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S O U T H E R N
O F F I C E
President’s Message
U N I V E R S I T Y
S Y S T E M
NEWS
Volume 1, Issue 6, March 2010
O F
T H E
P R E S I D E N T
SU launches awareness campaign
Gree4ngs SU family,
As we celebrate our legacy of dis4nc4on and reflect on the growth of Southern University during the past 130 years, we are always excited to share the ongoing work and accomplishments of our great ins4tu4on as we con4nue to make strides toward global excellence.
A big congratula4ons to SUBR’s women’s basketball team and coach Sandy Pugh who won the regular season SWAC 4tle and the conference championship. We were excited to cheer them on as they faced the na4onal topseed U Conn women’s team in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Also on the na4onal front, the SU System was thrilled to join other HBCU leadership at the White House as President Barack Obama signed an execu4ve order on federal efforts to assist historically black colleges.
Major efforts throughout the SU System to become a leader in cu6ng edge research and to provide educa4on and training for jobs of the future are bringing in major support from federal agencies. The “SU. . .Today, Always” public awareness ini4a4ve launched in collabora4on with the SU alumni Federa4on will allow us to extend the message of Southern University’s greatness beyond our walls. Yours for Southern,
Kassie Freeman, Ph.D. Interim President
In an effort to raise awareness and to build support, the Southern University System launched a comprehensive public rela4ons campaign, “SU...Today, Always” on February 26. The main objec4ves for the new ini4a4ve include raising awareness and apprecia4on of the System’s contribu4ons to residents, communi4es, regions, and the state as a whole; strengthening advocacy efforts for the System among the state’s top government officials, legislators, alumni, business leaders and key influencers; and promo4ng the message of Southern University to every corner of the State of Louisiana and to mount a very aggressive defense of our System during the 2010 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. “We are very excited about the SU…Today, Always Campaign,” said Interim President Kassie Freeman. “Through this medium, we will celebrate the past, spotlight the current, and highlight the future in terms of our growth and achievements.” The target audience for the campaign includes the Louisiana state Legislators, Louisiana Board of Regents, Southern University alumni, faculty, students, staff, supporters, and other stakeholders. A broad media “push” strategy will be implemented to enhance the System’s advocacy efforts. A variety of public rela4ons strategies will be used to achieve the overall goal. The 4ming of the campaign is designed to coincide with the start of the 2010 legisla4ve session, so that as legislators are delibera4ng over cri4cal issues rela4ve to the SU System, they will consistently see the posi4ve messages relayed through the “Southern University...Today, Always campaign.” For more informa4on, contact Jason Wynne Hughes at jason_hughes@sus.edu or Katara Williams at katara_williams@sus.edu.