Does ISU do a bad job capitalizing on its name (Chicago: credit, private school)

[edsg25]

Illinois State University

Now that's a name that any school would love to have. In the competitive world of colleges, a world loaded with so many universities, having a name like "Name-of-state State University" is a godsend.

It carries name recognition. It removes you from the realm of directional university (NIU, SIU, EIU, WIU) and gives you state wide representation.

Indeed schools like Missouri State and Texas State went through loops to get rid of their old names to give that magical state wide image. They battle intrenched interests and state legislatures to have a chance to get the job done.

No, by doing so doesn't make you Michigan State or Arizona State or Florida State. But it sure give you something, something good.

ISU is the oldest public university in our state. And it had that ISU moniker long before the current era of image matters. Yet, IMHO, it has done little to use its position to distinguish itself from schools like Northern or Southern.

UIUC is the cream of the crop in our state. And in essence it is far less UIUC than it is U of I or Illinois. Indeed Illinois is what it calls itself.

Below UIUC there is a gap before one gets to ISU, UIC, SIU and NIU. They get lumped together. If one of them tries to distinguish itself from the other more than the others do, it is UIC. And UIC uses image itself in the process. Its logo and all its graphic representation is built around three bold letters "UIC" with little reference to its full name, as the Univ of ___ @ ___ is often as deadly as directional school names.

No, that doesn't make UIC into some sort of UCLA, just as Illinois State will never be Michigan State. But anything that helps image counts.

Look, this might be silly. But it is real. Name recognition is HUGE. Finding a way to distinguish yourself pays dividends. And from what I can see, Illinois State hasn't done much to capitalize on its name.

Am I right or wrong on this one? What do you think?

[Maintainschaos]

My experience in college has been that people tend to look for two types of higher education experiences: large universities that dominate in a number of academic areas, or small liberal arts colleges. I think ISU lies in a funky position. It is not quite good enough to run with the top dogs in Illinois (UIUC, University of Chicago, Northwestern) nor the top universities in the Midwest, but it also isn't small enough and dedicated to liberal arts studies enough to be recognized as that "really good, small liberal arts college in Illinois." Unfortunately, I think its middle-of-the-pack academics maybe plays more of a role in its recognition rather than its name. I am not denigrating ISU--I think it's a perfectly good school that produces well-educated people and is recognized in a few subcategories as being top notch. However, I don't think I'd be wrong in saying there are a multitude of other schools in the country that are not too dissimilar than ISU.

[chet everett]

Branding is tricky. Take poor IIT, arguably one of the premier architecture / engineering schools inn the region. Every time the for profit, learn-to-repair ads run for the national chain of ITT it must make the admissions and fud raising people at Illinois Institute of Technology BEG for a name change, but Armor Institute did not do well in focus groups and would have pissed off the Galvin family who has coughed up more dough for the school anyhow.

The real rubber meets the road in the US News & World Report rankings and ISU just does not have horses to break from pack. If they try to attract top notch talent they won't hold on to 'em. It is a tough bed to lie in....

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

My experience in college has been that people tend to look for two types of higher education experiences: large universities that dominate in a number of academic areas, or small liberal arts colleges. I think ISU lies in a funky position. It is not quite good enough to run with the top dogs in Illinois (UIUC, University of Chicago, Northwestern) nor the top universities in the Midwest, but it also isn't small enough and dedicated to liberal arts studies enough to be recognized as that "really good, small liberal arts college in Illinois." Unfortunately, I think its middle-of-the-pack academics maybe plays more of a role in its recognition rather than its name. I am not denigrating ISU--I think it's a perfectly good school that produces well-educated people and is recognized in a few subcategories as being top notch. However, I don't think I'd be wrong in saying there are a multitude of other schools in the country that are not too dissimilar than ISU.

Excellent post, Main. I'd agree with your assessment. I think the only public university that has a chance to "break out of the pack" and maybe join that group that includes public Illinois and private Chicago and Northwestern would be UIC.

UIC carries the weight of being the only major state university in the Chicago area (NIU is corn-fed metropolitan fringe at best, although with a nice high tech component along I-88, and NEIU and Chgo St are not majors) and the power of the city behind it. Also, UIC gets the edge over ISU, NIU, and SIU because it is part of the University of Illinois, a major part as well (something that UIS cannot claim).

If ever there were a second public flagship in the state of Illinois (hey...our neighboring states like Indiana with IU and Purdue, Michigan with U-M and MSU, and Iowa with UIowa and Ia St have two...why can't we?) along with UIUC, I'd bet on UIC.

then again, ISU would be my second bet.

[linicx]

ISU-Normal was a teaching college before it was designated a University. Today it attracts a global student body. Three years aga I met a father from Canada whose daughter was enrolled at ISU taking post-grad forensic anthropology and a related course for her Masters. ISU-Normal has 1 of the 13 top rated Actuary colleges in North America. University High, a well regarded college prep school at ISU-Normal, is the oldest Labratory School in America. One of every seven teachers in Illinois has a ISU degree.

Eureka College is a top 25-rated Liberal Arts College in Eurkea, Illinois.

Judging from websites I would say ISU-Normal is probably better known in academic circles than elsewhere.

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by edsg25

Excellent post, Main. I'd agree with your assessment. I think the only public university that has a chance to "break out of the pack" and maybe join that group that includes public Illinois and private Chicago and Northwestern would be UIC.

UIC carries the weight of being the only major state university in the Chicago area (NIU is corn-fed metropolitan fringe at best, although with a nice high tech component along I-88, and NEIU and Chgo St are not majors) and the power of the city behind it. Also, UIC gets the edge over ISU, NIU, and SIU because it is part of the University of Illinois, a major part as well (something that UIS cannot claim).

If ever there were a second public flagship in the state of Illinois (hey...our neighboring states like Indiana with IU and Purdue, Michigan with U-M and MSU, and Iowa with UIowa and Ia St have two...why can't we?) along with UIUC, I'd bet on UIC.

then again, ISU would be my second bet.

I agree; were I to predict the next public school to grow in prominence in IL, I'd say UIC, trailed by (distantly) ISU. It would also be nice to see UIS grown in prominence. I would image that Springfield would have been a bit more like Madison had UIUC been located there, rather than the mostly boring government/health care town it is now.

In a way, I see Illinois more like Pennsylvania in regards to universities than its surrounding midwestern states. PA has one large, well-known public university (Penn State) with a slew of well-known private universities (UPenn, Carnegie-Melon, Pitt, Temple etc.). IL is more like PA in this regard than it is like IA, IN or MI, for example.

Nevertheless, I think ISU has tough competition with UIUC, as UIUC is academically more prestigious and (in my opinion) in a more interesting city(cities) with more to do than ISU. As time goes on, I see UIUC and ISU growing further apart, not closer.

[edsg25]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

I agree; were I to predict the next public school to grow in prominence in IL, I'd say UIC, trailed by (distantly) ISU. It would also be nice to see UIS grown in prominence. I would image that Springfield would have been a bit more like Madison had UIUC been located there, rather than the mostly boring government/health care town it is now.

In a way, I see Illinois more like Pennsylvania in regards to universities than its surrounding midwestern states. PA has one large, well-known public university (Penn State) with a slew of well-known private universities (UPenn, Carnegie-Melon, Pitt, Temple etc.). IL is more like PA in this regard than it is like IA, IN or MI, for example.

Nevertheless, I think ISU has tough competition with UIUC, as UIUC is academically more prestigious and (in my opinion) in a more interesting city(cities) with more to do than ISU. As time goes on, I see UIUC and ISU growing further apart, not closer.

actually Pitt and Temple have the same status as Penn State. They are called "state related" universities that have a great deal of autonomy as opposed to the state university category. They also have higher in-state tuition costs than do the state universities.

I agree with your observation about how flagship public universities in state capitals like you mentioned with UW have an edge. Same is true in Columbus with OSU and Austin with UT.

I, too, see a link between Illinois and some of the eastern states. Illinois, alone among the midwestern states, is dominated by private universities in the form of U of C and NU. It is far tougher for UIUC to go up against that instate than, say, what U-M faces in Michigan where no such private school exists.

Another school I would watch that has the ability to rise is NIU. As I mentioned earlier, Northern has the benefit (one that other schools in state do not really share) of a high tech corridor along I-88. Yes, that corridor's strength has been DuPage County, but it has moved westward across the Fox and DeKalb is in its radar.

[thePR]

Actually, depending on what program it is, UIC and ISU go back an forth. ISU is a great teaching school, and its undergrad Anthropology department is ranked higher than U of I's and the Nursing School is pretty darn good among others.

ISU does not get enough credit many times.

[linicx]

The University of Illinois supports several schools downstate. Eastern, Western Southern, Nornal, plus medical schools in Peoria and Springfieod, a Veterinarian school in Chcampaign and two laboratory schools of which I am aware.

ISU has a student body about 21,000 strong from 37 countries. It was and still is a teaching school. I would venture to guess the Administration and faculty doesn't devote much time to puffery or beauty contests; they never did. Their formula seems to have worked pretty good for nearly 160*years without too many complaints. Why rock the boat now?

Prestigious? in whose eyes and why? It is not Ivy League. ISU never intended to be nor wanted to be.anything other than what it is: a school for aspiring teachers that graduates some fine students from Chicago and Peoria*and Bloomington and Springfield and the rest of the state. So does Bradley and SIU and Eureka for that matter. .

[Drover]

Originally Posted by edsg25

Does ISU do a bad job capitalizing on its name

No.