Boston business executives rated Tufts' reputation fifth among area companies and non-profits in an annual survey conducted by the Boston-based reputation management company Morrissey & Co.
The Massachusetts Corporate Reputation Survey (MCRS) asks 200 local executives to rate 69 institutions' general reputation, financial stability and social responsibility, among other criteria.
This year, Tufts rose in the rankings from 12th to fifth. It is preceded by two area hospitals, as well as by Harvard University and Boston University (BU), which ranked first and third, respectively.
Senior Vice President of Morrissey & Co. Ed Cafasso said institutions' local visibility was vital to having a good ranking in the survey. "One of the most important things is how well-known the organization is within the community," he said.
Indeed, this area is where Tufts has most improved recently. "Tufts has always had a good reputation," Cafasso said, "but in recent years it's had much more visibility."
At a discussion in West Hall earlier this month, University President Larry Bacow said the number of media hits to Tufts' Web site has doubled over the past year.
And according to Associate Director of Public Relations Siobhan Arnold, "the University's faculty members are often quoted in the local and national news for their expert opinion on topics ranging from political science to groundbreaking research in the life sciences."
This, Bacow said, is part of Tufts' "doing a better job of telling our story."
According to Trustee Irwin Heller, the University's improved reputation comes from "the reality of Tufts' quality education that's been there for a while," he said. "It just takes a while for perception to catch up to reality."
Another element of Tufts' improved visibility is the heightened level at which it "participates in the community and engages active citizenship," Heller said.
Tufts made a major effort to strengthen its relationship to local communities in May, when it agreed to give Medford and Somerville a total of $2.5 million, bringing positive attention to the University.
Universities like Tufts also contribute to the "research and development that drives the economy in the region," particularly medical and product research, Cafasso said. Tufts is valuable as a "source of ideas, workers and a real magnet for economic growth," he said.
Director of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce Steve Mackey called Tufts a "huge economic engine" for Somerville, attracting 60,000-70,000 people per year to the area and thereby bringing significant financial benefits to local businesses.
"The administration of the University has always been personally involved with economic development in the city," Mackey said. Several Tufts administrators hold spots in the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, including Bacow, Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel and Vice President of University Relations Mary Jeka.
"Over the decades, universities have closed gates to the communities around them, but Tufts has opened them," Mackey said.
Cafasso said Tufts had also improved communication with Boston-area executives. "It's doing a much better job at educating business influencers in the region about what Tufts can contribute," he said.
And in comparison with many Boston-area universities, Tufts' financial situation keeps it on business' radar screens. "As a result of the declines in the stock market, many college endowments experienced declines," resulting in layoffs and staff reduction at local universities like MIT, according to Vice President of Finance Thomas McGurty.
At Tufts, however, "the rate of spending has continued to grow at a pretty stable rate," McGurty said. "Tufts was fortunate that we did not experience [endowment decline]."
What gave Harvard and BU a leg up in the reputation ranking, Cafasso said, is their large geographical presence and long-standing regional visibility. "Harvard benefits from having a long-time worldwide reputation," he said.
Heller said the sheer size of these institutions gives them more visibility and more media coverage than Tufts.
"General reputation is impacted by a lot of subliminal things," including the success of a university's sports teams, Heller said.
In this vein, Tufts' ranking on this survey should at least be constant in the future, Cafasso said. "As Tufts grows and becomes more permanent, it's well-positioned to hold onto its ranking," he said.
Meanwhile, some of Tufts' corporate competition on the ranking is being absorbed by out-of-state companies. But "Tufts isn't going anywhere," Cafasso said. "It's only going to get better."
Yet, according to Heller, the measurement of Tufts that is most important is the one given by the students every year. Every year, the average SAT score of admitted students rises and more and more talented students enroll at Tufts, he said.
"As long as that continues to move up, the rest will take care of itself," Heller said.
