FRENCH
universities, under pressure to improve their branding and pull themselves out
of the doldrums of global league tables, are following in the footsteps of
their counterparts in the United States (US) and selling merchandise featuring
college logos and colours.
Armed with greater autonomy since a 2007
higher education reform, universities hope to attract top students by promoting
a unique school spirit, taking a page from US varsities like Harvard, where its
logo is printed on sweatshirts and worn by so many people around the world.
Among more than a dozen academic institutions
now selling its own branded merchandise is the University of Nantes in
northwestern France. It is selling US-style sweatshirts, polo shirts and
biodegradable plastic water bottles along with mugs and shoulder bags in navy
blue, violet and other official colours.
The move comes after the 2007 reform granted
universities more autonomy in managing their finances, setting courses and
recruiting students and imposed greater accountability.
The reform was pushed through under French
President Nicolas Sarkozy in response to the country’s dismal showing in the
Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU),
also known as the Shanghai ranking. Only three French universities made it into
the ranking’s top 100 this year which was no different from its performance
last year.
“The higher education reform has triggered a
new movement, in the same way that the Shanghai ranking shook people awake,”
said Florence Brouillard, communications head at the University of
Cergy-Pontoise in Paris, which opened an online merchandise store last week to
mark its 20th anniversary.
“The French university system is trying to
create something of its own, but it’s also adopting the best of what’s
happening at other institutions including the Scandinavian universities.”
Paris-based merchandise management company
Campus de France has negotiated a licence to sell the university gear in
exchange for giving the schools a percentage of the sales.
The University of Nantes will use the proceeds
from the sales of its merchandise to provide financial aid for students with
reduced means.
“These stores have become a way to attract new
students, said Campus de France co-founder Guillaume Chateau.
The University of Nantes has reported strong
sales since its branded merchandise was put on sale since early August.
“We had a lot of demand for the items from
students and staff,” said Marc Peron, the school’s director of communications.
“I see real change in the public perception of
universities: before, there was little reason to feel proud in studying at a
tertiary institution unless one studied at an ‘elite’ university.
“However, the tide has turned, you no longer
hesitate to feel proud and show it regardless of the varsity you are in,” he
said.
France is known around the world for historic
colleges like the Sorbonne University in Paris, but within the country, it is
the elite institutions outside the main public university system - known as Grandes
Ecoles - that have the best reputation for excellence.
The institutions such as Sciences Po, known
for its Political Science department, and the Ecole National d’Administration,
a training ground for political leaders, select only the best students based on
national test results.
On the latest ARWU ranking, two French
universities, Paris-Sud 11 University (Paris Sud) and Université Pierre et
Marie Curie (Pierre and Marie Curie University), made the list at 40 and 41,
along with the Ecole Normale Superieure, at 69. Harvard University topped the
list.
Reuters
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