Backstory

Research: In 2002 Dr. Robert Peterson of the McCombs School of Business conducted a statewide perceptual survey. The survey was designed to reveal information about perceptions of the top universities, their characteristics and how best to communicate information concerning the university.

One thousand randomly selected Texas adults were interviewed. The participants were not told that the university was conducting the survey so that objectivity would be maintained. The results of this survey held valuable information.

• Texans believed the most important characteristic defining the best universities is providing the highest quality education for students.
• The second-most important characteristic of top universities is the ability to attract the best faculty.
• Nearly all Texas adults believe a degree from the university is highly valued because many believe the university provides students with the highest quality education available and that the university community is ethnically diverse.
• More than 30 percent of the survey participants mentioned either “football” or some aspect of sports when they were asked about the first thing that comes to their mind when thinking about The University of Texas at Austin.
• Perceived strengths of the university include “football,” “good faculty” and “academics.”
• Three schools seen as strengths included the Business School, the Law School and the College of Engineering.
• Perceived weaknesses included the size of the university, its party atmosphere and an emphasis on sports over academics.

To complement the Texas survey, a national survey was conducted through The University of Texas at Austin Advertising Department Online Consumer Panel. The survey included 450 participants in a benchmark study comparing the university’s peer institutions: the University of Michigan, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of North Carolina. Apple Computers, McDonald’s and Carnegie Hall were also included in the survey to establish a baseline.

The survey revealed that the university was perceived as being rational, sociable, accepting, proud and valued. Contrasted with UC Berkeley, the university appeared more traditional and accessible.

The team employed several other research methods. These included focus groups, interviews and collage making. Student, donor and faculty focus groups were conducted. The groups participated in several brand extension exercises, including magnetic poetry, adjective lists, competitor comparisons, personal experiences and student collages. One-on-one interviews were held with members of the university community, focused on themes such as personal experiences and recommendations for future branding directions.

Competitive analysis of the university was needed to determine where it stood among its peer institutions. U.S. News and World Report magazine conducts the most comprehensive annual survey of graduate and undergraduate programs at universities and colleges. The publication categorizes schools by mission and region. Data are gathered based on 15 indicators of performance. The colleges are ranked against their peers based on the composite score.

The criteria by which the university was measured included several indicators of performance:

• Peer assessments given by presidents, provosts and deans of admissions concerning the quality of faculty, campus climate and culture had the most weight
• Retention and graduation rates indicated the ability of the university to respond to the needs of students
• Faculty resources, including class size, faculty salary, the number of professors with the highest degrees in their fields and the number of full-time faculty
• Student selectivity, based on students with higher test scores (SAT or ACT), the number of top 10 percent freshman and the top 25 percent for universities in the master’s or comprehensive categories

In 2004 The University of Texas at Austin ranked 46th overall among national undergraduate programs, according to U.S. News and World Report, and 14th among top public universities. The University of California at Berkeley topped the public university list.

Compared to UC Berkeley and The University of Michigan, the university fell short in the areas of graduation rates, freshman retention and class size. However, the university did well in areas of alumni giving rates and the number of full-time faculty. Both UC Berkeley and Texas had top 10 business and engineering schools.

The University of Texas at Austin’s schools of Business and Law and its colleges of Engineering, Education and Pharmacy each rank among the nation’s top 20 graduate programs in the U.S. News & World Report magazine survey.

U.S. News & World Report magazine ranked The University of Texas at Austin 18th in its “Great Schools, Great Prices” list in August 2004. The ranking couples “a school’s academic quality, as indicated by its U.S. News ranking, to the net cost of attendance for a student who receives the average level of financial aid.” This was echoed in the 2005 Fiske Guide to Colleges, an annual publication edited by former New York Times Education Editor Edward B. Fiske and the Princeton Review which listed The University of Texas at Austin at No. 8 among its 10 “Best Value Colleges and Universities” in 2005.