Just 18 months ago, Minnesota State Moorhead faced a critical inflection point. Declining enrollment, budget constraints, and limited regional visibility threatened the institution’s future. The university had fallen into a pattern of Midwest-humble messaging that failed to showcase its true strengths and potential.
Key challenges included:
Rather than accept declining enrollment as inevitable, Minnesota State Moorhead’s leadership made a bold choice: to think bigger, think differently, and think more creatively about their future. They recognized that incremental changes wouldn’t be enough – they needed to evolve.
Moorhead partnered with Tellwell to guide them through a comprehensive roadmapping process that included in-depth stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, and community assessment to understand both challenges and untapped opportunities.
Moorhead’s leadership embraced a turnaround approach anchored in three key strategies:
Name Evolution and Visual Identity
Strategic simplification and modern visual system
Message Framework: “Dragons Do More”
Comprehensive messaging built around boldness and action
Professional Recruitment Campaign
Strategic investment in high-quality content
Moorhead courageously transitioned from “Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM)” to “Minnesota State Moorhead” – eliminating the cumbersome acronym and creating a more memorable, pronounceable identity. This mirrors successful institutions like Montana State, Cal State, or Iowa State, where dropping “university” creates a distinctive presence without losing educational credibility.
Minnesota State Moorhead on first reference, then simply “Moorhead” – reinforcing the strong connection to place and community while maintaining brand simplicity
Moorhead developed a comprehensive messaging strategy built around boldness and action:
“Dragons Teach”
Highlighting education and leadership programs
“Dragons Serve”
Showcasing nursing, healthcare, and service-oriented professions
“Dragons Lead”
Emphasizing business and project management excellence
Moorhead partnered with Tellwell to invest in a strategic and professionally produced student recruitment campaign featuring:
Moorhead brought their strategy to life through compelling visual storytelling:
Moorhead’s bold commitment to communicating differently delivered immediate, significant impact:
Moorhead’s strategic and creative excellence earned multiple prestigious awards:
in overall new student enrollment (undergrad and graduate student)
Moorhead’s evolution generated significant positive media attention:
since the last freshman class this large
Beyond immediate enrollment gains, Moorhead’s strategic evolution established:
Foundation for sustained growth targeting 7,000+ total enrollment
Minnesota State Moorhead’s successful evolution demonstrates what’s possible when institutional leaders have the courage to think differently and communicate boldly. By embracing change rather than accepting decline, they achieved results that seemed impossible just 18 months earlier.
Tellwell was honored to serve as their strategic partner, providing the frameworks, creative expertise, and guidance to help bring Moorhead’s vision to life. The success belongs to the university’s leadership, faculty, staff, and students who had the courage to embrace a bold new vision and do the work to make it real.
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