The are lofty and as varied as the people who learn at, work for and provide support to educational institutions across the globe. Career readiness and higher lifetime incomes. The knowledge and ability to adapt to a changing world. Improving the economic and societal wellbeing of our communities.

But how, exactly, does the University of Louisville ensure these benefits are delivered and realized? What are we, the Cardinal Family, working to accomplish? And why should people care?

These are questions the Office of Communications and Marketing aims to answer through the brand evolution initiative now being shared with the campus community and slated to launch to external audiences via an integrated marketing campaign beginning in early 2022. At the direction of the Office of the President and in support of the university strategic plan, UofL has refreshed its identity to include the addition of a and messaging guidelines to complement the existing core brand .

“People want to engage with brands — with organizations and businesses — that stand for something. In order to remain competitive, we need to differentiate UofL and help people better understand who we are, how we’re unique, and what we stand for — our ‘why,’ ” said Kim Butterweck, executive director of brand and marketing for OCM. “Our brand framework is the roadmap for expressing UofL’s noble purpose in a memorable way and ensuring the experience we provide to our students and other constituents aligns with that ‘why.’”

Through extensive market research, OCM and creative partner uncovered the emotional core of the UofL brand and then articulated the primary benefit the university provides. This forms the foundation of the brand communications framework, and aligns with the university’s mission and vision: UofL is a vital ecosystem that creates thriving futures for students, our community and society.

There are three primary message points, or pillars, that support this brand positioning and highlight our competitive advantages:
• Redefining Student Success: UofL invests in the whole student to unleash their potential and prepare them for the careers, workplaces and complex challenges of tomorrow.
• Research and Innovation Powerhouse: UofL creates and applies knowledge that improves lives.
• Premier Metropolitan University: UofL is dynamically connected to the local and global community.

“We are one university and we should be speaking with one voice,” said Erica Walsh, OCM’s director of marketing. “Our new communications framework and messaging guidelines will ensure a consistent voice, tone and personality across university communications moving forward. It also allows us to more easily show what sets UofL apart and helps create meaningful connections with our audiences.”

Throughout the summer and fall of 2021, OCM hosted several workshops to share UofL’s new brand positioning and messaging with key faculty, staff and students. These sessions also included the rollout of phase one of an extensive across campus and coincided with the formation of the UofL Brand Council. Comprised of the top-level communicators in each school/college and key administrative units, the Brand Council is responsible for developing and managing communications and marketing strategies to improve overall brand awareness, perceptions and engagement.

“The power behind the UofL brand lies with those on campus making things; creating brand opportunities that reflect and amplify the values of the institution,” said Brian Faust, creative director for UofL. “Unit marketing needs are really diverse, so we worked to find commonalities among those needs to develop a roadmap for branded templates and assets. We have been fully committed in this process to providing more tools, training and resources for the folks doing this difficult work. In the end, it helps all of us — as well as the university.”

Information sessions are available for faculty, staff and students as the brand evolution initiative continues, leading to the launch of the university’s new marketing campaign, “Here and Beyond,” early next year. Virtual sessions are scheduled for , and . Visit the listings on the  for more information and to register for a session.  

This summer, Assistant Director and Clinical Librarian Vida Vaughn attended the Evidence-Based Clinical Practice (EBCP) workshop at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.  Her main goals were to learn how to assess biostatistics in medical literature, expand her awareness of evidence-based practice, and become a better clinical librarian and teacher.

She soon realized that biostatistics analysis “is a graduate program in itself. But I came away knowing I can look at the literature more competently now.”

Vaughn’s work involves teaching students and clinicians on the Health Sciences Campus in the classroom setting, small groups or one-on-one, and also partnering with other medical educators. She said the workshop has helped her work more effectively, particularly with medical faculty at UofL. Gaining their buy-in and confidence is a constant mission and is based on hard work, she said.

“They have so much advanced medical knowledge and training that it can be challenging,” said Vaughn. “You have to work very hard to prove yourself, to begin to gain a level of trust. But when you help solve someone’s problem for them, they become your best advocate.”

The immersive, week-long workshop is designed to benefit physicians, nurses, dentists, clinical librarians and other health-care professionals who learn more about EBCP – and how to teach it – in a small-group setting. EBCP is a contemporary approach to healthcare practice that “explicitly acknowledges the evidence that bears on each patient management decision, the strength of that evidence, the benefits and risk of alternative management strategies, and the role of patients’ values and preferences in trading off those benefits and risks.”

All attendees work for 10-hour days throughout the week to explore a broad curricula. Vaughn worked alongside three family practice physicians, two naturopath physicians, an optician, a research professor, a mentor in training, and another clinical librarian.

“It was extremely extensive, very intense. Everyone leaves completely exhausted,” she said. 

What surprised her most was how clinicians view her work as a librarian.

“I learned how much physicians crave the assistance of a librarian. When they heard what I do for UofL Physicians, they were just amazed and wanted to know how to get something similar started in their organizations. The type of embeddedness and buy-in that exists at our institution is not readily available to many clinicians around the country.  At UofL, our clinical librarian team has made a concerted effort to be accepted as part of the medical teams. With some departments, I’m embedded to the point of being considered part of the furniture,” she said.

Vaughn, who is president of the Kentucky Medical Library Association, spoke about the workshop at a recent KMLA meeting.

“Now that we have made this investment in my learning, it’s my turn to come back and teach my staff and colleagues and impart the things I’ve learned,” she said.