The 2024 Wall Street Journal/College Pulse Rankings and impact on one Jesuit/Mercy institution
By Gary J. Erwin and Debbie Stieffel
For colleges and universities across the country, the importance of rankings from third-party organizations has come under significant fire in recent years and for good reason. The ability of a ranking system to arrive at a specific number that encapsulates a university’s performance, the ease to which ratings are manipulated and the use of subjective criteria on the part of ranking systems are just a few of the concerns that cause great pause among higher education professionals. Among the complaints by schools, many have gone on record to say that the questionable methodology of rankings disincentivizes schools from assisting disadvantaged students and as a result, these schools have opted out of the rankings altogether.
But on September 6, 2023, The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse released a set of new rankings that challenge the old standard and at the same time surprised colleges and universities across the country.
On that September day last fall, we learned that University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) ranked №52 nationally in The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse survey, news that caught many of us at the University off guard. Unlike other college rankings, The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings weigh student outcomes more heavily and places a greater emphasis on measuring the value added by colleges by focusing on the institution’s contribution to that success.
Overall, UDM ranked № 52 in the nation, which made the University
- Michigan’s second highest-ranking university on the list.
- Fourth among Catholic institutions nationally, behind only Georgetown University, Boston College and University of Notre Dame.
- The third-highest ranked Jesuit university and only Mercy-sponsored institution ranked.
While news of the №52 rank was a bit of a surprise, The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings offered us a new and invigorated chance to better amplify the power of UDM’s brand of education by using these unexpected rankings to reach new segments of students and families and help build a stronger sense of pride among all our stakeholders.
Our president, Dr. Donald B. Taylor, was eager to take full advantage of this third-party validation as soon as possible. And that’s exactly what UDM did.
Within an hour of learning of the ranking, the Marketing & Communications Department, Enrollment Management Division and entire University community quickly mobilized to develop a year-long marketing and communications strategy that would inspire prospective students, their parents, and new stakeholders to engage with the University. Here is how we did it.
Rollout
When UDM received the word, meetings were established that quickly led to a 20-point comprehensive marketing and communications tactical plan that included a schedule for all deployments throughout the year and engaged all UDM stakeholders. The goals: to make sure this news was a key speaking point for our internal and external communities, and to target current and future UDM stakeholders and prospective undergraduate and graduate students with the good news.
This included the integration of the official branding package from The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse for use on all paid and organic marketing media and social media, as well as UDM program pages. Some of the more prominent features of this tactical plan included the use of our new Parent Portal communications tool, which provides news and information for new parents about the daily and weekly happenings at UDM, along with helpful advice to ensure that their students achieve success in their college careers.
Other pieces included a major international news release on PR Newswire and our news dissemination service, paid marketing media buys, collateral elements, a webpage featuring this news, packages of branded assets for digital and print, speaking points shared with all UDM community members and ongoing media relations elements. Recruiters and admission advisors also received key talking points and collateral to use when visiting high schools and meeting with counselors and students to share the news.
Impact
The impact was both immediate and tangible. For example, the media components of this strategic campaign generated more than 1,400 international media hits within the first month of the news. This earned coverage equated to approximately $639,000 in publicity value alone. President Taylor has given many interviews to local and state media outlets and continues to engage with proud alumni around the country on visits and phone calls about this significant news.
Other key measurements that show how this news has penetrated our marketplace include a 10% increase in social media engagements across the board.
In terms of impact on our 2024–25 enrollment, the following data shows that our work in sharing these ranks is helping with
- A 16% increase in applications for new undergraduate students over last year at this time.
- A 13% increase in new student deposits this year over last year at this time.
On the fundraising side, we have experienced a significant uptick in interest among donors. As Dennis Carlesso, interim vice president of University Advancement, notes, “everyone wants to be on a winning team. These days, donors are much savvier and want to ensure that their investments support quality programming. This third-party validation of our institution makes that conversation much easier. We do not need to say, ‘trust us, we are good.’ Rather, we can say, ‘these rankings prove that UDM is doing an excellent job.’” Although a direct tie to fundraising is not easily discernible, UDM’s totals for the 2023–24 FY are trending toward a new record.
Adding to the Momentum
Additionally, this news provides greater momentum as the University continues its work toward the development of a new, more emotive and connective brand built to create even greater pride among our stakeholders. This past year, UDM secured a number of new state and federal grants for programs, academic partnerships and earmarks, in addition to new foundation support, all of which will benefit our students. Soon, we will also deploy new building banners, creative fence and pole banners and commissioned, Detroit-themed artwork with area artists that ties to our history and connection within our city and community in a bold way.
And while UDM continues to celebrate these 2024 rankings and spread the word about them, we fully understand and appreciate that the 2025 rankings are not guaranteed. But the inspirational impact that the 2024 rankings has spurred continues to push UDM to achieve even more.
Gary J. Erwin is associate vice president of Marketing & Communications and Debbie Stieffel is vice president of Enrollment Management at University of Detroit Mercy.
