"Reputation is based on intangibles that generate positive perceptions in the public. Cultivating it requires a 360º vision of the institution, a perspective that is provided by the communication Departments ". This was stated by Juan Manuel Mora, Vice President of Communication at the University of Navarra, during the congress international conference on university reputation organized by the same academic center.

The latest workshop of Building Universities' Reputation 2015which brought together more than 300 people from 18 countries, focused on the role of communication as a coordinator, promoter and watchdog of intangibles. According to Mora, its functions include "making the organization's identity explicit, contributing to the creation of culture, identifying and dialoguing with stakeholders, promoting social responsibility and proposing innovative projects". Along these lines, Paul Andrew, Vice President for Communication at Harvard University, pointed out that"the responsibility of Departments communication is to contribute to the advancement of the university's mission statement by helping to ensure that, beyond the institution, there is a better understanding of the work that is carried out there".

The workshop has also counted with the intervention of, among others, of Mark Sudburydirector of Communication of the University College London (UCL), Sebastián Cebrián, director general of the association Española de Directivos de la Comunicación (DIRCOM) and Mercedes Esteban, vice-president of the European Foundation Society and Education. The closing ceremony was attended by Jorge Sainz, director general of University Policy, Ministry of Education; and Concepción Naval, dean of School of Education and Psychology of the University of Navarra.

Intangible asset managers

The functions of the university are to educate, research and transfer knowledge to society. Making the protagonists of these activities known is the responsibility of communication. According to Andrew,"universities are recognized as being excellent because of their outstanding academic stafftheir exceptional dedication to teaching and research ". In addition, he also pointed out that"graduates play an important part in shaping how the university is viewed because of the positive impact they can have on the world through their professional work.

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