August 27, 2025
New ad highlights national impact of Big Ten universities
The positive impact of Big Ten universities across the Pacific Northwest and around the nation will be highlighted in a new 30-second ad that will air during sporting events featuring conference members, starting with this week’s season-opening football games.
The ad – entitled “We Are Here” – will air alongside the fan-favorite “Maps” spot. The new spot focuses on how the University of Washington and other Big Ten universities make America healthier, safer and more prosperous in a variety of ways, from discovering new medical treatments to developing healthier foods to driving economic growth.
“The University of Washington is proud to join our Big Ten peers in showcasing the power of education, research and innovation through this collaborative campaign. Leveraging one of the most visible stages in college sports, these ads highlight to a broad audience how student-athlete competition unites people, while also amplifying the value of each Conference university’s impact,” said University of Washington President Robert J. Jones, who was previously chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors and, along with President Emerita Ana Mari Cauce, was a champion of the project.
“Through our Big Ten membership, the UW gains visibility for its role—locally, nationally and beyond—in driving progress and fostering stronger communities nationwide,” Jones said.
Collectively, the 18 members of the Big Ten Conference educate more than 817,000 students and conduct $19.6 billion in research each year. The vast majority of that research is conducted thanks to the American people and their support for federal investments in the nation’s global leadership in health and innovation.
“The Big Ten Conference is an association of 18 world-class universities sharing a common mission of research, teaching and public service, alongside shared practices and policies that reinforce the priority of academics in the lives of its student-athletes,” said Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. “We look forward to highlighting the impact our member institutions make every day in their communities and across the nation.”
“We Are Here” will air on linear and digital platforms during sporting events featuring Big Ten universities, utilizing airtime allocated to the Conference as part of its media agreements, including the Big Ten Network (BTN). From concept to completion, Valentina Gomez Bravo, executive creative director in University Marketing & Communications (UMAC), led a multidisciplinary team of creative staff from Big Ten member universities in developing the ad under the auspices of the Big Ten Academic Alliance.
This new initiative builds on other Conference efforts, including research vignettes highlighting the impact of university research that air during select BTN sporting event broadcasts. That included vignettes about the UW last season featuring the College of the Environment’s oceans research and the Clean Energy Institute’s work to develop longer-lasting batteries.
“We Are Here” is the first in a planned series of three ads, which over the course of the series will feature footage from all 18 universities.
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To download a broadcast-quality file of “We Are Here” please visit this SharePoint link
About Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The Big Ten Conference sponsors 28 official sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, and the broad-based programs of the 18 Big Ten institutions provide direct financial support for more than 14,000 student-athletes. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.
About Big Ten Academic Alliance
The Big Ten Academic Alliance is the nation’s preeminent model for effective collaboration among research universities. For more than half a century, these world-class institutions have advanced their academic missions, generated unique opportunities for students and faculty, and served the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programs. Governed and funded by the Provosts of the member universities, Big Ten Academic Alliance programs and initiatives are coordinated by a staff from its Champaign, Illinois headquarters.
Big Ten member universities
- Indiana University
- Michigan State University
- Northwestern University
- The Ohio State University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Purdue University
- Rutgers University-New Brunswick
- University of California Los Angeles
- University of Illinois
- University of Iowa
- University of Maryland
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- University of Oregon
- University of Southern California
- University of Washington
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
