We’ve known from the start that the College: Proud Sponsor campaign is more than just a moment; it’s a movement, evidenced by our growing number of partners. In June, the American Marketing Association (AMA) officially endorsed the campaign, representing another milestone in building an unmatched network of support.
"Marketing is fundamentally about transformative storytelling. The College: Proud Sponsor campaign does exactly that with a message aimed at helping audiences better understand the value of higher education by reframing the conversation in meaningful ways. The campaign spotlights the very real impact colleges and universities have on individuals, communities, the workforce, the future of work, and economic growth," said Bennie F. Johnson, CEO of the AMA.
In addition to being recognized as a major voice in the higher education marketing space, AMA is also the nation’s largest membership organization for professionals across all industries, with nearly 45,000 members. Support like this, which extends beyond the higher ed industry, exemplifies both the power of the campaign and the broad appeal of our message.
National Higher Education Day/Week Campaign Builds Awareness & Engagement
You did it, higher ed leaders, friends, and partners. You helped our National Higher Education Day/Week campaign gain more traction than we could’ve envisioned. It’s proof of how strong we are as an industry, and how speaking with one voice can amplify our important message.
Thank you to all of our supporters – from individuals to colleges, universities, and organizations large and small – for sharing your personal stories, interacting with each other’s content, and your endorsement of this exceptionally positive campaign. As a result of our collective posts, we:
Realized nearly 2,400 campaign impressions on LinkedIn
Yielded 568 new engagements on the Why College Matters LinkedIn posts
Gained 294 new LinkedIn followers
Drove 381 new page views to the campaign toolkit landing page
A few shout outs to key industry voices who took time out to share our message: President Michael M. Crow of Arizona State University; President and CEO Sue Cunningham, the Council for the Advancement of Support of Education (CASE) + leaders of CASE District IV (Dr. Carrie Phillips at the University of Arkansas and Karl Miller Lugo of UT San Antonio); SimpsonScarborough + Jenny Petty; Virginia Private Colleges (campaign endorser); Dr. Eric Kaufman of Virginia Tech.
Celebrating America's 250th – Share Your University’s Contributions to the Nation
While July 4th marked our country’s official semi-quincentennial anniversary, the College: Proud Sponsor campaign is continuing the celebration throughout the calendar year.
We’re compiling a list to shine our social media spotlight on the many, many ways that higher education has improved the lives of American citizens by advancing economic prosperity, our skilled workforce, our democratic principles, national security, our health, happiness, and well-being, and the ever-expanding American dream.
While we know about major breakthroughs like Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine breakthrough at Pitt, the first open heart surgery at the University of Minnesota, or the development of quantum computing at the University of Maryland, we also don’t want to miss all of the consequential contributions from campuses of all shapes and sizes.
Submit your contributions via our online Contact Form for a chance to have your school’s contribution to American innovation featured on the Why College Matters social channels.
Planting Partnerships & Growing Influence
Proud Sponsor has earned the largest level of support, in both size and scope, of any industry-wide initiative to build support for the perceived value of higher education. This spring, we joined forces with even more key partners across higher ed, from college systems to national coalitions, and from non-partisan non-profits to scholarly societies. Our influence is growing and our message is being heard in every corner of the country. We are proud to welcome our newest endorsers:
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU)
Campus Compact
Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) / Virginia Private Colleges
Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities (CUMU)
Stand Together Higher Ed
We’re speaking with one voice, and we need you to be part of it! There’s plenty of room to join the growing list. Connect with Greg Summers to learn more and become our next endorser.
Upcoming Conference Connections
The Proud Sponsor team is on the road again sharing our message, building our endorser list, and meeting colleagues old and new at conferences throughout the summer and into the fall.
Whether you want to know more about the campaign, have a question about playing a greater role in our important work, or simply want to chat, we would love to hear from you. Drop us a line via our Online Contact Form today.
