Admissions should find itself
a better motto
By Rebekah Bradway
October 2, 2007 | After years of USU's recruitment
theme as "Think Utah State," it would seem USU couldn't
find a more boring motto to attract potential students
to our campus. However, find it they did, as
they are now leaning toward the theme "Find Yourself
at USU."
Now that the Admissions Office has chosen to rework
the theme that backgrounds brochures and is painted
on walls, why not at least make it a valuable adjustment,
something worth changing for?
Instead, we get "Find Yourself at USU." This seems
like a "Where's Waldo" approach, and let's remember
that Waldo can be found all over the globe, not only
in very prominent places, as we would want our university
to appear. Plus, the reason Waldo is so fun (or frustrating
for some) to find is because he's hidden among overwhelming
amounts of people, animals and buildings on every page.
So, prospective students, how would you like to be
found in the mass without your red and white striped
shirt? Come be one of the 13,000 on-campus students,
where you are sure to stand out and be found -- by yourself
of course, a feat that could not be accomplished at
any other university, or anywhere in the world in fact.
But then, can't students find themselves wherever
they go after high school, whether it be at USU, Yale
or even Wal-Mart?
Of course, perhaps Admissions is going for the more
emotional, perhaps even spiritual, side of students
finding themselves. If that's the case, the theme works
-- for the Institute maybe. But I don't think that's
the goal.
Either way, the theme is extremely broad. Maybe that's
what Admissions is going for, but it seems potential
students could hear the same thing from every other
university. And at least "Think Utah State" is as short
as it is vague.
John DeVilbiss, USU's public relations and marketing
executive director, said, "It's important for us
to brand ourselves, so that from a distance future students
can easily recognize and really think and feel USU from
the eyes of the students who are actually living it."
"Think and feel USU"? We could swear that
reminds us of something ...
NW
MS |