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Why You Have Heard of Arcadia University: A Successful Planned Identity Change

Presenter(s): Mark P. Curchack, Arcadia University ; Dennis L. Nostrand, Arcadia University; John Taraquino, Backe Communications
Convener: Christopher Jones, Carol R. Johnson Associates Inc

Beaver College was hampered in the market by a name that depressed inquiries. It had also outgrown its small college character and attained functional university status. As a result of data-driven market analysis, it resolved to become Arcadia University. This presentation will describe the strategic planning and participatory decision making that lead to this transformation, highlighting the planned use of media in order to achieve maximum effect from the publicity surrounding a name change.


This knowledge resource from SCUP is a concurrent session presented at the Society's thirty-seventh annual, international conference and Expo, SCUP–37, in San Diego, CA (USA), in July of 2002.

Audiocassettes of this and other SCUP–37 sessions are available for purchase here.

Due to our concern for the privacy of members of the face-to-face audiences at SCUP–37, our digital archives of SCUP–37 presentations end at the beginning of the question and answer portion of each session. Whenever we can, we not only provide streaming audio but the slide show or visual presentation used by the presenters, as well.