Brand Statement

More in Four. More in a Lifetime.® 

This brand statement articulates the fundamental character of the Kalamazoo College undergraduate experience: that the College offers more opportunities for learning, exploration, adventure and practical experience so that our students can do more in a lifetime. The stories alumni tell about their lives both at K and after graduation confirm the truth of these words. Together, the stories and the brand statement differentiate Kalamazoo College from its top competitors. 

Each unit of the College can use the brand statement as a guide to brainstorm effective marketing and communication, which often involves gathering and sharing stories and photographs that personalize the brand and makes clear the distinctions of a Kalamazoo College education.  

When used as a headline or tagline, the College brand statement can read as follows. 

• More in Four. More in a Lifetime.®
• More in Four.® 
• More in a Lifetime.® 
• Turn Four into More.  

The word “more” can be bolded and/or typed in all capitals when used in a sentence, but it cannot be used as a stand-alone word. The statements as written above do not need to be in all caps.  

Do not use acronyms for the brand statement, in writing or orally. 

Kalamazoo College Mission Statement

The mission of Kalamazoo College is to prepare its graduates to better understand, live successfully within, and provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world. 

Key Messages

Kalamazoo College’s messaging strategy conveys how Kalamazoo College occupies a unique position among higher education institutions. 

• To fulfill our brand promise (More in four. More in a lifetime.), K integrates a combination of depth and breadth in the liberal arts and sciences, civic engagement, social justice theory and practice, hands-on career exploration through internships and externships, and international and intercultural immersion. This approach is known as the K-Plan. 
• The K-Plan’s open curriculum offers great flexibility, allowing students to tailor their studies to their unique interests and goals. 
• From civic engagement and service learning opportunities to internships and career development programming, K’s experiential education enables students to develop transferable skills and build meaningful connections that foster collaborative learning, civic participation and career preparedness.
• The broad variety of these programs, the high standard of excellence of each, and the integration of them through structured reflection distinguishes Kalamazoo College from its critical competitors. Occasionally an individual program from a competitor rises to a level of excellence matching its counterpart at K; however, none of our competitors match the variety of our programs, the high standards of excellence, and the integration of those programs.  

Other key messages to reinforce and support the brand statement follow. For most recent statistics, you can also visit the Fast Facts page of K’s website.

• Founded in 1833, Kalamazoo College is the oldest institution of higher learning in the State of Michigan and among the 100 oldest in the United States. 

• Kalamazoo College is the “gold standard” of study abroad programs, and has been since the oft-emulated K-Plan was established in 1962. The majority of K students participate in meaningful, immersive international and intercultural experiences—often characterized by home stays, an Integrative Cultural Research Project, and duration of three, six, or nine months. 
• As a culmination to their learning at K, students intensely explore a subject of their own choosing as part of their Senior Integrated Project (SIP), resulting in an in-depth, graduate-level research thesis, performance, or creative work. 
• Kalamazoo College is home of the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, which trains leaders at all stages of learning and practice to promote social justice and advance human rights. 
• K is a close-knit community where diversity is valued. Students are made to feel welcome, and they find great support and encouragement from peers, faculty and staff. 
• Campus life at K is for students and by students. K students are responsible for planning, organizing and implementing major campus events for students. 

• The city of Kalamazoo is a diverse and progressive metropolitan area, with three higher education institutions, numerous cultural opportunities and countless choices for fun and entertainment. 
• K outperforms many prominent schools by ranking in the top 2 percent of all U.S. colleges and universities surveyed for the proportion of graduates who ultimately earn a research doctorate, according to the National Science Foundation.  
• Prestigious corporate, scientific and governmental employers seek out K graduates, citing their entrepreneurial spirit. 
• Among high school guidance counselors, one of the most highly respected college guides for prospective students and parents is Colleges That Change Lives, a book that profiles liberal arts colleges that excel in developing students’ potential, values, initiative, and provide the foundation for success beyond college. K has been included in every edition of CTCL since its first publication in 1998. 
• Kalamazoo College is among top-ranked colleges in the country, regularly appearing in the Princeton Review’s The Best 387 Colleges, The Best Value Colleges and among the Top 20 Private Colleges Where Students Are Making an Impact. The U.S. Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2022 College Rankings list places K among the top 22 percent of the nation’s colleges and universities ranked overall listed K as the top-ranked private higher education institution in Michigan.