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On Tuesday Feb. 6, UCD Chancellor M. Roy Wilson hosted an open forum at 4:00 p.m. in the Lawrence St. Center for students and faculty regarding a new marketing initiative for the University.
The open forum was held as a means to communicate with the larger community and will continue on Feb. 7. "The assumption is that information is getting filtered out to everyone, I think that assumption is wrong," said Wilson. The chancellor spoke for an hour, touching on funding, legislative efforts, progress with search committees and the transition the CU higher education system is going through.
"This is an incredibly complex organization, more complex than I thought. I don't mean that in the negative way," said Wilson. The chancellor identified the University as being in transition; still in the process of consolidating with the Health Sciences Center (HSC) and needing an identity unique and separate from Boulder and Colorado Springs. Wilson highlighted this need by displaying images of over 20 different marketing brands used to represent the combined UCDHSC. "There is no brand here," said Wilson.
Students are familiar with the buffalo representing CU. The same mascot is used to sell UCD-affiliated merchandise in the Auraria Campus Bookstore. "The Buffalo is not emblematic to UCD; it's Boulder," said Wilson.
The University hired Swanson Russel, a firm that will head the initiative and conduct three initial phases. The firm will focus on distinguishing UCD in the CU higher education system, and from CCD and Metropolitan State College of Denver on the Auraria Campus.
The first phase began Feb. 5, with Swanson Russel conducting interviews of deans and vice chancellors. Interviews will continue while the firm collects information. Internal as well as external interviews will be conducted to develop an institutional profile.
The second phase is creating an institutional profile. The research will be compiled and during this phase naming options will be presented. "Naming options we can discuss and debate about," said Wilson.
The third phase is selecting the new name for the university. It is not clear at this point if UCD will have a separate identity, or share the same identity with the HSC. Wilson highlighted University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) about identity, noting UCCS' Mountain Lion mascot and athletic teams.
Wilson also mentioned UCD Student Government Affiliation (SGA) and it's recent announcement proposing a new mascot. "They (students) want an identity," said Wilson, "Without any prompting from me, they're talking about a mascot."
The difficult area lies after phase three, when the University will be establishing the new brand once it is selected, warned Wilson. The community will have to deal with consistency issues with email and mailing programs, websites updated with new logos and symbols, and potential systemic changes for how UCDHSC interacts. The challenge will be in establishing the new brand for the university as well as having the new University work effectively.
The three-phase project is estimated to last around 22 to 24 weeks. "I'm hoping it takes a little less than that, for time," said Wilson, but he warned the community to expect about a six-month process. Establishing the brand after phase three is completed will be a multiyear strategy. "Implementing the new brand is a few years process," said Wilson.
The marketing initiative will focus on renaming UCDHSC and creating a brand for the newly named university. Other areas that will be addressed or discussed are the potential creation of athletics teams and potential campus expansion or transformation.
The first phase of the branding process cost under $25,000. "I want to emphasize none of the money we spend comes from the current budget … it's all external money," said Wilson on the marketing initiative.
Other topics were discussed during the open forum. The focus of the President of the CU higher education system has shifted, taking the focus off of Boulder and more on the system as a unit. The President of CU moving from Boulder to Denver is seen as an example of this shift. The chancellors of the separate schools in the CU higher educations system will begin exerting more control and direction over their universities. Academic drive will come from the respective Provosts of the Universities.
Funding is also a major issue. UCD has had greater fund raising in the last cycle than Colorado Springs and Boulder. The state of funding in higher education has been rocky in Colorado: The passage of referendum C two Novembers ago saved many state colleges and universities from closing or being forced to go private. Tuition for higher education has been increasing sharply over the past several years, and the Colorado Opportunity Fund (COF) was recently implemented to help combat Colorado's higher education woes. "I think higher education funding in the state of Colorado is dismal," said Wilson.
To meet the goal of making UCD the premiere urban research facility in the nation is "dependent on a strong graduate program," said Wilson. Wilson also believes that the hallmark of a great university is a strong undergraduate program.
The University faces a growing undergraduate population as well as funding problems with its graduate program. "I'm amazed that the grad schools have been as effective as they have without any funding," said Wilson, "We have to adequately fund them."
Wilson emphasized the need to find a funding model that works for higher education, not just UCD, but all places of higher education including community colleges.
Also mentioned in the open forum was the status of several search committees. "It sounds, 'cause we have so many searches going on, that the administration is getting bloated," he said. Wilson argued that that is not the case; There are several positions open in the UCD administration, but only one new position is being formed. Wilson has been UCD's chancellor since July 1, 2006.
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