Preparing for the Big Reveal

PREPARING FOR THE BIG REVEAL

By 3:46 p.m. Jan. 15, 2020, everyone involved with Oklahoma State University’s Ferguson College of Agriculture had felt emotions from shock to excitement — all while showing gratitude to those who made the future of the college and the name change possible.

The staff in the OSU Agricultural Communications Services unit had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to communicate the name change and future of the college, said Melissa Mourer, manager of communications and marketing for the Ferguson College of Agriculture.

“The name change has been the hardest and the coolest thing I have ever had a chance to be included in professionally,” Mourer said. “It’s nothing I could have ever dreamed of being a part of.

“When I found out, I got teary-eyed,” Mourer added. “I was so excited for who we are as a college and where we are heading, and I was honored to have the opportunity to play a small role as a communicator and see the change happen.”

As alumnae, Mourer and Samantha Siler, communications coordinator for the Ferguson College of Agriculture, had the responsibility to help communicate the change. From the behind-the-scenes preparations that began in November 2019 to the January announcement, a redirection of this magnitude has been a memorable opportunity, Mourer said. However, the new name does not change the culture of the college, Siler said.

“The feeling of family is real,” Siler said. “Family is very much still a part of who we are and communicating that has been the easy part, easy because it’s apparent.

“We very much felt, when we were students and now as we have worked in this college, that it is a family,” Siler added. “It’s not just a slogan.”

Mourer said the communications team wanted to keep the family feel within the college, leading the team to the “New Name. Same Family.” slogan.

“The things everyone loves and that make OSU and our college a home remain,” Mourer said.

Samantha Siler (left) and Melissa Mourer celebrate the announcement of the new college name and the support of the Ferguson Family Foundation.

Photo by Todd Johnson.

Mourer said students will still be able to stop by faculty offices when they need help with homework or have an advising meeting. Students still will get involved in student organizations or work with faculty through hands-on learning. These experiences are what makes the college of agriculture a family, she said.

“It’s impactful to see how much this college means to someone once they’re in it,” Siler said. “Getting to see this historic change and be a part of communicating that to our audiences is huge.”

A 2014 graduate, Siler grew up in Oklahoma, and OSU was always where she wanted to study agricultural communications, she said. The college has meant something to her for a long time, so when she had the opportunity to come back in 2017 to be a part of the communications team it felt like a coming home job, she added.

Mourer is from Nebraska and fell in love with OSU when she was a senior in high school, she said. She knew it was home for her the first time she stepped on campus, she added. After earning her agricultural communications degree in 2004, Mourer worked at the OSU Alumni Association for 10 years. She said returning to the college of agriculture was like coming home to family.

“That applies to this situation perfectly,” Mourer said. “Being home and being a part of a family is a feeling, and even though the name has changed the feeling of family is still the same. The support system is still the same.”

Mourer said the message the team relays or the connections created are as authentic as they can make them.

“Our overall goal is to communicate on behalf of the college and foster connections, whether those connections are meant to recruit future students, build relationships among current students and faculty, or engage alumni,” Siler said.

On the day following the announcement, for example, the team helped host an open house in the Student Success Center.

Mourer said the open house for students helped the college continue to build the family as well as to reinforce everyone’s gratitude to the Fergusons. She said she was excited to see how many students came to get their new Ferguson College of Agriculture gear and take pictures at the backdrop.

Mourer said the work the communications team does is designed to provide the students with what they may need to succeed. They also share the stories of the OSU Agriculture family by highlighting the work done by students, faculty and alumni.

“We try to stay true to who we are as a college,” Mourer said. “We plan to continue to celebrate all of the things we love about who we are and celebrate the new things coming.”

The Fergusons’ investment in the future of OSU Agriculture’s mission will help us to continue teaching students through research, extension work and hands-on projects with nicer facilities and updated technologies, said Lyndall Stout, director of OSU Agricultural Communication Services.

For OSU to be the channel the Fergusons use to share their core values of feeding the world is extraordinary, Stout said. To have them believe in what OSU Agriculture is doing as well as the students and faculty at OSU is the best part, she added.

“This is laying the foundation for generations to come,” Stout said. “The broader study and innovation of agriculture will have this ripple effect of dividends far beyond us.”

Mourer said she is excited for the new facility, but she also anticipates the small milestones along the way. She is eager for every piece of communications content they distribute, from when they break ground to when students use the new facilities, she added. “When you take great people and put them in a great space, they are going to do great things,” Mourer said.

“The new building will be incredible, but the building is not what made us special,” Mourer added. “It’s the memories, friendships and connections that have been, still are and will always be what makes our college what it is to all of us.”

KALY CONE

Story by Kaly Cone of Roosevelt County New Mexico