Higher Education Research Institute (HERI)
University of California, Los Angeles

The Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at UCLA is undertaking a multi-year project called “Spirituality in Higher Education: A National Study of College Students' Search for Meaning and Purpose.” The project studies the patterns and principles of spirituality and religiousness among college students and how the college experience influences spiritual development.

Widmeyer was tapped to help HERI develop, launch and promote this initiative in such a way as to explain a complex and sometimes contentious issue without jeopardizing the participation of higher education institutions.

Towards this end, we developed collateral materials, including a signature logo, brochure, Web site, summary brochure of an initial survey, and a large report summarizing results from a survey of more than 100,000 college freshmen. We also conducted media outreach surrounding the project’s announcement and results from surveys of college students and faculty. And we reached out to key higher education organizations, colleges and universities to announce the project, seek their input, and ensure their participation.


Results

To date, Widmeyer has secured close to 300 news stories in major daily newspapers, weekly news magazines, wire services, and national religious publications including major features in Time, US News & World Report, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Additionally, a May 2007 article by Alan Finder, "Matters of Faith Find a New Prominence on Campus" was the seventh time the project has been mentioned in The New York Times. Associated Press stories on the surveys have also run in multiple papers across the nation and on hundreds of news Web sites.

Finally, Widmeyer has disseminated over 30,000 HERI reports to colleges and universities and we have engaged over 3,100 institutions to participate in the project.