KRC Research

Higher Education

Helping a higher education institution evaluate its reputation and inform communications: The University of Minnesota

Challenge

As Minnesota state budgets declined, more and more agencies were fighting for a piece of a rapidly shrinking pie. The University, faced with budget cuts and the threat of tuition hikes, wanted to understand how best to communicate with residents in order to protect its reputation.

Research Solution

As part of its strategic communications planning, the University engaged KRC Research to help them, via research, understand Minnesotans' current attitudes and perceptions about funding and tuition, to determine what goals and performance areas were priorities for residents, and to determine how to communicate best with residents about the University.

In addition, KRC designed the survey to also provide the University with information on current trends, and to provide a benchmark for future tracking-enabling the University to better monitor its environment as well as to better assess the effectiveness of its communication efforts over time.

Results

The findings of the original survey provided the University with direct guidance on communications priorities and messages. Since the original survey, the University engaged KRC regularly over the past years to survey Minnesotans, to provide them with insights about changes as well as measures of their own impact.

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