Higher Ed Storytelling: How Presidential Video, AI, and Authentic Communication Bring Mission to Life

Higher ed storytelling has never been more important—or more challenging.

Every college and university has a story to tell. But in a crowded marketplace, students and families are hearing a lot of similar messages.

Great academics. Caring faculty. Beautiful campus. Supportive community. Strong outcomes.

Those are all important, but if every school is saying the same thing, prospective students are left wondering what actually makes one institution different from another.

That’s why I was so excited to sit down with Dr. Adam Wright, President of Dallas Baptist University, for this episode of The Higher Ed Marketer podcast. We recorded this conversation live at the CCCU International Forum in Grapevine, Texas, and I wanted to talk with Adam because DBU is a great example of an institution that understands the power of distinctiveness.

Dr. Wright has spent more than 25 years in higher education, and his leadership at DBU reflects something I talk about often with clients: if you want to attract mission-fit students, you have to be clear about who you are.

The idea is to not be vague, generic, or try to sound like everyone else.

In this conversation, Dr. Wright shared how DBU is using mission clarity, presidential video, AI, and authentic communication to tell its story in the digital age.

Higher Ed Storytelling Starts With Knowing Who You Are

One of the biggest mistakes institutions make is trying to be everything to everyone.

I understand why it happens. Enrollment pressure is real. Budgets are tight. Competition is fierce.

When you feel pressure to grow, it can be tempting to soften your message so that it appeals to the broadest possible audience.

But that’s not how strong brands are built.

The most compelling higher ed storytelling starts with a willingness to say, “This is who we are.”

That clarity will attract some students and repel others—and that’s actually a good thing.

Dr. Wright shared how this idea shaped him early in his career.

“The tendency had been when I was growing up in higher education was to do what everybody else is doing. Be like everyone else. 

I had a brief stint as a marketing student at DBU in my undergraduate career, and I remember a marketing professor telling me, ‘Everything rises and falls on marketing, and you’ve got to be distinctive. You’ve got to set yourself apart.’ 

That really impacted me as a young person. And so, one of the challenges that I continue to offer our team is: 

How are we setting ourselves apart, and how are we being true to our vision, mission, and values at DBU?”

That’s such an important question: Are we being true to our vision, mission, and values?

Not just, “Are we producing enough content?”

Not just, “Are we keeping up with TikTok, AI, video, email, and paid ads?”

Those tools matter, but they are only effective when they serve a clear institutional identity.

DBU’s distinctiveness is rooted in its Christian mission.

For them, faith isn’t a secondary brand attribute or a line in a brochure. It shapes how they recruit, communicate, award scholarships, and talk with students about calling and vocation.

That level of clarity is powerful because it helps the right students recognize themselves in the story.

Mission Clarity Makes Digital Communication More Authentic

There’s a lot of talk right now about authenticity in higher education marketing.

Students can sense when a message is overly polished, overly generic, or disconnected from the actual experience of the institution.

But authenticity doesn’t happen by accident.

Authentic communication comes from alignment.

Your president, cabinet, enrollment team, faculty, admissions counselors, marketing team, alumni, and students should all be telling a version of the same story.

Dr. Wright explained that DBU’s approach to higher ed storytelling is not just about colors, fonts, or brand rules.

Those things matter, of course, but they are not the heart of the work.

“How do we most effectively tell our story in the digital age? And so that influences how we approach written, printed communications, speeches that our administrators are giving, and our faculty workshops. 

We want to ensure that there’s a consistency of messaging throughout. 

So it’s not just about a media guidebook, for instance, and saying ‘You must follow this in everything you do,’ or ‘Use the right colors on the print pieces and the right tones and whatnot.’ 

But it’s making sure that there is an authentic voice that’s being heard by the people that are leading out and even on the front lines at DBU.”

I love that phrase: “an authentic voice.”

That’s what students and families are looking for.

They don’t just want to see a perfectly designed admissions piece. They want to know whether they can trust you. They want to know whether the experience you’re describing is real.

This is where consistency becomes so important.

A student may encounter your school through an Instagram Reel, a search ad, an email, a campus visit, a phone call with an admissions counselor, a parent communication, a video from the president, or a conversation with a current student.

If those touchpoints feel disconnected, trust begins to erode.

But when the same mission comes through every channel, trust begins to build.

For DBU, that means everyone—from the president’s office to the admissions booth—is helping tell the story.

Presidential Video Can Humanize Your Institution

One of the most practical takeaways from this episode was how Dr. Wright uses video.

And I want every president, enrollment leader, and marketing team to hear this: you do not need a massive production budget to use video effectively.

You need intentionality.

At DBU, Dr. Wright records a Monday morning “Start Your Week Right” video for faculty and staff. It’s about three minutes long.

He uses it to recognize employees, highlight events, and offer a spiritual leadership challenge for the week.

That is internal marketing at its best.

Sometimes we talk so much about external marketing that we forget how important internal communication is.

Your faculty and staff are some of your most important brand ambassadors.

They need to hear the mission repeated. They need to see leadership embodying it. They need to feel connected to the story they are helping tell.

Dr. Wright also uses short personalized videos for prospective students.

In the episode, he shared that he may receive the names of a few top prospects for the week, then record a 30- or 40-second personal message.

It might be as simple as saying he heard the student is interested in philosophy, that he loves philosophy, and that DBU would love to talk with them if that’s where they feel called to continue their education.

Can you imagine being a student and receiving a personal video from the president of the university?

Can you imagine showing that to your parents?

That moment communicates something more powerful than a brochure ever could. It says, “You are seen.” It says, “We care about you.” It says, “You matter to this institution.”

That’s higher ed storytelling in action.

That is more than content. It’s making a connection.

For presidents or senior leaders who may feel hesitant about video, start small.

You don’t need studio lighting and a full production crew for every message.

Some of the most effective communication can happen with an iPhone, a clear message, and a sincere heart.

AI Can Help Scale Personal Communication Without Losing the Mission

Another important part of our conversation was the role of AI.

I had the opportunity to speak at DBU with a couple of other higher education leaders about AI and how institutions can leverage it.

Dr. Wright shared that after seeing a demonstration of a video in multiple languages, he immediately thought about how DBU could use that idea in international recruitment.

Their VP for International Affairs quickly created videos in multiple languages to provide personal greetings to students they recruit from around the world.

Dr. Wright noted that DBU recruits students from roughly 60 different countries, and AI helped them expand their thinking about how to make those students feel personally welcomed.

That’s a great example of the right way to think about AI in higher education marketing.

AI should not replace authenticity. It should extend it.

AI should not make your communication feel less human. It should help you communicate in more human ways at scale.

When used well, AI can help institutions:

• Personalize communication for different audiences
• Translate or adapt messages for international students
• Repurpose video and written content across platforms
• Reduce repetitive production work
• Give marketing and enrollment teams more time for strategy and relationship-building

But the key is that AI has to serve the mission.

The tool is not the story. The mission is the story.

If your institution is unclear about who it is, AI will only help you produce more unclear content faster.

But if your institution has a strong sense of identity, AI can help you bring that identity to life for more people, in more places, and in more personal ways.

The Best Storytelling Begins Inside the Institution

One of the things I appreciate about Dr. Wright’s leadership is that his communication strategy is not separate from his leadership philosophy.

For DBU, higher ed storytelling is not simply a marketing campaign. It flows out of who they are as a community.

That includes their commitment to prayer.

Dr. Wright talked about prayer as part of the “lifeblood” of the university.

DBU has a Chair of Prayer, a full-time endowed position that receives prayer requests and sends daily updates.

They also have 2,000 people committed to praying for DBU every day. In addition, employees are asked to take at least 10 minutes during the workday to pray for students, colleagues, and the university.

That may sound like a separate topic from marketing, but I don’t think it is.

Because your external story should be a reflection of your internal culture.

If you say your institution is Christ-centered, but that commitment is not operationalized in the daily rhythms of the university, students will eventually feel the disconnect.

If you say you care about students, but your systems and communications don’t reflect care, the story breaks down.

The strongest brands are not invented in a marketing office. They are discovered, clarified, and communicated from the real life of the institution.

That’s what makes DBU’s example so helpful.

Their story is not just something they say. It is something they are trying to practice.

What Higher Ed Marketers Can Learn From DBU

There are several practical lessons higher ed marketers can take from this conversation with Dr. Wright.

First, distinctiveness matters. 

In a crowded marketplace, vague messaging will not help you stand out. You have to know who you are and be willing to communicate it clearly.

Second, consistency builds trust. 

Your messaging should feel aligned across channels, departments, and audiences. Students should not experience one version of your brand on social media and another when they talk to admissions.

Third, leadership participation matters. 

When presidents and senior leaders actively participate in storytelling, it elevates the message and models the behavior for the rest of the institution.

Fourth, video does not have to be complicated.

A simple, sincere, short video can build connection in a way that polished copy sometimes cannot.

Fifth, AI should serve authenticity. 

The institutions that use AI well will not be the ones that simply produce more content. They will be the ones that use AI to communicate more personally, more clearly, and more consistently.

Finally, the internal story always comes first. 

Marketing can amplify a story, but it cannot compensate for a lack of clarity or culture.

For even more insights from Dr. Wright, listen to the full episode on The Higher Ed Marketer podcast.

Bring Your Mission to Life Through Better Storytelling

At Caylor Solutions, we believe great higher ed marketing starts with clarity.

Before you launch another campaign, redesign another landing page, or chase the next digital trend, you need to know what story you are telling and who needs to hear it.

That’s especially true in a time when institutions are navigating enrollment pressure, demographic shifts, AI disruption, and increasing competition.

The schools that stand out will be the ones that communicate their mission with courage, consistency, and authenticity.

Dr. Adam Wright and Dallas Baptist University remind us that higher ed storytelling is not about trying to be louder than everyone else. It’s about being clearer.

It’s about helping mission-fit students see who you are.

It’s about using simple tools—video, AI, email, social media, and personal communication—to build genuine connections.

And it’s about making sure the story you tell on the outside reflects the life and mission of your institution on the inside.

If your college or university needs help clarifying your message, strengthening your enrollment communication, or building a digital strategy that brings your mission to life, Caylor Solutions can help.

We partner with higher education institutions to create marketing strategies, websites, campaigns, and content that connect with the right students and move them toward action.

Contact us today to learn more.

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Featured image via dbu.edu