MUW Begins ‘Branding’ Effort

COLUMBUS, Miss. — A series of campus dialog sessions planned during September at Mississippi University for Women will help chart the future direction of the university, said MUW President Jim Borsig.

“We are working with a highly regarded strategic branding and communications firm to facilitate discussions with our many stakeholders, because we feel it is important to hear all voices as we determine our course for the next chapter of The W,” he said.

Pensacola, Fla.-based idgroup will lead six broad-based discussions with groups that include faculty, students, staff, alumni, business, community, and government leaders, he said.

“I have been encouraged by the level of excellence, commitment and collegiality I’ve found at The W in my nine months here, and I have great optimism that this institution has an opportunity to step onto a bigger stage,” Borsig said.

“The W began as a radical idea as a pathway to opportunity for an underserved population,” he added. “One central question is how do we remain a pathway to opportunity in the 21st century?”

Based on feedback from each four-hour dialog session, the institution will begin the work of crafting a strategic marketing and communications plan and frame branding message.

Helping develop strategies will be MUW alum Gail Spruill Shaw, senior creative director at idgroup, in a process led by Mona Amodeo, idgroup founder and president.

“We want to tell the MUW story to the world,” Borsig said. “This process will give us an opportunity to write that story together.”