ii

The Effect of a Symbolically Isomoiphic Name Label in Implementing a Cieative

Campus Initiative: A Compaiative Case Stuuy Analysis





Thesis




Piesenteu in Paitial Fulfillment of the Requiiements foi the Begiee Nastei of Aits in
the uiauuate School of the 0hio State 0niveisity



By

Kiisti Wilcox, }.B.

uiauuuate Piogiam in Aits Policy & Auministiation




The 0hio State 0niveisity

2u11



Thesis Committee:

Bi. Naigaiet }. Wyszomiiski, Auvisoi

Bi. Wayne P. Lawson




iii


















Copyiight by

Kiisti Naiie Wilcox

2u11



















ii






Abstiact




The aits' place in the univeisity is changing in iesponse to the uemanus of
the cieative economy. 0niveisities will be iesponsible foi piouucing cieative human
capital in theii giauuates. The 2uu4 Ameiican Assembly pioviueu campus-baseu
piactitioneis with new language to puisue these goals when it intiouuceu the
"Cieative Campus" teiminology. This compaiative case stuuy exploies the value of
this naming language uuiing policy foimulation anu implementation of two Cieative
Campus piojects. Qualitative inteiviews, uocument analysis, anu autoethnogiaphy
aie useu to assess the value of a common naming stiategy. A ciitical fiamewoik that
ciosses semiotics anu the policy cycle is useu to analyze the uata fiom each of the
cases.
The finuings suggest that a symbolically isomoiphic naming stiategy can be
veiy effective in foimulating anu implementing a Cieative Campus piogiam because
the name label pioviues cultuial entiepieneuis with a tool to contextualize theii
woik, fiame the issue on the institutional agenua, uefine theii woik in juxtaposition
to a piototypical schema, anu gain legitimacy, unueistanuing, consensus, anu
contiol of iesouices. This thesis concluues by suggesting that the shaieu signifiei

iii
also offeis an oppoitunity foi a moie foimalizeu netwoik of Cieative Campus
piactitioneis to leain fiom anu engage in the labeling contests that shape the sign.









































iv





















This thesis is ueuicateu to all of those people who aie woiking haiu to make the
Cieative Campus movement tiuly meaningful, in all of its vaiious iteiations.






















v







Acknowleugements




Thank you to my family, especially to Nom, Bau, anu Kacie, foi youi suppoit
anu encouiagement ovei the yeais. I woulu nevei have been able to wiite a mastei's
thesis while going to law school if you haun't bought me Amy anu Zack's uieat
Alphabet Auventuie when I was foui, even when you coulun't affoiu it; if you haun't
helpeu me move acioss countiy (twice); if you hau not taught me to have faith in
uou; anu if you haun't tolu me uaily that you love me (anuoi posteu ciazy things on
my Facebook wall that maue me laugh).
I am incieuibly giateful to my auvisoi, Bi. Naigaiet }. Wyszomiiski. Bei
guiuance, suppoit, keen intelligence, ability to help me think in uiffeient ways, anu
passion foi iueas enableu me to finish this woik of authoiship.
I am also veiy thankful to Bi. Wayne P. Lawson, my ieauei, foi his thoughts,
feeuback, enthusiasm, anu willingness to be flexible as I puisueu a unique uual
uegiee piogiam.
I am ueeply inuebteu to Ns. Eiin }. Boppe, a tiusteu colleague anu an even
bettei fiienu. As someone who hau gone thiough the thesis piocess aheau of me, she
was always willing to shaie hei insights, lenu examples of hei woik, offei euiting

vi
seivices, give encouiagement, oi just have a glass of wine anu listen to complaints.
Thank you to the Bepaitment of Ait Euucation foi giving me a platfoim to
puisue my love foi aits policy anu foi letting me hang aiounu foi foui yeais. The
faculty of the }ohn ulenn School of Public Affaiis auueu a uepth anu textuie to my
euucation that I will appieciate foi yeais to come.
Thanks especially to Kiisten Thomas. I always knew I coulu go to hei with all
mannei of pioceuuial questions anu quanuaiies anu be suie to ieceive piompt,
piofessional iesponses. She tiuly keeps eveiyone on taiget.
A special thanks goes to Bean Nonte Smith, Naic Nawiocki, anu all those at the
0hio State Noiitz College of Law, who weie so piofessional anu kinu in constantly
helping me navigate the ieu tape of a uual uegiee piogiam.
This ieseaich woulu not have mateiializeu without all of the founueis of the
Cieative Campus at both Alabama anu vanueibilt allowing me into theii woilu. I'u
like to extenu my heaitfelt thanks to Bi. Scott Biiuges, Ns. Eiica C. Nossholuei, Bi.
Bank Lazei, anu Nis. Alexis Claik at the 0niveisity of Alabama foi theii time in
inteiviewing anu ieviewing uata. Likewise, I'u like to sinceiely thank the
paiticipants at vanueibilt 0niveisity, incluuing: Bi. Steven Teppei, who met with
me on multiple occasions; Bi. Bill Ivey; Bi. Elizabeth Long Lingo; Bi. Nel Zieglei;
}oEl Logiuuice; anu uaiiett Noigan.
I must extenu a veiy heaitfelt thanks to Bi. Scott Biiuges, who has been a
wonueiful mentoi to me, not just thioughout college but to this uay. Be has always
hau a keen ability to ask questions that iequiieu my biain to think in uiffeient ways.

vii
Bis passion, his uiive, anu his belief in me weie the tuining point in my uecision to
puisue aits policy at the giauuate level. The mentoiship anu the fiienuship he has
shaieu with me ovei the yeais cannot be stateu enough. The Cieative Campus at the
0niveisity of Alabama tiuly woulu not have happeneu without him, anu I ceitainly
woulu nevei have gaineu an acauemic inteiest in it weie it not foi his influence.
Thanks to Eiica Ciabtiee Nossholuei, who not only seiveu as a ieseaich
paiticipant, but has been a steaufast colleague anu fiienu. Youi passion anu spaik in
founuing the Cieative Campus at Alabama contiibuteu in laige pait to my ability to
be a Cieative Campus piactitionei anu have the inteiest anu zeal to still be stuuying
it touay.
Thanks to Katie Eckeniou, who sat up many late nights in college listening to
me iamble about the implementation of Cieative Campus anu hau "solve the
pioblems of the woilu" lunches with me eveiy Thuisuay.
Thanks to all my fiienus in the 0hio State Aits Policy piogiam. You all have
been wonueiful colleagues anu companions these past foui yeais anu given me
insight into the uepth anu bieauth of aits policy, ait euucation, anu ait-making!
Thanks as well to all my fiienus at the 0hio State Noiitz College of Law. Youi
fiienuship anu suppoit foi the past thiee yeais has been invaluable.









viii






vita




Becembei 8, 1984 ............................................... Boin - Tuscaloosa, AL, 0SA

Nay 2uu7 ................................................................ B.A., English
0niveisity of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL

2uuS-2uu7 ............................................................. Founuing Intein, Cieative Campus
0niveisity of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL

2uu7 ......................................................................... Inteinational Affaiis Intein,
0hio Aits Council
Columbus, 0B

2uu7 ......................................................................... Intein, 0iban Aits Space
0hio State 0niveisity
Columbus, 0B

2uu8 ......................................................................... Reseaich Assistant, Piof. Eu Lee
0hio State Noiitz College of Law
Columbus, 0B

2uu9-Piesent ......................................................... uiauuate Teaching Assistant
Bepaitment of Ait Euucation
0hio State 0niveisity
Columbus, 0B

2u1u .......................................................................... Extein, Bon. }effiey Sutton
0.S. 6
th
Cii. Couit of Appeals
Columbus, 0B




ix
2u11 .......................................................................... }.B., Law
0hio State 0niveisity
Columbus, 0B


2u11 .......................................................................... Litigation Associate
Biauley, Aiant, Boult & Cummings
Nashville, TN


FIELBS 0F ST0BY

Najoi Fielus of Stuuy: Aits Policy & Auministiation, Law
































x






Table of Contents




Abstiact ....................................................................................................................................... ii
Beuication ................................................................................................................................... iv
Acknowleugments .................................................................................................................... v
vita ............................................................................................................................................ viii
List of Figuies ....................................................................................................................... xvii


Chapteis:

1. INTR0B0CTI0N ......................................................................................................... 1
I. Backgiounu Infoimation .......................................................................... 1
II. Biief 0veiview of the Cases .................................................................... S
III. Reseaich Significance, Puipose anu 0bjectives .............................. S
Iv. Inteiview uuiue ........................................................................................... 6
v. Scope anu Limitations ............................................................................... 8
vI. Reseaichei Inteiest ................................................................................. 11
vII. Chaptei 0veiview .................................................................................... 1S

2. LITERAT0RE REvIEW: Pait 0ne, The Cieative Campus Novement
in the Aits Ecology & the Foui Biiving Inquiiies ....................................... 17
I. Intiouuction ............................................................................................... 17
II. Contextualizing the Cieative Campus NovementWhy Now. 19
A. The Bistoiical Novement of the Aits onto Campus ............. 2u
B. The Bistoiical Next-Step of the Aits into Acaueme.
The Cieative Campus Bianu ......................................................... 24
C. The Nany Roles of Bighei Euucation in the Aits Nilieu .... 28
1. The 0niveisity as an Aits Pation ......................................... 28
2. The 0niveisity as a Pioviuei of Reseaich
anu Bevelopment ....................................................................... 29
S. The 0niveisity as Piouucei of Cieative Capital ............. Su
4. The 0niveisity as a Pieventei of Biain Biain ................. S2
III. }ustifying the Cieative Campus Novement
Why Shoulu We Bo It. ............................................................................ SS

xi
A. }ustifying the Cieative Campus as a Piepaiation foi the Cieative
Economy ............................................................................................... S4
B. }ustifying the Cieative Campus as a Path to
Civic Engagement .............................................................................. SS
C. }ustifying the Cieative Campus as a
Legitimization of the Aits .............................................................. S6
Iv. Befining the Cieative CampusWhat is It. ................................... S7
A. Encouiagement of Risk Taking &
The Toleiance foi Failuie .............................................................. S8
B. The Campus-Community Connection:
Biiuging Town anu uown ............................................................... S9
C. An Inclusive Befinition of Cieativity (with an Emphasis on Aits
Piesenting) .......................................................................................... S9
B. Intia-Campus Collaboiations ....................................................... 41
E. Stuuent Paiticipation & Empoweiment ................................... 42
v. Builuing the Cieative CampusBow Bo We Bo It. ................... 44

S. LITERAT0RE REvIEW: Pait Two, A Linguistic Lens: Analyzing the
0sage of the !"#$%&'# !$)*+, Signifiei in Piactice .................................... 46
I. Intiouuction ............................................................................................... 46
II. Bow the Signifiei is Beployeu Buiing Policy Foimulation ...... 48
A. Captuiing Limiteu Public Attention ........................................... 48
1. Focusing Events .......................................................................... 49
2. Social Iuentification .................................................................. Su
a. Cognitive Segmentation ................................................... S1
b. Stiuctuial Similaiity .......................................................... S1
S. Recombination ............................................................................ S2
B. Fiaming the Issue .............................................................................. SS
1. Policy LeaueisSymbol Nanipulatois (the Who) .......... SS
2. Linking Issue Fiames to Woiluviews anu
Public Puiposes (the Bow) .................................................... S4
III. Bow the Signifiei is Beployeu Buiing Policy Implementation S6
A. What Language is Boing: The Initial Choice of an
0iganizational SignifieiLabelName ...................................... S7
1. 0ptimal Bistinctiveness .......................................................... S8
2. Banuwagon Piessuies on Name Choice ............................ S9
S. Politics anu Stiategies of Naming ........................................ 61
B. What Language is Saying: Categoiization anu the Imposition
of Categoiical ContentCieating a "Signifieu" ........................ 6S
1. Categoiization ............................................................................. 6S
2. Social Constiuction of Neaning ............................................ 66
C. What Language is Boing (Again): The !-.,#/+#.0#, of
Label Choice ........................................................................................ 68
1. Enhancing 0nueistanuability ............................................... 68

xii
2. Consensus Builuing ................................................................... 69
S. Contiol ........................................................................................... 7u
Iv. Conclusion & visual Summaiy ..................................................................... 7S

4. NETB0B0L0uY ...................................................................................................... 79
I. uuiuing Question ...................................................................................... 79
II. Qualitative Case Stuuy Reseaich ........................................................ 79
A. Selection of the Cases ...................................................................... 82
B. Liteiatuie Review ............................................................................. 84
C. Qualitative Inteiviews ..................................................................... 8S
B. Bocument Analysis ........................................................................... 89
E. Autoethnogiaphy .............................................................................. 9u
F. Role of the Reseaichei anu Reflexivity ..................................... 91
u. Analyzing the Bata ............................................................................ 92
B. Piesentation of Finuings ................................................................ 94
III. valiuity anu ueneializability ............................................................... 9S
Iv. Ethics ............................................................................................................. 97
v. Conclusion ................................................................................................... 97

S. TBE CREATIvE CANP0S AT TBE 0NIvERSITY 0F ALABANA .............. 99
I. Intiouuction to the Case ........................................................................ 99
II. Policy Foimulation at the 0niveisity of Alabama ...................... 1u1
A. The Sign !-.%#1%+$2&3&.4: What the Language is Saying ... 1u1
1. The Context of the Nouein Aits Ecology ........................ 1u1
2. 0thei Contexts: Political & Economic .............................. 1u4
B. The Sign 5+,%&67&.4: What Language is Boing ....................... 1u7
1. Issue FiameisSymbol Nanipulatois .............................. 1u8
a. Stuuents anu Suppoit Staff as Local Line Leaueis 1u8
b. Auministiatois anu Buieauciats as
Executive Leaueis ............................................................. 111
c. Acauemics as Inteinal Netwoikeis ............................ 11S
2. Fiaming Issues by Captuiing Public Attention anu
Linking to Public Puiposes ................................................... 11S
a. Fiaming Issues by Captuiing Public Attention ...... 11S
i. Captuiing Attention Thiough
Focusing Events .................................................. 116
ii. Captuiing Attention Thiough
Social Iuentification ........................................... 118
1. Social Iuentification via
Cognitive Segmentation ............................ 118
2. Social Iuentification via
Stiuctuial Similaiity ................................... 119
b. Captuiing Attention by Linking Issues to
Public Puiposes ................................................................. 12u

xiii
i. Linking Cieative Campus to Piepaiation foi
the Cieative Economy ....................................... 121
ii. Linking Cieative Campus to
Civic Engagement ............................................... 122
iii. Legitimization of the Aits ................................ 12S
iv. An Emeigent Institutional Puipose: Stuuent
Reciuitment .......................................................... 12S
III. Policy Implementation at the 0niveisity of Alabama .............. 126
A. The Sign 8#6&.&.4: What Language is Saying ........................ 126
1. Inputs into the Signifieu Content ....................................... 126
a. Founueis' visions ............................................................. 126
i. vision of Founuei Bi. Scott Biiuges, Inteinal
Netwoikei anu 0iiginal Biiectoi of the
Cieative Campus ................................................. 127
ii. vision of Founueis Kiisti Wilcox & Eiica Ciabtiee
Nossholuei, Local Line Leaueis anu
Stuuent Co-Founueis ........................................ 127
iii. vision of Founuei }uuy Bonnei, Executive
Leauei anu 0niveisity Piovost ..................... 128
iv. vision of Founuei Bank Lazei, Executive Leauei,
Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi 129
v. vision of Founuei Alexis Claik, Local Line
Leauei, Cieative Campus Cooiuinatoi ....... 1Su
b. Labeling Contests as a Souice of
Signifieu Content ............................................................... 1S1
2. The Local Categoiical Schema foi "Cieative Campus"
at the 0niveisity of Alabama ............................................... 1SS
a. Aits Piesenting .................................................................. 1S4
b. Toleiance of Failuie ......................................................... 1S4
c. Civic Engagement ............................................................. 1SS
u. ConnectivityInteiuisciplinaiityCollaboiation ... 1S6
e. Stuuent Empoweiment .................................................. 1S7
f. An Inheiently Local Factoi:
The Cieative Campus "Twist" ...................................... 1S8
S. Compaiison to 0thei Schemas ........................................... 1S9
a. Compaiison to the Piototypical Schema ................. 1S9
b. Compaiison to 0thei Local Schemas ........................ 14u
B. The Sign 9+&2:&.4: What Language is Boing ......................... 141
1. Choosing the Signifiei ............................................................ 142
a. 0ptimal Bistinctiveness ................................................. 142
i. Symbolic Isomoiphism ..................................... 14S
1. Symbolic Isomoiphism
Incieases Legitimacy .................................. 144

xiv
2. Symbolic Isomoiphism Enhances
0nueistanuability ....................................... 144
ii. Competitive Biffeientiation ............................ 14S
b. Banuwagon Piessuies on Name Choice ................... 146
c. Political anu Stiategic Influences
on Name Choice ................................................................. 147
i. Agency ..................................................................... 147
ii. Competitive Bynamics ...................................... 149
iii. Stiategic Peisistence ......................................... 1Su
2. Consequences of the Label Choice ....................................... 1S1
a. Enhancing 0nueistanuability ........................................ 1S2
i. Labels Enhance 0nueistanuability by
Bistilling Complexities ........................................ 1S2
ii. Labels Enhance 0nueistanuability by the
Lexicality Effect ..................................................... 1SS
b. Builuing Consensus ............................................................. 1S4
i. Labels Builu Consensus via Ambiguity ........ 1S4
ii. Labels Builu Consensus by
Expanuing Ninushaie ......................................... 1SS
c. uaining Contiol ..................................................................... 1S6
i. Labels Belp Contiol by Becoming
Self-Fulfilling Piophecies ................................... 1S7
ii. Labels Belp Contiol by
Piojecting a Besiieu Image ............................... 1S7
iii. Labels Belp Contiol by
uaineiing Resouices ........................................... 1S9
iv. Labels Belp Contiol by Pioviuing Access to
a Netwoik ................................................................ 1S9
1. Netwoiks Pioviue a Place to Leain ........ 16u
2. Netwoiks Pioviue a Place to
Impose Neaning ............................................. 161
Iv. Conclusion ................................................................................................. 164

6. TBE CREATIvE CANP0S AT vANBERBILT 0NIvERSITY ..................... 166
I. Intiouuction to the Case ...................................................................... 166
II. Policy Foimulation at vanueibilt 0niveisity .............................. 168
A. The Sign Contextualizing .............................................................. 168
1. Aits Reseaich anu Bevelopment ....................................... 168
2. Piouucei of Cieative Capital ................................................ 169
B. The Sign }ustifying .......................................................................... 17u
1. Issue FiameisSymbol Nanipulatois .............................. 171
a. Stuuents anu Staff as Local Line Leaueis ................ 171
b. Bonois & Auministiatois as
Executive Line Leaueis ................................................... 174

xv
c. Acauemics as Inteinal Netwoikeis ............................ 17S
2. Fiame Issues .............................................................................. 177
a. By Captuiing Public Attention ..................................... 177
i. Focusing Events .................................................. 177
ii. Social Iuentification ........................................... 178
1. via Cognitive Segmentation .................... 178
2. via Stiuctuial Similaiity ........................... 179
b. Linking Issues to Tienuing
Institutional Puiposes ..................................................... 181
i. Piepaiation foi the Cieative Economy:
Changing the Euucational Paiauigm ........... 182
ii. Civic Engagement ............................................... 18S
iii. Legitimization of the Aits ................................ 184
iv. The "Ivy Itch" ........................................................ 18S
III. Policy Implementation at vanueibilt 0niveisity ....................... 187
A. The Sign Befining: What Language is Saying ....................... 187
1. Inputs into the Signifieu Content ....................................... 187
a. Founueis' visions ............................................................. 188
i. vision of the Founuing
0ppei Auministiation ....................................... 188
ii. visions of the Founuing Bonoi, Nike Cuib,
& The Cuib Centei Biiectoi, Bill Ivey ......... 188
iii. visions of Steven Teppei anu
Elizabeth Long Lingo ......................................... 19u
iv. vision of }oEl Logiuuice .................................... 19u
v. vision of Nel Zieglei .......................................... 191
b. Labeling Contests .............................................................. 192
2. The Local Categoiical Schema foi the Teim
"Cieative Campus" at vanueibilt 0niveisity ................. 19S
a. Cuiiiculai Bevelopment ................................................ 196
b. Campus-Community Connection Thiough
Entiepieneuiial Seivice ................................................. 198
c. Aits-Enabling Insteau of Aits Piesenting ................ 199
u. Stuuent PaiticipationEmpoweiment ...................... 2u1
e. Toleiance of Failuie ......................................................... 2u1
f. Inclusive Befinition of Cieativity ................................ 2u2
g. The Cieative Campus "Twist" ...................................... 2uS
S. Compaiison to 0thei Schemas ........................................... 2uS
a. Compaiison to the Piototypical Schema ................. 2u4
b. Compaiison to 0thei Local Schemas ........................ 2u4
B. The Sign Builuing: What Language is Boing
1. Choosing the Signifiei ............................................................ 2u6
a. 0ptimal Bistinctiveness .................................................. 2u7
i. Symbolic Isomoiphism ..................................... 2u7

xvi
ii. Competitive Biffeientiation ............................ 2u8
b. Banuwagon Piessuies on Name Choice ................... 2u9
c. The Effects of Politics anu Stiategy on
Signifiei Choice .................................................................. 21u
i. Agency ..................................................................... 211
ii. Competitive Bynamics ...................................... 21S
iii. Stiategic Peisistence ......................................... 21S
2. Consequences of Label Choice ............................................ 21S
a. Enhancing 0nueistanuability ...................................... 21S
i. Bistillation of Complexities ............................ 21S
ii. Lexicality Effect ................................................... 21S
b. Builuing Consensus .......................................................... 216
i. via Ambiguity ....................................................... 216
ii. via Expanuing Ninushaie ............................... 217
c. uaining Contiol .................................................................. 217
i. Labels Become Self-Fulfilling Piophecies .. 218
ii. Labels Pioject a Besiieu Image ..................... 218
iii. Labels Belp uainei Resouices ...................... 219
iv. Institutionalization Ciystallizes Contiol by
Enteiing 0iganizations into a Netwoik ..... 22u
1. Netwoiks Pioviue a Place to Leain ...... 22u
2. Netwoiks Pioviue a Place to
Impose Content ............................................ 221
Iv. Conclusion ................................................................................................. 222


7. C0NPARATIvE ANALYSIS ANB C0NCL0SI0N ......................................... 22S
I. Finuings ..................................................................................................... 226
A. Policy Foimulation: The Name Contextualizing ................. 228
B. Policy Foimulation: The Sign }ustifying ................................. 2S1
C. Policy Implementation: The Sign Befining ............................ 2S9
B. Policy Implementation: The Sign Builuing ............................ 24S
II. Implications foi the Fielu ................................................................... 2S2
III. Suggestions foi Futuie Reseaich ..................................................... 2SS
Iv. Closing Noments .................................................................................... 2S8
Appenuix A: Institutional Review Boaiu Application
Appioval Letteis .......................................................................... 26u
Appenuix B: Consent foi Paiticipation in Reseaich .................. 264
Refeiences ................................................................................................. 269






xvii






List of Figuies




Figuie 1. PolicySemiotics Fiamewoik 0veiview ......................................... 18
Figure 2. Policy/Semiotics Framework Overview .......................................74
Figure 3. Policy/Semiotics Framework Linear Overview .............................74
Figure 4. The Sign Contextualizing ..............................................................75
Figure 5. The Sign JustiIying ........................................................................76
Figure 6. The Sign DeIining ..........................................................................77
Figure 7. The Sign Building ..........................................................................78
Figure 8. PolicySemiotics Fiamewoik 0veiview ....................................... 226
Figure 9. PolicySemiotics Fiamewoik Lineai 0veiview ......................... 227
Figure 1u. The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign Contextualizing ................. 228
Figure 11. The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign }ustifying, The Who ......... 2S2
Figure 12. The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign }ustifying, The Bow ......... 2S4
Figure 1S. The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign Befining .............................. 24u
Figure 14. The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign Builuing,
Choosing a Signifiei ..................................................................... 24S
Figure 1S. The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign Builuing, Consequences
of Signifiei Choice ......................................................................... 248








1






Chaptei 0ne:

INTR0B0CTI0N




!" #$%&'()*+, !+.)(/$01)+

In Naich 2uu4, the evolving ielationship between the aits anu the univeisity
was foimally exploieu by a noteu gioup of scholais anu aits piactitioneis in the
1u4
th
Ameiican Assembly at Columbia 0niveisity entitleu "The Cieative Campus:
The Tiaining, Sustaining, anu Piesenting of the Peifoiming Aits in Ameiican Bighei
Euucation." The Ameiican Assembly saw the univeisity anu the aits seiving paiallel
ioles, such as: "to make uiscoveiies that change lives anu to piepaie bettei citizens,"
"|toj nuituie a vital anu thiiving mouein cultuie," anu "to open expeiience-oiienteu
imaginative space" (Ameiican Assembly, 2uu4, p. 4). This thesis is an exploiation of
the Cieative Campus phenomenon as a possible evolution of the aits in the
univeisity.
Both the aits anu the univeisity aie time-honoieu institutions that have been
pait of oui uaily life foi centuiies. Bowevei, the aits &. the univeisity uo not have
such an impiessive genealogy. While chaiismatic scholais anu peisonages have
attempteu to incoipoiate the aits into the univeisity foi ages, ieal piogiess began to
be maue only in the miu-2u
th
centuiy as highei euucation became moie pievalent in

2
society. Scholais maik Woilu Wai II as a significant tipping point in soliuifying the
aits' place on the mouein campus (Noiiison, 197S). The steauy stieam of ietuining
veteians anu subsequent flow of baby boomeis nouiisheu anu sustaineu the
univeisity system at highei capacities than hau evei befoie occuiieu. The univeisity
was calleu to take on new ioles in the aits milieu fiom that of a pioviuei of mateiial
secuiity to that of an aits pation. The changes that have occuiieu in the
innovationcieative economy (Pink 2uuS, Floiiua 2uuS) anu those that have
occuiieu in society at laige, such as an incieaseu inteiest in civic engagement
(Putnam, 199S), have cieateu new uemanus of univeisity giauuates in teims of skill
sets anu ways of thinking. These new uemanus have, in tuin, piessuieu univeisities
to take on moie anu moie ioles with iegaius to the aits, such as that of tiainei anu
cieativity biokei.
Since the pivotal 2uu4 Assembly, scholais have auopteu the language of the
"Cieative Campus" as a uisciete new univeisity phenomenon anu theoiizeu about
its elements, its ioles in biiuging univeisity anu community life, as well as, its
potential capacities to piepaie stuuents foi the new challenges cieateu by social,
economic anu technological changes of the mouein eia. The Cieative Campus
movement geneiateu by the initial Ameiican Assembly has spawneu at least two
subsequent confeiences ueuicateu to the iuea, vaiious scholaily aiticles, public
speeches, its own gianting piogiam thiough the Boiis Buke Founuation, as well as,
a numbei of opeiationalizeu Cieative Campus piogiams at vaiious institutions of
highei euucation incluuing: Syiacuse, the 0niveisity of Noith Caiolina Chapel Bill,

S
the 0niveisity of Kansas, the 0niveisity of Floiiua, the 0hio State 0niveisity,
vanueibilt 0niveisity, anu the 0niveisity of Alabama, among otheis. This thesis will
exploie the impoitant ciossing fiom theoiy to piactice embouieu in these
opeiationalizeu Cieative Campus piogiams. To leain moie about this, my ieseaich
will compaie anu contiast the foimulation anu implementation of the Cieative
Campus piogiams at two uiffeient institutionsThe 0niveisity of Alabama anu
vanueibilt 0niveisitypaying special attention to how the founueis at each locale
aie utilizing the name label "Cieative Campus."
!!" #(12. 342(4125 ). 062 7$828
The 0niveisity of Alabama is the flagship univeisity of the state of Alabama
locateu in Tuscaloosa. The school is a lanu-giant institution founueu in 18S1 that
seives appioximately 2S,uuu stuuents. Seventy-thiee peicent of those stuuents
come fiom within the state of Alabama. The laigest peicentage of the stuuent bouy
at Alabama (Su%) majois in aits anu sciences.
(http:quickfacts.ua.euuuemogiaphics.html last captuieu on }une 1S, 2u11).
Alabama's Cieative Campus Initiative began as a stuuent pioject in the spiing of
2uuS. Fiom this giassioots beginning, the Cieative Campus initiative has since
become institutionalizeu with a peimanent leauei, a builuing, anu a full staff of
stuuent inteins. The hallmaik of Alabama's Cieative Campus initiative is its stuuent
inteinship piogiam, which seeks to pioviue stuuent inteins with an "expeiience
that enhances cuiiiculum, leaueiship, anu cieative thinking, allowing stuuents to
become the best possible inuiviuuals" (http:www.uacieativecampus.oigaboutus

4
last captuieu on }une 1S, 2u11). When this ieseaich was conuucteu in 2uu9, the
Cieative Campus initiative was in its fouith-yeai of existence.
vanueibilt 0niveisity is a piivate institution founueu in 187S anu locateu in
Nashville, TN. In its eailiest uays, vanueibilt was iun "unuei the auspices of the
Nethouist Episcopal chuich" (http:www.vanueibilt.euuhistoiy.html last
captuieu on }une 1S, 2u11). It seives a stuuent bouy of appioximately 11, 8uu.
vanueibilt 0niveisity has playeu a significant leaueiship iole in the ieseaich being
uone on the Cieative Campus concept. The Cieative Campus piogiam at vanueibilt
was cieateu in Apiil 2uu8 thiough a majoi uonation anu is houseu within
vanueibilt's Cuib Centei foi Ait, Enteipiise, anu Public Policy. The focus of
vanueibilt's Cieative Campus pioject is "the implementation of the fiist national
ieseaich piogiam on cieativity, the aits anu highei euucation"
(http:www.vanueibilt.euucuibcieativecampusabout.html last captuieu on }une
1S, 2u11). When this ieseaich was conuucteu, the Cieative Campus initiative was in
its fiist yeai of existence, laigely a planning anu uesign yeai.
These two cases will biing out impoitant nuances in the tiansition fiom the
scholaily uialogue about the Cieative Campus to the piactical application of that
theoiy in ieal-woilu contexts on actual campuses. The cases incluue impoitant
contiasts, such as the uiffeiences between a public univeisity context anu a piivate
univeisity context; a giassioots appioach anu a top-uown, institutional appioach;
an events-piesenting appioach anu a cuiiiculai-ieseaich appioach; as well as some
othei latent uiffeiences, which will emeige in the uata.

S
!!!" 9282$(%6 :1'+1.1%$+%2; <*(=)82 $+, 3>?2%01428
This ieseaich will begin to fill a gap in the liteiatuie that exists on the
tiansition fiom the scholaily anu theoietical uiscussions of the Cieative Campus
phenomenon to the piactical application of this theoiy in actual piogiams anu
initiatives. No stuuy has, as of yet, attempteu to analyze the uevelopment anu
content of Cieative Campus piogiams in piactice. This stuuy is also significant
because it uevelops a ciitical linguistic fiamewoik that will pioviue theoiists anu
piactitioneis a way to think anu talk about how the linguistic sign, "Cieative
Campus" is functioning in piactice to take on new meanings.
The puipose of this ieseaich is to asceitain why Cieative Campus
piactitioneis have chosen to utilize the "Cieative Campus" name bianu to label theii
initiatives anu ueteimine how this iuentity has functioneu in the implementation of
those initiatives uubbeu "Cieative Campus" on univeisity campuses. I will attempt
to asceitain these stoiies thiough an extensive liteiatuie ieview, naiiative
inteiviews with the piactitioneis who founueu the Cieative Campus initiatives anu
maue use of that language, analysis of the uocuments piouuceu by these initiatives,
anu autoethnogiaphic ieflections of my expeiience as a piactitionei. These oiigin
stoiies will pioviue answeis to the foui uiiving inquiiies of this stuuy Why aie
these initiatives taking ioot now anu in these univeisity spaces. (Contextualizing);
What is the puipose of spenuing time anu iesouices on these initiatives. Why
shoulu we uo it at all. (}ustification); What compiises a Cieative Campus Initiative.

6
(Befining); anu Bow uo piactitioneis tianslate the movement's theoiy into piactice
to establish a conciete initiative. (Builuing).
!@" !+02(4125 A*1,2
The following is the inteiview guiue that was useu in the semi-stiuctuieu
qualitative inteiviews of Cieative Campus piactitioneis at each site:
Paiticipant Infoimation
1. What is youi name, title, anu affiliation with the Cieative Campus Initiative.

Piogiam Infoimation-Befining Inquiiy
2. Besciibe youi Cieative Campus pioject.
a. Sample Piompts:
i. What is the mission statement.
ii. What pait of the univeisity buieauciacy is youi pioject houseu
in.
iii. Wheie uoes youi funuing come fiom.
iv. Who woiks theie, anu what uo they uo.
v. Who uoes this woik benefit. Who aie youi piimaiy
constituents.
vi. What aie the signatuie piojects oi piouucts that the initiative
piouuces.
vii. What is the iueal Cieative Campus initiative to you. What
woulu you change about youi piogiam if theie weie no
financial oi institutional baiiieis.
S. Beteimining Fit with the Emeigent Elements.
a. Sample Piompts
i. If CC initiatives aie to be the engines oi uiiveis in achieving the
state of a cieative campus, then how uo these entities piomote
oi encouiage iisk taking anu toleiate failuie within theii own
piojects. Bow uo they auvocate foi those things acioss the
laigei campus cultuie.
ii. Bow uo CC initiatives avoiu piomoting only a "safe" veision of
cieativity.
iii. What is youi piogiam's uefinition of cieativity.
iv. What was the iole of stuuents uuiing the stait-up phase of
youi piogiam.

0iigin Stoiy InfoimationBuiluing Inquiiy


7
4. Bow uiu youi Cieative Campus Initiative get off the giounu. What is youi
oiigin stoiy.
S. What weie the "tiiggeis" foi staiting this pioject.
6. Why is the iuea of Cieative Campus so appealing. Why uo you think youi
campus has embiaceu it.
7. You aie using a piogiam name that is shaieu by initiatives at seveial othei
campuses acioss the nation. Bow is youi piogiam unique. Bow is it similai.
8. Who weie youi authoiizeis. Who uiu you have to sell the iuea to. Bow uiu
you have to fiame the iuea to sell it to them.
a. Biu using the CC bianu help you to pioject a sense of inciemental
insteau of wholesale change.
9. Why uiu you choose to name youi piogiam "Cieative Campus".
a. Bow uiu this signifiei function in the implementation stage of youi
piojectwhen you weie moving things off the uiawing boaiu anu
into piactice.
b. In setting up youi piogiam unuei the name "Cieative Campus," what
soits of people uiu that name connect you with.
1u. What have been some of youi big obstacles in establishing anu iunning the
CC. Bow have you navigateu them.
11. Who compiiseu youi leaueiship team to get the pioject staiteu. Bow uiu the
team membeis function togethei. What weie theii iespective ioles.
12. In what ways have you connecteu youi effoits to the univeisity's mission.
1S. Bow have you institutionalizeu youi initiative.

Rationale Infoimation}ustification Inquiiy

14. What uoes iunning a CC initiative uo foi youi campus.
1S. What is the public puipose of youi Cieative Campus initiative. Why uo it at
all.
16. Biu using the CC monikei help you situate youi auvocacy foi the pioject in
ceitain uiscouises. Which ones.

Contextual InfoimationContextualizing Inquiiy

17. Besciibe the iole of the aits in youi Cieative Campus piogiam.
a. Bow is youi piogiam affecting the aits on campus.
18. What uo you see as this univeisity's iesponsibility to its stuuents.
a. Bow uoes youi CC pioject fit with that.
19. What aie the univeisity's expectations of youi initiative.
2u. What uo you see as this univeisity's iesponsibilityiole to the aits.
a. Bow uoes youi CC pioject fit with that.
21. When you use the woius "Cieative Campus" on youi liteiatuie, on youi
website, as youi signifiei, what uo you hope that conveys to people.
a. What shoulu people know when they see that title.

8
b. What shoulu they think about.
c. What shoulu they ask about.
22. As a piactitionei, why uiu the piesent moment piesent itself as the time to go
foiwaiu with this piojectinitiative.

@" :%)=2 $+, B1/10$01)+8
I will exploie the topic of the Cieative Campus thiough investigation of
oiganizational iteiations of that concept making use of that exact signifiei. Ny
goveining assumption is that a "cieative campus" expiesseu with loweicase 0's
iepiesents an iuealizeu state foi colleges anu univeisities to stiive foi, a state of
highei euucation which pioviues a climate conuucive to the cieative piocess.
Fuitheimoie, it is my assumption that "Cieative Campus" expiesseu as a piopei
name with uppeicase !'s aie oiganizational initiatives instituteu by colleges anu
univeisities to be the mechanisms oi the engines which seive as uiiveis foi
ieaching such a cieative milieu. It is this uppeicase, oiganizational bianu that is the
main subject of this stuuy. The enu-piouuct of an ultimate cieative campus milieu is
biacketeu off foi futuie ieseaicheis to take up if this ieseaich is extenueu into the
policy evaluation phase. Insteau, this thesis pioject focuses on the use of the name
label uuiing policy foimulation anu policy implementation in each case.
While many campuses have piogiams that aie similai to Cieative Campus-
style piojects, this stuuy conceins itself only with those piogiams that have chosen
to be iuentifieu by that name label. Examples of such othei piogiams may incluue
Ball State 0niveisity's viiginia B. Ball Centei foi Cieative Inquiiy oi Stanfoiu's the
"B" School. While these piogiams aie inteiesting case stuuies foi examining how the
impoitance of cieativity is coming to be embiaceu by univeisities anu opeiationally

9
expiesseu, they uo not sheu light on how these piactical iteiations aie fuitheiing
the Cieative Campus movement as a cohesive anu uisciete entity.
It is impoitant to stuuy these Cieative Campus oiganizational iteiations
because oiganizations can be useu as "inuicatois of the policy cycle" (Peteis &
Bogwoou, 198S, p. 241). These oiganizations make bettei subjects foi stuuy
because "oiganizations have the auvantage of being 'ieal'; that is, they have laws
which establish them, they employ ieal people, they have buugets, etc." (Ibiu, p.
241). Peteis anu Bogwoou state that "oiganizational change, because of its
thiesholu natuie anu because it iequiies explicit auministiative action, is moie
useful as an inuicatoi of political $%%#.%&-. than othei inuicatois such as buugets anu
peisonnel" (Ibiu, p. 242). Because the "Cieative Campus" concept is so new, aiising
out of the Ameiican Assembly only in 2uu4, the stuuy of these Cieative Campus
oiganizations can be ielevant to uiscoveiing the amount of attention policy makeis
in theii local contexts aie giving to the iuea.
This thesis employs naiiative inteiviews to ieseaich the foimulation anu
implementation stoiies of Cieative Campus oiganizations at the 0niveisity of
Alabama anu vanueibilt 0niveisity. Bowevei, othei cases woulu also pioviue
inteiesting ieseaich fouuei foi this impoitant investigation of theoiy-to-piactice
mouels. A case stuuy of the Cieative Campus pioject at Syiacuse 0niveisity coulu
sheu light on the impoitance of an executive champion such as Syiacuse's
Chancelloi Nancy Cantoi who has speaiheaueu the uevelopment of the Cieative
Campus concept at that univeisity. A case stuuy of the Cieative Campus pioject at

1u
0niveisity of Noith Caiolina Chapel Bill woulu be ievelatoiy of the iole that
founuations such as the Boiis Buke Founuation play in opeiationalizing the Cieative
Campus concept. 0NC Chapel Bill was one of eight schools chosen as a iecipient of
the founuation's Cieative Campus Innovations uiant piogiam. A case stuuy of the
0niveisity of Floiiua coulu ieveal the iole stiategic planning has in opeiationalizing
the concept.
All of these potential souices foi uata aie valiu anu shoulu not be ignoieu by
the ieseaich community. Bowevei, uue to time anu iesouice limitations, not all of
these cases coulu feasibly be exploieu in this stuuy. Insteau, this ieseaich pioject
will focus on one of the eailiest casesthe 0niveisity of Alabamawhich highlights
a bottom-up auvocacy appioach in a public institutional context with a special focus
on stuuent leaueiship anu empoweiment. This case will be compaieu anu
contiasteu to vanueibilt 0niveisity, which highlights a top-uown appioach in a
piivate institutional context with a specialty in ieseaich.
Limiting the subject of stuuy to the founuational peiiou of these Cieative
Campus initiatives will allow a moie piecise focus on the impoitant tiansition fiom
theoiy to piactice anu on the function that the "Cieative Campus" bianu has hau on
that implementation. Limiting the numbei of cases stuuieu will also allow a gieatei
uepth of coveiage to pioviue moie fouuei foi compaiison anu contiast. The
limitations imposeu on this stuuy will yielu moie usable iesults foi futuie
ieseaicheis who may wish to exploie the opeiations of the "Cieative Campus"
signifiei at othei sites oi at othei stages of the policy piocess such as evaluation.

11
@!" 9282$(%62( !+02(280
0sually ieseaich is conceiveu of as an aims' length enueavoi. It evokes the
austeiity of the laboiatoiy wheie scientist is cleaily uistinguisheu fiom subject.
Bowevei, in actual piactice ieseaicheis aie uiawn to stuuy a phenomenon usually
out of a ueeply peisonal inteiest, which has the potential to influence theii
peispective. I am no uiffeient. Ny inteiests in stuuying the Cieative Campus
phenomenon aie not ianuom. Insteau, they aie the iesult of a ueeply peisonal
commitment I have to the theoiy anu to the piactice, which was biought about by
my involvement as a Cieative Campus piactitionei anu co-founuei at the 0niveisity
of Alabama (Alabama).
When I was a sophomoie at Alabama uuiing the spiing of 2uuS, I
paiticipateu in an honois class entitleu "Ait anu the Public Puipose." The final foi
this class challengeu my peeis anu I to collaboiatively wiite an aits policy foi the
univeisity. We piesenteu oui final piouuct, which we calleu "The Cieative Campus"
to a host of univeisity auministiatois. The Piovost was engageu by the piesentation
anu cieateu two stuuent jobs in iesponse. I was one of the two membeis of my class
who weie hiieu to biing oui policy suggestions to fiuition. Buiing the fiist yeai, I
conceptualizeu anu oichestiateu six pilot piojects, which iangeu fiom an aits
ciitiquing anu awaius piogiam to a cultuial e-zine (on-line magazine). These pilots
weie so successful anu waimly ieceiveu that the univeisity auministiation ueciueu
to expanu anu institutionalize the Cieative Campus Initiative. By the time I
giauuateu in the spiing of 2uu7, the Cieative Campus Initiative employeu thiee

12
peimanent staff incluuing a uiiectoi anu appioximately ten stuuent inteins, was
houseu in an histoiic campus builuing, anu collaboiateu on piojects with entities
acioss the univeisity incluuing the business school, engineeiing uepaitment, anu
aits uisciplines, among otheis.
Ny iole as one of the co-founueis iequiieu me to engage in netwoiking
cieating contacts anu ielationships fiom which the initiative coulu uevelop piojects
anu paitneis, win the suppoit of authoiizeis, anu auvocate foi iesouices anu
iecognition. It iequiieu me to engage in auministiative tasks like intein
management anu the cieation of team ietieats as the initiative enteieu the
0niveisity buieauciacy. It iequiieu me to collaboiate with viueogiapheis anu web
uesigneis to uevelop the public image of the initiative. These enumeiateu tasks
iepiesent a sample of the woik in which my iole as a Cieative Campus
founueipiactitionei leu me to engage. It was an intensely hanus-on expeiience that
impacteu all aspects of my life. I answeieu phone calls about Cieative Campus
events at 11 p.m. anu 8 a.m. I thought about the woiuing of the Cieative Campus
mission statement in the showei. Ny woik with the Cieative Campus Initiative is
what uistinguisheu me in vaiious awaius competition. To me, Cieative Campus was
moie than a job oi a challenge; it became something akin to a legacy that I coulu
leave behinu once I left the 0niveisity of Alabama.
All that is to say, I am not a uisinteiesteu ieseaichei. As a foimei
piactitionei, I biing my memoiies anu piejuuices anu pieconceptions of how the
Cieative Campus concept can be opeiationalizeu. These iueas aie bounu to uiffei

1S
fiom the expeiience of founueis at othei institutions like vanueibilt. They will even
uiffei fiom my fellow co-founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama. Thiough
autoethnogiaphy anu tianspaient iepiesentation, I will attempt to make cleai my
own pieconceptions anu opinions anu plainly show how my input uiveiges oi
conveiges, as the case may be, with the infoimation pioviueu by othei paiticipants
in the stuuy. I will insulate the stuuy fiom any invaliuating bias thiough
tiiangulating uata souices anu ieseaich methous.
@!!" 76$=02( 342(4125
Chaptei 0ne intiouuces the Cieative Campus as a unique concept anu
movement that hau its stait with the Ameiican Assembly. It also piesents my unique
histoiy as a Cieative Campus piactitionei anu my inteiests in stuuying this subject
anu ueveloping scholaiship on the topic. This chaptei biiefly intiouuces the two
cases that will compiise the laigest poition of this ieseaich, the Cieative Campus
initiatives at the 0niveisity of Alabama anu vanueibilt 0niveisity. Fuitheimoie, it
limits the scope of the ieseaich to the founuation of these initiatives anu to the
people who biought theoiy into piactice. This fiist chaptei also highlights the
significance of this ieseaich as a fiist step into stuuying the piactical application of a
scholaily uialogue anu as a fiist step towaiu filling the piesent gap that exists with
iespect to these opeiationalizeu initiatives. Finally, it piesents my ieseaich
objectiveto asceitain how the name label anu signifiei "Cieative Campus" is
functioning in piactice to affect implementation of Cieative Campus piogiams.
These two objectives will be fulfilleu by attenuing to foui uiiving inquiiies:

14
Befinition;<$% &, $ !"#$%&'# !$)*+,= Builuing>-? :- ?# :- &%= }ustification
;<7 ,<-+2: ?# :- &%= anu Contextualizing;<7 .-?=
Chaptei Two, Liteiatuie Review, Pait 0ne, piesents an extensive liteiatuie
ieview. This liteiatuie ieview is tailoieu to the foui uiiving inquiiies. It attenus to
the context question by situating the Cieative Campus phenomenon in a histoiical
context, which incluues an unueistanuing of the evolving town-gown (campus-
community) inteiface, an exploiation of the changing ioles of highei euucation in
the aits milieu, an investigation of the histoiical embeuuing of the aits on campus
anu the iise of the Cieative Campus as a possible next-step of the aits into acaueme.
The liteiatuie ieview attenus to the justification inquiiy by offeiing iationales foi
situating such effoits in the univeisity context. It also piesents some of the
emeigent uialogues within which theoiists have placeu the Cieative Campus
movement to justify political attention. Such uialogues incluue justifying the
Cieative Campus as piepaiation foi the cieative economy, as a path to civic
engagement, anu as a legitimization of the aits. The liteiatuie ieview attenus to the
uefinition inquiiy by iuentifying the emeiging elements that seem to make up the
linguistic content of the "Cieative Campus" signifiei accoiuing to the leauing
theoiists on the subject. Such elements incluue: an encouiagement of iisk taking anu
a toleiance foi failuie, a campus-community connection, an inclusive uefinition of
cieativity, a focus on intia-campus collaboiations, stuuent paiticipation anu
empoweiment, anu the cieation of a climate conuucive to cieativity. Finally, the
liteiatuie ieview attenus to the builuing inquiiy by iuentifying some potential issues

1S
piactitioneis may face uuiing the agenua setting phase, as well as, the beginning of
the implementation phase.
Chaptei Thiee, Liteiatuie Review, Pait Two, sets up the ciitical linguistic
fiamewoik that is applieu in Chapteis S, 6, anu 7. It pioviues a uetaileu pieuictive
mouel baseu on semiotics, labeling theoiy, social iuentification theoiy, anu public
policy theoiies. This mouel is also piesenteu in a visual way by a seiies of logic
mouels at the enu of the Chaptei.
Chaptei Foui, Nethouology, outlines the ieseaich stiategies useu to
accomplish this thesis pioject. It aiticulates a guiuing question as well as a ieseaich
methouology baseu heavily upon theoiists in the fielu of qualitative ieseaich. It
outlines a qualitative, compaiative case stuuy methouology that seeks to geneiate
giounueu theoiy. It aiticulates methou of uata collection anu analysis incluuing
qualitative inteiviews, uocument analysis anu autoethnogiaphy. It also outlines how
this pioject uealt with ieseaichei subjectivity anu tiiangulateu uata to inciease
valiuity. Finally, the chaptei pioviues pioof of appioval of this human subjects
ieseaich by 0hio State's Institutional Review Boaiu piocess.
Chaptei Five, The Cieative Campus at the 0niveisity of Alabama, piesents the
uata collecteu fiom the founueis at this site. It pioviues this uata in a naiiative
foimat taggeu to the ciitical fiamewoik outlineu eailiei.
Chaptei Six, The Cieative Campus at vanueibilt 0niveisity, piesents the uata
collecteu fiom the founueis at this site. It pioviues this uata in a naiiative foimat
taggeu to the ciitical fiamewoik outlineu eailiei.

16
Chaptei Seven, Compaiative Analysis anu Conclusion, piesents a
compaiative analysis of the two cases in ielation to the fiamewoik outlineu eailiei.
It piesents finuings anu uiaws conclusions baseu on the empiiical eviuence of
emeigent tienus anu patteins in the uata in oiuei to geneiate giounueu,
explanatoiy theoiy. It concluues with potential implications these finuings might
have on vaiious fielus anu suggestions foi extensions of this ieseaich in the futuie.






























17



Chaptei Two:
LITERAT0RE REvIEW: Pait 0ne,
The Cieative Campus Novement in the Aits Ecology of 0niveisities & the Foui
Biiving Inquiiies




!" !+0(),*%01)+
The Cieative Campus movement is not a wholesale uepaituie fiom the
tienus that have uiiven the affiliation between the aits anu highei euucation.
Insteau, it coulu iepiesent the next evolution in a ielationship that, while
establisheu anu peimanent, has been tenuous. This two-pait liteiatuie ieview will
fiist attempt to aiticulate the histoiical anu conceptual situation of the Cieative
Campus movement by exploiing the liteiatuie behinu foui uiiving inquiiies;<7
.-?= (Context) ;<7 ,<-+2: ?#= (}ustification) ;<$% &, &%= (Befinition) anu >-? :- ?#
:- &%= (Builuing). This histoiical anu conceptual situation, in tuin, will set the scene
foi a linguistic analysis of the policy piocess that this stuuy unueitakes.
The foui inquiiies can be ioughly subuiviueu unuei two phases of the policy
piocess: policy foimulation (;<7 .-?= ;<7 ,<-+2: ?#=) anu policy implementation
(;<$% &, &%= >-? :- ?# :- &%=). They can also be subuiviueu unuei the two main
aspects of the semiotic piocess of naming: what is the naming language ,)1+'.

18
(}ustifying;<7 ,<-+2: ?#=) (Builuing>-? :- ?#=) anu what is the naming
language 8$C1+'. (Contextualizing;<7 .-?=) (Befining;<$% &, &%=), such that:


<3B!7D

<)E1%C
F)(/*E$01)+
<)E1%C
!/=E2/2+0$01)+
:GH!3I!7:
J6$0 18 062
+$/2
:KD!LAM
Contextualizing
Inquiiy:
;<7 .-?= (1)


Befining Inquiiy:
;<$% &, &%= (S)
J6$0 18 062
+$/2
N3!LAM
}ustifying Inquiiy:
;<7 ,<-+2: ?#=
(2)
Builuing Inquiiy:
>-? :- ?#= (4)
Figuie 1 PolicySemiotics Fiamewoik 0veiview

The Cieative Campus movement has evolveu at the inteisection of both a
histoiical anu conceptual context conceining the iole of univeisities in theii
communities anu the iole of the aits in highei euucation. The histoiical anu
conceptual tienus have meigeu to cieate a policy winuow of oppoitunity foi the
Cieative Campus movement to flouiish. (!-.%#1%+$2&3$%&-.;<7 .-?=@. Theoiists
anu piactitioneis have attempteu to capitalize on this oppoitunity by implementing
opeiational piogiams unuei the "Cieative Campus" signifiei. To uo so, these
"symbol manipulatois" have hau to fiame the policy issue, justifying the uevotion of
iesouices to it, by placing it in seveial iesonant uiscouises. (5+,%&6&0$%&-.;<7
A<-+2: ;#=@B Buiing implementation, auvocates have hau to climb the huiule of
uefining what a Cieative Campus is oi shoulu beoften with competing uefinitions
that leau to labeling contests. Both the liteiatuie anu the competing piactices have

19
pioviueu seveial emeigent elements that may make up the categoiical contentthe
signifieu meaningsbehinu the signifiei "Cieative Campus." (8#6&.&%&-.;<$% &,
&%=@. This contextualizing, justifying, anu uefining allow auvocates to builu theii own
veisions of the Cieative Campus by employing that label to enhance
unueistanuability, builu consensus anu affect contiol. (9+&2:&.4>-? :- ?# :- &%=@.
The fiist pait of this liteiatuie ieview will take each of these inquiiies by tuin:
contextualizing, justifying, uefining, anu builuing the Cieative Campus.
!!" 7)+02O0*$E1P1+' 062 7(2$0142 7$/=*8 H)42/2+0-J6C L)5M
Why iueas become salient at one time oi anothei is always a compilation of
multiple contexts, both histoiical anu conceptual. The histoiical evolution of the
aits' piesence on the college campus has set the stage, piiming univeisity playeis, in
a way, to the salience of a Cieative Campus. The Cieative Campus bianu may be
occupying the next space on the timeline of the aits on campus. The new ioles
iequiieu of the mouein univeisity mean ueveloping new competencies, to function
in new ways anu with uiffeient puiposes. Thus the impoitant contexts to exploie
aie (A) the histoiic context of the aits on campus, (B) the histoiy of the bianu, anu
(C) the evolution of the ioles of univeisities in cieative ecosystems. This stuuy will
exploie the use of the name "Cieative Campus" to ueteimine if piactitioneis aie
using this language to say something about wheie they see the univeisity fitting in
these histoiic anu conceptual contexts.



2u
K" I62 Q180)(1%$E H)42/2+0 ). 062 K(08 )+0) 7$/=*8
"It lx curloux thut the urtx ln Amerlcun hlgher eJucutlon, ufter xome S00 yeurx of
!"#$#%& #% $() !#%&* $+ &)$ #%$+ $() ",$-curollng outxlJe the prexlJentx houxe wultlng
$+ -) #%.#$)/ #% 0+1 23%,( "%/ ,++4#)*-"1) +%56 %+! *)1#+3*56 1),+&%#7)/ "* " 4)68 "* "
21#9) 9+.)18 #% )/3,"$#+% "%/ *+,#)$6" (Noiiison, 197S, p. 6).

The Cieative Campus movement comes on the enu of a long movement of the
aits onto the Ameiican college campus. As scholai Bouglas Bempstei has
maintaineu, "theie was no singulai, wateisheu event in euucational histoiy when
the aits enteieu Ameiican highei euucation" (Bempstei, 2uu4). Rathei, the aits
have fought theii way onto the campuses of Ameiican colleges anu univeisities by
inciemental achievements ovei time. }ohn 0iice notes that:
"with the expansion of univeisal highei euucation in the miu-twentieth
centuiy, stuuents fiom all stiata of society weie exposeu to the aits, anu, as
membeis of society, they have influenceu oui national cultuie. Although
foimal postseconuaiy euucation in the fine aits uates back to the nineteenth
centuiy, it was in the 192us that the 'aits attaineu a soliu place in univeisity
cuiiicula.' By 19Su, viitually eveiy univeisity offeieu such couises" (0iice
2uuu, p. 16u).

While the intiouuction of aits couisewoik may have uateu to the 19Sus, a moie
soliu piesence on campus woulu be achieveu ovei time. A significant tuining point
occuiieu aftei Woilu Wai II when the aits enteieu an expansionist eia wheiein aits
couisewoik, aits majois, anu aits uegiees skyiocketeu (Noiiison, 197S).
Nass exposuie to the aits thus coinciueu with wiuespieau highei euucation.
Aftei this, the next-step of the aits entiance onto campus was via aitist-in-iesiuence
piogiams. Ackeiman, et. al., (197u) uesciibe these fiist iesiuence piogiams as
uneasy affiliations while noting the soliu entienchment of the aits on campus touay,
saying, "iaie aie the institutions of highei leaining . . . which uo not consiuei a

21
steauy stieam of local oi visiting aits activities . . . as noimal anu necessaiy
components of univeisity life. By all visible tokens, the aits have come to the
campus to stay" (p. 4u).
Along with aitist-in-iesiuence piogiams, a seconu stiategy foi moving the
aits onto campus was by calling attention to the aitistic piocess as a piocess. Authoi
Thea Petchlei maintains, "Seen as a piocess, aitists' cieativity coulu be ielevant.
This move was stiategic: aitistic expeiimentation, like technical invention, woulu
ueseive piotecteu space in colleges anu univeisities" (Petchlei, 2uu4, p. S).
Both aitist-in-iesiuence piogiams anu ie-conceptualizing ait piofessois'
woik weie stiategic methous employeu to affect the inciemental changes that }ack
Noiiison tiacks in his stuuy on the evolution of the aits in the univeisity setting.
Noiiison asseits that as the aits came to campus fiom a puiely stuuio mentality anu
meigeu with the libeial aits methous of the college campus, the mixtuie of stuuio
anu geneial stuuies became a foiceful combination. Be notes that "to uwell on this
tiansition fiom puiely stuuio-centeieu instiuction |in visual aitj to a mixtuie of
stuuio anu geneial stuuies is only a way of emphasizing how . potent the
combination of stuuio anu classioom was" (Noiiison, 197S, p. 28). Steven Teppei
(2uu6a) echoeu the neeu foi this meshing of the aits with othei paits of the
univeisity expeiience to continue, aiguing, "stiongei biiuges neeu to be built
between campus piesenteis, faculty anu stuuent affaiis so that the peifoiming aits
aie tiansfoimeu fiom giace notes to an integial pait of the coie melouy of campus
life" (p. 2).

22
This enmeshment ieally hit its stiiue aftei Woilu Wai II, which seiveu as a
significant tuining point foi the matuiing of the aits into the univeisity. Noiiison
wiites of this "expansionist eia":
"Between the two woilu wais, the aits became cleaily establisheu in the
cuiiiculum, but they weie a ielatively weak foice in campus affaiis. They
weie inteiesting, occasionally uiveiting oi enteitaining, nice appuitenances
which coulu be embaiiassing, but which weie, in any case, not substantial
anu iaiely seiious. Aftei Woilu Wai II, howevei, theie was a shaip
acceleiation in giowth which became substantial. . . . Some auministiatois
feel that the iate of giowth of the last 1S yeais ieflects not a fau oi a phase of
inteiest that will level off but a tienu that will continue anu inciease"
(Noiiison, 197S, pp. 16u-61).

This incieasing tienu is suppoiteu by statistical uata. In his woik, Noiiison
analyzeu seveial impoitant statistical stuuies on the subject of aits in highei
euucation. The geneial conclusion that he uiaws is that in each anu eveiy stuuy
"giowth is geneially inuicateu in all these uata" (Noiiison, 198S, p. S9). Be
paiticulaily notes the iise in the numbei of aits uegiees being confeiieu.
The giowth statistics noteu by Noiiison confiim the "aits boom"
phenomenon noticeu by Bouglas Bempstei (2uu4). Bowevei, the statistics aie just a
ieflection of how ueeply embeuueu the aits aie becoming in institutions of highei
euucation. Ackeiman, et. al., (197u) notes, "beyonu the statistical inciease in activity
is the fai moie funuamental fact it ieflects: The aits have become necessaiy" (p. 46).
Along with these cultuial changes, the aits boom was also fueleu by political
happenings such as the Colu Wai anu the founuation of the National Enuowment foi
the Aits. In C<# D$%+"&.4 -6 %<# E"%, -. !$)*+,, Noiiison uiaws attention to these
political phenomena. Be wiites:

2S
"In 19S7, Sputnik was launcheu anu the 0niteu States went into competition
with Russia on all fionts. Suuuenly, oui univeisities weie chaigeu with
auvancing science anu technology to an almost unieasonable uegiee. At
appioximately that same peiiou, the NEA was establisheu anu we began
builuing cultuial centeis anu, aftei yeais of appeal, biought these centeis
into the univeisities. It was, in a way, uemonstiating that we, too, have a
cultuie, while we weie uemonstiating oui concein with high technology"
(Noiiison, 198S, p. 71).

The paiticipants at the Cieative Campus confeience at vanueibilt 0niveisity
in the Fall of 2uu6 saw this new language opeiating as the newest phase of the aits'
expansionist eia on campus. They contenueu that the meeting at vanueibilt on
Novembei 9-11, 2uu6 was aimeu at "auuiessing the new movement of the aits anu
the acauemy towaiu each othei" (vanueibilt, 2uu6, pp. 2-S). In actuality, as
Noiiison's histoiy anu otheis' show, this "movement of the aits anu the acauemy
towaiu each othei" is not "new." The confeience iepoit tags it this way because the
Cieative Campus uialogue is the newest iteiation of this movement.
Noiiison wains, "the aits on campus will continue to bloom oi faue not
uepenuing on the economic weathei but on the extent to which leaueis in the aits
anu theii colleagues achieve anu uemonstiate theii matuiity" (Noiiison, 198S, p. 1).
The Cieative Campus movement has aiisen at this most iecent junctuie as the aits
on campus aie attempting to show this matuiity. This stuuy will investigate how
piactitioneis have attempteu to utilize the Cieative Campus bianu, possibly, to
showcase the matuiity of the aits on theii inuiviuual campuses.




24
#" I62 Q180)(1%$E L2O0R:02= ). 062 K(08 1+0) K%$,2/2M-I62 7(2$0142
7$/=*8 #($+,

As Steven Teppei (2uu6b) notes, "the cieative campus is not just a
fashionable alliteiation" (p. 7). Insteau, he sees the Cieative Campus movement as
cieating a "sustaineu conveisation" about the evolution of the aits in highei
euucation (Teppei, 2uu6a, p. 1). In acknowleugement of the extensive effoits of
auvocates foi uecaues to biing the aits to campus he wiites, "in spite of the ueep
connection between these two woilus anu the many points of contact, theie hau
nevei been a sustaineu conveisation about the iole of the aits in univeisity anu
college life" (Ibiu). Bis aiticle maiks the Ameiican Assembly in Naich 2uu4, entitleu
"The Cieative Campus: The Tiaining, Sustaining anu Piesenting of the Peifoiming
Aits in Ameiican Bighei Euucation," as the staiting point of this "sustaineu
conveisation" (Ibiu).
The 2uu4 Ameiican Assembly biitheu the Cieative Campus movement.
Following on two othei Ameiican Assemblies auuiessing the aits in the nonpiofit
sectoi, this assembly staiteu with the iuea that "the aits aie not capitalizing on oi
foiming key, stiategic alliances with complementaiy institutions, such as colleges
anu univeisities" (Ameiican Assembly, 2uu4). Some of the key playeis involveu in
putting on this assembly weie:
Albeita Aithuis, foimei Biiectoi of Aits anu Bumanities at the Rockefellei
Founuation anu Piincipal, Aithuis.0S, anu Sanuia uibson, Piesiuent,
Association of Peifoiming Aits Piesenteis. The chaiis |weiej Lee C. Bollingei,
Piesiuent, Columbia 0niveisity anu Nancy Cantoi, Chancelloi, 0niveisity of
Illinois, 0ibana-Champaign, who have been at the foiefiont in auvancing the
iole of colleges anu univeisities in cieating, sustaining anu encouiaging the
peifoiming aits anu aitists

2S
(http:www.ameiicanassembly.oigpiogiams.uiipiog_uisplay_inu_pg.php
.this_filename_piefix=CCANP0S&this_inu_piog_pg_filename=uesci captuieu
on }anuaiy uS, 2uu9).

The Assembly not only laiu out the theoietical founuations of the Cieative Campus
movement thiough its backgiounu ieauings anu iepoit, it also set up an infoimal
peei netwoik of people with whom the "Cieative Campus" teiminology was salient
as well as cieating "spin-off" confeiences anu funuing souices.
0ne such spin-off was a seconu Cieative Campus confeience hosteu at
vanueibilt 0niveisity in the Fall of 2uu6 entitleu "The Cieative Campus: Bighei
Euucation anu the Aits." The confeience iepoit noteu that "the situation uoes seem
to be changing. Within the last half uozen yeais, highei euucation leaueis anu
cultuial piofessionals have begun to conveise, as they uiu at the Ameiican
Assembly" (vanueibilt, 2uu6). The vanueibilt confeience hopeu to "uevelop a set of
questions anu methouologies that might seive as the basis of an expanueu national
ieseaich effoit" (vanueibilt, 2uu6). The confeience uiviueu paiticipants into five
woiking gioups aiounu the topics: "Assessing the Cieative Campus"; "Aitistic
Expiession, Social Capital anu Cosmopolitanism"; "The Cieative Campus Biviuenu:
The Economic Consequences of Sustaining, Tiaining anu Piesenting the Aits at
0niveisities anu Colleges"; "Cultuial Paiticipation, Leaining, anu Campus
Engagement"; anu "Napping the Cieative Campus: 0nueistanuing Connections anu
Netwoiks Insiue anu 0utsiue the Acauemy" (vanueibilt, 2uu6).
A seconu confeience calleu the Cieative Campus Caucus was co-hosteu by the
Nellon Founuation in the Spiing of 2uu8 in New Yoik. This confeience also

26
consisteu of five sessions ianging fiom "Beyonu the Campus: Connections,
Community, anu Collaboiations" anu "Stuuent Leaining, Engagement anu
Bevelopment" to "Stiategic Initiatives anu New Institutional Stiuctuies."
While such spin-off confeiences have fuitheieu the theoietical uevelopment
of the movement, othei spin-off effoits by non-piofits such as the Association of
Peifoiming Aits Piesenteis have fuitheieu the piactical uevelopment of Cieative
Campus effoits. Authoi of "The Cieative Campus: Shaiing the Scene" Robeit }. Smith
notes:
|Aj piincipal stewaiu of the Cieative Campus initiative, the Association of
Peifoiming Aits Piesenteis (APAP), has commenceu an 'Act Two'taking
things a step fuitheiby builuing an unpieceuenteu netwoik of aits
manageis anu campus officials. Sanuia uibson, executive uiiectoi anu CE0 of
APAP, iepoits othei positive uevelopments, incluuing seveial new consoitia,
a multiyeai peifoiming aits ieseaich initiative incoipoiating new uomains,
uocumentation of campus-baseu aits activities, anu a new website. The
Cieative Campus Innovations uiant Pioject, iequiiing connections between
cuiiicula anu new woiks by aitists, has completeu its fiist cycle of awaius,
anu giant iecipients will gathei to shaie theii piojects (Smith, 2uu7, p. 2S).

With its own giant piogiam anu a substantial non-piofit backei, the Cieative
Campus movement has been able to funu pilot piojects on campuses acioss the
countiy fiom Kansas 0niveisity to 0NC Chapel Bill, fiom Baitmouth to Stanfoiu.
The puipose of the giant piogiam is to "stiengthen the giowing inteiest in the
acauemy anu the aits with a set of innovative peifoiming aits piojects on Ameiican
campuses that will exhibit the founuational impoitance of the aits to the
euucational, seivice anu scholaily missions of the acauemy"
(http:www.aitspiesenteis.oigseivicescieativecampusgiants.cfm captuieu on
}anuaiy S, 2uu9).

27
uiven both the conceptual anu piactical extensions of the geneiative
Ameiican Assembly, the Cieative Campus movement has been launcheu. As Teppei
announceu in his follow-up aiticle, "Riuing the Tiain," "the 'cieativity' tiain has left
the station. 0niveisities anu colleges aie taking the iuea of the cieative campus
seiiously anu beginning to iealign univeisity piioiities to take bettei auvantage of
the poweiful iole of the aits" (Teppei, 2uu6a, p. 1). Be explains the unique neeus of
the aits, saying, "the aitsfoi the most paitneeu attention, connection anu
iecognition moie than they neeu money" (Ibiu, p. 4). This pioject will investigate
how appiopiiating the "Cieative Campus" signifiei has helpeu oi hinueieu
piactitioneis in getting such neeueu attention, connection anu iecognition.
The Cieative Campus uialogue is veiy new, uating its biith fiom the
Ameiican Assembly in 2uu4. Bowevei, it has taken ioot quickly with scholais anu
piactitioneis. Teppei asks, "Why is the iuea of the cieative campus so appealing.
Why have so many embiaceu the iuea." (Ibiu, p. S). These questions ieveal the gap
in the cuiient ieseaich. While scholais have wiitten about the theoietical
founuations of what a Cieative Campus coulu, oi shoulu, be anu the histoiical ioots
of the aits in the context of highei euucation, no one has stuuieu the piactical
application of Cieative Campus initiatives that have spun-off of this scholaily
uialogue anu put that name into piactice. This ieseaich pioject attempts to step into
that voiu.



28
7" I62 H$+C 9)E28 ). Q1'62( G,*%$01)+ 1+ 062 K(08 H1E12*
The aits have fought a battle to integiate into the life of univeisity campuses
because univeisities seive many uiffeient ioles in the aits ecology. In its eailiei
iteiations, the univeisity iole in ielation to the aits was as a mateiial suppoit, then
as a piimaiy pation, which scholais have likeneu unto a "Nouein Neuici" (Ibiu, p.
4). The ioles a univeisity now plays in the aits ecology aie many, incluuing: (1)
pation of aitists anu aitwoiks, (2) pioviuei of ieseaich anu uevelopment in the aits,
(S) piouucei of cieative capital, anu (4) pieventei of biain uiain.
S" I62 T+142(810C $8 $+ K(08 <$0()+
The univeisity is capable of being the quintessential aits pation because it
can pioviue basic suppoit, tiaining, anu benefaction. In C<# E"%, -. !$)*+,F C<#
G#0#,,&%7 6-" !<$.4#, Ackeiman iuentifieu seveial things that have tiauitionally
uiawn aitists to acauemia. Among the moie impoitant weie, "the luie of economic
secuiity" anu "the piomise of suicease . fiom those anxieties ovei meie physical
suivival" (Ackeiman, et. al., 197u, p. 4S). In effect, univeisities weie able to satisfy
the founuational levels of Naslow's hieiaichy of neeus so that aitists weie fieei to
puisue theii aitistiy anu self-actualization (http:www.abiaham-
maslow.comm_motivationBieiaichy_of_Neeus.asp captuieu }anuaiy 28, 2uu9).
A seconu basic function that univeisities fulfill as an aits pation is that of
tiainei. Bouglas Bempstei notes, that "Ameiican univeisities tiain |thej
piofessional anu amateui aitists, in laige numbeis, who have to a laige extent
fueleu the 'aits boom' eviuent in communities eveiywheie" (Bempstei, 2uu4).

29
Incieasingly, univeisities have expanueu fiom just tiaining ait-makeis to tiaining
othei aits piofessionals as well. As }ohn K. 0iice (2uuu) contenus, "Ameiican
univeisities both employ anu tiain aitists anu, incieasingly, aits auministiatois" (p.
16u).
Apait fiom this euucational iole, peihaps univeisities' biggest function as an
aits pation is its simple benefaction. Authoi Bouglas Bempstei pioposes that "the
gieat, unheialueu ait pation of the 2u
th
centuiy is the Ameiican univeisity"
(Bempstei, 2uu4). 0ichaiu connects the impoitance of the pationage iole to
changes in the National Enuowment foi the Ait's policy towaiu giving to inuiviuual
aitists. Be notes, "inuiviuual aitists have been uisenfianchiseu by a most impoitant
funuing souice, the National Enuowment foi the Aits" (0ichaiu, 2uuu, p. 86). While
univeisities have suppoiteu inuiviuual aitists such as composeis, wiiteis, anu
choieogiapheis foi many uecaues, with the loss of this impoitant souice of feueial
funuing, univeisity pationage has become even )-"# ciucial anu significant to
inuiviuual aitists. Cieative Campus theoiist Steven Teppei (2uu6a) wiites that
"Ameiican univeisities anu colleges, taken togethei, aie likely the biggest single aits
pations in Ameiica. . . . As such, univeisity leaueis neeu to iecognize theii uefining
iole in the aits ecology anu take iesponsibility foi that iole moie uelibeiately anu
asseitively" (p. 2).
U" I62 T+142(810C $8 $ <()41,2( ). 9282$(%6 $+, N242E)=/2+0
While the pationage iole is ciucial to the aits, the univeisity has been calleu
on to play moie pioactive ioles in the aits ecology than simply the piovision of

Su
secuiity anu space. The univeisity also seives as a soit of ieseaich anu uevelopment
laboiatoiy. As Richaiu Floiiua (2uu6) notes in "The 0niveisity anu the Cieative
Economy," "theie has been a movement in the 0.S. anu aiounu the woilu to make
univeisities 'engines of innovation'" (p. 1). Bempstei contenus that the "univeisity
may incieasingly seive the same basic ieseaich iole in the aits that it has
tiauitionally playeu in the natuial sciences" (Bempstei, 2uu4).
V" I62 T+142(810C $8 <(),*%2( ). 7(2$0142 7$=10$E
A newei, pioactive iole foi univeisities is as a piouucei of cieative capital. In
C<# A#$"0< 6-" H#2#'$.0#, the authois focus on the univeisity's iole in shaping its
giauuates as a piouuct. Axeliou, et. al. (1969) pose the question, "aie these
giauuates oi alumni inuepenuent, cieative, anu iesponsible inuiviuuals." (p. 28).
Insteau of meiely pioviuing piovisions anu places foi alieauy-skilleu aitists to
woik, the univeisity is calleu on to piouuce new cieative capital. Floiiua (2uu6)
contenus, "Stuuents iepiesent the coie piouuction of univeisities."
0niveisities aie capable of piouucing such cieative capital because new
ieseaich shows that cieative behavioi can be leaineu. ueoige Lanu uistiibuteu a
cieativity test useu by NASA to select innovative engineeis anu scientists among
1,6uu five-yeai-olus. Be ie-testeu the same chiluien at ten yeais of age, anu again at
fifteen yeais of age. The iesults weie as follows:
Test iesults amongst S yeai olus: 98% cieative
Test iesults amongst 1u yeai olus: Su% cieative
Test iesults amongst 1S yeais olus: 12% cieative

S1
Same test given to 28u,uuu auults: 2% cieative (Naiman, 2uu6).
"What we have concluueu," wiote Lanu, "is that non-cieative behavioi is leaineu"
(Ibiu). Insteau of being a ianuom gift visiteu upon select geniuses, cieativity is now
seen moie as a piocess that stuuents can leain anu iefine. This contextualizing of
the cieative piocess as a subject foi leaining has cultivateu an intellectual climate
that is open to movements such as the Cieative Campus movement, which opeiate
within the context of euucational institutions.
0niveisities aie capable of piouucing cieative capital by teaching new skill
sets to stuuents. Baniel Pink (2uu6) points out the skill sets that will be uemanueu
of new giauuates in his book E ;<-2# G#? D&.:. Pink wiites, "touay, the uefining
skills of the pievious eiathe 'left biain' capabilities that poweieu the Infoimation
ageaie necessaiy but no longei sufficient. Anu the capabilities we once uisuaineu
oi thought fiivolous . . . incieasingly will ueteimine who flouiishes anu who
flounueis" (p. S). 0thei scholais have linkeu this shift towaius an equal emphasis on
"iight biain" skills to what they uub "the cieative impeiative" (}ohnson Caiey,
2uu6). Shelley }ohnson Caiey notes that the cieative impeiative has manifesteu
itself in both euucational, as well as, economic uiscouises. She wiites, "this call foi
iecognizing anu capitalizing on cieative iesouices was issueu not only at the
Association of Ameiican Colleges anu 0niveisities meeting, but concuiiently at the
S6
th
Woilu Economic Foium Annual Neeting in Bavos, Switzeilanu" which
"conveneu unuei the title 'The Cieative Impeiative" (}ohnson Caiey, 2uu6).


S2
W" I62 T+142(810C $8 $ <(242+02( ). #($1+ N($1+
In auuition to piouucing it, the univeisity has also been newly chaigeu with
the iesponsibility of keeping aitistic anu cieative talent fiom leaving the
communities in which the univeisity is situateu, that is, foi pieventing so-calleu
biain uiain. In theii stuuy, Floiiua, et. al. cieateu the Biain Biainuain Inuex (BBuI)
to measuie the univeisity's effect in attiacting anu ietaining talent. The authois note
that "the coiielation iesults foi the BBuI ieflect a 'viituous ciicle' wheie highei
levels of talent . |aiej leauing ovei time to highei iates of economic giowth, moie
job geneiation, anu in tuin to highei iates of talent piouuction, ietention, anu
attiaction" (Floiiua, 2uu6). The ietention of the cieative capital, which univeisities
aie also taking a iole in piouucing, is auuing to the cieative class milieu that is
integial to the life of the aits in any community.
The univeisity's iole in the aits ecology has shown changes fiom one
conceineu with simply the passive piovision of mateiials to a moie active iole in
piouucing cieative piofessionals in a cieative milieu. The Cieative Campus
confeience helu at vanueibilt in 2uu6 founu the univeisity's ioles to incluue that of
pations, supplieis of cieative laboi, anu maikets foi aitistic piouuction. While still
an impoitant pation anu souice of secuiity, univeisities aie incieasingly being
askeu to step into the iole of cieative capital piouucei, ieseaichei, anu pieventei of
biain uiain away fiom cieative centeis, as well. These new ioles in the aits woilu
iequiie new appioaches on the pait of univeisities. With these new iesponsibilities
have come new oppoitunities. The Cieative Campus movement is occuiiing when

SS
the univeisity institution is expecteu to take on an evei moie expansive iole in the
aits milieu. This context will laigely uefine what a Cieative Campus initiative is
expecteu to contiibute to the univeisity setting, anu coiielatively, what the signifiei
"Cieative Campus" shoulu be expecteu to signify.

The Ameiican Assembly's iepoit uesciibes both highei euucation anu the
aits as two "enulessly ie-inventeu sectois in Ameiican life" (Ameiican Assembly,
2uu4, p. S). I believe the Cieative Campus movement is one way that highei
euucation anu the aits aie cuiiently inteisecting anu ieinventing themselves, anu I
feel it is ciucial to exploie this latest evolution. The Cieative Campus movement
comes at the junctuie of a histoiical motion of the aits onto the Ameiican campus
anu a conceptual movement towaius a bioauei unueistanuing of the univeisity's
iole in the cieative milieu. This context set the stage foi the entiance anu giowth of
the Cieative Campus movement as a possible next iteiation of the aits in acaueme.
In oiuei to know what the "Cieative Campus" language is saying touay, it is
impeiative that we unueistanu this histoiical backuiop foi the use of such
teiminology.
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Piactitioneis anu scholais, in pushing foi this new policy iuea, have hau to
situate the Cieative Campus movement in seveial uiffeient uiscouises as
justifications foi puisuing it, incluuing: (A) the cieative economy (woikfoice

S4
piepaiation anu competitive auvantage), (B) civic engagement, anu (C) legitimizing
the aits.
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G%)+)/C

Two geneial anu ielateu aiguments aie commonly maue iegaiuing the
cieative economythat touay's univeisity must piepaie a cieative woikfoice anu
that this piepaiation foi cieativity is what will keep Ameiica competitive. In C<#
I.4"-,,#: I.%"#*"#.#+"&$2 !$)*+,, Stevenson, et. al. (2uu8) insist that "we must
excite touay's mouein, multi-tasking stuuents, oi we will lose valuable, untappeu
intellectual capital" (p. 4u). Without captuiing the excitement of the mouein
stuuent, theie is no hope foi teaching him oi hei the cieative piocess, which
ultimately uamages the human capital of tomoiiow's woikfoice anu, as such,
Ameiica's competitive euge on the woilu stage.
The Cieative Campus uialogue has been situateu within the cieative economy
uiscouise by viewing the Cieative Campus phenomenon as one way of helping
univeisities piepaie tomoiiow's woikfoice. The cieative economy uemanus
cieative piofessionals with cieative skill sets. As Stevenson wiites, "an engiosseu
unueigiauuate euucation shoulu not only pioviue the funuamental founuation foi
maximizing highei oiuei cognitive ability, but also pioviue the iuuimentaiy
substiatum foi optimizing wiuei oiuei cieative agility" (Stevenson, 2uu8, p. 11).
Teppei links this piepaiation uiiectly to the Cieative Campus uialogue in his aiticle
"Riuing the Tiain" wheie he contenus, "univeisity leaueis aie also beginning to
iecognize that fosteiing a lively cieative campus is essential to attiact anu ietain the

SS
best stuuents anu to piepaie those stuuents to thiive in an economy incieasingly
ieliant on intellectual piopeity anu cieative content" (Teppei, 2uu6a, p. 4).
The seconu piong of the cieative economy justification foi a Cieative Campus
movement is that such movements will help Ameiica maintain a competitive euge.
Beboiah Wince-Smith (2uu6) takes up this aigument stating, "oui colleges anu
univeisities must iise to the task of fosteiing cieativity .. Cieativity may be about
fun anu games, but it is also Ameiica's single gieatest compaiative auvantage in an
incieasingly competitive global maiketplace."
In fuitheiing the Cieative Campus agenua, some theoiists have useu the new
neeus anu uemanus of the cieative economy as one justification foi puisuing
Cieative Campus applications at institutions of highei euucation. By couching theii
aiguments in teims of woikfoice piepaiation anu competitive auvantage, these
theoiists have been able to link the puiposes anu capacities of a Cieative Campus to
a ieal neeu that they can help to fill.
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Anothei justification foi pushing the Cieative Campus foiwaiu is the linkages
of cieative capacities to civic engagement. In C<# D$%+"&.4 -6 %<# E"%, -. !$)*+,,
}ack Noiiison (198S) noteu a sense that stuuents anu the aits weie becoming moie
engageu with theii communities. Be wiites, "this sense of becoming moie engageu
with one's enviionmentaitistic, social, economic anu politicaltiacks along with
an emeiging view that 'ait foi ait's sake' is ueau. Ait foi the community's sake is
coming alive" (p. 9S). Not only is a Cieative Campus initiative poiseu to help pailay

S6
the aits into a moie pioactive societal iole, such ueuication to civic engagement is a
chaiacteiistic of the stuuents who aie making up the emeiging cieative class.
Floiiua (2uu2) notes, "people . . . want to be involveu in theii communities.
Numeious Cieative Class people I have spoken with . seek uiiect involvement on
theii own teims, in pait because it is pait of theii cieative iuentity" (p. 96).
By uiawing fiom the inheient stiengths of the mouein stuuentthe uesiie
foi community involvement anu this uesiie to piomote ait foi community's sake
Cieative Campus auvocates may be able to situate theii auvocacy in teims of a
philanthiopic uialogue that is iesonant with community leaueis anu touay's stuuent
alike.
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A final justification foi the Cieative Campus is that it is a new foim of
legitimization foi the aits, a way of shifting how aits piactitioneis poitiay
themselves to the laigei univeisity community. The long anu contesteu stiuggle of
the aits onto campus engenueieu an embattleu peisona, which has been haiu to
shake. Bowevei, this uefensive postuie is now uoing a uisseivice to the aits.
Noiiison (198S) iecognizeu the neeu foi change in his follow-up book, C<#
D$%+"&.4 -6 %<# E"%, -. %<# E)#"&0$. !$)*+,. Be aigues that "faculty anu
auministiatois in the aits on campus can no longei affoiu the comfoit of a
paianoiual view that they aie still in a *#",-.$ .-. 4"$%$ status in acaueme" (Ibiu, p.
9u). Bempstei (2uu4) agiees that this paianoiual view is pieuominant anu
uamaging. Be notes that "peisistent Chicken Little aits auvocacy ieinfoices a

S7
populai impiession of peipetual ciisis in the aits" (p. 8v). Cieative Campus
initiatives may be attempts to iepackage the peisona of the aits on campus, to shift
away fiom the "Chicken Little" appioach to aits auvocacy, anu insteau poitiay the
aits community as an establisheu "playei" in the univeisity's milieu.

In implementing theii initiatives, Cieative Campus piactitioneis will ueploy
that sign in an effoit to peisuaue that theii effoits aie justifieu anu woith
suppoiting. By exploiing what name language is uoing uuiing policy foimulation, we
shoulu be able to see the emeigent justifications foi the Cieative Campus
phenomenon in action. The liteiatuie seems to suggest that piepaiation foi the
cieative economy, a path to civic engagement, anu a legitimization of the aits aie
some of the justifications we may see at woik in the ueployment of the "Cieative
Campus" signifiei.
!@" N2.1+1+' 062 7(2$0142 7$/=*8-J6$0 18 !0M
No scholais have yet wiitten about the content of the sign "Cieative Campus"
in piactice. Bowevei, scholais have wiitten extensively, though not exhaustively,
about what the chaiacteiistics, oi signifieu content, that the iueal oi piototypical
"Cieative Campus" woulu have. 0seu this way, these theoiists have attempteu to
guess what signifieu content the categoiy, "cieative campus," will have. As
piactitioneis pick up the language "Cieative Campus" as the name foi theii
opeiations, they piouuce meaning foi this linguistic constiuct. 0ne objective of this

S8
thesis will be to see how the constiucteu meanings uiffei fiom the content
suggesteu by the liteiatuie.
The liteiatuie has ievealeu five uiffeient emeigent elements of a "Cieative
Campus," incluuing: (A) a toleiance foi failuieiisk taking; (B) campus-community
connections; (C) an inclusive notion of cieativity (with an emphasis on aits
piesenting); (B) intia-campus collaboiations; anu (E) stuuent paiticipation anu
empoweiment.
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0ne of the key asseitions of the Ameiican Assembly (2uu4) was that "the
suppoit of new woik, of cieativity, is a hallmaik of highei euucation. . . . In the aits,
as in many othei uisciplines, such woik involves iisk-taking anu iequiies a
toleiance foi failuie" (p. 1u). A toleiance foi failuie is one of the coie elements of a
Cieative Campus that has been suppoiteu by many theoiists. Stevenson (2uu8)
wiites that the success of the mouein univeisity will uepenu "on oui placing a high
value on fieeuom anu on oui taking iisks" (p. Su). The impoitance given to a cultuie
that allows foi iisk-taking uiiectly links to Steven Teppei's stiuctuial "pie-
conuitions" foi a Cieative Campus (Teppei, 2uu4). Likewise, Toii Baiing-Smith
(2uu6) aumonishes that "those wishing to cieate a suppoitive enviionment foi
cieativity, then, woulu want to encouiage iisk taking, inuepenuence, anu flexibility"
(p. 24). This iuea, fiist linkeu explicitly to the Cieative Campus iuea by the Ameiican
Assembly anu suppoiteu by Assembly paiticipants like Baiing-Smith, is ie-echoeu
by authoi Steven }. Teppei in his aiticle "The Cieative Campus: Who's No. 1."

S9
(Teppei, 2uu4). Teppei asseiteu "cieativity iequiies an enviionment that toleiates
anu even encouiages failuie" (Ibiu, p. 4). So, one of the emeigent meanings behinu
the sign "Cieative Campus" coulu be that it signifies stiuctuies that toleiate failuies.
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A seconu coie element of a cieative campus emeigent in the liteiatuie is a
biiuging between town anu gown, a connection between the community anu the
campus. The Ameiican Assembly (2uu4) aiticulateu this position by saying that "the
aits pioviue natuial ieach anu outieach" (p. 1S). Nancy Cantoi, Chancelloi of
Syiacuse 0niveisity, expiesses this same notion as "scholaiship in action" (Cantoi,
2uuS). To achieve such "scholaiship in action," Cantoi suppoits a "paiallel
investment stiategy" wheiein she envisions cieating a "city as campus" anu "campus
as city" paiauigm in Syiacuse, NY (Ibiu, p. 1u). The centiality of this element to
Cieative Campus effoits is eviuenceu by its inclusion as a seminai topic in the latest
Cieative Campus caucus in 2uu8"Session 2: Beyonu the Campus: Connections,
Community anu Collaboiation" (Caucus, 2uu8). The ieach of piogiams in Cieative
Campus opeiations may be inuicative as to whethei oi not this "biiuging" function is
one of the emeigent meanings behinu the "Cieative Campus" signifiei.
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<(282+01+'\

The seeuling of a thiiu coie element of a cieative campusan inclusive
notion of cieativitycan also be founu in the seminal Ameiican Assembly iepoit as
well. The Assembly (2uu4), in theii final iepoit on the Cieative Campus uiscussions,
contenueu, "tiaining is insufficiently expansive in uefining what a life in the aits

4u
involves; most caieeis in the aits iequiie flexibility anu iesouicefulness anu
entiepieneuiial appioaches that aie not often cultivateu within piofessional |aitsj
cuiiicula" (pp. 1S-16). The Ameiican Assembly iepoit sets up a veiy naiiow notion
of the Cieative Campus, uelimiting it to the aits woilu, anu only to a fiaction of the
aits woilu at thatthe peifoiming aits. Bowevei, othei commentatois feel that the
"Cieative Campus" teiminology can be expanueu anu useu foi caieeis in all
uisciplines, acioss the univeisity.
Teppei (2uu4) was the fiist authoi to offei up a piecise uefinition of
cieativity in conjunction with 0"#$%&'# 0$)*+, as a concept:
Cieativity ieflects those activities that involve the application of intellectual
eneigies to the piouuction of new ways of solving pioblems (as in science
anu mathematics) oi of expiessing iueas (as in ait). Cieativity is not simply
about self-expiession. It is about piouucing something new (oi combining
olu elements in new ways) to auvance a paiticulai fielu oi auu to the
stoiehouse of knowleuge" (p. 2).

By continually linking ait, science, anu technology in his uefinition of cieativity anu
in his conception of "cieative outbuists thioughout histoiy" (Ibiu, p. S), Teppei
expanueu on the Ameiican Assembly's moie naiiow constiuction of the Cieative
Campus as being the piovince of peifoiming aits piesenteis, solely, to a wiuei
notion of what a Cieative Campus might fully encompass.
Steven Teppei acknowleuges this paiauigm shift when he wiites about the
futuie of the Cieative Campus iuea saying, "the cieative campus is as much about
fosteiing connections as it is about excellence in the peifoiming aits. If the cieative
campus is to become an agenua-setting new iuea, it must embiace a bioau view of
cieativity, with the aits squaiely at the centei" (Teppei, 2uu6a, p. S). The

41
vanueibilt confeience iepoit (2uu6) iegulaily uses the phiaseology "cieativity anu
the aits," uenoting a bunuling function (p. S). This woiu usage highlights how
inextiicable the aits aie fiom any unueistanuing of cieativity without uelimiting the
unueistanuing of cieativity to aits alone. It keeps the aits cential to any conception
of the Cieative Campus while acknowleuging that the iesponsibility of univeisities
touay is to cieativity in a laigei sense. So, it is likely that Cieative Campus
piactitioneis will attempt to enact piogiams that give the signifiei "Cieative
Campus" a bioauei meaning of cieativity than just aits alone while still using the
"Cieative Campus" to piomote an aits agenua.
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Campus-wiue integiation of cieativity iequiies the intia-campus
collaboiations that foim a fouith hallmaik of a cieative campus. 0ne way to
accomplish the concept of "euucating foi cieativity" (}effiey, 2uuS) is to move the
aits fiom existing on the fiinge of campus to being "ueeply situateu" (Ameiican
Assembly, 2uu4, p. 24) at the centei of campus. As Noiiison (197S) phiaseu it,
univeisities must move aits fiom the "peiipheiy" to the "heait" of campus (p. 7). As
the Ameiican Assembly (2uu4) acknowleugeu, "when piesenting is incoipoiateu
into the whole life of colleges anu univeisities, it is essential to the vitality of the
cieative campus" (p. 2u). Teppei contextualizes this collaboiation in teims of an
element of the Cieative Campus in his aiticle "Taking the Neasuie of the Cieative
Campus," wheie he wiites, "cieativity thiives on those campuses wheie theie is
abunuant cioss-cultuial exchange anu a gieat ueal of 'boiuei' activity between

42
uisciplines, wheie collaboiative woik is commonplace, . anu the cieative aits aie
peivasive anu integiateu into campus life" (Teppei, 2uu6b, p. 4). So, typical
piogiams enacting the meaning behinu the "Cieative Campus" sign will likely focus
on collaboiating with unusual oi uiveise paitneis.
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A fifth coie element of a Cieative Campus is stuuent paiticipation anu
empoweiment. The Ameiican Assembly (2uu4) noteu that one of the biggest
pioblems foi peifoiming aits piesenting in institutions of highei euucation is
stuuent paiticipation. The paiticipants stateu "tiauitional stuuents, even those in
the aits, often iepiesent a small piesence at public peifoimance events on
campuses. The paiticipants giappleu with the question of how to eneigize anu
captuie stuuent paiticipation" (p. 21). Cieative Campus theoiist Steven Teppei
aiticulates the centiality of stuuent empoweiment anu paiticipation to Cieative
Campus effoits by outlining some of the pitfalls to be avoiueu by piactitioneis.
Teppei (2uu6a) states, "the fiist |pitfallj is to avoiu using the giowing enthusiasm as
an oppoitunity to simply auvocate foi moie money foi piofessional aits
piesentations on campuses. . . . Stuuents have to be the piimaiy constituent foi
cieative campus woik" (p. 4). Teppei's woik shows a shift in the theoiizeu content
fiom the Ameiican Assembly's conception of "Cieative Campus" as a highly
piofessionalizeu bouy piesenting piofessionalizeu aits to the moie iecent
conception of "Cieative Campus" as a teaching tool foi aspiiing aitists anu auuiences
anu a foium of paiticipation foi stuuents.

4S
The focus on stuuents anu inclusion of stuuents in establishing Cieative
Campus initiatives also has stiategic significance. As Stevenson notes, "schools,
colleges anu univeisities aie veiy conseivative institutions. They uo not change
easily oi quickly. In fact, puiposeful social change in the euucational system often is
the iesult of stuuent-leu initiatives. This is especially the case in colleges anu
univeisities" (Stevenson, 2uu8, p. 78). The centeiing of stuuents anu the inclusion of
stuuent leaueiship in Cieative Campus effoits may be a stiategy foi piactitioneis
seeking to change the agenua within an institution that is iesistant to such change.
The centeiing of stuuents as an element of the cieative campus linguistic categoiy is
attesteu to by its inclusion as one of the seminai topics in the most iecent Cieative
Campus caucus in 2uu8"Session S: Stuuent Leaining, Engagement anu
Bevelopment."

When uefining what a "Cieative Campus" is, it is impeiative to look at what
that language means. The liteiatuie has suggesteu at least five uiffeient emeigent
chaiacteiistics foi what a piototypical "Cieative Campus" categoiy might incluue: a
toleiance foi failuieiisk taking; campus-community connections; an inclusive
notion of cieativity; intia-campus collaboiations; anu stuuent paiticipation anu
empoweiment.




44
@" #*1E,1+' 062 7(2$0142 7$/=*8-Q)5 N) J2 N) !0M
This stuuy is piimaiily inteiesteu in looking at schools that have auopteu the
"Cieative Campus" signifiei to name some poition of theii piogiammatic effoits.
The builuing inquiiy is conceineu with how usage of the name affects piactice.
This "how" inquiiy is likely to yielu the most vaiiable iesults with each
campus paiticulaiizing theii builuing stiategies to the iesouices anu social moies
available to them. As 0ichaiu (2uuu) notes, "it is also tiue that each potential
alliance between the aits anu the univeisity must be tailoieu to local ciicumstances.
What woiks foi Connecticut College oi 0hio State is not necessaiily a mouel foi
elsewheie" (p. 88). The similai yet uiffeient outcomes aiising fiom such
inuiviuualization shoulu pioviue textuie foi the ueveloping signifiei, "Cieative
Campus."
Because the Cieative Campus movement is so new, each, inuiviuual iteiation
of a Cieative Campus initiative iepiesents an expeiiment. This type of
expeiimentation is in tune with what auvocates foi the aits on campus have calleu
foi, anu it is the locus of labeling contests. Petei Senge, Biiectoi of the Centei foi
0iganizational Leaining, makes a bolu statement about the necessity of such
oiganizational expeiimentation in his book C<# J&6%< 8&,0&*2&.# (199u). Senge wiites,
"without seiious piactical expeiiments aimeu at connecting new leaining
capabilities to business iesults, theie is no way to assess whethei enhancing
leaining capabilities is just an intellectually appealing iuea oi ieally makes a
uiffeience" (p. 47). Senge's statement is impoitant foi two ieasons.

4S
Fiist, it establishes that the expeiimental implementation of new iueas is the
only way to know if the iuea is a legitimate %-+" :# 6-"0# oi just an intellectually
stimulating thought exeicise. With all the excitement suiiounuing the iuea of the
Cieative Campus, the piactical anu piogiammatic applications of this iuea aie telling
as to whethei oi not this concept may tiuly be the next iteiation of the aits on
campus oi if the iuea is just ihetoiically inviting.
Seconu, Senge's statement is also impoitant because it highlights the fact that
such expeiimentation with the teim "Cieative Campus" iequiies "a significant
commitment of time anu eneigy" (Ibiu). 0ntil moie ieseaichsuch as the two cases
stuuies being unueitaken in this ieseaichis completeu on the piactical application
of Cieative Campus initiatives, piactitioneis may be expenuing such time anu
eneigy blinuly.
By focusing on how naming is opeiating in both the agenua setting anu
implementation stages howevei, it may be possible to pioviue a "heaus up" with
iegaiu to some common implementation issues anu stiategies. This stuuy will
investigate the builuing inquiiy by looking at how naming is opeiating in both the
foimulation anu implementation stages of the policy cycle.






46



Chapter Three:
LITERATURE REVIEW: Part Two,
A Linguistic Lens: Analyzing the Usage oI the Creative Campus SigniIier in Practice


I. Introduction
"[Ojrganizational names :are for the masses.' ... After all, organizations can have complex and
multifaceted identities, but only one name" (Glynn and Abzug 2002, 276).

This thesis will approach two cases oI Creative Campus programs Irom a
linguistic perspective, Iocusing on how the language oI the name 'Creative Campus is
Iunctioning both during policy Iormulation then implementation. As scholar, Wendy B.
Sharer (2001) notes, '|t|racing the evolution oI an organization`s name and the contests
that surrounded that evolution sheds light on how discursive strategies help create
collective identity as a basis Ior political action (p. 235).
Name development in the academic context diIIers Irom much oI the literature on
organizational naming because oI the non-commercial context. For the most part, the
study oI naming applied to business ventures only deals with instances oI 'common
naming as related to chains, wherein a parent company imparts a given name on similar
subsidiaries. Here, while several programs share the name 'Creative Campus, there is no
governing parent company. This naming language is capable oI being appropriated by so

47
many unrelated actors because the noncommercial, academic setting makes the trademark
protections oI the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. 1051 et. seq. (2006), unavailable.
Without trademarks and the concomitant ability oI making the language
proprietary, we are leIt with a situation where multiple actors are appropriating and
making use oI the term to diIIerent ends. This thesis will explore such a phenomenon by
analyzing qualitative interview data through a linguistic lens. It will 'employ a semiotic
approach to naming .. |which| enables an analysis not only oI what language is saying
(its content, its signiIieds) but also what it is doing (the social eIIects oI its signiIiers)
(Sharer, 2001, p. 235).
Sharer asserts, 'the names oI organizations provide important sites Ior examining
how language intervenes between division and cooperation (Ibid, p. 247). The two
Creative Campus organizations under examination in this thesis project are important
sites Ior exploring such language development and usage because 'organizations are
speech communities sharing socially constructed systems oI meaning that allow members
to make sense oI their immediate, and perhaps not so immediate, environment (Barley,
1983, p. 393).
By combining semiotics, labeling theory and social identity theory, I will explore
how the name 'Creative Campus is working in both the policy Iormulation and the
policy implementation stages oI the policy cycle. This thesis takes the literature on policy
Iormulation and policy implementation and applies it in a diIIerent context. Whereas
many oI the articles and theories on the policy cycle Iocus on agenda setting and
implementation in the arena oI the Iederal government, this thesis takes some oI those

48
ideas and applies them to a diIIerent institutional settingthe university. However, many
oI the ideas are structurally similar and make Ior appropriate parallels.
II. How the Signifier is Deployed During Policy Formulation
The policy Iormulation phase oI the policy cycle is concerned with how diIIerent
publics become interested enough in a particular problem and proposed solution such that
mobilization and action are possible. Because one oI the central ways humans
communicate and attempt to rhetorically inIluence each other is through speech, this
thesis project Iocuses on the deployment oI a speciIic speech term, 'Creative Campus,
during policy Iormulation. It examines how the 'Creative Campus signiIier is used
during policy development to (A) capture the limited attention oI relevant publics and (B)
Irame the issue.
A. Capturing Limited Public Attention
In order to develop policy, a critical mass oI public concern is required.
Garnering such a critical mass is oIten diIIicult because 'the attention capacities oI both
the general public and government are constrained (Jones and Baumgartner, 2004, p. 2).
That concept is also true in universities wherein the attention oI administrators, students,
and other key constituents is limited. However, there are several mechanisms by which
the public`s limited attention may be captured: (1) Iocusing events, (2) social
identiIication, and (3) recombination. This thesis project explores how language overlies
each oI these attention-grabbing mechanisms.



49

1. Focusing Events
According to policy theorist John Kingdon (2002), policy development typically
happens when a 'policy window oI opportunity opens. Windows open at the intersection
oI a policy problem, policy politics, and proposed policy solution. Kingdon (2002)
theorizes that '|w|indows are opened by events in either the problems or political
streams. Thus there are problems windows and political windows. Focusing events draw
public attention and can spark activity during a policy window. The language tied to any
such event is bound to be an object oI Iocus.
Focusing events provide a jump-start Ior activity during a policy window. The
opening oI a policy window alone is not enough to develop policy iI the attention oI the
relevant public is not suIIiciently Iocused. To this end, Kingdon theorizes that 'a
Iocusing event . draws attention to some conditions more than to others (Ibid). While a
natural disaster, war, election, etc. may be a Iocusing event in the national legislative
arena, the contours oI a Iocusing event take on a diIIerent shape in the academic context.
Here, it is possible that a Iocusing event can be an inIluential article or national
conIerence, such as the annual American Assembly at Columbia University. This thesis
will explore how the 2004 American Assembly served as a Iocusing event by bringing
together a mass oI scholars and introducing the language oI 'Creative Campus, which
has subsequently been implemented as policy at several university sites.
This study will also attempt to elicit what the Iocusing events or 'triggers were
on each campus under study. In Michael Friedman`s book, The World is Flat, he provides

Su
a vignette oI the story oI Georgia Tech`s president G. Wayne Clough, who changed the
highly tech-Iocused school`s admission policies to include musicianship. This inclusion
oI art into the strategic practices oI the university`s liIe resulted mainly Irom what Clough
describes as a chance trigger. President Clough mentions the opportunity to buy musical
equipment at halI-price as 'one oI the triggers that got us started (Friedman, 2005).
While these 'triggers will certainly be diIIerent at diIIerent institutions, such trigger
opportunities may be among the 'Iocusing events or opportunities that enable the
Creative Campus to be catapulted onto the university`s agenda (Birkland, 1998).
2. Social Identification
Social identiIication theory articulates another way in which the public`s limited
attention may be captured. According to this theory, '|s|ocial identiIication is a
perception oI oneness with a group oI persons . |which| stems Irom the categorization
oI individuals (AshIorth & Mael, 1989, p. 20). Because social identiIication stems Irom
categorization and humans oIten categorize things by name/signiIier, the analysis oI how
the name oI an organization may garner the attention oI relevant publics is necessary to
understand policy development. Social identiIication is an important mechanism oI
policy development because 'social identiIication leads to activities that are congruent
with the identity |and| support Ior institutions that embody the identity (Ibid). Social
identiIication may take place through a couple oI processes, including: cognitive
segmentation and structural similarity.



S1

a. Cognitive Segmentation
Social identiIication may take place through cognitive segmentation wherein
individuals identiIy with an organization that is categorized in an appealing way.
AshIorth notes that one Iunction oI social classiIication is that it 'cognitively segments
and orders the social environment . enabl|ing| the individual to locate or deIine him- or
herself in the social environment (Ibid, pp. 20-21). Because individuals cognitively
segment and order their social environments through categorization/classiIication, it is
important to analyze the ways in which language categorizes, and thus cognitively
segments, the social environment, allowing individuals to identiIy with certain social
structures like parties, issues, or organizations.
b. Structural Similarity
Social identiIication with a policy position may be achieved through structural
similarity wherein a member oI the public perceives structural similarities between the
policy position and his or her own identity. Zott and Huy (2007) oIIered the Iollowing
anecdote to show structural similarity at work: 'Another investor conIirmed, I like to
think oI myselI as a little entrepreneur, so I`m naturally interested in other people who
call themselves entrepreneurs` (pp. 36-37). Similarly, it makes sense that individuals
who personally identiIy as creative might socially identiIy with Creative Campus policies
via structural similarities. Zott writes that '|s|tructural similarity can help speed cognitive
appraisal and mitigate possible doubts (Ibid, p. 36). Because structural similarities are
embodied traits that are oIten communicated via language, analyzing how language

S2
captures public attention in this way will be important to the analysis oI policy
Iormulation.
3. Recombination
A third mechanism through which the limited attention oI the relevant public
might be captured is the process oI recombination. Kingdon (2002) writes that '|i|n the
process oI policy development, recombination (the coupling oI already-Iamiliar elements)
is more important than mutation (the appearance oI wholly new Iorms) (p. 210).
Because ideas are so oIten expressed through language, analyzing whether old ideas are
being recombined in new ways will oIten relate to how these recombinations are
expressed linguistically. Analyzing what old ideas, iI any, are being recombined in the
signiIier 'Creative Campus will shed some light on how policy advocates are
Iormulating new policy programs.

A prerequisite to policy Iormulation is the ability to capture the attention oI
relevant publics, which is oIten limited. This limited attention may be Iocused on the
policy issue at hand through Iocusing events like important papers or conIerences;
through social identiIication, wherein cognitive segmentation and structural similarity
allow members oI the public to Ieel mentally connected to the policy idea; and through
recombination oI psychologically-Iamiliar elements in new policy combinations.




SS
B. Framing the Issue
The second major area oI the policy Iormulation process is Iraming the relevant
issue. Framing the issue requires policy leaders who manipulate language symbols (the
who) and link them to dominant worldviews and predominant public purposes (the how).
1. Policy Leaders/Symbol Manipulators (the Who)
The Iramers who articulate the general issue are generally the leaders behind a
speciIic policy solution. Cobb and Ross (1997) call these leaders identiIication and
attention groups (p. 8). They deIine the key characteristics oI such leadership groups as
being 'the legitimacv oI the group and its visible leaders |with| .. a second important
component |being| prior success (Ibid). Since much legitimacy comes Irom employing
symbols that purchase legitimacy through association with previously successIul models,
the study oI the language used by the identiIication and attention group will provide some
indication oI what policy advocates Ieel were legitimate or successIul ventures.
Morrison (1985) showcases the need Ior strong leadership in any new arts
initiative on campus with the Ilippant rhetorical question, 'Who wants to be in an
airplane piloted by a committee? (p. 110). The successIul Creative Campus venture will
require a successIul leadership nexus capable oI Iraming the issue in a salient way.
Organizational guru Peter Senge (1996) outlines the types and mix oI entrepreneurial
leaders he Ieels are necessary to have a successIul learning organization:
1. Local Line Leaders'undertake meaningIul organizational experiments to test
whether new learning capabilities lead to improved business results.
2. Executive Leaders'provide support Ior line leaders, develop learning
inIrastructures, and lead by example in the gradual process oI evolving the norms
and behaviors oI a learning culture.

S4
3. Internal Networkers or Community Builders, the seed carriers` oI the new
culture'move Ireely about the organization to Iind those who are predisposed to
brining about changes, help out in organizational experiments, and aid in the
diIIusion oI new learnings (p. 46).

This mix oI leaders and leadership styles may prove to be a IruitIul combination in
moving the Creative Campus Irom the agenda-setting stage into actual practice because
each oI these diIIerent types leaders will employ and manipulate the name/signiIier in a
variety oI ways to Irame the issue Ior various audiences.
2. Linking Issue Frames to Worldviews and Public Purposes (the How)
The mechanisms by which Iramers articulate their issue are oIten linguistic.
As Cobb and Ross write, '|a| key to a successIul issue campaign, whether promoting or
deIlating a cause, is the use oI words and images that summarize a point oI view (p. 15).
Framers may use words to link their issues to relevant worldviews oI the times. Cobb and
Ross note that 'iI a particular worldview or theme dominates the political climate, issue
initiators would be wise to link their grievance to it. (Ibid, p. 10). In an academic
environment, the dominant worldview is oIten enacted through scholarly discourse, so
the textual media and associated language becomes that much more relevant to a study oI
policy Iormulation Ior Creative Campus projects.
In his book The Arts on Campus. The Necessitv for Change, Ackerman highlights
this agenda-setting technique oI linking issue Irames to public purposes or rationales. He
tells the story oI upper administrators in the university setting who Ielt incapable oI
getting the arts onto the agenda without such an articulated rationale:
The deans who talked to me about their concerns expressed Irustration with
Iaculty who could not give any understandable rationale Ior including the arts in
the undergraduate curriculum, a statement that the deans Ielt they needed iI they

SS
were to support Iaculty requests Ior additional Iunds and Ior more courses
(Ackerman, 1970, p. 20).

The Creative Campus movement may represent a packaging Iunction with rationales
built-in to the content oI that signiIier, which can help university arts advocates articulate
their rationale to constituents.
Framers may manipulate words to align their issue and proIIered solutions with
the historical environment and with newly trending public purposes, or, as the case may
be here, newly trending institutional purposes. The alignment oI Creative Campus
programs with the historical situation and modern justiIications Ior the arts in universities
was outlined in Chapter Two. These trending public purposes may include the new roles
Ior the university, including those oI arts patron, provider oI research and development,
producer oI creative capital, and preventer oI brain drain. They may also include policy
justiIications such as the need to prepare Ior the creative economy, the creation oI a path
Ior civic engagement, and the legitimization oI the arts.
The linguistic constructs the Iramers use to accomplish this dualistic Iraming task
is worthy oI attention because 'ambiguous constructs provide a semblance oI order and
continuity at the same time they promote novelty and change (Glynn & Abzug, 1998, p.
112).

In using language to link the issue to both historic and modern trends in public
purposes, identiIication and attention group leaders manipulate symbols to gain a
platIorm Ior the next stage oI the policy cycle: Policy Implementation. As Glynn (2000)
notes, 'claim-making is a rhetorical activity, typically conducted by a group oI social

S6
actors to persuade an audience to accept their construction oI a problem as legitimate and,
thus, their proIIered solution (p. 286). The proIIered solutions articulated by policy
advocates are put into motion during policy implementation where the use oI language
becomes even more critical.
III. How the Signifier is Deployed During Policy Implementation
When policy action is actually taken and Creative Campus programs enacted, the
process oI naming and deploying that name during the establishment oI the nascent
organization becomes laden with linguistic import. As Glynn and Abzug (1998) note,
'changing an organization`s name is not simply a cosmetic event, but, by its impact on
organizational identity, an organizational name change may aIIect organizational actions
and adaptation (p. 108). Perhaps even more so than changing the name, choosing the
initial name Ior an organization aIIects implementation by inIluencing organizational
action.
This thesis will analyze the doing/saying dichotomy oI the 'Creative Campus
label. This name, being adopted to name so many diIIerent operations at disparate sites
invites investigation into both how the linguistic construct is Iunctioning in practice
what it is doingand what that construct has come to meanwhat it is saying. AshIorth
and Humphrey (1997) lays out the governing construct Ior analyzing how language is
used during policy implementation. They write '|e|xpressions symbolize or signiIy the
contents, and so are reIerred to as signiIiers.` The contents, as the thing symbolized, are
reIerred to as the signiIied.` . A signiIier gains meaning through its association with
the signiIied. (Ibid, p. 45).

S7
Taking this semiotic and labeling approach to naming, this thesis will (A) explore
what language is doing when leaders choose to adopt the signiIier, 'Creative Campus, as
a label Ior organizational activities. Second, this thesis will (B) analyze what that
language is saying as the implementation oI various Creative Campus projects imparts
content and meaning to that expression. Finally, this thesis will (C) return to a second
discussion oI what the label is doing, this time with an eye toward the consequences oI
the earlier choice oI the 'Creative Campus label had.
A. What Language is Doing: The Initial Choice of an Organizational
Signifier/Label/Name

Labels are not static expressions. Instead, they are a 'critical vehicle Ior
interpreting, organizing, and communicating experience within organizations and, in turn,
Ior guiding experience (AshIorth & Humphrey, 1997, p. 43). This means name choice is
a critical Iactor during the policy`s Iormulation and implementation processes. AshIorth
and Humphrey explain that a 'label is a signiIier oI a given object, and typically activates
a set oI cognitions (and related aIIect) about the object. Thus, to the extent that speciIic
labels and cognitions are shared, labels constitute a parsimonious means oI understanding
and communicating about an object (Ibid). So, a common naming scheme has certain
beneIits Ior policy entrepreneurs and will be chosen Ior a variety oI reasons.
There are three main inIluences on the choice oI an organizational signiIier. First,
leaders will be inIluenced by the drive Ior optimal distinctiveness, which is a balance
between symbolic isomorphism and competitive diIIerentiation. Second, leaders will be
inIluenced by bandwagon pressures. Finally, political and strategic inIluences will sway
the choice oI an organizational name.

S8
1. Optimal Distinctiveness
Optimal distinctiveness is the balance between symbolic isomorphism and
competitive diIIerentiation. Symbolic isomorphism is 'the resemblance oI an
organization`s symbolic attributes to those oI others within its institutional Iield (Glynn
& Abzug, 2002, p. 267). The symbolic attribute oI concern here is the organizational
name. So, symbolic isomorphism is the drive to adopt the same expression 'Creative
Campus as the organizational name.
The drive to linguistically conIorm is strong because symbolic isomorphism does
two main things Ior a young organization: increases legitimacy and enhances
understandability. Glynn and Abzug argue that 'symbolic isomorphism.increases
organizational legitimacy by associating it with other successIul models that have
already attained legitimacy in the public eye (Ibid). Likewise, the choice oI the name
'Creative Campus may be a symbolically isomorphic attempt to borrow legitimacy Irom
other models.
Second, symbolic isomorphism may enhance understandability. Glynn and Abzug
propose that 'symbolic isomorphism measured as organizational conIormity to
institutionalized naming practices, should increase understandability (Ibid, p. 272). By
linguistically relating the young organization to an older, more visible one, audiences
may be able to more eIIiciently process what the new organization is about, even iI the
new model is slightly diIIerent.


S9
These two pressures to adopt a name that is symbolically isomorphic to similar or
identical monikers already in practice are balanced against the competing pressure oI
competitive diIIerentiation. Competitive diIIerentiation is the drive to choose a label that
is diIIerent Irom those employed by competitors and thus oIIering the chance to stand
apart Irom the crowd.
The 'seemingly contradictory Iorces oI institutional isomorphism and competitive
diIIerentiation on nomenclature create a situation where 'organizations oIten seek
optimal distinctiveness` (Glynn & Abzug, 1998, p. 109). Where organizations see it as
more important or advantageous Ior their purpose to use symbolically isomorphic terms
Ior purposes oI legitimacy or understandability, we should expect the organization to use
the exact 'Creative Campus name. Where an organization sees it as a priority to
diIIerentiate themselves, a diIIerent expression may be chosen to name the organization.
The battleground Ior 'optimal distinctiveness may take place within the choice oI
organizational name or it may take place in that second halI oI the semiotic coupling
the signiIied.
2. Bandwagon Pressures on Name Choice
As more and more adopt 'Creative Campus to name some aspect oI its
operation or programming, 'bandwagon pressure (Glynn & Abzug, 2002, p. 278)
mounts wherein 'organizations may well Iollow the leader` in playing the name game`
(Glynn & Marquis, 2007, p. 30). Bandwagon pressures may arise Irom spillover or Irom
the threat oI lost legitimacy.

6u
The temptation to adopt the 'Creative Campus expression may be one iteration
oI a policy phenomenon noticed by John Kingdon (2002) called 'spillover. Kingdon
writes that 'spillovers . occur because politicians sense the payoII in repeating a
successIul Iormula in a similar area, because the winning coalition can be transIerred, and
because advocates can argue Irom successIul precedent (p. 212). II organizational
leaders perceive that the 'creative campus expression was a 'successIul Iormula, they
may be tempted to repeat it.
Bandwagon pressures also come Irom a threat oI lost legitimacy. Glynn and
Marquis note how bandwagon pressures produce the phenomenon oI common naming.
They write that 'through . the contagion oI legitimacy` (internal citations omitted)
mimetic isomorphism occurs and homogeneity in practices and symbols results (Glynn
& Marquis, 2007, p. 20). The Iear oI lost legitimacy may even create the legitimacy. As
AshIorth and Mael (1989) notice, '|i|ndividuals oIten cognitively (iI not publicly)
identiIy themselves with a winner. This accounts in part Ior the bandwagon eIIect oIten
witnessed in organizations, where popular support Ior an individual or idea suddenly
gains momentum and escalates, thus creating a rising star. Desires Ior positive
identiIications eIIectively create champions (p. 25). Champions then enjoy reputation
beneIitsbeneIits other organizations may wish to borrow. Lounsbury and Glynn (2001)
comment upon this cycle, saying, 'establishing credibility by borrowing` reputations can
be understood as an attempt to deIine an organization relative to a social structure,
network oI relationships, and/or elite ties (p. 555). Because the threat oI lost legitimacy
is high and the ability to 'borrow such legitimacy Irom other sources is easy Irom a

61
linguistic sense, bandwagon pressures may partially explain the proliIeration oI programs
adopting the 'Creative Campus signiIier.
3. Politics and Strategies of Naming
The act oI naming is a political and strategic act. As Albert and Whetten (1985)
articulate, 'the Iormulation oI a statement oI identity is more oI a political-strategic act
than an intentional construction oI a scientiIic taxonomy (p. 268). The idea that a name
may be chosen Ior political or strategic reasons coincides with the lessons oI semiotics
that the signiIier/signiIied coupling is arbitrary. Politico-strategic reasons Ior choosing a
common name may stem Irom concerns about agency, Irom competitive dynamics, or
Irom strategic persistence.
The act oI naming is one oI power. As Sharer (2001) notices regarding women`s
peace organizations, women '`enacted their textual autonomy` by controlling their
organizational names (p. 235). This 'textual autonomy theoretically can be employed
by diIIerent practitioners to diIIerent ends; however, patterns may emerge. As Glynn and
Abzug (2002) note, '|t|he organizational act oI naming introduces agency into the
processes oI institutionalization and reveals how organizational meanings can become
Iixed so that the symbolic actions oI individual organizations produce and reproduce
patterns in the aggregate (p. 267). As Tepper (2006a) notes, 'Ior university leaders, the
creative campus is appealing because it inexpensively boosts the reputation and
excellence oI their institutions (p. 3). Thus, university leaders may see this label choice
as a source oI agency, a way to give the university a plus-Iactor oI some sort. This thesis

62
explores how the selection oI the 'Creative Campus name was an act oI agency and
what patterns, iI any, such an exercise oI agency produced.
The act oI naming may also be Iueled by competitive strategy. In investigating the
phenomenon oI common naming among chains and their components, Chuang and Baum
(2003) noticed that oIten practitioners 'view others` diIIiculties as a chance to gain a
competitive advantage. . |T|he strategy adoption process may thus also be driven by
competitive dynamics (p. 53). This thesis analyzes whether the adoption oI the 'Creative
Campus expression was Iueled by competitive dynamics.
Finally, the act oI naming may be inIluenced by strategic persistence. Chuang and
Baum explain that '|t|his bias toward strategic persistence creates organizational
momentum, the tendency to maintain the direction and emphasis oI prior choices and
actions in current behavior (Ibid, p. 40). II the naming strategy oI Creative Campus has
already been adopted as a strategy, it may be likely that practitioners will persist in this
naming strategy just because the naming strategy has already gained enough steam to
make switching mid-stride diIIicult.
Naming, or choosing a signiIied, is an arbitrary act oI coupling a linguistic
expression to the content oI an operational program. This act is oIten inIluenced by
politico-strategic concerns such as agency, competition and persistence. The next aspect
Ior linguistic analysis is to ask what content practitioners are giving to the chosen
signiIier.


6S
Choosing a signiIier Ior a new operation is inIluenced by multiple considerations.
The drive Ior optimal distinctiveness will cause practitioners to weigh the pros and cons
between symbolic isomorphism and competitive diIIerentiation. Bandwagon pressures
may inIluence practitioners to go along with current naming Iashions. Furthermore,
politico-strategic concerns like agency, competition, and strategic persistence may
inIluence the choice oI this Iirst-halI oI the linguistic coupling.
B. What Language is Saying: Categorization and the Imposition of
Categorical Content/Creating a ~Signified

AIter a signiIier has been selected to name a program or organization, the
semiotic perspective asks What does it mean?` SigniIiers create categories oI meaning,
which are socially constructed signiIieds.
1. Categorization
Categories aid in deIinition because they activate a schema oI
abstracted and widely shared attributes created by a prototype and its variants. AshIorth
and Humphrey (1997) explain, 'categorization theory Iocuses on how the act oI
deIinition Iacilitates comprehension (p. 46). Names help people understand what an
entity is and does.
Comprehension oI a category is possible because categorizing terms activates
schemas. AshIorth and Humphrey write:
The categories to which social objects are assigned are presumed by the perceiver
to provide reliable and valid inIormation about an object. This is because
categorization activates a schema or set oI cognitions about the members oI the
category.. A schema is based on a prototype (i.e., an abstraction oI the most
widely shared attributes oI category members) and/or exemplars (i.e., speciIic
members who exempliIy the category) (Ibid, p. 45).


64
This thesis project attempts to elicit what the widely shared attributes oI category
members are based on the literature and what exemplary attributes are based on the two
individual case studies.
Labeling theory cautions that these widely shared attributes, while typical, are not
universal. AshIorth and Humphrey warn, 'even where a schema is accurate at the
aggregate level., it may not be accurate Ior a given individual (Ibid, p. 48). So, it is
possible that the data will elicit attributes at the individual level not represented in the
broad category attributes and vice-versa.
Instead, labeling theory allows the signiIied category to have prototype
characteristics that permit variants. LakoII (1987) notes that while these variants or
'noncentral members are not predictable Irom the central member, they are motivated`
by it, in the sense that they bear Iamily resemblances to it (pp. 64-65). This model
'suggests that it is a mistake to try to Iind a single cognitive model Ior all instances oI a
concept. . instead, they are variants on a prototypical model (Ibid, p. 405). This thesis
project, explores and identiIies the essential characteristics oI a prototypical member oI
the category 'Creative Campus, while accounting Ior the various Iamily resemblances
that allow diIIerent operations to vary Irom this model.
The literature, as discussed in Chapter Two, Part II(A-E) suggests that the traits
that might make up the prototypical schema include: a toleiance foi failuieiisk taking;
campus-community connections; an inclusive notion of cieativity; intia-campus
collaboiations; anu stuuent paiticipation anu empoweiment. 0f couise, theie will

6S
be vaiiants on this piototypical mouel suggesteu by the Ameiican Assembly in any
localizeu enueavoi.
0ne example of a vaiiant fiom this piototypical mouel woulu be the
Association of Peifoiming Aits Piesentei's (APAP) notion of the Cieative Campus.
APAP aiticulateu, "The puipose of the Cieative Campus Innovations uiant Piogiam
is to iuentify, suppoit, anu uocument cioss-campus inteiuisciplinaiy collaboiations
that integiate the woik of peifoiming aits piesenteis in the acauemy anu the
suiiounuing community."
(http:www.apapS6S.oigKN0WLEBuEuiantPiogiamsPagescieative-
campus.aspx last captuieu on Feb. 6, 2u11). Fuitheimoie, APAP acknowleuges that
they juuge giant applications baseu on:
a numbei of ciiteiia, incluuing campus anu community engagement,
oiganizational capacity, the aitistic meiit anu quality of the pioject iuea, anu
the potential foi the iuea to be successfully integiateu acioss a vaiiety of
uisciplines anu into the institution's piioiities in euucation, ieseaich anu
community seivice.
(http:www.apapS6S.oigKN0WLEBuEknowleuge_piouuctsBocuments
Cieative_Campus_Piess_Release.puf last captuieu on Feb. 6, 2u11).

Fiom these uesciiptions, we can see that APAP's categoiical schema of the
Cieative Campus shaies some of the piinciple chaiacteiistics fiom the piototypical
mouel, incluuing the campus-community connection anu intia-campus
collaboiation thiough inteiuisciplinaiy woik. Bowevei, APAP's mouel vaiies fiom
the piototypical mouel most especially with iegaius to the uefinition of cieativity.
Wheie the piototypical mouel acknowleuges an inclusive uefinition of cieativity,
APAP's piogiam is uelimiteu to cieativity in the peifoiming aits iealm alone.

66
The APAP piogiam illustiates how the piototypevaiiant mouel woiks.
Inteiestingly, it is also likely that each of APAP's giantees aie socially constiucting
what "Cieative Campus" means at the local level thiough theii own piogiams.
uiantees incluue: The 0hio State 0niveisity (Columbus, 0B), the 0niveisity of
Kansas (Lawience, KS), the 0niveisity of Noith Caiolina (Chapel Bill, NC), Bostos
Community College (Bionx, NY), anu Baitmouth (Banovei, NB), among otheis.
These mouels aie piobably vaiiants off of APAP's cential schema, which is a vaiiant
off the Ameiican Assembly's piototype, thus cieating a family of categoiizations
aiounu the meaning of "Cieative Campus."
This thesis exploies how two othei Cieative Campus piogiamsthe
0niveisity of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL) anu vanueibilt 0niveisity (Nashville, TN)
aie socially constiucting meaning at theii own local levels, implementing some of
the essential chaiacteiistics aiticulateu by the piototype, while at the same time,
vaiying fiom this mouel to auu oi change the uefinition of the sign.
2. Social Construction of Meaning
The content oI the category makes up the 'signiIied, but this content is all
'socially constructed and symbolically mediated (AshIorth & Humphrey, 1997, p. 43).
Because meaning is 'sociallv mediated, labeling theory holds that 'the perceived clarity
and certainty oI meaning is a Iunction oI consensus more so than the properties oI the
social object in question (Ibid, p. 48). Such consensus on meaning is achieved via at
least two mechanisms: labeling contests and the inIluence oI the Iounder`s vision.

67
Labeling contests 'occur when two or more stakeholders attempt to deIine
divergent realities Ior a given audience (Ibid, p. 54). By trying to ensure that the content
they are imparting prevails, diIIerent stakeholders engage each other in a race to Ilesh out
the signiIied. Thus, '|s|ense-making can be viewed at times as a labeling contest (Ibid,
p. 53). Labeling contests are only possible because 'meaning is inherently ambiguous and
thus must be imposed on stimuli (Ibid, p. 46). Labeling contests may be seen as
competitions to see whose meaning sticks. This thesis project attempts to identiIy when
labeling contests are taking place and what content the diIIerent actors are seeking to
associate with the signiIied.
A second source oI imposed content comes Irom the vision oI charismatic
Iounders. In describing how the content oI women`s paciIist groups emerged, Wendy B.
Sharer (2001) notes that one oI the Iounder`s idea oI 'cosmic patriotism inIluenced the
content oI the word 'international in the name (pp. 243-44). Likewise, this thesis project
seeks out where the Iounder`s vision is inIluencing the content that he or she is hoping to
impart to the signiIier.
Because meaning is socially constructed through processes like labeling contests
and the Iounder`s articulation oI goals, it should be possible to look at operations oI
various Creative Campus programming to understand what content that signiIier is
holding, at least at the local level.

The choice oI a signiIier cues a linguistic categorization. In this category, a
prototype oI the term and its associated variants Ilesh out the various meanings that can

68
be coupled to the terminology. This prototypical content is socially constructed by actors
attempting to inIluence the use oI such language.
C. What Language is Doing (Again): The "#$%&'(&$)&% of Label Choice
In Part A, I articulated why practitioners might choose the 'Creative Campus
expression as the label with which to name their organization. In this section, I will
examine the consequences oI that choicethe beneIits and the power that labels can
have. There are three major outcomes oI labeling: 'understanding, consensus, and
control (AshIorth & Humphrey, 1997, p. 43).
S" Enhancing Understandability
Labels can enhance understandability and public cognition in two ways:
distillation oI complexities and the lexicality eIIect. AshIorth and Humphrey note the
ability oI labels to simpliIy, 'Labels distill a complex and perhaps contradictory array oI
data into concise and coherent packages, and thus provide a potent means oI interpreting,
representing, and conveying organizational experience and cuing action (Ibid, p. 43).
Because labels can crystallize an idea into a concise package, the language acts to
enhance understandability. This thesis seeks to understand how language is Iunctioning to
enhance understandability through distillation.
Second, labels enhance understandability oI a new venture through the lexicality
eIIect. Glynn and Marquis (2007) explain that 'by leveraging the cultural understandings
encoded in real words, organizational names can get a cognitive boost by easing mental
processing due to the well-documented lexicality eIIect,` that is, the Iinding that (real)
words are processed Iaster and more accurately than nonwords` (p. 18). By imparting

69
new meanings on a term and drawing Irom popular notions connoted by the language,
practitioners can use this lexicality eIIect to great advantage. Glynn and Marquis hold
that 'organizational names with real words are carriers oI well-established socio-cultural
meanings . Thus, they can oIIer ready-made expressions oI identity (Ibid). To give an
example, Sharer (2001) provides that '|w|omen . engaged in this
deconstructive/reconstructive project by upholding the caring, nurturing traits
traditionally linked to the name woman, while also associating those traits with a
privileged position in oIIicial, international discourse (p. 248). By using the popular
conceptions oI 'creative and 'campus, practitioners might be able to enhance
understandability oI their new ventures operating under that label.
U" Consensus Building
Labels may also operate to build consensus Ior implementation oI
programs. Naming and consensus building go hand-in-hand because 'names dramatize or
narrate the organization`s identity by giving it a ceremonial Iace . AIIixing the right
labels to activities can change them into valuable services and mobilize the commitments
oI internal participants and external constituencies (Ibid, p. 20). Because naming can
have such an eIIect on consensus building, it is important to choose a label that can have
a broad sweep. Labels aid consensus building by providing an ambiguous hook and by
increasing mindshare.
One way that labels can have the broadest sweep in terms oI consensus building is
by incorporating ambiguous terms. Ambiguity 'is Iunctional to the extent that it permits
social actors with divergent perspectives to perceive suIIicient convergence Ior joint

7u
action while preserving suIIicient divergence Ior loose coupling and the capacity Ior
adaptability (AshIorth & Humphrey, 1997, p. 53). Sharer (2001) notices this
phenomenon operating in the names oI women`s paciIist organizations. She writes that
'|t|he terms peace and freedom are examples oI ..ambiguous notions,` .. The
ambiguity surrounding the terms peace and freedom allowed Ior the coexistence oI
substantially diIIerent opinions about appropriate tactics and goals (p. 245). II
constituents perceive ambiguity in the signs 'creative or 'campus, it may allow the
room necessary to build consensus over divergent actors.
Another way that labels may help to build consensus is through their ability to
increase 'mindshare. Symbolic actions facilitate implementation because they help
captuie minushaie. Zott (2uu7) founu that "entiepieneuis maue conscious effoits
to be noticeu oi iemembeieu. By uoing so, they maintaineu anu expanueu theii
'minushaie' to geneiate iepeat business oi be intiouuceu to othei companies" (p.
SS).
V" Control
In assessing what language is doing, it is necessary to look at a label as one
mechanism oI control. Labeling theory 'generally contend|s| that a primary motive Ior
labeling is social control. The very ambiguity oI stimuli raises the question oI whose
deIinition should prevail (AshIorth & Humphrey, 1997, p. 46). This struggle oI whose
deIinition should prevail is what cues the labeling contests that drive the social
construction oI meaning. Labels, then, 'are an outcome oI attempts to understand and to
control, not an empirical truth awaiting discovery (Ibid, p. 48).

71
While labeling cues a contest to see who will control, another Iorm oI control a
label Iacilitates is the control over the process and content oI implementation. AshIorth
and Humphrey note 'the imposition oI a label sets in motion Iorces that validate the
label (Ibid, p. 48). So even iI a campus is not 'creative, it may be the goal oI the
Iounders that the imposition oI such a label cues actions in a way that the term becomes a
sort oI selI-IulIilling prophecy. An example oI this phenomenon was noted by Thomas
and Gioia (1996) who describe the outcome oI labeling a university as a 'Top 10 Public
University:
This label helped galvanize interest inand Iocused attention onradical change
eIIorts to upgrade the institution. Further, by cuing the prototypical attributes
ascribed to top universities, the label provided a Iramework Ior Iormulating
strategic plans to attain these attributes (Ibid, p. 53).

Likewise, it is possible that the usage oI the label 'Creative Campus may cue the
prototypical attributes ascribed to the category, thus providing practitioners a platIorm to
work toward those attributes.
Labels may also allow Ior control oI perception by projecting a desired image.
Symbolic manipulation may help entiepieneuis take shoit cuts to a uesiieu iesult.
Ashfoith anu Bumphiey (1997) wiite that "|bjy piojecting uesiiable labels, an
oiganization stakes a claim to a status that might be uifficult to establish by othei
means" (p. S4).
Finally, labels may help cultural entrepreneurs gain control by garnering
resources. Symbolic actions aie linguistic acts that facilitate policy implementation
because "entiepieneuis aie moie likely to acquiie iesouices foi new ventuies if
they peifoim symbolic actions" (Zott, 2uu7).

72
Institutionalization is one potential outcome oI unleashing Iorces that validate the
label, project a desired image, and garner resources. In The Maturing of the Arts on
Campus, Morrison (1985) points to a trend toward institutionalizing. He notes, 'to keep
an operation going . . . you make it into an institution` (p. 96). Despite the associated
problems oI bureaucracy with institutionalizing a Creative Campus eIIort, it is clear that a
good portion oI new Creative Campus practitioners are choosing to use this
implementation strategy. This trend toward new institutions is evidenced by the subject
oI one oI the seminars at the latest Creative Campus caucus'Session 4: Strategic
Initiatives and New Institutional Structures (Caucus, 2008).

Once chosen and deployed in practice, signiIiers can enhance understandability
both by conjuring up traditional meanings associated with the words and providing
territory to impart new meanings upon them. Labels can also help build consensus by
employing terms that are just ambiguous or Ilexible enough to allow participants to
assign their own most-preIerred meanings onto it, which can increase a cultural
entrepreneur`s mindshare. Finally, name labels may provide a chance to control the
signiIied meanings associated with the sign by projecting the image an organization
wants to convey and garnering resources. This capacity inIluences the programmatic
outcomes that Iollow as a natural consequence oI the categorization. Thus, while
oiganizational name is an inexpensive symbol available to most cultuial
entiepieneuis, it is also one of the moie potent symbols. ulynn anu Abzug (1998)

7S
note its powei, saying, "Inueeu, what coulu be moie symbolic than a name." (p.
1u7).
IV. Conclusion & Visual Summary
The Iormulation and implementation oI various Creative Campus programs can,
and should, be investigated through a linguistic lens. Language is operative in both the
policy Iormulation and policy implementation stages oI the policy cycle. By assessing
both what language is doing (the signiIier) and what language is saying (the signiIied), it
is possible to understand the initial choice to adopt this signiIier, what this signiIier has
come to mean, and how this signiIier might be used in practice. In understanding what
the language is saying, it is possible to answer the DeIining Inquiry oI 'What is it? both
on a global and a local level. It is also possible to answer the Contextualizing Inquiry oI
'Why now? and understand iI usage oI the 'Creative Campus signiIier is allowing
space Ior the arts to occupy a new space on the historical timeline oI the arts` march onto
campus. In understanding what the language is doing, it is possible to answer the
JustiIying Inquiry oI 'Why should we? as well as the Building Inquiry oI 'How do we?
The critical Iramework set up in this chapter, which will be applied to both cases
in Chapter 5 and 6 and then reviewed comparatively in Chapter 7, can be represented
visually in the Iollowing ways:





74
The critical lens is a cross between semiotics and the policy cycle:






Figure 2 PolicySemiotics Fiamewoik 0veiview

This Iramework can also be represented linearly:


Figure 3 Policy/Semiotics Framework Linear Overview

7S

This linear model presents the Iour driving inquiries as separate logic models. II
those separate inquiries are broken out into their own, individual models, they look like
the Iollowing:

Inquiry #1: The Sign Contextualizing, What Language is Saying During Policy
Formulation

Figure 4 The Sign Contextualizing






76


Inquiry #2: The Sign JustiIying, What Language is Doing During Policy Formulation
Inquiry

Figure 5 The Sign JustiIying








77



Inquiry #3: The Sign DeIining, What Language is Saying During Policy Implementation

Figure 6 The Sign DeIining







78



Inquiry #4: The Sign Building, What Language is Doing During Policy Implementation

Figure 7 The Sign Building


Chapters Five and Six verbally analyze the two cases in accordance to the
Iramework set out in this Chapter. The visual logic models are reintroduced with content
Irom each speciIic case in the comparative analysis appearing in Chapter Seven.



79



Chaptei Foui:
NETB0B0L0uY


"uolitotive reseorcbers bove open minJs, but not empty minJs." (}anesick 2uuS, p.S4)
!" A*1,1+' ]*2801)+
}anesick (2uuS) wiites, "as a ieseaichei, I always stait any given ieseaich
pioject with a question" (p. SS). This ieseaich pioject is goveineu by the following
guiuing question;<$% #66#0% <$, %<# .$)# <$: -. %<# &)*2#)#.%$%&-. -6 !"#$%&'#
!$)*+, *"-K#0%,= The impoitance of naming shows up in seveial sub-questions,
incluuing: ;<7 &, &% <$**#.&.4 .-?= (Contextualizing); ;<7 <$'# -.#= (}ustifying);
;<$% &, &%= (Befining); anu >-? :&: 7-+ L+&2: &%= (Builuing). I answei these guiuing
questions thiough a compaiative case stuuy methouology.
!!" ]*$E10$0142 7$82 :0*,C 9282$(%6
Because theie has not been much ieseaich, if any, on the piactical application
of the Cieative Campus theoiy in actual piogiams at institutions of highei
euucation, theie aie piesently moie questions than hypotheses, moie unceitainty
about the phenomenon than claiity. uiven this state of knowleuge on the Cieative
Campus anu the thiesholu neeu foi a ueepei unueistanuing of the tienu, a case

8u
stuuy methouology is paiticulaily appiopiiate. Neiiiam (1988) acknowleuges that
uepenuing on the cuiient state of the ait, case stuuy uesigns can be employeu in
uiffeient ways. She wiites, "Thus, uepenuing on the state of knowleuge anu amount
of theoiy, a case stuuy might test theoiy, claiify, iefine oi extenu theoiy, oi, in
qualitative case stuuies, uevelop new theoiy" (Ibiu, pp. S7-S8).
Taking into consiueiation the newness of the phenomenon itself anu,
subsequently, the nascent level of ieseaich anu wiiting on it, the objective of this
ieseaich pioject is to ciaft tentative explanatoiy mouels, to builu, iathei than test,
theoiy. }anesick (2uuS) wiites, "qualitative uesign . . . begins with a seaich foi
unueistanuing of the whole. Qualitative ieseaich is not constiucteu to piove
something oi to contiol people" (p. S7). ueoige (1979) fuithei explains this
potential of case stuuy ieseaich:
the case stuuy is iegaiueu as an oppoitunity to leain moie about the
complexity of the pioblem stuuieu, to uevelop fuithei the existing
explanatoiy fiamewoik, anu to iefine anu elaboiate the initially available
theoiy employeu by the investigatoi in oiuei to pioviue an explanation of the
paiticulai case examineu (pp. S1-S2).

Since the cuiient ieseaich neeus aie to unueistanu anu geneiate new theoiies
about the Cieative Campus, both in its local iteiations anu theii connections to the
bioauei movement, qualitative case ieseaich methous will be paiticulaily
appiopiiate. Robeit Stake (199S) notes that, "two stiategic ways that ieseaicheis
ieach new meanings about cases aie thiough uiiect inteipietation of the inuiviuual
instance anu thiough aggiegation of instances until something can be saiu about
them as a class. Case stuuy ielies on both of these methous" (p. 74).

81
I attempt to begin this "aggiegation of instances" by ieseaiching two cases
The Cieative Campus Initiative at the 0niveisity of Alabama anu vanueibilt
0niveisity's Cieative Campus Initiative. This multi-case uesign has seveial
auvantages. ueoige (1979) notes the ability of such a uesign to aiu in the ciafting of
new theoiies (pp. S1-S2). Be wiites that, "a ,#"&#, of heuiistic case stuuies oi a
simultaneous compaiison of two oi moie cases, if each compiises an instance of the
same class of events, can be an excellent ieseaich stiategy foi the cumulative
uevelopment of theoiy" (Ibiu). A seconu auvantage is the eviuentiaiy weight of a
compaiative case uesign. Yin (2uu9) iemaiks, "the eviuence fiom multiple cases is
often consiueieu moie compelling, anu the oveiall stuuy is theiefoie iegaiueu as
being moie iobust (Beiiiott & Fiiestone, 198S)" (p. SS).
Not only will the juxtaposition of the two cases in this qualitative case stuuy
methouology be helpful in the uevelopment of theoiy anu in secuiing the iobustness
of finuings, but this uesign is also well-suiteu foi stuuying euucational phenomena.
Neiiiam (1988) wiites, "case stuuy ieseaich, anu in paiticulai qualitative case
stuuy, is an iueal uesign foi unueistanuing anu inteipieting obseivations of
euucational phenomena" (p. 2). This fit between methouology anu subject of
ieseaich aiises fiom the applieu anu piactical natuie of euucational woik. Neiiiam
explains, "applieu aieas such as euucation, counseling, auministiation, social woik,
anu meuicine also value ieseaich as a means of unueistanuing, infoiming, anu
impioving piactice" (Ibiu, p. 6). This compaiative case stuuy shoulu be beneficial
not only to Cieative Campus theoiists, but also to aits anu cieative piactitioneis on

82
college campuses. Apait fiom its piactical anu applieu natuie anu situation within
the fielu of euucation, a case stuuy methouology is also appiopiiate given the
innovative natuie of the Cieative Campus piogiams. Neiiiam wiites, "case stuuy
has pioveu paiticulaily useful foi stuuying euucational innovations, foi evaluating
piogiams, anu foi infoiming policy" (Ibiu, pp. S2-SS)
Qualitative case stuuy methouologies aie especially appiopiiate foi this
ieseaich pioject given the nascent natuie of ieseaich on the topic anu subsequent
neeu foi theoietical explanation anu theoietical uevelopment in ielation to the
Cieative Campus phenomenon. The compaiative case stuuy uesign is useful foi
aggiegating instances of the phenomenon to aiu theoiy uevelopment anu
iobustness of finuings. Finally, this ieseaich uesign is especially fitting foi the
substantive aiea of euucational innovations given the applieu natuie of the fielu.
K" :2E2%01)+ ). 062 7$828
A case is a living something. Because qualitative ieseaich is focuseu moie on
uepth than bieauth, choosing which cases to spenu time ieseaiching is an impoitant
step in the ieseaich piocess. Stake (199S) pioviues his uefinition of a case as:
a special something to be stuuieu, a stuuent, a classioom, a committee, a
piogiam, peihaps, but not a pioblem, ielationship, oi a theme. The case to be
stuuieu piobably has pioblems anu ielationships, anu the iepoit of the case
is likely to have a theme, but the case is an entity. The case, in some ways, has
a unique life. It is something that we uo not sufficiently unueistanu anu want
totheiefoie, we uo a case stuuy (p. 1SS).

The two cases unuei sciutiny in this thesis aie oiganizational innovations
implementing an iteiation of the Cieative Campus iuea. They pioviue bounueu,

8S
piogiammatic cases oi instances of the Cieative Campus phenomenon that
ieseaicheis uo not fully unueistanu, but want to.
These two cases weie chosen fiom a class of piogiams on univeisity
campuses acioss the nation opeiating unuei the "Cieative Campus" label. ueoige
(1979) stiesses the impoitance of uefining "auequately the 'class' of
eventsphenomena foi which |a ieseaicheij is attempting to uevelop explanatoiy
theoiy. This is essential in oiuei to select appiopiiate cases foi intensive analysis"
(p. Su). Beie, the class incluueu all piogiam on univeisity anu college campuses
opeiating unuei the monikei "Cieative Campus."
Aftei uefining the class, theie must be some sampling methou to choose
which membeis of the class will be stuuieu. The cases in this stuuy weie chosen
using a puiposive sampling stiategy. Neiiiam (1988) explains why a statistical
sampling methou was not chosen when she notes that, "since geneialization in a
statistical sense is not a goal of qualitative ieseaich, piobabilistic sampling is not
necessaiy oi even justifiable in qualitative ieseaich" (pp. 47-48). She continues:
Thus the most appiopiiate sampling stiategy is calleu puiposive (Chein,
1981) oi puiposeful (Patton, 198u). Puiposive sampling is baseu on the
assumption that one wants to uiscovei, unueistanu, gain insight; theiefoie
one neeus to select a sample fiom which one can leain the most (Ibiu, p.48).

In ueciuing which cases one can leain the most fiom, Neiiiam suggests some
puiposive sampling stiategies such as choosing extieme oi ueviant cases, typical
cases, cases with maximum vaiiation, ciitical cases, politically impoitant oi
sensitive cases, oi cases that pioviue convenience (Ibiu). The two cases chosen aie
both politically impoitant foi uiffeient ieasons. The 0niveisity of Alabama has the

84
histoiical auvantage of being one of the veiy fiist such piogiams in the countiy to be
founueu. vanueibilt 0niveisity's pioject is impoitant because vanueibilt has been
at the foiefiont of the acauemic uialogue on Cieative Campus by hosting oi co-
hosting at least two follow-up confeiences on the Cieative Campus. The two cases
also pioviue a laige uegiee of vaiiation. With Alabama's piogiam being founueu
fiom a bottom-up, giassioots peispective, it contiasts shaiply with vanueibilt's top-
uown, auministiative implementation stiategy. At Alabama, institutionalization of
the pioject came much latei than institutionalization at vanueibilt. vanueibilt's
pioject boasts much moie cuiiiculai integiation than Alabama's events-piesenting
tack allows. These uiffeiences will pioviue ciitical theoietical fouuei anu aie
impoitant foi the compaiative case stuuy uesign. ueoige (1979) notes:
in a contiolleu compaiison stuuy, the investigatoi is inteiesteu as much in
the uiffeiences among the cases as he is in theii similaiities. (In fact, it is one
of the ciiteiia employeu in selecting cases foi contiolleu compaiison that
they shoulu uiffei in one oi a few of the vaiiable of theoietical inteiest.) (pp.
S8-S9).

Fuitheimoie, both cases weie accessible to the ieseaichei fiom a geogiaphic anu
political peispective.
#" B102($0*(2 924125
As pait of my ieseaich uesign, I also conuuct a thoiough liteiatuie ieview on
the Cieative Campus phenomenon itself, its situation within the movement of the
aits into acaueme, as well as, the linguistic backgiounu to naming phenomena.
Neiiiam (1988) wiites, "the thiust of an inuepenuent liteiatuie ieview is to piesent
the state of the ait with iegaiu to a ceitain topic" (p. 62). She also auvocates foi a

8S
liteiatuie ieview by touting its latent abilities, "'Besiues pioviuing a founuation foi
the pioblem to be investigateu, the liteiatuie ieview can uemonstiate how the
piesent stuuy "auvances, iefines oi ievises what is alieauy known' (Neiiiam &
Simpson, 1984, Su)" (Ibiu).
The liteiatuie ieview piesenteu in Chapteis Two anu Thiee of this thesis
ieveals that a gap exists in the cuiient liteiatuie on Cieative Campus iegaiuing the
opeiational anu piogiammatic applications of the theoiy. The liteiatuie both
contextualizes the Cieative Campus movement as a possible platfoim foi fuithei
aits auvocacy in the context of the acauemy anu outlines what theoiists see as its
uefining featuies. The liteiatuie also pioviues a ciitical linguistic fiamewoik within
which to situate the uata taken fiom qualitative inteiviews, uocument analysis, anu
autoethnogiaphy, while also seiving as anothei souice of uata.
7" ]*$E10$0142 !+02(41258
I conuucteu extensive qualitative inteiviews with those people consiueieu to
be "the founueis" of each Cieative Campus pioject in oiuei to captuie the
implementation stoiy of the piogiam in theii woius anu asceitain how these
leaueis hau employeu the "Cieative Campus" signifiei anu to what enus. These
iesponuents weie selecteu mostly thiough snowball sampling fiom infoimants with
whom I alieauy hau peisonal contacts. Tayloi anu Boguan (1984) wiite that, "the
easiest way to builu a pool of infoimants is 'snowballing': getting to know some
infoimants anu having them intiouuce you to otheis" (p. 8S). Bue to the close-knit

86
natuie of the gioups of founueis at each site, it was possible to inteiview most,
though not all, of them.
This qualitative inteiviewing methou allows me to gain ueep insight into the
implementation piocess at each site anu the way those piactitioneis weie
employing the "Cieative Campus" signifiei in an efficient mannei. Tayloi anu
Boguan wiite:
Qualitative inteiviewing is intenueu to yielu a bioau pictuie of a iange of
settings, situations, oi people (1984). Inteiviewing is useu to stuuy a
ielatively laige numbei of people in a ielatively shoit peiiou of time
compaieu to what woulu be iequiieu in paiticipant obseivation ieseaich
(Ibiu, p.79).

The inteiview piocess was semi-stiuctuieu but left open-enueu. Tayloi anu
Boguan uesciibe this ieseaich piocess thusly, "qualitative inteiviewing has been
iefeiieu to as nonuiiective, unstiuctuieu, non-stanuaiuizeu, anu open-enueu
inteiviewing. We use the phiase 'in-uepth inteiviewing' to iefei to this qualitative
ieseaich methou" (Ibiu, p. 77).
In oiuei to use this loosei foim of ieseaich, I hau to set a tone foi the
inteiview that establisheu iappoit anu tiust. As Neiiiam (1988) notes, "a goou
communicatoi empathizes with iesponuents, establishes iappoit, asks goou
questions, anu listens intently" (pp. S6-S7). Tayloi anu Boguan (1984) iecognize the
impoitance of tone anu iappoit foi ieaping fiuitful uata fiom inteiview situations
noting, "Theie is no simple foimula foi successful inteiviewing, but the following
points set the tone foi the atmospheie the inteiviewei shoulu tiy to cieate: Being
nonjuugmental, Letting people talk, Paying attention, Being sensitive" (p. 94).

87
I useu an inteiview guiue that coiiesponueu to the foui uiiving inquiiies
contextualizing the initiative, justifying the initiative, uefining the initiative, anu
builuing the initiativethat fit within both the policy anu semiotic fiamewoiks. See
Chaptei 0ne foi this guiue. These questions weie just what the name impliesa
guiue. The oiuei of the questions was not piesciibeu anu not eveiy single
paiticipant was askeu to elaboiate on eveiy single sub-question I oiiginally
geneiateu in the guiue. Bowevei, the guiue alloweu me to geneiate answeis to
similai topics fiom each paiticipant while iemaining flexible.
ueoige (1988) notes the impoitance of this semi-stiuctuieu natuie of
questioning in a compaiative case stuuy when he wiites, "using a stanuaiuizeu set
of questions in the contiolleu compaiison is necessaiy to assuie acquisition of
compaiable uata fiom the seveial cases" (p. 62). Neiiiam (1988) fuithei highlights
the auvantages of the inteiview guiue:
in the semi-stiuctuieu inteiview, ceitain infoimation is uesiieu fiom all the
iesponuents. These inteiviews aie guiueu by a list of questions oi issues to
be exploieu, but neithei the exact woiuing noi the oiuei of the questions is
ueteimineu aheau of time. This foimat allows the ieseaichei to iesponu to
the situation at hanu, to the emeiging woiluview of the iesponuent, anu to
new iueas on the topic (p. 74).

The inteiviews geneially staiteu off with uesciiptive questions about the
iesponuents' ioles in the implementation piocess anu theii veision of how it came
to be. Tayloi anu Boguan (1984) agiee that "piobably the best way to stait off
inteiviewing infoimants is to ask them to uesciibe, list oi outline key events,
expeiiences, places, oi people in theii lives" (p. 89). These questions aie both easy
foi the iesponuent to answei anu pioviue a lot of conciete uetail about theii

88
expeiience, opening up the inteiview piocess befoie they weie askeu to elaboiate
on theoietical choices anu uecisions maue uuiing theii implementation piocess. I
often askeu iesponuents to explain what they meant by ceitain woiu usages oi
iesponses. Tayloi anu Boguan iefei to this as "piobing" (Ibiu, p. 96). They note, "in
contiast to natuial conveisation, inteivieweis cannot assume that they unueistanu
exactly what people mean. The inteiviewei cannot take foi gianteu common sense
assumptions anu unueistanuings othei people shaie" (Ibiu). I useu the uata
collecteu fiom these "founuei-infoimants" to "focus fuithei uata collection, which
|wasj use|uj in tuin to infoim anu iefine |myj ueveloping theoietical analyses"
(Chaimaz, 2uuS, pp. 249-Su).
I tape iecoiueu all of the qualitative inteiview sessions anu tiansciibeu them
to pioviue a bouy of textual uata fiom which to ciaft emeiging theoiies. While some
theoiists feai that tape iecoiuing uilutes oi uangeiously alteis paiticipant
iesponses, Tayloi anu Boguan (1984) feel this pitfall is negateu in the inteiview
situation:
although tape iecoiuing can altei what people say in the eaily stages of the
ieseaich, inteivieweis can usually get by with taping inteiviews. In
inteiviewing infoimants aie acutely awaie that the inteiviewei's agenua is to
conuuct ieseaich. Since they alieauy know that theii woius aie being
weigheu, they aie less likely to be alaimeu by the piesence of a tape iecoiuei
(p. 1u2).

They then expounu on the gieat auvantage to using iecoiuing uevices, noting that,
"a tape iecoiuei allows the inteiviewei to captuie so much moie than he oi she
coulu ielying on memoiy. The inteiviewei's uata consist almost entiiely of woius"
(Ibiu, p. 1uS).

89
Because I am using a giounueu theoiy peispective to cieate hypotheses anu
explanatoiy mouels about the Cieative Campus having this textual uata bank was
impeiative. The stoiies anu language pioviueu by iesponuents aie likely to have
emeigent patteins that woulu not be immeuiately iecognizable uuiing the inteiview
piocess itself. While I was able to iecoiu a few impoitant phiases anu iueas in an
inteiview jouinal, this uata pales in compaiison with that available thiough my
tiansciiptions.
While the auvantages of the qualitative inteiviewing methou aie numeious,
incluuing efficiency anu uepth, the geneiation of compaiable uata acioss
paiticipants, anu the accumulation of a textual uatabank foi fuithei analysis, theie
aie also pitfalls:
as a foim of conveisation, inteiviews aie subject to the same fabiications,
ueceptions, exaggeiations, anu uistoitions that chaiacteiize talk between any
peisons. Although people's veibal accounts may lenu insight into how they
think about the woilu anu how they act, theie can be a gieat uisciepancy
between what they say anu what they actually uo (Beutschei, 197S) (Tayloi
& Boguan, 1984, p. 81).

uiven this uangei of inaccuiate iecall, the haziness of memoiy, anu the natuial
tenuency of paiticipants to gloss theii veision of a stoiy, I am also tiiangulating this
inteiview uata with uocument analysis anu autoethnogiaphy.
N" N)%*/2+0 K+$EC818
I examineu uocuments piouuceu by the Cieative Campus piojects incluuing
website piesentation, piogiam flieis, PoweiPoint piesentations useu by founueis,
etc. Neiiiam (1988) sees uocument analysis as one way to mitigate the pitfalls
inheient in inteiviews:

9u
in inteiviews anu obseivations, the ieseaichei gatheis uata foi the puipose
of his oi hei investigation. In so uoing, both techniques 'intiuue as a foieign
element into the social setting they woulu uesciibe, they cieate as well as
measuie attituues, they elicit atypical ioles anu iesponses, they aie limiteu to
those who aie accessible anu will coopeiate' (Webb anu otheis, 1981, p.1).
Bocuments, on the othei hanu, aie usually piouuceu foi ieasons othei than
ieseaich anu theiefoie aie not subject to the same limitations. They aie, in
fact, a ieauy-maue souice of uata easily accessible to the imaginative anu
iesouiceful investigatoi (p. 1u4).

I useu a couing system that was a coiielative of that useu ovei the inteiview uata to
analyze the content of these uocuments. Neiiiam notes that "in qualitative case
stuuies, a foim of content analysis is useu to analyze uocuments. Essentially content
analysis is a systematic pioceuuie foi uesciibing the content of communications"
(Ibiu, p. 116). This uocumentaiy eviuence seives as an impoitant way to back up the
finuings fiom the inteiview anu autoethnogiaphic uata. Yin (2uu9) touts this ability
of uocuments in case stuuies "to coiioboiate anu augment eviuence fiom othei
souices" (p. 81).
G" K*0)206+)'($=6C
Since my ieseaich inteiest in this topic aiea spiung fiom my own
involvement as a Cieative Campus piactitionei at the 0niveisity of Alabama
between 2uuS-2uu7, I useu my own expeiience as anothei souice of uata foi this
pioject. To uo so, I wiote an autoethnogiaphic account of my expeiience as a
Cieative Campus founueiintein. It is my veision of the oiigin stoiy that I sought to
elicit fiom othei paiticipants in the stuuy. It is my own account of the
implementation of a Cieative Campus pioject. Bavies (1999) notes that "the uses of
autobiogiaphy in ethnogiaphic ieseaich aie vaiious. The most common is inclusion

91
of authobiogiaphy, both in teims of past expeiiences anu expeiiences uuiing
fieluwoik, in the analysis of uata anu iepoiting of finuings" (p. 189). Since my
autoethnogiaphy took the foim of a naiiative text, I was able to use the couing
system that emeigeu fiom the qualitative inteiviews to analyze it.
F" 9)E2 ). 062 9282$(%62( $+, 92.E2O1410C
Qualitative ieseaich iequiies the ieseaichei to take on an incieuibly active
anu iesponsive iole in the ieseaich piocess. Tayloi anu Boguan (1984) wiite that,
"fai fiom being a iobot-like uata collectoi, the inteiviewei, not an inteiview
scheuule oi piotocol, is the ieseaich tool. The iole entails not meiely obtaining
answeis, but leaining what questions to ask anu how to ask them" (p. 77). uiven this
iole as not only a uata analyzei but a uata co-piouucei, qualitative ieseaich iequiies
the ieseaichei to pay special attention to ieflexivity. Bavies (1999) uefines
ieflexivity bioauly as a "tuining back on oneself, a piocess of self-iefeience" (p. 4).
The iole of ieflexivity in my stuuy is fuithei complicateu by the fact that I
have been involveu in the phenomenon I am stuuying. As a foimei piactitionei anu
cuiient ieseaichei, I "cannot simply take |myj insiuei's knowleuge to be eithei
unquestionably complete oi tiue" (Ibiu, p. 18S). Alan Peshkin (1988) auvocates
"systematically iuentify|ingj" one's own subjectivity thioughout the ieseaich
piocess in oiuei to attune oneself to "wheie self anu subject aie inteitwineu."
Peshkin wiites, "I uo not theieby exoicise my subjectivity. I uo iathei, enable myself
to manage itto piecluue it fiom being unwittingly buiuensome" (Ibiu). The
autoethnogiaphic piocess not only alloweu me to iecapitulate my own oiigin stoiy

92
of the Cieative Campus cieation, it also alloweu me to systematically iuentify anu
monitoi my own subjectivity as I iesponueu to uiffeient paiticipants.
A" K+$ECP1+' 062 N$0$
"Tbe qool of Joto onolysis . &, to come up witb reosonoble conclusions onJ
4#.#"$2&3$%&-., L$,#: -. $ *"#*-.:#"$.0# -6 %<# :$%$" (Neiiiam, 1988, p. 1Su).

Ny pioject seeks to cieate initial explanatoiy theoiy aiounu implementation
stiategies foi the Cieative Campus phenomenon. ueoige (1979) wiites that "goou
#1*2$.$%-"7 theoiy iegaiuing phenomena such as ueteiience, coeicion, anu so on is
a pieconuition foi the uevelopment of *"#,0"&*%&'# theoiy coveiing these activities"
(p. 48). The type of theoiy this thesis foiwaius is also a miuule-iange substantive
theoiy. ulasei anu Stiauss (1967) explain:
compaiative analysis can be useu to geneiate two basic kinus of theoiy:
substantive anu foimal. By substantive theoiy, we mean that uevelopeu foi a
substantive, oi empiiical, aiea of sociological inquiiy, such as patient caie,
iace ielations, piofessional euucation, uelinquency, oi ieseaich
oiganizations. . . . Both types of theoiy may be consiueieu as 'miuule-iange.'
That is, they fall between the 'minoi woiking hypotheses' of eveiyuay life
anu the 'all-inclusive' gianu theoiies (pp. S2-SS).

This pioject seeks to cieate theoiy using a giounueu theoiy appioach wheie
the patteins, vaiiables anu categoiies useu in constiucting theoietical mouels weie
emeigent in the uata. Aftei tiansciiption, jouinaling, anu content analysis hau
cieateu a textual uatabank, I coueu this uata. }anesick (2uuS) explains this piocess
as using, "inuuctive analysis, which means that categoiies, themes, anu patteins
come fiom the uata. The categoiies that emeige fiom fielu notes, uocuments, anu
inteiviews aie not imposeu piioi to uata collection" (p. 6S). Aueibach (2uuS)
auvises an initial soiting wheieby only "that is ielateu to youi specific ieseaich

9S
conceins" oi ""#2#'$.% %#1%" is kept anu all non-ielevant text is uiscaiueu (p. S7).
Weiss (199S) fuithei auvises not tiying "to make sense of eveiy 'meaning unit'," but
iathei to coue in an effoit "to captuie the inteiview mateiial" (p. 1SS). Neiiiam
(1988) insists that the emeigent categoiies be ieflective of the puipose of the
ieseaich, exhaustive, mutually exclusive, inuepenuent, anu ueiivative fiom a single
classification piinciple (p. 1S6).
Aftei this initial couing anu categoiization, the giounueu theoiy appioach
calls foi the categoiies to be oiganizeu oi integiateu into moie conceptual themes.
Aueibach (2uuS) uefines a theme as "an implicit topic that oiganizes a gioup of
iepeating iueas" (p. S8). Weiss (199S) iefeis to this piocess as soiting anu contenus
that "piouucing a case stuuy begins with soiting. Nateiial that ueals with the same
issue must be biought togethei no mattei wheie the mateiial oiiginally appeaieu in
the inteiview tiansciipts. The mateiial is then oiganizeu into a stoiy of that issue"
(p. 168). Aueibach (2uuS) encouiages this aggiegation piocess by looking foi
similai veibiage (p. S7). Be wiites, "having selecteu the ielevant text, we noticeu
that uiffeient ieseaich paiticipants often useu the same oi similai woius anu
phiases to expiess the same iuea. These iueas aie calleu "#*#$%&.4 &:#$,, anu they
sheu light on oui ieseaich conceins" (Ibiu).
The final two impeiatives foi ciafting a giounueu theoiy fiom uata aie to
"uevelop theoietical constiucts by giouping themes into moie abstiact concepts
consistent with youi theoietical fiamewoik" anu to "cieate a theoietical naiiative
by ietelling the paiticipant's stoiy in teims of the theoietical constiucts" (Ibiu, p.

94
4S). This piocess iepiesents moie soiting into evei moie abstiact anu theoietical
constiucts. The theoietical naiiative is the summation of "what we ha|vej leaineu
about oui ieseaich conceins" (Ibiu, p. 4u).
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Aftei analyzing the uata, I will piesent my finuings in a wiitten iepoit along
with commentaiy. }anesick (2uuS) coaches, "following the fieluwoik, . the
ieseaichei must make empiiical asseitions suppoiteu by uiiect quotations fiom
notes anu inteiviews. The ieseaichei also neeus to pioviue some inteipietive
commentaiy fiaming the key finuings in the stuuy" (p. 62). In the wiite-up, I will
select paiticipant commentaiy that pioviues iich uesciiption in suppoit of the
theoietical constiucts. Weiss (199S) counsels, "oui inteiest is much moie likely to
be attiacteu by the conciete anu paiticulai than by the abstiact anu geneial. . . . |Wje
can iuentify with actual people anu immeuiately giasp ieal situations wheieas the
abstiact anu geneial iequiies us to unueistanu in a moie seconuaiy way" (p. 167).
This iich uesciiption seives yet anothei puiposepeisuasion. Neiiiam
(1988) cites Fiiestone foi the pioposition that in quantitative anu qualitative
stuuies "uiffeient stiategies aie useu to peisuaue the ieauei of the authenticity of
the finuings" wheie "the quantitative stuuy must convince the ieauei that
pioceuuies have been followeu faithfully because veiy little conciete uesciiption of
what anyone uoes is pioviueu. The qualitative stuuy pioviues the ieauei with a
uepiction in enough uetail to show that the authoi's conclusion 'makes sense'" (p.
12u). I will also incluue in the piesentation visual uepictions of the explanatoiy

9S
mouels constiucteu fiom the uata. In uoing so, I follow Neiiiam's calls to, "keep the
uisplay simple, incluuing only the infoimation that is necessaiy to unueistanuing
the piesentation; keep the numbei of uisplays to a minimum; anu mention the
uisplay in the text, keeping the uisplay as close to its uiscussion as possible" (Ibiu, p.
198).
!!!" @$E1,10C $+, A2+2($E1P$>1E10C
Although Weiss (199S) states that "case stuuies iegulaily imply
geneializations, although without assuiance of theii valiuity," the liteiatuie uoes
pioviue some ways that qualitative ieseaicheis can enhance the valiuity anu
geneializability of theii ieseaich (p. 168). Neiiiam (1988) suggests "theie aie six
basic stiategies an investigatoi can use to ensuie inteinal valiuity" incluuing:
tiiangulation, membei checks, long teim obseivation, peei examination,
paiticipatoiy moues of ieseaich, anu aiticulation of ieseaichei bias (pp. 169-7u).
This ieseaich pioject seeks to enhance valiuity by tiiangulation, membei checks,
anu aiticulation of ieseaichei bias (uiscusseu eailiei in "Role of the Reseaichei").
Yin (2uu9) cites Patton (1987) foi the pioposition that theie aie foui types of
tiiangulationuata tiiangulation, investigatoi tiiangulation, theoiy tiiangulation,
anu methouological tiiangulation (p. 92). This stuuy employs tiiangulation of uata
by collecting uata fiom multiple souices incluuing: inteiviews with multiple
founuei-paiticipants, piogiam liteiatuie such as flieis anu websites, anu an
autoethnogiaphic account. This stuuy also employs tiiangulation of methous by

96
employing qualitative inteiviewing, content analysis of uocuments,
autoethnogiaphic naiiation, anu ieviewing the liteiatuie.
This stuuy also employs the technique of membei checking. Stake (199S)
encouiages membei checking as a way to "help tiiangulate the ieseaichei's
obseivations anu inteipietations" (p. 11S). Be uefines membei checking as a
piocess wheiein the paiticipant "is iequesteu to examine iough uiafts of wiiting
wheie the actions oi woius of the actoi aie featuieu" (Ibiu). Paiticipants weie sent
copies of theii case's uata analysis so that they coulu claiify anuoi auu to anything
they biought up uuiing the qualitative inteiviewing sessions. I maue changes
consistent with the feeuback obtaineu uuiing membei checks wheie such changes
weie suppoiteu by the weight of the othei eviuence gatheieu in the stuuy.
Apait fiom ensuiing valiuity, ieseaicheis shoulu also stiive to inciease the
geneializability, anu hence usability, of theii stuuies. Neiiiam (1988) suggests that
a qualitative ieseaichei "can impiove the geneializability" of his oi hei stuuy by:
Pioviuing a iich, thick uesciiption 'so that anyone else inteiesteu in
tiansfeiability has a base of infoimation appiopiiate to the juugment'
(Lincoln anu uuba, 198S, 124-12S); establishing the typicality oi moual
categoiy of the casethat is, uesciibing how typical the piogiam, event, oi
inuiviuual is compaieu with otheis in the same class, so that useis can make
compaiisons with theii own situations (uoetz anu LeCompte, 1984); anu
conuucting a cioss-site oi cioss-case analysis.

This ieseaich pioject seeks to enhance geneializability by pioviuing iich anu thick
uesciiption anu using a multi-case uesign. The multi-case uesign was chosen foi this
ieseaich pioject foi many ieasons but also foi the notion that it coulu help impiove
the geneializability of the ieseaich finuings heiein. Neiiiam wiites, "in multicase oi

97
cioss-case analysis, the use of sampling, pieueteimineu questions, anu specific
pioceuuies foi couing anu analysis enhances the geneializability of finuings in the
tiauitional sense (Fiiestone anu Beiiiott, 1984; }ames, 1981; Builingame anu ueske,
1979; Yin, 1984)" (Ibiu, p. 174).
!@" G061%8
This ieseaich pioject has complieu with the guiuelines of The 0hio State
0niveisity's 0ffice of Responsible Reseaich Piactices. I have completeu the
Collaboiative IRB Tiaining Initiative (CITI) couise foi ieseaich in Social anu
Behavioial Sciences. I have also submitteu the appiopiiate papeiwoik incluuing an
application, ieseaich piotocol, inteiview guiues, inteiest letteis anu telephone
sciipts, signeu consent foims, as well as, signeu letteis of agieement with non-0S0
contiolleu ieseaich sites foi both the 0niveisity of Alabama anu vanueibilt
0niveisity to The 0hio State 0niveisity's Institutional Review Boaiu (IRB). This
bouy initially appioveu the ieseaich pioject as an ethical ieseaich exeicise on }une
9, 2uu9 unuei an expeuiteu ieview pioceuuie. Peimission to continue this ieseaich,
along with slight mouifications to allow foi a follow up inteiview piocess, has been
subsequently gianteu on an annual basis anu appioveu by the IRB.
@" 7)+%E*81)+
This thesis pioject employs a compaiative case stuuy uesign anu uses
qualitative methouologies. Bata was collecteu thiough qualitative inteiviews,
uocument analysis, anu authethnogiaphic ieflections. Aftei tiansciiption into a
textual uatabank, this uata was coueu accoiuing to emeigent categoiies. Those

98
categoiies weie subsequently gioupeu anu oiganizeu into highei oiuei theoietical
constiucts in oiuei to geneiate explanatoiy mouels anu naiiatives. Those finuings
aie piesenteu in a seiies of uata chapteis along with thick uesciiption anu a few
uiagiams. I sought to enhance the valiuity of the ieseaich by tiiangulation of uata
anu methous, membei checks, anu a cleai aiticulation of the iole of the ieseaichei's
own subjectivity. I sought to enhance the geneializability of the ieseaich thiough
iich uesciiption anu a multi-case uesign. Thioughout the pioject, the highest ethical
stanuaius weie attenueu to anu appioveu by the Institutional Review Boaiu of The
0hio State 0niveisity's 0ffice of Responsible Reseaich Piactices.



























99






Chaptei Five:

CREATIvE CANP0S AT TBE 0NIvERSITY 0F ALABANA




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Chaptei 0ne intiouuceu you to the 0niveisity of Alabama (Alabama), a public
lanu giant school that is the State of Alabama's flagship univeisity. The 0niveisity of
Alabama was one of the fiist schools to utilize the language of "Cieative Campus" in
actual piactice. The piogiam using the monikei "Cieative Campus" at this school got
its stait as a giassioots piogiam with little outsiue funuing.
The founueis all noteu the eneigy that the Cieative Campus geneiateu in a
place moie known foi staiu tiauition. I always thought that, "We hau the eneigy of a
small staitup companyielying on each othei, suppoiting each othei's ciazy iueas
anu biainstoiming. It was fun" (Wilcox, 2uu9). The oiiginal Biiectoi, Bi. Scott
Biiuges juxtaposeu that iemaikable eneigy with the context of a conseivative
school, "I think we'ie a status quo school. We'ie an olu Southein tiauitional school .
all of these |Cieative Campusj things flew in the face of that" (Biiuges, 2uu9).
The tiauitional setting uictateu one of the most cential anu enuuiing featuies
of the Cieative Campus at the 0niveisity of Alabamathe impoitance of the stuuent
inteinship piogiam. The giassioots natuie of theii effoits, which weie necessaiy in

1uu
getting the Cieative Campus off the giounu at Alabama, cieateu an unueistanuing of
Cieative Campus as a uisciete, events-focuseu entity. 0ne stuuent founuei
commenteu, "At the outset, it was veiy much an event-planning situation . but I
think the events weie impoitant to biing people togethei, anu get the iueas moving,
anu the buy in, anu the, 'Ah ha! moments'" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).
The impoitance of this stuuent inteinship piogiam has, in tuin, imbueu the
Cieative Campus teiminology at Alabama with a connection to pioject-baseu woik
anu events. As one founuei put it, theie "aie not long-stanuing things that aie kept
up ... Eveiy yeai with Cieative Campus anu with the inteinship piogiam, the
piojects aie complete apple-basket tuinovei. . |Bjeie aie twenty new inteins,
twenty new piojects" (Claik, 2uu9).
The smallei-scale natuie of the Cieative Campus at the 0niveisity of Alabama
allows it to opeiate in a unique way anu ciaft uistinctive associations to the signifiei
"Cieative Campus." As the Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Bi. Bank Lazei
(2uu9), summaiizeu:
We aie still piofounuly a leaining oiganization, but theie aie no giaues.
We'ie not a uepaitment. We'ie not a uiscipline. We'ie not even a college. All
of which I think is wonueifulit allows bieauth of woiking ielationships
that oftentimes just uon't occui anywheie else on campus.

While this small-scale, stuuent-centeieu opeiation of the Cieative Campus pioviues
a uistinctive platfoim foi ueploying the language, coiielatively, it may also mean a
moie maiginalizeu uissemination of theii constiucteu meaning.
The way the signifiei "Cieative Campus" is being useu uuiing (I) policy
foimulation to (A) contextualize anu (B) justify the piogiam, anu the way it is being

1u1
useu uuiing (II) policy implementation to (A) uefine anu (B) builu the piogiam at
the 0niveisity of Alabama is exploieu in the next foui majoi subsections.
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The liteiatuie suggests that the iise in usage of the signifiei "Cieative
Campus" is timely owing to the new ioles that univeisities aie taking on in the
mouein aits ecology. In tiying to unueistanu why the Cieative Campus Initiative
happeneu when it uiu at the 0niveisity of Alabama, the founueis theie confiimeu
this aits-baseu context, but they also iuentifieu othei types of contextspolitical
anu economicthat maue the usage of such teiminology oppoitune. The way the
sign "Cieative Campus" is contextualizeu by the aits milieu at Alabama is exploieu
in Subsection (1), while the way the sign is contextualizeu by the political anu
economic climate at Alabama is exploieu in Subsection (2).
S" I62 7)+02O0 ). 062 H),2(+ K(08 G%)E)'C
The liteiatuie iuentifies seveial ioles of the mouein univeisity that pioviue
an impoitant context foi the emeigence of the sign "Cieative Campus," incluuing:
the univeisity as aits pation, the univeisity as pioviuei of aits ieseaich anu
uevelopment, the univeisity as piouucei of cieative capital, anu the univeisity as
pieventei of biain uiain. The founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama's Cieative
Campus initiative focuseu most on the contextual factois of cieative capital
piouuction anu the pievention of biain uiain. They weie less auamant about the

1u2
Cieative Campus's iise uue to the 0niveisity's iole as an aits pation oi an aits R&B
laboiatoiy, though some of those unueicuiients weie piesent.
The founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama's Cieative Campus confiimeu that
the latest iteiation of the aits' maich onto college campuses has assumeu the guise
of the cieative economy's ihetoiic. The Cieative Campus Cooiuinatoi, Alexis Claik
(2uu9), emphatically aiticulateu this paiticulai contextual factoi:
The ieason to uo it is to ieally . allow people to exploie the things that
they'ie passionate about thiough cieative outlets . because, ieally, why aie
we at the univeisity. We'ie heie to uevelop people into the futuie humans
they aie going to become, to make them ieauy foi the woikfoice.

0ne of the stuuent founueis, Eiica Ciabtiee Nossholuei (2uu9), iecognizeu that the
univeisity's typical taskto bettei euucate a woik foicehas taken on new
meanings with the iise of the cieative economy. She iemaikeu:
It uoesn't have to be job tiaining, but I uo think theie is some iesponsibility
of the 0niveisity to not just give out thousanus anu thousanus of uegiees
eveiy yeai without ieally piepaiing stuuents anu ieally euucating them to be
functioning membeis of society.

She auueu, "I think hopefully some of the motivation foi the inteins is to actually
woik in the cieative sectoi" (Ibiu).
This new call to euucate foi the cieative sectoi also necessitates a seconu
iole of the univeisity in the mouein aits ecology anu one echoeu by the founueis at
Alabamato pievent biain uiain, that is, to pievent that newly-geneiateu cieative
capital fiom leaving the physical aiea of the 0niveisity. The founueis at Alabama
emphasizeu this iole of ietention in cieating context foi theii Cieative Campus
piogiam. As the oiiginal Biiectoi mentioneu, "We've ceitainly got a lot of people

1uS
heie, but we uon't have many people that want to stay heie" (Biiuges, 2uu9). This
pioblem of biain uiain away fiom Tuscaloosa, the city housing the 0niveisity of
Alabama, was seen as one of the contextual factois that gave the Cieative Campus a
beith theie.
While these "cieative economy factois"the piouuction of cieative capital
anu the pievention of biain uiainweie the most heavily-citeu contextual factois
foi founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama, moie aits-focuseu contextual factois
weie also impoitant in the cieation of the Cieative Campus theie. As I noticeu, "The
aits weie cential to eveiy event because they weie a gateway to achieving some
theoietical objective" (Wilcox, 2uu9).
While the aits context became theoietically impoitant to the new initiative
theie, the aits context also pioviueu a piactical way to uemonstiate a continuing
neeu foi ueveloping a Cieative Campus. In effect, pointing to the aits context
became a way to concietize the "pioblem stieam" mentioneu by policy theoiist }ohn
Kinguon (2uu2). As the Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei,
acknowleugeu, "0ne of the gieatest collections of twentieth centuiy ait with an
emphasis on Afiican-Ameiican ait has just been uonateu, anu the 0niveisity uoesn't
have a place to house it" (Lazei, 2uu9). The oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges (2uu9),
situateu the 0niveisity similaily, saying:
It seems to me that the univeisity's iesponsibility is to help us unueistanu
the iole of the aits ielative to theii ability to offei us ieflection, a connection
with ieflectois, if you will, of the pastwhat you might call cultuie.


1u4
This iuea of the univeisity as an aits pationpioviuing money anu space with
which to suppoit the aits anu ieflectionwas a less-employeu, though still
tactically impoitant point of auvocacy foi the founueis, as they situateu what the
language of "Cieative Campus" might be saying to the 0niveisity of Alabama at that
moment in the spiing of 2uuS.
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In consiueiing why the Cieative Campus became salient at the 0niveisity of
Alabama at this paiticulai junctuie in time as opposeu to anothei, the founueis
iuentifieu both political anu economic oppoitunities that auueu to the feitile context
at Alabama.
The political oppoitunity to establish a Cieative Campus piogiam aiose
paitially fiom the uesiie to ciaft a new image. This uesiie to iefiesh the 0niveisity's
image aiose in pait fiom the state of Alabama's histoiical situation as a slave state.
The Chancelloi of the 0niveisity of Alabama system iecognizeu the neeu to evolve
the image of the 0niveisity anu iecognizeu the potential powei of the "Cieative
Campus" language to uo just that. Bi. Scott Biiuges iecounteu, "the Chancelloi saiu,
'You know, Scott, I woulu ieally like to see this Cieative Campus thing not in
Biimingham. I want it heie. . We neeu it heie'" (Biiuges, 2uu9). This political
context anu the potential of the Cieative Campus to be a new "face" foi the
0niveisity was ieiteiateu by the Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei
(2uu9):
It's a little bit the Alabama stoiy. As you know, we'ie still in oui uevelopment
as an institution, always in that position wheie, when we biing in a noteu

1uS
outsiuei, we'ie tiying to show them how goou we aie because we assume
(usually coiiectly) that they have an image of the Beep South that's been
fiozen in the 196us . Anu so they see that we weai shoes anu speak in
polysyllables anu have thoughts anu have ieau books. It isn't just NASCAR
anu Coach Biyant. . |Cieative Campusj assist|sj in eiasing the stigma of .
cultuial isolation that we have at times.

With theii univeisity attempting to be iesponsive to a coloiful past, theie was a
political context at Alabama open to language anu to piogiams that coulu geneiate a
fiesh face anu peihaps even help the univeisity attain piominence of a non-
notoiious natuie.
The founueis iecognizeu that utilizing the "Cieative Campus" signifiei in
conjunction with actual piactice woulu be a novel concept anu woulu pioviue the
0niveisity, as one of the fiist such useis, the chance to uistinguish itself. The
Cieative Campus Cooiuinatoi, Alexis Claik (2uu9), explaineu the context at that
time thusly, "|Fjoi me it felt like oppoitunities to go uown the path of exploiing the
Cieative Campus as was explaineu in Steven Teppei's aiticle, thinking about
uiffeientiating the 0niveisity of Alabama in that capacity."
Even though people iecognizeu this unique oppoitunity foi the 0niveisity to
uistinguish itself, the political context at Alabama was still fiaught with uoubts. The
oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges (2uu9), iemembeis how one of the eailiei mouels of a
Cieative Campus nevei maue it off the uiawing boaiu, iecounting, "The Chancelloi
walks in, anu he uoesn't look ieally veiy happy, . anu he saiu, 'I uon't think, quote,
we'ie ieauy to uo this.'" This "pull" of institutional shame anu feelings of unuei-
piepaieuness playeu against the "push" of the alluiing chance to geneiate a new
face foi the 0niveisity of Alabama. This inheient tension explains the smallei scale

1u6
the piogiam took on anu also emphasizes the impoitance of the tenuous confluence
of contextual factois that maue the biith of the Cieative Campus even possible at
Alabama.
Not only uiu the contexts of the cieative economy, the evolution of the
univeisity in the aits ecology, anu the political spheie coalesce to cieate the
oppoitunity foi a piactical application of the "Cieative Campus" woiuing, so uiu
economic foices. The Cieative Campus at Alabama was founueu in Nay 2uuS, iiuing
the wave of a few "boom" yeais. The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi,
Lazei, was veiy mattei-of-fact about how impoitant that economic context was in
enabling the cieation of such a new anu potentially contioveisial piogiam. Be saiu,
"The economic milieu is the ueteimining factoi, K. What I mean by that is Cieative
Campus aiose heie at a time of affluence, aiose at a time when faculty anu staff weie
getting big iaises, when oui buuget was expanuing" (Lazei, 2uu9). Be quickly
juxtaposeu this actual context with a hypothetical one, "If I weie . making a
pioposal this yeai |2uu9j to establish Cieative Campus, it woulun't happen" (Ibiu).
Not only was the economic context geneially favoiable, establishing a
Cieative Campus fiom a giassioots peispective was not paiticulaily economically
taxing eithei. Alexis Claik (2uu9) iecounteu, "We uiun't neeu a whole lot of money.
. |Bjeing as zeio-buuget savvy as |Kiistij anu Eiica weie, we weie able to uo some
pietty fantastic things with nothing." If the ambivalent political context, wheiein the
0niveisity neeueu a new uiiection while being afiaiu of pushing the status quo too
fai, uictateu a smallei scale unueitaking, then the booming economic context

1u7
guaianteeu that such a scaleu-back enteipiise was uefinitely feasible. Anu if the
economic context maue the Cieative Campus Initiative feasible, then the aits context
maue it salient.
Even with this confluence of political anu economic contexts that maue the
Cieative Campus Initiative possible in the spiing of 2uuS, theie was still iesistance.
The pushback haileu, peihaps suipiisingly, fiom some of the moie establisheu aits
piactitioneis that saw an aits-baseu Cieative Campus pioject as somewhat of an
encioachment. As one stuuent founuei ielateu it:
The aits on campus iangeu fiom wilu acceptance to staunch iesistance. Anu, I
think theie was just a lot of hesitation because they uiun't know what we weie
going to tiy to uo. . |Tjhey've been heie foievei. Anu they fought foi theii
funus, anu they've fought foi theii uepaitments. Anu they have a ceitain, you
know, iegimen that they follow, anu so, us coming in anu wanting to attach on
an event, I think they weie faiily afiaiu . What giounus uoes she have to butt
in.' (Nossholuei, 2uu9).

Inueeu, "What giounus uoes she have to butt in." woulu be the contiolling
question. Even though the context was iipe foi the intiouuction of anu utilization of
the "Cieative Campus" signifiei, the founueis still hau to giapple with how to justify
such an initiative. While the context suppoiteu, even if hesitantly, what the language
of "Cieative Campus" coulu potentially say, the founueis hau to manipulate that
language in oiuei to finu out exactly what the name "Cieative Campus" coulu uo.
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Buiing the policy foimulation phase of the policy cycle, cultuial
entiepieneuis have to finu a way to justify theii policy goals. This thesis exploies
the linguistic ways that these Cieative Campus piactitioneis (1) as symbol

1u8
manipulatois (2) fiameu the issue by using the language to captuie public attention
anu link the Cieative Campus to tienuing institutional puiposes.
S" !88*2 F($/2(8^:C/>)E H$+1=*E$0)(8
Language is a tool useu by human beings to cieate meaning. In oiuei to
unueistanu the opeiation of the "Cieative Campus" signifiei in any location, it is
impeiative, then, to look at the piimaiy people who aie using that language. These
symbol manipulatois aie what the policy liteiatuie iefeis to as issue fiameis oi
"iuentification anu attention gioups" (Cobb & Ross, 1997, p. 8). It is theii
manipulation anu utilization of salient language that moves items onto anu off of the
institution's agenua.
Petei Senge (1996) iuentifies thiee types of leaueis he feels aie necessaiy in
oiuei to have entiepieneuiial success: local line leaueis, executive leaueis, inteinal
netwoikeis oi community builueis (p. 46). In oiuei to unueistanu who the leaueis
of the Cieative Campus Initiative weie, anu theiefoie unueistanu who weie
manipulating that symbol, this thesis will analyze the "leaueiship nexus" of the
piogiam at Alabama in the next thiee subpaits (a-c).
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Senge (1996) explains that local line leaueis, "undertake meaningIul
organizational experiments to test whether new learning capabilities lead to improved
business results (Ibid). The Iounders at Alabama all seemed to converge on the Iact that
the student Iounders and administrative personnel took on this leadership position within
the organization. The student co-Iounders who could be considered the 'local line

1u9
leaders were Erica Crabtree Mossholder and Kristi Wilcox. Later on, other student
interns were added to the organizations structure. These students Iocused on more
discrete, selI-contained projects that Iilled out the content oI the signiIier early on. OI
these other student interns, the Iirst and one oI the most important was Latoya Scott, who
put together the organization`s Iirst AIrican-American arts event. The initial Creative
Campus Coordinator, Alexis Clark, also emerged as a local line leader.
The student Iounders spearheaded the projects that, at least initially, were the only
things 'on the ground giving the Creative Campus any Iorm. As Erica Crabtree
Mossholder (2009) related, '|H|onestly, I felt like |the stuuent founueisj weie the life
of Cieative Campus. We hau the eneigy, anu we hau the uiive, anu we hau the will
sheei will sometimesto take the iueas anu take the path anu go." As the oiiginal
Biiectoi, Bridges (2009), remembers it, the students told him, '0h, Bi. Biiuges, why
uon't you just sit uown ovei theie anu ielax.!'"
The stuuent founueis engageu in the oiganizational expeiiments that
became the fiist fiuits of the Cieative Campus. They oiganizeu a "uate night seiies"
that integiateu social events with pieviously existing aitistic exhibits (Piomotional
"Quickie"). They founueu anu ian an aits anu cultuial e-zine uubbeu C<# D&,,&.4 M.N
(ML&:B). They staiteu an aits ciitiquing anu awaius piogiam, among many othei
things (The Al's PlaybillPiogiam). The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi,
Lazei (2uu9), iecognizeu the expeiimental value anu leaining potential in these
piojects, saying that the stuuents weie "|tjo be most tiusteu in teims of explaining

11u
to us what woulu anu woulu not woik as foi stuuent ioles in the uevelopment of
Cieative Campus. Really, uoing, eveiything. Seiiously."
These types of leaueis aie inuispensible in the foimation of a Cieative
Campus because theii oiganizational expeiiments aie what give initial content to
the signifiei. They aie the initial symbol manipulatois. As the Cooiuinatoi put the
impoitance of these types of leaueis in shaping meaning:
I felt like you two weie the leaueis anu that it was ieally whatevei y'all
wanteu to uo was what we weie going to uo. . |Tjheie weie many times
when I woulu go to |Kiistij oi Eiica foi the uefinitive, 'What uo I uo next.'
Anu, even if I hau heaiu it fiom Scott oi Bank, but then heaiu an answei fiom
|Kiistij anu Eiica, I leaineu ovei time, my uefault, 'Who uo I listen to.' was
y'all (Claik, 2uu9).

The impoitance of goou local line leaueis in the setting at the 0niveisity of
Alabama was even moie pionounceu given the political context outlineu in Pait IIA
above. With a political context that both yeaineu foi a new face to the 0niveisity
anu one that was simultaneously iisk-aveise, the Cieative Campus neeueu poweiful,
yet non-thieatening symbol manipulatois. Stuuents seemeu to fit the bill peifectly.
0ne stuuent leauei, Wilcox, compaieu it to being on "the fiont line piotecting" oi,
alteinatively, a "safety net" (Nossholuei, 2uu9). Eiica Ciabtiee Nossholuei, agieeu,
pointing out that the 0niveisity's view of stuuents in this type of leaueiship position
was "If they fail, it's theii failuie, not the oluest institution in Alabama" (Ibiu).
In auuition to the stuuent founueis who occupieu the local line leauei
positions, Alexis Claik also seiveu as a local line leauei in hei capacity as the
Cieative Campus Cooiuinatoi. As she put it, "I . helpeu make these things happen"
(Claik, 2uu9). She also unueitook uisciete oiganizational expeiiments like cieating

111
a unifieu ticketing system foi all of the aits-baseu uepaitments at the 0niveisity
(uoals Statement)
1
. Eiica Ciabtiee Nossholuei iecognizeu Claik's on-the-giounu
positioning, saying, "|Sjhe helpeu us . with kinu of the auministiative tasks"
(Nossholuei, 2uu9).
At Alabama, the stuuent founueis anu oiiginal peisonnel founuei occupieu
the iole of local line leaueis because they weie the ones who unueitook the oiiginal
oiganizational expeiiments. It was thiough theii ability to biing events anu
piogiams off the uiawing boaiu anu into ieality that fiist intiouuceu constituents to
the sign "Cieative Campus."
>" K,/1+180($0)(8 $+, #*(2$*%($08 $8 GO2%*0142 B2$,2(8

Senge (1996) explains that executive leaueis "provide support Ior line leaders,
develop learning inIrastructures, and lead by example in the gradual process oI evolving
the norms and behaviors oI a learning culture (p. 46). In the Iounding oI the Creative
Campus at Alabama, three executive leaders were integral: Kellee Reinhart,Vice
Chancellor Ior System Relations; Hank Lazer, the Associate Provost; and Judy Bonner,
the Provost oI the University oI Alabama.
Kellee Reinhart was involved in the Creative Campus eIIorts when the
Chancellor`s OIIice was still considering involvement with the Initiative. However,
eventually the Chancellor`s oIIice dropped out oI the mix and work on the Creative
Campus became strictly a University oI Alabama undertaking, instead oI a system-wide

1
This document, like all oI the documents cited in this study, was produced by and obtained Irom the
Iounders in each respective case. The documents will also remain on Iile with the author Ior a reasonable
period oI time.

112
program, and more speciIically, it became a student-Iocused undertaking. When the
shape oI the Creative Campus policy Iormulation took this turn, Kellee Reinhart`s
involvement as an executive line leader changed to a more advisory and networking
capacity.
Bi. Bank Lazei playeu an impoitant iole in facilitating the coopeiation of
uppei auministiatois like Bi. }uuy Bonnei. Be was stiategically placeu in the Rose
Auministiation builuing in the beginning, in close pioximity to such uppei
auministiatois. The oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges, thought that this "accommouation
with Rose |wajs impoitant. |Bankj kn|ejw what |wajs going on ovei |tjheie"
(Biiuges, 2uu9). Lazei (2uu9) uesciibeu his iole as "a miuwife iole . being an
auvocate foi the possibility of a Cieative Campus." Be was able to leau in this
executive capacity because he was "a faiily high up auministiative insiuei who
alieauy ha|uj some tiust establisheu anu connections within that institution" (Ibiu).
Lazei's pioximity to the Piovost alloweu him to make aiguments about
"uollais anu cents anu what's neeueu," which affoiueu the local line leaueis with a
souice of income that maue theii expeiimentation possible (Ibiu). Lazei also acteu
as a navigatoi of soits thiough the univeisity's auministiative buieauciacy. As one
stuuent intein put it, "|Bje was kinu of the toui guiue, oi the instiuctoi, oi the
peison who helpeu us navigate oui iueas anu get them to othei people"
(Nossholuei, 2uu9).
Finally, Bi. }uuy Bonnei, the 0niveisity Piovost, was the last impoitant
executive leauei in uesigning a Cieative Campus at the 0niveisity of Alabama. She is

11S
"the goveining peison of the institution, tiuly .. Anu |holusj the puise stiings. Bi.
Bonnei is basically, |thej thumbs up oi thumbs uown" (Lazei, 2uu9). With this
gatekeepei-type function, some of the local line leaueis saw hei as moie of a "silent"
paitnei, fiom theii peispective (Claik, 2uu9). But hei appioval was absolutely vital
in obtaining any iesouices to get the Cieative Campus up anu iunning.
These executive leaueis enueu up using the "Cieative Campus" language in a
veiy piactical, piogiammatic sense. To them, it was the title useu to uiscuss a
potential new enueavoi foi the 0niveisity that they weie chaigeu with iunning.
%" K%$,2/1%8 $8 !+02(+$E L205)(&2(8
Senge iuentifies the last impoitant type of leauei as the inteinal netwoikei oi
seeu caiiiei (Senge, 1996, p. 46). Be explains that these types of leaueis aie the 'seed
carriers oI the new culturethey 'move Ireely about the organization to Iind those who
are predisposed to bringing about changes, help out in organizational experiments, and
aid in the diIIusion oI new learnings (Ibid). All oI the participants acknowledged the
original Director, Dr. Scott Bridges, as this internal networker character, seeing him as
the torchbearer Ior the new research on the Creative Campus.
Biiuges taught the honois seminai entitleu "Aits anu the Public Puipose"
(0B Suu Final). The stuuents' final piesentation in his couise is wiuely iecognizeu to
have biitheu the Cieative Campus at the 0niveisity of Alabama. So, it logically
follows that he was the teachei-leauei who was helping people leain how to use
new language anu the one uiffusing those new leainings. Be oiganizeu leaining
oppoitunities foi both the local line leaueis anu the executive leaueis. When the

114
executive leaueis began asking, "'So, wheie's this Cieative Campus place. Wheie
coulu we go that woulu help us unueistanu what . you'ie talking about.'" he
oiganizeu a tiip to Aiizona State 0niveisity to let them expeiience a peei-to-peei
shauowing excuision in aits auministiation (Biiuges, 2uu9).
Bis tiieless thiist foi knowleuge anu establishing a soliu theoietical coie was
inuispensable in the beginning of the Cieative Campus. As one stuuent founuei saiu,
laughing:
|Ajt the veiy coie theie was Bi. Biiuges, anu he was the mentoi anu
visionaiy anu leauei of new infoimation that we neeueu, new iueas that we
wanteu to talk about, anu, of couise, he always hau the books that we shoulu
ieau, anu the papeis, anu |thej, 'They'ie uoing it this way.' Be was just a
wealth of infoimation. . Be always hau the peitinent goals anu ieseaich to
back it up (Nossholuei, 2uu9).

Apait fiom being the peison who "was most, anu piobably still is, the most
knowleugeable in teims of the kinu of ieseaich anu wiiting in the fielu," he was the
peison who coulu "offei seveial possible bluepiints anu thoughts foi uiiection. .
|Cjall it seeu thinking" (Lazei, 2uu9). As the Cooiuinatoi put it:
Be seemeu to be the peison who was lighting the fiie unuei the othei people
involveu. . Be was the one who went outsiue of the 0niveisity of Alabama,
iuentifieu these not paiticulaily new ways of thinking, but new ways of
thinking foi Alabama anu piesenteu them in a way that inspiieu people
(Claik, 2uu9).

That ability to netwoik anu inspiie is inuicative of the inteinal netwoikei. Biiuges
was able to take the language "Cieative Campus" out of the acauemic uialogue anu
make it seem like a ieal possibility foi othei piactitioneis.


11S
Togethei, this mix of local line leaueis, executive leaueis, anu inteinal
netwoikeis maue up the syneigistic team of founueis who establisheu one of the
fiist piogiams to use the teiminology "Cieative Campus." Even though each leauei
was woiking fiom a uiffeient peispective, they each weie becoming pioficient with
using the signifiei "Cieative Campus" anu manipulating that teiminology to theii
specific enus.
0ne of the thiesholu ways these leaueis hau to utilize the symbol was in
using it to fiame the issue of a Cieative Campus on the agenua of institutional
consciousness.
U" F($/1+' !88*28 >C 7$=0*(1+' <*>E1% K002+01)+ $+, B1+&1+' 0) <*>E1%
<*(=)828

The policy liteiatuie acknowleuges the two ways these symbol manipulatois
useu the language to fiame anu piess the issue: (a) by captuiing public attention
anu (b) by linking the issue to public puiposes.
$" F($/1+' !88*28 #C 7$=0*(1+' <*>E1% K002+01)+
The policy anu social iuentification liteiatuie acknowleuge at least thiee
possible ways of captuiing the limiteu attention of ielevant publics to focus them on
the policy iuea at hanuheie the establishment of a Cieative Campus. The thiee
main ways of captuiing attention incluue: focusing events, social iuentification
thiough cognitive segmentation anu stiuctuial similaiity, anu iecombination. The
founueis at Alabama useu the Cieative Campus language (i) uuiing focusing events
anu linguistically manipulateu the teim (ii) to cieate social iuentification thiough
cognitive segmentation anu stiuctuial similaiity. Bowevei, theie was no eviuence

116
fiom this case that the founueis emphasizeu the ability of the name to captuie
attention thiough iecombination.
1" 7$=0*(1+' K002+01)+ I6)*'6 F)%*81+' G42+08
The piimaiy focusing event in the founuing of the Cieative Campus at
Alabama came in the foim of a stuuent honois piesentation foi Bi. Biiuges' class
"The Aits anu the Public Puipose" (0B Suu Final). The stuuent honois piesentation
was the univeisally-iecognizeu focusing event at Alabama among the founueis. The
piesentation came aftei a long behinu-the-scenes stiuggle on the pait of Bi. Biiuges
to move a Cieative Campus-like pioject onto the auministiation's agenua. Be hau
peisonally lobbieu, uisseminateu ieauing mateiials, oiganizeu piesentations foi the
Boaiu of Tiustees that nevei came to fiuition, among othei tasks, but nothing hau
seemeu to gain any tiaction (Biiuges, 2uu9). The Chancelloi's office was chiefly
inteiesteu in the iuea when the piimaiy plan was to piocuie one laige, piivate
uonoi anu builu an aits centei uowntown with the pioceeus of the gift. When the
potential uonois uisappeaieu, at least foi the piesent time, that "also meant that
theie was no money theie anymoie, anu so the inteiest hau paleu" (Ibiu). In 2uu4,
Bi. Biiuges paiticipateu in the Ameiican Assembly that biitheu the Cieative Campus
language, which ieneweu his zeal foi puisuing an aits policy foi the 0niveisity anu
gave him new language to use in his quest to uo so.
Bi. Biiuges chaiacteiizeu the stuuent piesentation as the one last caiu he
hau left to play. Be saiu, "This is it. . I can't uo it anymoie. . It's a long shot. anu it
woulu appeai Cieative Campus is in the toilet" (Ibiu). So, the new policy foimulation

117
game plan became, "Aliight. We'ie just going to uump this into this ioom anu see
what happens" (Ibiu).
The stuuent piesentation took place in Nay 2uuS anu was entitleu "The
Cieative Campus Initiative," intiouucing that language once again into the univeisity
pailance (0B Suu Final). The stuuents hau been askeu to piesent theii "thoughts on
what |thej best policy option was at Alabama foi integiating the aits moie uistinctly
into the campus cultuie" (Wilcox, 2uu9). The initial policy uocument calleu foi the
establishment of a vice Piesiuent foi Cultuial Affaiis within the univeisity
buieauciacy (0B Suu Final). Bowevei, it also incluueu an "iuea pau" full of iueas to
put into piactice on a giauuateu scale ianging fiom the immeuiately feasible to the
pie-in-the-sky goals (Ibiu). Theie weie many vaiious auministiatois gatheieu to
heai this policy piesentation ianging fiom the vice Piesiuent foi Community Affaiis,
to the Piovost, fiom the Assistant Piovost, to the Bean of the School of Nusic.
While the Cieative Campus woulu eventually take a much moie giassioots
shape than this initial policy suggesteu, the piesentation pioveu to be a focusing
event foi the founueis. Bi. Biiuges saiu, "So, at that point . theie was an enthusiasm
by the people that weie theie. Anu to the best of my knowleuge, what I heaiu that
uay was the Piovost stanuing up anu saying, 'I want you to move this foiwaiu'"
(Biiuges, 2uu9). The Cooiuinatoi acknowleugeu the giavity of this focusing event
saying, "|Tjhe ieal thing, I think, that happeneu was the stuuent piesentation. .
That's when the oiganizational buy in fiom the univeisity peispective took place. 0p

118
until then, I uon't think people hau ieally pieceu it togethei as a soliu anything"
(Claik, 2uu9).
11" 7$=0*(1+' K002+01)+ I6()*'6 :)%1$E !,2+01.1%$01)+

In auuition to using this signifiei at the pivotal focusing event, the
founueis also manipulateu the teim to geneiate social iuentification with "Cieative
Campus" thiough (1) cognitive segmentation anu (2) stiuctuial similaiity.
S" :)%1$E !,2+01.1%$01)+ @1$ 7)'+10142 :2'/2+0$01)+

Accoiuing to the liteiatuie, social iuentification via cognitive segmentation
helps captuie limiteu public attention because it allows people to categoiize anu
oiuei theii social enviionment anu then locate themselves in ielation to such
classifications (AshIorth & Mael, 1989, p. 20). At Alabama, founueis aiueu this social
iuentification piocess by segmenting oi bieaking uown the laige iueas behinu
Cieative Campus into manageable poitions. 0ne stuuent founuei iecounteu, "I
always useu the ieseaicha lot fiom Richaiu Floiiua anu Steven Teppei. . We hau
all these tiu-bits anu these sounu bytes. I uefinitely useu that to uiive the point
home" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).
0sing the name, "Cieative Campus," in the policy foimulation piocess when
they weie tiying to gain buy-in fiom constituents was one methou of cognitive
segmentation. As the cooiuinatoi acknowleugeu, "I uo think that |putting a name on
itj maue a uiffeience. Foi some . it uiu make it moie iuentifiable as a piactice"
(Claik, 2uu9). By using a name that cieateu an iuentifiable categoiy of piactice anu

119
linkeu it back cognitively to cieuible ieseaich, the founueis manipulateu the
"Cieative Campus" signifiei to captuie attention.
U" :)%1$E !,2+01.1%$01)+ @1$ :0(*%0*($E :1/1E$(10C

The social iuentification liteiatuie iecognizes that iuentification is also
cieateu by peiceiveu similaiities between a policy position anu an inuiviuual
constituent's peisonal iuentity (Zott & Huy, 2007, pp. 36-37). In this case, the
founueis useu the monikei "Cieative Campus" to captuie the attention of
constituents who peiceiveu themselves as having cieative iuentities. In figuiing out
how to make the new initiative appealing to people, the founueis honeu in on the
"cieative" pait of the "Cieative Campus" teiminology, which both aits anu non-aits
stuuents alike coulu socially iuentify with. As one stuuent founuei explaineu:
I think the fiist people that |the namej connecteu us with weie, of couise,
piobably theatei anu uance anu the ait uepaitment anu the English
uepaitment. . |Bjut then I think it also appealeu. to anyone who consiueieu
themselves cieative anu inuepenuent. . Anu I just tiieu to connect it to
expeiiences that they may have hau oi that they woulu like to have
(Nossholuei, 2uu9).

0n a laigei scale, the oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges, thought that the 0niveisity at laige
felt a uesiie to self-iuentify as cieative. As he put it, theie was a uiiving sense of,
"'We woulu like to be cieative. We woulu like to be a Cieative Campus'" (Biiuges,
2uu9). The founueis useu the teiminology "Cieative Campus" to emphasize the
common iuentity tiait of cieativity between theii initiative, the inuiviuual stuuents,
anu the univeisity at laige. This stiuctuial similaiity alloweu them to gain the
attention of seveial ielevant publics uuiing theii policy foimulation peiiou.


12u
While the liteiatuie iuentifies a thiiu methou of captuiing public attention
iecombinationthat tactic was not piesent in the 0niveisity of Alabama case.
Recombination, oi the iuea of coupling alieauy familiai elements in new
combinations, is one way to cieate a sense of inciemental as opposeu to wholesale
change (Kingdon, 2002, p. 210). It is feasible that a name like "Cieative Campus"
coulu combine two alieauy familiai elementsthe aitscieativity anu the
univeisity settingin a new combination. Bowevei, this capacity of the signifiei
was not one that the founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama seemeu to exploit.
>" 7$=0*(1+' K002+01)+ >C B1+&1+' !88*28 0) <*>E1% <*(=)828

The policy liteiatuie inuicates that issue fiameis can successfully fiame an
issue to get it onto the institutional agenua by linking theii cause to the woiluviews
oi themes that "uominate|j the political climate" at the time (Cobb & Ross, 1997, p.
1S). At Alabama, the themes uominating the political climate at the time of the
founuing weie less focuseu on aits anu cultuie, anu moie focuseu on economic,
community, anu institutional uevelopment. As the oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges,
acknowleugeu:
Theie was no one to talk to about the value of Westein Civilization, if you
will, oi aits leaining, heie at the 0niveisity of Alabamatheie was no one to
talk to. So, the tactic was to appioach it fiom an economic stanupoint anu a
community enhancement stanupoint (Biiuges, 2uu9).

So, insteau, the founueis attempteu to fiame the issue by linking the language of
"Cieative Campus" to foui pieuominant tienuing institutional puiposes: (i)
piepaiation foi the cieative economy, (ii) civic engagement, (iii) legitimization of

121
the aits, albeit to a lessei extent, anu (iv) the emeigent uiscouise of stuuent
ieciuitment.
1" B1+&1+' 7(2$0142 7$/=*8 0) <(2=$($01)+ .)( 062 7(2$0142 G%)+)/C

Because economic conceins weie alieauy piesent on the public agenua in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama at the time of the founuing, the Cieative Campus piactitioneis
founu it necessaiy to link theii piogiam with such goals. The oiiginal Biiectoi,
Biiuges, acknowleugeu the peiil of taking a puiely aits-tactic in fiaming the issue of
a Cieative Campus when he saiu, "|Tjhe obstacle|j I felt I was encounteiing was,
'Why woulu we invest in cieativity anu the aits.' Anu . my navigation tool was, to
consiuei that fiom an economic stanupoint" (Ibiu).
This "navigation tool" was a highly linguistic one, because most of the
auvocacy came thiough oial conveisation oi the shaiing of wiitten texts like
inuustiy magazines anu iepoits. In the seconu yeai of opeiations, the Cieative
Campus Initiative ueuicateu a whole bianch to Cieative Economy woik (2uu6
Bianch Nap). Naming the initiative "Cieative Campus" pioviueu the founueis with
pieviously-maue links between the Cieative Campus anu the cieative economy. 0ne
stuuent founuei explaineu the impoitance of this linguistic connection to issue
fiaming at Alabama, "I think it was a goou woiu, a goou name, because using all of
that liteiatuieit felt like theie was a subset of the economy. Theie was a place that
this fit in, anu I guess, natuially, it just saiu, 'Theie's a cieative class, theie's a
Cieative Campus'" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).


122
11" B1+&1+' 7(2$0142 7$/=*8 0) 7141% G+'$'2/2+0

The founueis next expiesseu the notion that community-enhancement was
also alieauy on the public consciousness at the time, so it was easy to fiame the
issue by linking Cieative Campus auvocacy to auvocacy foi civic engagement. As I
explaineu to newei inteins at the Cieative Campus, "So, theie is that piece that the
campus shoulun't be isolateu, that it shoulu be integiateu into the community life of
whatevei community houses that institution. Anu I think Cieative Campus can help
set up some of those uialogues" (Wilcox, 2uu9b).
By focusing less on aits ihetoiic anu moie on civic engagement, the founueis
weie able to piomote the aits while iecasting the aigument to focus public attention
on the utilitaiian benefits a Cieative Campus might have to offei. The Associate
Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Bi. Lazei, iecognizeu this fiaming tactic by
pioviuing this analysis:
So, that what you'ie saying to people is not, 'Well, uammit, you ought to go to
this Nozait quaitet because it's ieally goou. You uon't have cultuie if you
uon't like this kinu of stuff, so buy a ticket.' Anu insteau, what you'ie saying
is, 'It's impoitant foi us, as a community, to have a cultuially-iich base that
we've bianueu caiefully (Lazei, 2uu9).

Piomoting the foimation of a Cieative Campus "bianu" was one way that these
founueis weie able to gain buy-in. By explaining how theii Cieative Campus
initiative coulu help galvanize community eniichment anu paiticipation, founueis at
the Alabama case weie able to captuie the attention of a wiuei public than just the
aits community.


12S
111" B2'101/1P$01)+ ). 062 K(08

The uominant political climate at the 0niveisity of Alabama uiu .-% have the
legitimization of the aits as a piioiity oi a tienuing topic. Bowevei, because the aits
aie cential to the opeiations of the Cieative Campus piogiam at Alabama, this
uialogue coulu not be ignoieu. As one stuuent founuei put it, "|Wje talkeu a lot
about thathow . as the aits chionology at laige, theie was this ciisis moment"
(Nossholuei, 2uu9).
While the founueis wanteu the aits to be pait of the public uialogue that
helpeu move the Cieative Campus foiwaiu, the ielation between Cieative Campus
piactitioneis anu the aits on campus was sometimes tenuous. The Associate Piovost
anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei (2uu9), views the pieuicament like this, "Well, as in
families, oftentimes siblings oi cousins that aie in some ways most similai most
often iub each othei the wiong way. Anu that is often oui case as well." But even
with this inheient tension, the founueis linkeu theii woik, at least paitially, to the
legitimization of the aits because they "uiu see the Cieative Campus as helping
pioviue the aits with a ceitain sense of cieuibilityof making them accessible to all
stuuents at the univeisity anu theiefoie moie wiuely suppoiteu by those who woulu
one uay be futuie alumni" (Wilcox, 2uu9a).
14" K+ G/2('2+0 !+8010*01)+$E <*(=)82Z :0*,2+0 92%(*10/2+0

The inteiviews ievealeu anothei public puipose that uominateu the political
lanuscape at Alabama at the timea push to ieciuit moie stuuents to the
0niveisity. The Piesiuent anu Piovost at the 0niveisity of Alabama weie "ueeply

124
committeu toin teims of theii mantiaieciuiting 'The Best anu Biightest'"
(Lazei, 2uu9). The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei, saw the linkage
between Cieative Campus anu this institutional public puipose as vital, saying:
|Tjhat seems to me the kinu of tiual wave that has swept us along in teims of
Cieative Campus anu local politics linkeu to a time when we'ie incieasing
ieciuitment of honois stuuents, upping the numbei of scholaiships,
incieasing out of state ieciuitment, tiying to go heau-to-heau anu ieciuit
against moie piestigious anu selective institutions. Anu so, we neeu to be
able to uemonstiate . what I think of as soit of boutique oi specializeu
piogiams that woulu appeal to inteiesting stuuents.

Not all of the founueis appieciateu having to iecast the issue fiame to
coinciue with this tienuing public puipose. The oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges, lamenteu
the auvocacy shift, saying, "|Tjhe veiy iuea of, of inteiuisciplinaiy, extiauisciplinaiy
activity, I think, was abanuoneu in favoi of, 'Bow can we ieciuit moie miuule class
folks fiom Texas anu Aikansas.'" (Biiuges, 2uu9). But this "hook" has pioven veiy
fiuitful foi the founueis of the Cieative Campus at the 0niveisity of Alabama,
nonetheless.
In iesponse to this puipose of ieciuitment, the founueis have ueployeu the
"Cieative Campus" language to integiate it as much as possible to the 0niveisity's
aumissions effoits. The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi ielateu, "the key
integiation . is the aumissions office, anu making suie that oui stoiy is known anu
tolu as pait of ieciuitment of stuuents. .. Anu that's happeneu. We'ie now a ioutine
stop foi the ieciuitment of 0niveisity Fellows," a top-tiei scholaiship piogiam foi
the 0niveisity's most piomising unueigiauuates (Lazei, 2uu9). Because the
founueis weie well awaie that "the univeisity was actively ieciuiting moie people

12S
fiom laigei metiopolitan aieas, especially some of these aieas listeu in the cieative
cities," they situateu theii justifications foi staiting a Cieative Campus in that
uialogue (Claik, 2uu9). The founueis saiu, "|Ijt was an easy selling point in that fact"
(Ibiu).

The 0niveisity of Alabama's usage of the sign "Cieative Campus" thioughout
the fiist phase of the policy cycle, policy foimulation, can be chaiacteiizeu by
piacticality.
In teims of what that sign was "saying" at Alabama to cieate the context foi
the initiative, "Cieative Campus" aiose theie moie in iesponse to piactical political
anu economic issues than to aits-specific causes. At Alabama, Cieative Campus was
a way to give the 0niveisity a new image in a non-thieatening way. The economic
boom anu small-scale initial opeiation maue it piactical anu feasible.
In teims of what that sign was "uoing" at Alabama to allow the founueis to
cieate justifications foi moving Cieative Campus onto the institutional agenua, it
was effective at suppoiting the most piominent tienuing institutional puiposes,
which weie all piactical conceins foi 0niveisity leaueiship, such as piepaiation foi
the cieative economy, a pathway to civic engagement anu a vehicle to enhance
stuuent ieciuitment. The leaueiship nexus ueployeu the sign at the local, executive
anu inteinal levels in oiuei to make these linkages by captuiing attention of seveial
uiffeient publics. The stuuent honoi's piesentation was the pivotal focusing event

126
that intiouuceu the language anu cieateu a winuow of oppoitunity to move Cieative
Campus onto Alabama's institutional agenua.
0nce it founu a place on the agenua, the founueis hau to move on to the
seconu phase of the policy cyclepolicy implementation. Bow the sign was utilizeu
uuiing that phase is exploieu in Section III below.
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In oiuei to unueistanu what kinu of content the signifiei "Cieative
Campus" is communicating at the 0niveisity of Alabama, this thesis will (1) assess
the vaiious inputs into the categoiy; (2) look at what the local categoiical schema
contains; anu (S) biiefly compaie that local schema to see how it uiffeis fiom the
piototypical categoiy of a "Cieative Campus."
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Theie aie two main souices of inputs into the signifieu content: (a) the
founueis' visions anu (b) the ensuing labeling contests. A main souice of input into
the signifieu content of the sign is the influence of the vaiious founueis' inuiviuual
visions. Biveigences between these visions may leau to labeling contests, which also
influence the signifieu content.
$" Founders' Visions

Eveiy membei of the leaueiship nexus is going to have a vision of what the
"Cieative Campus" shoulu mean, of what that language shoulu say. The
implementation piocess, then, in one sense, is a vying to see whose vision "sticks."

127
Implementation allows those visions to inteiact with one anothei to cieate a unique
signifieu content at each site. This thesis will analyze the visions of significant
membeis of the leaueiship nexus to unueistanu the input of each founuei's vision
into the signifieu content in subpaits (i-v).
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L205)(&2( $+, 3(1'1+$E N1(2%0)( ). 062 7(2$0142
7$/=*8

The oiiginal Biiectoi, Bi. Scott Biiuges, was vying foi a Cieative Campus that
signifieu a piofessional aits piesenting situation. Be hau been the one lobbying to
get a majoi uonoi to builu a piofessional aits centei uowntown. Be hau been the
one ieauing about how a Cieative Campus coulu be a peivasive, univeisity-wiue
change makei, influencing cuiiiculum, piofessoi tenuie systems, stuuent
evaluation, etc.
The content he sought to impose was a bioau, sweeping vision of "cieative
pioblem solving mouels" (Biiuges, 2uu9). Be saw Cieative Campus opeiations
accomplishing thiee main tangible objectives: "0ne was to uevelop the Cieative
Campus concept, . |to builuj an aits institute, . anu the thiiu thing was |to hostj a
Southein Assembly foi the Aits that woulu be a Southeastein vision" (Ibiu).
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7($>0(22 H)886)E,2(; B)%$E B1+2 B2$,2(8 $+,
:0*,2+0 7)RF)*+,2(8

The stuuent co-founueis saw the Cieative Campus signifying a unique
inteinship piogiam, centeieu on the aits, that hau the potential to uistinguish the
0niveisity of Alabama anu to offei a ueep leaining expeiience to stuuents. They

128
geneially weie unawaie of the conveisations suiiounuing what a piofessional
piesenting veision of Cieative Campus coulu signify at Alabama. As I noteu about
those eaily uays:
While theie may have been conveisations going on, which we weie not piivy
to, they weie just thatconveisations. Alabama nevei uiu hiie a staff of
piofessionals to fulfill oui oiiginal policy goal of having a vice Piesiuent of
Cultuial Affaiis. It uiu not move on its paitneiship with Aiizona State. It uiu
not builu an aits centei uowntown. The tangible things that the Cieative
Campus at the 0niveisity of Alabama piouuceu, the things that weie visible
to othei people anu ieal to the stuuents, weie the things Eiica anu |Kiistij
uiu. Foi all theii no-buuget, humbly homemaue style, they maue up the
content of the Cieative Campus foi a goou while (Wilcox, 2uu9a).

The stuuents chose six pilot piojects uuiing the initial yeai of Cieative Campus
opeiations, which they "uesigneu to be 'signatuie pioject seiies' wheiein the theme
of the piogiam iemaineu constant fiom yeai to yeai while new inteins woulu be
fiee to change the content" (Ibiu). Theii vision of a stuuent-leu institution that
bioaueneu anu ueepeneu aits expeiiences foi othei stuuents leu to one of the moie
emphasizeu aspects of the signifieu content at Alabamathe stuuent-centeieu
inteinship piogiam.
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$+, T+142(810C <()4)80

Bi. }uuy Bonnei's peisonal vision of what "Cieative Campus" coulu signify
also focuseu, to a laige uegiee, on stuuents. Bei vision foi Cieative Campus was one
of a laboiatoiy foi biight, capable stuuents. Baving woikeu in hei office foi a few
yeais, the Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei, commenteu upon hei
passions, saying, "Bi. Bonnei is veiy much a stuuent-centeieu, stuuent-oiienteu
peison. Anu to heai the impetus anu iueas come fiom stuuents ieally eneigizeu hei"

129
(Lazei, 2uu9). The Cooiuinatoi also noticeu the influence of hei vision fiom an eaily
stage, "I think fiom the beginning, I hau an unueistanuing that the only ieason the
Piovost even caieu about the Cieative Campus Initiative was because it was
something that came fiom the stuuents. Anu, I knew we answeieu to the Piovost"
(Claik, 2uu9).
Bi. Bonnei's vision of a stuuent-empoweiing veision of the teim, "Cieative
Campus," is ieflecteu thioughout the oiganization at Alabama. 0ne local line leauei
pointeu out:
I mean, we say it in all of oui uocumentswe aie a stuuent-centeieu
oiganization, stuuent-uiiven, anu we put oui stuuents up theie. We'ie not
telling the stoiy when we go anu give oui enu of yeai iepoit, the stuuents aie
telling the stoiy. . |Ajnu I think that |Bi. Bonneij loves that, loves that she's
heaiing fiom the stuuents (Ibiu).

The stuuent-centeieu content, then, was coming fiom moie than one founuei at the
0niveisity of Alabama case.
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K88)%1$02 <()4)80 $+, GO2%*0142 N1(2%0)(

Bi. Lazei's piefeiieu content is foi the "Cieative Campus" to signify a
boutique piogiam with a stuuent component that is poweiful but answeiable to the
0niveisity auministiation anu that focuses moie on contempoiaiy ait foims. Be
sees Cieative Campus having a boutique shape"boutique in the sense |thatj it's
somewhat specializeu in scope . You have communities with a specially-iuentifieu
funuing souice anu ceitain limitations to scope anu uimensions that have a special
kinu of calling oi mission" (Lazei, 2uu9). Be also is afiaiu that "|ajt a ceitain point,
at a ceitain scale, one woulu lose the soit of intimacy anu sense of ciusaue

1Su
that's involveu in what we uo" (Ibiu).
Be piefeis this uefinition of "Cieative Campus" because he peisonally feels
that "incieasingly, soit of inteiuisciplinaiy oiganizations, shauow oiganizations,
boutique oiganizations, aie the hot places foi leaining iight now on a lot of
campuses" (Ibiu). Plus, Bi. Lazei sees a neeu foi leaining that the boutique, moie
maiginalizeu veision of a Cieative Campus can offei. Be thinks, "theie's a piofounu
neeu to euucate the stuuent populace about contempoiaiy ait, iathei than soit of
nostalgic, comfoitable ait" (Ibiu). Lazei's input into the signifieu content has laigely
shapeu the outei shell of the piogiam at Alabamathat is the "boutique" mission of
the piogiam, as opposeu to the oiiginal Biiectoi's vision of a moie wiuely-
integiateu anu influential mission. This boutique natuie has not pieventeu giowth
unuei his leaueiship, with the scope of the piogiam giowing fiom an initial two
inteins to a size of sixty inteins suppoiteu by the piogiam touay.
4" @181)+ ). F)*+,2( KE2O18 7E$(&; B)%$E B1+2
B2$,2(; 7(2$0142 7$/=*8 7))(,1+$0)(

Alexis, as opposeu to all of the othei founueis, woulu have the Cieative
Campus take a much stiictei aits tack. She says, "It's always kinu of been about the
aits foi me. . I have tiouble with bioauening it ,- much so that the aits aien't as
cential" (Claik, 2uu9). This aits-piefeiieu content makes sense coming fiom Claik
because hei peisonal euucational backgiounu anu piioi caieei was in aits
auministiation anu management. Bei woik within the Cieative Campus, as a local
line leauei, has also been veiy much "on the giounu" wheie most events have
involveu some soit of aits component. As the peison who now woiks most closely

1S1
with all of the stuuent inteins, hei vision of a heavily aits-centeieu content has
shapeu the signifiei theie.
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Not only uo all of these visions mesh togethei to fill out the signifieu content
coupleu with the signifiei, "Cieative Campus," they also compete with each othei to
uo so. The liteiatuie tells us that labeling contests 'occur when two or more
stakeholders attempt to deIine divergent realities Ior a given audience (AshIorth &
Humphrey, 1997, p. 54). While it is perhaps easiest to think oI labeling contests being
conducted between diIIerent schools, each oI which is using the terminology 'Creative
Campus to deIine divergent realities, what was discovered in the Alabama case is that
labeling contests can and do take place among diIIerent Iounders within the same
Creative Campus program. Given all oI the diIIerent visions among the Iounders
articulated above, it is quite logical that labeling contests would naturally take place.
The iesults of the labeling contests aie the most impoitant thing foi
assessing what the uefinition behinu the signifiei is at any one location. The iesults
of these labeling contests at Alabama seemeu to come fiom two factoiswho hau
powei anu who was the fiist movei.
The powei factoi is impoitant in ueteimining whose vision foi the signifieu
content "sticks." Powei can come fiom many souicesfinancial powei, political
powei, piestige powei, etc. As the oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges, acknowleugeu about
his less-poweiful position as an inteinal netwoikei in the oiiginal leaueiship nexus,
"the pioblem was . you, kinu of, hau two uiffeient visions of what was going on.

1S2
Anu this peison has money, anu this peison uoesn't. Anu this peison is talking to the
Piovost, anu this peison is talking to nobouy" (Biiuges, 2uu9). So, the Associate
Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi Lazei's vision of a boutique, moie manageable
piogiam staiteu to win out. At that point, the labeling contest became even moie
heateu because Lazei enteitaineu a change not only of the signifieu content, but also
of the signifiei itself, aiguing foi a complete name change to "Ciimson Aits." This
bianuing uebate came up in the couise of planning sessions with piofessionals fiom
the 0niveisity's maiketing team who intiouuceu this alteinative language to
possibly ie-label the Cieative Campus effoits, oi to ie-label some poition of those
effoits, such that the two labels woulu be in simultaneous usage.
These contemplateu name changes nevei came to fiuition laigely because of
the othei factoithe influence of the fiist movei. The stuuent co-founueis, who
weie the fiist to piouuce something tangible unuei that name, auamantly opposeu
the name change (Intein Email). I aigueu:
At least the Cieative Campus was :-&.4 something. Ny cential aigument was
that we hau alieauy built up a lot of giassioots suppoit unuei the
nomenclatuie 'Cieative Campus.' Eveiyone we hau talkeu to knew that
bianu. The piojects we hau alieauy completeu weie completeu anu
maiketeu unuei that bianu (Wilcox, 2uu9a).

Anothei stuuent founuei ieflecteu on the labeling contests going on at that time, "I
think Bi. Biiuges woulu have likeu to have seen it stait the way it uiu at vanueibilt.
|Butj that wasn't woiking, so we saiu, 'Well, let us uo what we can uo.' Anu what we
coulu uo weie events" (Nossholuei, 2uu9). Because the stuuents weie the fiist-
moveis, theii stuuent-baseu content gaineu a stiong connection to the label that

1SS
was able to withstanu an attempteu name change but was not flexible enough to
accommouate the vision of a less-poweiful co-founuei in the label contest piocess.
The labeling contests that occui among founueis have a piofounu effect on
what shape the piogiammatic content behinu the signifiei "Cieative Campus" takes
on at any one locale. At Alabama, the Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi,
Lazei, acknowleugeu the impoit that such intia-gioup labeling contests can have
uuiing the eaily policy implementation piocess, "Navigating . extieme peisonality
anu philosophical uiffeiences among key peisonnel . was something that hau to be
auuiesseu" (Lazei, 2uu9).
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T+142(810C ). KE$>$/$

The iesults of the input mechanisms of founueis' visions anu the labeling
contests that ensue then iesult in the cieation of a local categoiical schema. This
linguistic constiuct will oveilap with the piototypical uefinition of the sign "Cieative
Campus" but also uiveige in impoitant ways. This section exploies the content that
the signifiei "Cieative Campus" has come to uefine at the 0niveisity of Alabama.
The naming liteiatuie teaches that categoiization aius compiehension
because the categoiy oi signifiei"Cieative Campus"activates a schema of
abstiacteu anu shaieu attiibutes between a piototypical veision of that teim anu its
local vaiiants (AshIorth & Humphrey, 1997, p. 45). The local vaiiant of "Cieative
Campus" put into piactical usage at the 0niveisity of Alabama has seveial tiaits
shaieu with the piototypical categoiyaits piesenting, toleiance of failuie, civic
engagement, connectivitycollaboiation, anu stuuent paiticipationbut it also has

1S4
an emeigent tiaitthe Cieative Campus "twist"that has become pait of the local
schema theie. Even wheie theie is significant oveilap between a piototypical anu
local tiait, the way it is expiesseu can also uiffei.
The main chaiacteiistics that make up the local schema attacheu to the
signifiei "Cieative Campus," anu making up its signifieu content at Alabama, aie
uiscusseu below in subsections (a-f).
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Piomoting aits piesenting is a cential tiait of the Cieative Campus at the
0niveisity of Alabama. As the oiiginal Biiectoi mentioneu, the place wheie the
Initiative fiist began was with the question, "'Bow coulu we uo a bettei job of
piesenting the aits moie effectively.'" (Biiuges, 2uu9). The initial policy piesenteu
at the stuuents' honois piesentation was an aits policy foi the univeisity. The initial
uiiective to the stuuent inteins on theii fiist uay of woik was, "'To inciease stuuent
paiticipation in the aits by some peicentage'" (Wilcox, 2uu9a). In line with the
usage of the woiu "cieative" in the name, an aits focus seemeu to flow natuially. As
one stuuent founuei commenteu, "The aits weie the most iuentifiable cieative
activities" (Nossholuei, 2uu9). The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei,
stateu, the aits aie "the platfoim oi the subject mattei oi the peifoimance mattei
foi most of what we uo" (Lazei, 2uu9).
>" I)E2($+%2 ). F$1E*(2

Anothei tiait in the local categoiical schema at the 0niveisity of Alabama is a

1SS
toleiance of failuie. In explaining this featuie of the piogiam, Bi. Biiuges ielateu,
"Cieative Campus to me was, 'Can we have that place heie.' Wheie we can take
some chances. Wheie we can take some chances anu fail. Wheie, in fact, we can fall
flat on oui face." (Biiuges, 2uu9). The inteinship piogiam at the Cieative Campus is
built on a pioject-baseu mouel that allows stuuents to move iueas off the uiawing
boaiu anu into ieality. The Initiative chuins out uozens of piojects each yeai. By
allowing stuuents to tiy multiple, uisciete piojects, it gives them the fieeuom to
attempt anu the ioom to fail. As one founuing stuuent intein put it, "I guess when
uoing the piogiams anu the events, the way that it ielates to the whole pinnacle anu
iuea is it's a pait of the piocess. It's getting stuuents to paiticipate anu . possibly .
fail" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).
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Anothei tiait impoitant to the categoiy "Cieative Campus" at the
0niveisity of Alabama, anu one consistent with what the liteiatuie ueems to be in
the piototypical schema, is civic engagement. The impoitance of the connection
between the campus anu the community is ieflecteu in the eailiest name of the
initiative at Alabama, which was oiiginally the "Cieative Campus, Cieative
Community Initiative" (Intein Email).
Eventually, this name was shoiteneu to just "Cieative Campus" foi
convenience anu because a lot of the piojects took place piimaiily on campus. This
name change calleu into question, biiefly, whethei civic engagement woulu iemain a
pait of the categoiical schema "when we boil it back uown" to just "Cieative

1S6
Campus" alone (Claik, 2uu9). But the impoitance of cieating civic engagement
thiough its woik iemaineu. In the seconu yeai of the Initiative, the woik began to
ventuie off-campus with piojects like the 1uu Lenses photogiaphy pioject in the
Alabama Blackbelt communities (Piess Release,
http:ciossioaus.ua.euublackbelt.html last captuieu on }une 14, 2u11) anu a
physical euucation thiough uance piogiam in an unueifunueu elementaiy school
("Chiluien uet Bance Lessons in Schools,"
http:www.tuscaloosanews.comaiticle2uu7u422NEWS7u422uSS4 last
captuieu on }une 14, 2u11). 0ne of the founuing inteins expiesseu the impoitance
of this featuie of the categoiical schema as pait of hei uesiies foi the Cieative
Campus, saying, "I woulu hope that it cieates stuuents who aie engageu in the
community they live in, even if they'ie living somewheie foi a shoit amount of time"
(Nossholuei, 2uu9).
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In alignment with what the liteiatuie iuentifies as typical tiaits foi
piototypical "Cieative Campus" uefinitional schema, the local schema at Alabama
also has, as a cential featuie, inteiuisciplinaiy collaboiation anu connectivity. 0ne
stuuent co-founuei iuentifieu this tiait explicitly, saying, "I think a Cieative Campus
is one that is uefinitely inteiuisciplinaiyuiffeient uisciplines iespect each othei
anu woik togethei to uo things that connect . paits of youi life to othei paits"
(Ibiu). The impoitance of cieating collaboiations as an enuuiing featuie of theii
woik was also echoeu by the Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, who wants

1S7
"to make suie that what we uo is not uone in, '0h, they'ie that little isolateu gioup in
Naxwell |Ballj with the picket fence aiounu it.' We uon't want to be that" (Lazei,
2uu9).
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Anothei cential tiait of the "Cieative Campus" schema at the 0niveisity of
Alabama that is also founu in the liteiatuie is stuuent empoweiment. The initial
implementation of the policy at Alabama was stuuent-leu (ulobal Cieative Economy
Confeience Pioposal). As the Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei, noteu,
that sense of being stuuent-leu is no longei accuiate, but uesciibing the Cieative
Campus as stuuent-centeieu is absolutely on pai. As he put it, "oui uistinctive
featuie iemains the stuuent-centeieu natuie of what we'ie uoing" (Ibiu). The
initiative has, at all times, been houseu in anu answeiable to the Acauemic Affaiis
office, wheie the Piovost has given the stuuent inteins a wiue latituue foi
intellectual fieeuom anu oiganizational expeiimentation.
Foi most of the founueis, this stuuent-centeieu tiait is the most cheiisheu
pait of theii uefinition of a Cieative Campus. 0ne stuuent founuei analyzeu it this
way, "I think being stuuent-leu ieally gave us the euge in the fact that it was
something people weie piouu of anu wanteu to heai, whethei it was oui peeis oi
oui supeiiois oi community membeis" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).
The stuuent-centeieu tiait of Alabama's local schema is also a motivating
factoi. When the Cooiuinatoi suffeis fiom buinout, this featuie is hei touchstone.
She saiu this tiait influences hei actual opeiation in hei job:

1S8
|Ajs long as I go back to the iuea of stuuents being the heait of what we uo,
anu offeiing stuuents oppoitunities to . tuin theii own iueas into a ieality,
then it biings me back to thinking that it's impoitant anu that it matteis anu
this time is the iight time. When it becomes that, you know, biggei thing of
aits policy . then it staits to get muuuy again. But as long as I go back to
thatwe'ie seiving the stuuents, we'ie giving them the oppoitunity that's
how I kinu of stay stiaight (Claik, 2uu9).

This featuie, while shaieu with the piototypical schema, is moie pionounceu in the
local categoiization of "Cieative Campus" than it is in the cential membei.
." An Inberently Local Factor: Tbe Creative Campus "Twist"

0ne emeigent categoiical tiait that was not iuentifieu in the liteiatuie
is what many of the founueis uubbeu "the Cieative Campus twist" (Wilcox, 2uu9a).
With all of the piojects, the inteins sought to piouuce "something with a twist .
kinu of that value-auueu Cieative Campus thing" (Wilcox, 2uu9b). The Cooiuinatoi
explaineu this value-auueu twist as something the 0niveisity expects fiom the
Cieative Campus, "They expect that we aie going to offei that stuuent who comes
heie foi the engineeiing uegiee that oppoitunity outsiue of theii uegiee to puisue
something they love" (Claik, 2uu9). 0ne stuuent intein explaineu that the mouus
opeianui of the inteinship piogiam is to take "alieauy excellent piogiams at the
univeisity anu augment|j themwhethei it be thiough auuing a social aspect oi
auuing a paiticipation aspect. We took alieauy gieat things going on anu uiun't tiy
to ie-uo them" (Nossholuei, 2uu9). Insteau, when the "Cieative Campus" label was
applieu to an event oi pioject, Eiica Ciabtiee Nossholuei wanteu people to think,
"'Well, that is something that's going to be moiemoie than just an event. It's going
to be inteiesting, exciting, impoitant, ielevant" (Ibiu).

1S9
The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei, pioviueu a conciete
example of what this "twist" oi "something moie" might be when he aiticulateu a
iecent event piopounueu by the Cieative Campus initiative. The Initiative built-up
value-auueu "twists" suiiounuing the visit of a Buuuhist monk anu poet nameu
Noiman Fishei. The visit was exemplaiy of the Cieative Campus twist to Lazei
because it "was so multi-faceteu. It incluueu a meuitation moining. It incluueu a
poetiy ieauing at the Bama Theatei uowntown. It incluueu a ieauing uiscussion
fiom his bookE 9+::<&,% H#$:&.4 -6 %<# O:7,,#7" (Lazei, 2uu9).
V" 7)/=$(18)+ 0) 3062( :%62/$8

Linguistically, the teim "Cieative Campus" comes to have meaning baseu
on the inteiplay between the content of the (a) piototypical schema anu the content
of the (b) vaiious othei local schemas.
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As analyzeu in Paits III(A)(2)(i-vi) above, the local schema at the 0niveisity
of Alabama has most of the tiaits that the piototypical categoiy uoes, signifying a
significant oveilap theie with tiaits like: toleiance of failuie, civic engagement,
collaboiation, anu stuuent paiticipation.
Bowevei, at Alabama the stuuent paiticipation anu empoweiment tiait was
veiy pionounceu, taking piominence ovei some of the othei piototypical tiaits. This
emphasis on the stuuent empoweiment tiait is likely a function of the conseivative
context of this tiauitional Southein school. Stevenson notes that significant change
in conseivative institutions is often the iesult of stuuent-leu initiatives (Stevenson,

14u
2uu8, p. 78). The iisk-aveise context iuentifieu by seveial founueis in the Alabama
case likely leu to the enlaigement of this tiait in the local schema as compaieu to the
piototypical schema.
Because the language of "Cieative Campus" hau nevei been put into physical
piactice befoie, the piototypical schema was laigely ueiiveu fiom scholaily wiitings
on the iuea. The Cieative Campus initiative at the 0niveisity of Alabama, as it is
touay, laigely iesulteu fiom an honois class that ieau a lot of these scholaily texts in
oiuei to foimulate an aits policy. So, it is unsuipiising to finu a high inciuence of
conveigence between the piototypical anu local schemas.
>" 7)/=$(18)+ 0) 3062( B)%$E :%62/$8
Biffeiences between local schemas can also have impoit to the policy
implementation piocess. While the local schema at Alabama emphasizes aits
piesenting as one of its tiaits, the piototypical schema shies away fiom a puiely
aits-baseu uefinition of cieativity. Bowevei, anothei local schemathat of the
Association of Peifoiming Aits Piesenteis (APAP)emphasizes aits piesenting as
the -.27 uefinition of cieativity. The local schema at Alabama falls somewheie in
between these two extiemes.
The vaiiation among schemas has piactical iepeicussions. The APAP's
emphasis on peifoiming aits, anu piofessional peifoiming aits at that, has leu them
to scieen giant applications foi applicants who have a piofessional aits piesentei
associateu with the univeisity (Cieative Campus Innovations uiant Piogiam 2u1u
FAQs). Even though the Cieative Campus initiative at the 0niveisity of Alabama

141
shaies the signifiei "Cieative Campus" with APAP's Cieative Campus Innovations
giant piogiam, they aie unable to qualify foi funus easily because "theie still is no
official aits piesentei foi the 0niveisity of Alabama campus" (Lazei, 2uu9). Such
vaiiations among local schemas can also leau to fiustiations with common naming.
The Cieative Campus Cooiuinatoi anu giant wiitei, exclaimeu, "|Ijt's not even so
much, 'if' we can get it. It's, 'We'ie the Cieative Campus. Why sboulJnt we be
eligible.'" (Claik, 2uu9).
Anu a piofessional aits piesentei is not on the public agenua foi Alabama
iight now because they emphasize this categoiical tiait to a uiffeient uegiee than
APAP's local schema uoes. Alabama's "Cieative Campus," while attentive to the aits
anu to piesenting them, uoes not seek to uo so in a piofessional capacity, owing
laigely to its oveiemphasis of the stuuent empoweiment tiait anu a lack of funuing.
The inteiplay of content among local schemas also helps to shape the
contouis of the signifiei in piactice. The inteiaction between Alabama's uefinitional
schema anu APAP's is just one example of this. An exhaustive analysis heie is
impiactical.
#" I62 :1'+ >3#5/#%&Z J6$0 B$+'*$'2 18 N)1+'

While analyzing the content of the uefinitional schemas behinu a signifiei
can ieveal what the language is saying at any paiticulai locale, cultuial
entiepieneuis shoulu also be inteiesteu in what the language can :- uuiing the
policy implementation piocess. The functionality of the teiminology "Cieative
Campus" uuiing implementation is especially poignant (1) when choosing a signifiei

142
with which to label the cultuial entiepieneui's enueavoi, anu (2) when that label
choice pioviues piactical consequences foi implementation.
S" 76))81+' 062 :1'+1.12(

Choosing a signifiei that is alieauy being useuthe uecision to engage
in common namingcan iesult fiom seveial uiffeient factois: (a) the seaich foi
optimal uistinctiveness, (b) banuwagon piessuies on naming, anu (c) political anu
stiategic motivations.
$" 3=01/$E N1801+%0142+288

0ptimal uistinctiveness is the iesult of the push-pull tension in a
naming uecision between the built-in legitimacy offeieu by (i) symbolic
isomoiphism anu the uistinctive novelty offeieu by (ii) competitive uiffeientiation
(Glynn & Abzug, 1998, p. 109). Cultuial entiepieneuis who aie seeking to establish
innovative new piogiams have to giapple with these contenuing foices when
ueciuing what to name theii new institutions.
The founueis of the Cieative Campus at the 0niveisity of Alabama faceu this
same stiuggle. 0ltimately, it is cleai that symbolic isomoiphism won out because the
monikei "Cieative Campus" still iuentifies that piogiam. But the name uebate was a
cential stiuggle uuiing policy implementation at the 0niveisity of Alabama. The
Cooiuinatoi iemaikeu on the uebates the founueis engageu in ovei this name
choice. She saiu, "I think we spent a lot of time tiying to .-% name it Cieative
Campus. . |anuj I think that if we coulu have nameu it anything else, we woulu have
tiieu ieally haiu to uo it, but it just seemeu like the only thing that fit" (Claik, 2uu9).

14S
In oiuei to unueistanu why it seemeu to be the only thing to fit, to unueistanu why
it offeieu the highest uegiee of optimal uistinctiveness, this thesis will look at the
founueis' ieasons foi choosing symbolic isomoiphism.
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Symbolic isomoiphism is the tenuency to choose a signifiei that is the
same one being useu by anothei piactitionei oi institution that came befoie you in
oiuei to cash in on the legitimacy anu unueistanuability that is pait of that piioi
piactice (Glynn & Abzug, 2002, p. 267). While the 0niveisity of Alabama was one of
the fiist schools to put that teiminology into actual piactice, it chose that signifiei
because it was symbolically isomoiphic with the acauemic liteiatuie. The fiist
founuei to become awaie of this teiminology anu uisseminate it was the inteinal
netwoikei, oi "seeu caiiiei," Bi. Biiuges who fiist saw the "Cieative Campus"
language useu on the Bolz Centei's website in Wisconsin (Biiuges, 2uu9). Be
followeu up on the acauemic uialogue suiiounuing that language anu uisseminateu
it to his stuuents, who began using the teim when foimulating theii aits policy foi
the 0niveisity of Alabama. As I aumitteu, "We lifteu that nomenclatuie stiaight out
of the liteiatuie" (Wilcox, 2uu9a).
The symbolic isoimoiphism with the teiminology in the liteiatuie was one of
the main ieasons the founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama choose it to chiisten
theii initiative. The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi iemaikeu on this
choice:
I think that fiom the beginning it felt like a teim that hau some cuiiency
alieauy, anu I uiun't iealize the full ioots anu extent of it, anu piobably still

144
uon't; but, |itj was alieauy a pait of a kinu of national conveisation in
teiminology anu piobably is fiom Steven Teppei's aiticle in the !<"-.&02# -6
>&4<#" I: that iaiseu that question of, 'What is a Cieative Campus, anu how
uo we measuie it.' (Lazei, 2uu9).

Choosing a symbolically isomoiphic teim has two cential benefits accoiuing
to the liteiatuie, both of which seemeu to be piesent in the Alabama case, (1)
incieasing legitimacy anu (2) enhancing unueistanuability.
S" :C/>)E1% !8)/)(=618/ !+%(2$828 B2'101/$%C

The founueis at Alabama chose the name "Cieative Campus" in pait
because the shaieu symbolism with the acauemic liteiatuie affoiueu them an
instant legitimacy that woulu have been haiu to attain otheiwise. As the stuuent co-
founueis agieeu, "theie was this . acauemic heiitage behinu the iuea of Cieative
Campus that lent a soit of cieuibility to what we weie saying" (Nossholuei, 2uu9). It
was the stuuent founueis who fiist iecognizeu this legitimating potential of a
symbolically isomoiphic name choice. The Associate Piovost anu Executive
Biiectoi, Lazei, acknowleugeu the name choice being a function of the fact that "foi
youi class anu youi piesentation it was the nomenclatuie that hau cuiiency" (Lazei,
2uu9).
U" :C/>)E1% !8)/)(=618/ G+6$+%28 T+,2(80$+,$>1E10C
Anothei significant benefit to choosing a teim that is alieauy in common
pailance, iathei than inventing a wholly new one, is that the piioi usages speeus up
the public's unueistanuing of the new enueavoi. In choosing the signifiei "Cieative
Campus," which was alieauy in usage in the acauemic pailance, the tiansition to
actual piactice was maue moie unueistanuable. 0ne of the stuuent founueis

14S
confiimeu this aspect of the name choice, saying, "I think, why we so often useu
Steven Teppei's |teiminologyj was that it was shoit, anu that it was easy |anuj
encapsulateu foi peopleto get |themj on boaiu" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).
While symbolic isomoiphism may enhance unueistanuability if the new
enueavoi ielates enough to the piioi usage, it may also have the opposite effect if
the new enueavoi wants to impose significantly uiffeient content. This was a
concein of the Cooiuinatoi, Alexis Claik, who saw Alabama's Cieative Campus being
much moie aits-centiic than the acauemic usage of that teim calleu foi. She saiu,
"|0jui oiganization is uefinitely still focuseu on the aits, but it's a haiu sell . it's
haiu to explain to stuuents that we aie an Initiative that focuses piimaiily on aits
anu cieative activity with just 'Cieative Campus' as oui name" (Claik, 2uu9). This
feai of symbolic isomoiphism actually causing )&,unueistanuing was not a feai that
any of the othei founueis at Alabama echoeu but may be a viable concein foi futuie
piactitioneis to consiuei.
11" 7)/=2010142 N1..2(2+01$01)+

The conveise of symbolic isomoiphism is to choose a name that is
uiffeient than any that have come befoie so as to competitively uiffeientiate the new
enueavoi. uiven that Alabama utilizes the name "Cieative Campus," it is cleai that
symbolic isomoiphism won out ovei competitive uiffeientiation but, as the
inteiviews ievealeu, not without some stiuggle.
As mentioneu pieviously, the intia-gioup labeling contests also manifesteu in
an attempt to change the name of the initiative, oi at least a poition theieof, to

146
"Ciimson Aits." Suppoiting symbolic isomoiphism ovei competitive uiffeientiation,
I iefeiieu to these name change uiscussions as a meie "political ualliance" (Wilcox,
2uu9a).

In consiueiing the name choice that offeieu them optimal uistinctiveness, the
founueis at Alabama weigheu in on the siue of symbolic isomoiphism. The isolateu
natuie of Alabama's Cieative Campus piogiam fiom the iest of the piogiams using
that monikei might suggest that competitive uiffeientiation in name choice woulu
have been appiopiiate. As the Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei,
mentioneu, Alabama's Cieative Campus uoes not follow the iecent acauemic
uiscouise on the Cieative Campus, paiticipate in Cieative Campus confeiences, oi
uialogue with othei Cieative Campus piactitioneis. In contiast, they aie "by intent,
moie iesponsive to local ciicumstance" (Lazei, 2uu9). This focus on iesponsiveness
to local ciicumstances woulu seem to suggest that a competitively uiffeientiateu
name coulu have woikeu foi Alabama, but that choice uiu not ultimately win out
because of the stiong benefits offeieu by symbolic isomoiphism such as legitimacy
anu unueistanuability.
>" #$+,5$')+ <(288*(28 )+ L$/2 76)1%2

While the liteiatuie theoiizes that anothei influence on similai naming
choices may be banuwagon piessuie, eviuence of that factoi on the naming uecision
was not piesent in the Alabama case. Banuwagon piessuie iesults in a same-naming
phenomenon because multiple othei entities have chosen that name, cieating a

147
"follow the leauei" alluie (Glynn & Marquis, 2007, p. 30). Banuwagon piessuies aie
often causeu by a caiiot (the appeal of the political spillovei phenomenon, wheiein
people seek to iepeat successful foimulas), as well as, fiom a stick (the thieat of lost
legitimacy).
It is peihaps unsuipiising that Alabama's signifiei choice uiu not uepenu
heavily on banuwagon piessuies because it was one of the fiist institutions to utilize
this naming uevice in piactice, as opposeu to, in acauemic uialogue. While they
chose a signifiei that was symbolically isomoiphic to the acauemic uialogue,
boiiowing that heiitage, theie was no eviuence yet about whethei this foimula
actually woikeu in piacticeexplaining the lack of spillovei effects. Plus, theie was
no actual legitimacy to feai losingexplaining the lack of foice of the "stick" on
name choice at Alabama.
%" <)E101%$E $+, :0($02'1% !+.E*2+%28 )+ L$/2 76)1%2

The liteiatuie pieuicts thiee main types of political anu stiategic
influences on name choice: (i) the foice of agency, (ii) the foice of competitive
uynamics, anu (iii) the foice of stiategic peisistence. Each of these phenomenon
weie manifesteu in the Alabama case.
1" K'2+%C

Choosing an oiganizational name is an act of agency that can be enacteu
to piomote a stiategic enu (Glynn & Abzug, 2002, p. 267). In the Alabama case, the
choice of the signifiei "Cieative Campus" seemeu to aiise uue to both a sense of
peisonal agency anu a sense of stiategic agency.

148
Choosing the signifiei "Cieative Campus" was one way to capitalize on the
sense of peisonal agency that came with being one of the eaily useis of the teim.
The founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama felt veiy enthusiastic about being one of
the fiist implementeis of a tangible "Cieative Campus" piogiam (Involvement Fliei).
As I ieauily aumitteu:
To be honest, theie was also a sense of owneiship that I felt ueeply. We hau
been in the class that hau ieau the aiticles on Cieative Campus. We hau
ciafteu the aits policy nameu "Cieative Campus." We hau spent the time on
the giounu pushing the Cieative Campus agenua. The Cieative Campus was
ouis. We uiun't want to let that go, even in name (Wilcox, 2uu9a).

In auuition to this sense of peisonal agency, the founueis all seemeu to be
awaie that choosing "Cieative Campus" as the signifiei alloweu them to stiategically
puisue an aits agenua in a less iisky way. It was a stiategic choice in the simplest
sense because of the eneigy behinu the teiminology, "it just hau a iing to it, .
'cieative' was a goou buzzwoiu at the time" (Nossholuei, 2uu9). The founueis
thought this "buzzwoiu" of "cieative" was a stiategic choice also because of the
bieauth built into it. I iecognizeu anu acknowleugeu this bieauth potential of the
language:
"Cieativity" was a much, much bioauei woilu than the aits. Fiom oui houis
of netwoiking, I knew that some of the aits piofessois weie some of the
moie tempeiamental, cianky, anu iesistant to oui iueas. With "cieativity" as
the mantle, we coulu incluue them without having to iely on them exclusively
(Wilcox, 2uu9a).

Bieauth was impoitant to the 0niveisity of Alabama founueis owing to the
beleagueieu position of the aits community theie at the time. The oiiginal Biiectoi,
Biiuges, aumitteu to this stiategic choice, "The othei thing I thought at the time was

149
that taking an aits stance was a uisastei" (Biiuges, 2uu9). The Associate Piovost anu
Executive Biiectoi, Lazei, iegietfully seconueu this position. Commenting on the
choice of the "cieative" nomenclatuie ovei an "aits" oi "cultuie" nomenclatuie,
Lazei (2uu9) saiu:
Peisonally, as an aitist . I kinu of uo wish it weie otheiwise. I wish that "ait"
anu "cultuie" teims weie moie favoiably ieceiveu, but they'ie seen as nice,
but beggai, teims. Anu "cieativity" has a uiffeient iing to it, oi enteis
uiffeient conveisations.

This ability foi the teim "Cieative Campus" to entei into uiffeient conveisations was
one of the stiategic factois that went behinu choosing it as the name foi the
Initiative at the 0niveisity of Alabama.
11" 7)/=2010142 NC+$/1%8

A common naming choice suuuenly gioups an enteipiise with othei
similaily-nameu enteipiises. 0nce gioupeu, natuial in-gioup compaiisons follow.
0nce you join the league, so to speak, you aie alloweu to compete at the game. In the
Alabama case, it was mostly the local line leaueis who uiscusseu the competitive
uynamics unueilying the name choice of "Cieative Campus."
Foi them, utilizing the name "Cieative Campus" gave them the oppoitunity to
gain uistinction as a piactical application of that teim. 0ne local line leauei
commenteu, "I felt like we weie, again, one of the fiist to put it into action, anu so, I
felt like eveiybouy was taking a little bit of inteiest in us anu wanting to see wheie
we went anu how we uiu it" (Nossholuei, 2uu9). Anothei auueu:
A final ieason I wanteu |the namej to iemain "Cieative Campus" was the
gloiy! . By using the name "Cieative Campus," we hau the chance to be
pioneeis in a foium that coulu allow us to piesent oui mouel anu influence

1Su
otheis. If we weie 'Ciimson Aits,' no one fiom the Ameiican Assembly, no
peisonage like Steven Teppei woulu be inteiesteu. But with "Cieative
Campus" we weie connecteu anu piimeu to be a leauei (Wilcox, 2uu9).

The thiiu local line leauei saw this potential foi uistinction among "Cieative
Campus" piactitioneis stemming fiom the 0niveisity of Alabama's focus on stuuent
leaueiship within the Cieative Campus initiative. She saiu, "we aie uiffeient . it's
the stuuents. that . sets us apait fiom the otheis" (Claik, 2uu9).
Local line leaueis may veiy well be the ones to most fully appieciate the
influence of competitive uynamics on name choice because they aie the ones on the
giounu iunning the oiganizational "expeiiments," upon which competitive
compaiisons aie likely to be maue between piogiams. That is not to say that
competitive uynamics may not be appieciateu by othei founueis in the leaueiship
nexus, but in the Alabama case, it was the local line leaueis who weie most vocal
about this piessuie on name choice.
111" :0($02'1% <2(81802+%2

Stiategic peisistence in naming choice is just the "tenuency to maintain
the uiiection anu emphasis of piioi choices anu actions in cuiient behavioi"
(Chuang & Baum, 2uuS, p. SS). The effect of stiategic peisistence is one of the most
cleai explanations foi the iesult of the labeling contest at the 0niveisity of Alabama
anu the ieason it continues to opeiate unuei that monikei touay. The Initiative
unuei the name "Cieative Campus," "hau alieauy built up a lot of giassioots suppoit
unuei th|atj nomenclatuie" (Wilcox, 2uu9a). So, it peisisteu stiategically even when
some founueis felt like "'Ciimson Aits' makes moie sense foi that |oiiginal policyj

1S1
now" (Claik, 2uu9). Bowevei, "aftei we iuentifieu 'Cieative Campus' as what was
going to holu that policy that was piesenteu fiom the class anu was going to become
what this Initiative isonce that uecision was maue'Ciimson Aits' was theie" as
just a uangling label with nothing to name. The momentum that hau built up unuei
the name "Cieative Campus" helpeu it to enuuie even when the content that began
to fill up that signifiei, in some opinions, bettei "matcheu" with the teim "Ciimson
Aits."

Aftei the influences of the seaich foi optimal uistinctiveness weigheu in favoi
of symbolic isomoiphism, anu aftei the influence of peisonal anu stiategic agency
weigheu in favoi of symbolic isomoiphism, anu aftei the influence of competitive
uynamics weigheu in favoi of common naming, anu aftei the influence of stiategic
peisistence uemanueu that the founueis stay that initial couise, the name "Cieative
Campus" was chosen as the signifiei with which they woulu iuentify theii new
enteipiise.
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The ieason a label choice is so weighty is that theie aie piactical
consequences that come along with this linguistic uecision. Some of the common
consequences of a label choice iuentifieu in the liteiatuie anu piesent in the
Alabama case stuuy aie: (a) unueistanuability, (b) consensus, anu (c) contiol.



1S2
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The liteiatuie ieveals that labels can enhance unueistanuability in
two majoi ways: (i) by uistilling complexities anu (ii) thiough the lexicality effect.
The case stuuy at Alabama ievealeu both of these mechanisms at woik, though not
always in the ways pieuicteu by the liteiatuie.
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The founueis at Alabama uo not iegaiu theii chosen name, "Cieative
Campus" as paiticulaily simple. Insteau of uistilling complexities in a single name,
the founueis thought that this name intiouuceu an element of confusion, but, at the
same time, they thought it was concise enough to cue a *"-:+0%&'# confusion.
Labels 'distill a complex and perhaps contradictory array oI data into concise and
coherent packages (AshIorth & Humphrey, 1997, p. 43). The Iounders at Alabama saw
the 'Creative Campus signiIier perIorming this packaging Iunction. The original
director argued that the 'Creative Campus label 'was the package, iI you will (Bridges,
2009).
But instead oI distilling a bundle oI complexities, Ior the Iounders at Alabama,
this 'package did something else. It cued a productive curiosity among constituents who
encountered the label. This curiosity was necessary since the label was not explicit. The
Creative Campus Coordinator acknowledged this vagueness saying, 'It |the name| was
conIusing, too, I think (Clark, 2009). This conIusion required the constituent to process
and digest what the label could mean. As the Associate Provost and Executive Director,
Lazer, mentioned, 'it poseu a kinu of question, simply, with two woius, 'Cieative

1SS
Campus,' that immeuiately askeu one to think, 'So what uoes that mean.' It was
concise" (Lazei, 2uu9). That concision was one of the gieatest boons to choosing the
signifiei "Cieative Campus" anu one of the ieasons the founueis enueu up
shoitening the oiiginal label, "Cieative Campus, Cieative Community Initiative."
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The lexicality effect is the effect on cognitive piocessing causeu by the use of
a signifiei with ieal woius that alieauy contain cultuial meanings (Glynn & Marquis,
2007, p. 18). The lexicality effect shoulu be noticeu with the usage of the signifiei
"Cieative Campus" because both "cieative" anu "campus" aie ieal woius with
cultuial meanings alieauy attacheu to them. These pievious cultuial meanings help
to speeu up unueistanuing of the new enueavoi.
The lexicality effect was obseiveu in the 0niveisity of Alabama case stuuy.
The founueis noticeu that pievious sociocultuial meanings attaching to the
inuiviuual woius in theii chosen signifiei functioneu as a way foi people to
unueistanu theii Initiative. The oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges, saiu, "|Ijt was also
obvious that this woiu 'cieative' was teiiibly impoitant" (Biiuges, 2uu9). 0ne
ieason that it was impoitant was because people hau heaiu anu uealt with the teim
"cieative" befoie. In one sense, they knew what it meant. They coulu get on boaiu
with it. As one stuuent founuei noticeu, "|The namej was just vague enough to be
intiiguing, anu just conciete enough to be like, 'cieative,' anu 'campus,' '0kay, I
follow you'" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).


1S4
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The language of a label can function to builu consensus foi the new enueavoi.
The liteiatuie instiucts that a label can builu consensus in at least two ways: (i) by
being ambiguous anu (ii) by expanuing minushaie. Both of these phenomena weie
piesent in the Alabama case.
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While on the one hanu, labels enhance unueistanuing, on the othei, they can
builu consensus because, while unueistanuable, they aie also ambiguous to a
uegiee, allowing multiple constituencies to suppoit the piogiam opeiating unuei
that constiuct. The ability foi the name "Cieative Campus" to be ambiguous was one
of the most impoitant consequences foi choosing that label at Alabama.
The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi sees the usage of the woiu
"cieative" in the label being
impoitant because "it is a malleable teim" (Lazei, 2uu9). Be felt this viitue of the
teiminology outweigheu its liabilities (Ibiu). That viituous malleability allows it to
be ambiguous enough to "fit" multiple constituents, which was an impoitant
consequence in the eaily stages of policy implementation. As the oiiginal Biiectoi,
Biiuges, noteu, the woiu "'cieative' . |ijt's all ovei the place. . |Butj if you hau useu
'aits' oi 'cultuie campus,' you woulu have piobably left out a lot of people" (Biiuges,
2uu9). It was impoitant to Alabama, as may be expecteu of many piogiams in the
eaily implementation phase of uevelopment, to not leave out a lot of people. So,
using a name like "Cieative Campus" that coulu be ambiguous enough to cast a wiue

1SS
net was impoitant. 0ne founuing intein explaineu the significance of the ambiguity
in the teim "cieative" to builuing the necessaiy consensus like this, "Something can
be cieative anu not oveitly aitistic, anu 'cieative' can ieach into the iealms of
science, anu spoits, moie so than |whenj you say 'ait,' . |Tjhe woiu 'cieative' just
felt biggei anu moie encompassing" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).
The ambiguity of the teim "Cieative Campus" at Alabama, though bioau
enough to captuie the aits anu moie, was not always successful in builuing
consensus. The oiiginal Biiectoi, in ieflecting on some of the obstacles that came
along uuiing implementation noteu, "Theie was, ovei heie in the aits aieas, all of
those folks |whoj felt that what Cieative Campus was uoing was, to some extent,
pointing a fingei at them anu saying, 'You'ie not uoing goou enough" (Biiuges,
2uu9). Wheie a teim is ambiguous enough to point to, activate, oi gain constituents
fiom a neighboiing piactice aiea (in this instance, the aits), piactitioneis shoulu
iecognize that theie is a potential foi the ambiguity to gainei consensus at the same
time that theie is a potential foi that same ambiguity to fostei uissension.
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A seconu way that a signifiei, oi label, may help to builu consensus is by
expanuing minushaiethat is taking up biain anu memoiy space in the minus of
constituents (Zott, 2uu7, p. SS). The "Cieative Campus" monikei was able to have
that "sticking powei," to iemain in the public consciousness. As one stuuent founuei
noteu, "The fact that it hau a nameanu a catchy name at thatwas paiamount. It
was something that stuck in people's minu" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).

1S6
This consequence of the "Cieative Campus" label is especially impoitant
uuiing the eaily stages of policy implementation. The label hau the ability to "lay
stakes" in seveial uiffeient aieas, taking up minushaie in all of them. The Cieative
Campus Cooiuinatoi noteu this capability of the name, when she saiu, "in a geneiic
way, |itj hit the aits, hit policy, hit cieativity, hit the fact that it's a campus entity"
(Claik, 2uu9). By ieaching all of these uiffeient cognitive spaces, the label's ieach
was able to help the founueis gain minushaie.
The founueis took full auvantage of this capability both in choosing the label
but also in putting it to use. Not only uiu they label the cential initiative the
"Cieative Campus," they also useu that language to bianu seveial peiipheial suppoit
stiuctuies, theieby expanuing the minushaie even fuithei. The founueis lobbieu the
new stuuent goveinment piesiuent to cieate "a new committee uubbeu 'Cieative
Campus'" (Wilcox, 2uu9a). The founueis also cieateu a new "stuuent oiganization
calleu the 'Cieative Campus'" (Ibiu). They also staiteu a subgioup within the
Fieshman Foium, a fieshman leaueiship extiacuiiiculai, calleu the "Cieative
Campus." By leveiaging both the ambiguity in the teim anu its inheient catchiness
to expanu theii minushaie, the founueis weie able to builu the necessaiy consensus
to move policy implementation foiwaiu.
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Labels can help cultuial entiepieneuis gain contiol in seveial ways
accoiuing to the liteiatuie: (i) by becoming self-fulfilling piophecies, (ii) by
piojecting a uesiieu image, (iii) by helping entiepieneuis gainei iesouices, anu all

1S7
of these piocesses may leau towaiu institutionalization. In the Alabama case, most
of these piocesses helpeu move the Initiative towaiu a iapiu institutionalization
within the 0niveisity's buieauciacy. In auuition, a fouith mechanism foi gaining
contiol became emeigent. The ieseaich ievealeu that a label can also help cultuial
entiepieneuis gain contiol (iv) by enteiing them into a netwoik wheie they can
both leain fiom otheis using the teim anu impose theii signifieu meanings on the
teim.
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Ashfoith anu Bumphiey wiite, "the imposition of a label sets in motion
foices that valiuate the label" (Ashfoith & Bumphiey, 1997, p. 46). Even though the
liteiatuie pieuicts that labels may cieate a self-fulfilling piophecy, that phenomenon
was not emeigent in the Alabama uata. This lack of uata may be uue to the focus of
this ieseaich, which was on the foimulation anu implementation stages of the policy
cycle. Knowing foi suie whethei oi not the self-fulfilling piophecy phenomenon
came to fiuition woulu iequiie an inquiiy into the final, policy evaluation stage of
the policy cycle.
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Labels can help cultuial entiepieneuis lay claim to "a status that might
be uifficult to establish by othei means" (Ashfoith & Bumphiey, 1997, p. S4). The
"Cieative Campus" label alloweu the founueis anu the 0niveisity of Alabama at laige
to lay claim to a status of being "cieative" that otheiwise woulu have been haiu to
come by. Especially in the face of faileu attempts to get a laige uonoi to builu a

1S8
piofessional peifoiming aits centei oi to get a system wiue go-aheau fiom the
Chancelloi, the founueis weie left with little to woik with in teims of builuing an
image of cieativity anu innovation. Bence, the powei of the language anu of the label
to set up a miiage that woulu hopefully actually leau to watei became evei moie
impoitant to them. 0ne local line leauei anu stuuent co-founuei commenteu upon
the uesiieu image the 0niveisity of Alabama sought, saying, "I think they wanteu to
see a lot of stuuents be on boaiu . I think they wanteu to see events that attiacteu
the iecognition of the community anu the iecognition of othei acauemic
institutions" (Nossholuei, 2uu9).
That uesiie foi quick iecognition among othei acauemic institutions is likely
uue to the big push foi ieciuitment against these othei institutions that was taking
place aiounu the time of the founuing. The 0niveisity neeueu ways to uistinguish
itself, anu the "Cieative Campus" label was able to instantly pioject an image that
was uesiiable. As the oiiginal Biiectoi iecognizeu, "we want to see ouiselves as
being quote 'competitive with othei majoi schools anu |able toj say, 'Well, we'ie
cieative.' 'Cause it uoesn't cost anything to say it" (Biiuges, 2uu9).
The ieseaich ievealeu that manipulating labels to this enuto pioject a
uesiieu image as a shoitcut befoie actually getting theiecan be fiustiating to
some Cieative Campus piactitioneis. This was especially tiue of the oiiginal
Biiectoi, Biiuges, who expiesseu iegiet that the "Cieative Campus" signifiei became
"a billboaiu," oi a way to ",$7 we'ie uoing this . because it sounus goou. . |Butj it's

1S9
like a pamphlet uealwe want to say it, but we uon't necessaiily want to uo it"
(Ibiu).
111" B$>2E8 Q2E= 7)+0()E >C A$(+2(1+' 928)*(%28

Symbolic actions, like ueploying a name, help cultuial entiepieneuis
acquiie iesouices (Zott, 2uu7). By employing a label that hau an acauemic heiitage
behinu it anu a cultuially ielevant teim ("cieative" as opposeu to "aits") in it, the
founueis uiscoveieu that the "Cieative Campus" signifiei maue "a ieally big
uiffeience in teims of what conveisations it enables anu uoes not" (Lazei, 2uu9).
The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei, pointeu to a paiauigm shift in
the way he coulu auvocate foi iesouices unuei the new label. Be saiu:
|Bjy . foiegiounuing the concept of cieativity, in the FloiiuaPink eia, one
is immeuiately immeiseu in an aigument that . has economic consequences.
|Ajnu . th|atj paiauigm shift . alloweu me, foi example, to begin to woik
with the Chambei of Commeice anu city leaueis anu people like that. . |Tjhe
olu paiauigm of an aits-baseu initiative woulu be, as an aitist oi someone
woiking with an aits oiganization, I woulu go to someone anu ask them foi
money, so that I coulu uo the next thing I wanteu to uo (Ibiu).

Bowevei, unuei the new paiauigm, which was instantly signifieu to potential
iesouice-holueis by the name "Cieative Campus," Lazei felt like the timbie of his
ielationship with iesouice-holueis hau changeu to one wheie the footing was moie
equal anu felt moie like a paitneiship.
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The Alabama case ievealeu a fouith potential way that a label such as
"Cieative Campus" can help founueis gain contiolby pioviuing them with access
to a netwoik. Netwoiks aie impoitant in two ways: (1) They pioviue piactitioneis

16u
with a place to leain, but (2) they also pioviue piactitioneis with a place to impose
theii own signifieu contentin essence, becoming a location foi out-gioup labeling
contests.
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While labels uo pioviue the potential to join a leaining netwoik, the founueis
at Alabama have not taken auvantage of the leaining netwoik that the label
"Cieative Campus" opens to it. The oiiginal Biiectoi emphasizeu the potential
available to the Cieative Campus at Alabama to be a leaining paitnei, saying:
|Njobouy's got the answei, but we can be leaining paitneis. .|Tjhat's what I
ieally saw as the potential benefit . |Bjoes the campus want to leain what
othei campuses know. 0i what can we shaie. 0i can we potentially uo some
ieseaich heie togethei. . Can we leain fiom each othei. Can we help each
othei.' . I guess to me . the evolveu concept of the "Cieative Campus" was
not that we weie going to beat each othei, but that we woulu be able to shaie
(Biiuges, 2uu9).

As Bi. Biiuges expiesseu, this notion of a leaining netwoik cieateu by the common
naming of vaiious Cieative Campus piogiams is an "evolveu concept of the Cieative
Campus" iuea. It is not a consequence of the label choice that the piactitioneis of the
Cieative Campus at the 0niveisity have taken full auvantage of.
The two founueis that cuiiently still iemain at the Cieative Campus both
aumitteu to a less than iobust paiticipation in this amoiphous netwoik. The
Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei, stateu, "It 's not like I sit anu ieau
Richaiu Floiiua's woik anu Steven Teppei's woik anu think, '0kay, now how can we
uo something consistent with what this ieseaich is showing us.'" (Lazei, 2uu9). To
him, the woik was much moie local than that, at this point. Lazei pointeu out that

161
the 0niveisity of Alabama is still involveu as a membei of the Imagining Ameiica
consoitium, anu has even piesenteu at theii confeiences, but not much else by way
of Cieative Campus-specific engagement. The Cooiuinatoi aumitteu that a falling off
fiom the iich theoietical founuing hau taken place, saying, "I uon't know that I coulu
iecall much out of |Teppei'sj aiticle anymoie" (Claik, 2uu9). She uiu mention that
incoming inteins still get intiouuceu to some of the acauemic iueas fiom this
netwoik of scholais anu schools, but aumitteu that such an intiouuction "piobably
is the |onlyj thing that connects us to the othei schools that uo it" (Ibiu).
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Netwoiks also pioviue anothei locus in which labeling contests can
take place anu piactitioneis can impose theii signifieu content onto the signifiei.
The label itself pioviues a platfoim fiom which to opeiate to influence the language.
The oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges, who no longei woiks foi the Cieative Campus at the
0niveisity of Alabama, noteu that he is no longei able to have the same types of
conveisations once he was out fiom unuei the mantle of the "Cieative Campus"
signifiei. Be saiu, "once I moveu out of theie, then I also moveu out of ielationship
with the people outsiue" (Biiuges, 2uu9). So, labels cieate a place foi piactitioneis
to have ielationships as well as contests.
While the founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama expiesseu a uesiie to have
theii local schema influence the content of othei expiessions of "Cieative Campus,"
they have not taken affiimative steps to entei that netwoik just yet. This lack of
appaient momentum to be active in a laigei community of Cieative Campus piactice

162
fiustiates some of the founueis. The oiiginal Biiectoi, Biiuges, iecognizeu the
potential to impose meaning in a significant way, saying, "what I was selling them at
the time, what I woulu still be selling them, is |thatj we have a capacity heie, in
teims of ielationships with othei schools, to be a leauei" (Biiuges, 2uu9).
The Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi, Lazei, acknowleugeu the
potential foi Alabama to impose its signifieu content on the teim "Cieative Campus"
in iegaius to its stuuent inteinship mouel. Be saiu, "Actually, if it's a uecent mouel, it
shoulun't be unique ovei time" (Lazei, 2uu9). It woulu not be unique ovei time
because, in that netwoik, theie is a potential to impose content, anu content that
woiks woulu get ieplicateu by othei people ueploying the language of "Cieative
Campus."
Bowevei, Alabama has not puisueu entiance into the netwoik veiy
vigoiously, even foi puiposes of imposing its signifieu meaning. As the Cooiuinatoi
aumitteu, "I think that we have misseu a couple of oppoitunities" (Claik, 2uu9). She
expiesseu fiustiation with using a common naming stiategy while not actively
puisuing this netwoiking. She lamenteu:
I feel like if we'ie going to call ouiselves the 'Cieative Campus,' then we
shoulu be at eveiy stinkin' Cieative Campus confeience in the 0niteu States,
anu we shoulu be applying foi eveiy Cieative Campus giant that exists. Anu if
it has anything to uo with being a Cieative Campus, then, by golly, we shoulu
at least be leaining about it. That's how I peisonally feel (Ibiu).

Baving a unique content associateu with the signifiei may not mean much as fai as
influencing the language if a piogiam stays out of the netwoik pioviueu by common
naming. As the cooiuinatoi iecognizeu about the innovative stuuent inteinship

16S
mouel, "I uon't know that it ieally gives us a majoi step up because we'ie not at the
table . |Wje'ie not involveu in those big Cieative Campus conventions" (Ibiu).

The 0niveisity of Alabama's usage of the sign "Cieative Campus" thioughout
the seconu phase of the policy cycle, policy implementation, can be seen as intensely
local in an effoit to cieate a "niche" content.
In teims of what that sign was "saying" at Alabama in pioviuing signifieu
content behinu the phiaseology, "Cieative Campus" can be seen as having significant
oveilap with the piototypical mouel while hypei-emphasizing the stuuent
paiticipation anu empoweiment tiait in oiuei to cieate a unique content foi the
teim. The stuuent-centeieu, aits-baseu, events-focuseu schema that makes up the
categoiical content of "Cieative Campus" at Alabama is a piouuct of the labeling
contests that took place between vaiious founueis' visions. The influence of the
Piovost's passion foi stuuent leaueis anu the influence of stuuents as fiist-moveis
iesulteu in a highly changeable, stuuent-influenceu mouel, while the influence of the
Assistant Piovost anu now Associate Piovost anu Executive Biiectoi as a well-
iesouiceu, poweiful movei iesulteu in a uisciete, boutique-style events focus.
In teims of what the sign was uoing uuiing policy implementation, the
teiminology "Cieative Campus" was manipulateu to help the founueis establish a
nascent oiganization as one of the fiist-moveis but has not been exploiteu past the
local level. The common naming stiategy was chosen initially foi the legitimacy
offeieu by the acauemic heiitage anu has iemaineu in place uue to the bieauth of

164
agency it affoius anu the stiategic momentum that hau built up unuei that label. Foi
the founueis at Alabama, the consequences on implementation of choosing the
"Cieative Campus" signifiei incluue its ability to enhance unueistanuability, not by
uistilling complexities necessaiily, but by inviting a piouuctive cuiiosity that inviteu
constituents to ponuei the pie-leaineu lexical meanings of the phiase "Cieative
Campus." The name also built consensus thiough the viituous malleability of the
ambiguous label anu that label's ability to expanu minushaie by "sticking" in
people's heaus. It enableu the founueis to pioject a uesiieu image foi theii
oiganization anu the univeisity at laige, without necessaiily having to have that
image come to fiuition. Such peiceptions, even wheie unfulfilleu, enableu the
founueis to gain iesouices by using a label that alloweu them to come to the table
fiom a uiffeient positionas playeis insteau of beggais. While the name label offeis
the oppoitunity to entei into a netwoik foi leaining anu labeling contests, the
founueis at Alabama have not capitalizeu on this consequence of choosing a signifiei
in a common naming scheme.
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The Cieative Campus piactitioneis at the 0niveisity of Alabama have
ueployeu that name label as some of the fiist useis to put it into actual piactice. The
local context at Alabama has uictateu an implementation of the teim that iemains
boutique anu intensely local, a way to pioviue new imageiy foi the 0niveisity in a
laigely non-thieatening way. The founueis justifieu theii enueavois by using the
teim at a significant focusing event anu linking the teim to piactical institutional

16S
puiposes like stuuent ieciuitment. The vaiious founueis' visions iesulteu in a
symbolically isomoiphic name choice with a content that emphasizes the stuuent
empoweiment anu paiticipation tiait, has significant oveilap with the piototypical
schema owing to the Initiative's acauemic ioots, anu ueemphasizes piofessional
piesenting. This label anu its imposeu content have hau a significant effect on
implementation by helping the founueis to gain unueistanuing, consensus, anu
contiol of iesouices. Bowevei, the founueis at Alabama have not utilizeu the
potential of the name label to entei them into a netwoik of othei Cieative Campus
piactitioneis, lessening theii ability to impose theii signifieu content on the teim
anu to piomote theii mouelschema on a moie influential level.





















166



Chaptei Six:
CREATIvE CANP0S AT vANBERBILT 0NIvERSITY


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vanueibilt 0niveisity is a piivate school locateu in the capital of Nashville,
Tennessee. vanueibilt has an exceptional ieputation anu an image that exuues
tiauition. The campus is quiet anu piistine, "theie aien't banus playing on alumni
hall .. Theie is not a lot of gueiilla ait" (Long Lingo, 2uu9). It has a social
atmospheie that is "heavily concentiateu on uieek life" (Long Lingo, 2uu9).
At vanueibilt, the Cieative Campus piogiam is houseu in the Cuib Centei foi
Ait, Enteipiise anu Public Policy, a think tank anu policy laboiatoiy foi "the
chaiactei of expiessive life in Ameiica."
(http:www.vanueibilt.euucuibcenteisignatuie-piogiams). The Cieative
Campus at vanueibilt is paiticulaily well locateu anu well iesouiceu. As one of the
founueis, Steven Teppei (2uu9), notes, "the Initiative is centeieu in a policy
piogiam that has iespect nationally anu locally. It's got faculty involveu who aie
well-known. The Bean has caiveu out a place foi it in Aits & Sciences. ... We have a
uonoi."

167
Stuuents known as "Cuib Scholais" aie the main constituent of Cieative
Campus activity foi now, but the vision is "to bioauen it out . kinu of like concentiic
ciicles, with those stuuents at the miuule" (Long Lingo, 2uu9). Bowevei, the main
founueis have been faculty membeis thus fai because theii piogiam is so new.
Teppei notes, "I woulu say we have not wiesteu uown the bianu yet" (Teppei,
2u1u).
vanueibilt has been a leauei in shaping the acauemic uialogue anu theoiy
behinu the Cieative Campus with Bi. Steven Teppei's aiticle "The Cieative Campus:
Who's No. 1." anu subsequent wiitings. It has also fuitheieu the acauemic
uiscussion on the Cieative Campus phenomenon thiough hosting a confeience on
the Cieative Campus in conjunction with the Nellon Founuation. With the
institution of its own opeiative Cieative Campus piogiam, vanueibilt is seeking to
put some of the acauemic theoiies into piactices anu to change some of the uialogue
about what a Cieative Campus is oi coulu be. The institution of an opeiative
Cieative Campus piogiam was in its infancy when this ieseaich was conuucteu,
with the majoiity of the qualitative inteiviews taking place uuiing the uesign anu
planning yeai.
The way the founueis of the Cieative Campus at vanueibilt 0niveisity aie
using that language in (I) policy foimulation to (A) contextualize, (B) justify, anu in
(II) policy implementation to (A) uefine, anu (B) builu theii piogiam aie the objects
of the next foui majoi subsections.


168
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While the liteiatuie suggests the monikei "Cieative Campus" is
gaining in populaiity owing to some new ioles foi univeisities in the mouein aits
ecology, the Cieative Campus piogiam at vanueibilt has shieu away fiom an ovei-
iuentification with aits auvocacy, focusing on the univeisity's iole in stuuent
leaining anu uevelopment insteau. No eviuence was founu fiom the vanueibilt case
that one of the contexts foi theii Cieative Campus piogiam was the iole of the
univeisity in pioviuing aits pationage oi that the Cieative Campus piogiam theie
was seen as filling a neeu to pievent biain uiain away fiom vanueibilt. Insteau the
contexts that emeigeu as being significant foi the founuation of a Cieative Campus
piogiam at vanueibilt was the univeisity's iole as an aits ieseaich engine anu a
piouucei of cieative human capital.
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The Cieative Campus mouel at vanueibilt emphasizes cieativity ieseaich
ovei aits piesenting. The founueis at vanueibilt think that the aits pationage
context foi founuing Cieative Campuses is an alieauy antiquateu mouel, anu, as
such, they have been leeiy about using the language to say that "Cieative Campus" is
about pationizing the aits oi aits auvocacy. Bill Ivey, the cuiient uiiectoi of the
Cuib Centei anu foimei chaiiman of the National Enuowment of the Aits explaineu:
I also think that . |ifj you just say, 'Well, we've got a lot of peifoiming aits on
campus, we'u like moie. Bey heie's this Cieative Campus thing . with a
Cieative Campus we can expanu oui offeiings by Su%. It's a new way foi us
to talk about what we uo,' I think it misses the key link of being able to uo

169
enough ieseaich anu measuie outcomes long enough to see that this is ieally
making something happen. So, I have a feeling that ovei time, those things
will stait to iun out of gas (Ivey, 2uu9).

viewing the long-teim goal as ieseaich anu seeing the aits piesenting context as
"hotbeus of backbiting competition anu sciambling foi scaice iesouices," the
vanueibilt founueis have focuseu on the ieseaich anu uevelopment context foi
Cieative Campus ovei the aits pationage mouel (Ivey, 2uu9).
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The founueis at vanueibilt also see one of the univeisity's mouein ioles
being the piouuction of cieative human capital. They see the Cieative Campus
piogiam as one way to uemonstiate vanueibilt 0niveisity's ability to fulfill this iole,
especially when the tienu in Ameiican society is to move towaiu cybei leaining,
foicing paients to ask, "'Why am I not senuing my kiu to the 0niveisity of Phoenix.'"
(Ivey, 2uu9). The Cuib Biiectoi explaineu theii focus on this cieative human capital
context ovei the aits context, saying, "I think colleges have uone a veiy pooi job of
bunuling up anu aiticulating what that value ieally is, anu I think this can be one of
the cential vehicles foi that. .|0jltimately we may have moie to say to the high-, the
community of highei euucation, than we uo to the aits community" (Ivey, 2uu9).
Anothei founuei sees this contextual focus being a iesult of societal shifts that have
impacteu what we expect fiom univeisities touay. She saiu, "|Tjouay's societal
pioblems iequiie stuuents who can be cieative thinkeis. So, it's not the cieative
woikfoice anymoie, it's kinu of a bioauei uefinition" (Long Lingo 2uu9).

17u
The founueis at vanueibilt see the iole of piouucing cieative human capital
to be especially meaningful in touay's economic iecession. In a woilu wheie
satisfaction will have to come moie fiom cieativity than consumption, tiaining
people on how to be cieative will uiiectly impact the quality of life that they anu
otheis can have. Ivey explaineu:
|Ijf you ieally uo stait to talk about a society wheie a bunch of people can't
buy the big new cai, can't buy the biggei house, can't take the longei
vacation, wheie uo people go in life to have a high quality of life. . |0jui
aigument is that . ait-making is one of the gieat vehicles to a high quality of
life that uoesn't uemanu a lot of money, anu the Cieative Campus is a pait of
that, because what you aie talking about is tiaining a cohoit of ieally biight,
well-euucateu citizens who see cieative piactice, cuiatoiial woik, ueep
engagement with these things as being of value (Ivey, 2uu9).

Linking the piactice of a Cieative Campus to piouucing cieative human capitalfoi
the cieative woikfoice, foi cieative pioblem solving, as well as, foi cieative quality
of life in a new economic enviionment, the founueis at vanueibilt have emphasizeu
this iole of the mouein univeisity as the backuiop foi theii Cieative Campus woik.
#" I62 :1'+ X*801.C1+'
Buiing the policy foimulation phase of the policy cycle, cultuial
entiepieneuis have to finu a way to justify theii policy goals. This thesis exploies
the linguistic ways that vanueibilt's Cieative Campus piactitioneis, (1) as symbol
manipulatois, (2) fiameu the issue by using the language to captuie public attention
anu link the Cieative Campus agenua to tienuing institutional puiposes.




171
S" !88*2 F($/2(8^:C/>)E H$+1=*E$0)(8
In Petei Senge's theoiies on leaueiship teams, thiee types of leaueis weie
iuentifieu as being impoitant: (a) local line leaueis, (b) executive leaueis, anu (c)
inteinal netwoikeiscommunity builueis.
$" :0*,2+08 $+, :0$.. $8 B)%$E B1+2 B2$,2(8
Local line leaueis, "undertake meaningIul organizational experiments to test
whether new learning capabilities lead to improved business results (Senge, 1996, p.
46). These are the people in the entrepreneurial endeavor trying out actual programming,
hosting groups, and putting on events to see what works and what does not. Vanderbilt`s
Creative Campus is still very new, so many oI the organizational experiments have taken
the Iorm oI pilot programs. Vanderbilt`s Creative Campus program has instituted a 'salon
series in which they bring in creative industry moguls to perIorm, present, and oIIer
students a 'behind-the-scenes look at the creative process, among a Iew other types oI
local experiments (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/curbcenter/signature-programs/curb-
programs-in-creative-enterprise-public-leadership/curb-scholars-program/ last captuieu
on }une 14, 2u11).
0ne type of local line leauei in vanueibilt's Cieative Campus system is the
stuuent leauei. The stuuents who aie most involveu in the Cieative Campus pioject
at vanueibilt aie the Cuib Scholais. Anothei set of stuuents involveu is the cohoit
that lives in the Cieative Campus iesiuence hall. The founueis at vanueibilt
eventually see these gioups of stuuents being the ones to cieate the oiganizational
content anu expeiiments that shape what Cieative Campus looks like content-wise.

172
As the Cieative Campus iesiuence uiiectoi, }oEl Logiuuice ielateu, "|Tjhis is oui fiist
gioup |of stuuentsj, anu so we've tolu them, we've saiu, 'You aie the tiailblazeis.' .
They'ie going to be in the tienches with us, kinu of helping foimulate anu move this
foiwaiu" (Logiuuice, 2uu9). The uiiectoi of the Cieative Campus taskfoice ieechoeu
this intenueu empoweiment saying, "We'll give them the oppoitunity to soit of
voice theii opinions so they can foim the uiiection they'u like to take" (Zieglei
2uu9). Bowevei, stuuents have not been in a place to influence the shape of the
Cieative Campus piogiam stiuctuially with this job being allocateu to the inteinal
netwoikeis.
0ne stuuent, uaiiett Noigan, has seiveu as a ieseaichei at the Cuib Centei
anu uiu some of the initial compaiative ieseaich on college-level cieative
integiation uuiing the policy foimulation phase at vanueibilt. Be explaineu the vital,
if peiipheial, iole that stuuent line leaueis aie seiving in the foimulation of Cieative
Campus at vanueibilt, "|Njy iole has kinu of shifteu moie to auvising on . like how
stuuents woulu ieact to ceitain piouucts" (Noigan, 2uu9).
Anothei local line leauei in the vanueibilt Cieative Campus leaueiship
system is }oEl Logiuuice, the uiiectoi of the Cieative Campus iesiuence hall anu the
liaison to Cieative Campus's inteiface with vanueibilt's extiacuiiiculai community.
She has been employing the "Cieative Campus" language to attempt to ciicumsciibe
Cieative Campus's place in the extiacuiiiculai enviionment even though at
vanueibilt the heait of the Cieative Campus is ieally cuiiiculai. Teppei states, "}oEl
was using 'Cieative Campus,' but then she was using it too bioauly, anu I think she

17S
pulleu back fiom that. . We weie woiiieu that the bianu was getting useu too
loosely" (Teppei, 2uu9).
The way local line leaueis ueploy the monikei in theii expeiiments anu
piogiams is veiy impoitant uuiing policy foimulation because it gives immeuiate
content to the name, so the leaueiship team has to be caieful about wheie that name
is attaching in piactice. The feai that Cieative Campus was becoming oveily-
associateu with the extia-cuiiiculai enviionment anu also losing meaning because
of the bieauth of that use is founu in Teppei's concein anu Logiuuice's juuicious
uecision to pull back on the use of the language initially until the founueis weie
moie ceitain of the ways in which they wanteu to ueploy that language on the
giounu.
A final local line leauei in vanueibilt's leaueiship nexus is Nel Zieglei, the
chaii of vanueibilt's Ait Bepaitment anu a co-chaii of the Cieative Campus
taskfoice theie. Zieglei sees his stuuio-baseu, piactice-baseu backgiounu as one
ieason he is capable of playing the local line leauei iole. Be saiu, "|Tjhe Cuib Centei
peihaps is moie policy-oiienteu, sociology-oiienteu, anu I feel like I'm coming at it
fiom anothei point of view of just the piactitionei" (Zieglei, 2uu9). Be sees himself
catalyzing the stuuents to unueitake meaningful oiganizational expeiiments anu
being the one to ieflect on the outcomes with them. Be saiu, "I feel like the Cieative
Campus |Resiuentialj Community . can actually be inteiesting because it can be
expeiimental, anu if we fail, then we look at that failuie anu we stait ovei" (Zieglei,
2uu9).

174
>" N)+)(8 Y K,/1+180($0)(8 $8 GO2%*0142 B1+2 B2$,2(8

In Senge's mouel, it is the executive line leaueis that "provide support Ior line
leaders, develop learning inIrastructures, and lead by example in the gradual process oI
evolving the norms and behaviors oI a learning culture (Senge, 1996, p. 46). At
Vanderbilt, the Iounding oI the Creative Campus program has involved the leadership oI
a Iew important executives including Mike Curb, the Ioundational donor; Carolyn Dever,
the Dean oI Arts & Sciences; and Bill Ivey, the Director oI the Curb Center Ior Art,
Enterprise and Public Policy.
Mike Curb is the primary donor oI the Curb Center Ior Art, Enterprise and Public
Policy. He had donated $3.5 million dollars to endow the Curb Center, which was
running smoothly. However, Mr. Curb`s Iamily has eight Vanderbilt degrees between all
oI them, and he 'wanted to do more (Ivey, 2009). Tepper describes the whirlwind
implementation oI a Creative Campus program at Vanderbilt to arise largely because oI
Mike Curb (Tepper, 2009). He said, '|T|he uigency of putting togethei a piogiam
comes fiom, in pait, the oppoitunity of a funuei who was extiemely committeu to
the iuea" (Teppei, 2uu9). By pioviuing such significant "seeu" money to put
Cieative Campus theoiy into piactice, Nike Cuib pioviueu suppoit foi the line
leaueis to institute piogiammatic content that gives the teim "Cieative Campus" a
ieal shape at vanueibilt.
Carolyn Dever serves as the Dean oI the College oI Arts & Sciences. She has
been the one to take iesponsibility foi "chaig|ingj the taskfoice" (Long Lingo, 2uu9).
By pioviuing such an oppoitunity, possibly even a manuate, fiom the Bean, Bevei

17S
has signaleu to the faculty membeis of the taskfoice anu the staff of the Cuib Centei
that the Cieative Campus Initiative is impoitant. With these symbolic signals she
has, like a tiue executive line leauei, "leau by example" to signal the possibility of
change foi vanueibilt (Senge, 1996, p. 46).
Finally, Bill Ivey, the Biiectoi of the Cuib Centei anu foimei NEA Chaiiman
has pioviueu the Cieative Campus piogiam with a place to uevelop infiastiuctuie.
Be has also pioviueu it with leaueiship by his example in navigating institutional
change at the National Enuowment of the Aits wheie he instituteu the Challenging
Ameiica piogiam.
%" K%$,2/1%8 $8 !+02(+$E L205)(&2(8
The final impoitant type of leauei is the inteinal netwoikei oi seeu caiiiei
who "move|s| Ireely about the organization to Iind those who are predisposed to bringing
about changes, help|s| out in organizational experiments, and aid|s| in the diIIusion oI
new learnings (Senge, 1996, p. 46). At Vanderbilt, the two people who have come to the
Iore as important internal networkers are Steven Tepper, the Associate Director oI the
Curb Center and a prodigious proIessor oI sociology who has written a lot on the
Creative Campus phenomenon, and Elizabeth Long Lingo, the Director the Curb
Scholars Program and Creativity Initiative.
Dr. Steven Tepper wrote the Ioundational article on the Creative Campus
movement, 'Creative Campus: Who`s No. 1? as well as 'Taking the Measure oI the
Creative Campus among others. Apart Irom being a IruitIul scholar on the subject,
another way that Tepper has Iunctioned as an internal networker, diIIusing new learnings,

176
is in his capacity as a strategic planner Ior the Creative Campus program at Vanderbilt.
He serves as the other co-chair oI the Creative Campus Iaculty taskIorce that solicits
Ieedback and buy-in among selected Iaculty members at Vanderbilt Ior Creative Campus
work. He has also been thinking about how to compose the inIrastructure to make the
Creative Campus program work. He calls the key components oI inIrastructure his
'evergreen process|es| (Tepper, 2010). He sees these processes as being the
inIrastructure that makes Creative Campus 'sustainable and integrated at Vanderbilt, so
that the Creative Campus can Iunction even when he and Elizabeth Long Lingo are not
around anymore. More than that, these evergreen processes will ensure that the tenets oI
the Creative Campus philosophy and the programming can endure beyond a single
Iunding cycle or a single Iunding source in contrast to many oI the Creative Campus
iterations that have been dependent on the Doris Duke Creative Campus Innovations
grants.
Dr. Elizabeth Long Lingo takes care oI 'the day-to-day activity oI the Creative
Campus Initiative. She has co-authored an article with Tepper entitled 'The Creative
Campus: Time Ior a C` Change (http://chronicle.com/article/The-Creative-Campus-
Time-Ior/124860/ last captuieu on }une 14, 2u11). As the Director, she has been
thinking hard about how to develop the Iour-year developmental and curricular track they
hope to put their Creative Campus cohorts through.

By employing local line leaders, executive leaders, and internal networkers,
Vanderbilt has built an entrepreneurial team capable oI implementing their Creative

177
Campus policy vision. One oI the key tools that such entrepreneurial teams have in their
work is linguistic symbolism. These leaders have utilized the 'Creative Campus
language to Irame the issue and push it onto the agenda oI institutional consciousness.
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The policy liteiatuie suggests that theie aie at least two key ways these
symbol manipulatois use language to fiame anu piess an issue: (a) by captuiing
public attention anu (b) by linking the issue to public puiposes.
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The policy anu social iuentification liteiatuie acknowleuge at least thiee
possible ways of captuiing the limiteu attention of ielevant publics to focus them on
the cultuial entiepieneuiship. The thiee main ways of captuiing attention incluue:
focusing events, social iuentification thiough cognitive segmentation anu stiuctuial
similaiity, anu iecombination. The founueis at vanueibilt (i) uiu not have to use the
"Cieative Campus" language uuiing focusing events, owing to theii top-uown
appioach; they (ii) uiu employ the teim to cieate social iuentification thiough
cognitive segmentation anu stiuctuial similaiity. Anu similai to the 0niveisity of
Alabama case, theie was no eviuence heie that the vanueibilt founueis useu the
mechanism of iecombination as a methou to captuie attention.
1" F)%*81+' G42+08
The ieseaich uiu not suggest that vanueibilt maue use of the language
uuiing focusing events as a mechanism to get Cieative Campus onto the agenua
laigely because the Cieative Campus implementation piocess at vanueibilt hau a

178
much moie top-uown than giassioots focus. Insteau of a majoi piesentation, ciisis,
oi aits event "kick-staiting" the uesiie foi anu focus on a Cieative Campus,
vanueibilt's pioject got staiteu because of inteiest fiom a laige anu impoitant
uonoi anu the consequent suppoit of the uppei auministiation. As one founuei
explaineu this top-uown methou of getting Cieative Campus onto the agenua, "any
time you intiouuce anything new . when it's iecognizeu at the top as a univeisity-
wiue initiative, that just makes it so much easiei foi folks to come on boaiu, to be
pait of it, anu not be left out of it" (Logiuuice, 2uu9).
The focusing event mechanism uiu not fit foi vanueibilt's pioject when the
Cieative Campus concept alieauy appealeu to an impoitant uonoi. As the founuing
team acknowleugeu, vanueibilt hau the luxuiy of not having to stage a focusing
event (oi take auvantage of existing ones) because "we just hau a paiticulaily
foitunate set of ciicumstances heie, wheie the notion of the Cieative Campus
became a ieally goou oppoitunity foi the 0niveisity to uevelop a stiong ielationship
with an impoitant Philanthiopist in Nashville" (Teppei, 2uu9).
11" :)%1$E !,2+01.1%$01)+
In lieu of using the teiminology at a significant focusing event, the founueis
manipulateu the teim to geneiate social iuentification with "Cieative Campus"
thiough (1) cognitive segmentation anu (2) stiuctuial similaiity.
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Cognitive segmentation is effective at captuiing public attention foi an issue
because it allows people to categoiize anu oiuei theii social enviionment anu then

179
locate themselves in ielation to such classifications (AshIorth & Mael, 1989, p. 20).
Even though Vanderbilt hopes to add new content to the term eventually, the Iounders
recognize the ability oI that wording to create a neat category in people`s minds that will
allow them to 'hang their hat on the idea. As one Vanderbilt student admitted,
'|Vanderbilt| won't neeu to tie in to that laigei Cieative Campus uialogue because
we'll have |joui own thing heie. Anu if it takes labeling it a 'Cieative Campus' iight
now, to get people to pay attention to it, then that's fine" (Noigan, 2uu9). The ability
of the label to get people to pay attention to it is inuicative of its ability to bieak
uown a complex cultuial ventuie into a neat categoiya cieative, campus.
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Social iuentification with an issue oi cause is cieateu by peiceiveu
similaiities between a policy position anu an inuiviuual constituent's peisonal
iuentity (Zott & Huy, 2007, pp. 36-37). Because people operate on a cohesive basiswe
are drawn to that which is like ususing the language to create structural similarity is a
very useIul strategy Ior Creative Campus practitioners.
The practitioners at Vanderbilt used the 'Creative Campus language to highlight
structural similarities between their cause and their major donorMike Curb. As the
Director oI the Curb Center explained, 'Nike Cuib |isj somebouy who is a songwiitei.
Be's been a peifoimei. Be unueistanus cieativity" (Ivey, 2uu9). The Cuib Centei
Biiectoi was able to contiast uonois who have a stiong stiuctuial similaiity to the
Initiative with othei majoi philanthiopists who might not be as uiawn to the iuea
because of a lack in those stiuctuial similaiities. By employing the "Cieative

18u
Campus" language stiategically, the vanueibilt founueis weie able to appeal to the
aitistic anu entiepieneuiial impulses that iesonateu with a majoi uonoi. As Teppei
(2uu9) acknowleugeu:
I think Bill was paiticulaily goou at helping Nike see how the piogiam
iepiesenteu soit of the tent poles of Nike's own life.. he's been inteiesteu in
soit of public leaueiship anu cieative enteipiise. So, I think the Cieative
Campus offeieu this oppoitunity, I mean if it was the 'Aits Campus,' . .

Cieating stiuctuial similaiity with impoitant constituents be it uonois, auuiences,
oi othei authoiizeis is one key way symbol manipulatois can ueploy the "Cieative
Campus" teiminology to theii uesiieu effects.
Not only have the vanueibilt founueis useu stiuctuial similaiity to fiame the
issue foi big uonois, they have also useu it to captuie the attention of othei
impoitant authoiizeis like the Boaiu of Tiustees. Buiing one Cieative Campus
piesentation, the founueis conuucteu the following expeiiment:
|Wej bioke the tiustees into thiee gioups anu . hau them inteiact with us
aiounu uiffeient aspects of cieativity . to ask, 'What aie the attiibutes of a
cieative peison.' Anu . you know, . this gioup of people just snappeu out
ieally a goou list of what they consiueieu to be the attiibutes of a cieative
peison (Ivey, 2uu9).

By appealing to the tiustee's innei cieative spiiits, the founuing team was able to
geneiate the stiuctuial similaiity capable of captuiing theii attention anu focusing
theii eneigies on the Cieative Campus Initiative theie.
The ability to cieate stiuctuial similaiity is impeiative in captuiing the
attention of the stuuent public, too. As one stuuent acknowleugeu the value of the
policy foimulation woik at vanueibilt, "|Ijnitially I thoughthonestly, I'm not
gonna lieI was like, '0h this is just policy talk; it's not gonna iesonate with me. I've

181
been out in the tienches.' I uon't know why I thought that" (Noigan, 2uu9). The
ability of the "Cieative Campus" language to geneiate such "iesonance" with uonois,
auministiatois, anu stuuents alike is one ieason the Cieative Campus piactitioneis
consistently use it to justify theii woik uuiing the policy foimulation phase.

The liteiatuie uoes iuentify iecombination as a thiiu methou of captuiing
public attention, but this mechanism was not utilizeu in the vanueibilt 0niveisity
case. Recombination, the iuea of coupling alieauy familiai elements in new
combinations, is one way to cieate a sense of inciemental as opposeu to wholesale
change (Kingdon, 2002, p. 210). While a name like "Cieative Campus" coulu combine
two alieauy familiai elementsthe aitscieativity anu the univeisity settingin a
new combination, painting a pictuie of inciemental change was not as necessaiy at
vanueibilt since theii top-uown implementation alieauy hau the suppoit of a majoi
uonoi anu the uppei auministiation.
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A seconu way to get an issue onto the institutional agenua is to link the cause
to the woiluviews oi themes that "uominate|j the political climate" at the time
(Cobb & Ross, 1997, p. 1S). At vanueibilt the public policy issues that weie salient to
the institution at the time of the Initiative's founuing weie: (i) piepaiation foi the
cieative economy anu the consequent neeu to change the euucational paiauigm, (ii)
civic engagement, (iii) to a lessei extent, the legitimatization of the aits, anu (iv) the

182
emeigent policy concein with pushing vanueibilt into the uppei echelon of
univeisities.
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G,*%$01)+$E <$($,1'/

At vanueibilt, the uominant institutional concein is the neeu foi a new
euucational anu cuiiiculai stanuaiu in light of the emeigent cieative economy.
Teppei acknowleugeu that theii use of the language of "Cieative Campus" is in pait
a iesponse to this institutional uiive because "it fits with the giowing ihetoiic anu
inteiest in the cieative economy" (Teppei, 2uu9). The Cieative Campus is seen by
the founueis as "a kinu of antiuote to some of the big challenges that highei
euucation is uealing with iight nowan antivenom" (Ivey, 2uu9). The "Cieative
Campus" language then is a linguistic symbol that the euucational paiauigm at
vanueibilt is going to be uiffeient. You aie not going to get a tiauitional univeisity
"campus" expeiience; insteau, the language signals that you will get something
newei anu bettei: a "cieative campus" euucation.
The vanueibilt founueis also useu this language to fiame theii policy
foimulation as a way to uistance it fiom the aits anu focus it on cuiiiculai conceins.
The Biiectoi of the Cuib Centei maintaineu, "|Ijt's so un-about ait leaining anu aits
euucation" (Ivey 2uu9). Insteau, the Cieative Campus at vanueibilt is about
"mak|ingj theii unueigiauuate expeiience opeiate foi them" (Ibiu). Ivey
acknowleugeu that one of the unueilying public puiposes to which they linkeu this
name label is piepaiation foi the cieative economy. Be noteu, "|Tjo the extent that
theie is a public puipose, it woulu be that unueigiauuates who can tempei aits anu

18S
sciences knowleuge with some measuie of cieative piactice skills will be bettei
citizens" (Ibiu).
Bowevei, using the language "Cieative Campus" leaves ioom foi otheis to
associate it with the aits, which is also a fiaming stiategy. As one stuuent
acknowleugeu, "|Ejven though it means uiffeient things at uiffeient places, it's kinu
of like '0h, theie's a ietuin to the aits anu a ietuin to exploiation, which is
necessaiy now because you can't majoi in one thing anu expect to have a job in it'"
(Noigan, 2uu9). So the language, while capable of not being tieu uown to aits
euucation, is also available to captuie the attention of stuuents who may want to
euucate theii cieative anu cieativeaitistic selves.
11" 7141% G+'$'2/2+0
Linking the Cieative Campus Initiative to civic engagement is an especially
impoitant fiaming stiategy because town-gown ielations (oi the inteiaction
between acauemics locateu on campus anu citizens locateu in the community
housing the univeisity) is an aiea in neeu of impiovement foi vanueibilt.
vanueibilt's uieek life has pioven to be one hinuiance to moie significant town-
gown inteiactions because it keeps stuuents out of Nashville piopei. As one
uppeiclassman acknowleugeu, "|Wje'ie ieally tiying to get the kius out into
Nashville. . I think the pioblem at most schools . |is thatj the bubble that is aiounu
college campuses anu eveiything is so self-containeu, especially heie because of the
fiateinity scene, which is massive" (Noigan, 2uu9).

184
The neeu to heal the tiauitional town-gown uiviue, exaceibateu by the uieek
scene at vanueibilt, was alieauy on the institutional agenua at vanueibilt. So,
linking the Cieative Campus Initiative to this paiticulai public policy maue a lot of
local sense. The foimei Chancelloi uoiuon uee "was ieally woiking veiy haiu to
iepaii that town anu gown. We hau been, foi many yeais, cloisteieu within oui
fences anu uiun't have a lot of outieach into the community" (Logiuuice, 2uu9).
111" B2'101/1P$01)+ ). 062 K(08
Even though the founueis at vanueibilt have been vocifeious about how
theii Cieative Campus Initiative is not about aits piesenting, if legitimatization of
the aits happens to be a siue effect of theii woik, then they aie not uiscounting that
potential public puipose as one of the justifying factois foi Cieative Campus. Notes
fiom one of vanueibilt's Cieative Campus Faculty Taskfoice meetings acknowleuges
this soit of siue-effect linkage:
Seveial TF |taskfoicej membeis noteu the impoitance of claiifying that this
was 'not about the aits.' 0theis felt that the aits have histoiically been
neglecteu at vanueibilt anu that the initiative, while peihaps not only about
the aits, shoulu place the aits at the centei of its plans (Taskfoice Ninutes,
Sept. 14, 2uu9).

This paiticulai linkage with the aits' legitimacy is especially salient foi the
local line leaueis at vanueibilt, who aie aits piactitioneis by tiaue. Nel Zieglei
acknowleugeu, " |Wjhat I'm inteiesteu in is how the aits can be taken seiiously. .
|Ejven though I uon't think, again, it's just about the aits, but I uo think it enables us
to soit of be iecognizeu as an equal" (Zieglei, 2uu9). Anothei local line leauei, }oEl
Logiuuice sees the linkage between Cieative Campus anu the public puipose of

18S
legitimizing the aits coming fiom the piogiam's institutional capacity to be a
ieseaich site. She explaineu:
|Wjhen you look at the sciences, anu you look at the aits, the lack of ieseaich
in teims of five yeais fiom now, ten yeais fiom now . I think theie neeus to
be moie ieseaich into the impact that it has on us, not just as peifoimeis but
as . ciitical thinkeis. So . we've set up a system foi someone now to come
in anu ieally uo the ieseaich, to ieally stuuy the impact that it's hau on these
stuuents (Logiuuice, 2uu9).

Even though this public puipose is not at the foiefiont of the founuei's
consciousness, it is still an institutionally-ielevant public puipose foi the Cieative
Campus anu one which the language allows it to link to.
While the local line leaueis have been the ones to iecognize the impoitance
of linking to this soit of seconu-oiuei institutional puipose, an inteinal netwoikei
also iecognizes Cieative Campus's ability to legitimize the aits, but not in the
tiauitional way emphasizeu by the local line leaueis. Insteau, Teppei sees the
Cieative Campus Initiative "pioviu|ingj a platfoim foi oui aits leaueis on campus to
become cential to an effoit to iefoim euucation at vanueibilt, which I think is moie
exciting foi them than just getting enough money to biing in one othei act oi to
impiove the facilities" (Teppei, 2uu9). In this sense, the founueis see Cieative
Campus pioviuing a new way foi aits leaueis to talk about the public value of the
aits on campus.
14" I62 "Ivy Itcb"
The vanueibilt uata ievealeu an emeigent institutional puipose, inheient to
the local contexta push to catapult vanueibilt into the uppei echelon of colleges
anu univeisitiesa uesiie I've teimeu "the Ivy itch." The founueis iecognize that

186
vanueibilt is in a stiiving phase, in which it is attempting to make the jump into this
uppei echelon of univeisities. Teppei commenteu, "vanueibilt is in this ieally
inteiesting time in its own giowth wheie we aie an aspiiing campus, iight. We'ie
moving up in the ianks" (Teppei, 2uu9). This sense of giowth cieates a unique
fiaming oppoitunity foi Cieative Campus woik. Be continueu, "|Sjo, it's a uynamic
place, as opposeu to institutions that aie in the top ten, who. feel like they kinu of
alieauy know what they aie as a campus. We aie still kinu of becoming. 0ui campus
is still becoming a national leauei" (Teppei, 2uu9). The founueis have fiameu the
Cieative Campus as one way to enable vanueibilt to "finu itself."
The founueis see the Cieative Campus as "one way to ieally set themselves
apait" (Logiuuice, 2uu9). 0ne of the inteinal netwoikeis acknowleugeu this
potential to move into this uppei echelon of schools by uistinguishing itself in some
way, saying:
|Tjheie's the Baivaius anu Stanfoius, anu theie's kinu of this movement
afoot by some of the top ten schools that vanueibilt is now consiueieu pait
of that topnot necessaiily top ten, but the stuuents that we'ie ieciuiting
now aie stuuents who aie also applying to Baivaiu, Stanfoiu, Buke (Long
Lingo, 2uu9).

In oiuei to keep public attention focuseu on theii woik, the founuing team has tiieu
to link the Cieative Campus to this institutional push. Long Lingo announceu, "So,
now pait of the stoiy that we weave is . if we want to be a top tiei institution how
can we uiffeientiate vanueibilt. It's by ieally taking this cieativity piece to the
foiefiont anu integiating it veiy ueeply" (Long Lingo, 2uu9).


187
By hitching the "Cieative Campus" language to tienuing institutional
puiposes like stuuent piepaieuness foi the cieative economy, civic engagement, anu
the "Ivy Itch," the Cieative Campus founueis at vanueibilt have been able to
successfully fiame the policy issue foi impoitant constituents. A uownplayeu,
though welcome, bypiouuct of this fiaming effoit is the potential of the "Cieative
Campus" language to simultaneously legitimize the aits fuithei while attenuing to
these institutional puiposes.
!!!" <)E1%C !/=E2/2+0$01)+ $0 @$+,2(>1E0 T+142(810C
K" I62 :1'+ =)0#%#%&Z J6$0 B$+'*$'2 18 :$C1+'
In oiuei to unueistanu what kinu of content the signifiei "Cieative
Campus" is communicating at vanueibilt 0niveisity, this thesis will (1) assess the
vaiious inputs into the categoiy; (2) look at what the local categoiical schema
contains; anu (S) biiefly compaie that local schema to see how it uiffeis fiom the
piototypical categoiy of a Cieative Campus. Even though, as one founuei put it, "the
bianu is cleaiei than the content," this tiipaitite analysis will begin to help us
unueistanu the paiameteis of meaning foi that teim at vanueibilt (BI).
S" !+=*08 1+0) 062 :1'+1.12, 7)+02+0
Theie aie two main souices of inputs into the signifieu content: (a) the
founueis' visions anu (b) the ensuing labeling contests. Buiing the policy
implementation phase, when cultuial entiepieneuis aie foiming a nascent
oiganization, the influence of each of the founuei's visions on the shape anu content
of the new ventuie is especially foimative. As one founuei iecognizeu, "|Ijt's

188
uefinitely peisonality uiiven in that theie aie stiong playeis iunning this machine,
anu hopefully we all put into place a stiong enough stiuctuie that lives on aftei
we've moveu on" (Logiuuice, 2uu9). Biveigences between the visions of chaiismatic
founueis can leau to in-gioup labeling contests, anu the iesulting oiganizational
stiuctuie can leau to out-gioup labeling contests with othei piactitioneis.
$" Founders' Visions
As Petei Senge (1996) obseiveu, theie aie multiple types of founueis in a
New cultuial enueavoi (p. 46). Each inuiviuual leauei will have a vision foi the
oiganization baseu out of the iole they aie playing in the founuation of it.
1" @181)+ ). 062 F)*+,1+' T==2( K,/1+180($01)+
The uppei auministiation at vanueibilt 0niveisity has backeu the Cieative
Campus iuea in an effoit to uiffeientiate vanueibilt anu give it a niche in the uppei
echelon of Ivy League schools. The leaueiship fiom the foimei Chancelloi, uoiuon
uee, uictateu a vision foi Cieative Campus that concentiateu on biinging an
alteinative bieeu of stuuent to vanueibilt. Accoiuing to one founuei, "When |ueej
aiiiveu on campus, he saiu, 'Ny goal is to see moie stuuents with pink haii anu
tattoos anu nose iings'" (Logiuuice, 2uu9).
11" @181)+8 ). 062 F)*+,1+' N)+)(; H1&2 7*(>; Y
I62 7*(> 72+02( N1(2%0)(; #1EE !42C

Nike Cuib is the piimaiy uonoi of the Cieative Campus Initiative at
vanueibilt 0niveisity, who sees the "Cieative Campus" teiminology signifying a life
in cieative entiepieneuiship. Nike "has hau a caieei paitly in what I woulu call
cieative entiepieneuiship. Be has a iecoiu company, beginning when he was 17 oi

189
18 yeais olu. . anu then also in goveinment . having seiveu as lieutenant
goveinoi of Califoinia" (Ivey, 2uu9). The founueis sought to give content to the
"Cieative Campus" signifiei by taking oiganizational cues fiom the vision of the
founuing uonoi. Bill Ivey explaineu that potential content, saying, "we coulu use the
Cieative Campus as an umbiella anu, unuei that, position a tiack foi
unueigiauuates in cieative entiepieneuiship anu public seivicekinu of combine
the tent poles of Nike's caieei" (Ibiu).
Bill Ivey's vision oveilaps with Nike Cuib's because Ivey, as the Biiectoi of
the Cuib Centei, was inteiesteu in expanuing the woik that the Cuib Centei coulu
uo in this aiea. To uo so, he was inteiesteu in finuing a "fit" between the content
they woulu give to a Cieative Campus Initiative anu the vision that the enabling
uonoi woulu have foi it.
Teppei sees vanueibilt's focus on cuiiiculai content being uiiectly ueiivative
of Nike Cuib's initial inteiest, which was "Bow can I be pait of a mastei's piogiam
that is piepaiing stuuents to woik in the music business.'" (Teppei, 2uu9). Teppei
explaineu that vanueibilt's Cieative Campus, in ieaction to this vision, is "centeiing
cieativity as the oiganizing piinciple foi how stuuents leain anu piepaie
themselves foi a woikfoice which will iequiie them to be cieative" (Ibiu).
Ni. Cuib's vision also lent content to the teim by pioviuing it with meaning
in the sense that vanueibilt's Cieative Campus is meant to be an institutional
mouelexample, a way to influence anu link to cieative woik on campuses othei
than vanueibilt's own. Ivey explaineu that Cuib "saw |Cieative Campusj as a way of

19u
linking these uiffeient entities that he'u given money to . fiom Cal State,
Noithiiuge, Rhoues College, to Baytona State in Floiiua" (Ivey, 2uu9).
111" @181)+8 ). :0242+ I2==2( $+, GE1P$>206 B)+'
B1+')

In auuition to the cuiiiculaientiepieneuiial content offeieu by Nike Cuib's
anu Bill Ivey's visions, the Cieative Campus at vanueibilt has also been shapeu by
the vision of scholais Steven Teppei anu Elizabeth Long Lingo. Theii peisonal
visions, too, aie ones focuseu on "the possibilities of the Cieative Campus concept to
ieshape how teaching anu leaining happens on college campuses" (Teppei, 2uu9).
As a sociologist, this shift in euucational paiauigms is something that Teppei coulu
veiy much take an acauemic appioach to. As someone who was integial to
spieauing the initial usage of the signifiei thiough his woik, concentiating on
teaching anu leaining, which is something not many Cieative Campus piogiams aie
uoing, also seems to be offeiing Teppei a way to ieclaim the language. In theii
positions as inteinal netwoikeis, conceineu with uiffusing new leainings, it makes
sense that both of theii visions foi the oiganization woulu be ones that aie set up to
geneiate a lot of new uata to stuuy.
14" @181)+ ). X)GE B)'1*,1%2
The vision that }oEl Logiuuice, as the Biiectoi of the Aits anu Cieative
Engagement at vanueibilt, biings to the teiminology is one veiy much iooteu in the
co-cuiiiculai peispective. Bei vision incluues giving the Cieative Campus content
that embiaces a "suppoit system" foi stuuents. She explaineu, "I mean, we can't
ieciuit them anu then thiow them on campus anu think, '0kay, they'ie going to

191
thiive. . Theie has to be the faculty in place, the cuiiiculum in place, the co-
cuiiiculai enu in place" (Logiuuice, 2uu9). This concein with having something "in
place" foi stuuents coulu explain why the eailiest content behinu the "Cieative
Campus" signifiei came in the foim of the Cieative Campus iesiuence hall that she
helpeu to speaiheau.
4" @181)+ ). H2E a12'E2(
The vision of Nel Zieglei, similai to }oEl Logiuuice, is iooteu in the
expeiience of stuuents on campus. Ni. Zieglei's vision foi a Cieative Campus is
composeu mostly of "happenings," which aie stageu events, gatheiings, etc. "that
cause people to kinu of pause anu pull themselves out of theii ioutines anu
challenge assumptions anu challenge uominant noims on campus anu so foith"
(Teppei, 2u1u).
Even though Zieglei is also the chaii of stuuio aits, aits auvocacy is not
incluueu at the foiefiont of his vision foi the Cieative Campus at vanueibilt. As
Teppei ielates about Zieglei, "he is moie 'pio-cieativity, uownplay the aits,' than M
am" (Teppei, 2uu9). Insteau, his piactice-baseu content foi the signifiei comes as a
function of Ni. Zieglei's peisonal expeitise. As Teppei notes, "|Ziegleij is the
woilu's expeit on happenings. It is his public ait. I mean, liteially, he's
inteinationally famous foi making things happen" (Teppei, 2u1u). So the content
that Ni. Zielgei is auuing to the teiminology at vanueibilt is one veiy much
concentiateu on causing people, especially stuuents, to think in a non-ioutine way.
While this content is complementaiy to the cuiiiculai vision of some of the othei

192
founueis, it uoes not completely oveilap because it is moie conceineu with
expeiience iathei than cuiiiculum.
>" B$>2E1+' 7)+02808
The vaiious visions of the founuing team membeis can leau to in-gioup
labeling contests foi Cieative Campus piactitioneis. Bowevei, such in-gioup
labeling contests weie not veiy pievalent in the vanueibilt case stuuy. Insteau, the
vaiious visions tenueu to complement one anothei anu give shape to a faiily
cohesive veision of what the signifieu content of the teim "Cieative Campus" shoulu
be at vanueibilt. 0f couise, since this iesulting content has enueu up being veiy
uiffeient than that among othei Cieative Campus piactitioneis at othei schools,
vanueibilt has expeiienceu out-gioup labeling contests.
The visions of executive leaueis like Nike Cuib anu Bill Ivey cieate a piogiam
that will be focuseu on euucating stuuents foi jobs in cieative entiepieneuiship. The
visions of inteinal netwoikeis like Steven Teppei anu Elizabeth Long Lingo inuicate
that the Cieative Campus will be focuseu on cuiiiculai change that fosteis such
piepaiation foi the cieative economy, simultaneously pioviuing fouuei foi fuithei
ieseaich. The visions of local line leaueis like }oEl Logiuuice anu Nel Zieglei aie
moie focuseu on piactice-baseu methous, but these local expeiiments like a Cieative
Campus iesiuence hall anu Cieative Campus happenings complement the cuiiiculai
focus with an expeiiential euucation that helps to achieve the same enus. Because
the visions of the founuing team membeis at vanueibilt weie uiffeient but not

19S
pulling in uiffeient uiiections, the phenomenon of in-gioup labeling contests was
not obseiveu.
Seveial of the founueis at vanueibilt have acknowleugeu the piesence of
out-gioup labeling contests thoughthe stiuggle to impose vanueibilt's signifieu
content on the signifiei "Cieative Campus" ovei othei campuses' content, such as
the 0niveisity of Alabama, Syiacuse 0niveisity, oi any numbei of APAP-funueu
Cieative Campus schools like 0NC Chapel Bill oi the 0hio State 0niveisity. Bill Ivey
sees these out-gioup labeling contests being among at least thiee "faiily uistinct"
factions (Ivey, 2uu9). Be explains that the fiist set of Cieative Campus piactitioneis,
talks about Cieative Campus in teims of .expanuing that kinu of |aits piesentingj
woik on campus, anu to an extent, making it moie meaningful" (Ibiu). This faction
comes laigely out of the funuing stieam of APAP, whose oiganizational focus is
piofessional aits piesenting.
A seconu faction iuentifieu by Ivey is "a thieau that giows out of something
calleu Imagining Ameiica," which is focuseu on the public humanities, wheie
Cieative Campus "is ieally about connecting campuses with the communities that
suiiounu them" (Ibiu). This linguistic schema is most noticeable in the content of
Syiacuse 0niveisity's Cieative Campus wheie Chancelloi Nancy Cantoi has been
instiumental in founuing the Imagining Ameiica Initiative.
vanueibilt's founueis see vanueibilt 0niveisity as setting up a thiiu faction
of Cieative Campus piactitioneis whose imposeu content is moie about "seiious
woik in cuiiiculum anu unueigiauuate stuuent uevelopment aiounu integiating

194
cieativity with main stieam unueigiauuatepiimaiily aits & scienceseuucation"
(Ibiu). The founueis see this cuiiiculai-focuseu content being a way "we uistinguish
ouiselves fiom some of the othei thieaus . that aie opeiating unuei the 'Cieative
Campus' bianu" (Ibiu). In juxtaposing theii local schema against otheis',
vanueibilt's founueis thought that using the signifiei solely in teims of aits
auvocacy seemeu to incluue "an element of oppoitunism" wheieas, "I tenu to think
of oui appioach as being a little moie seiious. We may not be successful in the enu,
but I think it's a little moie seiious" (Ibiu). The compaiative language useu by these
founueis shows that they iecognize the out-gioup labeling contests happening as
vaiious Cieative Campus piactitioneis woik to make theii signifieu content be what
"sticks" to the teiminology.
vanueibilt's ultimate success in this out-gioup labeling contest may uepenu
on theii ability to get moie significant funueis on boaiu. Teppei explains theii woik
with the Nellon Founuation on the topic initially iesulting in content that, like the
fiist faction, was moie heavily weighteu towaiu the aits piesenting veision of
Cieative Campus. Be saiu, "As long as Nellon was suppoiting it, it was tilteu towaiu
the aits because it was coming fiom theii aits piogiamming officeis" (Teppei,
2u1u).
Funuing anu othei iesouices often pioves influential in the outcome of
labeling contests. vanueibilt, of couise, wants to change the aits policy uiiection
influenceu by the Nellon Founuation's iesouices by offeiing up a uiffeient signifieu
content, but getting othei people on boaiu has pioven uifficult. Teppei saiu, "We

19S
tiieu to get Nellon to shift |Cieative Campusj ovei as a cioss-uisciplinaiy pioject
with theii euucation folks, who weien't inteiesteu" (Ibiu). vanueibilt's attempteu
contentfocuseu on ievamping cuiiiculai piacticebucks the tienu not only
among othei Cieative Campus piactitioneis but also among highei euucation
tiauitionalists, which may make theii fight in these out-gioup labeling contests even
haiuei. As Teppei acknowleugeu, "I think they saw Cieative Campus as a fau |thatj
uiun't fit with how Nellon thinks about theii selves as piotecting tiauition anu
highei euucation. So, you know we haven't been able to get it out of the gilueu
ghetto fiom any funueis' peispective" (Ibiu).
U" Tbe Local Categorical Scbema for tbe Term "Creative
Campus" at Vanderbilt University

The iesults of the input mechanisms, consisting of the founueis' visions anu
the in-gioup iuentity iesulting fiom theii out-gioup labeling contests, cieate a local
categoiical schema foi the signifiei "Cieative Campus." The local schema both
boiiows fiom anu uiveiges fiom the piototypical linguistic schema foi that woiu
constiuct. The naming liteiatuie holus that the use of a signifiei like "Cieative
Campus" activates a schema of abstiacteu anu shaieu attiibutes between the
piototypical veision of that teim anu its local vaiiants (Ashfoith & Bumphiey, 1997,
p. 4S). The main attiibutes compiising the local schema at vanueibilt incluue:
cuiiiculai uevelopment, campus-community connection thiough entiepieneuiial
seivice, aits enabling insteau of aits piesenting, a toleiance of failuie, anu a Cieative
Campus "twist." These main attiibutes of theii local schema allow them to fulfill
theii mission statement, which is "to ignite, illuminate anu nuituie cieative piactice

196
on campus" (Biaft Stiategy, Apiil 2u1u). The main attiibutes of the local schema aie
uiscusseu by tuin in subsections (a-g) below.
$" 7*((1%*E$( N242E)=/2+0
Cuiiiculai uevelopment is an emeigent tiait unique to the local schema of
vanueibilt's usage. It is not founu in the liteiatuie setting out the piototypical
attiibutes of a Cieative Campus. Even though it is a uiveigent aspect of vanueibilt's
Cieative Campus piactice, it is the one they have emphasizeu ovei all the othei
attiibutes in theii local schema. As Biiectoi of the Cieative Campus Initiative, Bi.
Long Lingo, asseits, "a giowing cohoit of campus leaueis is viewing the 'cieative
campus' as the key to highei-eu iefoim" (Long Lingo, Biaft Aiticle, 2u1u). Cuiiiculai
uevelopment to teach cieativity to unueigiauuates is the hallmaik of vanueibilt's
Cieative Campus Initiative. To them, "Cieative Campus" means a "bioauei ciitique
of highei euucation" (Long Lingo, 2uu9).
Theii cuiiiculai content is compiiseu of foui oveiaiching themes: cieative
pioblem solving, cieative happenings, cieative conveisations, anu cieative lives
(Teppei, PoweiPoint, 2u1u). The founueis have ueviseu couisewoik anu
extiacuiiiculai activities to cooiuinate with each of these foui themes foi theii Cuib
Scholais. Long Lingo elaboiateu on some of the possible content foi this laigely
extiacuiiiculai, foui-yeai scholaiship tiack, saying:
|0jvei the 4 yeai aic, I'm tiying to cieate intentionality. . The stuuents aie
always getting people fiom uiffeient genies, oi uisciplines anu uiffeient kinu
of spheies of influence. It coulu be a mayoi oi it coulu be Al uoie. . So that,
at the enu of foui yeais, they'll have this sense of the bioau set of uecision
points anu all these ue facto policymakeis who aie shaping oui cultuial
system (Long Lingo, 2uu9).

197

These scholais get the most intense, immeisive Cieative Campus expeiience at
vanueibilt, but non-Scholais stuuents can paiticipate in the Cieative Campus in a
vaiiety of ways. Some paiticipate in the Cieative Campus iesiuence hall. 0theis
paiticipate as a Cieative Campus Catalyst, a gioup consisting of anyone seeking out
a place to live that expiessive life at vanueibilt, be it stuuents, faculty, oi staff.
The cuiiiculai component is integial to implementation of the Cieative
Campus at vanueibilt because it is one of the "eveigieen" infiastiuctuies that the
founueis have set up to peipetuate Cieative Campus activity theie. Teppei explains,
"it seems to us that if you get a coie gioup of faculty willing to teach these couises. .
We get stuuents eniolleuif we uo nothing else, that will continuously seeu activity
foi the iest of the campus" (Teppei, 2u1u).
This cuiiiculai focus uefines the Cieative Campus piactice all acioss
vanueibilt, even in the Cieative Campus iesiuence hall, which is totally co-
cuiiiculai. The Cieative Campus iesiuence uiiectoi, }oEl Logiuuice aumitteu this
influence, saying, "we'ie ieally using the Cuib Centei scholaishipthat foui yeai
plan|toj help mouel oui plan" (Logiuuice, 2uu9).
The founueis have even cieateu infiastiuctuie that will effectively keep this
attiibute as the uominant attiibute in vanueibilt's local schema by fashioning the
Cieative Campus faculty taskfoice, which is taskeu, "in pait, . |withj helping us
think about the cuiiiculum" (ML&:B). This infiastiuctuie has affecteu the oiuei of
implementation, which also impaits content on the signifiei. At vanueibilt,
implementation is "staiting with the scholai anu cuiiiculum issue. We'ie going to

198
move to piogiamming next" (Teppei, 2uu9). This oiuei of opeiations shapes the
content behinu a name label, giving most emphasis to cuiiiculai uevelopment.
>" 7$/=*8R7)//*+10C 7)++2%01)+ I6()*'6
G+0(2=(2+2*(1$E :2(41%2

A seconu chaiacteiistic notable in the vanueibilt schema is an emphasis on
campus-community connections thiough entiepieneuiial seivice. This seivice
component is a function of the Cieative Campus's location in the Cuib Centei foi Ait,
Enteipiise, anu Public Policy, which has, as one of its coie piinciples, a stiong
emphasis on cieative enteipiise. Long Lingo explaineu this aspect of the Cieative
Campus Initiative at vanueibilt when she uesciibeu Cieative Campus as something
that woulu "give you insight into leaueiship, entiepieneuiship in some kinu of
cieative uomain, but with a public seivice component of it oi public seivice element
to that" (Long Lingo, 2uu9).
This sense of Cieative Campus biiuging into the community is impoitant to
the stuuent bouy at vanueibilt as well. 0ne iising senioi saiu of the newly emeiging
Cieative Campus, "I see it as a way of like getting community membeis on campus oi
Cuib Scholais off campus" (Noigan, 2uu9). The founueis see this biiuging
happening piimaiily thiough seivice anu aie even instituting a Cieative Campus
seivice iequiiement into the Cuib Scholais piogiam (Cuib Scholai Piogiam
Besciiption).
Apait fiom the seivice iequiiement, anothei stiuctuial mechanism thiough
which the founueis have emphasizeu this categoiical tiait is the institution of "an
inteinship between the thiiu anu fouith yeai. We know that it will have something

199
to uo with eithei goveinment seivice . oi |thej aits inuustiy" (Ivey 2uu9). The
inteinship will iequiie Cieative Campus paiticipants to put theii knowleuge anu
passion into action in an actual community.
%" K(08RG+$>E1+' !+802$, ). K(08 <(282+01+'
While the founueis at vanueibilt have univeisally maintaineu that aits
piesenting is not one of the cential chaiacteiistics in theii local schema, the aits
cannot be sepaiateu out fiom the Cieative Campus enueavoi entiiely. Teppei
asseits, "This is not an aits initiative. . This is not about getting moie kius to the
aits. Peiiou" (Teppei, 2uu9). Bowevei, he tempeieu that statement with a belief
that "the aits aie . hanumaiuens oi catalysts foi the woik we aie tiying to uo"
(Teppei, 2uu9). While the Cieative Campus at vanueibilt uoes not signify an aits
content uiiectly, the fact the aits play this "hanumaiuen" oi "catalyst" iole
guaiantees that signifieu content of the "Cieative Campus" teim theie will at least
enable the aits.
If the Cieative Campus at vanueibilt is successful in biinging attention anu
iesouices to the aits, then that is a welcome siue-effect but is not a cential featuie of
what the linguistic categoiy contains at vanueibilt. Teppei explaineu why the aits
content has been pusheu to the peiipheiy of the teim theie:
Pioviuing |stuuentsj with . inteiesting aits expeiiences is a seconuaiy
benefitvaluablebut that is not what piovosts anu ueans aie waking up,
saying, "You know, if oui stuuents uon't get to see a Bioauway show in theii
foui yeais, then we have faileu them." But they $"# saying, "If oui stuuents
aie not euucateu foi the 21
st
centuiy, then we've faileu them" (Teppei, 2uu9).


2uu
Even though a lot of the giounu-level piogiamming has incluueu aits-baseu events
like a night with violinist Baniel Beinaiu Roumain, one of the local line leaueis,
claiifieu, "if it's all about soit of enteitainment, I mean I think we've misseu the
point" (Zieglei, 2uu9).
Bowevei, vanueibilt's insistence that Cieative Campus is not about aits
auvocacy oi aits piesenting uoes not mean that the Cieative Campus's essential
featuies uo not incluue an aits-enabling aspect. Zieglei iecognizes this natuial siue
effect of Cieative Campus woik, saying that when you see that "Cieative Campus"
signifiei, "immeuiately you think of |aitj, anu I woulu hope that we can get out of
that. That's not to say that it uoesn't involve those things" (Zieglei, 2uu9).
The founueis see this chaiacteiistic of the categoiy being stiategic as fai as
gaineiing iesouices. They see aits piesenting as "the uefault assumption about"
Cieative Campus among most people (Ivey, 2uu9). They want to "tamp that uown
because," as one founuei put it, "I know fiom my expeiience with the NEA that a
tiauitional aits mouel is veiy squishy fiom an euucational policy peispective. In
othei woiusaits aie seen as an amenity" (Ivey, 2uu9).
Peihaps one of the ieasons vanueibilt's Cieative Campus is able to
ueemphasize aits piesenting in its categoiical schema is that vanueibilt 0niveisity
alieauy hau the Aits at vanueibilt, a piofessional piesenting piogiam on campus.
Thus this neeu was not as gieat foi them, leaving ioom foi the founueis to uownplay
aits piesenting, while still keeping an aits-enabling function on the table, in theii
local schema.

2u1
," :0*,2+0 <$(01%1=$01)+^G/=)52(/2+0
Stuuent paiticipation anu empoweiment is a featuie of the vanueibilt
categoiical schema in the objective, moie so than in the subjective, sense.
vanueibilt's foimulation phase involveu veiy few stuuent leaueis who weie making
policy uecisions about how the Cieative Campus woulu be stiuctuieu anu peifoim.
Insteau, the Cieative Campus was conceiveu moie of a beneficent foice that woulu
act upon them, iefoiming theii euucational expeiience, anu teaching them cieative
skills. Buiing implementation, the founueis have expiesseu a uesiie to give stuuents
a bit moie agency within the Cieative Campus stiuctuie. Teppei acknowleugeu this
uesiie, saying, "But we also want the stuuents to help us builu this, iight. So, we
want to iemain ieasonably flexible anu not tiy anu envision what they want. ..
What we'ie hoping is that all of those kius see themselves as cuiating the Cieative
Campus" (Teppei, 2uu9). Stuuents will be empoweieu as "cuiatois" at vanueibilt,
chaigeu with fleshing out the bouy of Cieative Campus woik even if they hau no
pait in constiucting its skeleton.
2" I)E2($+%2 ). F$1E*(2
In line with the iuea of stuuents "cuiating" the Cieative Campus at vanueibilt
is anothei featuie of theii categoiical schemaa toleiance of failuie. 0ne stuuent
uesciibeu Cieative Campus as a space wheie stuuents can go to "exploie things anu
leain how to stait aitistic enteipiises without woiiying that failuie means you aie
not going to have a job, you aie not going to suppoit youi family, . |oij pay youi

2u2
bills" (Noigan, 2uu9). Teppei has uubbeu it an "unsafe haven . a haven of iisk anu
iewaiu" (Teppei, 2uu9).
The poition of Cieative Campus piogiamming locateu in iesiuential life is
especially able to emphasize this facet of Cieative Campus's schema. As one local
line leauei, }oEl Logiuuice saiu, we'ie "in an iueal setting in that we'ie co-cuiiiculai.
So, we can ieally push the iisk taking" (Logiuuice, 2uu9).
." !+%E*8142 N2.1+101)+ ). 7(2$01410C
Because vanueibilt's categoiical schema has ue-emphasizeu the aits
piesenting tiait, it has hau to incoipoiate a bioauei, moie inclusive uefinition of
what cieativity is. As one local line leauei commenteu, "to me, cieativity ciosses all
uisciplines" (Zieglei, 2uu9). 0ne way the founueis have tiieu to captuie this
inclusive uefinitional tiait is in the way they implementeu the ieciuitment of theii
initial cohoit of Cuib Scholais anu iesiuents. Logiuuice commenteu on the uiveisity
in the stuuents' backgiounus being one factoi that has helpeu theii local categoiical
schema ieflect an inclusive uefinition of cieativity. She saiu, "we have a veiy bioau
|cohoitj, fiom pie-meu to engineeiing, to ieligion, psychology. So, iight theie, you'ie
going to have that inteisection of the sciences anu aits. So, the fiist initial step was
this pool of stuuents" (Logiuuice, 2uu9). Anothei stiuctuial piece of vanueibilt's
implementation has contiibuteu to this categoiical tiait's piominence. Logiuuice
explains, "The seconu step was to put into place faculty membeis who also
iepiesenteu that uiveisity. So, oui faculty associates will be mentois to these
stuuents" (Ibiu).

2uS
'" Tbe Creative Campus "Twist"
A local tiait inheient at vanueibilt is the iuea of a "twist." The founueis say
that the label shoulu signify to the vanueibilt community "that it's not going to be
quite youi stanuaiu . 'sit in youi seat anu be static'" kinu of event oi piogiam
(Ibiu). In attempting to uesciibe this uiffeientiating quality, one of the inteinal
netwoikeis kept using the teim "cool" to uefine the content of the Cieative Campus
label. Teppei ielateu, "I think what we'ie committeu to is making all of these
expeiiences that have the 'Cieative Campus' cache as cool anu as engaging as they
can be. We uo .-% want this to be just a buffet" (Teppei, 2uu9).
Peihaps one way to achieve this twist oi "cool factoi" is thiough intia-
campus collaboiation. 0ne of the local line leaueis saiu that the "Cieative Campus"
label woulu "imply that . we'ie appioaching this fiom vaiious uisciplines"
(Logiuuice, 2uu9). While the founueis at vanueibilt uiu not heavily emphasize
intiacampus collaboiations oi inteiuisciplinaiity as a sepaiate featuie that they
weie being paiticulaily minuful of uuiing implementation, it uiu come up as a way
to cieate this ceitain image of the teim "Cieative Campus" when that name was useu
to label events anu piogiams on campus.
V" 7)/=$(18)+ 0) 3062( :%62/$8
Linguistically, the teim "Cieative Campus" comes to have meaning baseu
on the inteiplay between the content of the (a) piototypical schema anu the content
of the (b) vaiious othei local schemas.


2u4
$" 7)/=$(18)+ 0) 062 <()0)0C=1%$E :%62/$
As analyzeu in Paits III(A)(2)(i-vi) above, the local schema at vanueibilt
0niveisity has most of the tiaits that the piototypical categoiy uoes, signifying a
significant oveilap theie with tiaits like: campus-community connection, toleiance
of failuie, anu an inclusive uefinition of cieativity. Bowevei, the vanueibilt schema
also uiveiges fiom this piototypical coie in impoitant ways as well.
The most ciitical way that it uiveiges is with its emphasis on cuiiiculai
change. vanueibilt's foimulation anu implementation has maue this chaiacteiistic
the most significant tiait in theii local schema, anu it is a tiait missing fiom the
piototypical schema. This impoitant uiveigence makes the Cieative Campus at
vanueibilt somewhat of an outliei in teims of the "family" of schemas giving content
to that signifiei.
Seconuly, while vanueibilt emphasizes campus-community connections to
fostei civic engagement, just like the piototypical mouel uoes, the founueis envision
this connection happening thiough a seivice component. The piototypical mouel
envisions campus-community connections being fosteieu as a iesult of aits
paiticipation. So, while this local tiait is not a uiveigence in enu, it is a uiveigence in
means.
>" 7)/=$(18)+ 0) 3062( B)%$E :%62/$8
The inteiplay between Cieative Campus piactitioneis anu the out-gioup
labeling contests that ensue iesult in a geneiative tension. This pulling anu pushing

2uS
between anu among local schemas against each othei anu the piototypical schema
gives content to the signifiei "Cieative Campus" at laige.
0ne of vanueibilt's majoi uiveigences is the ue-emphasis of aits piesenting.
A gioup of local schemas has giown up out of the APAP Cieative Campus
Innovations uiants piogiam, which gives giant money to Cieative Campus piojects
that have, as the cential featuie of theii schema, aits piesenting. A piactical
iepeicussion of vanueibilt's shift away fiom aits piesenting is that this stieam of
money is unavailable to it. 0f couise, with a majoi uonoi like Nike Cuib, vanueibilt
has hau the fieeuom to cieate this new categoiical content. vanueibilt also has some
leeway in teims of infiastiuctuie to be able to focus theii Cieative Campus activity
on cieative leaining insteau of aits piesenting because vanueibilt alieauy hau a
piofessional piesentei. This uiveigence, howevei, uoes iesult in a significant
labeling contest between vanueibilt's Cieative Campus anu the many Cieative
Campus piogiams that have been seeueu thiough APAP anu the Boiis Buke
Founuation.
A uissonance also exists between the local schema at vanueibilt anu the local
schema at Alabama in teims of the stuuent paiticipation tiait. The founuing of the
Cieative Campus at Alabama geneiateu a local schema that gave stuuents a lot moie
agency anu subjectivity as fai as shaping what the Cieative Campus woulu look like
theie. vanueibilt's foim of stuuent paiticipation thiough cuiating takes a lot of this
powei out of the stuuent expeiience.


2u6
vanueibilt's founueis aie in a unique situation as some of the fiist useis of
the name in teims of the acauemic uialogue anu theii late entiance as some of the
newei useis of the name in teims of actual piactice. This situation, fiist, gives them
a high uegiee of owneiship in the language, anu, seconu, pioviues them a lot of piioi
examples to stiategize against. So, it is unsuipiising, given this situation, that
vanueibilt's local schema uemonstiates a highei uegiee of uiveigence fiom the
piototypical mouel than the local schema at the 0niveisity of Alabama uoes.
#" I62 :1'+ #*1E,1+'Z J6$0 B$+'*$'2 18 N)1+'
Analyzing the content of the uefinitional schemas behinu a signifiei can
ieveal what the language is saying at any paiticulai locale, but cultuial
entiepieneuis shoulu also be inteiesteu in how the language can actively function
uuiing the policy implementation piocess. The functionality of the teiminology
"Cieative Campus" uuiing implementation is especially poignant (1) when choosing
a signifiei with which to label the oiganizational enueavoi, anu (2) when that label
choice iesults in piactical consequences foi implementation.
Implementation takes time, uuiing the length of which cultuial
entiepieneuis utilize the naming language foi a vaiiety of puiposes. As one founuei
at vanueibilt noteu, "I'm wanting to see things move at a much quickei pace, but
that's been my biggest obstacleis iecognizing we'ie not going to implement this in
a month. It's going to take six months. It's going to take a yeai" (Logiuuice, 2uu9).



2u7
S" 76))81+' 062 :1'+1.12(
Choosing a common naming stiategythat is, labeling one's oiganization
with a signifiei that is alieauy being useu by otheiscan iesult fiom seveial
uiffeient factois: (a) the seaich foi optimal uistinctiveness, (b) banuwagon
piessuies on naming, anu (c) political anu stiategic motivations.
$" 3=01/$E N1801+%0142+288
0ptimal uistinctiveness is that push-pull tension between the built-in
legitimacy offeieu by a (i) symbolically isomoiphic name anu the uistinctive novelty
offeieu by a (ii) competitively uiffeientiateu name (Glynn & Abzug, 1998, p. 109).
Cultuial entiepieneuis who aie seeking to establish innovative new piogiams have
to weigh both of these contenuing foices, stiiving foi optimal uistinctiveness, when
ueciuing what to name theii new enteipiises.
At vanueibilt, the founuing team ueciueu to go with a symbolically
isomoiphic stiategythat is, they chose to use a common naming stiategy with
othei Cieative Campus piactitioneis. This section exploies why the founueis went
with that signifiei choice.
1" :C/>)E1% !8)/)(=618/
Symbolic isomoiphism is the tenuency to choose a signifiei that is alieauy
being useu by anothei piactitionei oi institution that came befoie you in oiuei to
cash in on the legitimacy anu unueistanuability that they have built up (Glynn &
Abzug, 2002, p. 267). Vanderbilt`s name choice was symbolically isomorphic both with

2u8
the literature the Iounders` helped to spawn and with the programmatic Creative Campus
organizations that had popped up at various universities in the meantime.
The two central beneIits oI symbolic isomorphismincieaseu legitimacy anu
enhanceu unueistanuabilityweie not motivating factois foi the founueis in
choosing a name label.
Theie was no eviuence among the vanueibilt founueis that a neeu foi instant
legitimacy was pait of the motivation behinu choosing a symbolically isomoiphic
name foi theii piogiam. Baving uppei auministiation suppoit anu a committeu
uonoi lesseneu the neeu to use a naming stiategy to gain quick legitimacy. So the
fact that symbolic isomoiphism legitimates was not a paiticulaily poignant uecision
point in choosing a label foi them.
Seconuly, theie was no eviuence in the vanueibilt case stuuy that
the benefit of enhanceu unueistanuability was something that maue the
symbolically isomoiphic name attiactive. Insteau, vanueibilt's founueis ieally weie
pushing $4$&.,% the unueistanuing of what "Cieative Campus" meant accoiuing to
othei schools' local schemas.
11" 7)/=2010142 N1..2(2+01$01)+
These benefits, which weie cleaily not influential to the vanueibilt founuing
team, hau to be weigheu against the alluie of choosing a competitively uiffeientiateu
name. Competitive uiffeientiation leaus cultuial entiepieneuis to choose signifieis
that aie completely uiffeient than any in cuiient usage. Bowevei, the vanueibilt

2u9
founueis cleaily uiu not choose a competitive uiffeientiation stiategy because they
pickeu up the common naming language of "Cieative Campus."

The vanueibilt founueis felt that they hau theii best chance at optimal
uistinctiveness in choosing a signifiei that was alieauy being put into usage by
piactitioneis. Even though the main benefits, accoiuing to the liteiatuie, of symbolic
isomoiphism weie not heavy uecision factois foi the founueis at vanueibilt, they
still chose symbolic isomoiphism ovei competitive uiffeientiation in theii naming
stiategy. The liteiatuie iuentifies at least two othei possible explanations foi why
this name choice occuiieu: banuwagon piessuie oi politicalstiategic piessuie.
>" #$+,5$')+ <(288*(28 )+ L$/2 76)1%2
Even though the liteiatuie theoiizes anothei potential explanation foi a
common naming choicesbanuwagon piessuieseviuence of that factoi on label
choice was not piesent in the vanueibilt case eithei. The inuiviuual "banuwagon
piessuies" aie the spillovei effectthe appeal of iepeating pioven, successful
foimulasanu the thieat of lost legitimacy.
vanueibilt's name choice cannot be ieauily explaineu because of spillovei.
The vanueibilt founueis spent a lot of time talking about how they wanteu to cieate
a new mouel foi Cieative Campus. They spent a lot of time uistinguishing theii
vision, one focuseu on cuiiiculai change, fiom a lot of the othei Cieative Campus
piogiams focuseu on aits piesenting, aits integiation anu aits auvocacy. It was veiy

21u
cleai that vanueibilt was not looking to iepeat a successful foimula mostly because
they saw piioi foimulations of Cieative Campus as +.successful.
Seconuly, as uiscusseu pieviously, the vanueibilt founueis uiu not feai the
thieat of lost legitimacy. Since they uiu not view othei iteiations of Cieative Campus
as successful mouels, they weie not thieateneu by a potential lost ieputation foi
failing to linguistically associate with those piioi opeiations. Insteau, the vanueibilt
founueis weie afiaiu that the bianu &%,#26 woulu lose legitimacy if they uiu not take
it up anu giaft theii own content onto it. Thus, they have been woiking to "uevelop
the Cieative Campus bianuing stiategy anu website" (Biaft Stiategy foi the Cieative
Campus Biscoveiy Piocess, S, Apiil 2u1u).
Thus, banuwagon piessuies cannot auequately explain the choice of the
signifiei "Cieative Campus" to name the institutional piogiam at laige. Bowevei, the
liteiatuie pioviues a few moie theoiies that explain the stiategies of signifiei choice
that aie applicable to the founuing team membeis at vanueibilt.
%" I62 G..2%08 ). <)E101%8 $+, :0($02'C )+ :1'+1.12( 76)1%2
The liteiatuie suggests that politico-stiategic foices can also affect the choice
of a name label anu explain a common naming choice. The liteiatuie pieuicts thiee
main types of political anu stiategic influences on name choice: (i) the foice of
agency, (ii) the foice of competitive uynamics, anu (iii) the foice of stiategic
peisistence. Each of these phenomena is manifesteu in the vanueibilt case anu
successfully explains its auoption of the "Cieative Campus" name label wheie
optimal uistinctiveness anu banuwagon piessuies coulu not.

211
1" K'2+%C
Choosing an oiganizational name is an act of agency that is useu to piomote a
stiategic enu (Glynn & Abzug, 2002, p. 267). In the vanueibilt case, the choice of the
signifiei "Cieative Campus" aiose uue to both stiategic agency conceins anu
peisonal agency conceins.
vanueibilt chose the name label, "Cieative Campus," as a stiategic uecision
because people iesponu positively to the name. It uiu not mattei to the founueis
that othei univeisities weie using it uiffeiently. The fact that "Cieative Campus," as a
linguistic tuin of phiase, coulu uiaw positive piess was the telling factoi. The
vanueibilt founueis took it up because it was a politically sounu uecision to uo so.
Bill Ivey explaineu the sense of agency that a stiategic choice of title can pioviue by
compaiing it to the choice of name label foi an initiative he instituteu at the National
Enuowment foi the Aits, the Challenge Ameiica piogiam. Ivey (2uu9) saiu:
Paitly you pick things |labelsj because they sounu like they mean something.
I mean when I was the Chaiiman of the National Enuowment foi the Aits, I
came up with an initiative calleu Challenge Ameiica, which became veiy
populai with Congiess, anu it stayeu in the appiopiiations bill foi the agency
foui oi five yeais aftei I left. It's a meaningless phiase. But . it's political
language.

"Cieative Campus," likewise, is political language that people iesponu to anu that
founueis can employ to gain a sense of stiategic agency fiom that iesponse. So, even
though the vanueibilt founueis weie not conceineu with losing legitimacy fiom
symbolic isomoiphic piactice, they weie conceineu with losing the sense of agency
that such goou political language can caiiy.

212
A sense of peisonal agency on the pait of founuei, Steven Teppei, also
explains the choice of signifiei at vanueibilt. Buman beings feel owneiship ovei
things, be they ieal oi intellectual piopeity, anu have stiong impulses to asseit
contiol ovei those things. Teppei explains his sense of owneiship ovei the "Cieative
Campus" language, saying, "I uiun't come up with it, but I soit of populaiizeu it in my
wiiting" (Teppei, 2u1u). Bis piopeitieu kinship to the acauemic heiitage of the
Cieative Campus movement pioviueu him with a "stake" in how that language
comes to function in the cultuie of highei euucation. Be ielateu, "I feel like . people
associate me with it. So, foi me, it just seems like a no-biainei that whatevei we uiu
heie woulu have that nomenclatuie" (Teppei, 2uu9). So, the cult of acauemic
celebiity, in its way, maue the sense of peisonal agency so stiong that it maue the
choice of the "Cieative Campus" signifiei an inevitable eventuality. The sense of
peisonal agency is not just peisonal to Teppei eithei, but othei founueis at
vanueibilt iecognize the influence of peisonal agency on that name choice. Long
Lingo saiu, "It's just natuial that we use the Cieative Campus teim, . I woulu say
piimaiily just because that's been the teim that Steven biought to life" (Long Lingo,
2uu9). uiven this stiong sense of peisonal agency anu owneiship ovei the language,
this politico-peisonal uiive is one of the stiongei explanations foi the signifiei
choice at vanueibilt.




21S
11" 7)/=2010142 NC+$/1%8
The peisonal agency concein, uiiven by a sense of owneiship ovei the
language, which leaus to a common naming choice also uiives competitive uynamics
because it gioups an oiganization with othei similaily-nameu enteipiises wheiein
natuial compaiisons anu tensions follow. It follows natuially that a sense of
peisonal agency woulu leau Teppei to choose "Cieative Campus" to name the
opeiational piogiam at vanueibilt because that piogiam woulu give him entie to
the labeling contests foi that language. vanueibilt's Cieative Campus piogiam
pioviues him, anu the othei founueis, a platfoim to tiy anu make theii content stick.
Plus, vanueibilt's founueis also felt that they hau a slight auvantage in this
competition. Ivey explains that Teppei's "cooiuinating woik with the Ameiican
Assembly, anu then the piece that he wiote that was publisheu in the !<"-.&02# -6
>&4<#" I:+0$%&-. . gave us a bit of a leg up on the entiie movement, just a little bit
aheau of othei people who weie woiking on it" (Ivey, 2uu9). The feeling of peisonal
owneiship coupleu with the competitive uiive to entei into labeling contests ovei
that language heavily influenceu a common naming uecision.
111" :0($02'1% <2(81802+%2
Stiategic peisistence as it ielates to a name choice is just the "tenuency to
maintain the uiiection anu emphasis of piioi choices anu actions in cuiient
behavioi" (Chuang & Baum, 2uuS, p. SS). Changing the language is something the
founueis have giappleu with anu ultimately ueciueu not to uo, laigely owing to this

214
sense of stiategic peisistence. They noteu the impetus to change teiminology,
saying:
In thinking about the woiu "cieative," theie was some concein that this teim
might not appeal to eveiyone. Peihaps we shoulu think about "innovation"
anu "pioblem solving" as complementsfoi some stuuents, like pie-meu
stuuents, innovation might be moie appealing anu moie inviting than
"cieativity" as a coie concept (Sept .14, 2uu9 Neeting Ninutes).

Bowevei, the founueis have not stiayeu away fiom using "Cieative Campus" as the
labeling language because they have alieauy maue piioi choices to use it.
The stiategic peisistence staiteu at vanueibilt uating back to Steven
Teppei's oiiginal aiticle in the !<"-.&02#. Evei since that name came into usage,
theie has been an impetus at vanueibilt to stay the couise. This impetus has only
been heighteneu since the oiganizational embouiment of that iuea has been
foiming. Buiing implementation, the founueis at vanueibilt have useu that
teiminology to chiisten seveial uiffeient bouies, incluuing: the main Cieative
Campus Initiative, houseu in the Cuib Centei; the Cieative Campus faculty taskfoice,
which has been integial to the cuiiiculai component that is so emphasizeu in theii
local schema; the Cieative Campus iesiuential hall, that has been cential in
integiating Cieative Campus into the extiacuiiiculai life of vanueibilt stuuents; anu
the Cieative Campus Coips, a moie loose association of potentially inteiesteu
playeis at vanueibilt anu the bouy thiough which the founueis have been able to
keep the aits constituencies such as the piofessional piesenteis insiue the Cieative
Campus "loop."


21S
U" 7)+82`*2+%28 ). B$>2E 76)1%2
Label choices mattei because theie aie piactical consequences that come
along with this linguistic uecision. Some of the common consequences of a label
choice iuentifieu in the liteiatuie anu piesent in the vanueibilt case stuuy aie: (a)
unueistanuability, (b) consensus, anu (c) contiol.
$" G+6$+%1+' T+,2(80$+,$>1E10C
The liteiatuie instiucts that labels can enhance unueistanuability in two
majoi ways: (i) by uistilling complexities anu (ii) thiough the lexicality effect. The
case stuuy at vanueibilt ievealeu both of these mechanisms at woik, though not
always in the ways pieuicteu by the liteiatuie.
1" N1801EE$01)+ ). 7)/=E2O10128
Effective labels 'distill a complex and perhaps contradictory array oI data into
concise and coherent packages (AshIorth & Humphrey, 1997, p. 43). Teppei asseits
that "Cieative Campus" is "a stiong bianu. I think people will iesponu to it" (Teppei,
2u1u). Pait of what makes "Cieative Campus" a stiong bianu that people iesponu to
is its ability to uistill complex policy iueason euucation, on aitsinto something
familiai anu cognizable. It is "political language," as Ivey noteu, because it simplifies
issues in a way that can motivate action aiounu a cause.
11" B2O1%$E10C G..2%0
The lexicality effect enhances unueistanuing because it is the effect on
cognitive piocessing causeu by the use of a signifiei composeu of ieal woius that
alieauy contain cultuial uefinitions (Glynn & Marquis, 2007, p. 18). This lexicality

216
eIIect was even noticed in the planning stages oI the Creative Campus at Vanderbilt,
among the Iaculty taskIorce. The task Iorce 'began by questioning the two teims that
make up the cieative campus ("cieative" anu "campus.")" (Notes fiom Task Foice
Neeting, Sept. 14, 2uu9). Because both of these woius aie woius alieauy familiai to
the English language anu imbueu with cultuial content, the lexicality effect allows
those paities involveu in implementation at vanueibilt to bettei unueistanu theii
woik.
>" #*1E,1+' 7)+82+8*8
Anothei consequence of label choice is that the language of a label can
function to builu consensus foi the new enueavoi. The liteiatuie instiucts that a
label can builu consensus in at least two ways: (i) by being ambiguous anu (ii) by
expanuing minushaie. Both of these phenomena weie piesent in the vanueibilt
case.
1" @1$ $/>1'*10C
While on the one hanu, labels enhance unueistanuing, on the othei, they can
builu consensus because, while unueistanuable, they aie also ambiguous anu allow
foi multiple types of people to get on boaiu. The ability foi the name "Cieative
Campus" to be slightly ambiguous was one of the most impoitant consequences foi
choosing that label at vanueibilt. The Biiectoi of the Cieative Campus Initiative
commenteu, "I think 'cieativity' is . a wonueiful teim because lots of people can
hang theii hats on it" (Long Lingo, 2uu9). Teppei acknowleugeu the ability foi this
ambiguity to be engaging to multiple auuiences anu authoiizeis, saying, "a lot of

217
people can associate that |teiminologyj with whatevei they want to. . '|Cjieativity'
means a lot of uiffeient things, but it's an inclusive teim. It uoesn't have the same
baggage as the woiu 'ait' uoes oi the woiu 'cultuie'" (Teppei, 2uu9).
11" @1$ GO=$+,1+' H1+,86$(2
A seconu way that a signifiei builus consensus is by its ability to expanu
minushaiethat is taking up biain anu memoiy space in the minus of constituents
(Zott, 2uu7, p. SS). At vanueibilt, the ability of the "Cieative Campus" name label to
expanu minushaie was one of the most impoitant consequences of label choice. As
Bill Ivey commenteu, "It tiips off the tongue" (Ivey, 2uu9). 0ne stuuent noteu the
label's ability to geneiate minushaie, saying, "if you say, 'Cieative Campus,' I think .
it's like a buzzwoiu almost" (Noigan, 2uu9). The label's ability to geneiate "that
buzz . that eneigy" was a consequence of the label choice that the founueis at
vanueibilt hopeu foi (Logiuuice, 2uu9). Language is a big pait of cultuial
entiepieneuis' aisenals as fai as expanuing theii poition of minushaie, anu the
founueis at vanueibilt knew that "Cieative Campus" as a teim hau the sticking
powei to uo that foi them. Teppei ielateu, "it was kinu of a biilliant bianu. . |Yjou
can't unueiestimate the powei of language to uiffuse an iuea. . If they hau calleu the
Ameiican Assembly, 'The Aits foi the 21
st
Centuiy Initiative,' it woulun't have gone
anywheie" (Teppei, 2uu9).
%" A$1+1+' 7)+0()E
Peihaps the most impoitant consequence of label choice is the ability of a
label to help cultuial entiepieneuis gain contiol of iesouices, imageiy, etc. Name

218
labels help to contiol implementation via foui mechanisms: (i) by becoming self-
fulfilling piophecies, (ii) by piojecting a uesiieu image, (iii) by helping
entiepieneuis gainei iesouices, anu all of these piocesses may leau towaiu
institutionalization, (iv) by enteiing oiganizations into a netwoik wheie they can
leain fiom otheis while also imposing theii content onto the teiminology.
1" B$>2E8 #2%)/2 :2E.RF*E.1EE1+' <()=62%128
Ashfoith anu Bumphiey note the self-fulfilling tenuency of labels when they
wiite, "the imposition of a label sets in motion foices that valiuate the label"
(Ashfoith & Bumphiey, 1997, p. 46). Foi some locales, the notion that the label has
the potential to actually piecipitate what it claims to name, is a big uiaw. Bowevei,
the tenuency foi a label to become a self-fulfilling piophecy was not one of the
consequences that the founueis at vanueibilt emphasizeu veiy much.
11" B$>2E8 <()?2%0 $ N281(2, !/$'2
The ability of a label to pioject a uesiieu image is one of the most impoitant
consequences of label choice foi vanueibilt, given theii institutional push to become
a top echelon univeisity. As one stuuent close to the Cieative Campus Initiative
noteu about vanueibilt's image:
vanuy is top tiei, so it's alieauy got an establisheu histoiy, but what
takes it highei. . I think that by auuing this Cieative Campus
Initiative theie's a uiffeient pait of vanuybecause most people
when they heai 'vanuy' eveiybouy has theii own assumptions, like
'Pietty giils in peails,' like, 'bau football' (Noigan, 2uu9).

Bowevei, well-chosen labels aie able to counteiact these staiu assumptions by
piojecting a uesiiable image foi the univeisity, as the stuuent noteu, "but theie's

219
this whole othei aspect . it's like 'I'll go to vanuy, anu I'll go theie because theie's
this cieative enviionment'" (Ibiu). So the "Cieative Campus" label acts "like a
bianuing thing foi the univeisity as well. Beie's a way to uiffeientiate youiself with
these othei top tiei institutions" (Long Lingo, 2uu9).
Piojecting a uesiieu image has piactical consequences foi implementation.
As Teppei notes, "I think theie's a numbei of kius who aie coming . |thatj maue a
uecision to come heie as opposeu to some of theii top choices because of this
piogiam" (Teppei, 2uu9). Anothei piactical consequence of piojecting a uesiieu
image is that imageiy uoes not cost a lot of money. It is "an easy, low-hanging fiuit .
anu I think it's a goou bianu foi an institution moie bioauly just to signal to
piospective stuuents anu faculty that this is a place wheie things happen . I think it
fits the times" (Ibiu). The ease with which the "Cieative Campus" signifiei can help
vanueibilt to pioject a uesiieu image is one of the most impoitant consequences on
implementation that the signifiei choice has hau at vanueibilt.
111" B$>2E8 Q2E= A$(+2( 928)*(%28
Naming, among othei symbolic actions, helps cultuial entiepieneuis acquiie
iesouices (Zott, 2uu7). Teppei uesciibes the ability of the "Cieative Campus" name
label to captuie the imagination of potential uonois anu univeisity leaueis alike.
The intiiguing qualities of the linguistic signifiei aie what enableu the founueis at
vanueibilt access to a laige uonation stieam to funu theii woik.



22u
14" !+8010*01)+$E1P$01)+ 7(C80$EE1P28 7)+0()E >C
G+02(1+' 3('$+1P$01)+8 1+0) $ L205)(&

An emeigent consequence obseiveu in the Alabama case that was also founu
in the vanueibilt case is that the label "Cieative Campus" can help founueis gain
contiol by enteiing them into a netwoik. Theie is no foimalizeu infiastiuctuie foi
such a netwoik. Teppei ielates, "|Tjheie is no %<#"# theie at the national level"
(Teppei, 2u1u). Implementing such a stiuctuie has been of inteiest to vanueibilt in
the past, as is eviuenceu by theii hosting of one of the eaily Cieative Campus follow-
up confeiences. Ivey noteu, "|Wje weie able to uo a few things when it was still
being foimeu anu nobouy knew what shape oi shapes it was going to take. So, we
weie able to host a confeience heie" (Ivey, 2uu9). Bespite not being foimalizeu into
a confeience oi piofessional list seive just yet, an infoimal netwoik of Cieative
Campus piactitioneis anu theoiists has two impoitant benefits: (1) it pioviues a
place to leain anu (2) it pioviues a place wheie piactitioneis can vie to impose theii
own piefeiieu signifieu contentthat is, it is a locale foi out-gioup labeling
contests.
S" L205)(&8 <()41,2 $ <E$%2 0) B2$(+
The founueis at vanueibilt have taken auvantage of the leaining
oppoitunities that come fiom othei scholais ueploying the "Cieative Campus"
language anu othei piactitioneis' local schemas foi that teim. As one local line
leauei ielateu, the netwoik has pioviueu leaining oppoitunities fiom an acauemic
peispective, such that "when I pull my uepaitment togethei . eveiy time a new
aiticle comes out, that's pait of the iequiieu ieauing because it helps them see the

221
big pictuie" (Logiuuice, 2uu9). The netwoik also pioviues leaining oppoitunities
fiom a piactical peispective in iesponse to othei piactitioneis. As Nel Zieglei, one
of vanueibilt's local line leaueis commenteu, "I feel like theie coulu be a lot that we
coulu leain fiom you all |at Alabamaj. You know what I mean. Since you've been
thiough this" (Zieglei, 2uu9).
Not only uoes the netwoik pioviue an oppoitunity to leain fiom otheis, but it
also piesents an oppoitunity to uiffuse that new knowleuge as acauemic actois. As
one of vanueibilt's inteinal netwoikeis commenteu, "I think the intellectual iueas
gain statuie fiom exemplai piogiam|sj . So, as a scholai, anu as someone who has
been intellectually engageu in this concept, I think the chance to uo something at
vanueibilt also allows me to wiite about it moie" (Teppei, 2uu9).
U" L205)(&8 <()41,2 $ <E$%2 0) !/=)82 7)+02+0
Netwoiks of Cieative Campus piactitioneis employing that label also pioviue
an impoitant locus foi out-gioup labeling contests. This consequence of the labeling
stiategy is at the foiefiont of the founueis' collective consciousness at vanueibilt.
The founueis at vanueibilt aie eagei to entei these labeling contests. 0ne of
the main ieasons they ueciueu to move foiwaiu with a piactical application of
Cieative Campus theoiy was to intiouuce some content behinu the signifiei that
focuseu attention away fiom just aits auvocacy anu focuseu attention on how to
change univeisities into places capable of teaching cieative capacity. 0ne founuei
boluly stateu that a huge motivatoi foi builuing a Cieative Campus Initiative
vanueibilt is to be able to uemonstiate that theii veision of the Cieative Campus

222
bianu is one of the moie meaningful veisions. Be stateu, "one of oui goals is to show
that we'ie iight anu they'ie wiong. You know. I'll just put it that way" (Puiposefully
Anonymizeu, 2uu9). As one of vanueibilt's inteinal netwoikeis ielateu, "|Tjhis kinu
of unique oppoitunity piesents itself to actually make vanuy a lab foi putting these
things in piactice" (Long Lingo, 2uu9).
Enteiing into this netwoik anu being a leauei of it is on vanueibilt's
institutional agenua. The founueis ielateu that "The |Cuibj Centei leaus a national
'Cieative Campus' movement focuseu on placing cieativity at the centei of acauemic
anu campus life anu maintains an extensive netwoik of scholais who specialize in
cieative outcomes, piocess, anu piactice" (Ninoi Piogiam Besciiption). They seek
to "make the task foice a national mouel. in teims of offeiing an innovative
mouel foi the cieative campus" (0ct. 2uu9 Neeting Notes).
!@" 7)+%E*81)+
vanueibilt 0niveisity's Cieative Campus Initiative was boin out of a
context that focuseu heavily on stuuent leaining anu uevelopment ovei aits
auvocacy, which has influenceu a heavily-cuiiiculai content foi the name label
theie. The founueis saw the univeisity's ioles as an R&B lab foi cieativity anu a
piouucei of cieative human capital to be the piimaiy values shaping the context foi
Cieative Campus woik.
The top-uown implementation stiuctuie alloweu by a secuie majoi uonoi
anu the suppoit of uppei auministiation hau significant iepeicussions as to how the
language was ueployeu uuiing policy foimulation anu implementation at vanueibilt.

22S
Foi example, ueploying the language focusing events was not necessaiy in the
vanueibilt case because the attention of ielevant stakeholueis was alieauy secuieu
thiough social iuentification piactices. The symbol manipulatois at vanueibilt
fiameu the issue mainly thiough social iuentification piactices with the language
cognitive segmentation anu stiuctuial similaiityielating the language to people's
own self-iuentities. Top-uown implementation also maue iecombination stiategies
moot because theie was no neeu to paint a pictuie of inciemental change as
opposeu to wholesale change with the language.
0ne of the main tienuing institutional puiposes with which the founueis
have linkeu theii cause is the "Ivy itch" oi the push foi vanueibilt to entei the top
echelon of colleges anu univeisities by uistinguishing itself in impoitant ways to
both potential stuuents anu the highei euucation community. 0thei tienuing
institutional puiposes like the push to euucate foi the cieative economy have
influenceu policy implementation.
The founueis' inuiviuual visions foi the Cieative Campus while not caibon
copies of one anothei uo function as complements to one anotheiall focuseu on
stuuent leaining, be that thiough cuiiiculai change oi leaining expeiiences. This
unity of vision has alloweu vanueibilt to focus on the out-gioup labeling contests
that the common naming label allows them to paitake in. In these out-gioup
labeling contests, vanueibilt has attempteu to make its local schema pieuominate.
That local schema is one chaiacteiizeu by a veiy significant uiveigence fiom the
piototypical schemanamely in its cential chaiacteiistic, which is focuseu on ueep-

224
seateu cuiiiculai change foi the puipose of teaching cieativity to co-eus. Anothei
significant uiveigence is vanueibilt's uownplaying of aits piesenting as a
chaiacteiistic of its local schema, which vaiies fiom both the piototypical schema
anu othei local schemas, causing it to be an outliei. This ienunciation of tiauition in
teims of theii categoiical schema is possible owing to the secuiity of having a laige
uonoi anu significant suppoit fiom top executives.
vanueibilt chose theii common naming scheme foi veiy uiffeient ieasons
than most oiganizations uo. Wheieas most oiganizations choose symbolically
isomoiphic titles to cash in on pie-built legitimacy oi momentum, vanueibilt chose
the monikei "Cieative Campus" because it felt like piioi mouels weie +.successful
anu felt a uutyaiising fiom a sense of owneiship ovei that languageto ieclaim
it. The consequences of choosing that label on vanueibilt's implementation have
been many, incluuing helping the founueis to enhance unueistanuability of theii
enueavoi, gain consensus, gain contiol of a uesiieu image foi vanueibilt, anu gain
iesouices. vanueibilt has been a big playei in cieating the infoimal leaining
netwoik maue possible by symbolically isomoiphic language auoption, anu it has a
stiong uesiie to impose its content on membeis of that netwoik; howevei, it has not
maue effoits to ieconvene a moie foimalizeu application of any such netwoik as of
yet.

A compaiison of both the Alabama anu vanueibilt cases in ielation to the
semioticpolicy fiamewoik is unueitaken in Chaptei Seven.

22S



Chaptei Seven:
C0NPARATIvE ANALYSIS ANB C0NCL0SI0NS


This thesis analyzeu the usage of the language "Cieative Campus" among the
founueis of two sepaiate Cieative Campus piogiams uuiing the foimulation anu
eaily implementation stages of theii founuing. It began with an aiticulation of my
inteiest in this woik, highlighting my own unique insights anu biases as a foimei
Cieative Campus piactitionei. It outlineu the liteiatuie on the aits in acauemia, the
Cieative Campus movement fiom its inception to cuiient piactice, the policy cycle,
anu the use of name labels in entiepieneuiial enteipiises. It uesciibeu my ieseaich
methous of qualitative inteiviewing techniques in a compaiative case stuuy foimat.
It also laiu out a pieuictive fiamewoik that conjoineu semiotics anu the policy cycle.
Then it applieu this fiamewoik to the uata in both cases in oiuei to pick out the
patteins, conflicts, anu vaiiances that woulu geneiate goou giounueu, explanatoiy
theoiy. This chaptei analyses the case stuuies compaiatively, using the linguistic
lens uevelopeu in Chapteis Two anu Thiee anu applieu in Chapteis Five anu Six.
Finally, this chaptei uiscusses the implications this ieseaich has foi vaiious fielus

226
anu offeis suggestions foi futuie ieseaich that coulu builu off of the mouel offeieu
heie.
!" F1+,1+'8
The following compaiative analysis shoulu allow foi a ueteimination of what
poitions of the linguistic fiamewoik have been most peitinent to Cieative Campus
piactitioneis in theii jouiney fiom theoiy to piactice.


<3B!7D

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F)(/*E$01)+
<)E1%C
!/=E2/2+0$01)+
:GH!3I!7:
J6$0 18 062
E$+'*$'2
:KD!LAM
Contextualizing
Inquiiy:
;<7 .-?= 1


Befining Inquiiy:
;<$% &, &%= S
J6$0 18 062
E$+'*$'2
N3!LAM
}ustifying Inquiiy:
;<7 ,<-+2: ?#= 2
Builuing Inquiiy:
>-? :- ?#= 4
Figuie 8 PolicySemiotics Fiamewoik 0veiview


This fiamewoik consists of foui main inquiiies: 1) Bow the name label is
useu to contextualize the Cieative Campus; 2) Bow the name label is useu to justify
the Cieative Campus; S) Bow the name label is useu to uefine the Cieative Campus;
anu 4) Bow the name label is useu to builu the Cieative Campus. It is impoitant to
unueistanu that the inuiviuual components in this fiamewoik make up an iteiative
piocess that piopagates oui unueistanuing anu usage of language. Theiefoie, when
vieweu lineaily, a name label's ability to piopounu meaning looks like:

227


Figuie 9 Policy/Semiotics Framework Linear Overview


This thesis lookeu at two iteiations on this lineai timelinepolicy
foimulation anu implementationto assess how the content of the "Cieative
Campus" sign influences its opeiational clout. It then consiueieu how usage of that
clout in opeiation, in tuin, affects what that language's new signifieu content is. As
piactitioneis go on to use the teiminology fuithei, uuiing policy evaluation anu
evolution, this sayinguoing uichotomy can be expecteu to fuithei evolve.




228
K" <)E1%C F)(/*E$01)+Z I62 L$/2 7)+02O0*$E1P1+'
Whut lx the nume lunguuge xuylng to unxwer, "Why now?"
The uata suggests that the name label "Cieative Campus" has come into
vogue now foi a vaiiety of contextual ieasons both theoietical anu piactical that all
speak to the new foim of inteiaction between highei euucation anu ait. The main
shift that has piecipitateu the Cieative Campus movement is peihaps best uesciibeu
as a shift fiom aits auvocacy to a focus on the teaching of cieativity in iesponse to
the uemanus of the cieative economy eia.


Figuie 1u The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign Contextualizing



229
Initial ieseaich pieuicteu that some of the contextual factois impoitant to
the biith of Cieative Campus weie the new ioles of the univeisity in the mouein aits
ecology. Bowevei, the founueis in both cases iecognizeu a shift away fiom a puiely
aits-baseu auvocacy stiategy. While these new ioles may still be valiu, the "Cieative
Campus" language signals that mouein piactitioneis aie going to %$2N about the aits
in uiffeient ways now. Neithei case stuuy iuentifieu the impoitance of univeisities
as a new aits pation as an impoitant context foi founuing theii Cieative Campus.
The founueis at Alabama iecognizeu the potential foi the 0niveisity to uo bettei in
this iole when they mentioneu Alabama's lack of space foi a new Afiican-Ameiican.
ait uonation. While this was one piece of "eviuence" that it was time foi a Cieative
Campus, but they uiu not see this as a uiiving factoi foi the cuiient Cieative Campus
piogiam. The founueis at vanueibilt ignoieu this contextual factoi completely,
focusing insteau on the univeisity's iole as a pioviuei of cieative ieseaich anu
uevelopment.
As the aits seek new ways to communicate theii value, Cieative Campus
piojects may offei an impoitant souice of uata. The iuea of utilizing Cieative
Campus opeiations to builu up a bouy of uata foi futuie ieseaich about the
inteisection of aitscieativity anu univeisity life was one of the most impoitant
contextual factois foi the vanueibilt founueis.
Wheie the two cases oveilap with each othei anu with the pieuictive mouel,
thus uemonstiating the highest uegiee of conveigence, was on the contextual factoi
of cieative capital piouuction. The founueis in both cases saw this new

2Su
"iesponsibility" of mouein univeisities as one of the things that most-enableu the
uevelopment of a Cieative Campus in each locale. The 0niteu States has expeiienceu
a sea change in its economic founuations. Touay, "intellectual piopeity-baseu
inuustiies account foi moie than $S tiillion of the 0.S. uBP" (Executive 0ffice of the
Piesiuent 2u1u). 0niveisities sense the neeu to iesponu to these cultuial anu
economic tienus by piouucing stuuents capable of functioning in an economy so
heavily baseu in cieative, intellectual piouucts. The "Cieative Campus" language
allows univeisities to communicate that new uiiection.
Concomitant with the piouuction of cieative capital is the ietention of it.
Alabama iecognizeu an institutional uiive to pievent biain uiain as one contextual
factoi opening a policy space foi the Cieative Campus to thiive. vanueibilt's
founueis uiu not focus on this context. The uiffeience in locations foi Cieative
Campus opeiations may explain this phenomenon. The 0niveisity of Alabama is
locateu in the small town of Tuscaloosa, AL, wheie the main inuustiies aie meuical,
mechanical, anu euucational, vanueibilt 0niveisity is locateu in Nashville, TN, home
to one of the countiy's laigest cieative inuustiies, the music business. The uata thus
suggests that ietention of the cieative capital piouuceu by the univeisity is going to
be a moie salient contextual factoi in locations that uo not alieauy have such a
thiiving cieative scene.
Both case stuuies also biought up emeigent contextual factois. These focuseu
on some of the piactical contexts the pieuictive mouel uiu not auuiess. Foi both
cases, economic conuitions weie a big piactical uiivei of the "Cieative Campus"

2S1
naming uevice. Bowevei, in each case, -**-,&%# economic conuitions pioveu to be
ielevant. At Alabama, an economic boom time enableu the giowth of the Cieative
Campus because it minimizeu the financial iisk of using the new language. At
vanueibilt, the founueis felt an economic "#0#,,&-. was feitile soil foi the giowth of
Cieative Campus woik because it meant people woulu be looking foi satisfaction
fiom cieativity iathei than consumption. These polaiities tenu to suggest that the
"Cieative Campus" signifiei is stiong enough to giow in a vaiiety of piactical
contexts. It is iesponsive to a cential, oveiaiching tienu: a move towaiu an
euucational mouel that is complementaiy to the neeus anu conceins of the cieative
economy.
The Cieative Campus is happening now because univeisities' ioles in the
mouein aits ecology aie changing fiom aits pations to cieativity biokeis.
0niveisities fulfill theii iesponsibilities to piepaie stuuents foi the new iealities of
the cieative economy by teaching cieative skills. At the same time, they pioviue a
new platfoim foi the aits to uemonstiate theii value.
#" <)E1%C F)(/*E$01)+Z I62 :1'+ X*801.C1+'
?("$ #* $() %"9) 5"%&3"&) /+#%& to unxwer, "Why *(+35/ !)?"
The Iounders all manipulated the sign 'Creative Campus in various ways to
justiIy their endeavor to diIIerent audiences and authorizers. For the most part, the
Iounders argued that 'Creative Campus was worth pursuing because it prepared students
Ior that important creative economy context, because it can help bridge town-gown
divides, and because it can support local institutional endeavors. To get to such an

2S2
answer, this thesis explored the make-up oI the leadership nexus that Iirst engaged in
deployment oI the symbol at each site and also explored how they used it in practice.


Figuie 11 The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign }ustifying, The Who

The leaueiship nexus at each site miiioieu each othei with similaily-situateu
founueis falling into similai ioles. In both cases, the local line leaueis tenueu to be
composeu of stuuents anu staff who weie ueploying the sign "Cieative Campus" in a
veiy piactical way. These weie the people actually biinging some %<&.4be it an
event oi iesiuential communityinto being that then got labeleu with the sign
"Cieative Campus." It was theii woik that fiist piopagateu the sign in ways visible to
the laigei campus community. At vanueibilt, these local line leaueis weie initially

2SS
staffeis who ian the Cieative Campus iesiuence community, the Cieative Campus
taskfoice, etc. While the founueis expiesseu the intent foi stuuents to become the
ones actually "populating" these events anu "happenings," on the giounu flooi, they
hau not yet implementeu these aspiiations yet. At Alabama, the local line leaueis
weie piimaiily composeu of the stuuent inteinship team who ian a seiies of events
fiom an aits anu cultuial e-zine to stuuent goveinment association gioups, fiom a
hip-hop night to a theatiical ciitiquing piogiamming.
The executive line leaueis in each case weie piimaiily composeu of
auministiatois anu buieauciats within the uppei auministiation. These founueis
ueployeu the sign in a veiy piagmatic way. They useu the symbolism to justify
appointing iesouicesbe that in the foim of salaiies, opeiating buugets, facilities,
etc.to the local line leaueis in theii Cieative Campus woik.
The inteinal netwoikeis, oi "seeu caiiieis," at both sites weie acauemics
who hau initially gotten investeu in the iuea of the "Cieative Campus" thiough a veiy
intellectual cuiiosity. These inuiviuuals ueployeu the sign in a veiy piophetic way.
They "lit the fiie" unuei the othei founueis anu stayeu abieast of new ieseaich anu
theoiy on the inteisection of ait, cieativity anu the acauemy in oiuei to guiue the
uiiection of the Cieative Campus as the sign began to take on meaning.

These symbol manipulatois all utilizeu the sign "Cieative Campus" in
uiffeient yet complementaiy ways to move the iuea of the Cieative Campus fiom
theoiy to piactice. In oiuei to begin opeiations, these symbol manipulatois hau to

2S4
fiame the issue foi theii campus community by captuiing anu focusing public
attention on the iuea of "Cieative Campus" anu by linking that signifiei to tienuing
institutional puiposes, which uiffeieu uepenuing on local context.



Figuie 12 The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign }ustifying, The Bow


The uata showeu that how the symbol manipulatois utilizeu the sign to
captuie attention uepenueu laigely on implementation style. The case using a top-
uown implementation stiategy, vanueibilt 0niveisity, useu fewei methous to
captuie public attention. vanueibilt uiu not utilize the signifiei in conjunction with a

2SS
focusing event; Alabama uiu. At Alabama, the single most influential focusing event
was a stuuent honois piesentation to many 0niveisity officials wheiein a stuuent
honois class piesenteu a case foi the 0niveisity to implement an aits policy.
Accoiuing to the oiiginal Biiectoi of the Cieative Campus, this was a last uitch - anu
effective - effoit to ieengage inteiest anu suppoit fiom the uppei auministiation.
vanueibilt, by contiast, hau alieauy secuieu a majoi uonoi anu the suppoit of uppei
auministiatois. Theiefoie, it was unnecessaiy to ueploy the language in conjunction
with a focusing event in oiuei to open a winuow of oppoitunity foi theii woik.
In the highest uegiee of conveigence with the pieuictive mouel, both cases
maue use of the language to captuie attention by cieating stiuctuial similaiities
with impoitant constituencies. vanueibilt useu "Cieative Campus" to engage a
majoi uonoi, Nike Cuib, who coulu see the language as encompassing both majoi
"tent poles" of his caieei. They also useu it to engage impoitant authoiizeis like the
Boaiu of Tiustees. Similaily, Alabama useu the language to engage inuiviuual
stuuents who, while not aits majois, yeaineu to self-iuentify as cieative. They also
useu it to fulfill a uesiie of the 0niveisity at laige to iuentify itself as a cieative
institution. Both cases also uemonstiateu the use of the language to cieate cognitive
segmentation with theii public because the notion of a "cieative" place, a "campus,"
was so easy foi people to compiehenu.
Neithei case uemonstiateu use of the language foi puiposes of
iecombination. At vanueibilt, this lack of iecombination can again be vieweu as a
function of theii top-uown implementation stiategy. Recombination is moie

2S6
effective at painting a pictuie of inciemental as opposeu to wholesale change
because it simply iecombines elements that aie alieauy familiai to people in theii
own iight. Such a neeu to mitigate feais of change was less piessing at vanueibilt
wheie a majoi uonoi anu the backing of top auministiatois weie alieauy piesent. At
Alabama, which took a giassioots implementation appioach, the lack of the
iecombination phenomena must be explaineu anothei way. While iecombination
coulu veiy well have been at play at Alabama, it may have been so natuial anu
obvious that the founueis uiu not notice it as a paiticulai function of the name label.
This latency factoi woulu make the iecombination phenomenon veiy haiu to
captuie thiough the qualitative inteiviewing methous employeu in this ieseaich
stiategy.
The uata shows that using the name label to cieate social iuentifications in
impoitant authoiizeis anu auuiences is the most fiuitful way to captuie public
attention, but cultuial entiepieneuis can also fiame the issue by linking it to
impoitant anu tienuing institutional puiposes. Both cases showeu significant
oveilap with the pieuictive mouel but also each eviuenceu an emeigent institutional
puipose that was a significant "hook" foi Cieative Campus implementation
activities.
Both cases showeu eviuence that piepaiation foi the cieative economy was a
piimaiy justification at each institution. The language lent itself to this linkage
because it signifieu a "cieative" euucation ("campus") that coulu piepaie stuuents
foi woik in a cieative economy. At vanueibilt this language was paiticulaily salient

2S7
because the heait of theii Cieative Campus initiative is cuiiiculai change. It was
easy to make the case foi a Cieative Campus when the institution alieauy
iecognizeu the neeu to make an euucational shift.
Both cases also eviuenceu a linkage of the "Cieative Campus" language to the
institutional puipose of civic engagement, oi biiuging the town-gown uiviue. At
vanueibilt, the foimei Chancelloi, uoiuon uee, hau iuentifieu this neeu eaily on, anu
the Cieative Campus founueis linkeu theii cause to it. vanueibilt iuentifieu civic
engagement as a paiticulai aiea of concein owing to vanueibilt's significant uieek
social scene, which keeps a laige numbei of co-eus isolateu fiom the gieatei
Nashville community. At Alabama the founueis linkeu the inheient ability of
Cieative Campus to accomplish biiuging with this institutional puipose to such an
extent that it was oiiginally pait of the name label: "the Cieative Campus Cieative
Community Initiative." Even with the paieu uown title, civic engagement was a
justification stiategy foi the founueis to piove the utility of having a Cieative
Campus.
Both cases uiveigeu fiom the pieuictive mouel by not linking the "Cieative
Campus" label to the puipose of legitimizing the aits. Neithei case totally uiscounteu
this uiscouise as a potential puipose of the Cieative Campus. vanueibilt vieweu it as
a positive by-piouuct that coulu be effectuateu thiough theii piogiamming anu
geneiation of a bouy of uata. The Alabama founueis uesiieu to link the "Cieative
Campus" label to this puipose but felt it was not salient. Neithei gioup of founueis
useu legitimizing the aits as a fiaming stiategy because that puipose was not a

2S8
cuiient piioiity foi eithei institution. These symbolic justification stiategies ieveal
an impoitant quality of the "Cieative Campus" name label. The label can caiiy with
it some aits auvocacy significance even when the founueis aie not using it in that
way foi stiategic ieasons uuiing implementation.
Both cases also uiveigeu slightly fiom the pieuictive mouel by iuentifying
anothei tienuing puipose local to theii institution on which they placeu much
emphasis on when justifying a Cieative Campus piogiam. At vanueibilt, that local
institutional puipose was what this thesis has uubbeu the "Ivy itch," oi vanueibilt's
attempts to ingiain itself in the uppei echelon of colleges anu univeisities. The
vanueibilt founueis iecognizeu the capability of the "Cieative Campus" label to
pioviue vanueibilt a uistinctive euge in compaiison to othei top tiei institutions
anu linkeu theii opeiations with this puipose. Similaily, at Alabama, a local
institutional puipose was the 0niveisity's big push foi stuuent ieciuitment. The
Alabama founueis iecognizeu the capability of the "Cieative Campus" label to be a
"uiaw" foi many uiffeient types of stuuents that the 0niveisity was seeking to
ieciuit anu linkeu theii effoits to this tienuing institutional puipose. They got
Cieative Campus connecteu to the aumissions office anu the 0niveisity
ambassauois who give touis of campus, etc. Cieative Campus piactitioneis will be
able to effectively justify theii cultuial entiepieneuiial effoits by finuing a way to
link the "Cieative Campus" signifiei to an institution's most piessing conceins.


2S9
The effoits of the founuing team, by woiking togethei to ueploy the signifiei
in uiffeient yet complementaiy ways, alloweu the founueis to captuie public
attention by using the signifiei to cieate social iuentifications in impoitant people
anu to tailoi theii auvocacy effoits to the salient anu tienuing institutional puiposes
in theii locale. 0nce they have justifieu the usage of the signifiei, the founueis aie
ieauy to move on to policy implementation.
7" <)E1%C !/=E2/2+0$01)+Z I62 :1'+ N2.1+1+'
?("$ #* $() %"9) 5"%&3"&) *"6#%& to unxwer, "?("$ #* #$?"
The uata showeu that as the founueis began opeiations, theii woik lent
content to the signifiei. This content oveilappeu in some ways with the categoiical
tiaits outlineu by the acauemic liteiatuie, but it also uiveigeu in impoitant ways
uepenuent on local piactice. This thesis exploieu the main inputs into the local
schema behinu the language at each site to ueteimine the contouis of the categoiy
theie.

24u


Figuie 1S The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign Befining


Both cases eviuenceu the high uegiee of impoitance that inuiviuual founuei's
visions anu the inteiplay between them can have. At vanueibilt, the founueis hau
slightly uiffeient but complementaiy visions. The executive line leaueis uesiieu a
ueep-seateu cuiiiculai mouel that coulu be tiansfeiieu between schools. Likewise,
the acauemic inteinal netwoikeis, likewise, envisioneu a cuiiiculai mouel that
coulu be of theoietical value. The local line leaueis suppoiteu this vision with one
that encouiageu leaining in an #1%"$-cuiiiculai atmospheie. This syneigistic vision
enableu vanueibilt's local schema to uisengage fiom the piototypical mouel in an

241
impoitant way. vanueibilt's highly-cuiiiculai focus is a uiveigence fiom the
piototypical mouel anu also fiom all the othei local schemas associateu with the
family of Cieative Campuses. vanueibilt also uiffeis fiom the piototypical categoiy
by uownplaying the iole of aits piesenting as a significant tiait in the categoiy. This
featuie, too, is uiffeient fiom the piototypical mouel anu many of the othei local
schemas. Imposing such bolu new content foi the signifiei woulu be uifficult if not
impossible hau vanueibilt expeiienceu moie intia-gioup labeling contests.
The Alabama case eviuenceu moie oveilap with the piototypical schema anu
moie significant labeling contests between founueis. Theie, the vision of the local
line leaueis was one of an events-baseu, aits-focuseu mouel that highly emphasizeu
stuuent autonomy anu empoweiment. This stuuent empoweiment anu
paiticipation featuie was fuithei unueigiiueu by the vision of an impoitant
executive line leauei, Piovost }uuy Bonnei. This featuie iemaineu one of the most
salient featuies of the "Cieative Campus" label at Alabama because the stuuent
inteins weie the fiist moveis to populate the categoiy with actual opeiations. This
fiist-movei powei was offset by the fiscal anu positional powei of anothei executive
line leauei who envisioneu a moie iestiaineu stuuent empoweiment tiait anu a
moie boutique-style stiuctuie foi the initiative. This boutique vision playeu against
the founuing uiiectoi's vision foi a moie piofessional aits piesenting mouel with
wiuespieau cuiiiculai influence. Since inteinal netwoikeis oftentimes have limiteu
enfoicement powei, the vision of the bettei-iesouiceu founueis oveishauoweu the
uiiectoi's vision.

242
The uegiee of labeling contests iuentifieu in both cases may be a function of
chionology. It is possible that the founueis at the 0niveisity of Alabama expeiienceu
moie labeling contests than those at vanueibilt because of theii status as eaily
implementeis of the bianu. The Cieative Campus at Alabama staiteu ioughly foui
yeais befoie actual implementation of the Cieative Campus at vanueibilt. As one of
the fiist useis of the teim, the Alabama founueis hau to stiuggle to settle a vastly
untiouuen teiiitoiy. vanueibilt's founueis weie in a much uiffeient position as
eaily-ieseaicheis of the bianu but late-useis. They hau the auvantage of looking at
seveial uiffeient mouulai schemas to leain vicaiiously what they thought woulu anu
woulu not woik foi theii enactment of the phiase "Cieative Campus."
As a iesult of vaiious founueis' visions, the inteiplay between them via intia-
gioup labeling contests, anu the inteiplay among the vaiious local schemas via out-
gioup labeling contests, the signifiei "Cieative Campus" begins to take on signifieu
meaning. These meanings, taken togethei, begin to geneiate family iesemblances
among the vaiious schemas such that the name label "Cieative Campus," while
nevei exactly the same, takes on seveial bioauly-iecognizeu attiibutes. At the same
time, the language is malleable enough to allow those useis who aie moie poweiful
oi who have highei quality signifieus to impose theii content on the bianu anu
slowly influence the uefineu meaning of the woius. So, while theie is no univeisal
uefinition, the inteiaction of the vaiious schemas suggests that the tienu foi the
name label "Cieative Campus" can be uefineu as an innovative uiiection foi mouein
univeisities that geneially employs ait to activate anu teach the cieative piocess in

24S
oiuei to empowei stuuents to take theii leaining off campus anu into theii
communities.
N" <)E1%C !/=E2/2+0$01)+Z I62 :1'+ #*1E,1+'
?("$ #* $() %"9) 5"%&3"&) /+#%& to unxwer, "@+! /+ !)?"
The uata showeu that the signifiei "Cieative Campus" was an impoitant pait
of the implementation of the pioject at both locales. The founueis encounteieu
utility in both the signifiei choice anu the consequences it caiiieu. The uata suggests
that builuing is accomplisheu by choosing a symbolically isomoiphic signifiei to
label one's piactice then exploiting that signifiei to builu consensus anu gainei
iesouices. As such a piactitionei, you can sway the content of the woiu's linguistic
schema anu inciease the influence of youi opeiations.












244











Figuie 14 The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign Builuing, Choosing a Signifiei


The uata showeu that the founueis in both locations chose to use the signifiei
"Cieative Campus" in ways pieuicteu by the fiamewoik but not uiiectly iuentical to
it. Both cases ultimately electeu a symbolically isomoiphic naming choice ovei a
competitively uiffeientiating onethat is, both cases engageu in the common
naming stiategy of labeling theii ventuie "Cieative Campus" as opposeu to choosing
a unique sign exclusive to theii location only. The ieasons foi this choice weie moie
numeious at Alabama than they weie at vanueibilt.

24S
The fiamewoik suggesteu that a school might choose a symbolically
isomoiphic name because of the benefits symbolic isomoiphism has to offei,
namely, incieaseu legitimacy anu enhanceu unueistanuability. At Alabama, both of
these explanations foi symbolically isomoiphic uecision-making weie piesent. As
some of the fiist-useis of the name label attempting to builu fiom a giassioots
peispective, the founueis peiceiveu a neeu foi legitimacy. They founu this
legitimacy in the name label thiough its association with ielateu acauemic aiticles.
The legitimacy anu unueistanuing Alabama boiioweu was acauemic iathei than
fiom someone else's piioi piactice.
vanueibilt's founueis uiu not iuentify the incieaseu legitimacy oi enhanceu
unueistanuability stemming fiom symbolically isomoiphic piactice as being
impoitant ueteiminants in theii name choice. This uiveigence fiom the pieuictive
mouel can be explaineu thiough theii top-uown implementation piactices. With
funuing anu an auministiative manuate in place, the founueis uiu not neeu to
boiiow ieputational effects like legitimacy oi unueistanuing fiom piioi piactice as
an impoitant element in theii ability to builu a Cieative Campus initiative at
vanueibilt.
The pieuictive fiamewoik suggesteu that banuwagon piessuies may
influence symbolic isomoiphism, but this piessuie was not iuentifieu in eithei case.
This uiveigence away fiom the hypothetical mouel can be explaineu by uiffeient
ieasons in each case. Foi the 0niveisity of Alabama, banuwagon piessuies weie not
salient because the founueis weie fiist useis. Theie was no "banuwagon" to jump

246
on. They weie pait of builuing that wagon. Foi vanueibilt, banuwagon piessuies
weie not salient because those piessuies encouiage a follow-the-leauei
phenomenon. vanueibilt was attempting to foige a much uiffeient usage foi the
teiminology. The two main banuwagon piessuiesspillovei of pieviously
successful mouels anu the thieat of lost legitimacyweie not meaningful to the
founueis at vanueibilt because they uiu not view piioi mouels as successful foi
theii goals. So, the uata inuicates that banuwagon piessuies may be a bettei
explanatoiy mouel foi latei useis who aie attempting to iepeat foimulas foi the
sign "Cieative Campus" that aie alieauy in use.
The uata inuicateu that the best explanatoiy theoiy foi symbolic isomoiphic
name choice is the influence of political anu stiategic ieasons behinu the signifiei.
Foi both cases, the influence of agency ueiiveu as a function of felt owneiship in the
language playeu a laige pait in choosing the signifiei. Foi Alabama, the founueis felt
owneiship in the language as fiist-useis. vanueibilt founueis felt owneiship in the
language as authois oi fiist-piopounueis of the name. Both sets of founueis felt that
the woiu enableu a sense of oiganizational agency because it was such goou
"political language," a "biilliant bianu" that coulu geneiate a "buzz."
The uata also inuicateu that competitive uynamics was a goou explanatoiy
factoi in symbolically isomoiphic name choice because it pioviueu entie to out-
gioup labeling contests. Without a common naming stiategy theie woulu be
feweigiounus foi compaiison among mouels. It woulu feel moie like compaiing
apples to oianges. Insteau, the common naming language allows founueis to

247
attempt to make theii signifieu content "stick" as the most centially accepteu
meaning of the common teiminology.
Finally, the uata inuicateu that sheei stiategic peisistence is a goou
explanation foi signifiei choice. This mechanism can be stateu anothei way: the
moie a signifiei is useu, the moie it will be useu. Both cases ievealeu a tenuency
towaiu stiategic peisistence. Aftei picking up the language initially, the founueis
useu it to label a plethoia of bouies: taskfoices, stuuent gioups, stuuent goveinment
subcommittees, iesiuence hall cohoits, inteinships, etc. This usage geneiateu a
piouuctive momentum that kept the name in evei-giowing usage.
The uata as applieu to the pieuictive fiamewoik ievealeu that political anu
stiategic iationales might best explain why any one gioup of founuing piactitioneis
opts foi a common naming choice by choosing the signifiei "Cieative Campus." 0nce
auopteu, this name language also caiiieu implications foi implementation by the
consequences that came along with the label choice.









248












Figuie 1S The Fiamewoik Applieu: The Sign Builuing, Consequences of Signifiei
Choice



The uata suggesteu that the founueis exploiteu most of the pieuicteu
beneficial consequences of using the name label "Cieative Campus," but it also
suggesteu that an emeigent netwoik may be one othei potential benefit. Both sets of
founueis have yet to fully exploit that netwoik. The fiamewoik pieuicteu that
enhancing unueistanuability, thiough uistilling complex iueas anu by using woius
alieauy in common pailance, was one beneficial consequence of the label choice.
Both cases confiimeu this pieuiction. Bowevei, in the Alabama case, enhanceu

249
unueistanuability was achieveu by the name label cuing a piouuctive cuiiosity
iathei than by offeiing a cleai, upfiont meaning. People weie able to unueistanu the
opeiations once theii cuiiosity was piqueu because the label employeu woius they
alieauy unueistoou anu hau useu befoie: "cieative" anu "campus."
Both cases touteu the ability of the label to help them gain consensus by
being a "malleable" teim with which many uiffeient people coulu iuentify. All of the
founueis, in both cases, thought the bianu was a catching one that geneiateu a
uesiieu buzz aiounu theii implementation activities.
This neeueu attention anu buzz helpeu the founueis utilize the label to gain
contiol. The mouel pieuicts vaiious ways the label may opeiate to gain contiol, anu
both cases showeu a high uegiee of coiielation with this mouel. 0ne aiea both cases
uiveigeu fiom the pieuictive mouel was in ielation to a label's ability to become a
self-fulfilling piophecy. The founueis at both cases mentioneu the label's ability to
pioviue an image of cieativity. This ability ielates to the next benefit: the label's
ability to pioject a uesiieu image. Bowevei, theie was no eviuence in eithei case
that the label functioneu as a self-fulfilling piophecy, setting in motion activities that
helpeu the univeisity $0%+$227 become a cieative place.
This lack of uata on the self-fulfilling piophecy phenomenon coulu be a
function of the scope of the ieseaich pioject. This thesis exploieu the fiist two
phases of the policy cycle: policy foimulation anu implementation. Whethei oi not
the "Cieative Campus" label actually became a self-fulfilling piophecy may be moie

2Su
a function of the thiiu phase of the policy cycle, policy evaluation, anu woulu neeu to
be auuiesseu in fuithei ieseaich.
The uata inuicateu that both sets of founueis exploiteu the ability of the
language to pioject a uesiieu image towaius local institutional enus. At vanueibilt,
the founueis saw the "Cieative Campus" as a signal of uistinction to help vanueibilt
as an institution uemonstiate its elite status as a potential uppei echelon school.
Similaily, an institutional tienu at Alabama was to inciease stuuent ieciuitment,
anu the label was exploiteu to signal to potential unueigiauuates the bieauth of
Alabama's offeiings as a univeisity. This uata suggests that the name label "Cieative
Campus," with its ability to pioject a uesiieu image, may be one way foi
piactitioneis to piomote local enus while using a name that gives them access to a
moie global netwoik.
The uata also confiimeu that the founueis weie using the name label as a
way to gainei iesouices foi theii piactical woik. At vanueibilt, this language was
veiy salient with a piominent uonoi. At Alabama, it was veiy salient with the
0niveisity Piovost. The founueis at Alabama also noteu that the name label was so
auept at pioviuing this consequence because it was a way to shift the tiauitional
powei uynamic in the aits. The "Cieative Campus" label alloweu foimei aits
auministiatois to change the uiscussion about theii public value anu come to the
table as playeis insteau of beggais.
Finally, the uata showeu an unfulfilleu tenuency of the language to cieate an
infoimal netwoik of piactitioneis in which Cieative Campus woikeis can leain fiom

2S1
othei local schemas as well as engage in the out-gioup labeling contests wheie they
can impose theii own content. Both sets of founueis iecognizeu the potential of the
language to set up this platfoim; but, as of yet, this potential is unueiutilizeu. The
founueis at vanueibilt, given theii acauemiccuiiiculai emphasis have paiu moie
attention to the leaining potential within the netwoik of people. They use the
signifiei as a way to juuge what elements to ieplicate oi excluue in theii own mouel.
Some founueis at Alabama have expiesseu a uesiie to puisue connections in the
netwoik such as an APAP giant but have iun into fiustiations in attempting to uo so.
Both sets of founueis expiesseu a uesiie to have theii mouel influences othei local
schemas but have not yet puisueu oppoitunities to piesent theii mouels to othei
Cieative Campus piactitioneis.

At this junctuie, I'u like to ietuin to the initial guiuing question foi this thesis
pioject: ;<$% #66#0% <$, %<# .$)# <$: -. %<# &)*2#)#.%$%&-. -6 !"#$%&'# !$)*+,
*"-K#0%,= The uata suggests that the name label has been veiy influential on
implementation because it pioviues a way to: contextualize piactice effoits, justify
the uemanu on time anu iesouices involveu in builuing a Cieative Campus, uefine
foi people what the scope anu contents of this new piactice aie, anu guiue the
builuing of a new opeiation by builuing consensus anu gaineiing iesouices foi it.
In summaiy, the semioticpolicy fiamewoik pioviues a way to answei foui
veiy impoitant inquiiies iegaiuing Cieative Campus piactice: Why now. Why
shoulu we. What is it. Anu, Bow uo we. The uata suggests that the fiamewoik is a

2S2
goou pieuictive mouel anu the vaiiances fiom it seive as the basis foi ueveloping
the giounueu, explanatoiy theoiies that weie aiticulateu above.
!!" !/=E1%$01)+8 .)( 062 F12E,
Wheie existing liteiatuie exploies the "Cieative Campus" as a theoietical
constiuct, this stuuy begins to fill in a gap in the ieseaich on actual Cieative Campus
opeiations. I appioacheu this pioject thiough a semiotic anu policy lens. I have
maue a case foi using a common naming stiategy in Cieative Campus woik anu
calleu attention to why Cieative Campus piactitioneis shoulu be moie fully
conscious of the effect that language has on the foimulation anu implementation of
theii entiepieneuiial enteipiises.
This pioject's scope alloweu me to be in contact with the founuing team at all
levels in two sites, the 0niveisity of Alabama anu vanueibilt 0niveisity. Finuings
fiom the liteiatuie anu these two ieseaich sites have alloweu me to iuentify a non-
exhaustive list of potential implications foi seveial fielus.
Foi the aits auministiation fielu, aits auministiatois shoulu use the "Cieative
Campus" language as a new way to talk about the public value of the aits. The uata
uemonstiates that, while the "Cieative Campus" constiuct was not piomoteu as a
way to auvance the aits, it is a constiuct that uoes so implicitly because of the
content it signifies anu the uiscouises that schema activates. This change in stiategy
may geneiate fiiction with tiauitional aits stakeholueis who peiceive the "Cieative
Campus" to be an aumonishment that they aie not goou enough.

2SS
Foi the highei euucation auministiation fielu, univeisity anu college
auministiatois shoulu implement Cieative Campus piojects when they want to
suppoit local institutional puiposes anu simultaneously uevelop an exchange with
othei schools. The name language is flexible enough to suppoit tienuing
institutional puiposes (like the uesiie to iecast itself as an Ivy League-level
institution oi the uesiie to ieciuit moie stuuents), while also possessing an inheient
linking potential thiough its symbolic isomoiphism. Auuitionally, acauemics in the
highei euucation community shoulu wiite moie aiticles on the piactical opeiation
of Cieative Campus piogiams. The uata inuicates that this active piactice gives
content to the signifiei. The only way to figuie out what a Cieative Campus "is" now
is to ieau moie about what vaiious Cieative Campus piactitioneis aie uoing.
City officials shoulu seek out Cieative Campus mouels as a way to ieengage
the campus-community connection. The uata inuicates that the Cieative Campus is
contextualizeu by factois that aie impoitant to municipal bouies like Chambeis of
Commeice, such as the pievention of biain uiain away fiom city centeis anu the
piepaiation of the woikfoice foi a highly conceptual anu competitive economy. The
uata also shows that civic engagement, oi the campus-community connection, is an
impoitant funuamental chaiacteiistic in most "Cieative Campus" uefinitional
schemas.
Foi those engageu in Cieative Campus piactice, this fiamewoik pioviues a
metacognitive way to think about theii woik. Ciitical thinking about how to ueploy
the signifiei to both justify anu implement theii piogiams shoulu enable them to see

2S4
misseu oppoitunities. Foi example, piactitioneis may iealize that they aie situating
theii auvocacy in the pie-packageu uialogues typically associateu with the "Cieative
Campus" such as civic engagement but aie missing an oppoitunity to link it to a
tienuing institutional puipose.
This mouel will also help those schools who aie thinking about implementing
Cieative Campus piogiams to be puiposive in theii piocess. The fiamewoik
pioviues a way to think thiough the costbenefit analysis of choosing a symbolically
isomoiphic name label as opposeu to a competitively uiffeientiating one. It can help
piactitioneis consiuei whethei they neeu the built-in legitimacy of a common
naming stiategy, the momentum of banuwagon piessuies, oi if they aie well-
positioneu enough to choose a uiffeientiateu path. The uata also suggests a foimula
foi a successful leaueiship nexus to potential piactitioneis. The uata showeu that a
leaueiship team consisting of stuuents anu staffeis as local line leaueis,
auministiatois anu buieauciats as executive line leaueis, anu acauemics as inteinal
netwoikeis has been a winning combination in at least two veiy uiffeient cases.
Potential anu cuiient piactitioneis alike can use this ieseaich as a way to
plan the content of theii uefinitional schema. It can help piactitioneis think about
how theii piactical opeiations pioviue signifieu meanings. By compaiing anu
contiasting these opeiationalizeu meanings to othei local schemas, they can ueciue
what chaiacteiistics they woulu like to auu oi subtiact fiom theii piactice. The uata
inuicates that thoughtful piactice suiiounuing the signifiei has impoitant effects on
implementation. The fiamewoik pioviues piactitioneis a way to think about how

2SS
theii enacteu schema will affect access to iesouices. Foi example, if Cieative
Campus piactitioneis choose to incoipoiate a focus on aits piesenting in theii
uefinitional schema, that inclusion will cieate access to a potential pool of iesouices
thiough the APAP Cieative Campus Innovations giant piogiam because it meshes
with APAP's uefinitional schema.
Finally, Cieative Campus piactitioneis shoulu employ a moie foimalizeu
netwoik of piactice. The uata suggests that theie iemains a laige, untappeu
potential foi this ciitical mass of piactitioneis utilizing the signifiei "Cieative
Campus" to netwoik in a moie piouuctive anu foimalizeu fashion. Such a netwoik,
be it in the foim of a confeience, jouinal, oi even a newslettei, woulu pioviue
piactitioneis a poital to ieap the two main benefits of a netwoik baseu on a
common linguistic piactice: the oppoitunity to leain fiom othei schemas anu the
oppoitunity to influence othei schemas with theii own categoiical content.
!!!" :*''2801)+8 .)( F*0*(2 9282$(%6
This thesis pioject contiibutes to the fielu by outlining a linguistic fiamewoik
to help piactitioneis think thiough theii uecisions to founu a Cieative Campus anu
be moie puiposeful about theii usage of the language in theii uaily piactice. In this
way it begins to fill the gap on the movement fiom theoiy to piactice that the
"Cieative Campus" sign has iecently unueigone. It uoes not, howevei, covei usage of
the sign thioughout the entiiety of the policy cycle, oi pioviue a bioau analysis of
multiple types of "Cieative Campus" schemas, oi uiscuss how othei types of symbols
besiues name language may be opeiative anu fit with the fiamewoik. To those enus,

2S6
this section suggests foui futuie ieseaich piojects that coulu fiuitfully builu off of
this mastei's thesis.
Fiist, it woulu be useful foi futuie ieseaicheis to stuuy the usage of the name
label uuiing policy evaluation. This stuuy conceins itself with the establishment of
Cieative Campus initiatives on campus. To that enu, it focuses on the fiist two
phases of the policy cycle: policy foimulation anu policy implementation. It biackets
the latei phase of the policy cyclepolicy evaluationfoi futuie ieseaicheis to take
up. It woulu be useful to have futuie ieseaicheis extenu the semiotic fiamewoik to
ueteimine what language is both saying anu uoing uuiing this lattei phase of the
policy cycle.
The liteiatuie uoes biiefly mention a few evaluation tools that coulu be a
staiting point foi measuiing the effectiveness of Cieative Campus initiatives in
fosteiing a cieative campus milieu. Teppei's (2uu6) aiticle "Taking the Neasuie of
the Cieative Campus" iuentifies seveial instiuments that may be useful in assessing
whethei these piactical applications of the Cieative Campus movement have been
successful in geneiating a cieative campus. These incluue the "cuiiosity inuex"
uevelopeu by }ames Nauison 0niveisity's Centei foi Assessment anu Reseaich
Stuuies, leu by T. Baiy Eiwin, anu flow uiaiies, KEYS: Assessing the Climate foi
Cieativity, uevelopeu by Theiesa Amabile of Baivaiu (Teppei Spiing 2uu6). 0thei
suggesteu evaluation methous incluue: case stuuies, telephone inteiviews, netwoik
analysis, anu Teppei's cuiiosity inuex explaineu in C$N&.4 %<# D#$,+"# (2uu6).

2S7
Seconu, it woulu also be useful foi futuie ieseaicheis to apply the fiamewoik
to othei local schemas, paiticulaily the family of "Cieative Campus" schemas
giowing up aiounu the cential APAP schema. The weight of this extia empiiical
eviuence coulu help confiim oi uiscount which paits of the theoietical fiamewoik
aie tiuly salient factois foi founueis. In auuition to the piactical acauemic benefits
of applying the mouel to moie schemas, stuuying a set of schemas that aie
influenceu by a giant piogiam coulu also piesent moie insight into the iole of
iesouices on influencing categoiical content. The heavy influence of APAP's Boiis
Buke Founuation Cieative Campus Innovations giant money is ceitain to be one
laige uiivei in the way that founueis choose anu use the "Cieative Campus"
signifiei.
A thiiu useful futuie ieseaich tack woulu be to stuuy the inteiactions of the
name label with othei meaning symbols that give content to the name. Foi instance,
a futuie ieseaichei coulu investigate how a "Cieative Campus" logo is influencing
the name usage at a paiticulai locale. Paiticipants at Alabama thought this type of
investigation woulu be ieally meaningful to flesh out how theii symbolic piactice is
affecting implementation.
A fouith futuie ieseaich pioject coulu incluue stuuying name "tags" that aie
auueu onto the "Cieative Campus" signifiei. Foi example, in both cases in this stuuy,
the founuing team auueu "initiative" to the signifiei in uesciibing theii woik a lot,
making it the "Cieative Campus Initiative." At Alabama, at least one founuei has
mentioneu a uelibeiate move away fiom using the "Initiative" tag because he feels

2S8
like the piogiam has "giown out" of the usage of that tag as the piogiam has
matuieu at the 0niveisity of Alabama. Whethei it is "piogiam" oi "initiative" oi
"pioject," these name tags may seive impoitant ioles in policy implementation as
they opeiate alongsiue the cential signifiei, "Cieative Campus."
!@" 7E)81+' H)/2+08
Reseaiching the Cieative Campus movement, anu two local instances in that
movement, has been a challenging anu iewaiuing expeiience. Baving been a
piactitionei, it excites me to think that in some small way this ieseaich coulu enable
moie Cieative Campus piactice. Being a piactitionei is also what maue pait of this
ieseaich uifficult because I liveu the minoi uiamas anu peisonality conflicts that
give textuie to any entiepieneuiial ventuie.
This ieseaich pioviueu an oppoitunity to puisue two of my peisonal
intellectual inteiests: Cieative Campus anu linguistics. Coming fiom the peispective
of a foimei Cieative Campus piactitionei anu a uie-haiu English majoi, this
ieseaich kept me in touch with those paits of myself while I was simultaneously
stuuying law. It enableu me to feel like a well-iounueu human being. Wiiting a
mastei's thesis while attenuing law school has been a uemanuing fait accompli, but
it has taught me so much. 0n a piactical level, it has taught me the value of time
management. This piocess has also taught me how to balance a uemanuing woik
scheuule with the ielationships that mean the most to me, anu a sense of peisonal
balance is a tieasuie. 0n a theoietical level, it has taught me the value of being able

2S9
to combine multiple theoietical peispectives into one, coheient ciitical fiamewoik,
among othei things.
It is my sinceie belief that this thesis has something to offei the acauemic anu
the piactitionei, whethei he oi she is inteiesteu in Cieative Campus theoiy, piactice,
oi both. It is my eainest hope that people will use this thesis in a veiy piactical way,
to think consciously about theii use of language in the founuation anu opeiation of
Cieative Campus piojects. We use speech eveiy uay in so many ways. But like
oxygen, we often uo not fully appieciate it until it is eithei taken away oi calleu to
oui attention by someone like a gieat yogi. Ny hope with this thesis is to call
attention to the impoitance of language usage in oui piactice, foi it is the veiy
bieath of oui enueavois.












26u










APPENBIX A
INSTIT0TI0NAL REvIEW B0ARB APPLICATI0N APPR0vAL LETTERS








261






262



26S




264
















APPENDIX B

CONSENT FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH
















26S



The Ohio State University Consent to Participate in Research


:0*,C I10E2Z
The Creative Campus: A Comparative Case Study
Analysis of Creativity ntegration in Higher Education

9282$(%62(Z Kristi M. Wilcox
:=)+8)(Z Margaret J. Wyszomirski

I618 18 $ %)+82+0 .)(/ .)( (282$(%6 =$(01%1=$01)+" It contains impoitant
infoimation about this stuuy anu what to expect if you ueciue to paiticipate.
D)*( =$(01%1=$01)+ 18 4)E*+0$(C"
Please consiuei the infoimation caiefully. Feel fiee to ask questions befoie making
youi uecision whethei oi not to paiticipate. If you ueciue to paiticipate, you will be
askeu to sign this foim anu will ieceive a copy of the foim.

<*(=)82Z

This ieseaich will begin to fill a gap in the liteiatuie that exists on the tiansition
fiom the scholaily anu theoietical uiscussions of the Cieative Campus phenomenon
to the piactical application of this theoiy in actual piogiams anu initiatives. The
puipose of this ieseaich is to asceitain why Cieative Campus piactitioneis have
chosen to utilize the "Cieative Campus" bianu to label theii initiatives anu
ueteimine how this iuentity has functioneu in the implementation of aits initiatives
on univeisity campuses. Ny objective is to captuie the "oiigin stoiy" of how the
Cieative Campus initiative got staiteu on these campuses anu how these
opeiationalizeu initiatives ielate to the laigei Cieative Campus movement.

<()%2,*(28^I$8&8Z

Paiticipants will be askeu to paiticipate in a piivate, qualitative inteiview foi
appioximately two houis. This inteiview will be helu in a piivate location
convenient to the paiticipant. Each paiticipant will iesponu to piompts anu guiuing
questions poseu by the ieseaichei. The inteiviews will be voice-iecoiueu foi latei
tiansciiption by the ieseaichei. The inteiviewee will latei be given the tiansciipts
foi ieview anu comment.

266

N*($01)+ ). <$(01%1=$01)+Z

The initial inteiview is estimateu to take appioximately two houis foi each
paiticipant. Time committeu to answeiing follow-up questions anu ieviewing
inteiview uiafts coulu vaiy but shoulu not take moie than a few houis (S-S) fiom
each paiticipant foi each ieview. Theie will be appioximately 2-S expecteu
contacts back anu foith between an inuiviuual paiticipant anu the ieseaichei. You
may leave the stuuy at any time. If you ueciue to stop paiticipating in the stuuy,
theie will be no penalty to you, anu you will not lose any benefits to which you aie
otheiwise entitleu.

Risks and Benefits:

Risks associateu with this stuuy aie minimal. The inteiview pioceuuie shoulu
subject paiticipants to no moie psychological oi physical haim than oiuinaiy
conveisations about youi woik as a Cieative Campus piactitionei. Peisonal
viewpoints on the establishment of these initiatives may uiaw out piivate
infoimation that coulu potentially leau to ieputational haim anu haim to intei-
piofessional ielationships uepenuing on the type of infoimation the paiticipant
chooses to ieveal uuiing the inteiview.

Benefits associateu with this stuuy aie both acauemic anu piactical. This stuuy
may ieveal infoimation which coulu help otheis to establish Cieative Campus
piogiams oi to inciease the visibility anu unueistanuing of such piogiams. These
auvantages of the stuuy will inuiiectly benefit paiticipants as cuiient oi foimei
Cieative Campus piactitioneis themselves. Paiticipants may also benefit fiom the
satisfaction of contiibuting to the stoie of knowleuge on the Cieative Campus
phenomenon.

Confidentiality:

EIIorts will be made to keep your study-related inIormation conIidential. However, there
may be circumstances where this inIormation must be released. For example, personal
inIormation regarding your participation in this study may be disclosed iI required by
state law. Also, your records may be reviewed by the Iollowing groups (as applicable to
the research):
OIIice Ior Human Research Protections or other Iederal, state, or international
regulatory agencies;
The Ohio State University Institutional Review Board or OIIice oI Responsible
Research Practices;
The sponsor, iI any, or agency (including the Food and Drug Administration Ior
FDA-regulated research) supporting the study.


267
IdentiIiable Nature oI the Data
Participants should be aware that, due to the small sample size oI this study and
the public nature oI their jobs, their inIormation and comments will remain individually
identiIiable. Participants may request pseudonyms to be used in the Iinal reports but
should be aware that industrious individuals may be able to trace inIormation back to
their sources given your unique position or characteristics in the Creative Campus
endeavor.

Storage and Transportation oI Data
All data will be stored on the personal computer oI the researcher and on an
external hard drive. When transcripts are sent to participants Ior review and comment,
participants will have the choice oI using electronic or regular mail depending upon the
individual participant`s security preIerence.



!+%2+01428Z

Theie aie no monetaiy oi mateiial incentives associateu with youi paiticipation in
this stuuy. Paiticipants may ieceive benefits inciuental to the inteiviewing piocess
(i.e. coffee oi watei).

Participant Rights:

You may iefuse to paiticipate in this stuuy without penalty oi loss of benefits to
which you aie otheiwise entitleu. Youi uecision will not affect youi giaues oi
employment status.

If you choose to paiticipate in the stuuy, you may uiscontinue paiticipation at any
time without penalty oi loss of benefits. By signing this foim, you uo not give up any
peisonal legal iights you may have as a paiticipant in this stuuy.

An Institutional Review Boaiu iesponsible foi human subjects ieseaich at The 0hio
State 0niveisity ievieweu this ieseaich pioject anu founu it to be acceptable,
accoiuing to applicable state anu feueial iegulations anu 0niveisity policies
uesigneu to piotect the iights anu welfaie of paiticipants in ieseaich.

Contacts and Questions:

Foi questions, conceins, oi complaints about the stuuy you may contact _(1801 H"
J1E%)O $0 SRUbcRVSbRSScd"


268
Foi questions about youi iights as a paiticipant in this stuuy oi to uiscuss othei
stuuy-ielateu conceins oi complaints with someone who is not pait of the ieseaich
team, you may contact Ns. Sanuia Neauows in the 0ffice of Responsible Reseaich
Piactices at 1-8uu-678-62S1.

If you aie injuieu as a iesult of paiticipating in this stuuy oi foi questions about a
stuuy-ielateu injuiy, you may contact _(1801 H" J1E%)O $0 SRUbcRVSbRSScd!

Signing the consent form

I have ieau (oi someone has ieau to me) this foim anu I am awaie that I am being
askeu to paiticipate in a ieseaich stuuy. I have hau the oppoitunity to ask questions
anu have hau them answeieu to my satisfaction. I voluntaiily agiee to paiticipate in
this stuuy.

I am not giving up any legal iights by signing this foim. I will be given a copy of this
foim"




<(1+02, +$/2 ). 8*>?2%0 :1'+$0*(2 ). 8*>?2%0



KH^<H
N$02 $+, 01/2



!+42801'$0)(^9282$(%6 :0$..

I have explaineu the ieseaich to the paiticipant oi hishei iepiesentative befoie
iequesting the signatuie(s) above. Theie aie no blanks in this uocument. A copy of
this foim has been given to the paiticipant oi hishei iepiesentative.


Kiisti N. Wilcox

<(1+02, +$/2 ). =2(8)+ )>0$1+1+' %)+82+0 :1'+$0*(2 ). =2(8)+ )>0$1+1+' %)+82+0



KH^<H
N$02 $+, 01/2






269






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Caiey, S. }. (2uu6). Fiom the euitoi. R##" H#'&#?. 8(2), S.

Chaimaz, K. (2uuS). uiounueu theoiy: 0bjectivist anu constiuctivist methous. In N.
K. Benzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y., eus., A%"$%#4&#, -6 /+$2&%$%&'# &./+&"7 (pp. 249-
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