Values are integral to a university and any institution that is open and accountable. But if an institution is to make its mark on an increasingly competitive and commercial global market, values need to be lived – and lived from the inside out.

Fortunately, values, impact and global cooperation were at the centre of the conversation when we had the chance to speak with Lucian Hudson, Director of Advancement and Communications at Durham University, who is the Durham’s professional lead for development and alumni relations, marketing and communications. His insights cut to the core of the University’s role in society and how deeper understanding can lead to better communications performance.

Audiences and their attitudes and feelings about the world should be at the core of any marketing decisions. Today, however, “the world’s problems and challenges,” says Lucian, “go well beyond boundaries.”

In steering Durham’s communications campaigns, he stresses the importance of viewing audience expectations, brand values and global challenges as a continuum of features that defines the role of universities in 2021.

“There’s something about the current generation that needs to know that we are investing in them and investing in our future – and that includes a sustainable future. No institution exists in isolation, and we can only achieve what we do either with or through others, either nationally, internationally or in our case, globally.”

Values – and the causes they reflect – are at the very centre of this continuum. They aren’t, “just there to underpin our work,” Lucian says, but actively drive the lifestyle decisions of today’s students. “They live those choices,” and they’re likely to be a big part of why someone decides to study or work with an institution.

…The THE impact rankings measure students’ perceptions on how much universities have achieved across the 17 UN sustainable development goals.”

For Durham, a focus on values leads to a global perspective and global action. Lucian explains that their approach has driven new collaborative initiatives that reflect growing international recognition for the university’s four faculties, including its leading business school.

“We’ve run a great series between the faculty of science at Durham University – one of our four faculties – and with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, we’ve run free webinars to show how much can be achieved with our own academic colleagues but also working with others.”

Bringing such partners into the ‘global family’ of the Durham brand is a critical part of a broader drive to expand international reach. Another is activating and harnessing even more Durham’s extensive alumni network. After all, they’re likely to be on the front line to tackle the global challenges that Durham itself is addressing.

“We need to look at the prospect of studying at university as not just an episode in someone’s life – albeit all-important, memorable, transformative – but also important as a lifelong relationship.”

That entails a change in perspective about a university’s relationship to its students, going beyond a commercial relationship to help shape potential.

“A university does need to support its students. It needs to treat them, in many respects, as customers – certainly as consumers – but they’re more than customers and consumers. They’re citizens. They’re citizens now and they’re citizens of the future. There will be expectations of them in terms of their character and conduct, in terms of their professional skills, in terms of their social contribution.”

The connection between elements in the higher education landscape is underpinned by one function above all else – communication. That philosophy is visible in Lucian’s job title itself, as it reflects the intrinsic relationship between institutional advancement and communication.

The job of communication and engagement is not just “to ensure that we have timely, accurate, contextualised communications but also achieve quality engagement with our staff, students, alumni, donors and supporters and all our stakeholders.”

“We have 17 colleges, and our students really enjoy being here. Even after these fifteen months, with Covid and lockdown and restrictions, they have a real sense of belonging and community over and above our academic achievements.”

That sense of belonging, Lucian believes, will be the fuel for Durham’s impact internationally. Effective communication will be the catalyst to promote Durham and inspire others to make it a marked preference for study and work.

“The future is very bright for Durham if we can respond to global challenges and opportunities– we have breadth, depth and quality in our academic offering and an exceptional wider student experience. But we really do need to harness the brand and promote its value and market it to continue to be competitive and to be ahead of our competitors, and be really effective as partners where we need to be.”