Emory University: Capturing Emory’s Essence Through the Master Idea

1. Emory University: Capturing Emory’s Essence Through the Master Idea 10.31.06

2. Why Now? ALIGNING EMORY • Over the past several decades, Emory has struggled with a fragmented culture. We have hungered for a well-defined identity that can align us internally and help raise awareness externally. • The strategic plan, developed with input throughout the organization, provided a common vision to guide our journey and was a first essential step to aligning Emory. • What we still needed was a single message, a statement of identity, that captures what we’re already doing and puts a ribbon around what we’re already saying.

3. What Is the Master Idea? BRIGHTHOUSE We embarked on a thorough exercise, led by our Marketing group and partner BrightHouse, to articulate the Master Idea that is an authentic and inspiring expression of our core essence. The Master Idea: • Answers not the What or How, but the Why Emory matters • Is excavated, not created • Is authentic to our ethos and values • Is a permanent and generative expression, not a short-term tagline • Crystallizes the core purpose of an organization When lived internally, and delivered sincerely externally, the Master Idea has the power to align Emory’s culture and broaden the Institution’s reach.

4. What the Master Idea Does • Creates a sense of shared identity and fosters community among faculty, staff, students and other “in the family” constituents. • Provides the foundation for a compelling, distinctive statement of identity that attracts and retains talent and inspires donors. • Aligns various organizational groups under a common and meaningful purpose. • Clarifies the development of communications, programs and policies to form an integrated infrastructure that can accelerate the organization’s progress toward its goals.

5. The Master Idea Provides a Lens for the Whole Organization The power of Emory’s Master Idea will be realized when not only communications, but also internal programs and culture are aligned with our identity and purpose. It is a consolidated expression of who Emory is and is derived from values, mission and vision and supportive of Emory’s strategic plan. MASTER IDEA Vision | Mission | Values Strategic Objectives CULTURE Visual Identity Physical Environment Recruitment & Evaluation Job descriptions Traditions & Holidays PROGRAMS Incentive Plans Partners & Alliances Operational Initiatives Education & Training Community Outreach Mentorship COMMUNICATIONS Advertising/Marketing Public Relations Fundraising Collateral Meetings & Announcements Speeches

6. The Master Idea Emerged From a Thorough Exploration of Emory • Destiny Sessions with Emory administration • One-on-one interviews (77) with faculty, students, staff, alumni and community • Strategic Plan and historical review • Brand research, surveys and focus groups • Campus tours • Founders week / Employee Council Presidential Town Hall • Competitive overview, review of trends in higher education • Exploration to learn about and understand courageous inquiry and courageous leadership

7. Findings ETHOTIC EXPLORATION A Courageous Beginning Throughout its history, Emory has honored the risk its founders took by taking bold steps to become a leading educational and research Institution with global reach. Preparing Citizens Emory was founded on, and still embraces, the principle that education should mold character as well as mind and equip students to be responsible members of their communities. A Moral Obligation True to its Methodist origins, Emory retains an enduring spirit and sense of responsibility for tackling pressing social issues.

8. Findings ETHOTIC EXPLORATION A History of Gift and Privilege Emory remains recognized, both internally and externally, as a privileged institution. Our unique and unparalleled collection of people, schools and resources distinguish Emory and provide a tremendous opportunity to turn a negative perception of privilege into a positive transformative force. A Prudent Heart Despite a shared aspiration to create positive change in the community and world, there is also universal agreement that Emory struggles with a prudent conservatism that keeps it from translating its vision of courageous leadership into action.

9. If we of this generation are willing to put forth the same efforts and to endure the same hardships…as did our forbearers (orig. “fathers”), I am confident that the coming generations will have the opportunity to be prepared to solve the evolving problems of the next century. President Harvey Cox, Centennial address, 1936 We have inherited an expectation that those who have the privilege to come here for an education carry with it a corresponding obligation to society. President James T. Laney, Sesquicentennial address, 1986 But with such great privilege comes also great responsibility; to whom much is given, much also will be required. I have no doubt that with your Emory education you will leave here and you will do well, but even as you do well I challenge you also to do good. President James Wagner, Commencement address, 2006

10. TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN.

11. MUCH IS EXPECTED.

12. The Master Idea Use your gift.

13. The Master Idea Use your gift. Everyone has a gift. At Emory, we have many. And with these gifts come responsibility. The responsibility to act. To reach beyond success to significance. To discover our gifts and use them not just for personal goals, but also for global ones. A responsibility to make use of our talents and to use the reach of our prestigious institution to enliven the human spirit, to teach, to discover, to lead, to innovate, to heal. To have the courage to ask the burning questions of our time, and the strength to answer them. Because we can. Because we must. This is why we will use what we’ve been given, what we’ve worked for, because to hoard it, refuse it, silence it, or even let it lie stagnant is to do a great disservice to ourselves and a world in need. To whom much is given, much is expected. We will exceed expectations. We will use our gifts to impact Emory, our community, the entire university system, the world.

14. The Master Idea Use your gift. A DIRECTIVE TO PUT INTO ACTION OR SERVICE A STATEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL OWNERSHIP A REMINDER OF THE ENDOWMENTS, NATURAL AND BESTOWED, FACULTIES, ABILITIES AND TALENTS THAT EMORY POSSESSES

15. What Does It Mean to Use Your Gift? On an individual level, Use your gift means: • Embracing a path of life-long learning so that we can continually discover and develop our gifts. • Applying our talents and sharing our gifts whether through building knowledge, research, leadership, healing, planning, etc. • Recognizing that we are part of a larger community and engaging our gifts to improve the community and world around us. • Pushing personal boundaries and having the courage to take risks. • Pursing knowledge for knowledge’s sake--discovery and scholarship is a public good in itself. • Pursing the arts for the sake of a deeper human understanding

16. What Does It Mean to Use Your Gift? On an institutional level, Use your gift means: • Recognizing the power that our endowments, natural and bestowed, provide us with being conscious of our ability to be a powerful actor in the world. • Recognizing that there are many community and social issues that our capabilities and resources can uniquely address and having the courage to address them. • Recognizing that our contributions to creative thinking and imagining new ideas illuminate the world’s future. • Empowering people to engage in scholarship and in their communities and setting the expectation that they must. • Understanding that courageous thought and action come with anxiety and failure and building a structure that accommodates them.

17. What Does It Mean to Use Your Gift? We use our gifts in the principled practice of business leadership and global wealth creation; in advancing the scholarship of the rule of law in civil society; in leading the expedition toward the answers to ultimate theological questions; in preparing the next generation of scholars and researchers; in the research, education, and care-giving by our nursing, public health, and medical schools and in health care. Attention to the public good is a defining part of the Emory character and “use your gift” is a galvanizing call to action for us to create a collective voice that influences the world powerfully and beckons each of us to amplify our own voice so that our individual gift is heard and felt profoundly.

18. Using Use Your Gift Use your gift provides a platform for all Emory communications. Every piece of communication (e.g. brochure, direct mail, press release, etc.) is an opportunity to reinforce Emory’s commitment to applying our individual and institutional gifts to achieve not only success, but significance. NOT A TAGLINE Use your gift is not a tagline. It is an idea that needs to be translated for each audience, school, center, unit, etc. Use your gift will mean something different for each group within Emory. The phrase can be used as a tagline for the Emory brand only for internal (faculty, staff, students) and “in the family” (parents, donors, alumni) audiences. It will always be used in context - not stand alone. 18

19. Communicating to Different Audiences UNDERGRADUATESTUDENTS Find and develop your gifts Hone your gift GRADUATE STUDENTS Honor your gift by applying your talents ALUMNI 19

20. US News & World Report OUR STUDENTS DO WELL. THEY ALSO DO GOOD. Yes, we’re a top ranked university focused on academics, but we’re also focused on the impact this knowledge can have. And while we may reside in Atlanta, our reach extends all over the world. This is why we ask our students to find their gifts and then to use them – to improve themselves, and ultimately, the world. Come find your gift, come to Emory.

21. Chronicle & AJC HR Ad WE SEE YOUR INDIVIDUALITY AS A GIFT. At Emory University, every employee brings something special to us. Whether it’s their talent, knowledge, ideas, or unique perspectives, each individual contributes to the betterment of our University, the community and...even the world. Your gift could be used in so many ways: to inspire; to serve; to heal; to teach - isn’t it time you shared it? .

22. Emory Magazine Alumni Ad Photojournalist Susan Sterner 86C is one of thousands of Emory alumni using their gifts—not just for personal success, but for positive change. Susan spent two years in rural Brazil, documenting the lives of women there. Her vivid photographs led others to new understanding of the need for help and compassion. How will you use your gift? Visit www.alumni.emory.edu.

23. Rollins School of Public Health Alumni Magazine This is the first in a series of articles highlighting RSPH alumni, students, faculty and staff who are using their gifts to make a difference in public health.

25. Annual Fund Thank You html e-mail Dear Emory Donors Thank you for your gift to Emory University. The generosity of donors like you helped us to raise more than $114 million during the 2005-2006 giving year which ended on August 31st. Your gift plays a critical role here at Emory. It enables our students to identify their unique gifts and use them to further Emory's mission of positive transformation both inside and outside of the classroom. Thank you for your generosity. Your gift gives Emory students the opportunity to learn how to share their gifts with the world. Best wishes and many thanks.

26. Law School eFlash Presentation (excerpts) We have many opportunities and privileges and we will act on them. At Emory, our commitment to service is seen in what we do. We enable students to work with nonprofit organizations during the summer months. Our four clinics provide real advocacy experience while serving the community. We have the courage to ask the tough questions and to act on the answers. At Emory, we have been given much; we strive for excellence in everything we do. to enhance our already strong faculty . . . and to capitalize on the gifts of our excellent students.

27. ATO Fraternity Mission Statement To create, maintain, and promote a diverse environment which challenges its brothers to leverage their individual and collective gifts to better serve the Emory community and beyond through the development of passionate leaders, excellent scholars, and socially responsible citizens. President Wagner’s Address to First-Year Parents, Aug. 26, 2006 "We understand the importance of being a good university as we strive to be great. … We are excited to welcome a new wave of eager scholars bent on making a difference as they seek to grow in knowledge and in wisdom. Emory is a place to discover one's gift and develop the capacity to effectively use that gift."

28. Letter to Alumni Legacy Award Recipients “This award is a way for us to recognize and celebrate the special relationship you and your family share with Emory. It also allows us the opportunity to express our gratitude and say thanks for your continued generational support. Our hope is that this award will ease your transition into the Emory community as you explore all that Emory has to offer. At Emory, we believe that everyone has a gift and a responsibility to find that gift and use it.” Note from Andy Wilson, assistant dean for campus life/director of residence life, Aug. 27, 2006 In case you needed some data that "Use Your Gift" has been used in practice on campus, one of our halls incorporated it into their theme in the Residence Hall Decorating Contest. Senior Resident Advisor Brittany Rayburn of Turman South placed 2nd in our Hall Decorating Contest today using the master idea as a way to illustrate careers in the nonprofit industry. Just thought you'd like to know that all the hard work is paying off!

29. Office of University-Community Partnerships: Visitor’s Guide Advertisement We offer many portals through which Emory students, faculty, and staff can channel their intellectual gifts to solve real world problems. Excerpt from Senior Search Letter, Emory College Diverse Undergraduate Education Emory is known for our commitment to creating positive transformation in the world—we expect our students to do well and also do good for the world. Undergraduate programs in humanities, sciences, business, and nursing allow Emory students to explore their talents and affect change. Choose between two campuses for freshman and sophomore years—either the main campus in Atlanta, or in Oxford, where the school was originally founded. By junior year, all students take classes on the main Atlanta campus where you have the opportunity to continue with liberal arts courses or to apply to either the highly regarded business or nursing schools.

30. Goizueta Business School, The 2007 Class Gift Campaign It's not what you give, it's that you DO give .Everyone has a gift. At Goizueta, we have many. With these gifts comes responsibility - the responsibility to act, be involved, and to give back.We will use our gifts and abilities not just for personal goals, but also for global ones. At Goizueta, our mission is to create principled leaders for global enterprise. To reach this end, we will use our talents, resources and the reach of our prestigious institution to enliven the human spirit, to teach, to discover, to lead, and to innovate. We will use what we’ve been given and what we’ve worked for, because to let it lay stagnant is to do a great disservice to ourselves and a world in need. To whom much is given, much is expected. We will exceed expectations. Sponsorship Message for PBS’s “Eyes on the Prize” Support for diversity programming on PBA Thirty comes from Emory Unviersity who works collaboratively to create positive transformation in the world. ONLINE AT EMORY-DOT-E.D.U.

31. How Use Your Gift is DistinctiveUse Your Gift is unique in that it is an imperative in an otherwise passive era of higher education.  It is a galvanizing call to action for Emory to create a collective voice among our schools that influences the world powerfully and beckons each of us to amplify our own voice so that our individual gift is heard and felt profoundly.The question is not how Use Your Gift is unique but how each of us will use our gift to build an institution that is unique. Unique in that we stand for something bigger than just education. That will take courage.