Mission: University Relations is responsible for advancing Washington State University through internal and external communications, strategic marketing, university events, and the development of relationships with key constituency groups throughout the state of Washington and beyond.
Summary of Area-wide Goals and Strategies:
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Establish the University's brand position for world-class quality and challenging hands-on involvement.
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Improve internal communication and build a shared commitment to the University's values and strategic goals.
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Increase Washington State University's enrollment of high-performing students.
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Enhance Washington State University's reputation as one of the nation's premier research universities among influencers and business and opinion leaders.
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Create a statewide Community Relations program in support of the University's strategic goals and brand position.
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Foster a spirit of loyalty and commitment to Washington State University from its alumni and friends.
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Enrich the education and campus-life experience of students and enhance the quality of life in the region.
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Provide a University publications, printing and communications program that projects the character and values of Washington State University and supports the University's vision, brand and strategic goals.
Alumni Relations/Washington State University Alumni Association
Mission: To serve Washington State University and its goals by fostering a spirit of loyalty and commitment from its alumni and friends through dedication to three themes:
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Encouraging Excellence - to enhance the quality and global recognition of Washington State University.
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Supporting Scholarships - to help students attain a Washington State University education.
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Making Connections - to connect alumni and friends to Washington State University through services and programs.
The Alumni Association and Alumni Relations organizations are a dynamic team of dedicated professional staff and loyal alumni volunteers working together to achieve this mission and its related goals. In keeping with the mission, the Board of Directors of the Association will strive in the next five years to expand programs and services, while providing a strong link between the university and its alumni. To accomplish this, we plan to implement the following goals:
Goal One: Expand our outreach activities on the westside of the state by utilizing a full-time position at WSU West.
Strategies:
A. Increase alumni activities in the Puget Sound region and increase young alumni involvement.
B. Assist with admissions recruitment and legislative issues by involving interested alumni.
Goal Two: Continue to build economic stability within the organization.
Strategies:
A. Encourage investment in our existing endowments for programs and services of the Association, as well as the support of our scholarship awards.
B. Implement strong marketing strategies to increase annual and life memberships to maintain consistent, sustainable growth. Goal Three: Continue to re-evaluate existing programs and services to meet alumni needs and interests and map our plan to effectively address planned growth.
Strategies:
A. In anticipation of the needs of the growing number of alumni of Washington State University, continue to re-evaluate existing programs and services by using alumni focus groups and the Board of Directors for feedback.
B. Add staffing, redefine existing job duties, and identify funding sources to implement changes.
Goal Four: In concert with the WSU Integrated Marketing plan, seek new ways to increase our visibility throughout the state and nationwide.
Strategies:
A. Increase our effectiveness by visibly 'branding' our publications, events, programs and services to better promote the excellence of Washington State University and awareness of the Alumni Association.
Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum
Mission: The mission of Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum is to enrich the education and campus-life experience of students, enhance the quality of life in the region, and perpetuate positive attitudes towards Washington State University.
Goal One:Contribute meaningfully to realization of the WSU Strategic Plan goals regarding recruitment of high ability students, providing the best undergraduate experience at a research university, and world-class arts.
Strategies:
A. Support the recruitment of students to the Pullman campus by offering popular entertainment normally found in larger cities.
B. Increase the educational activities offered as part of performing art events by funding master classes, working with the School of Music, developing community outreach programs, and offering a visual art component to Beasley presentations as appropriate.
C. Increase the quantity and quality of performing arts presentations by presenting new performing arts series, expanding the number of events in Kimbrough Concert Hall and Bryan Hall Theater, and working to develop a Presidential Lecture Series with nationally and internationally known speakers.
Goal Two: Diversify funding sources for programming and operations.
Strategies:
A. Find revenue resources to fund newly developed and expanded programming while reducing dependence on state and other departmental funding.
B. Develop sponsorship, underwriting and gift programs; hire a marketing coordinator; and implement rental rate structures and policies for university users that allow Beasley to continue its program offerings in budget reduction environments.
C. Increase ticket sales revenue. Goal Three: Modernize facilities and equipment to meet standards, improve the experiences of patrons at Beasley events, and enhance facilities for groups using the coliseum.
Strategies:
A. Develop a plan to upgrade the building to conform to ADA, fire, and building code standards.
B. Upgrade step and aisle lights and concourse/emergency public address system.
C. Replace wooden bleachers with portable padded seating and construct a food preparation kitchen to enhance high quality catered events.
Goal Four: Increase professionalism and develop efficiencies in areas of programming and facility management.
Strategies:
A. Improve the quality of printed and web-based material.
B. Develop a comprehensive operating and procedures manual for Beasley Coliseum.
C. Reduce labor costs by eliminating duplicate selling efforts, combining ticket sales locations and establishing a ticket outlet in the CUB.
D. Explore the possibility of sharing office, technical, and financial resources with other booking and presenting entities and facilities and develop a "University Arts Alliance" responsible for booking performing arts on campus.
Internal Communications, Community Relations and University Events
Mission: To support the University's Strategic Plan and its Brand and Marketing Strategy through communication activities and University events that:
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Increase employee and student knowledge of the excellence of WSU people and programs, so they can be champions and advocates for the University.
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Improve access to news and information needed for efficient and effective work.
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Enhance employee morale and attitudes towards the University.
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Foster positive community relations throughout the state.
The program directly implements one of the three goals in the University's Brand Development and Marketing Plan, namely to improve internal communication and build a shared commitment to and voice for portraying the excellence that is Washington State University.
Goal One: Build increased understanding of the University's vision, values and four core goals among faculty, staff, and students so that common direction guides daily decision-making.
Strategies:
A. Provide each employee with a statement of the vision, values and goals in an appropriate format for his or her workspace. Present these guiding ideas on a single Web page that is linked to the Faculty & Staff Home Page, for easy access by all employees.
B. Develop strategies to build attendance at the President's Fall Address where strategic plan progress is discussed. Publish in-depth coverage of the address in WSU Today.
C. Work with Human Resource Services to have presentation and discussion of the vision, values and goals a significant part of new staff and faculty orientation, and of the WSU employee-training program. With HRS, work to enhance or augment the leadership communication portions of the training programs for supervisors, managers and chairs.
D. Create a video of President Rawlins and Provost Bates on the plan and its implementation for use in the employee-training program when they are unable to present in person.
E. Continue coverage in WSU Today of University developments, initiatives, achievements and decisions that grow out of the Strategic Plan so that the plan's impact can be seen.
Goal Two: Increase faculty and staff understanding of the excellence of Washington State University's people and programs.
Strategies:
A. Organize and produce an excellent Faculty Honors Convocation. Expand attendance, obtain good coverage in the Evergreen and WSU Today, and develop displays featuring the honored faculty for use in the Compton Union Building and French Administration Building.
B. Continue to enhance coverage in WSU Today of excellent teaching and world-class research, scholarship and arts, to expose faculty and staff to the University's high quality on a consistent basis.
C. Send copies of Washington State Magazine to all classified employees as well as to the faculty and administrative/professional staff who now receive it.
D. Promote the use by faculty and staff of the special Faculty & Staff Web home page which contains images and profiles of world-class faculty and honored staff members as well as messages about strategic planning, university events and more.
E. Place the four-color ads from the external marketing campaign in the Daily Evergreen on strategic dates such as Dad's and Mom's Weekends.
F. Develop a Staff Recognition Day that includes an enhanced Staff Awards presentation event and supporting activities.
Goal Three: Increase faculty and staff identification with Washington State University as a whole, beyond their departments, and increase pride in the University.
Strategies:
A. Create and manage the World Class. Face to Face. Showcase event to provide a platform for external advisory boards, current and future students, and both the University and broader communities an opportunity to experience the University's world-class programs and resources.
B. Create high visibility for Cougar Pride Days each spring where faculty, staff and students work together on beautification of the Pullman campus. Encourage use of teams of people from across different departments and units for many of the special projects identified.
C. Continue and expand President Rawlins' internal communication activities such as the e-mail Updates and Dialogues to provide employees the opportunity to connect with the WSU leadership.
D. Encourage Intercollegiate Athletics to have a Faculty & Staff Recognition event in several sports, such as men's and women's basketball.
E. Increase attendance at the President's Fall Address, the Faculty Honors Convocation and the Staff Excellence Awards Ceremony.
Goal Four: Improve internal communication structures and processes.
Strategies:
A. Assess the internal communication activities of each vice president and dean. As appropriate, work with them to enhance internal communication for his or her division to improve information flow.
B. Cover all major decisions and new policy approvals in WSU Today.
C. Research, write and publish online Quick Fact Reports to the campus community on important areas such as students, teaching, research, faculty, staff, facilities and more.
D. Complete the new WSU Today Online web site, provide special content online and publicize it frequently in WSU.Announcements to increase use of the site.
E. Provide internal communication for issues and emergencies via WSU.Announcements for low-level problems, and the WSU.Alerts listserv and the new WSU Alerts Web site, for major issues and those of interest to a wide number of employees.
F. Improve Web access to the Executive Policy Manual and other online policy documents.
G. Create a series of FAQ on major areas of the University for the Faculty & Staff and the Current Students Web sites.
H. Evaluation: Survey of faculty and staff's views of the University, conducted on alternate years to track changes in attitudes. Goal Five: Develop and implement an effective statewide community relations program in support of the University's strategic goals, Marketing Plan and legislative agenda.
Strategies:
A. Develop partnerships with other areas to implement integrated community relations strategies.
B. Improve coordination with state and federal governmental relations initiatives.
C. Expand community relations activities and responsibilities at WSU West.
Marketing Communications
Mission: To advance the Washington State University strategic plan by leading and executing the University's integrated marketing plan. Summary:
Washington State University's Strategic Plan focuses on four primary goals all of which are supported through the annual marketing plan which is executed, assessed, and updated annually by the office of Marketing Communications. The marketing plan produced through this process outlines the following three goals in support of building the Washington State University brand and achieving its plan:
Goal 1: Improve internal communication and building a shared commitment to excellence.
Strategies:
A. Provide consistent messages and open communication to employees and students to facilitate a commitment to excellence.
B. Drive messages through leadership actions and communication about decisions.
Goal 2: Increase the number of high-performing students who enroll at Washington State University.
Strategies:
A. Recruit high-performing students face-to-face, through contact with the University and its representatives.
B. Continue to develop and execute the Regents Scholars Program.
C. Raise awareness and reputation of the University's brand and thus its academic reputation.
D. Develop the premier Web site for universities to facilitate one-to-one engagement and advance technologies.
E. Engage all areas of the University in the recruitment of high-performing students. Goal 3: Enhance Washington State University's reputation as one of the nation's premier research universities among influencers and business and opinion leaders in Western Washington and other areas.
Strategies:
A. Raise awareness and loyalty to the Washington State University brand through direct marketing tactics in the Puget Sound region.
B. Direct and produce four large-scale events in Seattle annually aimed at alumni and influencers (i.e. Seattle game, Murrow Symposium, MIS conference).
C. Develop strategic media relations program (see Strategic Communications and Media Relations for specific strategies).
D. Continue development of Washington State magazine.
E. Deeper integration with Washington State University Foundation and Alumni Association in the strategic development of brand loyalty with WSU donors and alumni.
Media Relations and News Service
Mission: To increase the visibility and stature of Washington State University as a premiere research university, to highlight key areas of academic and research excellence, and to expose media to the examples that support the University's mission and strategic goals.
Goal One: Continue to build one-to-one relationships with reporters, editors, publishers and broadcasters, with continued concentration on the westside of the state.
Strategies:
A. Increase personal visits with media representatives to better position us to personally pitch stories for coverage.
B. Schedule editorial board meetings between President Rawlins and key editors of media outlets (print and broadcast).
C. Increase the visibility of the annual Publishers' Weekend by adding more participants.
D. Expand the number of Media Fellowships in which we invite reporters to campus to become immersed in specific areas that provide story ideas and strengthen their knowledge of a topic.
E. Develop relationships with selected national publications.
Goal Two: Improve the image of WSU held by westside news media.
Strategies:
A. Educate westside reporters about the breadth of WSU's strengths to help the media have a clear understanding of WSU's quality.
B. Continuously emphasize our core messages in all interactions with westside media.
C. Share stories and statistics that demonstrate demand by high achieving students to attend WSU, including the Regents Scholars program.
D. Provide story ideas in the areas of WSU research and breakthroughs in the biosciences, biotechnology, biomedical, science, bioengineering, environmental health and safety, veterinary medicine, and nursing, among others.
Goal Three: Provide the news media with an array of stories, leads, and visual resources to increase positive coverage of Washington State University.
Strategies:
A. Provide weekly tip sheets of story ideas.
B. Deliver more television/radio feeds on strategically selected events and stories to broadcast outlets (Radio and TV) throughout the state.
C. Maximize WSU broadcast opportunities by establishing broadcast (radio and TV) production capabilities and technical links to radio and television stations on the westside.
Goal Five: Establish media relations procedures and News Service systems and mechanisms to improve effectiveness, and measure our success.
Strategies:
A. Work with leadership and constituencies throughout the university to establish procedures to manage crisis communication and media coverage.
B. Provide training for key media contacts, faculty, and researchers within the University, including media performance training for broadcasting.
C. Encourage timely faculty/researcher op/ed pieces.
D. Establish benchmarks and tools to measure the effectiveness of our media relations efforts.
University Publishing
Mission: To support the broad mission and strategic goals of the University by developing, producing, and distributing a university-wide publications/communications program that projects the character, values, and vision of the University in a consistent and professional manner.
Goal One: Pursue and adopt technological advances that provide the highest production quality in a cost-efficient environment.
Strategies:
A. Develop interactive Web/Internet applications to increase efficiency for campus departments.
B. Conduct a feasibility study for implementation of a university-wide, centralized, digital copying program to take advantage of high-volume discounts.
C. Research new technologies in pre-press and automated delivery information systems.
Goal Two: Pursue partnerships and technologies that support the University's student recruitment initiatives.
Strategies:
A. Partner with Marketing Communications to offer Web development and maintenance services that support student recruitment and retention.
B. Develop a student internship program in English, History, Communications, Public Relations, or Graphic Arts that will enhance the student experience at WSU.
C. Work with Student Affairs to assess variable data applications to determine need and feasibility of this technology.
Goal Three: Support faculty research and teaching activities through activities of OUPP and the WSU Press.
Strategies:
A. Publish a new edition of Copyright Guidelines for Educational Use, streamline copyright "fair use" assessment processes, and increase the visibility of the University's Copyright Office through on-site workshops and improved internal communications.
B. Research current permission and production processes related to "course packets" to identify potential efficiencies.
Goal Four: Strengthen the infrastructure that supports research, scholarship, and the arts through activities of the WSU Press as called for in the University's strategic plan.
Strategies:
A. Establish partnerships with academic departments.
B. Develop a fund raising program.
C. Broaden manuscript acquisition channels while refining editorial focus.
Goal Five: Develop a culture of shared commitment to quality in all OUPP activities.
Strategies:
A. Utilize customer service committees to provide ongoing feedback and quality enhancement data.
B. Focus on quality-based staff training opportunities, and develop staff excellence programs to recognize high quality performance.
Washington State Magazine
Mission: Washington State Magazine will explore topics of interest and importance to Washington State University and the people of the State of Washington. It will foster a sense of connection to the University and of shared community among alumni, students, faculty, and friends.
Goal One: Enhance the reputation of university as a research institution.
Strategies:
A. Explore research, scholarship, and art as part of educational experience.
B. Explain the importance of WSU research within a worldwide context.
Goal Two: Enhance image of university by producing the highest quality publication.
Strategies:
A. Seek out highest quality writing, photography, and design.
B. Encourage and nurture talented writers, photographers, and illustrators.
C. Pursue appropriate professional development.
Goal Three:
Establish WSM as the state's magazine, as WSU is the state's university.
Strategies:
A. Produce stories that address needs of the state.
B. Draw on every corner of Washington State for material.
C. Involve branch campuses and other WSU units around the state in the story development process.
Washington State University West
Mission: The mission of Washington State University West is to advance Washington State University by increasing its stature and visibility in the west side of the state; providing a link between WSU's statewide system and the west side, raising private support, mobilizing public support, and recruiting outstanding students.
Goal One: Contribute meaningfully to WSU efforts to attract, recruit, and retain high quality students.
Strategy:
Implement strategies for targeting and attracting high ability students to attend Washington State University through more one-on-one contact with potential students, heightened visibility within west side communities (career fairs, tournaments, high school graduations, etc.), and a greater presence with west side community colleges.
Goal Two: Expand outreach activities on the west side of the state by targeting alumni activities on the I-5 corridor, young alumni involvement and assisting with Admissions and legislative issues by involving interested alums.
Strategy:
Plan a diverse array of activities catering to alums of all ages, work closely with Admissions in recruiting efforts involving alums, and assist with legislative issues on an as needed basis by involving interested alums.
Goal Three: Consistently reinforce the University's brand and integrated marketing objectives. Strategies:
A. Conduct a strategic media relations campaign to place high-impact news stories involving world-class WSU faculty experts with regional and national media outlets.
B. Establish WSU as a premier national research university among west side civic, opinion, and business leaders through strategic community forums and faculty firesides.
C. Implement a west side educational access cable television channel for WSU statewide programming that showcases the university's outstanding academic programs and contributions to the economic, social and cultural life of the State of Washington.
D. Strengthen partnerships with key external stakeholders to raise the stature and visibility of WSU's signature events, e.g. the Edward R. Murrow Symposium.
Goal Four: Grow and maintain outreach presence at WSU West in concert with institutional enrollment goals, resulting in increasing DDP enrollments from western Washington.
Strategy:
Develop and maintain relationships with community colleges, local businesses, and various governmental entities, including military bases, corrections institutions, and local and state government agencies. Develop a radio ad presence in King and Snohomish counties.
Goal Five: Execute increasingly productive major gift philanthropy in the greater Puget Sound area.
Strategies:
A. Actively work all stages of the development cycle, including prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation for strategic priorities of the university, and stewardship in recognition of donor philanthropy.
B. Solicit major gifts from both individual and corporate/foundation prospects.
C. Work with volunteers and staff to identify the linkage, ability, and interest of gift prospects; refer prospects to constituencies as appropriate; and provide for ongoing promotion of planned giving opportunities.
Summary
The five-year plan for University Relations must be considered in the context of assessment and execution of the marketing plan in-as-much as that plan addresses goals and strategy to be performed by each unit. As such, the five-year plan and work for the area will be based on measured progress and the evolution of each of these goals. University Relations conducted a statewide awareness and reputation benchmark survey in March 2002 that analyzed Washington State University's market position among the state universities of Washington. The survey confirmed that Washington State University's integrated marketing strategy has made steady progress on raising awareness and reputation in Seattle and Spokane by large margins over our 1999 benchmark. It also pointed to the next phase of strategic work - the push to improve willingness to recommend with parents, alumni and other influencers in Puget Sound region. This will be our next area of significant focus across the area.