By Kirk Laughlin
Dare to be great. For years these four words have been seen on flyers, in Orange Bowl commercials and on highway signs branding the University of Louisville and ringing in the ears of perspective applicants and researchers around the nation.
But this brand will not be around for much longer. On Jan. 22, the university marketing department will launch a new brand advertising for the university. Grawemeyer Hall has been tight-lipped on the new slogan, with John Drees, U of L’s vice president for marketing and communication, offering “no comment.”
At the University of Kentucky, a new branding attempt has already been put onto the market through its “See blue” initiative. Launched in early October, it has already been put onto its homepage, in television commercials and other graphics projects.
As part of the “See blue” package, UK advertises the advances the university has made and plans to make toward becoming a “top 20” research university. Similarly, Western Kentucky University has used “The spirit makes the master” in advertisement, taking note of forensic championships, research advances and Fulbright Scholars that the university has had in recent years.
The current logo, “Dare to be great,” has been in effect since 2000, when then President John Shumaker said, “The theme is ideally suited to U of L today.” Shumaker went on to say, “We’ve made major strides in quality quickly thanks to our faculty, staff and friends. It’s time to tell our story.”
“After eight years of telling this story, I think the university has dared to be great and has come up pretty well,” sophomore bioengineering major Sean Warren said. “It is time that they come up with a new motto that embodies where we are today in an attractive and mature manner.”
“The ‘Dare to be great’ initiative has been around for a while. The university needs a fresh face,” sophomore nursing major Rachael Rice said. “Hopefully, it won’t sound tacky and is able to give us a fresh feel and a good outlook.”
