Holding Trust During Institutional Uncertainty
While Washington and Lee University publicly debated a possible name change tied to its Confederate history, prospective students and families were making consequential enrollment decisions.
Applications were open. Campus visits continued. Media scrutiny intensified. Emotions were real.
Admissions marketing could not pause — and it could not ignore the moment.
My responsibility was not to communicate the Board’s decision. It was to steward the prospect experience during an extended period of public debate, ensuring clarity, consistency, and trust across every recruitment touchpoint.
The Challenge
In periods of institutional uncertainty, marketing can easily become reactive, defensive, or fragmented.
The greater risk was relational. Families needed transparency without speculation. Students needed reassurance without dismissal. Admissions counselors needed guidance that was clear and consistent.
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.
The question:
How do you protect trust at the front door while the institution works through complexity?
My Role
As Director of Admissions Marketing, I owned the end-to-end prospect experience across web, email, digital platforms, and recruitment tools.
During this period, I:
Aligned recruitment messaging with official university communications without editorializing or speculating.
Structured web pathways so families could access verified updates while admissions content remained focused on academic mission and student outcomes.
Established messaging guardrails for admissions counselors to ensure consistency across conversations.
Maintained cohesion across web, email, counselor outreach, paid media, and digital channels.
Simultaneously, I 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.
Washington and Lee launched a robust virtual tour to better communicate the student experience and expand tour access to prospective students.
Approach: Discipline and Integration
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.
“Founded in 1749 as Augusta Academy, our history traces the arc of the nation’s history. The institution’s name changed several times before becoming Washington and Lee University in 1871.
The name recognizes the direct contributions of George Washington, whose 1796 gift of James River Canal stock saved the institution from financial ruin, and Robert E. Lee, whose presidency from 1865-1870 bolstered enrollment, raised funds and earned national recognition for curricular innovation.”
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 symbolism was intentional. 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.
It became a throughline across admissions collateral, website elements, email campaigns, and photography selections — reinforcing community and forward movement.
Washington and Lee’s Viewbook highlighted accessibility and achievement.
Data-Informed Stability
Established A/B testing, performance dashboards, and UX frameworks enabled rapid refinement based on user behavior rather than reaction.
Impact
During a nationally visible institutional debate, the admissions experience remained:
Cohesive
Clear
Mission-centered
Stable
Inquiry and application pipelines remained strong. Families reported feeling informed rather than confused — respected rather than managed.
Trust held.
Reflection
Institutional debates about history and identity carry emotional weight. In these moments, marketing is not about persuasion. It is about steadiness.