How Marquette Built an Award-Winning PR Campaign to Prove Higher Ed's Value

In May 2026, Marquette University’s Office of Marketing and Communication earned a PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Paragon Award for its “Value of a Marquette Education” campaign in the Integrated Communications category.¹ That same evening, Chief Marketing and Communication Officer Lynn Griffith received the chapter’s Dorothy Thomas Black Award for lifetime achievement. These dual honors spotlight a strategic response to one of higher education’s most urgent reputational challenges: shrinking public confidence in the return on a degree. The campaign’s data-driven, multi-channel approach turned skepticism into engagement, offering a model for PR professionals navigating trust deficits in any sector. As enrollment pressures mount and public scrutiny intensifies, the tactics and measurement behind this effort provide a practical blueprint for communicating institutional value.

The Challenge: Public Skepticism and the Need for a New Narrative

Public trust in higher education has split: while some still view a degree as a reliable pathway to career success, a growing number question whether the financial and time investment truly pays off. In 2025 and 2026, this skepticism reached a tipping point, forcing institutions like Marquette University to craft a new narrative around the value of a college education.

Enrollment Headwinds

According to the National Student Clearinghouse’s fall 2025 data, overall postsecondary enrollment in the United States inched up by just 1%, but the gains were uneven. Public four-year institutions saw a modest 1.4% increase, while private nonprofit four-year colleges, like Marquette, experienced a 1.6% decline. This drop, though seemingly small, signaled a broader trend: families were gravitating toward perceived affordability and direct vocational pathways, often choosing public universities or community colleges, which surged by 3%.

The demographic outlook added more pressure. The nation was entering the long-predicted “enrollment cliff.” The number of high school graduates peaked at around 3.8 to 3.9 million in 2025¹ and was projected to fall 15% over the next four years². In the Midwest, where Marquette is located, the decline looked even steeper: a 16% drop in high school graduates by 2041¹. With fewer traditional-age students, competition for each applicant would intensify, particularly for midsize private universities vulnerable to enrollment fluctuations of just 1-3%³.

A Narrative in Need of Repair

These converging forces meant Marquette could not rely on legacy reputation alone. The public's skepticism was no longer a fringe concern; it was a direct threat to recruitment, retention, and community support. Business leaders and legislators in Wisconsin and beyond were asking tough questions about higher education's role in economic development and talent pipelines. The university recognized it needed to do more than advertise its accolades. It had to rebuild trust by clearly demonstrating, with data and authentic stories, how a Marquette education transforms lives and serves the public good.

That imperative gave rise to the "Value of a Marquette Education" campaign: a strategic, integrated effort to reframe the conversation in a way that resonated with diverse audiences. It set out to prove that a degree from a mission-driven, private institution could be both personally enriching and a powerful engine for career success.

Campaign Architecture: An Integrated Approach to ‘value’

As higher education faces unprecedented skepticism, the campaign blueprint has become as important as the message itself. Marquette University’s award-winning effort didn’t just talk about value; it was built on a foundation of research, segmented audiences, and a channel mix that turned public doubt into measurable engagement.

Research-Driven Foundation and Audience Segmentation

Before a single ad ran, the Office of Marketing and Communication dug into the data. The team identified three distinct audiences, each with its own reservations about college: prospective students and families weighing the return on investment; business leaders and state legislators concerned about workforce readiness; and local community members whose perception of the university shapes its regional standing. This segmentation wasn’t guesswork; it came from listening sessions, surveys, and an honest assessment of societal headwinds. The campaign’s design explicitly set out to reframe the conversation around higher education’s worth, moving from defensive statistics to compelling narratives tailored to each group.

Message Pillars That Cut Through Skepticism

With audiences mapped, the campaign crystallized its core message pillars. One pillar anchored on economic outcomes, linking a Marquette degree to career readiness, alumni earnings, and civic leadership. Another pillar emphasized personal transformation, spotlighting student stories that went beyond job placement to show how a values-based education shapes character. A third pillar addressed community impact, demonstrating the university’s role as an anchor institution through research, service, and local partnerships. These pillars didn’t just coexist; they reinforced each other across every touchpoint, ensuring consistency whether a high school senior saw a social video or a lawmaker read an op-ed.

An Integrated Channel Mix for Maximum Reach

The architecture wove together earned media, owned digital properties, paid advertising, and shared social content into a seamless whole. The campaign’s central hub, a dedicated microsite, attracted over 7,000 new users since April 2025, with an average session duration exceeding three minutes, a signal that visitors found substance, not just slogans. Earned media placements in state and national outlets amplified the university’s voice without a price tag. Paid digital campaigns exceeded industry benchmarks across platforms, driving awareness and retargeting interested prospects. On social media, where Marquette consistently ranks in the top 20 nationally for engagement, the team deployed shareable infographics, student takeovers, and faculty spotlights that fueled peer-to-peer distribution.

Award-Winning Integration: Why This Model Worked

PRSA’s Paragon Award judging criteria demand excellence in research, planning, execution, evaluation, and, critically, integration. Marquette’s campaign unified public relations with digital advertising and content marketing, satisfying the judging requirement that integrated communications must blend PR with at least one other marketing function.² The evaluation phase proved equally airtight: beyond vanity metrics, the team tracked early enrollment indicators, message recall, and sentiment shifts among target segments. This closed-loop system, from audience insight to cross-channel deployment to outcome measurement, exemplifies what judges look for: a campaign that doesn’t just check boxes but creates a coherent, data-backed narrative that moves people. For communicators, the takeaway is clear: integration isn’t about using every channel; it’s about designing each channel to play a specific role in a larger, insight-driven story, an approach that becomes clearer when you understand how PR, marketing, and strategic communication differ.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Key Tactics and Creative Execution

At the heart of the "Value of a Marquette Education" campaign was a meticulously integrated execution that turned audience skepticism into engagement. Every tactic, from the landing page design to cross-platform digital ads, was engineered to make the university's value proposition immediate and personal.

A Landing Page Built to Deepen Engagement

The campaign's digital home, the Value of a Marquette Education landing page, was far more than a brochure online. It opened with a concise definition of what Marquette means by value: "an education that prepares you for a fulfilling career and a purposeful life." This central idea was then unpacked through the art of storytelling that highlighted hands-on learning inside world-class facilities, exceptional faculty, and a supportive community rooted in the university's four pillars: excellence, faith, leadership, and service. By embedding a dedicated feature article ("More than a degree: the value of a Marquette education"), the page gave visitors a deep dive into alumni outcomes, faculty mentorship, and Jesuit traditions. Clear calls-to-action invited prospective students to request information, explore programs, or begin an application. The result was an experience that held attention: visitors spent an average of more than three minutes on the site¹, a testament to content that resonated deeply.

Digital Ads That Moved Beyond Impressions

With public skepticism about higher education running high, the campaign's digital advertising needed to do more than put the Marquette name in front of eyeballs, it had to reshape perceptions. Display and video ads carried the university's "Be The Difference" tagline and wove together the same message pillars found on the landing page. Creative elements featured real students and alumni in settings that mirrored the visual theme of the website: collaborative labs, service-learning projects, and iconic campus scenes. A likely anchor was the "Connections" television spot, which dramatized how a Marquette education builds lifelong networks. Each ad unit served as a doorway, driving traffic directly to the high-engagement landing page. The strategy paid off measurably: digital advertising performance exceeded industry benchmarks on every platform, and the campaign attracted over 7,000 new users to the value hub.¹

Social Media Calibrated for Each Community

Marquette's sustained top-20 ranking for higher education social media engagement, grounded in strong digital communication skills, provided a strong foundation, but the campaign team adapted each post to the unique expectations of different platforms. On Instagram, carousels and Reels showcased behind-the-scenes looks at undergraduate research, study-abroad moments, and athletic events, all tagged with the campaign's visual lexicon of hands-on and service imagery. LinkedIn content pivoted to career-readiness statistics, alumni spotlights, and thought leadership pieces, echoing the affordability message that a Marquette education leads to higher earnings and job security. Twitter (now X) served as a rapid-fire channel for shareable data points and community shout-outs, while Facebook fostered discussion among parents and local leaders. This calibrated approach ensured that the narrative of "value" was not a monologue but a conversation that fit naturally into each community's feed.

Measurable Impact: Data That Tells the Story

Public confidence in higher education has been slipping nationwide, with recent surveys revealing that only 42% of Americans believe a college degree is a worthwhile investment.³ In this climate, the 'Value of a Marquette Education' campaign had to do more than raise awareness, it needed to produce hard numbers that shifted perception and behavior. The results provide a masterclass in proving PR's tangible value and offer communication professionals a replicable blueprint for data-driven storytelling.

Audience Reach and Digital Engagement

The campaign's owned digital hub was designed to be the central destination for both prospective families and local business leaders. Since its April 2025 launch, the website attracted over 7,000 new users, a clear signal that targeted messaging was reaching fresh audiences. Even more telling was the average session duration: visitors spent more than three minutes engaging with content, far surpassing the typical benchmark for higher education sites. When combined with digital advertising that outperformed industry standards across multiple platforms, the engagement metrics showed that people were not just arriving, they were staying, reading, and interacting. Early enrollment indicators, while not final, reflected growing interest in Marquette, hinting that online curiosity was translating into real-world action.¹

Sentiment and Perceived Value

Beyond clicks, the campaign aimed to reshape how key groups felt about the value of a Marquette degree. Internal research revealed that 90% of current students would recommend the university to a friend, and an equal percentage agreed that their education was worth the cost.² These figures stand in stark contrast to the national 42% confidence rate, demonstrating that the campaign's narrative was aligning with, and likely amplifying, existing positive sentiment from those closest to the institution. While such internal metrics require careful interpretation, they suggest that when a university's authentic student experience matches its external messaging, the resulting credibility can fuel a virtuous cycle of trust and advocacy.

Third-Party Validation

The campaign's impact didn't go unnoticed by the wider PR community. In 2026, the PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter honored Marquette's Office of Marketing and Communication with a Paragon Award in the Integrated Communications category.¹ Judges specifically evaluated the campaign's strategic planning, implementation, and measurable outcomes, a rigorous process that provides an objective stamp of approval. Awards like this serve as external endorsements that the data behind the campaign holds up to scrutiny, lending credibility that can't be manufactured internally. For skeptical stakeholders, such recognition can be as persuasive as any internal report.

Contextualizing Success Against a Skeptical Public

In an era when public trust in higher education is fragile, Marquette's campaign illustrates that strategic communication can help close the perception gap. By coupling a compelling narrative with precise, verifiable metrics, increased web traffic, deeper engagement, high student satisfaction, and early enrollment signals, the university built a data-backed case that higher education's value can be communicated effectively, even to the most skeptical audiences. For communication professionals, the takeaway is clear: impactful PR isn't just about spinning inspiring stories; it's about anchoring those stories in numbers that stakeholders, journalists, and award juries can believe and act upon.

The Leadership Behind the Win: Lynn Griffith and Integrated Excellence

The Dorothy Thomas Black Award for lifetime achievement in public relations is the highest individual honor bestowed by PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin, and in May 2026 it was conferred upon Lynn Griffith, chief marketing and communication officer at Marquette University. The recognition capped a decade of Griffith’s leadership at the institution, where she has overseen a team of 30 professionals who shape every facet of the university’s brand, from crisis communication to integrated campaigns.

A Tenure Rooted in Campus and Community Trust

Griffith’s 10-year tenure at Marquette has been marked by steady team building and cross-campus collaboration. Under her guidance, the Office of Marketing and Communication grew into a multidisciplinary group that spans brand strategy, media relations, digital content, and enrollment marketing. This breadth allowed the “Value of a Marquette Education” campaign to draw on deep institutional knowledge and consistent messaging: factors that Griffith has long prioritized as essential for building public confidence.

A Track Record of National and Regional Awards

The Dorothy Thomas Black Award is not an isolated recognition. Griffith’s team has collected multiple National Collegiate Advertising awards, CASE Circle of Excellence Awards, and PRSA Paragon Awards, and has been a finalist for Ragan’s PR Daily honors. These accolades underscore a culture of creative rigor and results-driven communication that Griffith has cultivated. The most recent Paragon, for the “Value” campaign, exemplifies the team’s ability to turn a complex narrative about higher education’s worth into an integrated, measurable success. Moreover, under Griffith’s leadership, Marquette has consistently ranked among the top 55 most trusted higher education brands by Morning Consult and in the top 20 nationally for social media engagement for five consecutive years, as tracked by Rival IQ. Such sustained performance points to a communications operation that balances reputation management with inventive storytelling.

Crisis Readiness and Civic Leadership

Beyond daily brand management, Griffith has been a key architect of Marquette’s crisis preparedness, implementing campus crisis communication best practices. She co-chairs the university’s Crisis Management Team and co-led the Convention Steering Committee when Milwaukee hosted the 2024 Republican National Convention. These roles demanded high-level coordination across government, law enforcement, and media stakeholders, reinforcing Marquette’s position as a trusted institutional partner. Her board service with Menomonee Valley Partners and VISIT Milwaukee further extends that civic engagement, creating goodwill that indirectly supports the university’s brand. For communication professionals, this portfolio illustrates how crisis leadership and community involvement are not extracurricular but central to maintaining a resilient, authentic reputation.

A Career Honored, a Blueprint Left Behind

The Dorothy Thomas Black Award recognizes Griffith’s lifetime contributions, but it also demonstrates the strategic value of communications leadership in higher education: a blend of strategic vision, rigorous measurement, and an unwavering commitment to public trust. For those in the field, her trajectory offers a clear model: invest in a talented, diverse team; champion data-informed creativity; embed yourself in the community; and steward your institution’s narrative through both celebration and crisis. Griffith’s recognition at the Paragon Awards Banquet on May 28, 2026, was not just a personal milestone: it was a validation of the integrated approach that made the “Value of a Marquette Education” campaign possible.

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Lessons for Communication Professionals: What You Can Apply Today

PR success is not a lucky break. It is designed, tested, and refined. Marquette University's award-winning "Value of a Marquette Education" campaign, which earned a PRSA Southeastern Wisconsin award for integrated communications campaign, offers a clear blueprint for professionals who want to move beyond output and drive measurable outcomes. The campaign's architecture, execution, and leadership provide actionable lessons that you can adapt immediately, whether you work in higher education, nonprofit, or corporate communications.

Start with Audience Research to Pinpoint Narrative Gaps

Before a single message was crafted, the Marquette team invested in understanding the shifting perceptions of higher education. Public skepticism was rising, and generic institutional talking points were not cutting through. The lesson: deep audience research is not optional, it is the foundation. Use surveys, social listening, and stakeholder interviews to identify where your narrative is losing traction. Map the emotional and rational drivers of your priority audiences. Marquette targeted three distinct groups , prospective students and families, business leaders and legislators, and the local community. Each required a tailored value proposition, not a one-size-fits-all slogan. Ask yourself: what false assumptions or knowledge gaps are preventing your audience from engaging? Your campaign must start by closing that gap.

Build a Unified Message Architecture Across Every Channel

Integrated communication means more than posting on multiple platforms. It demands a coherent message hierarchy that adapts to context but never contradicts. The "Value of a Marquette Education" campaign wove a consistent core narrative , the tangible and intangible returns of a Marquette degree , through digital advertising, a dedicated website, media relations, and executive thought leadership. The lesson for practitioners: map every touchpoint and verify that each one reinforces the central message. Fragmented messaging confuses audiences and wastes budget. A message architecture document, shared across teams, keeps everyone aligned from social media writers to the chief marketing officer.

Set KPIs That Go Beyond Vanity Metrics

Likes, shares, and impressions are not enough. The Marquette campaign set benchmarks that tied directly to its goals: website engagement metrics like average session duration exceeding three minutes and new user growth, as well as digital advertising performance measured against industry benchmarks. These indicators signal genuine interest, not passive scrolling. For your own campaigns, define what "meaningful engagement" looks like. Is it time on page, resource downloads, event registrations, or enrollment inquiries? Set targets that connect to organizational objectives, and be transparent about whether you hit them. Data-driven storytelling, the art of storytelling refined by evidence, becomes your most powerful persuasion tool when you can show, not just claim, impact.

Leadership Commitment and Team Culture Amplify Results

Behind the campaign is a team of 30 professionals led by Lynn Griffith, who simultaneously earned PRSA's Dorothy Thomas Black Award for lifetime achievement. Griffith's tenure and integrated role , co-chairing the crisis management team and serving on community boards , illustrate how leadership credibility strengthens institutional trust. The lesson: invest in a culture where communication is a strategic function, not a service desk. Empowered teams with stable leadership can take creative risks, build institutional memory, and sustain long-term reputation management. Encourage your leaders to be visible in the profession, pursue accreditation, and earn a seat at the decision-making table.

Measure What Matters and Tell the Data Story

The campaign's website attracted over 7,000 new users, and early enrollment indicators reflected growing interest. But the real power came from packaging this data into a clear narrative for stakeholders. The PRSA Paragon Award criteria , research, planning, execution, and evaluation , serve as a framework worth adopting internally. Use that four-step structure to organize your own case studies and reports. When you present results, connect every metric to a strategic objective. Show how your work moved the needle on trust, perception, or behavior. That practice not only wins awards but secures budget and builds organizational respect for the communication function.

Adopting these lessons does not require a large team or a university budget. Research can start with a listening session; message architecture can begin with a shared Google Doc; measurement can focus on two or three meaningful indicators. What matters is a commitment to strategic, evidence-based practice. The Marquette campaign proves that when communication is intentional, integrated, and measured, it can reshape how audiences perceive value , even in the face of deep skepticism.

As public skepticism toward higher education deepens, integrated communication is no longer optional; it’s a survival skill. Marquette University’s ‘Value of a Marquette Education’ campaign proved that a strategic communication approach can shift perception even when trust is low, attracting over 7,000 engaged users and exceeding digital benchmarks.

The Paragon Award validates that the work met rigorous standards, providing a tangible benchmark for practitioners. Communication professionals should audit their own marketing communication strategy and aim for campaigns that demonstrably move the needle, as Marquette did.