University of Tennessee Rebrands With Eye on Top 25 Schools

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville is currently listed as the 46th best national public university on the highly influential U.S. News & World Report annual rankings, a listing that prospective students and their parents are constantly checking and rechecking while trying to figure out their futures.

For those of you keeping score at home, that puts the school that launched Peyton Manning's football career into a dead tie with the University of Oregon, University of Oklahoma, University of New Hampshire, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Kansas, Florida State, and, if that weren’t enough, North Carolina State-Raleigh.

But who wants to be 46th? Not the University of Tennessee, that’s for sure. Last year, when it was ranked 47th, the university set itself a goal to get into the top 25. Clemson, Rutgers, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities can do it so why can’t they? A major rebranding effort that launched this week should help get them there.

The school’s new tagline — “Big Orange. Big Ideas.” — is meant to work as a “framework for marketing the university and reminding people of UT’s impact on the state and the nation,” a press release states.

“A large factor in UT’s goal of moving into the ranks of the Top 25 public research universities is based on reputation,” the release notes. “The largest portion of the U.S. News & World Report rankings is based on peer reputation surveys.”

So the rebrand should help get folks talking Big Orange up. “Everyone at the university is an ambassador for UT and plays a role in representing our brand,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “The new look and words are simple, but they provide a much-needed platform for telling our story and strengthening our reputation.”

Margie Nichols, vice chancellor for communications at UT-Knoxville, points out that word of mouth about the university from influential individuals will greatly help it keep improving its spot in the higher-education marketplace.

“People’s first impressions go a long way into building reputation,” she said. “We needed to more clearly define the words and visual identity we want people to associate with UT. This is an opportunity to convey the momentum and the energy of our campus and to showcase our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.”

Tennessee fans, meanwhile, are lobbying Manning — whose position with the Indianapolis Colts was sidelined by an injury this season while his younger brother Eli heads to the Super Bowl with the New York Giants — to return to the state and play for the Titans.

Will a new visual identity and brand positioning help push his alma mater into a top 25 school? Weigh in below.