Brand Platform
Talking Points
BIG IDEA
“Go all in.”
The big idea is the primary filter or lens for storytelling. It sums up the brand platform in one short phrase and captures what it means for a story to be “distinctly Stephens.”
Our big idea captures the passion and expectations that students bring to us, and all the ways we welcome, encourage and support that passion by nurturing knowledge and purpose, and providing experiences that point students towards a meaningful and rewarding career.
NARRATIVE
This is our foundational story—it tells our audiences who we are, why we matter and why they should care. At a time when so much skepticism is surrounding higher education, it positions us as a forward-thinking, student-centered institution.
There’s a better way to learn—and a better way to find your path. How many times have you completed a course, earned a good grade, and still wondered what you actually learned, why it matters and how it prepares you for life after college? At Stephens, we know there’s a better way.
With our Block Schedule, our famously dedicated and impressively connected professors have the uninterrupted time to help you learn the way that works best for you: dig deep into a topic, understand its meaning in the bigger world, and own what you know through a wealth of hands-on learning experiences in and out of the classroom. You’ll get a clear sense of your strengths and where you want to take your professional life—and you’ll do it all in a tight- knit community with people who trust each other and love sharing their ambitions and curiosity.
PILLARS
Think of pillars as the fundamental truths about the brand.
Pillars are what our core audiences find most compelling about us. Marketing campaigns and tactics may evolve, but the pillars remain constant.
1. The Block: One Class, One Topic, One Immersive Learning Experience at a Time
Fifteen-week semesters and lectures that never seem to end? Juggling 4 or 5 courses at a time? That’s no way to learn and get ready for professional life. And that’s why 91ɬÂţ runs on the Block Schedule.
You take one class at a time. It meets every day for 3.5 weeks—typically 9 a.m. to noon, for a total of 18 days. We call those sessions “blocks,” and you’ll take four of them every semester. The Block gives you unparalleled opportunities for you and your classmates to focus together on what matters: knowing, doing, and getting ready for your future.
Because our professors are teaching one class at a time, they can create the most immersive, active learning experiences that they (and you) can imagine—inside and outside the classroom. So having one class at a time doesn’t mean learning one way for three hours at a stretch: it means a wide range of active learning experiences and perspectives—from personalized coaching to cross disciplinary collaboration with other faculty to field trips.
You won’t have the stress of prioritizing your time across multiple papers and exams for multiple classes—all of which are due simultaneously. You can concentrate all your energy on the projects, papers, and exams for one class.
Our small class sizes have always been a big Stephens advantage. With the Block you can do even deeper dives: getting better feedback, collaborating in richer ways, and pursuing big questions that emerge. When you’re in a group that’s “in the zone,” you don’t just learn more: You gain clarity about who you are and where you’re going.
With your intensive Block experiences scheduled for the first half of the day, you’ll have more uninterrupted time in the afternoons, which makes it easier to get and stay involved in campus activities, athletics and work experiences—because as everyone knows, Stephens isn’t a place where anyone wants to fly under the radar.
You’ll learn just as much (and earn as many credits) as you would over the course of a traditional semester. If you come in with college credits (most of our students do), take advantage of our year-round dorms and summer Blocks to graduate in less than four years.
The Block can take you anywhere. You can devote an entire Block to a customized, short-term study abroad. Or field research. Or an internship/shadowing experience through one of our alumni. We offer grants to make it affordable.
Why this Matters:
This message breaks down how the Block Schedule works and captures all the advantages it offers to students. You don’t have to use this message in its entirety—look at the materials we created in anticipation of the Fall 2024 Block Schedule launch to see how we re-purposed this language.
2. “All In” Learning
Get ready to go all in. We’re not going to sit you in front of a textbook and lecture at you. Stephens has always been about doing, not watching. You’ll be in real working environments from your very first week: our on-campus preschool and elementary school, our stables, a health care setting, a lab, the marketing agency, the film studio. By going all in early, you’ll discover what you really want to do—or never want to do again—before you’ve invested a lot of precious time and energy.
Why this Matters:
We want students to know that we appreciate their passion and don’t expect them to forego or delay opportunities to dig in. Students also told us they appreciated how having professional-based experiences early on helped them gain clarity sooner about what they really wanted to do—they don’t feel like they wasted any time.
3. Empowering Students
At Stephens, we believe every student is a true original, with an inventive, empathic spirit to share with the world. The attentiveness and focus our students find here isn’t about coddling them or sheltering them from the world—it’s about cultivating their confidence, bravery and voice. The outcomes go far beyond any single student’s success or ability to stand out and speak up—although Stephens graduates are remarkable at both. When you’re surrounded by this much support, opportunity and exhilarating intensity you want to be someone who’s driven to create it for others.
Why this Matters:
There is a perception that small colleges mean fewer opportunities, or a “bubble” experience. We want to assure students that opportunities abound and are within reach, and that they’ll be connected to the world in immediate and affirming ways. We also know that students are concerned about their mental well-being, and that helping them grow doesn’t mean we have to treat them as if they are fragile. Finally, we want to assert growing stronger as an individual also becomes a gift that you can give to others.
4. The Stephens Promise
If your family has an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less and you have a 3.3 GPA and live on campus, we can put together a financial aid package of scholarships and grants—not loans!—that will make our tuition and fees free from the time you enroll until the time you graduate. And with all our opportunities for campus work to help cover your living costs, you can graduate with little or no debt. A lot of private colleges will tell you they’re worth the investment. At Stephens, we’ve flipped the script: we’re investing in you.
Why this Matters:
We know that cost and availability of financial aid is the primary concern of students and their families. By branding our approach to financial aid as a “promise” we show our audiences that we’re committed to affordability—that we “walk the walk.”
5. The Star Network Shines
Welcome to our constellation of Stars. Our 30,000 Stephens alumni are proud to be Stars and happy to see new generations finding meaning and relevance in our traditions and close-knit community. A big way they express all that joy is their responsiveness to students like you. They’ll answer questions about how they’ve achieved their amazing professional lives, host you for job shadowing experiences, help you get internships with their companies and organizations, and hire you when you graduate. We all shine brighter when we shine together, so we’re always here for each other—in college and in life. Our concentrated Stars power is something to behold.
Why this Matters:
Building a sense of identity as a “Star” helps deepen a sense of belonging and connection. Some students may not immediately understand the importance of a loyal alumni network—take the time to show students why the Stephens network is a big advantage.
6. Not Your Typical Small College Location
A small college in the middle of nowhere? Nope, not us. Our safe, park-like campus—the pet-friendliest campus on the planet—is just a two-minute walk to the heart of a great, 24/7 college town. Columbia, Missouri—CoMo for short—has been called a “mini-metropolis” because it’s got everything—from places to hang out to major employers who connect our students to opportunities in health care, arts and culture, research, education, and more.
Why this Matters:
One of our most distinctive advantages is our location in a lively college town. Avoid list-y, “Chamber of Commerce” style language when talking about Columbia. Instead find out and speak to what students value about their location. Note how we connect the prime location with another advantage—and a powerful “hook” for many students: our pet-friendly policy.