Scaling the ivory tower: Testing the Excellence Theory's relevance in Canadian university reputation management 1997-2017

Abstract

Post-secondary institutions in Canada are facing unprecedented challenges. A decrease in funding has required a rise in tuition rates and an ever-narrowing demographic of incoming students has slowed the expansion of the industry while demand for skills-based learning is on the rise. This paper explores to what extent universities are still seen as being the solution to societal problems and attempts to answer the question of if their adoption of certain ‘corporate’ business practices has led to a fraying of the industry’s reputation. This paper applies the principals of the Excellence Theory to an industry that until recently, has not seemed to have much need for public relations practitioners.