Times Higher Education¡¯s first event focused on how universities can develop effective marketing and communications strategies will be hosted in partnership with Inside Higher Ed next month.

Joseph Castro, president of California State University, Fresno, will present at the symposium ¡°Brand U: How colleges, universities and academe shape their images¡±. The event, aimed at senior marketing and communication professionals working in higher education, will take place on 26 September at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza in Berkeley, just hours before the launch of the at the University of California, Berkeley.

A survey published by Hobsons last year found that academic reputation or ranking was the most important criterion for prospective international students when choosing between two universities.

Emma Leech, director of marketing and advancement at Loughborough University; Lara McKay, executive director of marketing and communications at the University of Melbourne; and Tania Rhodes-Taylor, director of marketing and communications at Queen Mary University of London, will discuss higher education¡¯s image challenges and how institutions can differentiate themselves in an increasingly crowded market.

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There will be a panel discussion on the wider topic of promoting higher education to the public, which will explore whether the sector can adapt its image to ease growing tensions from the public around universities¡¯ roles and how rising tuition fees are affecting its image.

There will also be practical workshops on nurturing the university brand, branding liberal arts colleges, dealing with crises and restoring tarnished brands, and navigating social media.

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Nicholas Dirks, chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, will give a keynote speech at the .

Delegates will have the opportunity to explore unpublished data behind the THE World Reputation Rankings, which is drawn from the world¡¯s largest invitation-only survey of academic reputation.

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com