Final Abstract: Academic Institutions across the country are competing to gain
students admissions in today’s privatized society by displaying what makes them
desirable. Every aspect of a university’s community is something that can
change a student's’ decision to enroll in that institution. Universities’ Public Relations Department
need to make themselves desirable to a vast spectrum of students by investing
in ways to expand their brand and grow their communities. They are targeting younger ages to make
their decision to attend an institution of higher learning synonymous with an
affinity to attend their university by showcasing their attributes. Giving people of younger ages the opportunity
to interact with the university can offer them insight into the culture of the
university and attract them from an early period in their life. Simultaneously, younger students are also
recognizing the necessity to graduate from college in order to advance their lives
in today’s privatized society. One popular method of privatized competition for the admissions
of high school students and community outreach is to build a strong athletic
program, mostly driven by football. Successful seasons, defined by winning
percentage and championship seasons for Division I basketball and football, are
positively correlated with increases in both undergraduate SAT scores and
undergraduate applications (Toma Cross and 1998). Rutgers University saw
positive results in undergraduate applications following their football teams
improving visibility within the past decade.
Universities inherit financial gain and public visibility through athletic
programs, and their Public Relations teams must be ready to combat the desire
for equity and the impending unionization efforts of their current
“student-athletes”. The “student-athletes” on a Division I team receive
compensation through the form of a scholarship in exchange for participating
with their respective athletic teams.
This reason, chief among many, has led to the retaliatory unionization
attempt pending a players’ vote, from Northwestern Football Team. The National Labor Relations Board ruled that
“student-athletes” are to be considered employees, allowing them to unionize in
search of greater equity in the NCAA. By understanding the core desires of the union and attempting to analyze
them by looking at relative examples from Rutgers University and others, I can develop possibilities that institutions
have to handle this situation from a Public Relations perspective.
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LINK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e9IJcmuVzd44Ra710PGk0Q2Mgdld0zObioDCUZXO7EI/edit
