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Public Relations, Marketing, and Development
Version 2013-14 Approved by IEC, 4-30-13
Public Relations, Marketing, and Development
Cerro Coso Community College
Natalie Dorrell
November 3, 2015
Public Relations, Marketing, and Development
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Executive Summary The Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Office works to support the college’s mission by meeting the information and resource needs that support the instructional and strategic goals of the college. The department facilitates engagement with multiple constituencies through digital, print, and event-based communications at all campus locations. Under the direction of the College President, this department is responsible for internal and external communications, public relations, public information, publications, web content, and resource development. The department is consistently bringing forward best practices in the areas of public relations, marketing, and development. Good progress has been made in promoting Cerro Coso Community College as a leader in higher education. Students are reporting a high affinity for the college. A new website was rolled out in the spring of 2014 to create a better first impression of the college. Advertising has been expanded into digital realms, and the department recently initiated a comprehensive rebranding of the college to include fresh new logos and shift in messaging to better communicate a relevant brand promise that improves the institution’s standing as a college of first choice.
Development efforts are designed to help ensure educational opportunities and academic development through financial and other forms of support; to establish scholarship programs and services that benefit students; and create fundraising initiatives that support the programs and services of the college. The need for support is greater than ever. Student fees and the cost of books and supplies continue to rise. The department puts a lot of effort into the development and awarding of scholarships that are essential to student recruitment and retention. The people, the programs, the projects at Cerro Coso require important investments to move the institution forward and the department works to secure the funds needed for success by presenting fundraising initiatives as giving opportunities to prospective donors through a variety of channels.
The CCCC Foundation has been restructured to increase the amount of work being accomplished. Donations have increased substantially, employee giving has steadily increased over the past five years, and the dollar amount awarded to students in scholarship increased 123% in the last year alone.
The department does need to be more calculated in planning and measuring for effectiveness. A tangible strategic marketing plan needs to be developed to drive collaboration among all stakeholders and help align the department’s various functions. The expectations and staffing of the department need to be reviewed.
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Part 1 - Relevance 1. Department Mission
The mission of the CCCC Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Department is to support the
college mission by enhancing public awareness and participation in the college’s many programs,
services, and activities. The public relations and marketing functions of the department seek to increase
the overall visibility of the college and reinforce its brand and reputation within its diverse communities.
The development function serves to engage alumni, friends, donors, parents, students, prospective
students, faculty, and staff to treasure their association with the college, building relationships and
partnerships with community and business leaders that strengthen their support. The department’s
public relations, marketing, and development efforts strive to inspire those who are not directly
connected with the institution to take notice of its academic reputation and contributions.
2. Department History and Description
This is the department’s first comprehensive review; therefore, the department’s history and
description have been expanded for documentation purposes.
When Cerro Coso first opened its doors at the Ridgecrest campus in the fall of 1974 communications
and marketing were handled by the Director of Administrative Services and Outreach. The department
has always reported directly to the College President. An independent Public Information Office was
established in 1977 and staffing of the department hit an all-time high in 1988 with a Director,
Coordinator, Principal Department Assistance III (full-time), Department Assistant I (19 Hrs.), and 2 to 3
student workers (varied by semester based on availability).
The functions of the department have changed many times over the years and at one time included
facilities planning, construction, and bookstore operations. Today, facilities, construction, and
bookstore no longer remain a function of the department and budget cuts reduced the department to
one manager and an administrative assistant shared with three other administrators. Over the past five
years the department’s staffing has been increased to include the Public Relations, Marketing, and
Development Manager; a Department Assistant II; Department Assistant I (part-time) paid by the CCCC
Foundation; and a Web Content Editor.
Marketing channels have changed profoundly over the last decade dictating the department adapt
quickly to new marketing environments. In the 1980’s the major channels of distribution included:
radio, television, newspapers, and flyers. Today those channels have expanded to include the web,
email, and social media, and an increased need for interactive media such as video. The need for
content in these new distribution arenas added a new layer of responsibility to the college’s marketing
role, resulting in the addition of a Web Content Editor in 2011.
The department also coordinates the fund-raising efforts of the CCCC Foundation, which includes the
Coyote Club, and Alumni Association, and is responsible for cultivating, securing, and stewarding
institutional donations (scholarships, capital gifts, sponsorships, matching gifts, and volunteers) for
programs that are consistent with college priorities.
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The clerical workload for the Cerro Coso Community College Foundation increased substantially when
KCCD started requiring independent contractor agreements, vendor applications, volunteer paperwork,
and insurance documentation for all foundation events and functions. The reinstatement of the athletic
booster’s organization and the move of athletic and nursing clubs into the foundation also resulted in a
significant increase in work for the department. In response to the increase in work a 15 hour a week,
10 month, Department Assistant I position, fully funded by the foundation, was added to the
department in 2013. This position provides clerical support for the CCCC Foundation.
A Department Assistant II was added to the department in the fall of 2015 to provide some much
needed relief to the manager who performed the majority of the routine clerical duties previously. The
department is currently functioning at capacity.
Part 2 – Appropriateness 1. Organizational Chart
2. Determination of Student or Service Recipient Needs
The efforts of the Public Information, Marketing, and Development Office benefit the college, its
students, and the communities served. The department seeks to build awareness of, engagement with,
and giving to the college, strengthening and sustaining its future.
Meeting the needs of six (Ridgecrest, Lake Isabella, East Kern, Bishop, Mammoth, and CC Onlin) active
and vastly different campuses is challenging. The Marketing Manager collaborates with college
personnel and departments across the service area to determine advertising needs and integrates the
requests made through the annual unit planning process each year to develop marketing strategies
throughout the year.
College President
Public Relations, Marketing, and
Development Manager
Department Assistant II
Department Assistant I
(Part Time) Paid by the Foundation
Web Content Editor
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A Marketing Team was established in 2013 to develop and implement marketing strategies and activities
to increase awareness of Cerro Coso and the various programs and services offered, develop compelling
and innovative promotional and marketing materials to enhance and increase enrollment at the college,
and to coordinate marketing needs and efforts across its vast service area.
Marketing Team:
Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Manager
Director of the Eastern Sierra College Center
East Kern Campus Manager
Kern River Valley Campus Manager
Director of Counseling
Director of Access
Director of Admissions and Records and Financial Aid
Dean of Career Technical Education
Contract and Community Education Campus Manager
Director of Outreach and Student Life
Director of Distance Education
Graphic Designer
Web Content Editor
Faculty Representative
There is an established process for requesting media coverage and a form is available on the employee
tab of InsideCC, but it is rarely used, and a substantial amount of unanticipated needs and requests are
given less formally through email, in person, and over the phone. Media coverage is also a component
of the event planning form, and once approved, these forms are forwarded to the department for
scheduling and implementation purposes. The form is not always used, which lends opportunity to
provide more publicity on the processes and procedures for the scheduling of all college events both on
and off campus. Flexibility in marketing allows the department to respond swiftly to problems and
opportunities, but creates chaos with established timelines and tasks.
3. Department Function
The department has three areas of responsibility: Public Relations, Marketing, and Development. The
public relations function is responsible for maintaining a favorable public image of the college through a
strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between the college and
its many audiences. Marketing is the active promotion and selling of Cerro Coso programs and services,
including research and advertising. Development builds and secures external funding, volunteer
assistance, and good will among alumni, the community, corporate donors, individuals, and friends
strengthening and sustaining the future of the college.
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Public Relations
The Public Relations function is about creating and maintaining a favorable public image for the college
and to increase awareness of its successes and goals through market forecasting, environmental
analysis, public relations, production of marketing material, and economic forecasting. Duties include:
Anticipate, analyze, and interpret public opinion, attitudes, and issues that might impact, for
good or ill, the operations and plans of the college.
Advise management and staff regarding communication, public relations, and marketing
issues, current and future, which impact the college, its personnel, and image.
Serves as the primary representative to the news media, responsible for organizing official
public appearances and events.
Write news releases, public service announcements, special interest stories, etc.
Establish and maintain internal and external communication networks for the college i.e.,
Coyote Howler; Community Reports; email, text, and phone messaging through Blackboard
Connect; Facebook; website; Twitter; Linkedin, etc.
Develop, implement, and maintain strategic college marketing and outreach plans.
Develop and prepare speeches, correspondence, talking points, announcements, and other
oral and written communications for the president and administration.
Meet and confer with personnel, administrators, students, and the public to obtain and
determine information appropriate for publication and promotion; collaborate with
administrators in the development and implementation of promotional and public relations
goals, objectives, strategies, timelines, and priorities.
Attend, photograph, and report on college-related events and activities.
Plan and manage area budget.
Create and maintain branding processes, standards, and guidelines.
Respond to requests for information about college activities, services, and status.
Develop, implement, and maintain crisis communication plans.
Assists with crisis communication.
Marketing
The marketing function requires developing strategies to involve various components: video, website,
social media, content creation, imagery, promotions, events and activities that are designed to increase
enrollment and support for the college. Duties include:
Write interesting and effective press releases, prepare information for media kits.
Responsible for content and maintenance of college portal, internet webpages, and social
media outlets.
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Determine the need for general campus and specific program marketing; create and initiate
marketing and promotional campaigns to meet those needs.
Identify audiences and determine the best way to communicate public information and
develop and implement communication plans for all six campus locations.
Consult with advertising agencies and other outlets to coordinate promotional campaigns in
all types of media.
Develop and maintain the college’s image and identity, which includes use of logos and
signage.
Evaluate advertising and promotion programs for compatibility with public relations efforts.
Oversee the design and edit of promotional publications including: brochures, flyers, web
sites, posters etc.
Development
The development function of the department provides leadership in the establishment of policies,
procedures, and planning related to resource development through the CCCC Foundation. The
foundation’s fundraising goals are strategically aligned to assist the college in meeting its goals and
objectives, through periodic mission, vision, and goal setting that increases the value of the
Foundation’s assets that advances the college and its work. Duties include:
Assist the CCCC Foundation in the development of goals, strategies, and objectives.
Coordinate special events and fundraisers for the foundation, Coyote Club, and Alumni
Association.
Establish goals for soliciting funds; develop procedures for collecting and safeguarding of
contributions, and coordinate disbursement of funds.
Maintain donor databases.
Identify and build relationships with potential donors.
Monitor foundation, alumni, and booster budgets, expense reports, and other financial data.
Monitor progress of fundraising drives.
Recruit sponsors, participants, and volunteers for fundraising events.
Secure commitments of participation or donations from individuals and corporate donors.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with community members,
government officials, and media representatives and use these relationships to develop new
opportunities for students and the college.
Oversee the operations of the Foundation Scholarship Program and work with the Financial Aid
Department on criteria and distribution.
4. Department Relationships and Impact
Everyone plays a key role in marketing at Cerro Coso Community College. Promotion is only one
component of the marketing mix. Marketing includes the programs and services Cerro Coso offers, the
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benefits, features, and costs for those programs and services, where and when they are offered, and
promotion.
The Public Relations Manager is responsible for cultivating and maintaining close and productive
relationships with the media, community, students, employees, and public interest groups, telling the
college story in relevant and convincing ways. This requires the manager be engaged in the
communities and keep up with the news as well as current events, trends, and developments that can
affect public opinions of the college. Due to its vast service area, the department relies heavily on
leadership at the centers and outreach to keep informed of stories, events, and publicity opportunities
on the respective campuses.
As the first point of contact for many students, the counseling department plays a crucial role in
promoting Cerro Coso offerings to teachers, school counselors, students, and parents and hosts a
number of marketing activities throughout the year to promote college programs and services. These
events include: Open Houses, junior and senior high preview days, elementary school tours and events
like I’m Going to College, college and university visits, parent nights, career exploration, etc. Leadership
at the centers and outreach plan and implement many of the same or similar types of recruitment and
retention activities. The Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Department provides support
for outreach efforts.
The department must also be prepared to face bad press and crisis situations involving external and
internal communications, quickly developing strategies and talking points to keep messaging consistent,
minimizing the impact. The department also responds to requests for information and serves as the
designated information source for the college.
Development efforts are designed to help ensure educational opportunities and academic development
through financial and other forms of support; to establish scholarship programs and services that
benefit students; and create fundraising initiatives that support the programs and services of the
college. The need for support is greater than ever. Student fees and the cost of books and supplies
continue to rise. The department puts a lot of effort into the development and awarding of scholarships
that are essential to student recruitment and retention. The people, the programs, the projects at Cerro
Coso require important investments to move the institution forward and the department works to
secure the funds needed for success by presenting fundraising initiatives as giving opportunities to
prospective donors through a variety of channels.
5. Service Recipients
With a vast service area of 18,500+ square miles, communication is vital in coordinating the public
relations, marketing, and development needs of all the campuses. Good public relations is about people
and relationships. The department must work collaboratively with college personnel, students,
community members, media, businesses, educators, donors, service organizations, and government.
The ability to form relationships and build good rapport with everyone is essential to the longevity and
vitality of the institution. This is accomplished by:
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Being active participants in community forums and activites, listening and having conversations
and building rapport.
Telling college success stories – branding strategy.
Inviting the public to be active participants in educating their communities by offering
opportunities to provide fiscal, volunteer, and donor resources.
6. Usage and Satisfaction Data
Progress has been made in promoting Cerro Coso Community College as a leader in higher education.
Students are reporting a high degree of affinity for the college. 94.5% of students completing the spring
of 2014 CCSSEE Survey would recommend the college to a friend or family member. This is slightly
higher than the rate for medium sized colleges and slightly higher than the entire 2014 national CCSSEE
cohort. 83.8% of the students surveyed rated their educational experience at Cerro Coso ‘good’ or
‘excellent’.
A new website was rolled out in the spring of 2014 to create a better first impression of the college,
services, and programs. Analytics are run on the site regularly to evaluate use and visitors (Attachment
1). One way to identify the college audience is through traffic stats. These analytics tell who visits the
website, their geographic location, what browser they used, what they do when they are on the
website, how long they are on the website, what pages they are visiting, where they are dropping off
the website, and how many pages an average user is viewing. We can see how the user found the
website and how they interact with the site’s content. Since the launch of a new and responsive college
website in March of 2014, there has been an increase in mobile and tablet usage (Table 1).
Table 1
2015-2014 2014-2013 2013-2012 2012-2011 2011-2010 2010-2009
% (new
website)
% (old
website)
% (old
website)
% (old
website)
% (old
website)
% (old
website)
Desktop 80% 86% 91% 94% 98% 99%
Mobile 15% 10% 7% 5% 2% 1%
Tablet 5% 4% 2% 0.5% 0% 0%
Website New Users by Device
The number of first-time users during the selectd date range.
Date Range: March 17th to March 16th of each year
Source: Google Analytics - Cerro Coso Community College
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The increase from 1% to 15% in mobile usage over the past five years may be due to the convenience
and accessibility of mobile devices. More people are accessing the college website using a variety of
devices and this kind of information is important in developing digital strategies for the college that are
relevant to existing and future generations.
Based upon usage statistics, (Table 2) the top 15 Cerro Coso website links includes the homepage, the
CC Online current student page, the CC Online homepage, the class schedule page and the library page
Approximately 30% of college website users may have had the college homepage as their browser
default page, which may explain the drop-off rate after entering the homepage. Moodle website log-off
to the CC Online current student page also increases presence on the page. The library continues to be
an important service to college website users. There is a decreasing trend of website users to the
admissions page. This information allows the department to prioritize the assessment and updating of
website content and restructure to improve usability. From these analytics it can be determined where
to put critical information. Information that allows the department to develop strategies for search
engine optimization and even provides evidence on how social networks are linking to the website.
Table 2
Other forms of advertising are far more complex when it comes to measuring the return on investment
(ROI). How do we know the ad put in the newspaper led to a student enrolling in a class?
Session
User
Drop-off
Rate Session User
Drop-off
Rate Session User
Drop-off
Rate Session User
Drop-off
Rate
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/ 148,000 30% 147,000 33% 139,000 32% 152,000 30%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/cconline/current-online-students n/a n/a 4,410 84% 12,700 89% 18,300 89%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/cconline 13,230 18% 11,750 37% 7,735 23% 8,148 19%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/class-schedule 5,880 21% 5,480 25% 4,780 23% 5,870 27%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/library 1,970 26% 1,930 24% 2,835 19% 2,510 23%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/studentservices/admissions 2,097 30% 1,886 39% 1,300 51% 1,620 47%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/escc/mammoth 775 32% 1,400 33% 1,400 31% 1,510 40%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/academics/programs 1,480 34% 1,150 22% 1,170 30% 1,499 26%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/lac/exam-proctoring 773 41% 1,110 40% n/a n/a 1,360 37%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/studentservices/student-records/transcripts 1,400 48% 1,450 44% 1,510 43% 1,240 38%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/library/databases 800 23% n/a n/a 1,010 23% n/a n/a
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/studentservices/financial-aid 777 59% 1,260 54% 679 43% 1,050 52%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/cconline/cc-online-class-access 1,480 28% n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
https://inside.cerrocoso.edu/ 1,390 70% 876 71% 699 75% 998 64%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/studentservices/registration/important-dates 886 41% n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/athletics/baseball n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 985 31%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/athletics/baseball/2015-baseball-schedule n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 971 80%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/studentservices n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 824 34%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/studentservices/counseling n/a n/a n/a n/a 817 54% 824 53%
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/academics/college-catalog 862 43% 837 48% 769 51% n/a n/a
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/escc/bishop n/a n/a n/a n/a 647 33% n/a n/a
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/onecard n/a n/a 1,100 31% n/a n/a n/a n/a
https://www.cerrocoso.edu/studentservices/registration/important-dates n/a n/a 899 56% n/a n/a n/a n/a
Source: Google Analytics of Cerro Coso Website
Top 15 User Start Page for Cerro Coso Community College Website
Update: 6/4/15
Website Link
Apr 1st - Jun 30th, 2014 Jul 1st - Sept 30th, 2014 Oct 1st - Dec 31st, 2014 Jan 1st - Mar 31, 2015
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Surveys like one recently conducted at an Open House in Tehachapi can provide tremendous insight into
how those in attendance heard about a particular event. Of the 23 responses received 34.78% said they
heard about it through a newspaper ad, 8.70% from a school automated recording, 21.74% from a
student, 34.78% other sources. While small these kinds of surveys provide a glimpse in how those in
attendance got the information.
Surveys can provide equally valuable information and allow us to best determine campaign strategies
for meeting target audiences. In another instance enrollments were measured at a particular location, a
postcard was sent out, and enrollment were consistently measured for three weeks to determine what,
if any, affect the postcard had on enrollment. Although it did not yield many, if any, new enrollments,
this kind of measure only measures enrollment effects and does not measure any branding influence
(creating an awareness of presence and image) the post card may have provided.
A recent branding survey provided valuable information about our brand awareness, usage, and
attributes ultimately leading the charge to create new logos that better represent the college and the
service it provides—higher education.
Evaluating market segments is critical to marketing strategy development to meet college strategic
goals. Dividing the market into geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral segments
allows the college to better position programs and services to meet specific student needs and desires.
Better targeting of future students means better returns on marketing investment, brand loyalty, and
assists the college in meeting equity gaps.
7. Department Costs
The Public Relations, Marketing and Development Department operates with a $50,000 general fund
budget annually which includes advertising for all campuses, non-instructional supplies and materials,
travel, food , dues and memberships, printing and duplicating services, and computer equipment and
does not include salaries.
The annual unit planning process and Marketing Team have substantially increased the awareness and
need for marketing, resulting in a large increase in the demand for the departments services. There is a
need to market individual programs; however, a limited advertising budget makes it difficult to do much
more than the general advertising of registration. The department has been able to augment some of
these needs by leveraging Career Technical Education (CTE) funds to help offset the cost of promoting
specific programs. However, this money only promotes programs that fall under CTE and creates an
unfair atmosphere for programs with no special funding.
2014/2015 General Advertising Budget 2015/16 General Advertising Budget:
Ridgecrest Campus $13,100 Ridgecrest Campus $14,000
ESCC Bishop Campus $5,000 ESCC Bishop Campus $6,000
ESCC Mammoth Campus $3,000 ESCC Mammoth Campus $3,000
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KRV Campus $3,500 KRV Campus $4,000
East Kern Campus $3,000 East Kern Campus $3,500
Tehachapi Campus $3,500 Tehachapi Campus $3,500
At this time, the department purchases paid advertising from the following vendors across the service
area:
16 Newspapers
6 Radio Stations
3 Cable Stations
2 Phone Books
2 County Maps
3 High School Year books
Ridgecrest Chamber Monthly Newsletter
Special Edition Ads – Perspective Magazine, Economic Outlook Conference, Graduation Inserts,
Awards Programs
1 High School Sports T-shirt Ads
3 High School Sports Posters
Advertising for Career Technical Education Programs have allowed the department to expand
advertising to include:
Movie Theater
Newspapers – Full Page (All Sites)
Web Advertising
Medical Directories
Advertising costs are rising along with the increase in marketing channels which places a greater burden
on existing fiscal and personnel resources. There are two broad approaches to capturing attention in
advertising: pay for it or earn it. Earning attention without purchasing advertising, which gives access to
an audience, requires much more personnel time and attention. Telling the success stories of students,
staff, and graduates places a heavy burden on department staff to track, interview, write, and release.
Using existing fiscal resources more strategically requires data collection, analysis, and planning to
achieve specific goals and objectives that also results in more personnel time and attention, but is
necessary to identify new market opportunities as well as new competitive threats.
Public Relations and Development is a strategic, integrated method of managing relationships to
increase understand and support among an educational institution’s key constituents, including alumni
and friends, government policy makers, the media, members of the community and philanthropic
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entities of all types. Stewardship is critical to retaining donors and cultivating future giving. This
includes timely acknowledgement of gifts, ensuring gifts are used appropriately, monitoring the impact,
and personal communication. The physical costs are minimal and absorbed by the department’s
budget. The CCCC Foundation budgets for fundraisers and foundation expenses including: printing
costs, postage, supplies, and one part-time 15-hour, 10 month Department Assistant I position but does
not pay for the manager’s role in development directly impacted by the work of the foundation
Part 3 – Currency 1. Staffing
Currently the Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Department consists of four employees:
Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Manager – Reports to the president of the
college, is responsible for managing the areas of internal and external communications, public
information, publications and printed materials, and administrates Foundation and Alumni
Relations Association. Serves as an ex-officio board member of the Cerro Coso Community
College Foundation.
Web Content Editor – Reports to the public relations, marketing, and development manager,
implements and manages web content using a content management system, implements social
media strategies, provides training and technical support to staff and faculty in association with
our web presence, develops and writes text for publication in print and on the web.
Department Assistant II – Reports to the public relations, marketing, and development manager
and performs clerical duties for the department including: proofreading a variety of reports,
letters and memos; disseminates releases to media; maintains calendars and schedules of
activities, meetings, interviews and appointments; coordinates department activities with other
departments, the public, and outside agencies; composes routine correspondence related to
assigned area; assists in gathering information for reports; processes purchase orders and
invoices for payment; maintains filing systems; provides information and forms to the public;
collects and processes appropriate information; serves as a receptions answering telephones
and provides information to the general public as required.
Department Assistant I – Reports to the public relations, marketing, and development manager.
This is a 15 hour a week, 10 month position paid for by the CCCC Foundation to provide routine
clerical services to the Foundation. Responsible for coordinating Foundation general and
committee meetings; processing purchase orders and invoices for payment for the CCCC
Foundation, including Alumni Association, Boosters, and athletic and nursing clubs; composing
routine correspondence; maintaining records; answering phones; answering Foundation
questions; taking meeting minutes for the Foundation and committees; assists with event and
campaign coordination.
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The department is functioning at capacity and additional assistance will be needed to maintain and
increase development and marketing efforts in support of the college’s need for increased human,
monetary, and physical resources.
2. Professional Development
Training is essential for department success. The department budgets for staff development needs
annually. The manager stays current with emerging technologies and draws on best practices in
marketing, public relations, and development by participating in professional development
opportunities which include:
KCCD Leadership Academy – Graduate
Asilomar Women’s Leadership Skills Seminar
Community College Public Relations Officers (CCPRO) – Member/Annual Conference Attendee
National Council for Marketing and Public Relations Council (NCMPR) – Member/Conference
Attendee (Only attend when held in California)
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) – Member/Resource
Development/Conference Attendee/Participate in Webinars regularly
Center for Resource Development (CRD) – Member/Resource Development
Network of California Community College Foundations (NCCCF) – Member/Conference Attendee
Community College League of California – Conference Attendee
Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA) – Member/Resource
Department support staff are encouraged to participate in staff development activities on and off the
campus, and individual staff development goals are identified in evaluations with recommendations for
achievement.
3. Physical Resources
Facilities are safe and sufficient to support and assure the integrity and quality of the department. Any
additional equipment or upgrades are planned for through the department’s annual budget. An
enormous amount of storage space is required by the department to warehouse fundraising supplies
and equipment. The current storeroom located on the first floor of the main building 115A is adequate
and provides the staff with acceptable access.
4. Technology
Emerging technologies and new hires may dictate the need for new equipment or furniture that will be
addressed in the department’s annual unit plan. Existing technology is sufficient to support and assure
the integrity and quality of the department’s work at this time.
5. Marketing
Marketing is a component of the annual planning and program review processes, and as a result is
widely recognized by college departments and programs. However, there are populations within the
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college that may not be aware of the marketing services and advertising procedures of the institution,
especially adjunct instructors or new staff hires not part of the planning processes.
The Career Technical Education (CTE) Department has invited the department manager on occasion to
present on marketing at CTE workshops, and this has helped in generating understanding of the
activities, processes, and resources the department offers.
More departments and programs need to utilize the services of the department to ensure branding
standards and quality production. There is room for improvement within the Marketing Department to
better promote the services it provides and process implementation.
Part 4 – Achievement of Administrative Unit Outcomes 1. Achievement of Administrative Unit Outcomes
AUO 1:
Target: 70% of students will report a high degree of affinity for Cerro Coso Community
College.
Assessment Method: CCSSE – Question 26 – Would you recommend this college to a friend or family
member? Question 27 – How would you evaluate your entire experience at this
college? Student Satisfaction Survey Question – I feel proud to be a student at Cerro
Coso Community College? Cerro Coso Community College is a name I trust.
Assessment Date: Spring 2014 & Spring 2015
Recent Results: 2014 CCSSE Results: 94.5% of students responded “Yes” they would recommend the
college to a friend or family member. 83.8% of students surveyed rated their
educational experience at Cerro Coso ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. 2015 Student Experience
Survey Results: 83.78% students responded they agreed or strongly agreed they are
proud to be a student at Cerro Coso Community College (CCCC). 87.03% agreed or
strongly agreed they trust the education they received from CCCC will prepare them
for future success.
AUO 2:
Target: 70% of students surveyed will report that they were aware of college programs,
services, and activities.
Assessment Method: Marketing Survey
Assessment Date: Not completed
Recent Results: N/A
AUO 3:
Target: Increase monetary donations to the college and/or foundation by 10% every year.
Assessnent Method: CCCC Foundation and college donation records: Foundation contributions/donations –
general increased participation in foundation fundraising activities. Ticket sales net
assets.
Assessment Date: Annually
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Recent Results: Since 2013 the foundation’s net assets have increased 15.76%. Staff contributions
through the Employee Giving Campaign increased 124% since 2010.
AU0 4:
Target: Initiate a comprehensive rebranding of the college to include fresh new logos and a
shift in messaging to better commnunicate a relevant brand promise that improves
the college’s position of being a college of first choice in the service area.
Assessment Method: Branding survey completed in the spring of 2015 that included college branding
strengths and weaknesses for initial data points and reassess after the launch of the
new brand.
Assessment Date: Spring 2015
Recent Results: The branding survey provided valuable information about the college’s brand awareness, usage, and attributes, ultimately leading the charge to create new logos that build on the value proposition and core offerings of the college.
AUO 5:
Target: Host two donor campaigns a year, one in the fall and one in the spring, increase
alumni activities, building alumni volunteer database.
Assessment Method: Increased alumni donations and participation by 5%
Assessment Date: Fall 2015
Recent Results: The spring 2015 campaign yielded an increase in alumni donations over the
previous year’s donations. Anything over nothing is something, but the return
really didn’t pay for the campaign resulting in a loss to the association.
AUO 6:
Target Continue to review and update scholarships to increase awards and amounts. Create
a program of donor stewardship, recognition, and engagement. Lead Foundation
planning efforts that support the college strategic plan.
Assessment Method: Increase in scholarship awards and amounts.
Assessment Date: Fall 2015
Recent Results: Foundation scholarships awarded to CCCC students increased from $30025 in
2013/2014 to $69025 in 2014/2015 a 130% increase.
Assessment History Summary
SLO # Target Semester Met? Semester Met? Semester Met?
AUO 1 70% SP14 Yes SP15 Yes
AUO 2 70% FA14 No
AUO 3 10% FA14 Yes FA15 Yes
AUO 4 Completion SP15 Yes
AUO 5 2 Campaigns SP15 Yes FA15 No
AUO 6 Increase FA14 Yes FA15 Yes
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a. Gaps and Improvements Made
AUO 2 - Improve public awareness and participation in college prgorams, services, and activities
Target - 70% of students surveyed will report that they were aware of college programs, services, and activities.
Assessment Method: Marketing Survey
Results: Not completed.
Outcome Gap: This measure of success does not warrant an independent marketing survey but would
be better met by adding the question to an already exisiting assessment like the CCSSE or student
experience, or a more targeted surveys like web usability.
Action Plan: The outcome was revised in the 2016/2017 annual unit plan to move from a general
marketing survey that yields little useful information to an exisiting more specific targeted survey to
optimize research information.
AUO 5 – Improve alumni base, interactions, and relationships to increase donor receipts by 5 percent
during the 2014-2015 school year.
Target: Host two donor campaigns a year, one in the fall and one in the spring, increase alumni
activities, building alumni volunteer database.
Assessment Method: Increase alumni donations and participation by 5%.
Results: An alumni donor campaign was rolled out in spring 2015
Outcome Gap: The spring 2015 campaign yielded an increase in alumni donations over the previous
year’s donations. Anything over nothing is something, but the return really didn’t pay for the campaign
resulting in a loss to the association.
Action Plan: This outcome was revised in the 2016/2017 annual unit plan to be accomplished in the
following manner:
1. Form an alumni committee or task force within the CCCC Foundation board
2. Establish an active Alumni Association Board of Directors
3. Develop a three year strategic plan for alumni engagement
b. Summary of Administrative Unit Outcome Achievement
The Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Department strives to improve public awareness and
participation in college programs, services, and activities. Good progress has been made in promoting
Cerro Coso Community College as a leader in higher education. Students are reporting a high affinity for
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the college. A new website was rolled out in the spring of 2014 to create a better first impression of the
college, the services, and programs. Advertising was expanded into Tehachapi, movie theaters, and
Facebook. Specialized campaigns were completed for OneCard, Parking, Business, CTE, GradGuru and
Construction.
The department also initiated a comprehensive rebranding of the college to include fresh new logos and
shift in messaging to better communicate a relevant brand promise that improves the institution’s
position of being a college of first choice in its service area. A branding survey provided valuable
information about the college’s brand awareness, usage, and attributes,
ultimately leading the charge to create new logos that build on the value
proposition and core offerings of the college. The shield, a symbol of stability,
longevity, tradition, boldness, and confidence, represents Cerro Coso’s strong
commitment to student completion. Whether it be one class, updating job skills,
completing a certificate or degree, or transferring to a four year university, the
college is dedicate to helping students realize their educational goals. Long a
symbol of victory in Roman culture, the laurel leaves in the new logo exemplify student achievement
and success. The new brand and logos are a celebration of, and preparation for, Cerro Coso’s continued
growth as a college of first choice, while also honoring the institutional convictions and hard work that
brought them to where they are today.
Paid media opportunities are much more finely segmented and targeted. The college can now
personalize ads, offers, and site experiences based on all kinds of targeting parameters or captured
information that qualifies prospects; this degree of precision increases relevancy, cost, and personnel
time. Digital marketing is very data-driven and most of the activity is highly traceable which requires a
tremendous amount of time and human resources to monitor and control. It also requires an ever
changing understanding ahead of time of what makes for good creative and smart digital strategies,
managing ecomplexity, and measuring real impact.
The department also provides vision, leadership, strategic direction and administrative oversight to the
Cerro Coso Community College Foundation. The CCCC Foundation has been working very well under a
new structure and bylaws, which has resulted in a tremendous increase in the amount of work being
accomplished. The foundation's net assets increased in 2013/2014 and remained stable in 2014/2015.
Six new scholarships have been established since 2013. Employee giving has steadily increased annually
since 2010. Scholarship awards to students have significantly increased over the past four years. The
foundation awarded an unprecedented $69,025 in scholarships to CCCC students in 2014/15. The
significant increase in the number of scholarships awarded to students, resulted in the need for the
foundation to hold a separate student scholarship awards luncheon for the first time in October of 2014.
The Manager leads CCCC Foundation planning efforts to align fundraising goals with college strategic
plans and initiatives. Every year a target is set and measured against previous years and submitted
through the department’s annual unit plan. The foundation has been successful in meeting previous
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year’s percentage increase goals, but that will become more difficult to obtain as the amount donated
each year continues to grow. Foundation fundraisers, meetings, and activities have increased
considerably impacting the workload of the existing staff.
The alumni play a key role in branding, boosting the schools rankings, and long-term health by providing
increased enrollment and needed resources. An active alumni program would include fundraising
campaigns and events, cultural events and activities, regular meetings, scholarships and recognition
programs, benefits, career services, homecomings and reunions, networking opportunities, etc.
Progress in developing an active viable alumni base has been slower than anticipated. The strategy for
success was revised in the 2016/2017 annual unit plan.
The department is functioning at capacity and additional assistance will be needed to increase
development and marketing efforts in support of the college’s needs for increased human, monetary,
and physical resources. The addition of a full-time Department Assistant II has provided relief to the
manager who previously performed most of the routine office duties. It is anticipated that progress will
be made in developing an active alumni association in the next few years—an area where more
opportunities exist; however, progress will be severely limited without additional staff. It just isn't
possible to hold more campaigns, fundraisers, events, recognitions, etc., with the existing staff.
Appropriate department staffing levels and priorities need to be assessed and addressed.
Fiscal Gaps
Distance Education Marketing Budget and Online Enrollment
Fiscal Year 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
Marketing Budget for Distance Education $0 $0 $0
Total College Certificate/ Degree Completers 424 385 473
Total College Student (1st day) 20,649 20,189 18,235
Total Online Student (unduplicated, 1st day) 6,858 6,782 6,457
First Time Student (unduplicated, 1st date) 628 1,151 1,142
Total College Student (duplicated, census date) 23,444 24,684 23,444
Online Student (duplicated, census date) 14,399 14,591 13,026
Continuing Student (unduplicated, 1st date) 4,554 4,112 2,018
Returning Student (unduplicated, 1st date) 3,069 2,830 1,117
First Day Enrollment for Online Veteran 229 185 175
Students in online classes represents 55% of the college’s total enrollment and CC Online is treated as a
virtual instructional campus of the college, yet currently, no budget is allocated for the promotion of
online classes and programs. Digital marketing is expensive and any attempt to increase enrollment in
the online environment through advertising will result in the need to create a budget for the promotion
of Distance Education classes and programs.
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4. Achievement of Course Student Learning Outcomes
N/A
a. Gaps and Improvements Made
N/A
b. Summary of Student Learning Outcome Achievement
N/A
Part 5 – Action Plans 1. Effectiveness and Efficiency
The department doesn’t have recognized methods and metrics for determining effectiveness and
efficiency. Identifying and developing useful measures and metrics for evaluating the department’s
effectiveness and efficiency is one of the initiatives to be addressed in the department’s 2016/2017
annual unit plan. Effectiveness is slightly easier to quantify by measuring the services the department
provides and if they meet the objectives and/or expectations of the college. The department is making
excellent progress in meeting the goals and objectives as identified in its annual unit plans. Overall
department trends show an increase in the demand for web support and web content, continued strong
demand for marketing, publicity, and information dissemination throughout its geographically large
service area and an ever increasing need for human, monetary, and physical resources.
2. Current Strengths
Marketing, public relations, and development have become more important than ever before, as
colleges become increasingly more competitive and enrollments continue to decline. The world of
marketing and communications has grown to be quite complex over the past two decades, especially
due to divergent communications technologies. The department keeps current and implements best
practices in marketing, public relations, and development, that build relationships on trust and respect,
dealing with people in an open straightforward way, and represents the organization in a positive and
professional manner, using intuition, logic, and creativity. Flexibility and understanding are exercised to
optimize department outcomes.
Professional development can be time-consuming, but is essential to the department in keeping current
on emerging technologies, best practices, changing rules and regulations, and overall effectiveness and
success.
3. Improvements Needed
Meeting the public relations, marketing, and development needs of six vastly different campuses spread
across our immense service area is challenging. If we want to achieve different results than what we’ve
seen in the past, we must make a profound decision to do things differently. The department needs to
build a stronger more impactful marketing program that includes: less boomerang marketing, throwing
something out there and hoping it returns; and develop more strategic marketing that expand
opportunities for students and reinforces the institutions role as the community’s college. This will
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require the department be more calculated in planning and measure for effectiveness. The expectations
and staffing of the department need to be reviewed. The never ending to do list, to many things, too
many ideas, too many missed opportunities, and constant state of overwhelm are running the
department. Developing a tangible strategic marketing plan will drive collaboration among all
stakeholders and help align the department’s various functions.
4. Response to Previous Action Plans – N/A
5. Three-Year Department Goals
The three-year and six-year goals listed below connect to the college strategic goals #2: Advance
Student Equity Measures, #3: Ensure Student Access, #4: Enhance Community Connections, and goal
and #6: Strengthen Organization Effectiveness. Improving internal processes and providing consistency
throughout the college service area will ensure improvements to institutional effectiveness, and
department practices.
Identify and develop useful measures and metrics for evaluating the department’s effectiveness
and efficiency. The college public relations, marketing, and development manager will be
responsible for ascertaining and implementation of measure and metrics. The goal is to
complete and implement these measures and metrics to provide data points for the 2017/2018
annual unit plan and identify trends in the next program review.
Redevelop an active alumni program that will increase Cerro Coso’s standing as a college of first
choice leading to increased enrollmemts, improved brand promise, and provide valuable
human, fiscal, cultural, and physical resources. The college public relations, marketing, and
development manager will be responsible for overseeing the development of an active alumni
program. The goal is to develop a plan in the fall of 2015 to begin implementation in the spring
of 2016. It will take several years to get this program up and running and fully functioning.
Lead CCCC Foundation planning efforts to support college goals, objectives, and strategies. The
public relations, marketing, and development manager is responsible for leading foundation
planning efforts and will assist the foundation in meeting it’s three year goals .
Conduct a website user survery and make improvements to the college website improving the
user experience. The public relations, marketing, and development manager will work with the
web content editor to accomplish this goal by fall 2016.
Develop a viable college marketing plan that guides the promotion and growth of the
institution. The public relations, marketing, and development manager will work with
stakeholder leadership to accomplish this goal for implementation in spring 2017.
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6. Six-Year Department Goals
Develop, maintain, and continually renew the financial resources necessary to sustain the engagement of
alumni in the life of the college to the benefit of the college. The department manager will work with the
alumni board to accomplish this goal over the next six years.
Strengthen the reputation of Cerro Coso Community College and enhance its visibility through new and
exisiting media channels including the development of a common college application that engages
students in planning, applying, and interacting with the college on handheld devices. The department
manager will work with district information technology, budget committee, foundation, and alumni
personnel to implement this strategy over the next six years.
Part 6 – Supporting Documentation 1. Quantitative Performance Measurements of Unit
2. Qualitative Performance Measurement of Unit
3. Copy of the Department’s Most Recent Unit Plan.