development, economic growth, innovation, health, culture, sustainability and community well-being. Make the connection clear rather than expecting audiences to draw it themselves.",[68,1886,1887],{},[94,1888,1889],{},"4. Use evidence alongside storytelling.",[68,1891,1892],{},"Data establishes credibility. Stories make the data meaningful. Combine measurable outcomes with the experiences of students, graduates, employers, researchers and community partners.",[68,1894,1895],{},[94,1896,1897],{},"5. Equip institutional leaders to communicate consistently.",[68,1899,1900],{},"Presidents, deans, faculty, researchers and frontline employees all influence how an institution is understood. They need a shared understanding of institutional priorities and the language to communicate their relevance in different contexts.",[68,1902,1903],{},[94,1904,1905],{},"6. Measure changes in perception, not just communications activity.",[68,1907,1908],{},"Impressions, media coverage, website traffic and campaign engagement are useful measures, but they do not tell the whole story. Track whether audiences better understand institutional contributions, recognize their relevance and have greater confidence in the institution.",[68,1910,1911],{},"This is not about turning every institutional activity into a promotional opportunity. It is about ensuring that the value being created is understood by the people who ultimately sustain, support and benefit from the institution.",[63,1913,1915],{"id":1914},"the-role-of-institutional-brand-and-reputation-management","The role of institutional brand and reputation management",[68,1917,1918],{},"A strong institutional brand is more than a visual identity or a compelling positioning statement. It is the cumulative perception of an institution, shaped by its decisions, relationships, communications and experiences over time.",[68,1920,1921],{},"In a climate of greater public scrutiny, brand strategy and reputation management need to be connected to institutional strategy.",[68,1923,1924],{},"That means understanding where the institution currently stands in the minds of its audiences, identifying gaps between intended positioning and actual perception, and developing a deliberate approach to closing those gaps.",[68,1926,1927],{},"It also means recognizing that institutional reputation is not entirely within the institution's control. It is shaped by public conversations, media coverage, political and economic conditions, personal experiences and the perceptions of people who may never set foot on campus.",[68,1929,1930],{},"This is why ongoing social sensing and audience research are increasingly valuable. Rather than relying exclusively on periodic surveys or internal assumptions, institutions can monitor how perceptions evolve, identify emerging issues and understand how their reputation is being shaped in real time.",[68,1932,1933],{},"For senior leaders, this provides something particularly important: the ability to make more informed decisions about where to invest communications effort, where to address an experience or performance gap, and where the institution may be missing an opportunity to demonstrate its value.",[63,1935,1937],{"id":1936},"a-stronger-case-for-higher-education-starts-with-a-better-understanding-of-its-value","A stronger case for higher education starts with a better understanding of its value",[68,1939,1940],{},"Universities, colleges and polytechnics do not need to invent a new reason for their existence. Their contributions to individuals, communities, economies and society are substantial.",[68,1942,1943],{},"But institutional history and public mandate do not guarantee public confidence. Nor does the volume of communications an institution produces determine how well its value is understood.",[68,1945,1946],{},"The institutions best positioned to navigate this environment will be those that understand what their audiences value, are prepared to demonstrate their contributions with evidence, and can connect their strategic priorities to the issues that matter beyond campus.",[68,1948,1949],{},"For presidents and vice-presidents, this is an opportunity to move institutional communications beyond promotion and advocacy toward something more consequential: building a shared understanding of why the institution matters.",[68,1951,1952],{},"Because the question isn't simply whether universities and colleges create value.",[68,1954,1955],{},"It's whether the people they serve can see it.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":1957},[1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965],{"id":1676,"depth":179,"text":1677},{"id":1710,"depth":179,"text":1711},{"id":1741,"depth":179,"text":1742},{"id":1780,"depth":179,"text":1781},{"id":1814,"depth":179,"text":1815},{"id":1847,"depth":179,"text":1848},{"id":1914,"depth":179,"text":1915},{"id":1936,"depth":179,"text":1937},"2026-06-30","Universities and colleges have a value story to tell, but fewer people are willing to take that value for granted. For senior leaders, the challenge is moving from communicating institutional excellence to demonstrating public value.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcommunicating-institutional-value",{"title":1653,"description":1967},"stories\u002Fcommunicating-institutional-value",[1973,1974,1975,195],"public relations","crisis communications","brand storytelling","4vSLjSxS_N9rvJGK1dVTUYpU8D_PSOLrtsu9vCjLdVw",{"id":1978,"title":1979,"author":58,"body":1980,"date":2118,"description":2119,"extension":187,"meta":2120,"navigation":189,"path":2121,"seo":2122,"stem":2123,"tags":2124,"__hash__":2131},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fuser-generated-cities.md","User-Generated Cities: How Everyday People Are Reshaping the Urban Brand",{"type":60,"value":1981,"toc":2110},[1982,1985,1988,1992,1995,1998,2001,2005,2008,2011,2014,2017,2021,2024,2027,2031,2034,2037,2041,2044,2047,2051,2059,2070,2081,2092,2103],[68,1983,1984],{},"In a world where cities compete for talent, capital, and attention, urban branding has become a high-stakes game. But who gets to decide what a city stands for? Increasingly, the answer is: everyone.",[68,1986,1987],{},"We live in an era of the user-generated city, where everyday residents, visitors, and community organizations use digital platforms to define and redefine the meaning of place in real time. As someone who has spent years researching neighbourhood place branding, I believe this grassroots shift has the potential to radically reshape how innovation districts and urban centres grow, engage, and tell their stories.",[63,1989,1991],{"id":1990},"from-broadcast-to-co-creation","From Broadcast to Co-Creation",[68,1993,1994],{},"Urban branding was once a top-down endeavour. City leaders hired agencies to craft taglines, design logos, and roll out glossy campaigns aimed at investors and tourists. But the rise of social media and platform economies, from Instagram to Google Reviews to Airbnb, has flipped the script.",[68,1996,1997],{},"Now, place branding is co-created, not broadcast.",[68,1999,2000],{},"This shift mirrors a broader trend in the marketing world. As brand theorist Susan Fournier (1998) argued, brands are not fixed objects but dynamic relationships shaped by consumers. In the urban context, residents become not just ambassadors but authors of place narratives, curating, remixing, and projecting their environments for a global audience.",[63,2002,2004],{"id":2003},"cities-as-platform-brands","Cities as Platform Brands",[68,2006,2007],{},"Cities are no longer just physical spaces; they are also digital interfaces.",[68,2009,2010],{},"In my research, I coined the term \"platform placemaking\" to describe how neighbourhood identity is increasingly constructed through interactions on digital platforms like Reddit, Instagram, and Airbnb.",[68,2012,2013],{},"These platforms act as informal but powerful branding tools, ones that often carry more weight than official city communications. A single viral photo, trending hashtag, or influential Google Maps review can do more to shape a neighbourhood's identity than a $100,000 campaign.",[68,2015,2016],{},"As scholars like Sharon Zukin (2017) and Michael Luca (2016) have noted, user reviews and hyperlocal content now drive consumer perception, real estate patterns, and even urban development decisions.",[63,2018,2020],{"id":2019},"the-yelp-effect-meets-urban-geography","The Yelp Effect Meets Urban Geography",[68,2022,2023],{},"Consider the \"Yelp effect.\" A highly rated café or farmers' market can turn an overlooked street into a hot spot within weeks. But this phenomenon also raises questions about equity and voice: Whose experiences get seen? Whose photos shape perception? And who gets pushed out when those perceptions drive investment and gentrification?",[68,2025,2026],{},"In Kingston, Ontario, where I conducted case studies of three heritage neighbourhoods, I found that residents used everyday digital content to push back against official narratives and surface hyperlocal truths. These slow, unbranded, and sometimes messy portrayals gave a more authentic sense of place than anything found in a brochure.",[63,2028,2030],{"id":2029},"implications-for-innovation-districts","Implications for Innovation Districts",[68,2032,2033],{},"For leaders building innovation districts, this user-generated shift is both an opportunity and a challenge. On one hand, it democratizes placemaking—inviting residents, founders, students, and artists to contribute to the district’s evolving identity. On the other, it demands humility. You can’t control the narrative; you can only create conditions where good stories flourish.",[68,2035,2036],{},"Rather than asking “How do we brand this place?” forward-looking districts should ask, “How are people already branding this place themselves?” That means listening to hashtags. Mapping photos. Tracking sentiment in real-time. But more importantly, it means building policies, programs, and spaces that reflect what people value: walkability, affordability, creativity, safety, diversity.",[63,2038,2040],{"id":2039},"policy-before-promotion","Policy Before Promotion",[68,2042,2043],{},"Place branding is no longer about promotion first. It’s about policy that earns the brand. If your innovation district supports affordable housing, anchors local talent, welcomes newcomers, and facilitates cultural expression, the brand will emerge: organic, resilient, and real.",[68,2045,2046],{},"In the user-generated city, place identity is shaped by actions, not adjectives. That’s the challenge—and promise—of the next era of urban innovation.",[63,2048,2050],{"id":2049},"references","References",[68,2052,2053,2054,2058],{},"Bauman, Z. (2013). ",[2055,2056,2057],"em",{},"Liquid modernity."," Polity Press.",[68,2060,2061,2062,2065,2066],{},"Fair, L. (2022). ",[2055,2063,2064],{},"Platform placemaking machines: Neighbourhood place-branding in Kingston Ontario"," (Queen’s University). ",[370,2067,2068],{"href":2068,"rel":2069},"https:\u002F\u002Fqspace.library.queensu.ca\u002Fhandle\u002F1974\u002F30434",[1621],[68,2071,2072,2073,2076,2077],{},"Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research. ",[2055,2074,2075],{},"Journal of Consumer Research",", 24(4), 343–373. ",[370,2078,2079],{"href":2079,"rel":2080},"https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1086\u002F209515",[1621],[68,2082,2083,2084,2087,2088],{},"Luca, M. (2016). Reviews, reputation, and revenue: The case of Yelp.com. ",[2055,2085,2086],{},"Harvard Business School NOM Unit Working Paper No. 12-016."," ",[370,2089,2090],{"href":2090,"rel":2091},"https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.2139\u002Fssrn.1928601",[1621],[68,2093,2094,2095,2098,2099],{},"Zukin, S., Lindeman, S., & Hurson, L. (2017). The omnivore’s neighborhood? Online restaurant reviews, race, and gentrification. ",[2055,2096,2097],{},"Journal of Consumer Culture",", 17(3), 459–479. ",[370,2100,2101],{"href":2101,"rel":2102},"https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1177\u002F1469540515611203",[1621],[68,2104,2105,2106,2109],{},"Zukin, S. (2020). ",[2055,2107,2108],{},"The innovation complex: Cities, tech, and the new economy."," Oxford University Press.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2111},[2112,2113,2114,2115,2116,2117],{"id":1990,"depth":179,"text":1991},{"id":2003,"depth":179,"text":2004},{"id":2019,"depth":179,"text":2020},{"id":2029,"depth":179,"text":2030},{"id":2039,"depth":179,"text":2040},{"id":2049,"depth":179,"text":2050},"2025-04-03","Who gets to decide what a city stands for? Increasingly, the answer is everyone. As people define places in real time on digital platforms, place identity is shaped by actions, not adjectives.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Fuser-generated-cities",{"title":1979,"description":2119},"stories\u002Fuser-generated-cities",[2125,1973,2126,2127,2128,2129,2130,196],"brand","tourism marketing","place marketing","economic development","differentiation","market research","mntHxxn0gt3Bl-jQSWdzHiVfCwpCcWArJ_gD_4B5hZQ",{"id":2133,"title":2134,"author":58,"body":2135,"date":2357,"description":2358,"extension":187,"meta":2359,"navigation":189,"path":2360,"seo":2361,"stem":2362,"tags":2363,"__hash__":2364},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Finnovation-without-identity.md","Innovation Without Identity: The Differentiation Deficit",{"type":60,"value":2136,"toc":2350},[2137,2140,2144,2147,2151,2154,2159,2223,2226,2230,2233,2236,2241,2244,2247,2254,2257,2262,2276,2280,2283,2288,2302,2307,2309,2316,2322,2329,2336,2343],[68,2138,2139],{},"If every city is still trying to become the next Silicon Valley, then no city will be or is. In the race to build innovation ecosystems and attract talent, many cities are missing a critical competitive advantage: differentiation. While slogans may scream “innovation” and master plans promise “clusters,” too few places articulate what truly sets them apart: culturally, economically, or spatially.",[63,2141,2143],{"id":2142},"innovation-ecosystems-as-urban-strategy","Innovation Ecosystems as Urban Strategy",[68,2145,2146],{},"Since the early 2000s, cities have increasingly adopted the \"innovation ecosystem\" as a framework to stimulate economic growth, drawing on concepts from Etzkowitz & Leydesdorff’s (2000) Triple Helix model. The goal? Combine universities, industry, and government to catalyze R&D, startups, and tech transfer. From this foundation, districts like Boston’s Kendall Square emerged. These places benefited from existing institutional strengths, talent pipelines, and real estate strategies that reinforced their tech and research identities. Yet many mid-sized cities, lacking comparable assets, have adopted similar models with fewer results. The challenge isn't ambition; it’s local alignment and authenticity.",[63,2148,2150],{"id":2149},"the-epidemic-of-innovation-monoculture","The Epidemic of Innovation Monoculture",[68,2152,2153],{},"A 2022 Brookings Institution analysis of 45 mid-sized U.S. cities found that over 60% used nearly identical terminology in their economic development strategies. Terms like \"innovation corridor,\" \"tech hub,\" and \"knowledge economy\" dominate. Yet very few identified sectoral strengths, talent differentiators, or locally rooted narratives that distinguish them from their peers.",[68,2155,2156],{},[94,2157,2158],{},"Data Table: Sample Phrases Used in Economic Development Plans",[2160,2161,2162,2179],"table",{},[2163,2164,2165],"thead",{},[2166,2167,2168,2174],"tr",{},[2169,2170,2171],"th",{},[94,2172,2173],{},"Phrase",[2169,2175,2176],{},[94,2177,2178],{},"% of Cities Using It (n=45)",[2180,2181,2182,2191,2199,2207,2215],"tbody",{},[2166,2183,2184,2188],{},[2185,2186,2187],"td",{},"“Innovation Hub”",[2185,2189,2190],{},"64%",[2166,2192,2193,2196],{},[2185,2194,2195],{},"“Smart City”",[2185,2197,2198],{},"58%",[2166,2200,2201,2204],{},[2185,2202,2203],{},"“Tech-Driven Economy”",[2185,2205,2206],{},"53%",[2166,2208,2209,2212],{},[2185,2210,2211],{},"“Next Silicon Valley”",[2185,2213,2214],{},"42%",[2166,2216,2217,2220],{},[2185,2218,2219],{},"“Creative Class”",[2185,2221,2222],{},"29%",[68,2224,2225],{},"Toronto, Montréal, and Edmonton have all promoted themselves as AI capitals. Yet Montréal’s emphasis on responsible AI, backed by MILA and deep policy integration, has helped to establish some differentiation in the marketplace with a clearer identity. From an outsiders perspective, Edmonton and Toronto, while both strong in AI R&D, often rely on generic branding that doesn’t reflect unique city values or research philosophies.",[63,2227,2229],{"id":2228},"why-city-branding-matters-in-innovation","Why City Branding Matters in Innovation",[68,2231,2232],{},"City branding is not a slogan; it’s a strategic narrative. It helps a city define its value proposition to talent, investors, founders, students, and even its own residents. Done well, city branding shapes not just perception, but investment priorities and urban planning decisions.",[68,2234,2235],{},"Consider Austin, Texas. Its “Keep Austin Weird” ethos is more than cultural branding. It created space for a tech scene that doesn’t try to mimic San Francisco, but fuses with Austin’s music, lifestyle, and libertarian vibe. Contrast that with regions that simply claim to be “next-gen tech cities,” and you can see how differentiation sustains momentum.",[68,2237,2238],{},[94,2239,2240],{},"Case Study: Eindhoven’s Focus on Design and Technology",[68,2242,2243],{},"Eindhoven, a mid-sized city in the Netherlands, offers a model of grounded differentiation. Once a company town for Philips, the city leveraged its design school, tech heritage, and light-based infrastructure to reinvent itself as a leader in smart lighting and human-centric design. Instead of claiming to be “the next Amsterdam” or “a tech capital,” Eindhoven branded itself around “Design and Technology.” It embedded this into its physical spaces, design festivals, R&D infrastructure, and international partnerships.",[68,2245,2246],{},"Eindhoven's branding is centered around the formula:",[68,2248,2249],{},[2055,2250,2251],{},[94,2252,2253],{},"Unconventional × Collaboration = Energy",[68,2255,2256],{},"This equation encapsulates the city's identity, emphasizing its commitment to innovative and collaborative approaches.",[68,2258,2259],{},[94,2260,2261],{},"Why this is successful:",[88,2263,2264,2267,2270,2273],{},[91,2265,2266],{},"It builds on historical and cultural assets",[91,2268,2269],{},"It is supported by institutions and infrastructure",[91,2271,2272],{},"It appears in the built environment (not just strategy documents)",[91,2274,2275],{},"It helps a city say what it isn’t as much as what it is",[63,2277,2279],{"id":2278},"conclusion-from-cloning-to-cultivation","Conclusion: From Cloning to Cultivation",[68,2281,2282],{},"Cities compete globally for attention, investment, and talent. Innovation strategies that ignore cultural, institutional, and spatial uniqueness may generate short-term excitement but fail to create long-term value. Differentiation is not decoration—it’s the foundation of a successful place-based innovation strategy. As ecosystems mature, cities that fail to build on authentic, locally-rooted strengths may fade into a sea of sameness. Start with truth, not trend.",[68,2284,2285],{},[94,2286,2287],{},"Checklist: What Differentiation Requires",[88,2289,2290,2293,2296,2299],{},[91,2291,2292],{},"Clear articulation of cultural and economic strengths",[91,2294,2295],{},"Visible integration into urban design (not just brochures)",[91,2297,2298],{},"Stakeholder alignment across sectors",[91,2300,2301],{},"Willingness to say what a city isn’t",[68,2303,2304],{},[2055,2305,2306],{},"The future belongs to cities that are bold enough to tell their own story—not borrow someone else’s.",[63,2308,2050],{"id":2049},[68,2310,2311,2312,2315],{},"Anholt, S. (2010). ",[2055,2313,2314],{},"Places: Identity, Image and Reputation."," Palgrave Macmillan.",[68,2317,2318,2319],{},"Brookings Institution. (2022). ",[2055,2320,2321],{},"Innovation Branding and Strategy in Mid-Sized Cities.",[68,2323,2324,2325,2328],{},"Etzkowitz, H., & Leydesdorff, L. (2000). \"The dynamics of innovation: from National Systems and 'Mode 2' to a Triple Helix of university–industry–government relations.\" ",[2055,2326,2327],{},"Research Policy",", 29(2), 109–123.",[68,2330,2331,2332,2335],{},"Florida, R. (2002). ",[2055,2333,2334],{},"The Rise of the Creative Class."," Basic Books.",[68,2337,2338,2339,2342],{},"Kavaratzis, M., & Ashworth, G. J. (2005). \"City branding: An effective assertion of identity or a transitory marketing trick?\" ",[2055,2340,2341],{},"Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie",", 96(5), 506–514.",[68,2344,2345,2346,2349],{},"Moretti, E. (2012). ",[2055,2347,2348],{},"The New Geography of Jobs."," Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2351},[2352,2353,2354,2355,2356],{"id":2142,"depth":179,"text":2143},{"id":2149,"depth":179,"text":2150},{"id":2228,"depth":179,"text":2229},{"id":2278,"depth":179,"text":2279},{"id":2049,"depth":179,"text":2050},"2025-03-21","In the race to build innovation ecosystems and attract talent, many cities are missing a critical competitive advantage: differentiation. Lasting innovation strategies start with truth, not trend.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Finnovation-without-identity",{"title":2134,"description":2358},"stories\u002Finnovation-without-identity",[2125,1973,2126,2127,2128,2129],"4DoAMkhL_LAO9MmQsk22NFJOIZI1XzABAso6RYVHCeI",{"id":2366,"title":2367,"author":58,"body":2368,"date":2418,"description":2419,"extension":187,"meta":2420,"navigation":189,"path":2421,"seo":2422,"stem":2423,"tags":2424,"__hash__":2426},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Fwhat-place-branding-taught-me.md","What place branding taught me about universities",{"type":60,"value":2369,"toc":2414},[2370,2373,2376,2379,2383,2386,2389,2393,2411],[68,2371,2372],{},"I did a PhD in place branding, which is a long way of saying I spent years studying why cities that describe themselves identically to every other city are surprised when nobody moves there.",[68,2374,2375],{},"The temptation in place marketing is to claim the universal goods: welcoming, innovative, connected, vibrant. Every campaign has them. They are all true, which is exactly the problem — a claim that no competitor would ever contest is not a position, it's a courtesy.",[68,2377,2378],{},"Universities do the same thing. Student-focused. Research-intensive. Globally minded. If you can swap the crest at the top and the sentence still works, it was never saying anything.",[63,2380,2382],{"id":2381},"the-brand-truth-is-usually-already-there","The brand truth is usually already there",[68,2384,2385],{},"Place branding has one useful discipline that transfers directly: you cannot invent the asset. You can only find it, name it accurately, and stop apologising for it.",[68,2387,2388],{},"A mid-sized institution in a cold city with a strong co-op program and a famously stubborn alumni network has a real position. It is not \"world-class.\" It is something much more specific, much less flattering in the abstract, and far more persuasive to the eight thousand people who would genuinely thrive there.",[63,2390,2392],{"id":2391},"three-questions-that-get-you-there","Three questions that get you there",[88,2394,2395,2400,2405],{},[91,2396,2397],{},[94,2398,2399],{},"What do people who love this place say when they're not being asked to promote it?",[91,2401,2402],{},[94,2403,2404],{},"What do we keep apologising for that our best students actually chose us for?",[91,2406,2407,2410],{},[94,2408,2409],{},"Which competitor could truthfully make this exact claim?"," If the answer is \"most of them,\" start over.",[68,2412,2413],{},"Finding the brand truth is the whole job. After that, the work is mostly getting out of its way — so students enrol, investments come in, and tourists show up.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2415},[2416,2417],{"id":2381,"depth":179,"text":2382},{"id":2391,"depth":179,"text":2392},"2025-02-15","A city can't rebrand its way out of being a place nobody wants to live. A university can't either. The discipline of place branding is mostly the discipline of telling the truth attractively.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Fwhat-place-branding-taught-me",{"title":2367,"description":2419},"stories\u002Fwhat-place-branding-taught-me",[2425,195,194],"place branding","J2KnIqD_oMq1CeyPXeHZPnqWl0fv6bxHVEBzopmbJ6Y",{"id":2428,"title":2429,"author":58,"body":2430,"date":2482,"description":2483,"extension":187,"meta":2484,"navigation":189,"path":2485,"seo":2486,"stem":2487,"tags":2488,"__hash__":2489},"posts\u002Fstories\u002Funiversities-as-urban-beacons.md","Universities as Urban Beacons",{"type":60,"value":2431,"toc":2477},[2432,2435,2438,2442,2445,2448,2452,2461,2464,2468,2471,2474],[68,2433,2434],{},"Universities have always been more than places of learning—they’re hubs of innovation, culture, and community. But in today’s hyper-competitive landscape, they’re increasingly becoming city-defining brands. As higher education institutions vie for top talent, investment, and recognition, their campuses are evolving into vital components of urban identity and vice versa.",[68,2436,2437],{},"As a result, higher education institutions are becoming masters of marketing places—and often don't even know it. Their campaigns aren’t just about selling programs or degrees— they’re about selling an experience tied to a specific place—at least the successful campaigns do. From highlighting scenic vistas beyond campus to promoting the vibrancy of the surrounding community, universities have honed the art of place-based marketing.",[63,2439,2441],{"id":2440},"universities-as-place-makers","Universities as Place-Makers",[68,2443,2444],{},"Think about Cambridge, Massachusetts, or Oxford, England. These cities are almost inseparable from the names of the universities they host. Over time, their academic reputations have elevated them into global destinations. But smaller and newer cities are catching on, leveraging universities as placemakers to attract residents, tourists, and businesses.",[68,2446,2447],{},"For example, Waterloo, Ontario, has been branded as a hub for tech innovation largely because of the University of Waterloo and its connection to Silicon Valley through its co-op programs over the last three decades. Similarly, Arizona State University’s focus on accessibility and innovation has helped reshape Phoenix’s identity as a city of opportunity.",[63,2449,2451],{"id":2450},"universities-as-urban-ambassadors","Universities as Urban Ambassadors",[68,2453,2454,2455,2460],{},"Higher education institutions often act as ambassadors for their cities on the global stage. When universities attract international or far-from-away domestic students, they simultaneously market their city as a destination. This symbiotic relationship means that university branding increasingly mirrors city branding, with shared values like innovation, diversity, and inclusion taking center stage. For example, Melbourne, Australia, has successfully marketed itself as an international education hub through collaboration with local universities, creating a welcoming ecosystem for international students. This includes initiatives like ",[370,2456,2459],{"href":2457,"rel":2458},"https:\u002F\u002Fparticipate.melbourne.vic.gov.au\u002Fneighbourhoods\u002Fwest-melbourne\u002Fmy-melbourne-student-welcome-tour",[1621],"Melbourne’s Student Welcome Desk",", which provides new arrivals with city maps, transport advice, and event invitations, promoting the city alongside its institutions.",[68,2462,2463],{},"Similarly, the University of British Columbia (UBC) attracts from-away students to Vancouver through its strong global reputation. By emphasizing sustainability and innovation, UBC has reinforced Vancouver’s branding as a progressive, eco-friendly city. This mutually beneficial relationship boosts both the university's and the city's profiles internationally.",[63,2465,2467],{"id":2466},"the-future-of-campus-and-city-branding","The Future of Campus and City Branding",[68,2469,2470],{},"As urban centers become more interconnected, the line between campus and city branding will blur even further. Universities will continue to serve as testbeds for ideas that redefine urban spaces—from smart city technology to community resilience in the face of global challenges.",[68,2472,2473],{},"Cities and campuses, when aligned, can create powerful brands that elevate both their reputations and their residents’ quality of life. If universities are urban beacons, then cities must become the landscapes that enable these lights to shine brightly.",[68,2475,2476],{},"What’s next for your city and its campus? The answer could redefine the way we think about place, education, and community.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2478},[2479,2480,2481],{"id":2440,"depth":179,"text":2441},{"id":2450,"depth":179,"text":2451},{"id":2466,"depth":179,"text":2467},"2025-01-30","Universities are increasingly becoming city-defining brands. Their campaigns sell an experience tied to a specific place, and their campuses are evolving into vital components of urban identity.",{},"\u002Fstories\u002Funiversities-as-urban-beacons",{"title":2429,"description":2483},"stories\u002Funiversities-as-urban-beacons",[2125,1973,2126,2127,2128],"OfSNcL949HCwVOZ-cuGVp0qAbER0T3Jqu8y_YWrzkes",[2491,2510,2528,2547,2566,2585,2604,2623],{"id":2492,"title":2493,"body":2494,"category":2501,"description":2498,"extension":187,"linkedin":2502,"meta":2503,"navigation":189,"order":2504,"path":2505,"photo":2506,"seo":2507,"stem":2508,"__hash__":2509},"bench\u002Fbench\u002Flindsey-fair.md","Dr. Lindsey Fair",{"type":60,"value":2495,"toc":2499},[2496],[68,2497,2498],{},"Dr. Lindsey Fair printed her first résumé on the side of a coffee cup. It landed her a marketing job at an international hotel chain and a Tourism Award for southwestern Ontario, and it's basically been her operating principle ever since: say the true thing in a way nobody expects. She built that instinct into two startups, Market Me and 14 Theories, back when Ask Jeeves was still cool, and won Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the trouble. Since then, she's spent 20+ years inside the machinery of economic development and post-secondary leadership, tripling public funding for a regional entrepreneurship centre, securing $83.6M in federal infrastructure support, and growing unrestricted revenue by 141% year-over-year. As Associate Vice President at UVic, she built the university's first integrated national marketing campaigns and drove a 458% increase in fundraising and brand-affinity conversions; before that, at SAIT and Queen's, she modernized donor and recruitment systems and wrote a Faculty's first marketing plan in 175 years. Now, as Vice President at Invest Ottawa, she runs brand strategy, placemaking, and living lab development for one of Canada's most closely-watched tech ecosystems, backed by a PhD in Place Branding and an MBA in Community Economic Development. She finds the brand truth and gets out of its way so students enrol, investments come in, and tourists show up.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2500},[],"Brand Development | Marketing Strategy | Market Research | Integrated Marketing | Recruitment Marketing | Crisis Communications | Tourism Marketing | Change Management | Digital UX | Organizational Design | Peer Reviews | Public Relations","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Flfair\u002F",{},1,"\u002Fbench\u002Flindsey-fair","\u002Fbench\u002Flindsey-fair.jpg",{"title":2493,"description":2498},"bench\u002Flindsey-fair","KIauND3zYNDKTMx2QaPcdbHrQ7FkNyjTyM3uYSgt5rU",{"id":2511,"title":2512,"body":2513,"category":2520,"description":2517,"extension":187,"linkedin":2521,"meta":2522,"navigation":189,"order":179,"path":2523,"photo":2524,"seo":2525,"stem":2526,"__hash__":2527},"bench\u002Fbench\u002Fjp-rains.md","JP Rains",{"type":60,"value":2514,"toc":2518},[2515],[68,2516,2517],{},"JP Rains has spent his career getting higher ed institutions to actually understand the people they're trying to reach. As Director of Communications & Digital Strategy at his alma mater, Laurentian University, he's led digital efforts that have generated multiple years of double digit enrolment growth. Before that, he ran strategy for Soshal Group, an award-winning digital agency with clients such as York University, the University of New Brunswick, and the University of Calgary. He’s consulted with more than 30 Canadian and U.S. institutions, implementing student journey mapping on over a dozen campuses and interviewing 1,000+ stakeholders along the way. He's also President of Rains Media, lead instructor of the Fundamentals of Post-Secondary Marketing at Brainstorm Strategy Group, and founder of the Golf Marathon Sudbury which has raised over $700,000 for children's health in Sudbury. He gets to the point fast because he's spent a thousand conversations proving that most campuses don't have a marketing challenge, what they actually have is a listening challenge.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2519},[],"Customer Journey Mapping | Market Research | Digital Strategy | Digital UX | Recruitment Marketing | Marketing Strategy | Digital Transformation","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fjprains\u002F",{},"\u002Fbench\u002Fjp-rains","\u002Fbench\u002Fjp-rains.jpg",{"title":2512,"description":2517},"bench\u002Fjp-rains","aTcne7l4hBoEq5UnUyvXtjgxYLah8CKHOnvRoIyyr94",{"id":2529,"title":2530,"body":2531,"category":2538,"description":2535,"extension":187,"linkedin":2539,"meta":2540,"navigation":189,"order":2541,"path":2542,"photo":2543,"seo":2544,"stem":2545,"__hash__":2546},"bench\u002Fbench\u002Fmeghan-donohoe.md","Dr. Meghan Donohoe",{"type":60,"value":2532,"toc":2536},[2533],[68,2534,2535],{},"Dr. Meghan Donohoe wants her daughters to grow up and think the way we work today was completely backwards — the same way we look back now on smoking on airplanes. As co-founder of Pebble, she merges over a decade of People and Culture leadership with digital innovation to help leaders navigate change without losing the humans in the middle of it. She built that expertise over 8 years at SAIT, climbing from Senior Organizational Development Advisor to Principal Catalyst and Director of Digital Mindset and Experimentation, building engagement and performance management strategy along the way before eventually leading employee experience and organizational development for the entire institution. Before that, she led organizational effectiveness at Husky Energy, worked with the First Nations team at Saint Mary's University's Sobey School of Business Development Centre, and started her career as a research assistant at the Haskayne School of Business studying charitable giving and advertising. She holds a master's in industrial-organizational psychology and a PhD researching leadership stress and well-being — research that shows up directly in how she designs people-centric strategies. Meghan doesn't separate the research from the humanity, she builds both into the same strategy.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2537},[],"Organizational Design | Innovation | Digital Transformation | Culture | Team Development | Change Management","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fmeghandonohoe\u002F",{},3,"\u002Fbench\u002Fmeghan-donohoe","\u002Fbench\u002Fmeghan-donohoe.jpg",{"title":2530,"description":2535},"bench\u002Fmeghan-donohoe","WPMC0TP8mxBJojYZ18T20M-zW4_-sfJ0Dy9mieCZips",{"id":2548,"title":2549,"body":2550,"category":2557,"description":2554,"extension":187,"linkedin":2558,"meta":2559,"navigation":189,"order":2560,"path":2561,"photo":2562,"seo":2563,"stem":2564,"__hash__":2565},"bench\u002Fbench\u002Freva-bond.md","Dr. Reva Bond",{"type":60,"value":2551,"toc":2555},[2552],[68,2553,2554],{},"Dr. Reva Bond knows what it actually takes to run an academic institution because she's done nearly every job inside one. She led SAIT's School of Construction as Dean for five years, overseeing everything from apprenticeship trades to bachelor's degree programs, after building her way up through associate dean and academic chair roles across transportation, manufacturing, architectural technologies, and geomatics over nearly 15 years at the institution. Before academia, she managed project cost control on major industrial builds for Aecon Group, including the Shell Scotford Upgrader and CNRL Cogen Modules. Today she works as a facilitator, coach, and strategic advisor across Mount Royal University's Continuing Education division, alongside coaching adult learners through academic and systemic barriers with MyLearningCoach. She bridges recruitment pipelines, donor relations, and corporate partnerships without losing sight of the students the whole thing exists for.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2556},[],"Academic Planning | Peer Reviews | Curriculum Review | Student Pathways | Market Strategy | Customer Journey Mapping | Market Research | Change Management","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fdr-reva-bond\u002F",{},4,"\u002Fbench\u002Freva-bond","\u002Fbench\u002Freva-bond.jpg",{"title":2549,"description":2554},"bench\u002Freva-bond","Bqmqcx8mTA9Y22r0hnR2uvbYXdufkNd6zmKK9Pu4IJE",{"id":2567,"title":2568,"body":2569,"category":2576,"description":2573,"extension":187,"linkedin":2577,"meta":2578,"navigation":189,"order":2579,"path":2580,"photo":2581,"seo":2582,"stem":2583,"__hash__":2584},"bench\u002Fbench\u002Ffrank-armstrong.md","Frank Armstrong",{"type":60,"value":2570,"toc":2574},[2571],[68,2572,2573],{},"Frank Armstrong has spent nearly three decades proving that good writing and straight talk still win. He built his career as a multiple award-winning daily newspaper reporter across the U.K. and Canada, covering military and courts for The Chronicle Herald before landing at the Kingston Whig-Standard for nine years, and freelanced for national publications like the Globe and Mail, Canadian Living, and Computing Canada along the way. In 2008, he moved from full-time journalism into St. Lawrence College's School of Business, where he spent 17 years teaching business fundamentals and communications, and shaping how marketing, office administration, and skilled trades students write, pitch, and present themselves for the real world. Through it all, he's run Wordstrong Consulting, a corporate communications practice focused on PR, media relations, and issues management. Frank's real edge is courageous conversations. He gets people to say the hard thing clearly, whether that's a company facing a crisis or a brand trying to get noticed.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2575},[],"Public Relations | Crisis Communications | Brand Storytelling","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Ffrankarmstrong-passionate-educator\u002F",{},5,"\u002Fbench\u002Ffrank-armstrong","\u002Fbench\u002Ffrank-armstrong.jpg",{"title":2568,"description":2573},"bench\u002Ffrank-armstrong","7t2iRNz81Jzp7GJFIm7D4X5IwJ_rzocakLHeYZ89MoI",{"id":2586,"title":2587,"body":2588,"category":2595,"description":2592,"extension":187,"linkedin":2596,"meta":2597,"navigation":189,"order":2598,"path":2599,"photo":2600,"seo":2601,"stem":2602,"__hash__":2603},"bench\u002Fbench\u002Ftiffany-emery.md","Tiffany Emery",{"type":60,"value":2589,"toc":2593},[2590],[68,2591,2592],{},"Tiffany Emery has spent 20+ years building the relationships institutions depend on but do not always know how to sustain. A Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), she has worked across philanthropy, alumni relations, executive engagement, volunteer leadership, and strategic programming at Campfire Circle, Telfer, and Queen’s. Now Associate Director, Philanthropy at Campfire Circle, Tiffany is growing support across Eastern Ontario for camp experiences that help kids and families affected by childhood cancer or serious illness find joy, belonging, and community. She is a lifelong camper herself, which means this work is personal before it is professional. Tiffany’s edge is trust. She listens closely, connects quickly, and knows how to turn goodwill into lasting support.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2594},[],"Advancement | Alumni Engagement | Public Relations | Event Strategy | Marketing Strategy","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Ftiffanyremery\u002F",{},6,"\u002Fbench\u002Ftiffany-emery","\u002Fbench\u002Ftiffany-emery.jpg",{"title":2587,"description":2592},"bench\u002Ftiffany-emery","u8Zgxs5azUDLD5VurWBlQtl6oIcUQUBMcSca8FTfaJc",{"id":2605,"title":2606,"body":2607,"category":2614,"description":2611,"extension":187,"linkedin":2615,"meta":2616,"navigation":189,"order":2617,"path":2618,"photo":2619,"seo":2620,"stem":2621,"__hash__":2622},"bench\u002Fbench\u002Fernest-barbaric.md","Ernest Barbaric",{"type":60,"value":2608,"toc":2612},[2609],[68,2610,2611],{},"Ernest Barbaric has spent 15+ years helping high-level leaders navigate strategy, innovation, and digital transformation — clients include Yamaha, Shure, Parks Canada, Intact Insurance, and Brookfield. He's designed and taught university courses and national digital strategy certifications, delivered keynotes at 100+ events, and founded a podcast conference. His work has landed in Forbes, USA Today, HubSpot, Smart Insights, CBC, Global TV, and Canadian Business, and in 2017 he took the TEDx stage to talk digital addiction. These days, when he isn't working on TINCT projects, he runs Elari Ventures as an executive coach and serves as Entrepreneur in Residence at Foresight Canada. He's been shot at, laid off, and lived through a civil war — which is probably why he gets to the point fast, takes hard feedback in stride, and doesn't flinch when a university senate or city council needs someone to cut through the noise.",{"title":178,"searchDepth":179,"depth":179,"links":2613},[],"Digital Transformation | Marketing Innovation | Market Strategy | Team Development | Marketing Strategy | Change Management","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Fernestbarbaric\u002F",{},7,"\u002Fbench\u002Fernest-barbaric","\u002Fbench\u002Fernest-barbaric.jpg",{"title":2606,"description":2611},"bench\u002Fernest-barbaric","bY8Y9PxeMsnYXrCu577pjJSE0KUoAIp6iHgTydC0r58",{"id":2624,"title":2625,"body":2626,"category":2639,"description":2630,"extension":187,"linkedin":2640,"meta":2641,"navigation":189,"order":2642,"path":2643,"photo":2644,"seo":2645,"stem":2646,"__hash__":2647},"bench\u002Fbench\u002Fdeanna-davies.md","Deanna Davies",{"type":60,"value":2627,"toc":2637},[2628,2631,2634],[68,2629,2630],{},"Deanna Davies has run marketing across 32 regions, managed a board representing 23 competing tourism partners, and spent nearly a decade teaching business and project management — so she knows exactly where a good strategy can fall apart: the people.\nShe built her marketing experience as a Regional Marketing Manager with Tim Hortons before becoming Executive Director of Kingston Accommodation Partners, where she led the destination marketing organization, its business planning, stakeholder relationships, and Board engagement. From there, Deanna spent 9+ years teaching business, marketing, leadership, and project management at St. Lawrence College, eventually coordinating the Project Management Graduate Certificate program across multiple campuses. Today, she also teaches in York University’s Executive Education programs, including the Masters Certificate in Project Management and the Certificate in Advanced Negotiations.",[68,2632,2633],{},"Deanna is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Elevate3, where her work focuses on the human side of projects, change, and leadership — helping organizations turn strategy into action by strengthening communication, engagement, alignment, and the way people navigate change. 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