Emmanuel College Brand
Emmanuel College is a coed, residential, Catholic liberal arts and sciences college in Boston. But this is not our brand.
A brand is more than facts. It's how we say hello. It's what people feel about us once we're in their lives. It's how they remember us.
Attributes like our academics, our campus, our co-curricular activities do not make a brand. A brand is emotional. It reflects a personality. It reflects our core values, the things we believe in.
People feel strongly about Emmanuel. They feel inspired and delighted. They feel comforted and confident. They feel understood and optimistic and vital.
The job of every piece of communications about Emmanuel College is to introduce that promise to people who do not yet know us and to reinforce it with those who do. To place our mission meaningfully and respectfully in people's lives. Every brochure, every alumni appeal, every newsletter, every invitation to a campus event is part of the long-term investment in the personality of the brand.
Our constituents are an ever-growing group of men and women from all walks of life. They range from high school students who are looking to enroll to CEOs who sit on our Board of Trustees; they include faculty and administrators who are invested in this brand every day of their lives. They include graduates from every living generation.
College is a powerful, pivotal time in people's lives. They come to college right from their childhood homes and they leave to make their mark on the world. A strong college brand is part of who they are for the rest of their lives.
The Emmanuel College brand is not a marketing tool, it is a flame. The readers of this manual are the keepers of this flame. It is important to be diligent and consistent in the application of the guidelines that follow to keep that flame alive.
Every brand begins with a mission.
We didn't create a mission by committee, we were founded on a mission. The mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who believe that education is the greatest work on earth.
So our mission statement is our reason for being. Our mission statement is:
To educate students in a dynamic learning community rooted in the liberal arts and sciences and shaped by strong ethical values and a Catholic academic tradition.
Our vision statement is our goal. It begins to add personality or brand, if your will, to the basic tenet. Our vision statement is:
To be recognized for the excellence of our academic and student life programs and for our achievements in educating students with the skills and values necessary to succeed professionally and personally. An Emmanuel education challenges students to become critical thinkers, ethical decision makers and contributing members of the local community and the global society.
Our brand embodies this vision. It is the banner under which we unite. It stretches us as an organization. It adds inspiration to the simplicity of our purpose.
All Emmanuel College communications should reflect and refer to a meaningful way to this vision. Whether you’re writing an article for Emmanuel Magazine or an appeal for the Annual Fund, this vision is your conceptual guide to the brand Emmanuel College.
Who are we?
Expounding on the vision are our core values. The values of Emmanuel College are part of the very soul of the College. Here is an expression of what they are and who we are:
We are Emmanuel College, a community with a lifelong passion for teaching and learning, which believes education will create a just and better world.
We believe education changes people. It transforms their lives. It opens doors.
We challenge our faculty and students to be rigorous in their pursuit of learning and teaching, of exploring and research.
We believe in the value of liberal arts and sciences, our proud traditions since 1919.
We mine the rich resources of science and healthcare around us. We build gateways to that world on campus.
We challenge ourselves to act. To lead. To give generously to others.
We believe education is inclusive, that the world of ideas demands diversity.
We believe in the transformative power of real-world experience through internships, service learning, travel and opportunities abroad.
We believe in the vibrant opportunities of Boston for learning, for fun, for growth, for serving.
We believe education is the greatest work on earth.
This belief is our rock, it is the legacy of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, the backbone of our Catholic academic tradition.
To the entering freshman eager to gain the knowledge of the past and skills for the future and who are perhaps a little nervous we say, we believe in you.
To the graduate, curious, confident and prepared for a lifetime of personal fulfillment and professional achievement, we say, we believe in you.
We are a community of believers. A community with a strong sense of mission, a vibrant and confident faith and a joyful spirit.
We are Emmanuel College. We believe. We challenge. We transform.
How we talk about ourselves.
The Emmanuel College brand speaks with an inspirational energy and an easy confidence: our promise is "We Believe. We Challenge. We Transform." It reflects our dignity as a Catholic institution and our constant innovation as modern academics.
Our language is clear, sincere, specific and concise. It is active and passionate. Whenever appropriate, Emmanuel College communications put the reader inside the Emmanuel experience.
Above all, Emmanuel College communications strive to convey complex ideas simply. A true picture of Emmanuel College is a textured one. It is old and new, Catholic and inclusive, a classic campus quad surrounded by a bustling city. There are parallel examples in all facets of Emmanuel College communications, but the goal of simplicity endures.
Specifically, the following three examples of language and description can be used as models or guides in all communications.
- We are a coed, residential, Catholic liberal arts and sciences college right in the city of Boston. Our beautiful 17-acre campus is located in the heart of world-class medical centers, major art museums and nearby Fenway Park.
We believe in the liberal arts and sciences, our proud tradition since 1919.
We challenge ourselves to be rigorous in our studies and to mine the rich resources of science and healthcare, art and business, history and technology around us.
We transform lives and open doors with real-world internships, service learning and opportunities abroad.We are Emmanuel College. We believe. We challenge. We transform.
- In 1919, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an international Catholic religious congregation, defied the prejudices of the day and founded Emmanuel College for women. With their mission of "making known God's goodness... educating for life," they laid the foundations for generations of bright, motivated women who had had few educational resources.
- Our Boston location is one of the key attributes for prospective students; therefore, it must be specifically highlighted in all admissions materials. A visual representation is not enough, there must also be a prominent use of the word Boston on the materials.