Colleges are built on words. Millions upon millions of words in books, lectures, essays, reports, applications, and assessments.
But when it comes to selling a college’s image, officials have room only for words that will fit on a brochure, or a billboard, or a banner. The result is a genre of marketing rhetoric that is lofty, predictable, and numbing at a certain dosage.
Ten months ago, we took 88 unusual college-owned trademarks and made them into a poem. Now we’ve done the same with 88 college taglines — those phrases that attempt to sum up an entire institution in a few well-chosen words. Click on each one to learn its source.
Change Your Life. Start Here. Institution: Charter College
State: Alaska
Life’s Calling Institution: Des Moines Area Community College
State: Iowa
It’s Your Life Institution: Columbus State University
State: Georgia
Your Extraordinary Life Institution: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
State: Ohio
The Life of the Mind Institution: University of Chicago
State: Illinois
Change Your Mind. Change Your Life. Institution: Tillamook Bay Community College
State: Oregon
Minds. Motivated. Institution: Cypress College
State: California
Inspiring Minds Institution: Dalhousie University
State: Nova Scotia, Canada
Inspiring Innovation Institution: University of Wisconsin-Stout
State: Wisconsin
Innovation Is Our Tradition Institution: Babson College
State: Massachusetts
Innovation. Education. Institution: Trident Technical College
State: South Carolina
Education for Service Institution: Langston University
State: Oklahoma
Education for Individual and Social Responsibility Institution: Olivet College
State: Michigan
Education for a World Stage Institution: Macalester College
State: Minnesota
Education for an Inspired Life Institution: Fairfield University
State: Connecticut
Education Redefined Institution: Ball State University
State: Indiana
Education on Your Terms Institution: Ashworth College
State: Georgia
Your Education. Your Way. Institution: Holmes Community College
State: Mississippi
Personal Education. Lifetime Success. Institution: Bryant & Stratton College
State: New York
Personal Education, Extraordinary Success Institution: Centre College
State: Kentucky
Where Success Begins Institution: Lansing Community College
State: Michigan
Where Success Is a Tradition Institution: State University of New York at Fredonia
State: New York
Your Success. Our Tradition. Institution: University of Jamestown
State: North Dakota
Experience Tradition. Expect Success. Institution: Duquesne University
State: Pennsylvania
Real Tradition, Real Success Institution: Ellsworth Community College
State: Iowa
Real Education. Above All. Institution: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
State: Arizona
Real Education. Real Results. Institution: Dakota County Technical College
State: Minnesota
Real Life. Real Knowledge. Real People. Institution: Moberly Area Community College
State: Missouri
Real People Start Here Institution: Kankakee Community College
State: Illinois
A Great Place to Start Institution: Angelina College
State: Texas
It All Begins Here Institution: Brookhaven College
State: Texas
Higher Education Begins Here Institution: Gateway Community and Technical College
State: Kentucky
Your Career Path Begins Here Institution: Metropolitan Community College
State: Missouri
Great Stories Begin Here Institution: Adams State University
State: Colorado
Start Here. Go Anywhere. Institution: Berkshire Community College
State: Massachusetts
Going Anywhere Starts Here! Institution: Cloud County Community College
State: Kansas
Go Farther Than You Ever Dreamed! Institution: Central College
State: Iowa
From Here, It’s Possible Institution: Texas Tech University
State: Texas
Possible Is Everything Institution: Lawrence Technological University
State: Michigan
Realize What’s Possible Institution: Potomac State College at West Virginia University
State: West Virginia
Redefine the Possible Institution: California State University at Sacramento
State: California
New Beginnings. Endless Possibilities. Institution: Missouri State University at West Plains
State: Missouri
Believe in the Possibilities Institution: Gannon University
State: Pennsylvania
Seek Your Dream Institution: Wayland Baptist University
State: Texas
Be Your Dream Institution: Mt. Hood Community College
State: Oregon
Dream Big Institution: Lincoln University
State: Missouri
Big Dreams Come True Here Institution: Chatfield College
State: Ohio
Dream Bigger. Do Greater. Institution: Mid-American Christian University
State: Oklahoma
Do Something Great Institution: Ohio State University
State: Ohio
Imagine What You Can Do Institution: Baton Rouge Community College
State: Louisiana
You Can Do That Here Institution: Alderson-Broaddus College
State: West Virginia
Think. Do. Institution: Columbus College of Art and Design
State: Ohio
Think Big. We Do. Institution: University of Rhode Island
State: Rhode Island
Dreamers. Thinkers. Doers. Institution: University of Memphis
State: Tennessee
Learn by Doing Institution: California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo
State: California
Learn. Do. Live. Institution: Central Washington University
State: Washington
Let’s Do This Institution: Hennepin Technical College
State: Minnesota
Are You In? Institution: Colorado Technical University
State: Colorado
What Will You Do? Institution: Polytechnic Institute of New York University
State: New York
Who Will You Be? Institution: University of Findlay
State: Ohio
It’s All About You Institution: Waldorf College
State: Iowa
Your Dreams. Our Mission. Institution: MassBay Community College
State: Massachusetts
One Purpose. One Mission. One Dream. Institution: Ross University School of Medicine
Location: Dominica
Start With a Dream, Finish With a Future Institution: Central Connecticut State University
State: Connecticut
Imagine Your Future Institution: Franklin University
State: Ohio
Walk Into Your Future Institution: William Woods University
State: Missouri
Your Future Starts Here Institution: College of Southern Nevada
State: Nevada
Your Future Is Our Future Institution: Louisiana State University at Alexandria
State: Louisiana
Your Future. Our Mission. Institution: Missouri University of Science and Technology
State: Missouri
Your Future, Our Focus Institution: Northwest College
State: Wyoming
The Focus Is You Institution: Southwestern Oklahoma State University
State: Oklahoma
You First Institution: Columbia College
State: South Carolina
The Education You Want. The Attention You Deserve. Institution: Capital University
State: Ohio
The Perfect Fit for You Institution: North Iowa Area Community College
State: Iowa
As Distinctive as You Institution: Perdue School of Business, Salisbury University
State: Maryland
Like No Place Else on Earth Institution: University of Hawaii System
State: Hawaii
Exceptional Education. Exceptional Value. Institution: Muskingum University
State: Ohio
Become Exceptional Institution: Bellevue College
State: Washington
Set Yourself Apart Institution: Colorado Northwestern Community College
State: Colorado
Invent Yourself Institution: Beloit College
State: Wisconsin
Declare Yourself Institution: Buffalo State College
State: New York
Transform Yourself. Transform the World. Institution: Naropa University
State: Colorado
It’s Your World Institution: Lake Area Technical Institute
State: South Dakota
Your Place. Your Purpose. Institution: Belhaven University
State: Mississippi
Your Life. Your College. Your Way. Institution: Community College of Vermont
State: Vermont
Why Go Anywhere Else? Institution: Iowa Lakes Community College
State: Iowa
When You Get Here You Understand Institution: Red Deer College
State: Alberta, Canada
You’re One of a Kind. So Are We. Institution: University of Rio Grande
State: Ohio
Source: Stamats (some taglines might be out of date)
