Strategic Communication and Organizing in the Scandinavian Higher Education Sector: Towards the Promotional University?

Today, strategic communication is a phenomenon all universities prioritize. Examples are numerous: The creation of social media accounts and core values, accentuated interest in international rankings, production of multimodal material, and a rapid growth of communication departments. Strategic communication also creates tensions between classical ideals of the university, and ideals related to the “The Promotional University.” The aim of the project is, by means of qualitative research methods, to develop knowledge about the challenges, tensions and pressures shaped by the proliferation of strategic communication in Scandinavian higher education institutions. The project is structured into three sub-studies: (a) the development of communicational strategies, plans and activities; (b) professional ideals embedded in the production of promotional material; and (c) multimodal content produced by universities.