Academic programs across higher education face extraordinary pressure to prove their worth. Undergraduate enrollment has declined by 2.6 million students since 2010, and only 47% of Americans consider college worthwhile without loans.
Many departments in large university systems are competing for students while justifying the necessity of their programs amid budget adjustments and regulatory pressure.
Departments that prove their relevance are better positioned for long-term viability. A compelling value proposition helps department leaders align their work with emerging education priorities while making meaningful connections with past, current and prospective students, families, faculty and employers.
Case for a clear value proposition
A value proposition articulates why a department or program is valuable, helping students and faculty understand how its courses differ from those of a similar school within a university system or how it compares to those offered at competing universities or colleges. Clarifying this “why” is essential in higher education’s “perfect storm” of declining demographics, increased costs and evolving perceptions about the value of a degree.
A clear value proposition helps a department or program rally around a consistent story, within the context of the larger university or school brand, that can connect with students, family and employers. This means moving beyond the language of academia and partnering across department chairs, professors, marketing and admissions to align on the most important, authentic information to share.
When to refresh your value proposition
Department chairs and other leaders may recognize their value story needs refinement when it’s difficult to attract students, face challenges, secure resources or find limited visibility in school-wide communications.
Weaker positioning is often the result of defaulting to tradition, relying solely on metrics without context and communicating in silos rather than connecting to broader business goals.
Simple questions to help evaluate a value proposition include:
- Can faculty explain the program’s unique contribution in two sentences?
- Do recruitment materials clearly connect offerings to career outcomes?
- Does the current messaging align with overarching strategic priorities?
- Can students articulate what they’ll gain that they can’t get elsewhere?
Below are three practices to help academic leaders elevate program visibility and support through a defined value proposition:
1. Build relevance through alignment, storytelling and stakeholder insights
A strong value proposition will draw connections between academic programs, institutional missions and the larger forces impacting higher education today. For 2026, these will likely focus on digital transformation that enhances human potential, career-aligned offerings, and data-driven decision-making.
Department and program leaders can validate these priorities and focus areas by collecting real-world input and feedback from past and current students, employers and community partners. This should be a consistent practice of using regular surveys, focus groups and informal conversations to identify opportunities and gaps between perception and reality.
Continuous feedback loops and collaboration will help leaders refine positioning and communication strategies and ensure programs remain responsive to changing needs.
Input and feedback can uncover relevant stories that bring a value proposition to life, revealing how a department or program transforms individual lives while addressing real-world challenges. Meaningful value stories show the tangible outcomes a program has created for students, employers and communities.
Whether highlighting a first-generation college graduate who landed a leadership role or showcasing an alum who returned to strengthen their communities, these narratives help stakeholders see the human impact of a department or program’s unique approach.
2. Strengthen visibility and support
Chairs and deans can take specific steps within their department to strengthen their positioning. Auditing existing messaging for clarity and resonance and co-creating new value narratives with students and faculty will ensure authenticity and buy-in.
Stakeholders who help develop messaging become natural ambassadors who can articulate program value across their own networks. Aligning internal and external communication will also support a consistent story across a variety of touchpoints, from course descriptions to alumni newsletters.
Building bridges across disciplines can also increase visibility for the university. Interdisciplinary collaboration often generates the most compelling stories and strongest support, particularly innovative approaches to complex challenges.
3. Lead with purpose and agility
Academic departments that are attuned to their key audiences can more easily transform uncertainty into opportunity. Rather than viewing demographic shifts and technological disruption as threats, these departments position themselves as leaders who can help drive innovation and change.
This approach requires three essential elements: courage to challenge long-held assumptions, clarity about core values and goals and a commitment to collaboration across traditional boundaries. The most effective leaders excel at translation, converting broad priorities into specific opportunities while simultaneously advocating upward to secure necessary resources and recognition.
A compelling value proposition, rooted in purpose and amplified through storytelling, helps schools successfully navigate the rapidly changing academic landscape. Programs that proactively align with university-wide goals, consistently engage stakeholders and communicate impact with integrity will distinguish themselves and grow as education evolves.
