Degree Name
EdD (Doctor of Education)
Program
Educational Leadership
Date of Award
12-2025
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Dr. Jill Channing
Committee Members
Dr. Paul Garton, Dr. Joe Sherlin
Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how first-year students experience and interpret institutional branding within the context of their personal and social identities, with particular attention to the role of political ideology. While previous research had examined general branding strategies and declining public trust in higher education, scholars have given little attention to the ways in which prospective students make meaning from institutional messaging during one of the most significant transitions of their lives.
I conducted interviews with 12 first-year students from four-year colleges and universities across South-Central Appalachia. The phenomenological analysis revealed that students’ interpretation of university messaging operated through complex meaning-making processes involving family backgrounds, faith traditions, regional identities, and political perspectives as intersecting rather than determining factors.
This study offers insight into the dimensions of institutional communication and how universities can develop more informed approaches to engaging diverse prospective students.
Document Type
Dissertation - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Early, Oscar J. Mr, "Branding the Divide: Political Ideology and the Strategic Challenges of Higher Education Marketing" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4598. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4598
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
