Rosemont College
Category: Media Relations & Storytelling – Announcement
Industry: Higher Education
The Challenge
Rosemont College, a small liberal arts school outside Philadelphia, made a bold decision to reduce its tuition by 43 percent — directly challenging the long‑criticized “sticker price” model used across higher education. The college didn’t want to simply announce the reduction; it wanted to expose the flaws in traditional tuition pricing and position itself as a leader in reform. To do that, Rosemont needed a communications campaign that could break through the noise, educate the public, and drive both regional and national attention.
Our Approach
We developed a comprehensive media and messaging strategy that framed Rosemont’s tuition reset as part of a broader, necessary correction to a broken industry model.
What Our Team Did:
- Conducted research on 15 institutions that had previously reset tuition to identify gaps and opportunities
- Positioned Rosemont’s announcement around transparency and systemic reform
- Created a branded identity for the initiative (“Our Tuition Promise”)
- Prepared key messages, FAQs, remarks, and a multimedia news release
- Produced an infographic and video remarks from the President
- Conducted embargoed pitching to national media for more informed coverage
- Led an in‑person editorial visit with the Philadelphia Inquirer’s education team
- Planned and staffed a campus‑wide assembly and press conference
The Results:
- In the first week, 62 outlets covered the news, including 27 regional targets
- Major national coverage included CNN, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, and the Philadelphia Inquirer
- Social media shares reached 17,800
- Student and faculty response on social media was 98 percent positive
- Sentiment analysis of media coverage scored 89 percent positive
- The “broken tuition model” was referenced in 74 percent of all stories