Unity College is approaching the winds of change in higher education as a seasoned sailor might address a hearty gale. Instead of being buffeted, the leadership team is taking the helm and plotting a course for the future.
The changing demographic profile of students graduating high school requires an adaptation of approach. Growth in the number of high school graduates is happening in geographies such as North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, and California — not in the Northeast.
Learners are changing too. Gap-year, online, certificate programs, adult learners, professional trainings — in order for Unity College to continue to achieve the mission of America’s Environmental College, it must answer demographic changes, changes in learning habits and preferences, and changes in learners themselves with adaption, clarified vision, powerful stories, and a broadening constituency.
The Strategic Brand Initiative (a.k.a, “Deep Dive”) is the school’s multi-year effort designed to bring together information on the changing landscape of higher education and of sustainability science, combined with a vision of what students want to learn and how they want to learn it.
“We are working to create a powerful and clear brand that will position Unity College for the next 50 years,” Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury said. “Unity College needs to stand out among small private liberal arts colleges, and have a value proposition that stands out from community colleges and Universities as well. As we move forward, we are identifying existing strengths we want to leverage, new strengths we want to acquire, and how to position ourselves to serve students in the new reality.”
Sustainability science assures us that adaptation is key to survival. The strategic branding initiative will help ensure that Unity College keeps the winds of change at our back and that we respond meaningfully and strategically to powerful environmental forces in order continue to flourish as America’s Environmental College.
