Curiosity makes us wonder what could someday be. It is wandering in the visions of the future– and sometimes getting lost in them. When acknowledged, it has the power to change the world.

Magic is the phenomenon of making abstract ideas concrete and making imagination a reality, through research, practice, and a drive to discover, seeded by curiosity. Magic is technology. Without technology, wondering, imagining, and believing are all we will ever be. But when curiosity and technology coincide, anything is possible with determination, perseverance, change, and the right tools. 

At Lawrence Technological University, students are provided with the tools that allow their curiosity to cross the line between magic and technology; as long as you think, have a vision, and implement, possibility awaits. LTU President Tarek Sobh puts it this way: “Creativity has always been in the DNA of Lawrence Tech. Our faculty and staff are so creative, and are able to very rapidly come up with new degree programs, professional development opportunities, new research paradigms, and design, create, and invent significant projects of significant intellectual merit and broader impact.” 

Beyond lectures, LTU professors foster students' imaginations and have a significant impact on kindling students’ curiosity and encouraging inventiveness. LTU students are unique; they are different; they are explorers. Their curiosity defines them as they diligently embark on research, interdisciplinary and experiential education, becoming scholars in their discipline and productive and innovative professionals of the future.

LTU’s new marketing campaign was created to illustrate the university as an institution that supports students’ curiosity, innovation, and passions, allowing students to transform them from aspirations into rewarding, meaningful careers. Students carry this curiosity into their classes, internships, co-ops, employment endeavors, volunteering efforts, and more. LTU not only fosters such curiosity but also enables students to create magic in all they do– in the classroom, in laboratories, and when participating in meaningful, groundbreaking research.

The curiosity of LTU students is encouraged from students’ first days on campus. President Sobh says the new campaign “describes very seamlessly what our institution and our students and alumni are about. We are a curious institution exploring the future and programming for the future, always wanting to know what the future will bring. Our students are curious, and our alumni are curious and never cease to learn. And we, as an institution, create magic.”

The process for the campaign was one of discovery, interpretation, and implementation of LTU’s legacy, its present, and its expectations of future success. The decision came down to what made LTU students unique and what made their skills stand out. Said Bill Morden, managing partner of TMV, the marketing firm that collaborated with Yellow Flag Productions to develop the campaign: “A lot of people think creativity just happens. But our process is a bit of a three–pronged step of discovery, interpretation, and then implementation. Under the discovery phase, one question we always ask is, ‘What are you selling versus what are you providing?’ We're selling education, but what we're really providing is having curious people come here and make magic [and change the world]. And we think [this] is a highly emotional conversation to have. And guess what? Nobody in [higher education] is talking like that.” 

The campaign emphasizes the tools and resources LTU has to help students embark on such a metamorphic journey– it is an institution where faculty and staff unite on the mission of fostering student success and their ability to create a better, safer, and more sustainable world.

LTU has always been on a mission to change lives to better society, communities, and families, so the timing of the new tagline is perfect with new leadership changes underway for the institution. “This campaign is the first step in a continuing series of curiosity and magic,” said Lou Bitonti, President of Yellow Flag Productions, the marketing group for LTU.

“What we're trying to do is capture that curiosity part, but also explain that the tools you get from Lawrence Tech allow you to take your curiosity and make it a difference maker. It’s going from ‘I always wanted to do that as a kid’ to 'I can get the education I need to be able to do this.’” Bitonti said the campaign emphasizes and expands LTU's mission, while raising awareness and welcoming curious, enquiring, and inquisitive students.

Imagination and technology together create movement and change, and LTU is where you will find out what you are capable of and be motivated to discover your potential. We strive to provide opportunities and continuously propel the future through education and access; we seek to train students to be technologically savvy, interdisciplinary oriented, and ready for the innovative careers of the future.

Magic is no longer a figment of our imagination but a lens into our creativity and a drive to turn our curiosity into reality.

by Nurzahan Rahman