Positioning and Brand Messaging

College of Charleston’s messaging strategy is designed to shape and influence perceptions of external audiences. This strategy should always produce a single, general image that conveys how the College of Charleston occupies a unique position among higher education institutions. Below is the College of Charleston’s positioning statement.

The College of Charleston, founded in 1770 and located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina, is an exceptional university where students are afforded extraordinary opportunities for rigorous study and rewarding campus life, and where faculty love to teach and care deeply about student success.

The College of Charleston is large enough to provide a rich academic environment and complete student life experience, yet small enough to personalize the college experience for our students. No other university has the unique combination of College of Charleston’s exceptional faculty, diverse programs, historic campus, coastal location, modern facilities and cutting-edge programs.


For this strategy to be successful in conveying this image, we must simply share the truth about the College of Charleston, take the highest possible ground in sharing our unique qualities, and be specific.

Brand Attributes

Brand attributes are words that we want our target audiences to associate with the College of Charleston. We use these words and phrases to reinforce what we know to be true about the College, and to help our constituents understand the essence of our brand character. The College of Charleston’s brand attributes include the following adjectives:

  • historic
  • challenging
  • rewarding
  • coastal
  • urban
  • Southern
  • active
  • caring
  • personal

Key Messages

Within the framework of the brand story and using the brand attributes, communications and marketing efforts should reinforce the College’s key messages, listed below.

  • The College of Charleston, founded in 1770, is an institution of exceptional quality.
  • The College is a public liberal arts and sciences university.
  • The College is a forward-looking institution that retains a deep sense of history and tradition.
  • The College is ranked by national college guides among the nation’s best universities for quality education, student life and affordability.
  • College of Charleston alumni express a significant degree of satisfaction with their college experience.
  • The College offers exceptional opportunities for study in both undergraduate and graduate programs.
  • The College of Charleston is first and foremost a teaching institution. Classes are taught by professors, not teaching assistants.
  • No matter what discipline they select, every College of Charleston student receives a very strong liberal arts and sciences education.
  • The College has exceptional success in preparing students for, and placing them in, jobs and graduate and professional schools.
  • A low student-to-faculty ratio means that students receive individual attention.
  • The College of Charleston faculty are focused on student success.
  • The College of Charleston faculty do more than teach; they act as guides for students, helping them achieve their goals. The relationships among faculty and students make the College a place that transforms lives.
  • Many universities talk about hands-on research, but the College of Charleston is a leader, encouraging students in all disciplines to work on, or create, their own research projects.
  • The College blends a small-college feel with the advantages and diversity of a mid-sized university.
  • The wide array of courses, interdisciplinary learning and research offer learning opportunities that are rigorous, involving and exciting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • The College’s location in, and strong ties to, the city of Charleston – world renowned for its history, culture, architecture, natural resources and coastal environment – make it unique and provide substantial opportunities for research and learning.
  • The College provides a rich and diverse campus life experience in which students can choose from more than 200 student organizations as well as intramurals, student government, Greek life, student media and multicultural, political and religious groups.
  • The College strives to make community service an integral part of its students’ education.
  • The College is a member of the NCAA Division I Colonial Athletic Association, and sponsors teams in 19 varsity sports.

Elevator Speech

An elevator speech is designed to capture the essence of a brand in a short statement, one that could be made during an average elevator ride. The College's elevator speech is derived from its positioning statement and can be used to quickly communicate our message to a variety of audiences.

The College of Charleston is a nationally recognized public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770, the College is among the nation's top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. No other university has the unique combination of College of Charleston's exceptional faculty, diverse programs, historic campus, coastal location, modern facilities and cutting-edge programs.