We understand higher education from the inside. Samuel B. Frank, Principal of Synthesis Partnership, was Dean of Architecture and Design at Rhode Island School of Design; Associate Randall Reaves served as an attorney for the University of Texas system; Associate Edwin J. Merck was a senior administrator at Hartt School of Music and Eastman School of Music, and Vice President for Finance and Administration at Wheaton College.

In addition to our work with colleges and universities, we have done strategic planning, identity development, business planning and financial modeling, and campus master planning for independent schools, health care, and cultural institutions.

Brown Medical School

STRATEGY

IDENTITY

The Office of Advancement of Brown Medical School asked Synthesis Partnership to assist in the development of the School’s identity and branding strategy, which was deemed fundamental to an effective launch of a new name (and accompanying positioning) of the school.

We built this study on the premise that the ultimate goal of naming, positioning and identity is to establish mind-share among prospective and current students; residents, faculty, and alumni; and the public (consumers, voters and donors) - all essential contributors to the success of the school’s mission, and all of whom have many competing draws on their attention.

If brand identity is to be a useful tool, identity needs to begin on a fundamental strategic and conceptual level. It needs to be developed and supported beyond the application of graphics: “visual identity” is shorthand for “visual expression of identity.” To be effective, this expression must communicate clear and believable messages about the vision, values, and reality of the institution.

Audiences and their needs are at the core of a brand identity program. What is noteworthy about Brown Medical School for prospective students, prospective donors, and health care consumers (and voters) in Rhode Island? We began the study with a review of print materials, Website and prior planning documents; conducted in-person and telephone interviews among various constituencies; and e-mailed a set of open-ended questions to others.

Our research and observations resulted in recommendations in four primary areas:

• Clarify the product:
  Take some immediate actions to clarify message and enhance visibility
  Avoid obfuscating jargon
  Increase focus on the primary assets of the school
  Commit to benchmarking and strategic planning for longer term solutions
  
  
• Market the school
  Overhaul the Website to focus on user-centered objectives, not data-centered capabilities Consider prospective students, alumni, other target groups of the advancement office
  (While attention is being paid to the Website, consider its potential internally to transform workflow through the handling of diverse information and transactions)
  
  
• Graphic representation of identity
  Create and use a consistent institutional mark both linking to the university and differentiating from it.
  
  
• Create a more visible presence in the community
  Invest in a more robust communications strategy
  Identify and consolidate physical presence

University of New Hampshire

IDENTITY

FACILITIES

The University of New Hampshire serves 19,000 students on a campus of 1100 acres. It has the capacity to house about 50% of its 12,000 undergraduate students on campus, and feels pressure to increase that percentage over the next few years. In addition, some of its housing stock will have to be replaced to meet current standards.

As it completes a new campus master plan and approaches an opportunity for a new round of project funding, the University has identified three residential projects to be developed to accommodate 980 beds: 400 of them replacements for residences to be retired, and 580 new beds.

The University’s prior experience has been to do minimal programming and budgeting before requesting project funding. This has led to difficulties when subsequent project definition has identified additional costs. Such unanticipated costs have had to be accommodated by cuts in desired features of the project.

To correct this problem, the University has retained Synthesis Partnership to conduct a comprehensive process of preparation for these projects. Our assignment includes site assessment, programming, budgeting, and oversight and coordination of the work of a number of technical consultants offering civil and geotechnical engineering assessments, site surveys, and other evaluations that will develop a thorough grounding for the projects and a clear and reliable budget.

The secondary goal for this assignment is to develop procedures, approaches, forms and reports that will serve the University as a template for future planning and programming.

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American University of Beirut

IDENTITY

FACILITIES

The American University of Beirut is a 150-year-old American institution based in Lebanon, which serves students from all over the Near East. As a New York State-chartered school, its corporate and development offices are located in Manhattan.

In the spring of 2002 Synthesis Partnership was asked to assist the University in upgrading their image and operations through a move to a new facility. The intent of the move from cramped and unattractive rental quarters to a commercial condominium near the United Nations was twofold: to represent to the public and potential donors the significance of the institution and to support the shift towards a more effective open-office management style.

The early phase of the project focused on identifying needs and developing a program of spaces and messages to be conveyed, creating an internal review committee and approval mechanisms, generating a conceptual project budget, circulating a Request for Proposal, selecting an architect and construction manager, and helping to develop contracts for work with them.

During the design phase we worked with the review committee to monitor the work of the architects in terms of quality and cost; we reviewed consultant proposals and contracts, and were often called upon to resolve misunderstandings. Additionally, we worked with the review committee and the marketing department to gather a collection of images, for permanent display in the office, which would convey a cohesive identity for the University.

While the project was under construction we attended job site meetings periodically, reviewed change orders and continued to track overall project costs.

The University successfully moved in to its new offices within 14 months of initially conceiving the project.

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