أطراس
Volume 7, Numéro 2, Pages 148-170
2026-07-15
‘i Warmly Welcome You …’: Institutional Identity Construction In Vice-chancellors’ Welcome Messages In Ghanaian Universities
Authors : Antwi Eric . Mould Joseph Martin . Aduse-poku Samuel .
Abstract
Welcome messages from Vice-Chancellors play a significant role in universities’ official communications, yet they are often overlooked as important sites for constructing institutional identity. This study examines how institutional identity is constructed through the welcome messages of Vice-Chancellors at public universities in Ghana. Grounded in Organisational Identity Theory (Albert & Whetten, 1985), the study employs a qualitative multiple-case study. Data consists of publicly available welcome messages sourced from the official websites of eight (8) public universities in Ghana, collected through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data. The findings indicate that Vice-Chancellors’ welcome messages construct various identities, characterised by prestige, research, institutional mandates, and student-centredness. Notably, a faith-inflected identity also emerged. In addition to constructing institutional identity, the findings highlight how Vice-Chancellors construct their own leadership identities by positioning themselves as legitimate authorities within their institutions. They portray themselves as visionary, strategic leaders who articulate the future direction of their universities. These leadership identities serve to personalise and validate institutional narratives, thereby enhancing both credibility and strategic positioning. This study contributes to the fields of institutional discourse and higher education communication by recognising Vice-Chancellors’ welcome messages as a distinct genre for the construction of both institutional and leadership identities, while also broadening the empirical focus to include public universities in Ghana.
Keywords
Ghanaian universities ; institutional identity ; leadership discourse ; Vice-Chancellors ; welcome messages
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