Program Review

PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

PROGRAM REVIEW

by Lance R. Konkle

PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT PROGRAM REVIEW SPRING 2011

I.

Mission, Goals and Objectives

II.

Critical Success Factors

III.

Primary Services

IV.

Trends in Growth and Resources

V.

Survey of Department Service Users

VI.

Strengths and Weaknesses

VII. Strategic Planning

This program review was written by the Director of Public Relations, in conjunction with the Public Relations staff at Erie Community College’s City Campus

I. MISSION, GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Mission Statement Erie Community College meets the needs of a diverse student body and contributes to regional economic vitality by providing excellent, flexible, affordable and accessible educational programs in a multi-campus environment committed to continuous improvement.

The mission of Erie Community College’s Public Relations Department is to support and promote the college's overall mission and goals and the objectives of the college's strategic plan.

The department works to enhance the image of the college, promote public awareness of ECC’s resources and inform prospective students of the many opportunities to achieve academic success at ECC. This is accomplished through the creative use of news releases, college publications, events, communications and advertisements as part of a well-executed marketing plan. It is the responsibility of the Public Relations Department to act as a liaison with area news media outlets, to report facts accurately and to highlight positive news items. It is also part of our mission to ensure that ECC publications are well-designed, well-written, and of overall high quality, while keeping costs within budget restraints.

Goals and Objectives • • • • • • • •

To define and communicate the college’s mission of fulfilling the lifelong learning needs of the residents of Erie County; to enhance the visibility and improve public perception of ECC Develop and implement a strategic college-wide marketing plan Work with Enrollment Management in driving enrollment growth Build community and business relations by establishing a recognizable brand Enhance the image of the college within our community through effective advertising and internal/external communications Strengthen relationships with existing partners in the business, technology and medical communities while developing new partnerships Increase ECC’s awareness of college programs and services To promote ECC’s: 1. Quality academic programs 4. Career exploration 2. Affordable tuition 5. Convenient location 3. Transferable credits 6. Lifelong learning

The Public Relations Department currently services all of the college’s departments and populations with primary focus in the following areas: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Academics Student Services President’s Office ECC Foundation Athletics Workforce Development

7. Auxiliary Services Corporation 8. Community Services 9. Specialized programming 10. Business partnerships 11. Facilities 12. Board of Trustees 2

II.TCRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS 1. Effectively market Erie Community College within Western New York and beyond, with a focus on our outstanding higher education services and facilities, value, affordability, quality of instruction and ease of transferability to four-year institutions, particularly within the State University of New York school system.

2. Serving the college-wide community in fulfilling their departmental communication, recruitment and enrollment-driven goals 3. Build community and business relations through local media outlets in order to establish a recognizable brand through media relations, public relations and events 4. Develop departmental budget analysis and appropriation. Manage and balanced allocation to effectively utilize funds to execute the college’s established yearly marketing plan 5. Develop and process departmental requisitions to establish vendor services for the college’s communications needs, including print, television, radio, internet, and mobile advertising as well as event support and promotion. On average, the department processes 130 requisitions annually while doing business within our community.

III.PPRIMARY SERVICES Marketing Marketing is the process of performing market research, selling products and/or services to customers and promoting them via advertising to further enhance sales. It is an integrated process through which companies build strong customer relationships and create value for their customers and for themselves.

Development and implementation of the college's strategic marketing plan includes coordination of marketing services and materials required for college recruitment, admissions and academic departments to effectively promote the college to our residential and business communities.

Advertising Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to purchase or take some action upon products, ideas, or services. It includes the name of a product or service and how that product or service could benefit the consumer, to persuade a target market to purchase or to consume. These messages are usually paid for by sponsors and viewed via various media. Advertising can also serve to communicate an idea to a large number of people in an attempt to convince them to take a certain action.

The department provides creative development, production, media purchasing, scheduling, selling and placement of advertising campaigns (television broadcast, radio, newsprint, billboard, periodicals, electronic communications, internet, mobile and email).

Advertising not only includes buying, placement and scheduling but also the assessment of advertising sales programs and sponsorship opportunities. Specialized programs are often presented by advertisers to the college that require analysis and customization. These sales opportunities take time and require attention to help fulfill the college’s specific market goals.

Media Relations Media relations involves working with various media for the purpose of informing the public of an organization's mission, policies and practices in a positive, consistent and credible manner.

Typically, this means coordinating directly with the people responsible for producing the news and features in the mass media. The goal of media relations is to maximize positive coverage in the mass media without paying for it directly through advertising.

There are many exciting news stories just waiting to be told at Erie Community College, and we want everyone to know. Our news and media relations staff generates interest in these stories through news releases, media advisories, publications and personal contacts.

We work with reporters from various media outlets—print, broadcast and Web—who distribute news locally, regionally, statewide and nationally. Through fax, e-mail and our Web site, we continually link the media to information about the college’s activities and programs, as well as the faculty, students, staff and alumni who are making it all happen.

Articles about ECC and its people, programs and activities appear regularly in our region’s top media outlets, including The Buffalo News, Business First and local radio and television news stations, as well as national publications such as Community College Week.

Visual Communications and Graphic Design Visual communication, as the name suggests, is communication through visual aid and is described as the conveyance of ideas and information in forms that can be read or looked upon.

Visual communication solely relies on vision, and is primarily presented or expressed with two dimensional images, including: signs, typography, drawing, graphic design, illustration, color and electronic resources. It also explores the idea that a visual message accompanying text has a greater power to inform, educate, or persuade a person or audience.

A variety of visual communications and print production are utilized for internal/external college-wide usage and promotions. Materials required for marketing, recruitment, advertising, direct mail, academic and student services include the internet, email, mobile and multi-media presentations, among others. The Public Relations Department takes a project and turns it into an effective communication piece that will capture audience’s attention and help achieve 4

customer goals. Posters, brochures, catalogues, ads and banners are examples of the wide variety of design projects produced by Public Relations.

A message is important. But it's more than words. It's design.

Special Events A special event is a gathering, generally lasting from a few hours to a few days, designed to celebrate, honor, discuss, sell, educate, encourage, observe, or influence human endeavors. To the customer or guest, a special event is an opportunity for a leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond everyday experience.

It is safe to say that Erie Community College is bursting with activity. From campus lectures to athletics, films to academics; there is always something to do at ECC. ECC is more than just a college. It’s a vibrant community. Our involvement keeps us connected with the Western New York community and beyond. Events build morale, optimize attendance, promote networking and emphasize the mission of ECC. As part of ECC’s public relations team, the special events office assists in the management of college events and the special events calendar.

Electronic Communications Communication is a process by which meaning is assigned and conveyed in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process, which requires a vast repertoire of skills in interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, gesturing and evaluating enables collaboration and cooperation.

Implementation of the college’s electronic communications through ECC Today, online calendar of events, social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), indoor television displays for text and video messaging, indoor/outdoor digital messaging, shared Web based communications and e-mail distribution (ecommerce).

Erie Community College’s digital signage system is a visual communications medium that informs students, faculty and staff about ECC news and events. Several large LCD screens are placed in strategic locations at each campus. These digital signs provide the college with timely and important information on a regular basis.

ECC Today is a daily, online newsletter for the faculty and staff of Erie Community College, published by the Public Relations Department. Employees should review each issue to stay informed of college business, policies, news and events. News articles relative to Erie Community College such as news stories, calendars, college initiatives, events, awards and achievements will be accepted for review. Same day event reminders are listed first, followed by breaking news, then general news.

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External Productivity This is mainly measured through increased public awareness and enrollment figures at the college. Measurement tools such as incoming and existing student surveys are administered through ECC’s Admissions (Open House) and Institutional Research offices.

A good example of measuring outcomes through the colleges marketing and advertising efforts is the significant increase in enrollment for our certificate programs. The college embarked on an advertising campaign in the spring of 2008 which focused on short term training and job placement through the diversity of our certificate programs. Our goal was to help meet the needs of our workforce and struggling economy by offering and expanding our short-term training services to include 27 certificate programs. A campaign consisting of strategically placed advertising through television, radio, newsprint, billboard and online methods concentrated on new career opportunities while continuously branding our institution with “Start Here. Go Anywhere!” Since the creative development and implementation of our advertising campaign focusing on our certificate programs and the job market, the college has experienced a 73% increase in enrollment from Spring ’08 to Spring ’10. (see Attachment A – Certificate Program Headcount Trends).

Advertising Prior to the scheduling of television advertising, Nielsen ratings are analyzed. Nielsen ratings and viewership results are reported in two measurements: ratings points and share. A single national ratings point represents one percent of the total number of households within the survey.

Share is the percentage of television sets in use tuned to the program. Unless there is a call to action or redeemable offer, television advertising is difficult to measure. Often television advertising is based on increasing awareness of product or services while supporting brand recognition and image enhancement.

From a productivity standpoint, the low cost of advertising on cable television will enable us to advertise for a longer period of time. There are some exceptional aspects of cable advertising that make it significant. One of the benefits of cable television advertising is that we can not only target a specific geographic area, but also any specific demographic. We plan to reallocate more of our television advertising budget based on these factors.

In broadcast radio advertising, the Arbitron rating system is utilized. Data is marketed to radio broadcasters, radio networks, cable companies, advertisers, advertising agencies, out-of-home advertising companies and the online radio industry. Major ratings products include cume (the cumulative number of unique listeners over a period), average quarter hour (AQH - the average number of people listening every 15 minutes), time spent listening, (TSL), and market breakdowns by demographic. These measuring systems help us to determine the optimum means for best communicating our advertising message. We can measure out comes with a call to action either through a phone, number, website or visit to an event such as our bi-annual Open Houses.

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Media Relations Media Relations is tracked through various news reporting search engines such as Google, Yahoo, along with SUNY and our primary news reporting agency, Meltwater. The department communicates via email and hardcopy with monthly reports to the President’s Office and Board of Trustees. We have recently contracted with the Meltwater Group to obtain their extended services which include electronic tracking, analysis and reporting.

Media and advertising surveys are also conducted to track and monitor viewer and listenership trends among our student body. These surveys are based on various communication and media outlets such as television, radio, newsprint, internet, mobile and outdoor advertising. External Web site advertising with local media outlets is specifically measured with reports and outcomes from impressions, click-throughs and links to ECC’s Web site. The department will be looking to extend our ecommerce advertising efforts to include email, mobile, Web and social media for 2011. These outlets will all include measurable results.

Events Events are often measured through the number of individuals participating and/or funds raised.

Measurements include: • Assessment of Event Demographics – determine if we have reached our target audience • Determine and Review Event Goals – evaluate with post-event surveys to position or reposition branding • Determine Event Message – assess if clear and effective • Assessment of Relationship Building – determine if business relationships have been strengthened • Proceeds/Sales of Event Operations Work production and budget management are measured by working effectively with our Purchasing and Accounts Payable departments to process requisitions to secure services at optimal prices, as well as making prompt payments on vendor invoices. This assists in ensuring an end-of-year balanced departmental budget.

Effective management of an increased workload is also crucial to operations. Work intake, scheduling, processing and delivery are all made more manageable through our job request process. Through this process we are able to also better communicate with our clients along with reporting and tracking job requests and outcomes.

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II. TRENDS IN DEPARTMENT GROWTH AND RESOURCES A steady increase in college enrollment, the number of academic programs, community and business partnerships, staff and competitors in the market place have led to an increase in the Public Relations operational budget throughout the last five years.

Human Resources Trends and Data Erie Community College’s Public Relations Department is an award-winning team of professional communicators, writers, graphic designers and event specialists that serve the administration, faculty and staff of ECC. The Public Relations Department has been successfully servicing the college-wide community for over 27 years.

Currently there are five full-time employees and one part-time employee within the Public Relations Department: Lance R. Konkle – 23 years of service Director of Public Relations, full-time Amy Krasinski – 13 years of service Events Specialist, full-time Kate McLaughlin – 7 years of service Public Information Officer, full-time Beverly Schuster – 8 years of service Senior Clerk Stenographer, full-time Jerome Williams – 11 years of service Graphic Designer, full-time Cheryl Neary – 3 years of service Graphic Designer, part-time There is an effective balance of age, gender, ethnic diversity and professional experience within the Public Relations Department, which allows for different perspectives and input regarding matters such as advertising trends and design. Staff diversity is not an issue within the department.

The department has experienced a steady growth in the number of staff since it’s inception.

In the last five years, the department’s workload has increased at a steady rate as the college has grown. Originally, the Public Relations Department consisted of two staff members that primarily provided press release distribution and photography services to the administrative, academic and student service areas at North, South and City campuses.

In the last five years, the Public Relations Department has served an increased number of departments, including those at facilities outside of the three main campuses, namely Athletics, the ECC Foundation, Vehicle Tech Training Center, One-Stop Employment and Training Center, 8

Workforce Development and Community Services along with specialized programs (Pathways, Early Middle College, CAST Program, Independence Bound), various community organizations (American Red Cross, Kids Escaping Drugs of Western New York, Make-A-Wish Foundation, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children) and business partnerships (National Grid, Ford, Chrysler, Cisco, NFTA).

The services provided by the Public Relations Department have not only increased, but have changed in nature over time. The department was originally created to manage internal and external public relations and publications, yet the services provided have increased to include college-wide, advertising, media relations and events coordination. Most recently, PR services have grown to include marketing, electronic communications and social media.

Within the Public Relations Department, the area that is impacted by part-time versus full-time employment is graphic design/visual communications. Based on the increase in academic offerings, growth in the number and variety of departments within the institution that we service, newly established partnerships and the college’s widespread recruitment efforts, the demand for a variety of print materials requiring graphic design services has grown considerably. This has resulted in a need for two full-time graphic designers, rather than one full-time and one parttime. Another factor related to the need for a secondary full-time graphic design position is the additional work required to support electronic communications in the form of multi-media applications, ePublishing, Web design, mobile, social media and televised communications.

Staffing trends reflect modifications in workload related to the changes in communication methods and delivery of services. Increased support required in the areas of electronic communications, such as the ECC Web site, social media, electronic messaging boards, Webbased newsletter and conversions from print to electronic multi-media have altered the responsibilities of staff.

It is recommended that a departmental review of staff positions in relation to title and job descriptions take place to better serve the needs of the college community. (See Attachment B – Staff Job Descriptions and Current Responsibilities).

By modifying job descriptions to include current and new responsibilities and phase out duties no longer performed, staff will be better able to adapt to new means of delivery of public relations services and changing communication trends.

It is also recommended that the antiquated department title of Public Relations be modified to Marketing and Communications. This recommendation is based on the growth in services provided by the Public Relations Department now. The departmental title of Marketing and Communications is also widely used by many other community colleges and universities with comparable structure and services to those offered at Erie Community College. Some of these colleges include: SUNY at Buffalo, SUNY at Cortland, SUNY at Binghamton, SUNY at Brockport, Daemen College, Canisius College (See Attachment C - College Organizational Structures).

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New employee orientation is provided by the Human Resources Department. Public Relations helps new staff become acclimated with the campuses and ECC employees through personal assistance and appropriate training.

Staff development and professional growth opportunities include seminars, memberships with local organizations, periodical subscriptions, conferences and Webinars.

Financial Resources The Public Relations Department has met an increase in demand for services through an increase in budget. (See Attachment D - Public Relations Department Fiscal Data) The increases have been based, not only on the need to increase student enrollment, but to continue to maintain internal support because of the increase in our student enrollment. Also reflected in the department’s budget increase is the transfer of the Public Information Officer’s job position from the President’s Office to the Public Relations Department along with the need and creation of a part-time graphic design position.

With more customers, there is more need for services. Increased advertising and printing costs have also contributed to the need for increases in the yearly budget. Public Relations is constantly looking for a cost effective and more measurable means of printing and advertising.

This includes our recent initiative, the implementation of the Acalog online ECC college catalog.

This transformation from print to web will greatly reduce print production costs, increase communications while allowing for continuous updating and access of information.

Maximization of workflow and contributions to the college’s environmental goals are also benefits of our online catalog.

We will also be increasing our efforts to help offset costs by expanding our advertising program to include a more targeted eMarketing strategy. Electronic commerce consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of marketing conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage. Electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as email, social media, blogs and mobile applications.

Mobile phone applications and banner display are also planned as part of our expanded future marketing and advertising plans. These eMarketing communication tools have measurable returns on investment with minimal risk. Department resources and workload match up; yet, as previously indicated, staff evaluation and resource allocation review are suggested.

V. SURVEY OF DEPARTMENT SERVICE USERS In general, the Public Relations Department primarily services Academics, Student Services, Athletics, college administration, specialized programs, and the ECC Foundation. Academic service areas include servicing more than 100 degree and certificate programs, while student 10

services areas are admissions, financial aid, registration, career resource centers, recruitment, men and women's varsity sports teams, scholarship and fundraising events.

Other areas of service include the Student Government Association, Pathways and Middle College programs and local business partnerships within the Western New York community.

The benchmarks utilized to measure the outcomes of ECC’s external marketing plan are enrollment figures and top-of-mind awareness through our branding efforts. Internally, we track student perceptions and media viewing and listening habits through a media survey that is administered during student orientation. Additional surveys are distributed during internal events such as Open House and off-campus activities. These surveys focus on not only event advertising efforts but also specific career needs and/or services students may be interested in at ECC. We are currently working with our Institutional Research department to develop and implement an updated student media survey to better help target market our audience while investing our marketing dollars as efficiently as possible.

While electronically tracking incoming job requests, the Public Relations Department developed a customer satisfaction survey based on the clients served. Listed below are the clients whom Public Relations has serviced in terms of the effort expended by the department. This survey solicited input from our customers that we have tracked electronically through the placement of work orders received. The following numbers reflect the percentage of time management and origin of services placed and not the number of jobs requested.

AAD - Technologies 1% Academic Career Pathways 4% Advanced Studies 1% Athletics 9% Buildings and Grounds 1% Bursar 1% Career Pathways at South 1% Career Resource Center 2% CEIP 1% CITS 3% Corporate Training 1% Counseling/Student Support Services 1% CTLA 1% Daemen College 1% Dean of Students (South) 1% Disabled Student Services 3% Emergency Medical Technology 1% English Department-North Campus 1% English/Humanities 1% Executive V.P. of Student Affairs 1% FFECC 1% Foundation 8% 11

Health Information Technology 1% Human Resources 1% Industrial Technology 1% Information Technology 3% Institutional Research 1% Enforcement Training Academy 3% Library 3% O'Connell & Company Products 1% Office Management & Administration 1% One-Stop Center 2% President's Office 11% Public Relations 9% Radiologic Technology 1% Recruitment 2% RISE (Title III Grant) 1% State University of New York 1% Student Activities 2% Student Services 4% Telecommunications Technology 2% Visual Communications/Graphic Arts 1% Workforce Development 4%

The survey PR developed and administered focused on the following: amount of service offered, quality of service, professionalism, knowledge, time of completion, communications and overall satisfaction (See Attachment E - Survey and Results).

Some of the concerns addressed in the survey include scheduling of work, timely completion, customer service, submission of client job requests and department responsiveness. These concerns fall under structure and operations within the department.

Survey results: Thirty-six out of 79 employees responded to the survey. Outcomes in general concluded that the Public Relations Department provides a wide array of services to a diverse population within the college. Performance-based results revealed that the clients we service are very satisfied with our overall customer service and the quality and timely delivery of the work that is requested. Concerns were expressed regarding the need to service more of the college beyond the President’s Office and do so regardless of departmental budget.

VI. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT Strengths 1. Teamwork: Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success. The Public Relations staff consists of a group of experienced professionals that work together to successfully communicate Erie Community College’s mission and goals to the Western New York community. While working closely with one another, the Public Relations Department is able to address the many needs of the college through the diversity of work experience that each individual staff member possesses. Staff members are experienced in multiple areas within and beyond their job duties. If there is significant workload in one area and the initiative requires assistance from another staff member, Public Relations is able to seamlessly produce the additional work required by the client. As well, should an employee be absent, yet work is required to be completed in a time-sensitive manner, Public Relations works together to complete that project. Together, Public Relations always get the work done.

2. Evolution: In the broadest sense, evolution is merely change. The Public Relations

Department has been successfully serving the needs of Erie Community College for more than 25 years. The Director of Public Relations has been assisting in fulfilling the public relations' needs of ECC for more than 16 years. There is a core group of staff members that have serviced the college for more than 12 years. In that time, each staff member has evolved and adapted to the ever-changing means in which we deliver our services to both the college and our community. Whether it is through professional growth, taking on new job responsibilities and challenges without question, or adapting to new technologies and new forms of communication, the Public Relations Department has successfully met the needs and demands of the college.

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3.

Dedication: The roots of success are formed through hard work, but grow strong through dedication. The past and current success of the Public Relations Department results primarily from: the dedication of its staff; dedication to servicing the community, current students, faculty, staff, or various established business partnerships; commitment to fulfilling the college’s mission and goals while strengthening and reinforcing Erie Community College’s core values; pride in providing exemplary customer service to the various departments of the college that Public Relations assists and through the many various services provided. This hard work and dedication to the college is evident through the many awards of recognition that the department has received, including three bronze awards from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations - two in 2005 and one in 2009, a 2006 SUNY Council for University Advancement Award for Excellence Best of Category Award for ECC’s Web site and a 2006 SUNY CUAD Award for Excellence Judges Citation in the four-color newsletter category.

• 2007 • 2006 • 2006 • 2006

Buffalo Club of Printing House Craftsmen Superb Printing Silver Award National Council for Marketing and Public Relations Bronze National Council for Marketing and Public Relations Bronze SUNY Council for University Advancement Award for Excellence Best of Category Award • 2006 SUNY Council for University Advancement Award for Excellence • 2006 Buffalo Club of Printing House Craftsmen Superb Printing Silver Award presented to Boncraft Printing Group - ECC’s Annual Report • 2005 National Council for Marketing and Public Relations Paragon Award, Bronze - ECC academic catalog • 2005 National Council for Marketing and Public Relations Paragon Award, Bronze - ECC poster • 2004 Communicator of the Year Award, Lance Konkle, District 1 of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations • 2004 Telly Award - ECC television campaign “Mission Possible.”

• 2000 National Council for Marketing and Public Relations Bronze Medallion of Merit annual report, video promotional program, radio advertisement Weaknesses 1. Structure: A weakness within the Public Relations Department is a lack of structure, given departmental growth, including the manner and extent to which roles and responsibilities are delegated, controlled, and coordinated, and how information flows.

Since the development of the department, the college has been in need of recognizing its growth through not only job responsibility assessments but the role and title of the department of Public Relations as a whole. The current structure is fragmented, due to positions that were deleted, retired and/or positions that were transferred into the department without a replacement hire.

The following are comparisons in the areas of marketing, communications and public relations staff and structure with other community colleges that have similar demographics to ECC. 13

2010 Fall Comparative Enrollment, Staffing and Structure Marketing, Communications and Community Relations 1. Cuyahoga Community College Enrollment: 25,158 Marketing and Communications Department Staff: 22 2. Monroe Community College Enrollment: 18,995 Marketing, Communications and Advertising Department Staff: 3 College and Community Relations Department Staff: 6 3. Sinclair Community College Enrollment: 14,577 Marketing and Communications Office Staff: 9 College Relations Office Staff: 4 4. Erie Community College Enrollment: 14,273 Public Relations Department Staff: 6 5. Brookdale Community College Enrollment: 14,243 College Relations Department Staff: 9 6. Genessee Community College Enrollment: 7,600 Marketing and Communications (MarCom) Department Staff: 6 Public and Media Relations Department Staff: 3 There are on average number of 10 staff members responsible for marketing, communications and public relations at comparable colleges in size and enrollment to ECC. The department’s positioning and structure within the college is also misplaced based on the majority of two- and four-year colleges reporting and structure (See Attachment C – College Organizational Structures).

2. Planning: Proper planning and effective communications within the Public Relations Department are evident in the deadlines and the amount of work that we produce for various departments at the college. However the saying, “Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part” does not apply. We often plan for advertising, event, publications, and media relations deadlines that are impacted by poor communication from and with other departments at the college.

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This usually includes individual department event planning, advertising, print production and distribution of recruitment materials and budget planning. Increased college-wide communication and better management is required to effectively maintain the department’s workload. We have set up a job request procedure and policy that has greatly improved communications and efficiencies within the department.

3. Management: The Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Vice President of Enrollment Management, Director of Enrollment and Student Services are all important positions within the management of higher education that are crucial to the coordinated advancement of an institution. (See Attachment C College Organizational Structures).

Currently there is a position of Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing that remains vacant at the college as of 3 years. Responsibilities within this position included overseeing and managing the umbrella of marketing over recruitment, admissions, call center operations, registration, financial aid and institutional research. These departments were tied together and managed under the umbrella of marketing and the fulfillment of the college’s strategic marketing plan through enrollment management. There is and has been a departmental and, more importantly, college-wide need for the management of services that lead to our institutional advancement.

VII. Strategic Plan Based on the strengths and weaknesses of the Public Relations Department, the following fiveyear action plan is recommended to continue to strengthen the Public Relations Department and improve the quality of services it provides in order to meet the new challenges and increased demand for services from a continuously growing and changing institution.

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Public Relations EVP Academic Affairs and Student Services IT Department Enrollment Management Public Relations Social Media Committee IT Department Enrollment Management

Public Relations Social Media Committee IT Department Enrollment Management Public Relations IT Department Student Services

2. Increase social media communications and participation to improve marketing and customer service

3. Develop and implement eMarketing strategic plan to include email, online, social media and mobile media outlets

4. Increase student communications with mobile apps: event (academic calendar, sports) and recruitment video

Assignee

1. Acquire and implement Acalog college catalog online self-content management system

Action

Fall 2011

Fall 2011

Fall 2011

Spring 2011

Estimated Completion Date

TBD

TBD

Staffing

$40,000

Budget

Public Relations Department – Action Plan 2011

Tracking and reporting through usage and downloads

Measurable outcomes through tracking linked site visits, impressions/click thru rates and social media participation

Tracking through monitored communications and usage of customer service resolution

Increased communications and access, cost containment, and positive environmental impact

Performance Indicators

Pending

Pending

Ongoing

Started Fall 2010

Status

Public Relations IT Department Student Services Academics Public Relations Foundation

Public Relations Academics Student Services Alumni Relations Public Relations Academics Student Services

6. Reformat and upgrade the ECC Spotlight to a magazine layout while increasing community reach and quality of content

7. Communicating the success of our students and graduates both internally and externally

8. Continue to foster and market partnerships between academics and county/business agencies

Assignee

5. Create a strategic unified student communication plan for use by our students, faculty and staff.

Action

Fall 2011

Fall 2012

Fall 2010

Spring 2011

Estimated Completion Date

TBD

TBD

TBD

Staffing

Budget

Public awareness and image enhancement with increased enrollment

Increased awareness, brand recognition and image enhancement

Work with the Foundation to track partnerships through donations and participation

Increased communications tracked through usage and participation

Performance Indicators

Public Relations Department – Action Plan 2011

Pending

Pending

Pending

Pending

Status

Public Relations

10. Implement event content management software for college-wide facilities usage and events scheduling

U: Feb. 2011– Program Review

Public Relations

Assignee

9. Develop and implement a strategic media relations plan that aligns itself with the colleges overall marketing plan

Action

Fall 2011

Spring 2011

Estimated Completion Date

TBD

Staffing

Budget

Public Relations Department – Action Plan 2011

Increased communications and recruitment tracked through usage and participation

Increased awareness and communications to both internal and external constituencies

Performance Indicators

Pending

Pending

Status

ATTACHMENT A

ATTACHMENT B

ATTACHMENT C

ATTACHMENT D

ATTACHMENT E