Repositioning a Hybrid Academic–Cultural Institution for a New Era

Context

A liberal arts institution with a strong public-facing cultural mandate — spanning scholarship, exhibitions, public programs, and interdisciplinary inquiry — was approaching a period of strategic transition.

The institution was widely respected for intellectual rigour and cultural contribution, yet faced mounting pressures:

• changing expectations of higher education

• declining public trust in institutions

• shifting philanthropic and funding landscapes

• the need to demonstrate relevance beyond traditional academic boundaries

At the same time, leadership was preparing for a major capital campaign tied to long-term investments in academic programs, cultural infrastructure, and public engagement.

While campaign planning was underway, there was growing recognition that clarity of purpose and public narrative needed to precede execution.

I was part of a team engaged at a pre-execution stage to support strategic repositioning and campaign framing before decisions were made about branding, messaging, or fundraising tactics.

Phase I — Framing

What decision are we actually making?

Early conversations revealed that the institution was grappling with more than a communications challenge.

Underlying questions included:

• What role should a liberal arts institution play in a polarized, rapidly changing world?

• How can academic depth coexist with public accessibility and cultural relevance?

• What kind of future is this institution asking donors, students, and partners to invest in?

This phase reframed the work from “how to explain ourselves” to how the institution chooses to author its future.

The outcome was clarity around the real decision at stake: whether the institution would position itself narrowly as an academic enclave, or boldly as a cultural and intellectual platform engaged with the world.

Phase II — Narrative Definition

What story are we committing to?

With the decision clarified, the work moved into defining a strategic narrative capable of holding both academic integrity and public engagement.

Rather than centering the campaign on expansion or need, the narrative articulated:

• the enduring value of the arts and humanities as engines of critical thinking

• the institution’s role as a space for dialogue, interpretation, and cultural literacy

• the importance of interdisciplinary inquiry in addressing contemporary complexity

Multiple narrative directions were explored and tested against:

• donor motivations and philanthropic credibility

• public interpretation and trust

• internal alignment across academic, cultural, and advancement teams

The resulting narrative framework positioned the capital campaign as an investment in intellectual and cultural infrastructure — not simply facilities or programs.

Phase III — Experience Translation

If this is the direction, what does it require?

Once narrative direction was established, attention turned to how this commitment would be experienced across academic, cultural, and public-facing contexts.

This phase translated narrative intent into:

• experience principles guiding exhibitions, public programs, and learning environments

• strategic guardrails ensuring coherence across scholarship, culture, and outreach

• clarity around how diverse audiences would encounter the institution’s purpose — intellectually, emotionally, and socially

By addressing experience design before execution, the institution was able to move into campaign planning with cohesion rather than fragmentation.

Phase IV — Stewardship (Selective)

When the moment demands continuity of authorship

Given the scope and sensitivity of the capital campaign, I have been invited to continue in a strategic and creative stewardship role as the institution moves toward implementation.

In this capacity, my role is to ensure that narrative intent remains legible across campaign milestones, donor engagement, and public moments — particularly as practical constraints and stakeholder pressures emerge. The aim is to ensure the capital effort unfolds as an expression of intellectual and cultural purpose — not merely financial ambition.

Outcome

The institution is advancing toward a capital campaign grounded in clarity of purpose and strengthened public narrative.

Progress is becoming evident through:

• growing internal alignment across leadership and faculties

• early philanthropic engagement shaped by shared vision

• increasing recognition of the institution’s civic and cultural role

This evolution illustrates how hybrid academic–cultural institutions navigate change through coherence of meaning, strategy, and lived experience.

Marie Fe's Role (Lead)

• Pre-Execution Institutional & Campaign Strategy

• Strategic Narrative Definition

• Capital Campaign Framing

• Advisory & Creative Stewardship (Selective)

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Many of these engagements remain ongoing.
Details are offered with care to preserve institutional confidence and trust.

Much of this advisory work has developed over time alongside my senior creative and institutional roles, often within environments where strategic influence unfolds quietly and requires discretion.

Across my advanced postgraduate studies in international contexts, cross-sector practice, and long-term engagement with leaders navigating complex public initiatives, a consistent focus has emerged: clarifying narrative, direction, and consequence before execution begins. The aim is to design strategic guardrails in narrative & experience architecture, so that the execution phase is worthy of all the investment it will require.

The framework and case studies shared here reflect work that has been tested in practice over many years—now articulated more visibly as an integrated advisory practice.