Ball State’s most famous slogan has disappeared from some faculty emails.
University deans have dropped the "Education Redefined" from their email signatures, said Roger Lavery, dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media. Whether this signals a university-wide change in promotional direction is unclear.
Joan Todd, executive director of public relations, acknowledged that a “brand refresh” is underway.
“We are phasing out some aspects as we bring in a new look,” she said in an email.
Lavery said university deans received an email last week from Provost Terry King, asking them to use a different logo in their email signatures. This logo does not contain the words “Education Redefined,” the motto that has defined Ball State’s marketing efforts for almost a decade. It is a picture of the Beneficence statue with the words “Ball State University” underneath.
Education Redefined has been the official brand of the university since 2006 and is still on the homepage of the website.
King asked that deans use the different logo during the “brand refresh” period. It is a much simpler and traditional university logo, which has been used for many years, he said in an email.
Ball State President Paul W. Ferguson announced that a brand refresh would be coming to the university during his Feb. 6 State of the University address. He did not specify what that brand refresh would entail.
Former President Jo Ann Gora oversaw the implementation of Education Redefined. It became the basis for her two strategic plans, Education Redefined 2007-2012 and Education Redefined 2.0 2012-2017. Ferguson is replacing the latter plan with his Centennial Commitment strategic plan.
It’s not surprising that a new president would want to align the university’s brand with his or her vision, said Sam Waterson, executive vice-president and creative director of RHB Management Consulting, an Indianapolis-based marketing agency specializing in education.
“In the marketplace there are things people know about Ball State, whether it’s as a prospective student, faculty or someone in Muncie,” he said.
Waterson said a university usually changes its brand every 10 years.
“I don’t think [branding] is a superficial thing. I think a brand is deeper than [just] everything being consistent. That’s an old way of thinking of branding. In a contemporary sense if we are taking on branding initiatives we are making sure our vision and aspirations of a vision are received well and are believable to our constituencies.”
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