Last Word: Russ Langley, University Chief Performance, Strategy and Operations Officer

Whether we like it or not, over the past ten years or so the Higher Education (HE) sector has become an open, competitive marketplace in which phrases such as ‘customer experience’, ‘conversion funnel’ and ‘brand presence’ are now part of our day-to-day language when talking about student recruitment.

We are all consumers and no doubt make most of our purchasing decisions, be it a car, TV or tin of beans, based on how we perceive its quality and value for money. The reputation of a ‘product’ (also now much less of a dirty word than it used to be in HE circles) lives and dies on how good it is – marketing and advertising can make things look and feel attractive, but if the personal experience doesn’t live up to the expectations raised then consumers will vote with their feet.

So, the challenge for all universities is to stand out from the crowd through being able to articulate a clear story as to why it should be your institution of choice, and back that up with the delivery of an outstanding ‘product’, which in our case means high quality teaching delivered in state-of-the-art facilities and supplemented by a wealth of academic and non-academic opportunities to enhance learning, build skills and knowledge, and enrich lives.

Portrait of Russ Langley

The growth of our city centre presence, initially through the new Business School and then the development of a larger-scale city hub, is a statement of intent from the University about our desire to create more of a sense of a University City.

Russ Langley
Chief Performance, Strategy and Operations Officer

In our 2018-30 Strategic Framework, we positioned Derby as an ‘Applied University of today and for tomorrow’ and this has provided the foundation for the evolution of our brand in the subsequent years. This has enabled us to increase our student numbers and broaden the footprint from where they come, with more UK students from outside of the region now coming to Derby and over the past 12 months in particular, a significant growth of overseas students.

The next phase of the brand evolution will be focused around a set of six ‘Academic Themes’ the University has developed over the past 18 months. These provide us with a strong base on which to tell the academic story of the University – the impact of our academics and the talent of our students and graduates – building the reputation and profile of our core areas of academic excellence. This obviously benefits the University and supports our ambitious growth plans, but it will also truly help establish Derby as a ‘University City’ that is recognised nationally and globally as a centre of knowledge creation and skills development.

The role of ‘place’ in developing the University brand cannot be understated. The growth of our city centre presence, initially through the new Business School and then the development of a larger-scale city hub, is a statement of intent from the University about our desire to create more of a sense of a ‘University City’. Broader city developments such as Becketwell are also a huge step forward in providing more vibrancy in the city centre – key in establishing Derby as a destination city for students.

Now feels like a perfect time to build further on the momentum we have as a University and a city, and embrace the benefits we can all enjoy from firmly establishing Derby as a globally-recognised ‘University City’.

Follow the progress of the new Derby Business School building.