Telling the Taylor Story

For too long, Taylor has hidden its light under a bushel. Every constituent group of the University believes Taylor needs to invest more resources in 1) raising the University’s profile; 2) engaging our constituents more effectively and consistently; and 3) reaching a significantly larger segment of the Christian world. As part of this, Taylor needs to share more of its strengths with communities beyond our campus. Through expanded service-learning opportunities for students, speaking engagements for Taylor faculty at churches and schools around the country, and traveling groups of Taylor students around the world (in the arts and athletics, to name just two), the University’s visibility will increase. In the process, more prospective families and supporters will come to know Taylor University and the excellent, Christ-centered education we provide.

The current moment, however, requires deeper understanding of Taylor’s brand and its unique strengths with a subsequent refresh of all the University’s brand assets—from the website to logos and wordmarks, to key messaging points. Once the refresh is completed, we need to make measurable progress in increasing brand awareness and loyalty each year for four years. In the process, more people will come to appreciate Taylor’s unique contribution to the wider academy and the global church. This will require investments in marketing, enrollment, and communication—in terms of both people and resources. It will also require an investment in the campus “welcome” experience so that visitors come to admire Taylor and its distinctive strengths. We also hope that over these five years, Taylor will assume a leadership position in terms of welcoming campus visitors compared to our competitors. In the process, we hope to increase the confidence of alumni and parents in recommending the University to those within their circles of influence. Finally, we aspire to greatly increase our digital engagement with prospective students, alumni, parents, and supporters and for each of these groups to better understand, articulate, and value Taylor’s unique strengths within an growingly competitive higher education marketplace. The following are strategic objectives we are pursuing for Priority Pillar 2: Telling the Taylor Story.