Posts from — July 2010

Now that NC State is starting to work on an updated strategic plan, I thought it would be interesting to review some of the plans from our peer universities.  Not as easy as it sounds.  Try it.  Go to Google and type in strategic plan university of XYZ.  You’ll be amazed by what comes up.  And what doesn’t.

I found the strategic communications plan for my alma mater quite easily (I actually have a copy in my file).  I’ve used the UF communications plan and sections of the plan to describe what we do (or I think we should do) at NC State  since I arrived in Raleigh.

UF does not have a written strategic plan for the entire university, or it didn’t when I left almost a year ago. Each unit (16 colleges ++) develops its own plan. The goals and objectives of the university president are established in conjunction with the UF Board of Trustees and the president reports on his progress toward those goals and objectives during the quarterly meetings of the BOT.

If you haven’t already visited the site, he’s a link to the UF Strategic Communications plan.  It’s good work and well considered.  UFStrategicCommunicationsPlan2009.  You should also check out the University of Florida Communications Network Website (UFCN.)  More good stuff.  http://ufcn.urel.ufl.edu/

To demonstrate the importance of strategic communications planning at Florida, the plan and work schedule of the planning committee can be found on the UF President’s Web site.  http://www.president.ufl.edu/committees/strategiccommunication/ The committee also makes regular reports to the External Relations sub-committee of the Board of Trustees.

Support from the top is critical if a plan is to be taken seriously and by placing the committee agenda, work plan and results on the President’s Web page, the “support from the top” can’t be missed.  Try not cooperating with a presidential committee. [Read more →]

NC State Student Body President Kelly Hook and her team have been collecting comments from students about what it means to be a member of the Wolfpack.  Here, in five paragraphs, is a synopsis of what they have heard.  Some of the responses have been edited

• Going to NC State means you are a member of a tradition that has been committed to innovation, exploration and having the desire to increase mankind’s knowledge not for personal gain, but for universal benefit (because we are a pack). –John Peterson

• Being a part of the Wolfpack means that I will enter the workforce equipped with so much more than just the tools I need to succeed. I also have a pack of friends, supportive professors and future colleagues. NC State is unique because we are a Pack. A Wolfpack. This Pack involves everyone from the faculty and staff to the students- and we are only getting tighter. No other University has the “Pack Mentality.”  -Kelly Hook

• It means always being part of a group. It means having a family of friends that will never go away. It means cheering the loudest your voice can hold at any game-even if we’re losing. It means late night study sessions in a huge library. It means having your pick of majors and minors with great professors for all. It means never being alone. You are a part of the Pack. –Megan Matal

• Going to NC State and being part of the Pack means everything to me! Personally it has meant the discovery of who I truly am as an individual, student, and a friend. Academically NC State has pushed me farther than I ever dreamt I could go. Looking back at long nights spent high in the stacks of D.H. Hill Library, I smile; I now know it was worth it. Also, you don’t have to be on campus very long to know NCSU is really so much more than just studying, classes, and grades. The always accepting and diverse environment on campus has taught me that it’s perfectly okay to be myself and by being true to who I am, I’ve formed friendships here that are sure to last a lifetime. Life at NC State is everything to who I am now, and who I will be in the future. –Jenna Jones

• Wolfpack of One. Living in a state of innovation. –Matt Woodward

No one would dare argue that with this group,

Passion Rules!

Now this is the Law of the Jungle — as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back —
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.

“The Law of the Jungle” is a poem from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.

Passion Rules!

Taking the 4th of July as an opportunity to take some time off.  A good time to reflect on the key messages we’ve created, the strategic communications plan we still have to write, the reorganization of University Communications,  chancellor installation and the university strategic planning process.

And what better way to reflect than to paint!  You got it, paint.  I promised my daughter that I’d help paint her house in Gainesville before Hurricane Season.  Missed the deadline a bit, but green paint will be flying next week.  All four circus dogs will be at the same location too.  Drop me a line, folks in Gainesville, if you’d like to help or just want to visit.

When I get back we’ll begin work on the university’s marketing campaign for the coming season. We’ll be creating a new :30 second television commercial, new print ads, and more.

As always, your ideas and suggestions are encouraged.

Happy 4th of July!

Passion Rules!

Hard to believe it’s already July.  Even harder to believe (or so I’m told) that the merger of University Communications and CALS Communications Services is official as of today.  Creative Services and Web Communications moved to the Butler Communications Services Building about two months ago and we’ve been working together as a team since then, but there’s something to be said for the “official” beginning of anything.

http://www.ncsu.edu/university-communications/

I’m excited about the reorganization and believe the new structure will help us provide superior creative work and memorable solutions to the many communications “opportunities” that arise on a campus this large.  I also believe we’ll achieve our goal of exceeding customer expectations.  We want you to have the best possible experience with the new group and we’re determined to deliver.

It goes without saying that this reorganization would not have been possible without the courage of Dean Johnny Wynne from the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences as well as key staff members on both sides.  Charlie Leffler and Nevin Kessler also played key roles as did former Chancellor Jim Woodward.

Passion Rules!