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 鈥渄istinctly Stephens.鈥�
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鈥攊t 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鈥檚 a better way to learn鈥攁nd 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鈥檚 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鈥檒l get a clear sense of your strengths and where you want to take your professional life鈥攁nd you鈥檒l 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鈥檚 no way to learn and get ready for professional life. And that鈥檚 why 糖心原创 runs on the Block Schedule.
You take one class at a time. It meets every day for 3.5 weeks鈥攖ypically 9 a.m. to noon, for a total of 18 days. We call those sessions 鈥渂locks,鈥� and you鈥檒l 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鈥攊nside and outside the classroom. So having one class at a time doesn鈥檛 mean learning one way for three hours at a stretch: it means a wide range of active learning experiences and perspectives鈥攆rom personalized coaching to cross disciplinary collaboration with other faculty to field trips.
You won鈥檛 have the stress of prioritizing your time across multiple papers and exams for multiple classes鈥攁ll 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鈥檙e in a group that鈥檚 鈥渋n the zone,鈥� you don鈥檛 just learn more: You gain clarity about who you are and where you鈥檙e going.
With your intensive Block experiences scheduled for the first half of the day, you鈥檒l have more uninterrupted time in the afternoons, which makes it easier to get and stay involved in campus activities, athletics and work experiences鈥攂ecause as everyone knows, Stephens isn鈥檛 a place where anyone wants to fly under the radar.
You鈥檒l 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鈥檛 have to use this message in its entirety鈥攍ook 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鈥檙e not going to sit you in front of a textbook and lecture at you. Stephens has always been about doing, not watching. You鈥檒l 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鈥檒l discover what you really want to do鈥攐r never want to do again鈥攂efore you鈥檝e invested a lot of precious time and energy.
Why this Matters:
We want students to know that we appreciate their passion and don鈥檛 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鈥攖hey don鈥檛 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鈥檛 about coddling them or sheltering them from the world鈥攊t鈥檚 about cultivating their confidence, bravery and voice. The outcomes go far beyond any single student鈥檚 success or ability to stand out and speak up鈥攁lthough Stephens graduates are remarkable at both. When you鈥檙e surrounded by this much support, opportunity and exhilarating intensity you want to be someone who鈥檚 driven to create it for others.
Why this Matters:
There is a perception that small colleges mean fewer opportunities, or a 鈥渂ubble鈥� experience. We want to assure students that opportunities abound and are within reach, and that they鈥檒l 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鈥檛 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鈥攏ot loans!鈥攖hat 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鈥檙e worth the investment. At Stephens, we鈥檝e flipped the script: we鈥檙e 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 鈥減romise鈥� we show our audiences that we鈥檙e committed to affordability鈥攖hat we 鈥渨alk the walk.鈥�
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鈥檒l answer questions about how they鈥檝e 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鈥檙e always here for each other鈥攊n college and in life. Our concentrated Stars power is something to behold.
Why this Matters:
Building a sense of identity as a 鈥淪tar鈥� helps deepen a sense of belonging and connection. Some students may not immediately understand the importance of a loyal alumni network鈥攖ake 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鈥攖he pet-friendliest campus on the planet鈥攊s just a two-minute walk to the heart of a great, 24/7 college town. Columbia, Missouri鈥擟oMo for short鈥攈as been called a 鈥渕ini-metropolis鈥� because it鈥檚 got everything鈥攆rom 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, 鈥淐hamber of Commerce鈥� 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鈥攁nd a powerful 鈥渉ook鈥� for many students: our pet-friendly policy.