Dr. Aaron Podolefsky describes how a branding initiative revitalized this Midwestern university and created a vision for the future.

When Aaron Podolefsky became president of the University of Central Missouri in 2005, his
intuition told him that the 135-year-old public institution was itching to embrace the future, but several years of state cutbacks had created a barrier. “People were feeling demoralized—they needed a vision for the future,” he said.

Dr. Aaron Podolefsky

Brand new start
For UCM, that vision includes a new brand. Although the university has been growing steadily for the past five years (2% in 2007 alone for a total of 1,741 graduates and 8,970 undergraduates) thanks to its stellar reputation, it was time for a change. “Some families have five generations of UCM graduates, and we want to give future generations something to be proud of,” Podolefsky said. But the goal has never been to grow for growth’s sake. Podolefsky is quite comfortable with a 1.5% to 2% annual growth rate. “Anything more than that and you risk quality.”

When Podolefsky took the helm, legislation had recently been passed allowing what was then known as Central Missouri State University to change its name. For an entire year, students, faculty, staff, community members, and the local chamber of commerce were engaged in a debate, evaluating how a name change would impact the brand, identity, and reputation of the university. “The name University of Central Missouri had a ‘national’ sound, and it would give us something to live up to and strive for symbolically.”

Last year, UCM also reorganized its four colleges and added a fifth, allowing various departments to complement each other. Podolefsky explained that in the past, most colleges of arts and sciences included a fine arts department, an English department, and perhaps a chemistry or physics department. “Traditionally, these are the core elements of education, but if you break out of historical trends and look at functionality, they don’t fit well together at all,” he said.

UCM combined all science and math disciplines with programs such as engineering technology, aviation, agriculture, and its School of Technology to create the College of Science and Technology. It also created the College of Health and Human Services to highlight its nursing and allied health programs, as well as its safety science disciplines and criminal justice program, which is one of the largest in the country.

The reorganization gave the university the opportunity to highlight some liberal arts studies that had previously been overshadowed, such as fine arts and performing arts. In fact, the university is currently moving its performing arts series, which has historically been under the central administration, to the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Today, UCM consists of the College of Science and Technology; the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the College of Education; the College of Health and Human Services; and the College of Business Administration.

Podolefsky said that reorganizing the colleges not only created a more functional and synergistic learning environment for students, but also for faculty and staff. “The faculty participated with very lively conversation about what department should go where, and they ended up learning a lot from one another about the role each department plays in the university.”

Podolefsky noted that the branding campaign has revitalized UCM and gained the university national attention. In fact, The Princeton Review named UCM among the top 161 Best Midwestern Colleges for 2008. The survey of 654 colleges nationwide also listed UCM as “one of the nation’s best value undergraduate institutions.” Podolefsky noted that very few students graduate from UCM with substantial debt, and those who do average around $9,000.

US News & World Report also had positive feedback for UCM. The national publication ranked UCM 15th among all public master’s institutions in the Midwest and one of “America’s Best Colleges” overall.

UCM’s marketing department is taking the university’s new brand to the streets to gain local, regional, and national attention. It is leveraging key-word search engines to increase the number of online queries and applications, erecting highway signs, and advertising in Midwestern business magazines. In addition, the university highlights successful graduates, such as Dale Carnegie, author of several books, including How to Win Friends and Influence People.

In addition, UCM’s Division II basketball team caught the attention of potential students nationwide last year when it participated in the NCAA semifinals. “During our final home game, more than 6,000 people attended, which isn’t bad in a town of 17,000.”

Branching out
Podolefsky noted that UCM is increasingly known for offering unique educational opportunities, such as its aviation program. In fact, UCM owns and operates the third busiest uncontrolled airport in Missouri, a fleet of 30 airplanes, a hot air balloon, and several gliders.

UCM also owns a 300-acre biological research preserve, part of which has been converted into a golf course. The university is currently applying for certification to offer a professional golf management program through the College of Business Administration. According to Podolefsky, the PGA has about 20 such programs throughout the country, “and we would like to be the next.

“We are an interestingly diverse university,” he continued. “We strive to offer high quality, unique programs, as well as standard programs, to allow our students to become anything they want to be.”