Have any of you heard that the students in the famous (and one-of-a-kind) doctoral program in International Development will have a surcharge of $250/hr (new students) or $85/hr (continuing students) to pay for a branding campaign for the degree program? So if you're a new student taking 10 hours, you'd pay another $2500 in fees beginning next semester, to finance some marketing strategy dreamed up some administrator. This seems outrageous to me. Am I the only one who finds this to be a disgusting abuse of students? And why do you need a "branding" campaign (I hate that phrase - and the concept - but that's another issue) when you're unique anyway?
Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em up and brand 'em. My apologies to the old Rawhide TV series. The point is, however, the current administration has stated that "Image is everything." Branding has a legitimate place in the marketing of a university, but it must be based on substance. Substance is everything, not image. SFT and LSM have certainly branded this university, and it will take decades to recover. Enterprising reporters should follow the flow of university dollars to a Jackson advertising agency to determine who is really profiting from the branding campaign.
quote: Originally posted by: Cattleman "And why do you need a "branding" campaign (I hate that phrase - and the concept - but that's another issue) when you're unique anyway? "
Ya'll reckon the previously announced intention of renaming seven streets on the USM campus is part of this image-building "branding" campaign? Does anyone know if any decision has been made about the new names? I thought the nomination deadline had passed. Dime to a doughnut the new names will either be related to "athletics" to to specific "people." Like "Nasty Bunch Drive," "Eagle Fever Boulevard," or "NITchampburg Lane." The street names honoring living persons I'll leave up to you to figure out, but I'll bet I can guess one or two of them - and it won't be Stringer Drive or Glamser Circle.
quote: Originally posted by: Longgone "Don't try to understand 'em, just rope 'em up and brand 'em. My apologies to the old Rawhide TV series. "
Wow, Longgone. The Rawhide Theme is SO apropos:
Keep movin', movin', movin' Though they're disapprovin' Keep them dogies movin' Rawhide! Don't try to understand 'em Just rope, throw, and brand 'em Soon we'll be living high and wide. My hearts calculatin' My true love will be waitin', Be waitin' at the end of my ride.