The survey from the rebranding initiative has been closed and Simpson and Scarborough, a research consultant group hired by the school, is currently collecting and analyzing the data from the survey, according to Andrew Tiedemann, vice president of marketing and communication.

The information will be passed on to the rebranding team at the end of the month.

This project, launched in 2013, is the college’s first rebranding initiative since 2004. Over the summer, the rebranding team put together four focus groups of students, alumni, prospective students, staff, and faculty. These were used to collect qualitative data about the narrative identities put together by Ologie, a branding agency. The survey was released in November to current students, faculty and staff, prospective students, and alumni to collect quantitative data.  

According to Nicole Sullivan, assistant director of marketing and project manager, 2,593 people participated in the survey, including 1,090 undergraduate prospective students, 134 graduate prospective students, and 858 alumni. The 256 current students who partook make up six percent of the student body, along with 255—or 26 percent—staff and faculty.

The survey results will be used to finalize Emerson’s narrative identity drafted by Ologie. This will be used to determine the new website and logo for the school. Tiedemann said they anticipate the advisory board will review the findings at the end of January, and should have a visual identity to present in either February or early March. Tiedemann said there is no set deadline as of right now.

“This is a creative process,” Tiedemann said. “Creative processes don’t go in a straight line.”