Ninth Level Ireland

“In the past, a school pupil thinking of going to university would make a decision after attending an open day or two and a chat with a careers adviser. Today, though, a generation that uses smartphones to hook up is equally reliant on technology to connect with academia. Rather than the quality of its pastoral care, canteens and libraries, a student’s perception of a university is largely framed by how well it uses social media …” (more)

[Jamie Doward and Rebecca Ratcliffe, Guardian, 13 August]

“In the brave new world of know-biz, universities now issue ‘tone of voice’ marketing-correctness drills to staff charged with handling the ‘brand’. The comms and marketing wonks who write them face a tough challenge: to pander to their institution’s special-snowflake syndrome, while spouting the same commercial cobblers as everyone else …” (more)

[Glen Newey, London Review of Books, 10 April]

“Every year universities spend a fair amount of money – the precise sum will vary from year to year and from institution to institution – on marketing. Mostly this money is spent on advertising designed to attract students …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 2 July]

“UK universities increased their spending on marketing to potential students by nearly a quarter in the run-up to the introduction of higher fees, a Times Higher Education investigation has found, yet suffered a 7.4% fall in applications …” (more)

[David Matthews, Times Higher Education, 7 February]

“Ireland’s marketing colleges are failing the country’s thriving tech sector by turning out ‘unemployable’ graduates who have learned ‘the history of the television’ rather than the very basics in IT marketing skills, a leading tech-sector businessman has claimed …” (more)

[Mark Keenan, Independent, 21 May]

“Every year Irish universities spend a certain amount of money – the precise sum will vary from year to year and from institution to institution – on marketing. Mostly this money is spent on advertising designed to attract students …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 6 July]

“While Facebook got its start on college campuses in the US, today it’s truly become a global phenomenon. Over 250 million people around the world use the site each month. Nevertheless, four years later, many university and college administrators are using Facebook to keep in touch with core constituencies: current students, prospective students, alumni, and fans. Those responsible for managing a university’s official Facebook efforts face a daunting task. Here, Inside Facebook takes a look at six key strategies all administrators should think about when building a Facebook presence …” (more)

[Inside Facebook, 21 July]

“Here’s a curiosity: a British university has just changed its name, from (formerly) the University of Teesside to (now) Teesside University. Without any disrespect to the institution in question, which has a number of successes to celebrate, this isn’t much of a name change, and I’m not sure what it is supposed to suggest to its stakeholders. The press release merely tells us that the name change (with a new logo) has given the university the opportunity to remind the world about its recent successes …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 26 May]

“Faculty at Canadian universities are rightly concerned about a number of threats to academic quality and integrity, including the growing ranks of contingent faculty, larger class sizes, corporate research sponsorship, grade inflation, and a ‘new managerialism’ on campus. University marketing, however, should not be one of them. For decades now, institutional ‘marketers’ have been among the most dedicated professionals on campus, working in a range of offices from student recruitment, high school liaison, and public affairs, to advancement and alumni relations. These marketers aim to support academic quality and advance the purposes of the institution and its faculty. They seek to raise public awareness and enhance the reputation of the institution, attract more (or more qualified) applicants, and position the institution as worthy of public, corporate, and philanthropic support. Functionally and teleologically, university marketing is a staunch ally of faculty …” (more)

[Ken Steele, Academic Matters, 18 February]