A sea of purple at the Anderson Student Center Tuesday greeted the announcement of the new St. Thomas branding campaign, which features the slogan “All for the Common Good.”
Hundreds of students, faculty, staff and friends cheered as President Julie Sullivan and others unveiled the parts of the plan, including a new school song, logo and newly designed website as well as a micro-site as well as a new school slogan, ‘All for the common good.’ The song, written by artist-in-residence the Rev. Michael Joncas, was debuted by student singers.
“I am thrilled with how the new brand captures our spirit and the promise we make to the world to prepare students for a good life and a life of good,” Sullivan said.
The plan was 14 months in the making, and involved more than 500 members of the St. Thomas community and a national branding agency, Mindpower Inc. Director of Integrative Design John Mau is eager for St. Thomas’ new image.
“I’m really excited about going out to the public with a single, unified image of the university,” Mau said.
The St. Thomas dance team performed at the event, and a video premiered with the new campaign at its center. The Rev. Larry Snyder, vice president for mission, also addressed the crowd with information about a new partnership on campus with public television.
“We’ve had different advertising campaigns go out with different messages, and now we’re pulling it all together,” Mau said.
Among the other parts of the plan rolled out Tuesday were advertising on electronic billboards, the sides of St. Thomas buses and Metro Transit trains. Student body president Michael Gaytko and Natacha Eguida, president of the Globally Minded Students Association, also spoke.
Attendees received purple t-shirts and cookies with purple icing.
My first question is, how does this new slogan distinguish UST, a Catholic university, from every other secular school? “All for the Common Good” could mean everyone makes a lot of money, or, everyone makes the same amount of money, or, everyone gets a new car, or, free everything for everybody, or, could it mean, everyone gets to go to heaven? A true and faithful Catholic school should have a slogan to more than indicate that it is Catholic and just what that might stand for in the lives of the students who attend there. Or is it not politically correct for a Catholic school to have a truly Catholic slogan in this secular world? I wonder what President Sullivan’s response to this might be.
Dick, somehow I knew you’d be critical of UST’s new motto. I can’t speak for Dr. Sullivan, but here are my two cents.
1. She has made clear in various public forums that “All for the Common Good” uses the definition of “common good” commonly applied in Catholic social teaching. In this context, “The common good is the complete development of all the people of the world.” In my view, it’s an important and lofty goal.
More information on the common good can be found at the following link: http://www.catholicsocialteaching.org.uk/principles/glossary/
2. UST is many things, including a Catholic university. You seem to think that the motto, which already cites Catholic social teaching, needs to be even more explicitly Catholic. Given that a motto is meant to be pithy, going all in on UST’s Catholic identity would give the university’s other identities short shrift.
3. I’m not sure how you define a “true and faithful” Catholic university, but you say such universities should have mottos that do more than simply indicate a Catholic affiliation. I think you’ll have to enlighten everyone on what such a motto might look like. Heck, the Angelicum—probably the most true and faithful Catholic university currently in existence—has the motto, “The charity of truth.” Maybe they too should act a little more Catholic.