With the second edition of the book, Belonging is the Brand: Inclusive Marketing in Higher Education, author Reginald E. Lewis, Ed.D., delivers a compelling case that belonging, not diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) messaging, is what drives enrollment, retention and institutional trust.
The significantly expanded edition arrives at a pivotal moment for higher education, as federal and state pressures have pushed many colleges to scale back or rebrand DEI efforts. Academic marketers now need messaging that can support inclusion goals while staying aligned with rapidly changing compliance expectations.The book is available at drreginaldlewis.com, Amazon and through IngramSpark.
First-generation students now make up 54% of all U.S. undergraduates — including roughly 73% of Hispanic and Latino students and 65% Black students, and a third of first-gen students drop out within three years, compared with 14% of their continuing-generation peers, according to the Crimsonbridge Foundation. For most campuses, the students who most need to see themselves reflected in an institution’s messaging are no longer a niche audience — they’re the majority. As colleges and universities across the country reassess how they talk about access and inclusion, Lewis offers a practical, field-tested alternative that keeps the focus on what actually drives student success and enrollment: whether students see themselves reflected, welcomed and supported.
“Belonging isn’t a poster message,” Lewis said. “It’s a discipline that shows up in the language, the imagery and the intent behind every piece of content a college or university publishes. When institutions treat belonging as a campaign instead of a commitment, students notice the gap between what’s promised and what’s delivered.That gap is where trust breaks down, and where enrollment and retention suffer.”
The second edition introduces an expanded version of Lewis’ practitioner framework, including:
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The Swap — reframing language to center belonging over compliance-driven terminology
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The Flip — shifting institutional storytelling from top-down messaging to experience-first narratives
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Visual Diversity Done Right — moving beyond performative imagery toward authentic representation
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Document Your Intent — building institutional accountability into the marketing process itself
“Dr. Reginald Lewis provides one of the most thorough and informative explanations of the impactful changes of DEI in higher education in this phenomenal book Belonging is the Brand: Inclusive Marketing in Higher Education,“ said John C. Turner, Ph.D., educational leader and host of “The Doc Chat” podcast. “This book provides amazing insights on how underserved and underrepresented students can succeed in difficult college and university environments with the help of caring higher education faculty and professionals who want to help them reach their dreams.”
About the Author
Reginald E. Lewis is an author, speaker and scholar-practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in higher education marketing and communications. He holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Paul Quinn College, an MBA from East Texas A&M University and an Ed.D. in higher education from Northeastern University, where his dissertation examined self-efficacy and persistence among community college students. He serves as adjunct graduate faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, teaching strategic writing and strategy development.
