Communication of private universities – analysis of the organisation, goals and visibility

Abstract

The project examines the communication of private universities. By means of surveys, it will be analysed how the communication departments of private universities are organised and how they are anchored in the organisational structure of the universities. In addition, the focus is on which strategic goals private universities pursue with their communication and which role university communication fulfils for the organisation from the point of view of the university management and communication departments. In a second step, content analysis will be used to examine the extent to which the goals are reflected in university communication and in media coverage of private universities. The results will be discussed with the relevant contact persons in both private and state universities in workshops, networking meetings and at conferences. This will promote the exchange between state and non-state higher education institutions with regard to the orientation of higher education communication and discuss the transferability of the results to state higher education institutions. Overall, the project generates scientifically robust knowledge about the field of action of higher education communication and its underlying logic for private higher education institutions.