Switzerland’s research universities, colleges of education and universities of applied sciences are key actors in the modern knowledge society. Together, these institutions provide society with a skilled workforce through teaching, generating new knowledge through research and respond to societal needs through outreach and knowledge-transfer.

 

Today in Switzerland as well as internationally, HEIs find themselves amidst times of profound change. On the one hand, they are closer linked to society and confronted with stronger external demands. On the other hand, they are gaining more autonomy to address these demands independently.

 

To navigate the transformation, communication between HEIs and actors from business, politics, culture and the wider society is becoming increasingly important. Nevertheless, very little is currently known about how and with which impact HEIs communicate. The SNFS-funded research project C3H is the first Swiss-wide study dedicate to explore the developments in public communication of HEIs.

The project will not only bring valuable insights for practitioners and researchers in Switzerland, but also contribute to the rather scant international research on public communication of HEIs and its effects.
Runtime

November 2019 - December 2023

Funding

Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

Project Management

Prof. Dr. Mike S. Schäfer (UZH) & Dr. Daniel Vogler (fög)

Project Goals

C3H is the first research project in Switzerland devoted to tracking and comparing nation-wide developments in the external communication of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The project focusses its research on four dimensions of analysis: professionalising, intensifying, diversifying and strategic alignment with organisational goals.

Team

Portrait Prof. Dr. Mike Schäfer

Prof. Dr.
Mike S. Schäfer

Professor of
Science Communication

at the Institute for Communication and Media Research (IKMZ), University of Zurich
Portrait Dr. Daniel Vogler

Dr. Daniel Vogler

Head of Research

at the Public and Society Research Center (fög) of the University of Zurich
Silke Fürst

Dr. Silke Fürst

Postdoctoral scholar

at the Institute for Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) – Division of Science Communication, University of Zurich
Isabel Sörensen

Isabel Sörensen

Research Assistant

at the Institute for Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) – Division of Science Communication, University of Zürich

Dr. Sophia C. Volk

Postdoctoral scholar

at the Institute for Communication and Media Research (IKMZ) – Division of Science Communication, University of Zurich

Output

— 2023 —

Beyond the news media logic? Analyzing the social media orientation of university leadership

Swiss Journal of Sociology

— 2023 —

Platforms matter: Analyzing user engagement with socia media content of Swiss higher education institutions

Journal of Marketing for Higher Education

— 2023 —

Role conceptions of university communicators: A segmentation analysis of communication practitioners in higher education institutions

Public Relations Review

— 2023 —

Zwischen Ethik des Gemeinwohls und strategischer Profilierung: Rollenselbstverständnisse und Qualitätskriterien in der Hochschulkommunikation

Wissen kommunizieren

— 2023 —

Higher Education Institutions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: Comparing Swiss Universities’ Social Media Communication

Media and Communication

— 2022 —

Changing Communication of Higher Education Institutions (Thematic Section)

Studies in Communication Sciences

— 2022 —

Communication of higher education institutions: Historical developments and changes over the past decade.

Studies in Communication Sciences

— 2022 —

Assessing changes in the public communication of higher education institutions: A survey of leaders of Swiss universities and colleges.

Studies in Communication Sciences

— 2022 —

Organizational and Societal Goals in Tension? A Survey of Communication Practitioniers at Swiss Higher Education Institutions

Journal of Science Communication

— 2022 —

(Transfer Publication) The public face of universities

EU Research

— 2021 —

(Transfer Publication) Status Quo and Dynamics of Public Communication Efforts of all Swiss Higher Education Institutions.

VSH-Bulletin

— 2021 —

Media Representations of Academia: Mapping and Typologizing News Coverage of All Swiss Higher Education Institutions.

International Journal of Communication

Presentations

  • Fürst, S., & Sörensen, I. (2023). «Schweizer Hochschulen im Profilierungswettbewerb? Trends und Herausforderungen der Hochschulkommunikation». CHESS lecture. Zürich. Link
  • Fürst, S., Vogler, D., Schäfer, M. S., Sörensen, I., & Volk, S. (2023). Hochschulen als einflussreiche Stimmen im Wissenschaftsjournalismus: Eine Längsschnittanalyse von Schweizer Medien. Jahrestagung der DGPuK-Fachgruppen «Wissenschaftskommunikation» und «Journalistik/Journalismusforschung»: Gesellschaftswissen schaffen. Chancen und Herausforderungen für Journalismus und Wissenschaftskommunikation im digitalen Zeitalter. Passau.
  • Volk, S. C., Sörensen, I., Fürst, S. Vogler, D., & Schäfer, M. S. (2023). Evaluation practices in university communication: A qualitative study of communicators and university leaders. EUPRERA Congress «Responsible Communication – or Communicating Responsibility?». Prag.
  • Volk, S. C., Vogler, D., Fürst, S., Schäfer, M. S., & Sörensen, I. (2023). Types of University Communicators in Switzerland: A Segmentation Analysis of Communication Practitioners in all Swiss Higher Education Institutions. PCST Venice Symposium «Science Communication Education and Training: Challenges and Strategies for Research and Academic Institutions». Venice.
  • Volk, S. C., Vogler, D., Schäfer, M. S., & Fürst, S. (2023) Expansion of the universe: How central and decentral communicators of a university interact on Twitter. ICA Postconference «Authentic Voices in Science Communication». Toronto.
  • Fürst, S., Schäfer, M. S., Vogler, D., & Sörensen (2023). Social Media Orientation of University Leadership: Results of a Swiss Survey. SGKM-Jahrestagung «What Do We Pay Attention To? Digitale Innovationen im Wettbewerb um Aufmerksamkeit». Luzern.
  • Sörensen, I., Schäfer, M. S., Fürst, S.,  Vogler, D., & Volk, S. C. (2023) Analysing Communication of Higher Education Institutions. PCST Conference “Creating Common Ground“. Rotterdam.
  • Fürst, S., Volk, S. C., Schäfer, M. S., Vogler, D., & Sörensen, I. (2022). How Has Public Communication of Higher Education Institutions Changed in the past Decade? A Survey of Leaders of Swiss Universities and Colleges. ECREA Conference “Rethink Impact”. Aarhus.
  • Volk, S., Vogler, D., Fürst, S., Schäfer, M. S., & Sörensen, I. (2022). Communication Practitioners in Higher Education Institutions: A Segmentation Analysis to Identify Types of Communicators in Switzerland. EUPRERA Congress “Public Relations in the Risk Society: Dealing with Uncertainty, Insecurity and Crisis”. Wien.
  • Sörensen, I., Vogler, D., Fürst, S., & Schäfer, M. S. (2022). Visual Content as Driver of User Engagement: A comparative Analysis of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Posts of All Higher Education Institutions in Switzerland. SGKM-Jahrestagung “The Visual and Audiovisual Turn in the Age of Screen Media”. Zürich.
  • Fürst, S., Volk, S., Schäfer, M. S., Vogler, D., & Sörensen (2022). Zwischen Ethik des Gemeinwohls und strategischer Profilierung: Individuelle Rollenselbstverständnisse und organisationale Qualitätskriterien in der Hochschulkommunikation. Tagung “Wissen kommunizieren. Ethische Anforderungen an die Kommunikation zwischen Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft” der DGPuK-Fachgruppe Kommunikations- und Medienethik und des Netzwerks Medienethik. München.
  • Fürst, S., Volk, S., Schäfer, M. S., Vogler, D., & Sörensen (2022). Between Knowledge Dissemination and Organizational Self-Promotion: A Survey of Communication Professionals at Swiss Higher Education Institutions. ICA Conference “One World, One Network”. Paris.
  • Sörensen, I., Vogler, D., Fürst, S., & Schäfer, M. S. (2022). User Engagement with Social Media Posts of All Higher Education Institutions in Switzerland: A Comparative Analysis of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. ICA Conference “One World, One Network”. Paris.
  • Sörensen, I., Vogler, D., Fürst, S., & Schäfer, M. S. (2021). User Engagement with Social Media Posts of Swiss Higher Education Institutions: A Comparative Analysis of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. REHES III Workshop “Higher Education and Science in Transition? Theoretical Considerations and Empirical Results on the Macro, Meso and Micro Level”. Winterthur.
  • Fürst, S., Vogler, D., Schäfer, M. S., & Sörensen, I. (2021). Media Representations of Academia: Mapping and Typologizing News Coverage of All Swiss Higher Education Institutions. Virtual ICA Conference “Engaging the Essential Work of Care: Communication, Connectedness, and Social Justice”.

 

Transfer Vorträge

  • Sörensen, I., Fürst, S., Vogler, D. & Schäfer, M. S. (2021). Ergebnisse einer Umfrage über die Auswirkungen von COVID-19 auf die Hochschulkommunikation in der Schweiz. SUPRIO Workshop “Hochschulkommunikation: Was bleibt nach COVID?”

Advisory Board

The advisory board is composed of experienced practitioners as well as renowned scientists from various disciplines, thus reflecting the trans- and interdisciplinary nature of research on higher education and higher education communication. This multifaceted expertise flows into the C3H research project.