Truman launches marketing plan

Students might notice a familiar face looming above them as they drive east on I-70 from Kansas City to Columbia.

A billboard featuring sophomore Ashley Rufus recently appeared along the highway to promote Truman, said John Fraire, associate vice president for enrollment.

He said the billboard is part of a marketing approach, which stems from the Aug. 21 Time magazine article, "Who Needs Harvard?" The article focused on alternatives to Ivy League schools and featured Rufus because she gave up a spot on Harvard's waiting list to attend Truman.

The University has taken this unplanned publicity and incorporated it into the modern integrated marketing campaign it introduced in the spring.

Fraire said the marketing approach has helped coin the phrase, "I chose Truman over Harvard." Although not on the billboard, this phrase has been used in various other facets of the marketing approach.

Some people believe this statement is deceptive because it does not mention Rufus chose Truman over Harvard's waiting list, rather than declining a guaranteed spot.

Shannon Jumper, professor of Russian, said the strategy is deceptive but acknowledged that the Time article clarifies this and is accessible to anyone interested.

Rufus said she originally was placed on Harvard's waiting list. She said Harvard only accepts a certain number of people from each area of the country, and in her area the last two acceptance spots were to go to either her friend or herself. She said she knew her friend was set on attending Harvard, and she was not sure she even wanted to go. In her interview with Harvard admissions representatives, Rufus told them to accept her friend. She said that for this reason, it is accurate to say she chose to attend Truman rather than Harvard.

"It is slightly deceptive seeing as Harvard was up there, but it was just too far from my family for me," she said. "Money and other factors went in to it, too. It sounds really nice on paper in a way. I don't know. It's a little deceptive. I definitely had the opportunity to attend [Harvard] had I wanted to, but it wasn't feasible."

University President Barbara Dixon said she does not think the marketing strategy can be considered deceptive. She said Rufus chose Truman without even waiting to see if she would be accepted to Harvard. She said all of the quotes on the brochures are direct quotes from Rufus and are not false.

"What we're making more of is why she is so happy with [Truman]," Dixon said. "It's marketing. Why shouldn't we say we have a student who had the potential to go to Harvard and chose to come here?"

Fraire said he is the only person on this campus who both attended Harvard and worked on its admissions board. He said when a student on the waiting list chooses to attend a different university, Harvard looks upon it as declining Harvard enrollment for another option.

He said that although most people who are accepted to Harvard choose to attend, those who do not tend to choose universities that are well-recognized and have high academic standards.

Sophomore Katie Jennings was accepted to Harvard, Duke University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Missouri-Columbia. She also opted for Truman. Jennings said she wants to be an elementary school teacher and said paying about $40,000 a year for her education would over-qualify her for the kind of job she wants. Like Rufus, she is a Pershing Scholar and has a full scholarship to Truman. Jennings said the location of the University affected her decision as well and that she is happy with her decision to attend Truman.

"Truman is a good school," she said. "They don't just let anybody in, so I didn't feel like I was completely compromising anything to come here. It was just a better fit for me to come here."

Jennings said she understands why the University has chosen to use the Time article in their marketing approach.

"You can't expect a university not to take something like that and run with it," Jennings said. "If you have the option to go to Harvard, it does make you a fairly impressive student. For you to choose Truman, I think it makes sense for Truman to brag on the capabilities of the student body."

Jennings said she would advise any student interested in Harvard to look at all their options. She said her parents were wise in making her visit Harvard before making any decisions, so she would not later look back and say, "What if?"

Fraire said the marketing campaign includes electronic newsletters to parents of prospective students, radio and newspaper advertisements and direct mailings to the homes of prospective students.

He said the University has received about 4,000 more prospective student inquiries than last year by this time. Fraire said this is a result of the entire marketing campaign, not solely the aspects stemming from the magazine article.

Dixon said she is hoping the marketing derived from Rufus' publicity will emphasize the academics available at Truman and put the University in the minds of prospective students.

"The Time article is publicity that we could not buy," Dixon said. "It's a moment in time where we had some wonderful good luck."