Just another WordPress weblog
Random header image... Refresh for more!

Category — State COMM Updates

University Communications and CALS Communications Services reorganization completed

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!

July 1, 2010   1 Comment

Driving the economy every day

As noted yesterday, when you’re reviewing the Key Messages, remember that we still need to develop themes for the supporting facts — themes that show impact [preferably involving multiple colleges] on issues that matter.  The supporting material that follows is grouped around areas that seem to make sense, but we need your input.

KEY MESSAGE II

Driving the economy every day

NC State provides results that drive the economy – bringing critical thinking skills and discipline-based knowledge to all sectors of society through education, dynamic discoveries, and solutions to real-world problems.

Fueling economic development

Producing leaders for the state, nation and world

$1 in state funding for NC State generates nearly $8 in total income for the state

Patents and products

680 U.S. Patents  (as of May 2010)

676 International Patents  (as of May 2010)

>110 better world products from lab to market

Start-ups and business incubator

The Technology Incubator has been worth $85 million to the local economy, by creating new companies, according to a RTI study completed in 2008

72 start-up companies, developed at NC State, representing more than $750 million in venture capital investment and more than 3,000 jobs in North Carolina.

Research conducted by students and faculty in the College of Engineering helped launch the highly successful North Carolina-based companies such as Cree, Red Hat, Nitronex, HexaTech, Silicon Semiconductor Corp., MiCEL, Kyma Technologies and many others. [Read more →]

June 17, 2010   3 Comments

Everything you can imagine

When you’re reviewing the Key Messages, remember that we still need to develop themes for the supporting facts — themes that show impact [preferably involving multiple colleges] on issues that matter.  The supporting material that follows is grouped around areas that seem to make sense, but we need your input.

KEY MESSAGE I

Everything you can imagine

NC State, the largest university in North Carolina, provides big-school opportunities in a global innovation hot spot while fostering a tight-knit community in one of the nation’s most desirable places.

Producing leaders for the state, nation and world

Creating educational innovation

Our faculty members are thought leaders in their field—for example, Ann Ross, Walt Wolfram and Mike Walden are very NC focused. Find other faculty members who work internationally—maybe anthropology profs or engineering profs who collaborate with colleagues overseas.

Location and opportunities

To apply education through internships, research, co-ops and study with some of he world’s leading scientists and industry partners—locally, nationally, internationally.

Students’ senior projects involve real problems and collaboration with companies: Ex. College of Textiles, Engineering, Design

NC State’s Centennial Campus is home to industry, private-sector, non-profit, and governmental organizations, working alongside university faculty, staff and students.

NC State has 57 Centers & Institutes with 158 industry members including global partners such as DuPont, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Procter & Gamble, Qianjiang Group Co., Ltd., RWTH Aachen University, Germany, Samsung, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Texas Instruments [Read more →]

June 16, 2010   2 Comments

Key Message Development

Progress on the university-wide Key Messages is moving ahead.  During the next three or four days I’ll post the most recent work from the Public Relations & Marketing committee…great work, by the way.  Take some time to review the information and start to think about how you can incorporate the ideas into your daily, weekly, monthly, annual communications planning.

The posts will include a great deal of supporting information for each message and I encourage everyone to take that supporting information and build on it.  Create supporting messages that apply directly to your college and/or unit and you’ll have helped accomplish what we set out to do six months ago.

Its important to remember that the Key Messages merely provide the framework for our internal and external communications activities.  They represent a handful of concepts that seek to incorporate everything we do at NC State into a simple phrase.  I know a lot of you thought I was crazy when I asked for three or four sentences that would address everything that happens at NC State.  Well, we did it.

And Key Messages are not intended to be advertising tag lines, brochure copy or press release topics, though they could be.

When you’re reviewing the Key Messages, remember that we still need to develop themes for the supporting facts — themes that show impact [preferably involving multiple colleges] on issues that matter.  The supporting material that follows is grouped around areas that seem to make sense, but we need your input.

You’ve seen these before, but here are the three key messages (No. 4 was primarily for advertising purposes so I’m not going to include it here) with the basic points around each.

KEY MESSAGE I:
Everything you can imagine

NC State, the largest university in North Carolina, provides big-school opportunities in a global innovation hot spot while fostering a tight-knit community in one of the nation’s most desirable places.

Aligns with:

  • Producing leaders for the state, nation and world
  • Creating educational innovation

KEY MESSAGE II:
Driving the economy every day

NC State provides results that drive the economy – bringing critical thinking skills and discipline-based knowledge to all sectors of society through education, dynamic discoveries, and solutions to real-world problems.

Aligns with:

  • Fueling economic development

KEY MESSAGE III:
Solutions for your world

NC State touches lives. With North Carolina roots and a global reach, we deliver solutions that anticipate and meet the needs of society.

Aligns with:

  • Improving health and well being
  • Driving innovation in energy and the environment

Passion Rules!

June 15, 2010   No Comments

Management Styles; by directive or direction

The reorganization of communications on campus has created a lot of good discussion on this Blog and elsewhere.  It’s obvious that some people love the change, while others hate it.  Some want to see more, but faster change.  Some want to see more, but slower change.  Some don’t want to see any change at all:-(

You know me, I love change.  Good or bad, change happens and it is sure to be a constant here at NC State.  Remember, we have a new Chancellor starting on Monday!

But one aspect of life at NC State that is sure to take some time to change, is the decentralized nature of the university.  Randy Woodson will make some changes there, and we’re doing the same in communications.  If I was to be pinned down, I would say I’m in favor of “rapid” change.  Not today or tomorrow change, but certainly not in five years change. Rapid change.

A couple of the blog comments and emails I received after the reorganization announcement got me thinking about the type of management that works best in a university environment.  The traditional corporate model might work in some examples of higher education (one boss, one voice,) but not here.  NC State has  become what it is today because of the strength of it’s colleges and units.  Not the strength of one individual.

Here, and in most examples of higher education, the manage-by-consensus model is most effective.  You work together with the entire organization (a collegial approach, get it) to develop a strategy and move forward.  When possible, you undertake bold initiatives like we’re doing with the reorganization of University Communications and CALS Communications Services.  And there will be more as we continue to advance.  I believe that movement forward in this environment requires starts and stops.  It’s very similar to the management style at Harley-Davidson.

1990 or 2010 Fatboy???????

1990 or 2010 Fatboy???????

[Read more →]

March 30, 2010   2 Comments

What, no comments?

Announce one of the biggest changes in communications on campus in years, and no comments!  Come on folks.  I want to hear from you.  i need to hear from you.  What are your dreams and wishes?  What are your concerns and issues?  If you want to keep your comments private, there’s email or the telephone.

Passion Rules!

1 of Many

March 26, 2010   6 Comments

NC State Communications Groups Announce Reorganization Plans

In case you missed it, a major change has taken place in the communications organization on campus.  A very positive change in my mind.  A change that took the courage and commitment of Dean Johnny Wynne, the understanding and cooperation of a storied communications group at NC State, the determination of a University Chancellor and his senior staff,  and the patience of Joe (I mean Job.)  Actually it all came together remarkable fast (like 108 days I think) and the passion we all feel for NC State University helped make it possible.

Here’s the memo that started it all or at least a facsimile with some changes from the original.  I should note that the outline reflects work done at the University of Florida as part of its Communications Network (http://ufcn.urel.ufl.edu/index.shtml) and strategic communications planning efforts and adapted for NC State use:  http://www.president.ufl.edu/committees/strategiccommunication/ [Read more →]

March 25, 2010   No Comments

Publications Subcommittee Update

Like most universities, one of the goals of NC State is to tell the world about the research and discovery taking place on campus every day. Whether it’s through the personal stories of our scientists and students, or the hard news research features, publications are an important part of campus life.  They also play a key role in telling the stories.  But in today’s changing world, where more than 70,000 people a day visit NC State on the Web, it’s important that we stay up to date with how we treat university publications.

The Publications Subcommittee is taking a look at publications across campus and developing a strategic approach to how we handle publications now, and in the future.

Publications Subcommittee

•Scope includes:

–Regularly scheduled documents in print and/or electronic format

–Annual reports, progress reports, newsletters, e-newsletters and magazines

SWOT Analysis for Publications

SWOT Analysis – Strengths:

  • Engaging and well-liked
  • Tell the NC State stories; promote pride
  • Good quality and award winning, esp. top-level pubs
  • Promote the NC State brand; many follow Brand Book
  • Reach a wide and diverse audience

SWOT Analysis – Weaknesses:

  • Too many
  • Varying quality
  • Lack of success measure; goals/purpose unclear
  • Don’t understand the audience
  • Duplication of effort
  • Planning and organization
  • Preaching to the choir [Read more →]

March 23, 2010   No Comments

Internal Communications Update

All the planning in the world can’t make up for a lack of communications with each other.  One of the most challenging aspects of a large public university (Land-Grant Universities especially) is that we have so many internal audiences.  In North Carolina alone we have faculty, staff, students, alumni, all 100 counties, and many many more audiences.  If you can’t talk effectively to each other, how can you be expected to talk to those outside the family, so to speak.  The Internal Communications Subcommittee is taking on those challenges.

Internal Communications Subcommittee Update

•Who are our internal audiences?

•Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats

•Action items/next steps

NC State’s Internal Audiences:

  • Primary internal audiences: Faculty, staff and students (both on campus and off campus)
  • Secondary audiences (want to be kept in the loop): Alumni, retired faculty and staff, donors, students’ parents, advisers and volunteers
  • Though we are large, NC State is a community.

Internal Communications SWOT Analysis

SWOT Analysis – Strengths:

  • The Bulletin e-newsletter
  • The university’s home page
  • Social media: Twitter, Facebook & YouTube
  • Email listservs
  • Technician and other student media
  • Old-fashioned face-to-face contact with administrators [Read more →]

March 22, 2010   No Comments

Web & Digital Communications Update

As we all know, the Web is one of the most important, most powerful communications tools available to the university.  As such, a great deal of thought and planning needs to go into how we approach Web & Digital Communications.  The subcommittee is taking such an approach.  Check out the actual PowerPoint presentation on the State COMM NING site: http://ncsucommunicators.ning.com/

Web & Digital Communications Subcommittee Update

Goals:

Provide leadership for the university regarding standards and best practices for the strategic, innovative and appropriate use of the web, digital communications and social media.

•Scope Includes:

–Web (standard and mobile; university, college/division, department, program)

–Email (especially bulk)

–Instant Messaging

–Social Media (Facebook, Flickr, Twitter)

–Digital Signage

•Scope Does Not Include:

–Advertising

–TV

–Radio

–E-Newsletters

•However, some cross-over expected

•We will focus on

–How it looks

–The voice it speaks in

•We won’t focus on

–The services themselves [Read more →]

March 19, 2010   No Comments