Here at DePaul, we understand our mission. We know what we mean by words like accessibility, primacy of teaching, quality education, Catholic, Vincentian, urban. They are part of everything we do. Our consistent embrace of this mission has made DePaul, and its students, successful.

But it's not as easy to describe these concepts to the people we serve. They use different words for the same ideas. They view what we offer from the vantage point of their goals, not ours. They see us from the outside looking in.

That's why we've spent the past few years defining the DePaul experience, or "brand," from the perspective of our students and alumni. This set of messages describes what we do in ways that people outside the university quickly and clearly understand. The ideas are relevant to their goals and aspirations. Through research, we've confirmed words and phrases that correctly convey our mission to each of our most important audiences.

That's vital in an environment filled with so many higher education options and alternatives. By consistently using the same language to describe our strengths, we can make sure that the people we are trying to reach understand DePaul's unique advantages.

Just as we incorporate our mission into everything we do, we need to incorporate our brand strategy—the way we express our mission to external audiences—into everything we say and do. Just as we talk about "Vincentian personalism" in committee meetings, we should talk about being "approachable," "student-focused" and offering "close faculty/student interaction through small class sizes" when we communicate with prospective students, employers or community members.