Growth During a Downturn
In periods of institutional uncertainty, marketing can become reactive, defensive, or fragmented.
While Washington and Lee University publicly debated a possible name change tied to its Confederate history, prospective students and families were making consequential decisions. Applications were open. Campus visits continued. Media scrutiny intensified. My responsibility was to steward the prospect experience ensuring transparency, consistency, and trust across every recruitment touchpoint.
At the same time, W&L was advancing a prospect-focused website redesign and expanding virtual recruitment infrastructure. The experience had to remain strong and forward-moving while the institution navigated public examination.
I led the end-to-end prospect experience across web, email, digital platforms, and recruitment tools.
During this period, we:
Aligned recruitment messaging with official university communications without editorializing
Established messaging guardrails to ensure consistency across conversations
Maintained cohesion across web, email, counselor outreach, paid media, and digital channels
Simultaneously, we continued leading major experience initiatives, launching an online campus app, expanding virtual tours, refining IA, and optimizing performance, ensuring the broader recruitment ecosystem remained stable and future-focused.
Strategy and Approach
Clarity Without Commentary
Admissions materials did not debate institutional identity. They provided what families needed to make informed decisions and linked directly to official resources when appropriate.
Intentional Tone
Language was measured, empathetic, and mission-centered. It avoided defensiveness and avoided minimizing concern.
Cross-Channel Consistency
Owning the full prospect journey allowed me to eliminate message drift across website, email, counselor communications, and paid channels.
Visual Narrative Anchored in Place
During this period, I incorporated a unifying design element drawn from campus and the surrounding town: the distinctive Lexington brick. These hand-imprinted bricks are woven throughout campus walkways and the broader community. They represent permanence, craftsmanship, and connection to place. I used this brick motif across communications as a visual anchor.
The brick reflected:
The university’s deep roots in its local community
The idea that institutions are built layer by layer over time
The individual student journey within a larger collective
In a moment when conversations about history were complex and emotionally charged, this visual language offered a constructive way to acknowledge place and legacy without amplifying division.
Outcomes included:
Increased undergraduate applications by 32.5% during a national decline in enrollment.
Established a data-informed content strategy model now used for recruitment and alumni engagement.
Transformed a siloed web presence into an integrated, user-driven digital ecosystem that strengthened trust, equity, and conversion across every channel.
