CORPORATE IMAGE: REBRANDING AND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
OF A 21ST CENTURY UNIVERSITY – THE CASE OF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO
UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE
BEING THE TEXT OF A PAPER PRESENTED
BY
D. O. AWOYEMI
REGISTRAR AND SECRETARY TO COUNCIL
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY, ILE-IFE, NIGERIA
AT THE MONTHLY SEMINAR FOR
SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE, PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL STAFF
ON
TUESDAY, 27TH AUGUST, 2013
1
PROTOCOLS
INTRODUCTION
I consider it a unique opportunity and great privilege for me to address this
august gathering in this month of August (pun intended!) even as I consciously
give all glory to the Almighty God, Who makes all things beautiful in His time. This
is my first opportunity to address this cluster of staff of our GREAT IFE since I
assumed duty as Registrar of the University precisely 88 days ago.
I wish to specially appreciate the efforts of the Director of Personnel Affairs, Mrs.
E.B. Ajayi, as well as the Deputy Registrar, Staff Training and Development Unit,
Mr. E. A. Lawale, for putting together a seminar of this scope and depth. This is a
topic that will be difficult to deal with in-depth within an hour or so. It
conveniently fits into the class of a big theme for a three-day workshop. I am
however confident that we shall be greatly enriched today if we can approach this
subject matter with a very open heart and every element of introspection and
brain-storming required for advancement and progress.
The topic for our consideration today presents a great platform to rub minds
together on the direction in which the University is moving, particularly as it
affects those of us who are in the administrative, professional and technical
sectors of the University.
People, communities, even nations have things they are known for. Some are
good, some not too good and some, outrightly bad. Whatever a community is
known for goes a long way to influence some decisions people take when relating
with people in or from that community. The commonest example is found in
choices relating to marriage but it holds true for educational institutions too.
My aim in presenting this paper is to enable us see that we are all responsible for
the kind of image we project as an Institution. Our actions or inactions on a daily
basis are seeds that get sown in the hearts of our clients – be they students, other
2
staff members, the alumni or members of the public. These seeds, when fully
grown into a big tree, become our wide-spread reputation.
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
In today’s discourse, a few key words and phrases stand out, which we shall
briefly define to enable us understand the topic better and situate it in the
context of our immediate environment.
1. Corporate Image: This refers to an identity which is shared by all members
of a group, Institution or Organization
2. Re-branding: means to “brand” again or give a new name, identity or image
3. Reputation Management: refers to the skill or art of controlling, strongly
influencing or directing the opinion that people have about what somebody
or something is like (identity)
4. 21st century: a common parlance used to depict the peculiarity of the times
we are in – the century after the second millennium A.D. Before the advent
of this century, expectations of majority of Nigerians had been modulated
to expect miracles and perfection in almost all facets of life – good roads,
education for all, uninterrupted power supply, cheap access to health, etc.
Other trends such as globalization, democratization, information
communication technology compliance, etc, have emerged more
prominently in the last 13 years.
5. University: is coined from two words “universal” and “entity” and means
“an Institution where the highest level of education can be received”.
One word keeps jumping out in almost all the definitions. That is the word
“identity” – how we are perceived, what we are called, what we are known for.
Our identity is critical because it informs our continued relevance to our
immediate and remote surroundings. It also dictates the caliber of our clientele
and quantum of patronage.
3
OUR HERITAGE AS A UNIVERSITY
Since we are considering the Obafemi Awolowo University as a case study for this
paper, it is quite apposite to go down memory lane with a view to tracing our
roots and the vision of our founding fathers. This, perhaps, will refresh our minds
as to the uniqueness of our University.
The history of modern Nigeria’s university education dates as far back as 1948
when the premier University, University College, Ibadan was established. For over
ten years, it remained the only University in Nigeria. Although a Law was enacted
by the Eastern Nigeria Government in 1955 to establish the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, it did not fully come on board until 1960/1961.
In 1960, the Government of Western Nigeria first made public its intention to
establish a University in Western Nigeria that would be of the highest standard
and would attract students and staff from all parts of the Federation and all over
the world. The planning of this University was entrusted to two committees: The
University Planning Committee and the University Parliamentary Committee. The
latter was an advisory body to the Honourable Minister of Education. About a
year later, precisely on the 8th of June, 1961, the Law which provided for the
establishment of the Provisional Council of the University was enacted and the
Council was formally inaugurated under the Chairmanship of Chief Rotimi
Williams. Consequently, our University was fully established in 1962.
A lot can be said for the development and transformation that the University has
gone through since then, which time and space would not permit to itemize here.
Suffice it to say that the Provisional Council has grown to become a full-fledged
Governing Council; the initial enrollment of 244 students have become a massive
population of about 35, 000 students; the core 80 teaching, administrative and
technical staff have increased to over 5, 000 and the uniqueness of its beauty,
scholarship and versatility has grown in leaps and bounds. The current strategic
plan (2010-2015) emphasizes the concept of “omoluabi”, which encapsulates
4
hard work, industry, integrity, public spiritedness and an honour code comparable
to only the best in the world. Little wonder then that our University at the time of
writing this paper occupies the number 1 position in Nigeria and 8 in Africa
(Spanish National Research Council, 2013). By the same ranking, we are number
1,113 in the world with the following positions on presence, impact, openness
and excellence: 3,289, 717, 10,083 and 2,156 respectively.
Let us recall that the aim of the then Western Government of the Federation for
establishing our University was to have a University that would be of the “highest
standard and would attract students and staff from all parts of the Federation
and all over the world”. It was meant by our founding fathers to be a citadel of
excellence as well as a beacon of good practices that will produce well-rounded
graduates who will be of relevance to the socio-economic challenges of the
rapidly changing world.
When we juxtapose this with the Vision and Mission of the University stated
below, we find out that our purpose for existence is clearly defined and it
therefore becomes a matter of individual responsibility for each of us to live up to
it.
“The Vision is of a top-rated University in Africa, that is the technological flagship
of the West African sub-region, as evidenced by its application of modern
technology to teaching, research and community research, and its provision of
practical solutions to social, cultural and economic problems”
And
“The mission of the University, as stated in the University of Ife Edict 1970, is “to
promote by research and other means, the advancement of knowledge and its
practical application to social, cultural, economic, scientific and technical
problems; to create a conducive teaching and learning community for imparting
skills, knowledge, behavior and attitude; advance and protect the independence
of the academic enterprise; engender a sense of selfless public service and
promote the African culture and tradition.”
5
OUR NATIONAL MILIEU
In discussing this topic, we must not fail to take cognizance of our national
environment in order to situate ourselves properly. Nigeria is often referred to as
the giant of Africa and that is rightly so when we consider its massive human
population and abundance of other resources. Those notwithstanding, it has one
of the most unpleasant reputations among the other countries in the continent
and of course in the developed world. Outside, we are labeled as scammers and
corrupt people. Events on the national scene are also not too encouraging.
Challenges of terrorism, poverty, power, bribery and massive loss of lives through
bad roads are just a few of what we have been grappling with for decades.
Inadvertently, we have created a negative brand as a nation and it is still within
this environment that we must not only survive, but also excel as an Institution.
RE-BRANDING
A brand is a product which is very unique to itself. What makes us choose “Closeup” above “Maclean” or “Dabur Toothpaste”? They are all tooth gels that are
meant to make our teeth whiter, kill all the germs and make our breath fresher.
Our choice of one above the other depends on what we consider to be the
important characteristics or features. It could be the taste or fluoride content that
matters to us. It could also be the price. The same applies to Universities. Because
we have such a wide array of them now, our clients have a higher number of
choices. It therefore behoves us to beware of the kind of “product” we are selling
and the packaging we give to it. This is particularly imperative when we consider
the fact that we have about 120 competitors locally and many more on the
international scene.
To re-brand means to re-name or give a new identity. In this context, we are not
talking about changing “GREAT IFE” to “GREATER IFE” or any such thing. Obafemi
Awolowo University will always be great if we all play our part and do our roles
6
faithfully. What we are concerned about here is changing some negative aspects
of what we are known for. For example,
“You only know when you gain admission to O.A.U, you can’t predict when you
will graduate”
“In O.A.U, cultism is rife”
“Postgraduate study periods at O.A.U are indefinite”
“You don’t get your O.A.U certificate until donkey years after graduation, etc”
For us to re-brand successfully therefore, we must first be concerned about the
negative aspects of our reputation and care enough to change them.
COMPONENTS OF REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
“Reputation management is a major component of online life, as anyone who has
ever searched for oneself or a colleague can attest. Traffic from search engines
and social media are key drivers of the need for identity and online profile
management. As time spent on social networks grows (an estimated 17% of all
U.S. time spent online in the U.S. is spent on Facebook), propagating content
through these channels becomes increasingly important to ensure reach, even for
specialized audiences.” – Havard Faculty Club (2012)
Let us consider the following pertinent quotes on reputation:
 It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think
about that, you'll do things differently. - Warren Buffett
 One can survive everything, nowadays, except death, and live down
everything except a good reputation.- Oscar Wilde
 The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to
appear. -Socrates
 It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one
to lose it.- Benjamin Franklin
7
 A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will
always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was.-Joseph Hall
REPUTATION BUILDING:
This is the first building block on the ladder of reputation management. Our
reputation is being built on a daily basis, whether consciously or not. There are
certainly things we are known for which have earned us the name “GREAT IFE”, a
name we are all so passionate about. Arising from our heritage earlier discussed,
GREAT IFE, in the past had been known for hard work, excellence, thoroughness,
high-class pedigree and production of excellent graduates, among other things.
This was so much so that a second-class degree holder of the O.A.U certificate
was typically adjudged better than a first-class graduate of some other
Universities and would be considered for a good job opportunity ahead of the
other one.
In more recent times, we have been known to successfully conduct a kidney
transplant (along with our colleagues in the Teaching Hospital Complex), take the
lead in Nigerian Universities’ ranking and part of the first 10 on the map of the
Universities in the Continent, among other notable feats.
It is important to note that a good reputation has to be built, slowly, over time
while a bad one does not need so much time. In both cases, the reputation sticks,
mostly for a life-time.
In any building, a good, rock-solid foundation is vital and cannot be compromised.
That good foundation we are lucky to have inherited from the founding fathers of
our dear University. Just as the basic unit of every living thing is the “cell”, the
basic unit of a good reputation is “good values.”
8
As a member of the Association of University Administrators (UK), I am confident
to share the image below, which is a sample of the good practices or professional
behaviours of an Organization that are being perpetuated for succeeding
generations.
If we were to ask ourselves the question: “What are our core values as O.A.U.
staff?” what would our response be? This is because our values directly affect our
behaviours and practices.
As much as our reputation is a collective image, our values are first and foremost
individual. Please ask yourself if the following values are truly your priority:
Punctuality: Do you strive to arrive early at work and be on your seat doing your
work throughout the day as much as possible?
Truthfulness and honesty: Do you work with a conscience bereft of falsehood and
its attendant complications?
9
Fairness: Are you fair in handling your assigned duties or are you the type that
would hide another’s file just because you don’t like the person’s face or he or
she has offended you?
Diligence: Do you actually merit your daily pay when we measure your
contributions to the University system?
Team-spirit: Is it a problem for you to submit to authority and cooperate with
other colleagues to complete assigned tasks on schedule?
Thoroughness: Are you disciplined enough to do something perfectly right the
first time or do you prefer that other people spot your errors (in typing, minute
and submission writing, etc) and deal with the mess created?
Prudence: Do you manage University resources (imprest, power, etc) with every
sense of responsibility?
Customer-satisfaction: Is it your goal to attend to everyone you encounter in the
course of discharging your duties with the aim of giving them fond memories or
ugly ones?
These are but a few values which, if embraced, turn out the right actions which in
turn produce a good name/reputation. Once a good name has been achieved, the
next challenge is how to maintain it.
REPUTATION MAINTENANCE
This subject is fast gaining attention in the more developed / western world.
Today, Institutions go to any ethical length to ensure that the good name they
have built over the years is preserved. For instance, Harvard University is the
oldest academic institute in the United States of America (dates back to 1636). It
has the global academy’s largest financial endowment and boasts of over 40
Nobel Laureates. Yet, the University remains on its toes in all indicators of
10
teaching, research and community service in order to maintain top position. By
the 2013 Times Higher Education ranking, it is number one.
Online reputation management is equally fast gaining world-wide acceptance. It is
not uncommon nowadays to have consultants employed by an Institution to track
the responses of the general public to its activities in order to provide feedback in
an accurate and timely manner. The feedback then serves as an impetus for the
Institution to work on areas of decline in customer-satisfaction and promptly
attend to any complaints.
May I suggest, ladies and gentlemen, that we owe the future generations the
legacy of a good name? We have inherited one and the least we can do is to
preserve it and hand it over intact so that posterity can judge us right. Our daily
actions and inactions do not just flit away with time. They wait for us in the future
in the name of REPUTATION. I want to believe that after today’s seminar, we all
will review our values, practices and general attitude to our schedules with a view
to adding to, and not detracting from the good name we have inherited.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I wish to quote from the Holy Bible (King James Version) in Prov.
22:1 which states thus:
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favour rather
than silver and gold.”
Thank you.
11
Bibliography
National Bureau of Statisitics, 2011
Obafemi Awolowo University 2008-2012 Calendar. Obafemi Awolowo University
Press. 2010
The last days of Socrates. Penguin Publishers
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-universityrankings/2013/reputation-ranking/institution/harvard-university
http://www.faculty.harvard.edu/Development%20and%20Mentoring/Social%20
Media%20Resources/Managing%20Your%20Online%20Reputation
12
13