Weber State University and its Marketing & Communication department want prospective students and their families to know that WSU has no shortage of things to be proud of as an academic institution.

For example, WSU has made the Princeton Review’s annual list of “Best Western” colleges three times in the past five years in 2017, 2019 and 2022. Additionally, in 2021, WSU was named by the National Security Agency as a center for academic excellence in the field of cyber defense.

Aside from academic achievements, WSU has also been recognized for its efforts in prioritizing eco-friendliness, as evidenced by WSU’s inclusion in the Princeton Review’s list of “Green Colleges” every year since 2017.

One way that WSU’s Marketing & Communication department plans to draw attention to all the notable things that WSU, as an academic institution, has to offer is through Weber-specific commemorative digital icons called “Brag Badges.”

Through the system set up by WSU’s Marketing & Communication department, WSU students and staff will be able to submit awards or recognitions awarded to WSU so that those achievements can be made into WSU-branded badges that can be used for marketing purposes.

Anna Burleson, web content manager for WSU’s Marketing & Communication department, describes Brag Badges as “a way to showcase things we’re proud of at Weber State,” Burleson said.

Burleson said one of the key goals behind the creation and use of Brag Badges is to help strengthen WSU’s brand consistency; her goal and the goal of the rest of the Marketing & Communication department is to commemorate WSU’s achievements in a way that is distinct and instantly recognizable as being representative of WSU.

Brag Badges have been used in various marketing contexts such as letterheads, posters, PowerPoint presentations, billboards and print ads.

According to the creative director of WSU’s Marketing & Communication department, Matt Zacher, the design of each Brag Badge is meant to emphasize clarity and brand consistency while highlighting some of the things that WSU has to be proud of as a school. Aside from their utility in marketing materials, Zacher said Brag Badges are meant to “demonstrate what Weber’s all about.”

Zacher said some of the accomplishments that he’s most proud of are those surrounding Weber’s return on investment; last year, WSU was ranked 19th in the nation for its student ROI by Affordableschools.net, an honor that has since been made into a Brag Badge.

For Burleson, some of the Brag Badges she’s most proud of are the ones awarded to WSU to celebrate the achievements of specific programs such as Weber’s nursing and Master of Business Administration programs. One Brag Badge celebrates how WSU has the highest percentage of women enrolled in MBA programs when compared to any other university in Utah.

“I think it’s cool when WSU gets recognized for having a quality program,” Burleson said.