Rowan, since I first stepped foot on campus in the fall of 2024, has done nothing but defy definition.

As much as I personally dislike and maybe even despise this new ad campaign, “Defy Definition” is more accurate to this university than I think any of its students are willing to admit.

I had the pleasure of filling out the survey for this campaign just one semester ago, where the marketing team first tested the waters of just what slogan would work to – ironically – define Rowan. While I cannot remember the top contenders, I do remember ranking “Defy Definition” as my first choice, and then furiously writing on the back my opinions about this whole stunt.

Because, while I agree that Rowan refuses to be defined, and that makes this university stand out as unique amongst the universities that surround it, by participating in an attention grabbing stunt like unveiling gaudy banners above the steps of Bunce Hall or plastering the top of the Student Center in what appears to be a massive, orange, vinyl wrap, Rowan does not defy definition, it leans into one.

Rowan, of course, is situated between about a thousand colleges and universities. I jest, but coming from the western United States, I find it interesting how students in this region aren’t lacking in options. Anyone looking to experience city life can consider any of the colleges of Philadelphia to the west, or New York City to the north, or even Baltimore to the south. Anyone who’s looking for that traditional college feel can head to an infamous school like Rutgers. Anyone looking for something uniquely coastal can likely head up or down the eastern seaboard. Take your pick.

For anyone looking to defy definition, they should do none other than apply to Rowan. 

It’s true that Rowan is home to a multitude of seemingly disjointed and yet successful programs. Imagine my surprise when the relatively unknown-to-anywhere-but-New-Jersey college I picked had a medical school, a veterinary school, and was home to a fossil park.

Indeed, these opportunities and experiences are espoused on Rowan’s new landing page, experience.rowan.edu/defy-definition. It makes sense. These disjointed but otherwise successful endeavors, alongside many, many others, make Rowan an indescribably unique university.

At a time when many other colleges in this state and across the nation are failing to keep up with changing times and faltering student interest, Rowan is growing at a pace so fast that it struggles to provide student housing and amenities. This, while many students and faculty members may disagree, is a good thing.

One of the many reasons I have chosen to remain at Rowan has been the fact that it offers longevity, whereas most schools are taking it away.

Even Rowan University is trying its hand at erosion, with its chipping away at the humanities by combining colleges or its continual closure of the library for eventual “reimagination.” Still, compared to many schools which opt for an avalanche in place of attrition, I’ll take attrition any day of the week and twice on Sunday. It is far easier to deal with and even prevent small issues compared to far larger ones, like your doors spontaneously shuttering forever, as has happened on many campuses in the last five years.

So, what’s wrong with Rowan embracing the fact that it is so different? 

Well, a flashy ad campaign complete with a strong impact font and its own color palette is not exactly unheard of.  It feels like every university has unveiled some kind of campaign that relies on a milquetoast slogan and “professionalese” baked into an uninspiring, corporate slop style package. 

The brand standards surrounding what a university can and cannot publish are long and tiring, and most frustratingly, do not defy definition in the slightest. They encourage marketing teams to create advertisements that are merely eye-catching and not informative, to reduce the fascinating elements of its subject matter down to their barest parts, and present them in a sterile, low-risk manner.

The riskiest aspect of “Defy Definition” is the fact that they decided neon orange was the perfect color to accompany an already divisive palette of yellow and brown.

If Rowan wished to unveil an actually meaningful campaign, one which could actually draw in students as unique as its courses, amenities, and culture, perhaps the school should consider creating something that is less focused on flash and pizazz and instead centers around the objective humanity of this campus.

Rowan isn’t sterile in the slightest. The Student Center Pit is covered in handmade posters, and above it are physical logos of many of the clubs here at Rowan. Some are prim and proper, but some are steeped in personality and little quirks that come with age.

This campus is also home to a unique blend of architecture, the hallmark of a school in transition. The Student Center itself embodies this idea, being an amalgamation of the old and the new. Soon, the Campbell Library will be no different. Even our halls are steeped in this ideal. Take a look at Wilson, a strange little building with a fancy-pants dance studio tacked on to the back. 

This is a campus that, while it does not value all of its course offerings equally, does seem to value each degree program enough that nothing is on the proverbial chopping block. Programs on this campus appear to have a healthy mix of tenured faculty and fresh faces, and faculty themselves seem to be self-regulating their workloads and their replacements. It sounds macabre, but a person cannot work forever, and one sign of a healthy organization is when people plan for their eventual departure.

Rowan is also very aware of its status as a home for transfer students. While many people here are traditional students, many, many students are transfers from local community colleges, including those under the Rowan umbrella. This, in and of itself, is unique compared to schools that don’t even try to position themselves as friendly to transfer students.

Of course, the more conspicuous aspects of this university are equally special. It is true that Rowan opened a veterinary school, and is home to a medical school, and has an entire program dedicated to dinosaurs. In the words of Rowan itself, “Doctors + Dinosaurs + Degrees.” If administration is looking to attract the kind of students that would partake in those programs, however, it can’t rely on simple messaging and bold colors to bring them in.

Contrary to popular belief, prospective college students are not toddlers.

When I was a prospective college student, I spoke with a recruiter about coming to Rowan, and I certainly asked him if the school defied definition. I asked if it was a traditional “party” school. I asked if there was a robust public transportation system in the area. I asked if I would be able to study both music and theater, since most other schools wouldn’t allow me to double major in that way. All of these questions and their answers helped me understand that Rowan was a good choice for me.

Certainly, there are students who just fly by the seat of their pants and apply where they see fit. But if Rowan wants to attract a curious, well-informed, tenacious style of student, perhaps they should opt not to appeal to the lowest common denominator of applicants.

When cultivating an ad campaign as “bold” and attention-grabbing as “Defy Definition,” I encourage all universities and colleges, Rowan included, to remember that real people are going to be interacting with this advertising. They’re going to see the banners and billboards on their walks to class or drives to work, and they’re going to see your digital ads as they scroll or before they watch a video.

In a world where AI could just as easily have generated this material as a human, considering its defiant lack of anything unique or identifiable, marketing departments and the organizations they represent need to start considering how they are going to stand out as being truly different, Rowan being no exception.

My advice, as a student and as a creative, is to create content that is quantifiably “Rowan.” Advertising must incorporate students’ voices in a way that isn’t just professors knowing their names or small class sizes. Even the largest universities make these claims. Rowan should put on their thinking caps and consider what makes this school actually unique. The best way to achieve this would be to browse the internet and consider the marketing being undertaken by every other university in the region. What are they missing?

Something I rarely see come out of a university’s marketing department would be videos and print media centered around students and their actual, honest experiences. A non-corporatized, truthful Q & A. I would love that, compared to more drone footage of Bunce or a montage of B-roll footage featuring sciency people holding pipettes. It’s okay if what these students say isn’t perfect, because at the end of the day, we can fake that now. Imperfection, to many, is what’s most alluring in a world of deceit.

When I was trying to learn more about Rowan, as an out-of-state student, I couldn’t find any honest material like this. It was all about the numbers and the expansions. I couldn’t even find any good pictures or videos of what it’s like to walk around campus. The best I could find, without delving deep into student media, was Ed and Em Eats on Instagram, and eventually, The Whit.

I love having student-run media to fall back on to honestly portray Rowan, but I’m firmly of the opinion that it is okay for the administration itself to take a risk, “Defy Definition,” and put the truth above appearances.