Athletics controversy could help image, experts say
Two years ago, UAB launched its first ever unified brand campaign for medicine and academics under the common tagline: UAB- Knowledge that will change your world. Now the university’s brand and reputation could get a boost from canceling three athletic programs and recently deciding to bring them back.
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity – even if something becomes known for the wrong reason,” says Dr. Paul Levinson, a Fordham University professor who specializes in images and branding. “It can actually windup having a benefit when you are trying to rebuild or repair a reputation.”
Because there is a large audience interested in knowing what UAB is doing with its football program, the university could have “sort of a silver lining in rebuilding its image,” Levinson said.
Still there are challenges ahead following Monday’s announcement, says Dawn Edmiston, a professor at the College of William and Mary.
“Many will believe that the battle has been won, but perhaps the greatest challenge lies ahead with regard to logistics and funding and that brand building — that brand rebuilding,” said Edmiston. “In many cases this is a very special opportunity for UAB. They must make the most of it. They can not lose that momentum.”
Edmiston says a university’s brand is only as strong as the support it receives from its constituencies the community, its students and alumni.
“A very important part of a university’s role is building that community and athletics has a critical role,” she says, adding that in the long run, athletics can be used to propel the university’s brand, which also allows the academic profile to rise.
How George Wallace and Bull Connor set the stage for Alabama’s sky-high electric rates
After his notorious stand in the schoolhouse door, Wallace needed a new target. He found it in Alabama Power.
FIFA president defends World Cup ticket prices, saying demand is hitting records
The FIFA President addressed outrage over ticket prices for the World Cup by pointing to record demand and reiterating that most of the proceeds will help support soccer around the world.
From chess to a medical mystery: Great global reads from 2025 you may have missed
We published hundreds of stories on global health and development each year. Some are ... alas ... a bit underappreciated by readers. We've asked our staff for their favorite overlooked posts of 2025.
The U.S. offers Ukraine a 15-year security guarantee for now, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday the United States is offering his country security guarantees for a period of 15 years as part of a proposed peace plan.
Genre fiction and female authors top U.S. libraries’ most-borrowed lists in 2025
All of the top 10 books borrowed through the public library app Libby were written by women. And Kristin Hannah's The Women was the top checkout in many library systems around the country.
The Best Tiny Desk Concerts of 2025
Which Tiny Desk made an audio engineer question everything? Which one made a producer want to cry? Touch grass? Look back on the year in Tiny Desk, with the people who make them.
