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Edison Community College
Extends Its Brand Promise
Like all Edison Faculty--Patti Ross, associate dean of information
technology, displays the Edison brand promise, which includes a
commitment by the college to "a personal learning experience."
From Nike to Pepsi, this generation of college-bound teens and even
non-traditional college students are more brand conscious than ever.
But this brand awareness is not limited to clothing,
shoes, and soft drinks. Edison Community College, which serves west
central Ohio including Darke, Miami and Shelby counties, understands
that brand matters, too.
Based on several years of scientific research of its students and
the continued commitment of faculty and staff to quality and customer
service, Edison has adopted the brand: “A personal experience. A
rewarding education.”
Edison President Dr. Kenneth A. Yowell said that the college can
promote the unique experience it offers because of such features as
comfortable class enrollment, its emphasis on learning assistance, and
the one-stop advising and registration center in student services.
He added that Edison’s education rewards students with great
financial savings, elimination of tuition debt, job promotion, career
change, and guaranteed transfer of credit to four-year universities.
Edison, which was conceived in 1973, has been led by Yowell for the last
15 years, or about one-half of the institution’s life.
“We’re still a very young, but quickly maturing organization,”
Yowell said. “Often in higher education, brand equity comes from an
Ivy League tradition or a religious or academic niche. At Edison,
we’ve been
developing our brand and refining it for some time.”
He continued, “The brand is very important. When students think about
college, degree programs may come to mind first. However, the brand is
close behind.”
Nursing student Sarah Jane Johnston, who has
been enrolled at the college for eight years, said that
“Edison practices what it preaches.” Johnston, the mother in a family
of five, stated, “Edison made me feel right at home. The transition to
college went so smoothly.”
The Anna resident, who has been taking one course per semester
since 1994, thanked her many instructors, including nursing professors
like Ken Knapke of Shelby County and Susie Wise and Julia Galbreath of
Miami County.
“They are the reasons that Edison has been such a positive and
memorable experience for me,” Johnston emphasized.
She beamed while noting that her reward will be received when she
earns her degree in 2004, one full decade after beginning college.
For sure, the Edison brand isn’t a look or logo.
As Yowell put it, “It’s a promise-- a promise that, when applied
effectively by our faculty and staff, can work to create awareness,
further enhance the college’s reputation, and continue to increase
enrollment.”
At Edison, the concept of a brand as a promise contains four
essential elements: making a promise that students value,
communicating that promise, living the promise, and strengthening the
promise.
“These are part of everyone’s job descriptions at Edison,” Yowell
said.
He stressed that the local community college’s brand hasn’t been
built overnight. “Through the years, we have documented the comments
of both students and non-students to determine what the school’s
vision means to them,” he said. “The themes of personal and rewarding
experiences continue to pop into their heads.”
Edison’s president said that college staff have made convictions on
campus to meet the students’ expectations.
“There’s nothing to be gained by being a best kept
secret,” Yowell added. “We continue to decide what to do in the
marketplace by talking to the marketplace. Thus, we have gained a very
good idea of what brand to put into position.”
In the last few years, Edison’s general learning environment,
community involvement, developmental education and high school
linkages have been cited by the Ohio Board of Regents as areas in
which Edison already “exceeds expectations.”
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