President’s Task Force on Communication

1. President’s Task Force on Communication Co-chairs: Sandy Alspach & Shelly Armstrong • Committee members: • Jennifer Amlotte • Sandy Balkema • Michelle Balliet • Robert Beauchamp* • Marty Bledsoe • Carma Burcham • Rick Duffett • Joe Gorby • Ron Greenfield • Paula Hadley-Kennedy • Jennifer Hegenauer • Maria Knirk* • Ruth Ridderman • Gretchen Spedowske • Also thanks to • Jennifer Vereeke* and David Malewitz* • *Student Participants Communication Task Force

2. Task Force Goal: • Determine how employees and students can create community and understanding with our communication strategies and tools. • Challenge • Define communication vs. communications • Communication = process of message exchange • Communications = products/messages Communication Task Force

3. Our Tasks • Assess internal communication • What do we do? • What University information tools do you use? • What do you want to know? • How effective are the University’s information tools? Communication Task Force

4. Our Tasks • Assess external communications • How do we promote the University externally? • What do we do? • What is our message and our image? • Is it effective? Communication Task Force

5. Considerations • Best Practices • Strengths • Diversity • Short-term “Wins” • Recommendations Communication Task Force

6. Process • Internal communication assessment • Focus groups with more than 100 employees to assess: • Methods of communication – valuable, invaluable and missed opportunities • The Ferris mission – interpretation, effectiveness and familiarity • Image and diversity – representation in materials and special programs Communication Task Force

7. Process External communications assessment • Materials collection survey to University departments to assess: • Target audiences and forms of communication • Best practices • Evaluation techniques • Ethnicity or regionally-based communications • Key messages about programs/Ferris State University Communication Task Force

8. Process (Cont…) • External communications assessment • Website analysis of key competitors • Review of award-winning materials and current literature • Attendance at professional conferences • Discussions with colleagues and consultants Communication Task Force

9. Themes Strengths Concerns Short-term “Wins” Longer-term Initiatives Tools Messages Processes Communication Task Force

10. Strengths • Tools • E-mail – Convenient but hard to access off campus • Web – a good information resource; cited by departments as “best practice,” but too much information (not always updated and accurate); hard to navigate and control • Campus-Wide Notice daily digests – good but receive too late in the day and subject lines ambiguous • MyFSU – has potential but don’t understand how to use Communication Task Force

11. Survey Results Communication Task Force

12. Strengths • Messages • Career orientation (applicable/hands-on learning) • Unique mix of top quality programs • Convenient location in beautiful setting • Small class sizes taught by experienced faculty not graduate assistants • Well qualified graduates who find employment in their chosen fields of study • Strong graphic identity for undergraduate recruiting • Leader in electronic recruitment • Recruitment tagline “Unleash your potential” resonates well with prospective students and their parents Communication Task Force

13. Strengths • Processes • Response time to internal inquiries – getting better but still need improvement • Student-centeredness (dedicated to student success; strong relationships between employees and students; caring environment) • Alumni outreach/communication Communication Task Force

14. Concerns • Tools • Information overload from variety of sources Communication Task Force

15. Concerns • Messages • Lack of clarity of mission, vision, and values • Uninformed about town/gown relationships and “our own people” • Reputation as “suitcase” school persists; reputation as “party school” and “last chance school” persists but is diminishing • Too much emphasis placed on marketing technical and other niche programs Mission Statement Ferris State University will be a national leader in providing opportunities for innovative teaching and learning in career-oriented, technological, and professional education. Communication Task Force

16. Concerns • Processes • Faculty contacts and expertise undervalued • De-centralization of marketing activities causes confusion, fragmentation, inconsistent use of graphic standards, and ineffective marketing • Some audiences are overlooked (minority, non-traditional, and international students; employers; business and industry leaders) • Weak assessment of communication activities Communication Task Force

17. Short-term “Wins” • Tools • Change Campus-Wide Notices to University-Wide Notices to avoid exclusion • Distribute CWN early afternoon instead of 5 p.m. • Improve subject lines on CWN • Determine flaws in distribution and external access in CWN • Send out personal notices as authorized on “our own people” (deaths, other) on CWN • Examine and communicate the process for updating the online catalog Communication Task Force

18. Short-term “Wins” • Tools (Cont…) • Develop an online directory of all faculty listing office hours, etc. • Migrate internal-audience-driven information on Ferris website to MyFSU and encourage use by employees • Improve key-word search-ability on website • Make contact information easier to find on website • Identify missing links and outdated information on website • Complete further evaluation of FYI and its value to employees • Offer frequent training to new and current employees (MyFSU, Banner, Lotus Notes, Web guidelines, FSUS100 classes, etc.) Communication Task Force

19. Short-term “Wins” • Messages • Update and inform employees about use of and access to graphic standards • Provide regular updates on marketing initiatives • Clarify meaning of terms (degrees/programs; image/reputation; Ferris/FSU) • Clarify how we characterize the physical entities that make up Ferris State University, i.e., one university brand with several locations, a system with regional campuses, two campuses with smaller sites around the state Communication Task Force

20. Short-term “Wins” • Processes • Continue to offer and reinforce participation in “Project Pride” (more frequently), “No Wrong Door,” and other initiatives that impact impressions of Ferris • Identify ways to improve the quality of life for employees (i.e., offer a Head Start program at Tot’s Place, lower cost for access to Rec. Center and events) • Schedule University-wide programming (i.e., Summer University) when all employees can participate • Seek President, Cabinet, and University-wide clarification and validation of mission, vision, and values Communication Task Force

21. Short-term “Wins” • Processes (Cont…) • Form a Senior Marketing Team with President Eisler setting the agenda for more coordinated marketing efforts • Develop internal recognition/reward program for “best marketing practices” • Offer employees training on how to use University marketing resources • Better use existing research to guide marketing decisions • Begin additional testing of tagline and other marketing materials Communication Task Force

22. Longer-term Strategic Initiatives • Tools • Review the structure, navigation and search-ability of the Ferris website • Assign to Web Advisory Board with input from UA&M and departmental Web content developers Communication Task Force

23. Longer-term Strategic Initiatives • Messages • Develop a truly integrated marketing program for the University that is characterized by • making strategic marketing decisions tied to the University mission and strategic plan and supported by data • coordinating resources and sharing goals • creating consistent and coordinated messages and graphics Communication Task Force

24. Longer-term Strategic Initiatives • Processes • Develop and implement a University-wide, systematic method for administrative review • Decision-making from bottom-up as well as top-down • Consider moving toward a corporate model for organizing marketing functions to include such areas as marketing communications, market research, public relations, sales and service (admissions/enrollment services), and finance • Develop and implement a plan for the annual review of University communication processes Communication Task Force

25. Thank You to the University community and Committee members for your participation and support! Communication Task Force

26. Discussion Communication Task Force