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The University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to launch a statewide marketing campaign to change public perceptions that the school is too “elitist” and “left-wing” in hopes of more state funding. It is shown in the document that
In a document soliciting applications from private vendors to create the initiative, UW-Madison said it wanted the campaign to counter “misconceptions among state residents about the university and higher education in general.”
But the main goal is likely to be a positive outcome next year, when legislative budget writers and Gov. Tony Evers are scheduled to negotiate a new budget to cover Wisconsin government through 2027.
“The primary indicator of success will be positive state funding for the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the next two years of budgets,” a university document responding to questions about the project said.
The University of Wisconsin said it plans to double its media spending as part of the campaign and expects the total cost to produce and air the ads to be about $1 million. UW-Madison spokeswoman Kelly Tyrrell said the campaign will be privately funded.
“The practices outlined in the proposal are consistent with our peer institutions and consistent with the marketing and outreach efforts that UW-Madison has undertaken for many years,” Tyrrell said in an email.
The campaign’s efforts are “focused on key Congressional districts,” but university documents do not say what those districts are or how many districts they cover. do not have.
The campaign also hopes to “encourage people to support Wisconsin’s universities, especially with people of influence, such as community leaders and elected officials.”
It’s common for universities to hire outside companies to create videos and digital marketing campaigns, often tied to 30-second ads that air during football and basketball games featuring the Badgers. . Universities across the country are becoming increasingly aggressive in their own marketing efforts.
In some ways, this type of work is normal for universities grappling with declining enrollment, a difficult political environment, or both, said Jason Simon, CEO of higher education marketing firm Simpson Scarborough. He says it’s about.
For example, in 2006 we announced the Wisconsin Growth Agenda. This included policy and long-term vision for the university, but also served as a way to encourage lawmakers to free their purse strings.
Kevin Riley, then president of the UW System, recalled leaving a packet of letters of support the size of a “Manhattan telephone directory” on then-Governor Jim Doyle’s desk.
“That has been going on for a while, and I think we need to continue to do it, perhaps with more professional help than we have in the past,” Riley said. “I think we’ll probably see more of other campuses doing similar things.”
But Simon said the language specific to the UW-Madison project was a little jarring compared to projects in other states.
“The difference with this Madison RFP (Request for Proposals) is that it feels really different, especially the positive state budget results,” Simon said.
This comes after a contentious budget cycle for the entire University of Wisconsin system.
In 2023, lawmakers removed $32 million in funding from the University of Wisconsin System budget, resulting in a $7 million reduction for UW-Madison. The university was ultimately able to absorb that reduction without making layoffs.
The budget cuts, led by Republican lawmakers, came as a result of continued conflict over diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the university.
In the end, the University of Wisconsin System regained some of the funding to prepare students for critical degree programs for the workforce, along with funding for a new engineering building and dormitory renovations at UW-Madison. .
But in exchange, the University of Wisconsin campus must freeze the number of DEI positions on campus, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison must end a program aimed at recruiting and supporting faculty and staff of color. did not become.
In the 1970s, state support for UW-Madison accounted for 45 percent of the budget, but that number has dropped to about 15 percent, with tuition and private donations adding to the slack. Similar declines are occurring across the UW System and more broadly across public higher education in most states.
Higher education leaders recently made the decision to close five two-year branch schools in the state. Budget crises are common among four-year institutions from Oshkosh to Prattville.
For the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the only school in the University of Wisconsin System to maintain enrollment growth in recent years, it makes sense to focus on building support at a time of conflicted relations with Congress. Simon said.
The university’s current campaign, dubbed “Can’t Stop the Badgers,” dates back to 2020, when television ads highlighted the university’s efforts to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The campaign, created by New York company 160over90, was enhanced by subsequent ads and websites detailing the university’s impact on the state and participating in a free tuition program for some Wisconsin students. We featured students including those who do.
The university is exploring some of the same themes in its new marketing efforts, including a focus on accessibility and affordability, university placement rates, and the impact of research in Wisconsin. ing.
“When it comes to higher education, universities are generally and nationally characterized as being elitist and too difficult to get into, too expensive and not worth the cost in terms of lifetime income, and too radical/left-wing.” There is a story,” the Q&A document said. “We found that these national sentiments about the University of Wisconsin-Madison are shared by many Wisconsinites.”
Mr Simon said from his experience that these types of campaigns are often valuable in building public support for universities, including public flagship schools, while confidence in higher education remains low. .
A national poll released by Gallup in July found that confidence in higher education has plummeted.
Professor Reilly called the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s efforts “a sign of the times,” but called the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s efforts “a sign of the times,” but called for other leaders in fields such as medicine, business, and industry to join forces to improve higher education at a time when higher education is becoming more difficult. He said that it is important to assert the claims of
When the university was asking lawmakers for funding to build a new engineering building in Madison, it turned to business executives and private donors to appeal to lawmakers, and ultimately as part of a DEI deal. Approved funding.
“I think we need to be more sophisticated in how we get this message across, both in terms of the means and the rhetoric we use,” Riley said. “I see it as them looking for help and good things to do for themselves.”
Better investment in marketing efforts in the past could have prevented universities from evolving into political “punching bags,” Simon said.
With that in mind, marketing efforts like the one UW-Madison is trying to accomplish will become more common, he said.
“I’d like to think there’s going to be some correction,” Simon said. “But the reality is, I think this is going to continue to be the environment in which universities operate, at least for the foreseeable future. And I think university officials would be wise to make sure they invest in addressing reputational issues. ”
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