VCU’s Brand: Built with Art and Science

Grant J. Heston writes about higher education and healthcare branding, communications and leadership.

As the headline says, brand building is art and science … and I've always been attracted to the science part, the data.

That's why the results of our recent independent survey of Richmond-area residents about Virginia Commonwealth University are so exciting:

-- 92% of respondents believe VCU is producing important innovations in science, technology and health care that improve people’s lives.

-- 88% of respondents believe VCU’s continued growth and success are important to Richmond’s future.

-- 79% believe VCU makes the Richmond area a better place to live.

The survey, conducted in November by Public Opinion Strategies, was commissioned by VCU to provide data about how Richmond-area residents perceive VCU’s contributions. More about the survey and its results can be found here: https://lnkd.in/erZU27JJ

As the story notes, the survey followed a presentation at the December meeting of VCU’s Board of Visitors that showed VCU generates approximately $10 billion in economic activity in Virginia. Additionally, the presentation explained that less than 1% (0.71%) of land in the city of Richmond is owned by VCU. VCU owns 2.3% of the total acreage of land that is tax-exempt in the city.