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College Relations and Communications Office

Strategic Plan 2009–2013

Penn State College of agriCultural SCienCeS

Connect, Collaborate, Communicate

CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeStrategicPlan2009‐2013 1

PennStateCollegeofAgriculturalSciences

CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeStrategicPlan2009–2013TableofContents PageIntroduction 2CollegeDirective 3StrategicIssuesandDirection 3Mission 6CoreValues 6Vision 7CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeAreaSummaries 7

CollegeRelationsArea 7OfficeofConferencesandShortCourses 8WebServicesArea 8PublicationsandExhibitsArea 8NewsArea 9SharedServices 10

ProgressMadeinthe2005‐2008PlanningCycle 10CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeGoalsandStrategies 13AppendixA–CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOrganizationalChart 30AppendixB–CollegeRelationsResponsibilities 31AppendixC–OfficeofConferencesandShortCourses2008AnnualReport 34


IntroductionTheCollegeofAgriculturalSciences’CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeisacomponentofthedean’sofficethatmanagesthecollege’srelationshipsandcommunicationswithexternalclientelegroups.Theofficealsoprovidesadministrativesupportforcollegeanddepartmentaloutreachinitiativesanddevelopsmutuallybeneficialrelationshipswithstakeholdersthatleadtosupportforthecollege.Theofficefocusesonfourprimaryexternalaudiences–futurestudents,alumni,industry,andpublicofficials‐andprovidesadministrativesupportfortheCollegeAlumniSociety,ArmsbyHonorSociety,PennStateAgCouncil,andAgActionNetwork.ThecollegeOfficeofConferencesandShortCoursesworkswithcollegeunitsandfacultytofacilitateandadministerhigh‐qualityoutreachprogramsandwasintegratedintotheCollegeRelationsOfficein2005.TheAgCommunicationsandMarketingUnit,whosefocusistodeliverstrategicinformationtocollegestakeholders,wasaddedtotheCollegeRelationsOfficein2007.Theseofficeshavebeenintegratedinordertobenefitfromthecommonmissionsofenhancingrelationshipswithcollegestakeholders.(SeeAppendixAforCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsoperationalchart)CollegeDirectiveThecurrent(2008–2013)CollegeofAgriculturalSciencesstrategicplancontinuestoemphasizetheimportancetothecollegeofrelationshipsandpartnershipswithstakeholdergroupsaswellastheneedforpubliceducationaroundagricultureliteracy.ItprovidesthefoundationforthestrategicplanfortheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOffice.ThecollegestrategicplandirectlychargestheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeto:

• Intensifycollegemarketingeffortstoincreaseawarenessofprogramrelevance.• Increasethenumberandqualityofconferencesandshortcoursesoffered.• Increasethequalityandeffectivenessofcollegepublications.• Establishandbuildonexistingpartnershipswithgovernmentagencies.• Expandopportunitiesforcurrentandnewstakeholderstoprovidestrategicadvice.• Improvethedisseminationofresearchresults.• Enhancestakeholderandpubliceducation.• Enhancerecognition,reporting,anddistributionofourprogramming’simpact.

“The mission of Penn State’s College of AgriculturalSciences is to discover, integrate, and disseminateknowledge to enhance the food and agricultural system,natural resource and environmental stewardship, andeconomic and social well‐being, thereby improving thelivesofpeopleinPennsylvania,thenation,andtheworld.”


Thecollegestrategicplanalsoplacesstrongemphasisonfundingchallengesandwhatitwilltaketokeepthecollegesustainableintothefuture.TheReportoftheWorkingGrouponSustainingandAdvancingCollegeExcellence,March2008,detailsissuesandactionsdeemednecessarytoimplementasustainablemodelforthecollege.Thatreportalsoemphasizestheimportanceofcollegerelationshipswithvariousstakeholdergroupsandtheneedforcontinuedinvestmentinaggressivemarketingandcommunications,andspecificallystates:

• Theeffortthathasbeendevotedtoincreasingstudentrecruitment(e.g.,byincreasingtheattractivenessofourmajors,improvingcurriculum,andstrengtheningrecruitmentactivities)needstobecontinuedandexpandedtoreachnon‐traditionalpopulations.

• Developacommunicationsstrategytocommunicatethevalueofourteaching,researchandextensionprogramstolegislators,keystakeholders,publicofficials,andthepublicatlarge.ThisstrategyshouldbeWeb‐basedatitscorewithprintedmaterialsderivedfromtheWebresources.

• Print‐on‐demandcapabilitiesshouldbeestablishedandtheexpensivestorageofcollegepublicationseliminated.

• Alladvancesinresearch,teachingandextensionshouldgenerateseveralcommunicationsproductsincludingWebmodifications,newsreleases,populararticles,radiospotsandtelevisionprogramming.Webandpublicationseditorsaswellasthecollegecommunicationsandmarketingstaffshouldaggressivelypursuecommunicationsproducts.

• Beatreportersshouldbeestablishedsothatthesecommunicatorscanbecomeknowledgeableabouttechnicalissues.Thecommunicationofresearchresultsandpublicizingtheimpactofresearchshouldbeaccordedgreaterpriorityinfacultyevaluationandrewards.

StrategicIssuesandDirectionNoareaofcommunicationhaschangedmorerapidlythanthatofdigitaltechnologyinsocialinteractionandmedia.Anewvocabulary–Twitter,FaceBook,Google,Delicious,StumbleUpon,Linked‐In,MySpace,YouTube,Blogs,RSS‐definesnotjusthowwegetinformation,buthowwemanageandrespondtoit.Thesetechnologieshavetransformedtheone‐wayinformationflowfromsources,suchasourcollege,intoamultidirectional“Web”ofviralinformationdistributionandeditorialresponses–shiftingfromamonologuetoadialogue.Opportunitiesnowexisttoleverageinformationandreachoutfurtherandfastertonewandexistingaudienceswithmessagesandinformation.Wiseutilizationoftheseconstantlyevolvingtechnologiesandnetworksthatallowinstantaneousconnectionwithpeoplearoundtheworldisanongoingchallengeintermsofstaff,skillandresourceallocation.Alongwithadramaticallychangingtechnologicalenvironment,thecollegeisfacingachangingeconomicandpoliticalenvironment,whereresourcesarescarce,publicfundingisincreasinglycompetitive,andwherethebarhasbeenraisedforprogramstodemonstratetheirrelevance,impact,andjustificationforfunding.Itismoreimperativethaneverthatweensureourunitisrunefficientlyandthatwearecreativeinourmethodstoimplementcost‐savingsstrategies.Weneedtoevaluateeverythingwedoandhowwedoittoensurewearedoingtherightthings,anddoingthingsright.


TheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficehasfiniteresourcestoaccomplishtheseaggressivecommunicationandmarketinggoalsforourclientsandthecollege,aswellasmanagestakeholderrelationsandeducation.Thecollegeisalarge,complexinstitutionwithextensivecommunicationneedsthatourunitcannotcomprehensivelyaddress.Assuch,we(collectively)mustfocusourresourcesonareasofexcellenceanduniquenessthatwillstrategicallypositionusinthemarketplace.Ourunitmuststrategicallyprioritizeouraudiencesandourproductsinordertomaximizethereturnoninvestmentforthecollegeandourclientsandaccomplishcollegelevelgoals.Althoughourstrategicfocusisoncollegelevelgoals,weunderstandthisisaccomplishedthroughclient‐levelprojects.Wemustensurethehigheststandardsofcustomerservice,ensureaqualityproduct,andbuildsolidrelationshipsbuiltonmutualrespectandakeenawarenessofourclient’sneeds.InorderfortheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficetoaccomplishthesegoalsinthischangingenvironmentitisincreasingclearthejobofrelationshipbuildingandcommunicationsmustengageallcollegeemployees.Wearepartnersintheprocessandneedtoimproveinternalcommunicationsandfosterbroadcollegeunderstandingofourpurpose,priorities,goals,andstrategiestogarnerinternalsupportandcollaborationinthiseffort.Todoso,theofficewillfocusonfivekeystrategicareas:

1. EnhanceOfficeUseofTechnology

Inanefforttoincreasereach,innovation,efficiency,andrelevancywemuststaycurrent,evaluate,adopt,promote,andsupportappropriateemergingandevolvingtechnologies.Wemust:

• ContinuetoimplementprojectmanagementtechnologiessuchasSharePoint.• Enhanceutilizationoftechnologytomeasureandprovidedatafordecision‐making.• Enhancetheuseofsocialnetworkingandinteractivemediaopportunitiestoremain

relevanttotechnicallysavvyaudiences.• Enableemergingcommunicationchannels.• Addressobstaclestoimplementationofemergingtechnologiessuchastrainingneeds,

fearoftechnology,costs,overhead,skills,etc.

2. IncreaseEfficiencyandImplementCostSavingStrategiesThecollegeisfacingchallengingeconomictimes,anditisimperativeforallunitstobeoutstandingstewardsoftheresourcestheyreceiveandmanagethemforthehighestreturnoninvestment(ROI)forthecollege.Wemust:

• Communicatebudgetchallengesinternally,theneedforalltoinitiatecostsavingstrategies,andtheneedtodomorewithless(worksmarter.)

• RecycleproductsformaximumuseandROI.


• UsedataandfeedbacktoconstantlyevaluateROIandadjustservices,product,anddeliverymethods.

• Evaluatetheimplementationofunitfinancialpoliciestoensurewiseuseofcollegeresources.

• Evaluateopportunitiesforcostrecoverysuchasgrantfundingandfeesforservices.

3. EnhanceROIbyPrioritizationofTargetAudiencesandProducts

Recognizingthatthedemands/expectationsfromourunitconsistentlyexceedresources/abilitytodeliver,wemust:

• Developandcommunicatecriteriaforinvestmentinproductsandservices.• Focusresourcesbasedonstrategicprioritiesofthecollegeandhighestreturnon

investment.• Identifyandprioritizediversetargetaudiencesusingcollegestrategicprioritiesand

desiredoutcomes.• Maximizeutilizationanddistributionofallcommunicationproducts.• Evaluateeffectivenessofproductsandservicesandadjustaccordingly.• Evaluateopportunitiestomorecloselyaligncommunicationbudgetstostrategic

priorities.4. ImproveInternal(UnitandCollege)Communications

Werecognizethatthereismutualbenefitinclearlycommunicatingouroffice’svalue,services,andmethodstothecollegeandfacultytobothgarneranunderstandingof,andsupportfor,ourservicesandproductsandtobenefitfromtheinputandpartnershipwithfacultyandstaffindevelopmentofservicesandkeymessagesandimpacts.Wemust:

UnitCommunications

• Ensureconsistencyincommunicationofoffice’smission,priorities,andservices.• Definerationale,criteria,andpoliciesforstrategicprioritizationofproductsand

services.• Createaclearlydefined“package”ofservices,products,andexpectationstoofferto

clients.• BuildCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsteamattitudeofunderstandingand

cooperationthroughoutunit.

CollegeCommunications• Clearlycommunicatetothecollegeandfacultyofficegoals,policies,criteria,services,

products,expectations,andrationale.• Focuscollege/facultyonstrategicprioritiesforhighestROItothecollege.• Identifykeypointsofcontactineachcollegepriorityareaanddevelopprocessesfor

inputintocontentanddefiningemergingissues.• BuildpartnershipbetweenAgCommunicationsandOutreachtobetterdefineroles,

priorities,andensuringcollegelook,feelandbrandingforExtensionproducts.


5. EnhanceCustomerService

TheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeisbothaprofessionalandserviceunitforthecollege.Assuch,itisimportantweearntherespectandconfidenceofourcustomersbyprovidingeffective,qualityproductsandoutstandingandrespectfulservice.Wemust:

• Fosterapositive,“cando”attitudeamongofficestaff.• Ensurecustomersaretreatedwithrespect,recognition,andappreciation.• Ensureconstantandconsistentqualityimprovement.• Ensurestaffunderstandandcanconsistentlyandclearlycommunicateofficepolicies,

criteria,products,andstrategies.• Betterdefineandcommunicateforclientspointsofcontactsforspecificproducts.• Simplifyandstreamlineonlineproduct/servicerequestprocessesandmaketransparent

statusandprojectmanagement(one‐stopshopping)tobetterrespectclient’stime.MissionSimplifiedMission:Connect,Collaborate,CommunicateThemissionoftheCollegeRelationsOfficeistocommunicateandpromotethemission,programs,andimpactsofthePennStateCollegeofAgriculturalSciencesandtodevelopandfostermutuallybeneficialrelationshipsbyprovidingarecognizedlinkagebetweenthecollegeandstakeholders.CoreValuesWearecommitmentto:

• Thecollegeanditsmission.• Theneedsofcollegestakeholdergroups.• Excellenceandprofessionalisminallinteractionsandactivitiesoftheoffice.• Thehigheststandardsofqualityandcustomerservice.• Qualityoutreachprogramsandopportunitiesthatenhancethevisibilityandreputationofthe

college,thedepartments,andthefaculty.• Employees’personalandprofessionalgrowthandaworkenvironmentthatisfriendly,

respectful,andenjoyable.


Vision

TheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficewillbe:

• Arelevant,effective,innovative,andprofessionalofficethathasearnedtherespectandtrustofitsclients.

• Focusedonthestrategicprioritiesofthecollegeandwillbeintegratedwithintheunitandthecollege.

• Anexternalvoiceofthecollegeandaninternalconnectionpointforcollegestakeholders‐creatinginformed,supportive,andengagedstakeholders.

• Progressive,customerfocused,andcommittedtocontinuousqualityimprovementandprofessionaldevelopment.

• Amodelorganizationforourpeergroups.

CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeAreaSummaries:CollegeRelationsAreaThecollegerelationsareaservesapublicrelationsrolewithamissiontobuildandmaintainrelationshipswiththreemainexternalaudiences‐‐‐alumni,industry,andlegislators‐‐‐thatleadtosupportforthecollegethatisexpressedinnumerousways.Itisunderstoodthatsustainingthecollegewillbe,inpart,dependentuponsustainingrelationships,and,asarticulatedatarecentcollegeretreat,effective“relationshipstakeplaceovertime,notatapointintime.”Sustainingrelationshipsrequireshavingawell‐definedsystemoforganizing,monitoring,measuring,andmaintainingtheserelationshipswithclearlydefinedobjectives,responsibilities,andaccountabilityalongwithmeasurablebenchmarkstogaugesuccess.CollegealumniareservedthroughtheCollegeofAgriculturalSciencesAlumniSociety,whichhasapproximately8,000members.Theassociationhasafull‐timeexecutivedirectorthatworkswiththeassociation’sboardofdirectorstocreateacomprehensiveworkplantoachievetheassociation’smission.Currentlytheassociationhas10affiliategroupswithinthe12academicunitsinthecollegeandsponsorsnumerouseventsandawardsthroughouttheyear.Legislativeadvocacyisdirectedatpromotingthecollegeanditsmissionwithgovernmentofficialsandagenciesandgainingexpressedsupportofthatmissionthroughadequatefunding.Thiseffortutilizesallexternalaudiencestoreinforcethecollege’smessagetothelegislatures.Thecollegerelationsareaisalsoresponsibleforcollege‐levelindustry/stakeholderrelations.Theserelationshipsarebuiltandmaintainedonanumberoffrontswithanemphasisonenhancingcommunicationsbetweenthecollegeandstakeholdersbyprovidingstakeholderopportunitiesto:

• LearnmoreaboutCollegeofAgriculturalSciencesprograms,activities,andopportunities.• Networkwithcollegeleadership,faculty,andotherindustryleaders.• Providequalityfeedbackoncollegeprogramsandresearch.


• Relaysuggestionsforinnovativewaysinwhichthecollegecancarryoutitsmission.• Conveyindustryneedsandconcerns.• Advocateandbuildexternalsupportforcollegeprograms,researchandfunding.• Interactwithcollegestudentsthroughinternships,co‐ops,CollegeCareerDays,recruitment

services,mentoringprograms,etc.

(SeeAppendixBforafulllistingofCollegeRelationsresponsibilities)OfficeofConferencesandShortCoursesTheOfficeofConferencesandShortCourses(OCSC)isafeeforserviceunitthatassistscollegeunitsandfacultyinfacilitatingandadministeringhighqualityoutreachprogramsforcollegestakeholders.Theofficeprovidesprofessionaladministrative,logistical,instructional,andmarketingsupporttounitsandfacultysponsoringcollegeoutreachprograms;providesclientandspeakermanagementservices;helpsidentifyanddevelopnew,strategicoutreachopportunitiesinthecollege;andusesoutreachprogramstoincreasethevisibilityofandsupportforthecollege.WebServicesAreaTheWebServicesareaprovidesconsultationandWeb‐basedtoolstothecollege,includingWebsitecontentorganizationandmanagementinthecollegecontentmanagementsystem(CMS);architectureandnavigationdevelopment;technicaldesign;compliancewithPennStateWebpolicies,accessibility,andotherstandards‐withanemphasisonon‐linebrandingandmarketinggoals;searchengineoptimization;implementationofemergingtechnologies;policiesandbestpractices;andbenchmarkingusingWebanalyticstools.Thearea’smainWebplatformisthePloneCMS,whichisadynamicopen‐sourceapplicationthathasalargesupportbasethroughoutPennState’scampus.Plone’sfeaturesetisveryrichandiseasilyextensibleforfutureenhancementstomeetthegrowingneedsofWebtechnologies.Thisareaprovidesthetools,training,andsupporttoallownon‐technicalfacultyandstafftomaintaintheirownWebsites.TheCMSempowerscollegeunitsto“own”theirrespectiveWebsites,whichallowstheWebteamtofocusonprovidingenhancementsandnewfunctionality.TheWebServicesareaalsoprovidesvideographyservicesforrecordingofpresentationsandeducationalpieces,whichareconvertedintoFlashformatforeasyWebdeployment.Theareaalsorepresentstheinterestsofthecollegeandservesasaliaisononvariouscommunicationandcollege/Universitycommittees.ThePublicationsandExhibitsAreaThepublicationsandexhibitsareaintegratesprofessional‐levelwriting,editing,photography,anddesigninsupportofcollegestudentrecruitmentandretention,marketing,research,extension,andeducation.Collegeprioritiesfocusonstudentrecruitmentandonstrengtheningtheimageofthecollegethroughhigh‐qualitypublications,exhibits,andevents.ThisareahasbuiltontheUniversity’s“It’sYourTime”


marketingcampaigntocreateanimprovedpackageofprintandexhibitproducts.Thiseffortisreflectedinthehundredsofproducts,includingbrochures,flyers,postcards,banners,advertisements,andevents,thatallrevolvearoundacommonthemetohelpthecollegedevelopanidentitythatiseasilyrecognizable,whilemaintainingthePennStatebrand.PennStateAgriculturemagazineillustratesthepublicationarea’sintegrationwiththecollegerelations,news,photography,marketing,andWebareaswithinCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOffice.Themagazineisanimportanttoolwithacirculationofover40,000copiesthatprovidesmanyofourstakeholderswiththelatestinformationandnewsaboutresearch,education,extension,development,andalumni.Thepublicationsareaproduceshundredsofnewandrevisedextensionpublicationsannually.MorethanonemillionpublicationsaredistributedthroughouttheCommonwealtheachyear,andmostcollegepublicationsareavailabletothepubliconthecollege’spublicationsWebsite.Thearea’scontinuedsupportofAgProgressDaysandFarmShoweventsservestoshowcasethecollegetothepublicandprovidesforimportantconnectionswithourstakeholdersthroughexhibitsandpresentationsofcurrentresearch,extensioninformation,andstudentrecruitment.ConceptthroughproductionfortheseeventsrequirescontributionsfromallmediawithinAgCommunications.Introductionof3‐Ddesignandpresentationsoftware,integrationofmarketingconcepts,anduseofreusablestructuresareafewexamplesofadvancementsineventdesignandproduction.NewsAreaThenewsareaperformsmediarelationsforthecollegeincludingdistributionofpressreleases,respondingtomediarequestsforinformation,andarranginginterviewsforcollegefaculty/staffasexpertsourcesasneeded.Theareaproducesarticlesandpublicationsthataredistributedviahardcopyandonlinetoraiseawarenessof,andbuildsupportfor,collegeprograms,withaneyetowardinfluencingpotentialstudents,donors,legislators,fundingagencies,industrystakeholdersandothers.Examplesofthearea’swritingandeditingworkincludenewsreleaseshighlightingthecollege'sresearch,extensionandteachingprograms;PennStateAgriculturemagazine(bi‐annual);thecollege'smonthlynewsletter;ScienceforYourLife,thecollege'sbi‐annualstudentnewsandrecruitingtabloid;andotherspecialcommunicationprojects.Theareaalsowrites,edits,andproducesthePennStateAgSciencesRadioNewsline,aweeklyradionewsfeed.Theareaalsoprovidesextensivecommunicationsandpublicitysupportforthecollege’sAgProgressDaysincludingadvertising,newsreleases,mediainterviews,on‐sitepublicaddressannouncements,andon‐sitemediaassistanceduringtheevent.InsupportofFarmShow,theareaalsocoordinatestheFarmShowRadioCommittee,whichproducesliveandpre‐recordedradiofeedscoveringFarmShowactivitiesutilizedbymorethan80radiostationsinfourstates.


SharedServicesCollegemarketingandbrandmanagementarevalue‐addedservicesofallareasincludedintheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOffice.Ascommunicationinitiativesfortargetaudiencesaredeveloped,consistencyofquality,message,andbrandareaddressed–inallmediumsandatalllevels.Photographyisalsoavalue‐addedcomponentofprojects.Ourphotographerisassignedbyourstaffonanasneededbasisandwillworkwithclientstodevelopthemosteffectiveandefficientvisualsolutions.LimitedvideographyservicesareavailabletothecollegetorecordeventsandpresentationsthatcanbedistributedinDVDorviaWebservices.Thesevideosareusedtopromoteourresearchareas,attractnewstudents,and/orforeducationalpurposes.ProgressMadeinthe2005‐2008PlanningCycleSignificantprogresshasbeenmadeinmeetingthegoalsofthe2005–2008CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficestrategicplan.Highlightsofouraccomplishmentsarelistedbelowbyareasofresponsibility:

Progress–AgCommunications• DevelopedandimplementedthecollegeCommunicationsandMarketingStudyGroup

Report,whichinparthasresultedinrisingenrollmentratesforthepastthreeyears,including:o HiredamarketingspecialisthousedintheCollegeRelationsOffice.o EstablishedaCommunicationandMarketingAdvisoryCommittee.o WorkedwithcollegeandUniversitypartners,developedandimplementeda

recruitmentmarketingcampaignthatrepositionsthecollegetoincludeacollegeViewbook,brochures,futurestudentmicrosite,futurestudentvideos,majorsWebpages,majorsone‐pagerprintpieces,exhibits,ads,graphics,newcollegewebsite,highqualityphotos,etc.

• RestructuredtheAgCommunicationsUnitintotheCollegeRelationsOfficetobetteralignwithtargetaudiences.

• ProducedScienceforYourLife,studenttabloid.• Developednewgraduaterecruitmentmaterials.• ProducedhighqualitymarketingpostcardsforConferencesandShortCourses.• DevelopedAgrImpactone‐pagerstodemonstrateimpactsofcollegeprograms.• Developedbioenergyexhibitthathasbeenusedinnumerousvenues,includingAPD,Farm

Show,PittsburghEnergyExpo,USDADCexhibit,andelsewheretoincreasedexposureandrecognitionofthecollegebioenergyprogram.

• DevelopedENRIenvironmentalexhibitthathasbeenusedatFarmShow,APD,AgandEnvironmentConference,CollegeCapitolDay,etc.toincreaseexposureandrecognitionofthecollege’senvironmentalprograms.

• PublishedcollegenewsandinformationsiteonPennStateLiveWebsite.


• Beganpodcastinginitiativeandrecyclingradionewsfeedsintopodcasts.• Revampedthecollegenewsletter.• Migratedalldigitalimagesintonew,sustainableandrestorablephotoarchive.• Createdprocessforin‐house,highqualityrecruitmentphotography.• ProvidedsupportforcollegeWebinarefforts.

Progress–Web

• RepositionedofficeascentralsourceforWebexpertiseinthecollege.• Formalizeddocumentationofprojectsandtasks.• EnteredWebLion/Plonepartnership.• FormalizedPloneend‐usertraining.• OfferedvideoconversionandpresentationwithFlash.• Workedwithlive.psu.edufornewsreleaselogistics.• ImplementedWebstandards,consistentbranding,andemergingtechnologiesoncollege

Websites.• ImprovedWebcommunicationswithincollegeandisplayingaleadershiproleatthe

Universitylevel.• Launchedand/orredesigned27collegeWebsites.• Providedfocusedvideographyandphotographysupport.• ImplementedCollegeRelationsSharePointcollaborationandprojectmanagementtools.• ImplementednewtechnologiesincludingAdobeFlash,RSSFeeds,onlineprojectintake

forms,LinkChecker,GoogleAnalytics,GooglePageRank,AgSphere,Nagios,Plone,TwitterandEventWebCams.

• IncreasedsearchrankingsofcollegeWebsite.

Progress–StakeholderRelations• ExpandedpartnershipsthroughdiversificationofPennStateAgCouncilmembership

(Examples:ChesapeakeBayFoundation,PaWomeninAg,PaCertifiedOrganic,Bioenergy,FairSharepartnership),newadvocacyaroundRockviewlandpurchase,andpartnershipwithPennStateAlumniAssociationinreachingouttoallalumniinsupportoftheCollegeonbotanicalgardenreceptions.

• DevelopedandimplementedaPennStateAgCouncilformalstakeholderinputprocessintothecollegestrategicplanningprocess,involvingtheUniversityOfficeofPlanningandAssessment.

• ImplementedCollegeCapitolDayinHarrisburgwherecollegestakeholdersvisitall253statelegislativeofficesinsupportofagresearchandextensionfunding.

• Developedimprovedmarketingpiecestocommunicatecollegeprogramsandimpactstostakeholders.

• ImprovedPennStateAgCouncilCollegeResearchTourandchangedthedatetoSeptemberresultinginrecordattendanceandexcellentreviews.

• IncreasedcollegeAlumniSocietyscholarships.• ServedaspointofcontactforAttorneyGeneralofficeonAct38casesandprocessnew

requests,improvingscience‐basedpolicies.


• OrganizedlegislativetoursforCongressmanHolden,SenatorCasey,PresidentialCandidateObama,USDA,andotherlegislativeoffices.

• Organizedfederallegislativeaide’stourinconjunctionwithAPD,whichtakesplaceeveryotheryear.

• ExpandedtheAgActionNetworkandengagedthemintheRockviewlandtransfereffort.• Organizedawineindustryandmushroomindustrysummitwithcollegeleadership.• Organizedindustryandalumnitoattendundergraduatestudenttailgates.• Assistedindevelopmentoftwonewalumniprogramgroups.• Developedandimplementedanalumnicollegeenrollmentinitiativeforstudent

recruitmentandretention.• Achievedsignificantincreasesinstudentparticipationingraduationbrunches.• HostedAgLiveauctionthatbroughtin$17,000towardscollegescholarships.• Creatednewcollegealumniandindustrywebsites.• OrganizedMichiganStatefootballgamealumnibustoMichigan

Progress–ContinuingEducationandOutreach

• RestructuredtheOfficeofConferenceandShortCourses(OCSC)toincreaseefficiencyandprovidehigherqualityservicetoagreaternumberofclientstoreflectthehighqualityofprogramsdeliveredbythecollege.

• Developedandimplementedanew,transparentfeestructuretoincreaserevenues.• Implementedanonlineregistrationsystem,CVENT,whichhasincreasedtheefficiencyand

raisedtheprofessionalismoftheoffice,andcreatedaconsistent,brandedimageforallprogramsofferedbytheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOffice.

• IncreasedrevenuestoOCSCandtoclientsbothbyover100%from2007to2008.• IncreasednumberofprogramsofferedbyOCSCby50%.• IncreasednumberofregistrantsofprogramsofferedbyOCSCby50%from2007to2008to

over9000.• Developedhighqualitymarketingpostcardsforcollegeconferencestoimprovequalityand

consistentbrandingoftheofficethatisinlinewiththeoverallcollegemarketingstrategy.• UsedprogramsofferedbytheOCSCtobuildpartnershipsandrelationshipsbetweenthe

college,industry,andgovernmentagencies,includingEPA,DEP,PDA,Sudan,NRCSandtoshowcasecollegeexpertiseinstrategicpriorityareaslikebioenergyandwaterquality.

• PurchasedHarrisSelectorytoincreasemarketingreach.

(SeeAppendixCfortheOfficeofConferencesandShortCourses2008annualreport)


CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeGoalsandStrategiesfor2009–2013TheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficefocusedonthreegoalsinthe2008–2013CollegeofAgriculturalSciencesstrategicplanthatwefeelaremostrelevanttoouroffice.WedevelopedCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficegoalsandstrategiesundereachofthesethreecollegegoals.WethendevelopedarealevelstrategiesandactionitemsundereachofCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficegoalsandstrategies.FollowinginchartformistheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficegoals,strategies,andactionitemslistedinrelationtothecollegegoalstheyareaddressing.ThisisaworkingdocumentandactionitemsareassignedtospecificareaswithintheCollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOffice.Wewillbemonitoringprogressatalltimesanddocumentingaccomplishments.Assessmentmetricsarelistedattheendofthechartandwillbeadjustedasneeded.

CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsStrategicPlan2009–201314

CollegeGoals CRGoals CRStrategies AreaLevelStrategies

AreaLevelActionItems Area

IncreaseEnrollmentandEnhanceStudentSuccess

Enhanceawarenessofcollegeprogramrelevanceinanefforttoincreaserecruitmentandretentionofahigh‐qualityanddiversepoolofstudents

Enhancecollegemarketingeffortstargetedatfuturestudentstocontinuetorepositionthecollegeandincreaseawarenessofprogramrelevance

Increasetheconsistency,quality,anddistributionofstudentrecruitmentproductsandinitiatives

Assessanddevelopnewrecruitmentmarketingcampaignsandmaterials(includingvideos)andadvisecollegerecruitersonmosteffectiveproductstomarketmajors.Increasenumberofhighqualityrecruitmentimages

PubsWeb

Createsocialnetworkinggroupsforstudentstointeractwiththecollegearoundvariousinitiatives

WebAll

EvaluatedoingrecruitmentadvertisingonGoogle,FaceBook,andYouTubeandothersocialnetworkingopportunities

Web

ProduceScienceforYourLifetabloidandcontinuetoseek/solicitstoriesofinteresttoprospectivestudentsandtheirfamilies.Establishatabloid"blog"sitetopoststories,photosandpotentialmultimediaandinteractivecontent

News

IncluderecruitmentmaterialinOCSCregistrationpackets

OCSC

Workwithundergraduateed(UE)touseCVENTforstudentrecruitmenteventsandtosurveystudentstocollectinfoaboutprospectivestudentsinterests

OCSC

Administerandpromoteyouthconferences

Envirothon,AgintheClassroom,ConservationLeadershipSchool,4‐H,FFAandothers.Promoteyouthconferencestoschooldistrictsandatotheryouthprograms

OCSC






Enhancecollegemarketingeffortstargetedatfuturestudentstocontinuetorepositionthecollegeandincreaseawarenessofprogramrelevance

AssessandenhancerecruitmenteffortsatFarmShowandAPD

Completestrategicassessmentoncollege/unitsexpectationsanddesiredoutcomesfromcollegeexhibitsatFarmShowandAPDanddevelopcost‐effectivemethodstoaccomplishthem

CRAll

Engagestakeholdergroupsinstudentsupportactivities

Workwithstakeholderstoincreasethenumberofcareerandinternshipopportunitiesforstudents

PartnerwithUEoncareerandinternshipopportunitiesincludingCareerDay,Dean’sTours,industryinvolvement,database,andatemplatetohelpcompaniesdevelopinternships.

CR

WorkwithUEtoprovidestudenttrainingonexpectationsofemployers(behavior,resume,dresscode,interviewskills)perhapsinconjunctionwithcareerday.Useindustrystakeholders

CR

Administerand/orpromoteeventswherealumni,industryandotherstakeholdergroupscaninteractwithstudents

PromoteandfacilitatestakeholderparticipationinCollegeCareerDay,UEtailgates,Alumnitailgate,andstudentmentoringprograms.AddprospectivestudentsandfamiliestoreceptioninvitationlistforDean’stoursreceptions

CR

Promote/facilitatestakeholderinvolvementincollegecontinuingedprograms.Encouragestudentstoparticipateinthenetworkingeventswhenpossible

OCSC






Engagestakeholdergroupsinstudentsupportactivities

Engagestudentsinconferenceandshortcourseactivities

Buildconferencebudgetstosupportstudentinvolvementwhenpossiblebyprovidinglimitedaccessatreducedornocharge

OCSC

Enhanceeffortstorecruitadiversepoolofcontinuingeducationstudents

Increasethenumber,quality,andrelevanceofconferencesandshortcourses

IncreasetheprofessionalismofOCSCservicesofferedtoenhancetheattendeeexperienceandcontinuetoimprovequalityandstandardsforregistrationmaterialsandprogramdelivery.Collectandprovidefeedbackforevaluationimprovementofprogramdelivery

OCSC

Improvemarketingofprogramsandopportunities

Exploreadditionalmarketinglistsourcesforpurchase.UsefacultycontactstodevelopnewliststhroughindustryanddepartmentlistsUseCVENTsurveytooltocollectdemographicinfotohelptargetgroupsformarketingefforts

OCSC

MarketOCSCprogramsonindustrywebsitesandbroadenWebadvertising.IncludeprogramandregistrationinformationinacademicunitandAPGnewsletters

OCSC

Createacomprehensivetargetedlistforregistrantsoncreditoronlinecoursesthatarerelatedtotheprogramtheyareattending

OCSC




StrengthenMeaningfulCommunicationsandMutualEducationwithCurrentandNewStakeholders

Build/strengthenmutuallybeneficialrelationshipswithkeystakeholdergroups

Identifyandtargetstrategiccollegestakeholdersinordertodevelopmutuallybeneficialrelationships

Buildrelationshipswithnon‐traditionalstakeholdergroupsandprovideopportunitiesforengagement

AssesscurrentPSACmembershipgroupstoidentifygapsandsurveyunitleadersfornamesofnon‐traditionalstakeholdergroupstotargetforPSACmembership

CR

Targetandengageentirealumnipopulation,notjustmembers

CR

Provideanassortmentofopportunities/eventsforstakeholderinteractiontoaddressnon‐traditionalstakeholders

ProvideleadershipandadministrativeservicesandsupporttothePennStateAgCouncil

DevelopSharePointsiteorWikiforboardmembersincludingorientationmaterials,agendas,committees,documents,workplans,etc.toimproveplanningandadministrationofboardmeetings,committeemeetingsandevents

CR

Improvetechnologiesformembershipduesnotices,managingmembershiplist,andmanagingfinances

CR

EnhancePSAConlinecommunicationsandmarketingpiecesandinteractivecommunications

CR

Enhancecontactinformationandtrackingofstakeholderinvolvementwiththecollege

EvaluateandmakerecommendationonpurchaseofCRMsystem.Developproceduresforthecollectionanduseofinformationanddatabasemanagement

CRWebOCSC

Useposteventsurveystocollectmoretargetedinfofromconferenceandeventattendees

OCSCCR






Enhanceopportunitiesforinteractionsbetweencollegeleadershipandstakeholders

Facilitateandprovideopportunitiesforcollegestake‐holderstoaccessthecollegeandhaveinputintotheplanningandimplementationofcollegeprograms

DevelopandadministeraPSACcollegestrategicplanningcommittee.Administerstakeholderfocusgroupinputsessionsandconductstakeholdersurveystoprovideinputintothecollegeplan

CR

WorkingwiththePSAC,assistwithcreationofadvisorygroupsforunits

Provideforopportunitiesforcollegeleadershiptoupdatestakeholdersoncollegeplanningprocessandimplementation

CR

Planeventswherecollegeleadershipandstakeholderscaninteract

PlanandadministertwoPSACprogramsyearlywithacollegeupdate,acollegeunitleader/PSACluncheonannual

CR

WorkingwithPSACandCAAS,planandadministerDean’sIndustryToursinconjunctionwithAlumnireceptionsforthenewdean

CR

Planandadministercollegeleadership/industrymeetingswithkeystakeholdergroupsincludingFarmBureau,PennAg,PAForestProductsAssoc.andothersasneeded

CR

EncourageDeans’participationincollegeconferenceevents,welcomes,receptions,dinners,etcandencouragecollegefacultyandstaffparticipationonconferenceplanningcommittees

OCSC






Enhanceopportunitiesforinteractionsbetweencollegeleadershipandstakeholders

Establishandbuildonexistingpartnershipswithgovernmentagencies

PlancollegeleadershipmeetingswithkeystateagenciesincludingDEP,DCNR,andPDAatleastannually.DevelopprocesswithincollegeandadministerAct38caseswithAttorneyGeneral’soffice.Invitegovtagencyfolkstocollegeevents

CR

Evaluatecollegeprogramsforrelevancytogovernmentpriorities.Encouragecollaborationwithlegislativeofficesandgovernmentagencies,inpartthroughhighlevel,strategiccollegeconferences

CROCSC

Serveasliaisonandadvocatebetweenthecollegeandstakeholders

Representthecollegeatstakeholders’meetingsandinteractions

Attendindustrymeetingsandconferences.IncludeinfoonthecollegeandOCSCinwelcomeatcollegeconferences

CROCSC

Engagestakeholdergroupsindevelopmenteffortsforthecollege

Workwithstakeholdergroupstodevelopandimplementdevelopmentopportunities

Incorporatealumnianddevelopmentintothecollegemagazineandnewsletter.IncreasealumnisocietyendowmentsUsemagazinetosolicitalumnimembershipandtopromotehighlevelOCSCconferences

CROCSC

IncludecontactinfoonWebforcompaniesinterestedinresearchinvestmentsorgiving

CR

HoldmonthlymeetingswithdevelopmenttoincludeFootball,Parkingpermits,Alumnireceptions,involvingdonorsincapitoldayandtheagactionnetworkandtoassistwithconnections/visibilitywithstakeholders

CR








MaintainAgActionNetworkdatabaseandincreasemembershipandengagementoftheNetwork.Workwithextension/researchcenterstobuilddatabase.Consideraddingstudents

CR

Enhance,organize,andadministeradvocacygroupsandefforts

ConsiderhostingCapitolDayforstudentswithAgadvocatesandcouncil,Studentorganizations,FarmBureau,andFaculty

CR

Developbudgetcommunicationpiecestocommunicatecollegeneeds,relevancyandimpactstoincludecollegeoverviewpieces,one‐pagersandlegislativenewsletter

CRPubs

HostcollegelegislativeseminarsonrelevanttopicsintheCapitol

CR

Recognizeandthankcollegepartners

Developandadministermethodstorecognizefriendsofthecollege

StrategicallyevaluateandadministercriteriaandinvitationstocollegefootballeventsandAgArenaParkingPermits

CR

PresentPSACandalumniawardsandincreasestatus,criteria,quality,anddiversityofnominationsthroughimprovedprocessesandcommunicationswiththeAU,faculty,extensionandindustry

CR

Submitnominationfor“FriendofPennState”legislativeaward

CR

Informstakeholders,includingthegeneralpublic,toenhanceownership,satisfactionandsupportofcollegeprograms

Enhancequality,relevancy,anddistributionandmeasureeffectivenessofcommunicationinitiativesforalltargetaudiences

Continuetoevaluateandimprovequalityandcreativityofcollegemarketingpieces

Enhanceuseandqualityofonlinecommunicationmethodssuchaswebinars,blogs,podcasts,etc.BuildWeb‐basedphotostoriesforPennStateLiveandcollegesites

WebAll







Continuetoevaluateandimprovequalityandcreativityofcollegemarketingpieces

SetupannualreviewmeetingswithUniversityMarketingandAdvertisingandUniversityPublicationstoreviewallcollegemarketingpiecesandcampaigns

PubsAll

Improvethecollege’sdisseminationofresearchresults(Reporting)

ExploreWeb‐basedmethodsofdistributingabstractsandresearchpresentations.Streamlinemethodtodocumentpermissiontopublishabstractsandpresentationsfromresearchers/presenters

OCSCWeb

Enhancepublicrecognitionandreportingofcollegeprogramming’simpact(Marketing)

Trackindustrysatisfactionthroughcompanyrepeatparticipationinprograms.Useposteventsurveysandevaluationstodocumentimpacts

OCSC

Plan,administer,andgrowthePSACcollegeresearchtourannually.Solicitresearchtopicstoincludefromunitleaders

CR

Seekinformationandideasfromcentersandinstitutes,unitleaders,andfaculty,aswellasfromextensionprogramleaders,workgroupsandprogramteams.Meetwithnewfacultyoneachbeatastheyarehired

NewsCR

Evaluateanddiversifydistributionofcommunicationandmarketingpiecesforalltargetaudiences

EnhancesearchengineoptimizationoncollegeWebsite.TagWebarticlesforrelevantcontent

WebNews








Explorethepotentialforsocialnetworkingsites(Facebook,LinkedIn,etc.)tosupportmediarelationsandenhancedirectcommunicationswithprospectivestudents,stakeholdersandothers

WebAll

BuildormaintainpersonalrelationshipswithkeymediaoutletsinPennsylvania.Continuetofinetuneandaddto,mediae‐maillists.Surveymediarecipientstoupdateandensureaccuracyoflists

News

BetterutilizecollegedepartmentsandExtensiontodistributeinfooncollegeprograms

PubsAll

ImplementredesignednewsWebsite,adding"CollegeintheNews"page,photogalleries,etc.ContinuetoworkwithPublicInformationtorefinethepartnership/interfacewithPennStateLive

NewsWeb

Seekwaystoimproveefficiencyinmagazinelistmanagementanddistribution.ExploreredesignofmagazineWebsiteasa"blog"site,whereadditionalphotos,readercommentsandothervalue‐addedmaterialcanbeoffered.

NewsWeb

UsesurveyandWebanalyticstomeasureimpactofourradioefforts.Establishastandingradionewsstudentinternpositiontoassistwithproductionofweeklymaterial

News








Completetransitionofexhibitsloanpoolforeasycustomeruseandimprovedaccountabilityofmaterials.

Pubs

StrategicallyevaluateallCollegepublicationsandrelevancy

Explorethedesirabilityandvalueofcontinuingcollegenewsletter.Considertheeliminationofthepaperversionasacost‐cuttingmeasure

News

Implementmethodstotrackandmeasureeffectivenessofmarketinginitiatives

Monitorandimprovetheplacementofthecollege’scontentinsearchengines

Web

Includeinfoinregistrationandposteventsurveyonhowconferenceregistrantsheardabouttheprogramandwheretheyseekcontinuingedopportunities.Customizeemailforwardingtexttofortargetaudience

OCSC

Trackeffectivenessofvariouspurchasedmarketinglistsandemailforwarding

OCSC

Expandthecollege’scontributiontoagriculturalliteracyinitiatives

Providemultipleperspectivesonissuesassociatedwiththefoodsystemtoenableconsumerstomakeinformeddecisions

Identifytimelytopics/contentofinteresttothegeneralpublicforcommunicationpiecesandbroadlydistribute

OCSC

UtilizeBlogsandothersocialnetworkstocreatedialoguearoundhottopicsinAg(BloggerHeads)

NewsAll






Expandthecollege’scontributiontoagriculturalliteracyinitiatives

AdministerFarmShowandAPDcollegethemesandexhibits

Completestrategicassessmentoncollege/unitsexpectationsanddesiredoutcomesfromcollegeexhibitsatFarmShowandAPDanddevelopcost‐effectivemethodstoaccomplishthem

PubsAll

Increaseawarenessabouteducationalprogramsthatcontributetoagliteracy

Addlinkstogeneralaginfotoregistrationsitesanddistributeindustrypubsatregistration.Includevirtualtourstoshowcasefoodproductionandprocesses

OCSC

LeadandManagetheCollegeasaSystem

Enhancereallocationofresourcestowardstrategicpriorities

EvaluateandprioritizeofficeproductsandservicestofocusresourcesoncollegeprioritiesandforhighestROI

Focusproductsandqualitydeliverywithinasetofclearlydefinedandbroadlycommunicatedlimitsandstrategicpriorities

WorkingwithCMACandotheradvisorygroups,defineavisionandplanforcollegecommunicationstoincludedefiningpriorityaudiences,products,anddesiredoutcomesfrommarketinginitiatives

All

Createcommunication“packages,”suiteofservices,andcriteriaforproductstoofferclients

PubsAll

WorkwithExtensiontostrategicallyevaluateandprioritizepublications

WorkwithinthenewExtensionreframingprocesstocollaboratewithworkinggroupstodefinestrategiesandprioritiesforextensioncommunicationpieces

PubsAll

Identifyandprioritizecontent,targetaudiences,andcommunicationmethodsbasedonstrategicprioritiesanddesiredoutcomes

CreateAgCommleadershipteamtoevaluateandprioritizedaytodaycommunicationneedsandrequestsanddevelopinnovativecommunicationinitiativeswithinputfromadvisorygroups

All

ContinuetoevaluateOCSCportfolioforstrategicrelevanceandopportunities

OCSC





Enhancestreamliningofadministrativeprocessestoachievetimeandcostsavings

Enhanceefficiency,productivity,andservice

Evaluateandenhanceproductionprocesses

Exploremovefromhardcopypublicationstoonlinepublications.ExplorepossibilitieswithNPC.Evaluateprint‐on‐demandoptions

WebAll

TrainstaffondesignsoftwaretoreduceworkloadonPublications

PubsOCSC

Workwithcollegeunitstoassessannualcommunicationneedsanddevelopcomprehensiveproductionschedulestocoordinateprintingofrecruitmentmaterialstotakeadvantageofvolumecostsavings

PubsAll

Scheduleandcostsharemulti‐dayphotoshootsforclients

PubsOCSC

Evaluateandmakerecommendationsonoutsourcingoptions.Increaseuseofstockphotosasappropriate

PubsAll

Developcomprehensivetimelinesandtrainingdocumentsforallprograms.Maintainplanningcontactsdatabaseandwrittenagreementsforfeesandservices.Providecrosstrainingforstaff

OCSC

WorkwithPDCtohelpcustomersdevelopcleardistributionplansandproduceappropriatequantitiesofpublications

Pubs

WorkwithPDCtoimprovestrategiestoprovidetimelypublicationreprints

Implementcost‐recoverystructuresasappropriate.

Evaluate,update,andclarifyOCSCfeestructure,servicelevels,andservicesprovided.Increasesponsorship$

CROCSC







Maximizeappropriatetechnologyusagetoincreaseefficiency

ContinuetodevelopSharePointprojectmanagementstrategies.Standardizesoftwareversionsacrossunit.Explorebestpracticestrainingforcurrenttechnologies

Web

ImprovedatamanagementofcontactlistsinCVENT.DevelopbudgetquerytoolforOCSC

OCSC

ImplementPhotoandVideoWebrepositoryapplication.Improvephotoandpubsarchivesforefficientaccessandcompletebackupofallmaterials.EvaluatePennStatestilllifeapplication

WebPubs

Evaluateandimplementemergingtechnologiesincludingtechnologiesfortranslationofcontentbetweenmedia.

Web

ImplementautomatedFTPserverformovingdocumentsbetweeninternal/externalparties.EvaluateGoogleDocs

Web

EvaluateautonotificationandexpirationofWebcontent.ImplementRSSfeeds

WebNews

Hostbrainstormingsessionsaroundspecifictechnologiestodevelopmeaningfulstrategiestoutilizethemtoaccomplishcollegegoals

All

Exploreelectronicabstractcollectionandwebpostingoptions

WebOCSC

Reviewfinancialpoliciesinofficeforcostsavingopportunities

Encouragestafftodoapersonalassessmentofstewardshipofcollegeresources(spending,facilities,equipment,etc.)

All







Maximizeappropriatetechnologyusagetoincreaseefficiency

Evaluateallevent’s,services,andproductsbudgetcostsandrecoveryoptions(donationsAPD).

All

Examineopportunitiestopartnertoleverageresourcesandreduceduplicationofspending,supplies,andshippingcosts.Newcopier

All

MeetwithDeanaroundCRofficebudgettodocumentallocationandreductions

CR

CreateonlineprojectrequestformsandprojecttrackingandutilizewebphotogallerieslinkedtoSharePointforclientreview

All

Enhancecustomerservicepractices

CooperateandcoordinateclientneedsandresourcesacrossCRareasandcollegeunits

All

Provideguidelinesthatmaintaincollegebrandandstandardsforclientsthatoutsourcepublications

Pubs

ShortenthebudgetcloseoutprocessonConferencesandcreateuniqueurlsforappropriatewebsitesandconferences

OCSC

Increasecollege‐widesupport,collaboration,andparticipationinstakeholderrelationsandcollegecommunications

Engagetheentirecollegeinstakeholderrelationsandcommunicationsinordertobroadenandenhanceimpacts

Communicatetothecollegetheneed,strategy,opportunitiesandexpectationsregardingstakeholderrelationsandcommunicationstoincreasecollaboration,input,andsupport

AttendExtensionin‐serviceconferences,unitleadersmeetings,andfacultymeetingsandgiveCR&Comm.updates

All






Engagetheentirecollegeinstakeholderrelationsandcommunicationsinordertobroadenandenhanceimpacts

Communicatetothecollegetheneed,strategy,opportunitiesandexpectationsregardingstakeholderrelationsandcommunicationstoincreasecollaboration,input,andsupport

Createcollege‐wideCollegeRelationsandCommunicationse‐newslettertokeepfacultyandstaffinformed.UsetheCMAC,unitleadersmeetings,andotherdesignatedgroupsasadvisorygroupsforCR/Commefforts

All

Workmorecloselywithfacultyandextensiontocommunicatelegislativeprocesses/protocolstomaximizeimpacts.Setupcountyadvisorylegislativeboard.Speakatin‐servicedays.Providecollege‐leveltrainingonlegislativeadvocacyandfacultymediatraining

CR

Collaboratewithothercollegeunitstodevelopmethodsandbuy‐intobetterutilizecurrentdatabasesthroughoutthecollege

All

Enhancequalitystandardsandconsistencyacrossthecollegethroughbroaderparticipationincollegebrandingefforts

Createandcommunicatepolicies,guides,templates,andbestpracticesforcommunication/brandingeffortsincludingexpandingtheuseofCVENT.IDandimplementacollege‐widecalendarsystemontheWeb

All

Enhanceemployeeengagementwithintheunit

Ensureprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities

Engageinteambuildingactivities.Providewellnessopportunities

All

NetworkwithotherPennStatepeerprofessionals.Seekprofessionaltrainingwhereappropriate

All






Enhanceemployeeengagementwithintheunit

Implementsystematicandmeaninginternalcommunications

HaveeachCRareahosta“DayinmyShoes”brownbaglunchannuallytoupdateotherareas.Haveeachofthethreemajorareashostanoffice‐widesocialeventannually

All

Implementsystematicandmeaninginternalcommunications

HoldCRdirectormeetingswithallstaffquarterlyforupdates.Haveafulldaystaffretreatannually

CR

Requestallstaffsubscribetocollegenewswire

All

Reducetheenvironmentalfootprintoftheunit

Conductenergyauditoftheoffice.PromoteReduce,reuse,andrecycle.Maximizeelectroniccommunicationsanddistributionoverprint

All

Useenergysavingchecklistsatconferences

OCSC

AssessmentRecommendations:

• Increasesinstudentenrollment

• Hitsonkeywebpages• Trackingresultsofadvertisements• Documentedinvolvementandsatisfactionsurveysbyourclientsandstakeholders

• UniversitypublicresearchsurveyonPSUacademicexcellence–Agcurrently#4• Mediacoverage• Annualreview/feedbackfromUniversityMarketingoncommunication/marketingefforts

• Increasedsubscriptionnumberstocollegenewswire• Reducedcosts

30

AppendixA:CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeOrganizationalChart

MaryWirthDirector

CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsFocusarea

IndustryandLegislativeRelations

MarySeatonAssistantDirectorCollegeRelations

ManagerOfficeofConferences&ShortCourses

JillianStevenson

AssociateDirectorAgCommunications/Alumni

Relations

ChrisMore

AssociateDirectorWebCommunications

ChuckGillAreaLeader

NewsTeam

PeteKauffmanAreaLeader

Publications/Exhibits

JonathanZeigler

CreativeSpecialist

SteveWilliamsPhotographer

AmandaKristenEditor

NoraSerotkinDesigner

StacieBirdPhotography

JeffMulhollemWriter

GaryAbdullahWriter

KeithDiehlDesigner

GaroGoodrowExhibits

MelisaMaurerPlanner

KimSwistock

Planner

KaraKraulPlanner

AmyShultzStaffAssistant

CarolSpots

Finances

JodieAumanSpecialist

AlishaEverly

StaffAssistant

TimSimpkins

Web

MaryWodeckiWeb

AnnDevlin

Web

AlbertNakpilWeb

PeteWarren

WebGraphics

RhondaDemchak

StaffAssistantDesigner

KathyMcCartney

StaffAssistant

LaurieYearickStaffAssistant

WhittneyTrueax

PromotionalWriter

NaomiKnaubAssistantDirectorAlumniRelations

AlexGiedrocSupport

JohnDickisonWriter/Editor

GretlCollinsDesigner

BarbaraFirstDesigner

CollegeRelationsandCommunicationsOfficeStrategicPlan2009‐2013

31

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES College Relations and Communications Office

Alumni, Industry & Government Relations Responsibilities 2009

Association Management (Requires administrative management for all events, meetings, etc.) CAS Alumni Society Armsby Honor Society Penn State Ag Council Ag Action Network CARET (Meetings in Washington, DC in spring) Direct Office of Conferences and Short Courses Direct Communications and Marketing Units Annual Events Management Ag Council Legislative Research Tour (September) Graduation Brunches (publicity, registration, organization—2/yr) Ag Progress Days Alumni Day Luncheon (publicity, registration, organization) Ag Progress Days Government/Industry Day Luncheon (publicity, agenda, registration,

organization) Ag Progress Days Legislative Dinner (August) Ag Progress Days Federal Legislator tours – Full responsibility as of 2007 – Biannually Ag Progress Days Renewable Energy Tents (PDA Partnership) Alumni Awards Receptions, Lunches and Dinner (invitations, organization—3/yr) Ag Alumni Tailgate (publicity, registration, organization) Traditional Alumni Reunion Weekend College Open House/Tours Ag Trustee Election Ag Advocate Alumni Reunion (publicity, registration, organization) Armsby Honor Society Reception, Dinner, Tours Dean’s Industry Tours and Receptions (5-8 per year) Ag Action Network Training & Skybox Event (April, Blue & White Game) College Capitol Day and Reception (March/April) Penn State Village Alumni Gathering Student Mentoring Program Kick-off and Closing Events Administering & Coordinating Meetings Ag Alumni Board—3/yr Ag Alumni Annual Meeting Ag Advocate Alumni Group Board—2/yr Ag Alumni Society Committee Night—1/yr Ag Alumni Society Executive Committee Planning Meetings—2/year Ag Council Board—4/yr Ag Council Delegates Meeting & programs—2/yr Ag Council/Unit Leaders Luncheons – 1/yr Attorney General Act 38 Administration


Various Committee Meetings throughout the year (approx. 25-30/yr between Ag Council & Ag Alumni Society)

College/PA Dept. of Ag Leadership meetings—2 - 3/yr College/DCNR Leadership meetings— as needed College/DEP Leadership meetings—as needed College/PA Farm Bureau Leadership meetings—2/yr College/PennAg Leadership meeting—1/yr College/PA Forest Products Assoc. Leadership Meeting—1/yr CVENT administration in College Pa Department of Agriculture Harvest Tour participation Various Legislative meetings/tours throughout year (Pres. Bush visit, Secretary Johanns Forum, USDA Liaisons, Senator Casey, Obama, misc. visits with state and federal legislators.) Publishing & Distributing Materials Connections (writing, manage publishing and distribution—2/yr) Ag Advocate Alumni Group Newsletter (writing, manage publishing and distribution

1/yr) Armsby Honor Society Newsletter (writing, manage publishing and distribution—1/yr) Industry Newsletter (writing, on-line distribution—4/yr) Ag Council Brochure (writing, manage publishing and distribution) Alumni Society Brochure (writing, manage publishing and distribution) Master Farmers Newsletter Ag Council Membership Manual Ag Council & Alumni Society Board Manuals Mentoring Program Mentor and Protégé Manuals Ag Action Network Training Manual Various press releases on council and alumni activities PA Impact pieces (content consultation, distribution) Yellow Book College Budget Piece State Budget Impact Piece Federal Budget Impact Piece State and Federal Budget Updates & Alerts to College, Alumni, and Support Groups College Relations Office Strategic Plan Managing Awards (These include preparing the nomination materials and coordinating the campus visit with the academic units) Distinguished Alumni Alumni Fellow Alumni Achievement Honorary Alumni Philip Philip Mitchell Outstanding Alumni Outstanding Recent Alumni Outstanding Senior and Student Awards Excellence in Academic Advising Award


Alumni Association Awards for Programming Student Internship Awards (publicity, coordinating selection, notifying those selected) Penn State Ag Council Leadership Award Penn State Ag Council Youth Leadership Award Penn State Ag Council Leadership in Action Award Penn State Alumni Assoc. Friend of Penn State Legislator Award (submit nomination) Dean’s Support/Special Projects Serve on various college, university and national association committees (University

Public Relations Council, College Strategic Planning Committee, Communication and Marketing Study Group, Data Assessment Study Group, Penn State Alumni Association Membership Committee, NAADA—National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association—Membership Committee, Various College/University Search Committees)

Special projects such as Land-Grant Campaign, Nutrient Mgmt. Summit, Michigan State Alumni Football events, Arboretum Receptions, Ag Energy Displays, Legislative Hearings (Farm Bill, Biosecurity), Longwood Gardens Alumni Event.

Facilitate and serve on College Communication and Marketing Advisory Committee Work with Faculty on special projects (Example: ENRI Water Quality Conference)

Miscellaneous Ag Alumni Pavilion (coordinate display for Ag Progress Days) Ag Alumni Society Exhibit Assist with legislative hearings as requested (Farm Bill, Bioenergy, etc.) College Tours for Special Groups, Organizations and Guests Penn State Ag Council Banners at APD (collect and display banners in Special Events

Building) College Football and Basketball Tickets Distribution Football Skybox Event Invitations Ag Arena Football Parking Permits—policy and distribution Visitor Parking Passes—distribution Leadership Development Program Visits in Washington Legislative Directory Distribution to College and Counties Maintenance of College Relations Office, Alumni, Ag Council and Business & Industry

websites Maintain various databases and list serves for College, including legislative advocacy and

dean’s tour database Coordinate requests with Alumni Association from Academic units for alumni label

selects Student Mentoring Program (matching, programming and ongoing communication) MFW:JHS/kam 3/3/2009


OfficeofConferencesandShortCourses20072008YearEndReportSubmittedtoDeanRobertSteeleSeptember2008


Office of Conferences and Short Courses 2007-2008 Year End Report

Summary: The Office of Conferences and Short Courses (OCSC) is a fee for service unit that assists college units and faculty in facilitating and administering high quality outreach programs for college stakeholders. The office provides professional administrative, logistical, instructional, and marketing support to units and faculty sponsoring college outreach programs; provides client and speaker management services; helps identify and develop new, strategic outreach opportunities in the college; and uses outreach programs to increase the visibility of and support for the college.

The OCSC was relocated into the College Relations Office in June of 2004 to enhance and benefit from relationships with external stakeholder groups fostered within the College Relations Office. Prior to its relocation in the College Relations Office, the OCSC was charged to implement a cost-recovery structure to support the OCSC and effectively develop financially solvent outreach programs. Although a specific financial cost-recovery goal or timeline was not defined, the OCSC has made great progress towards that end.

In August of 2006 the office underwent a change in management. Shortly thereafter the office implemented a new fee structure as well as an online registration and marketing system, CVENT, which has resulted in more professional, efficient and effective services and conferences and has increased the number of programs, registrants, and income collected.

Also undertaken was a review of the OCSC budget and financial reporting processes, as it became apparent current reporting methods were not providing transparent information regarding the financial performance of the office over time. The OCSC manages more than 60 independent program (conference) budgets, with approximately $1.2 million in gross revenue, which, when aggregated with the operational budget for the office, has not provided a clear picture of the office’s true financial performance. In short, a lack of ability to differentiate between programmatic income (the net conference income is ultimately paid to the client) and OCSC operational income (service fees charged to clients to cover overhead of the OCSC) has proven to be problematic over time. It was apparent there was a need to revise the financial reporting process in the office.

Towards this end, the director and manager have been meeting for several years with the college budget administrator in an attempt to reconcile past and current programmatic budgets as well as the OCSC administrative budget in the University accounting system, IBIS, to clearly define the current fiscal status of the office. For the first time in the history of the office, the programmatic budgets and OCSC operational budget have been reconciled in IBIS. This was a complicated and time consuming process involving the manual compilation of data, which cannot be automated using the existing reporting tools.

This report summarizes the financial performance of the office through this transition, helps define realistic financial expectations of the office into the future, and identifies issues that need to be addressed.

Of particular importance are two major issues that need immediate attention to ensure the sustainability of the office:

1. Mutual agreement on defined, realistic cost-recovery goals and a recovery timeline, including defining an annual level of financial operational support from the college.

2. Addressing historic budget deficits and financial reporting methods that obscured them.

Respectfully submitted, Mary Wirth, Director of College Relations Mary Seaton, Manager, Office of Conferences and Short Courses


Financial Summary: In August of 2006 the office underwent a change in management, which has resulted in an increase of the number of programs, registrants, and amount of income collected. The office implemented a new service fee structure as well as an online registration and marketing system, CVENT, which has resulted in a more professional, efficient and effective delivery of services and conferences. As a result, the office has improved significantly in all areas. Registration is at an all time high, as are collected OCSC service fees (cost recovery income for OCSC), and program income paid to the clients. The office continues to grow and has managed more programs in this fiscal year than at any other time.

In this year alone, the collected OCSC service fees and program income paid to the clients have more than doubled. After subtracting the total operating expenses for the office in FY 07/08, the programs made $171,314.44 for the college at large.

Net Program Income (Registration Fees minus expenses) Unit Income (Returned to Clients) $303,708.05

Income to OCSC (Service Fees Retained) $213,277.54

$516,985.59

Less OCSC Operating Expenses $345,671.15

Net Return $171,314.44

The increases can be attributed to a variety of initiatives. At the end of 2006, a new, standardized service fee structure was implemented, which has increased revenue for repeat, annual programs. The purchase of CVENT has increased efficiency and allowed the office to increase the number of programs delivered at different service levels. New marketing strategies have increased attendance, which in turn has increased registration income collected for many programs.

New clients and the resulting new program income collected in FY 07/08 (and projected in FY 08/09) has been a major contributor to the increases mentioned above. Most of this income comes from one time programs, although some of these new programs will repeat annually.

Fiscal Year 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 % Increase

Total Income $761,899.31 $ 876,704.32 $1,234,408.74 41% OCSC Service Fees (Cost Recovery Income) $135,128.06 $103,170.00 $213,277.54 107% Income paid to clients (academic units) $126,595.00 $143,008.72 $303,708.05 112% Total Registrants 5,224 6,030 9,136 51% Number of Programs 32 41 61 50%

Total New Program Income New Program Income for 2007-2008 $53,260.04 New Program Income for 2008-2009 $81,075.00


A comparison between fees collected in FY 05/06 and projected fees for FY 08/09 demonstrate the

effectiveness of the new fee structure. More information on the programs and the budget are included in the attached appendix. As the office continues to increase efficiency and improve processes, the portfolio of programs serviced will grow. There is a high demand for the services provided by the Office of Conferences and Short Courses, especially the use of CVENT only which is expected to be the largest growth opportunity for the office. 08‐09RepeatPrograms PerPersonFee BaseFee

Total08‐09AdminFee

Total05‐06AdminFee

4‐HCapDays09 3,000.00 1,500.00 4,500.00 1,400.004‐HStateDays08 8,400.00 8,400.00 8,676.00AgintheClassroom08 1,200.00 1,500.00 2,700.00 3,800.00Bankers09 2,000.00 2,100.00 4,100.00 3,420.00BetterProcess09 2,000.00 3,500.00 5,500.00 4,216.00Biomass09 1,750.00 3,500.00 5,250.00 NABugCamp08 225.00 300.00 525.00 732.76CLS08 800.00 1,500.00 2,300.00 3,766.00CulturedProducts09 1,500.00 5,000.00 6,500.00 4,200.00FFA08 21,825.00 21,825.00 17,036.00ForensicEnt09 750.00 2,000.00 2,750.00 1,970.00IceCream10109 1,500.00 5,000.00 6,500.00 5,305.00IceCreamShort09 3,500.00 5,000.00 8,500.00 10,840.00Mushroom08 4,760.00 5,000.00 9,760.00 4,810.00PAEnvirothon08 6,000.00 500.00 6,500.00 NAPamfes09 5,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 5,950.00Pasteurizers08 2,000.00 5,000.00 7,000.00 3,090.00PlantPhys09 3,850.00 5,000.00 8,850.00 9,560.00ProfessionalCropProducers09 10,000.00 5,000.00 15,000.00 NASanitation08 2,000.00 5,000.00 7,000.00 NA

TOTALS

$82,060.00

$61,400.00

$143,460.00 $88,771.76 History: While the office is improving and revenue is increasing, there are longstanding budgetary concerns that have not been resolved.

The following table shows a history of the office performance in several areas as well as a comparison across the years. It is important to recognize that until 2006, the office had a decreasing number of programs, a decreasing number of registrants, and therefore a decreasing amount of income, while expenses remained more consistent over time.

This trend culminates in a negative beginning balance in FY 06/07 for the office of ($131,937.00) which reflects the inability of the office to sustain itself without a consistent level of funding from the college. The row labeled department shortfall, demonstrates the gap between what the office collected to offset costs, and what was required to cover the balance of operating costs. When the department shortfall exceeds the beginning balance (net expenses in the permanent budget) provided by the college, the program balance is eroded by that amount each year. In every year, the beginning balance is less than what is required to offset the expenses. This has resulted in a large program balance deficit over time.


Fiscal Year 2001/2002 2002/2003 2003/2004 2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008

Collected Income 1,128,870.00

1,145,134.00

1,144,012.00

892,018.00

761,899.31

876,704.32

1,234,408.74

Budgeted Income (1,128,147.00)

(1,145,464.00)

(1,146,477.00)

(892,019.00)

(868,907.00)

(876,704.00)

(1,242,521.00)

Budgeted Expenses 1,173,294.00

1,139,279.00

1,171,854.00

982,724.00

903,776.00

599,512.00

1,186,216.00

Actual Expenses (1,177,528.00)

(1,007,123.23)

(1,025,533.15)

(863,592.82)

(928,705.69)

(788,369.50)

(1,053,637.40)

Net Expenses (IBIS) (3,511.00)

131,825.77

143,855.85

119,130.18

(131,937.38)

(188,857.18)

124,466.34

Beginning Balance (PB)

149,914.00

119,110.00

100,725.00

57,682.44

61,538.00

(131,937.00) -

Collected Admin Fees

99,801.00

147,859.00

153,702.00

123,193.00

135,128.06

103,170.00

213,277.54

Net Income Units 289,708.00

153,084.00

212,695.00

143,612.00

126,595.00

143,008.72

303,708.05

Net Program Income 389,509.00

300,943.00

366,397.00

266,805.00

261,723.06

246,178.72

516,985.59

Salaries 278,736.89

260,816.00

239,064.07

255,561.10

268,640.03

258,101.74

277,174.58

Office Expenses 16,332.24

15,214.28

9,285.17

12,396.11

14,026.31

51,168.85

68,496.57

Program Losses 18,174.82

18,174.82

1,129.46 - -

Operating Expense 295,069.13

294,205.10

266,524.06

269,086.67

282,666.34

309,270.59

345,671.15

Net Program Income 389,509.00

300,943.00

366,397.00

266,805.00

261,723.06

246,178.72

516,985.59

Operating Expenses 295,069.13

294,205.10

266,524.06

269,086.67

282,666.34

309,270.59

345,671.15

Net Income to College

94,439.87

6,737.90

99,872.94

(2,281.67)

(20,943.28)

(63,091.87)

171,314.44

Admin fees 99,801.00

147,859.00

153,702.00

123,193.00

135,128.06

103,170.00

213,277.54

Operating Expenses 295,069.13

294,205.10

266,524.06

255,561.10

268,640.03

309,270.59

345,671.15

Department Shortfall (195,268.13)

(146,346.10)

(112,822.06)

(132,368.10)

(133,511.97)

(206,100.59)

(132,393.61)

Conclusion: The office has made significant progress and is moving in the right direction but has budgetary issues that need to be addressed. If the longstanding issues are not resolved, the program deficit could continue to grow and leave the office in an untenable position.

After an extensive review and evaluation of the financial system, four main areas of concern have been identified, which have prevented a clear understanding of the fiscal performance of the OCSC.

• The required level of funding remains constant, while college funding level for the office varies. The level of support is determined by the permanent budget which does not provide a consistent level of funding for the office. In FY 07/08, the office received no funding from the college. This is likely due to the lack of transparency between the operational budget and the program budgets.

• There has been no separate accounting of department activity and program activity.


In FY 07/08, total collected administrative fees were $213,277.54 and total operating expenses for the office were ($345,671.15), resulting in a net loss of ($132,393.61). However, due to the large amount of program income collected as registration fees and the success of programs in the office, the overall net expenses for the budget are $124,466.34. The office appears to make money because the programs are making money for the clients and some of that money remains in the budget across fiscal years.

• The previous program balances are not preserved in the budget, but continue to be sent back to the units upon request. The estimated program balance in FY 06/07 was $269,778.32. Of this amount, none was carried forward for return in FY 07/08. In FY 07/08, residual transfers to the units were $303,708.05. This cycle of collection of money in one fiscal year and the transfer of residual in another, has further contributed to the erosion of program funds over the years. Accumulated program balances currently stand at $324,931.48 at the close of FY 07/08. To make the budget whole, the program balances must be accounted for and preserved from year to year.

• The office can only recover a portion of the operating costs. The office is reaching the maximum amount of income that can be collected from current programs with the resources available. If the goal is to recover a higher proportion of the costs, the program priorities will have to shift so that more profitable programs are supported by the office. Some programs will have to be discontinued so other programs can be added to increase the ability to recover cost with existing resources. The office needs guidance regarding what the priority of the office should be - maximizing income or providing services for strategic conferences.

Recommendations: • Clear cost recovery guidelines need to be established along with defined college funding levels.

A consistent level of college funding is necessary. Fifty percent of total operating expenses to support the OCSC is requested to allow for annual increases in salary and expenses. For FY 08/09, projected operating expenses are $358,000. (50% = $179,000).

• The OCSC should collect at least 50% of total expenses in administrative fees each year. Any excess can be used to pay down the current deficit in program budgets. For FY 08/09, the projection for total collected administrative fees is $226,535, leaving a balance of $47,535 to put toward the deficit. (Add the $150,000 for FY 07/08 and that reduces the deficit by $197,535). Once the deficit is gone, any balance will go to the college.

• Fiscal procedures should be established to preserve the program balances and track the reduction of the accumulated deficit. If the office receives $150,000 committed for 07/08 and $179,000 recommended for 08/09, there will be a significant decrease in the program deficit.

Program Deficit 08-09 (324,931.48) 07-08 College Program Support 150,000.00 08-09 College Program Support 179,000.00 Projected Operating Expenses 08-09 (358,000.00) Projected Admin Fees 08-09 224,535.00


Program Deficit 09-10 (129,396.48)

• Reports need to be created to accurately reflect the OCSC operational budget and financial performance, differentiating it from the programmatic budgets. Assistance from the college financial office will be needed to accomplish this goal.

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