2010 Presentations

Wednesday, June 9:

noon to 1:15: Lunch Buffet

1:30  to 1:45 PM: Welcome

1:45 to 3:15 PM: Plenary Session with Conference Faculty

Integration: Trends, Significance, and Future

Scott Jaschik, Editor, Inside Higher Ed
Fritz McDonald, Vice President for Creative Strategy, Stamats
Kathy Cole, President, West Wind Consulting Strategies in Fund Raising, LLC
Elizabeth Scarborough, CEO and Partner, SimpsonScarborough
Jerry Smith, President, The J.F. Smith Group

3:15  to 3:30 PM: Break

3:30 to 4:45 PM: CONCURRENT SESSION #1

Breaking Down Silos: Organizing for Integrated Marketing and Communications Success
Presenter: Barbara O'Malley, Associate Vice President Communications, The University of Akron

Tracks: Alumni, Development, Government Relations, Marketing, Publications, Public Relations, Web

As collaboration becomes the norm and cross-discipline cooperation become part of the higher education landscape, integrated marketing and communications are taking on a new role. They can be a catalyst for enhanced cooperation and collaboration among various colleges, schools, majors, and departments. Effective alignment between marketing, public relations, development, internal communications, government relations, and athletics is critical to success. In this session, we’ll suggest a roadmap for optimal integration of marketing and communications. Learn how you might enhance communications and transparency through formal and informal organizational structure, including direct and dotted-line reporting. Leave the session with five steps to harnessing the communications expertise available within your institution to create a more powerful and integrated voice to enhance your brand.

Building Relationships        
Presenter: Paula Peter, President, The Solstice Group

Tracks: Alumni, Development, Government Relations, Marketing, Public Relations

Relationship building is both an art and a discipline. In this session, Paula will help define what it means to build strong philanthropic relationships and outline techniques for putting in place the structural support to bring focus to your efforts.

A View from the Nation’s Capitol           
Presenter: Scott Jaschik, Editor, Inside Higher Ed 

Tracks: Development, Government Relations, Public Relations

This session will include an overview on the state of education funding at the federal level. Where is the Obama administration heading and can they get there? Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik will review the major federal initiatives related to higher education and what effect they might have on your SUNY institution. He will also look at the relationship between federal policy and state policy as they relate to higher education.

Do-it-Yourself Marketing Research
Presenter: Elizabeth Scarborough, CEO and Partner, SimpsonScarborough

Tracks: Marketing, Publications, Public Relations, Web

Few marketers have the budget needed to hire professional firms to conduct the type of on-going research we all need to drive our marketing programs. If you want marketing intelligence but can’t afford to pay huge fees, educate yourself on the basics of qualitative and quantitative analysis and learn to do some of the work yourself. In this session, we’ll discuss cost-effective ways to conduct in-house projects including in-depth interviews, focus groups, and even survey research. We’ll cover all the basics and provide resources you can use to develop a foundational knowledge of marketing research principles that will serve you well throughout your entire career.

The Social Funnel: Social Media for Graduate and Adult Student Marketing
Presenter: Fritz McDonald, Vice President for Creative Strategy, Stamats

Tracks: Alumni, Development, Marketing, Public Relations, Web

Many graduate schools and adult programs would like to embrace social media as a new marketing tool, but are not sure how to use it to achieve recruiting goals. In spite of this, social media may be ideally suited for these institutions, especially in a time of shrinking applicant pools. Graduate and adult students have a much stronger need for community than traditional undergraduates. Recent research from the Pew Internet Foundation tells us that older adults are getting onto social networks—in fact, adults now make up a larger portion of the US population on social networks than teens. In this session, Fritz will review social media principles and practices that apply to this unique market. We’ll discuss the most effective and current social tools, the core elements of an effective social media strategy, and the resources you’ll need to integrate social media into your graduate and adult student marketing. We’ll also look at how institutions like Boston College and UC Berkeley are succeeding with social media.

Tying Together Students and Their 2.0 Tools
Presenter: Kevin Prentiss, Red Rover

The directory on most college websites still works on the onlinephonebook model and hasn't changed much in ten years. Web 2.0 has givenus folksonomies. It's time that we used them to better connectstudents, staff, and departments. In this session, Kevin will cover acase study from John Jay University, where John Jay allowed students toattach their preferred social network and Web 2.0 tools to the schooldirectory. This mashup creates a rich profile for increasedsearchability and service within the educational context. Thecombination of various online tools can create streams ofstudent-created content. Whole new worlds of cross-departmentcollaboration, authentic content, and live assessment open up when weallow students to combine their preferred web tools and networks withthe school web presence.

4:45 to 6 PM: Free Time

6 to 7 PM: Reception

7 to 9 PM: Awards Dinner
* SUNYCUAD Awards
* Charlton Scholars

Thursday, June 10:

8 AM: Breakfast

8:30 to 9:15 AM: Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher: The Power of SUNY

9:30  to 10:45 AM: CONCURRENT SESSION #2

The Art of the Ask         
Presenter: Kathy Cole, President, West Wind Consulting Strategies in Fund Raising, LLC.

Tracks: Alumni, Development

In this session, Kathy will help you shift the paradigm for what asking is all about, find effective and respectful language for making the “ask” and, as the asker, get clear on what is and what is not your responsibility.

Measuring the ROI of Integrated Marketing and Branding Initiatives
Presenter: Elizabeth Scarborough, CEO and Partner, SimpsonScarborough 

Tracks: Alumni, Marketing, Publications, Public Relations, Web

Higher education marketing professionals are under tremendous pressure to prove the effectiveness of their marketing and branding initiatives.  To ensure continued funding, marketing offices must measure return on investment and communicate success to the right people.  This takes time, energy, and a strong understanding of marketing measurement—all of which can be difficult to come by. This session will provide you with a step-by-step primer on how you can (and can’t) measure the return on investment for integrated marketing and branding initiatives.  You’ll learn best practices, potential pitfalls, and more than twenty examples of how you can calculate the ROI of your marketing initiatives.

The Strategic Messaging Exchange: Integrated Messages for Cross Channel Communications
Presenter: Carol Leven, Assistant Vice President of Communications, Fashion Institute of Technology

Tracks: Marketing, Development, Publications, Public Relations, Web

FIT’s marketing department is not the only communications hub in the college, which is true of many academic institutions. Faculty, deans, and administrators publish to web sites, write grant proposals, and talk with prospective students, parents, alumni, and public officials. Through the communications office’s efforts, FIT adopted five key institutional messages for use in the college’s centrally-created marketing communications. The challenge was how to integrate the program throughout the institution by getting departments to adopt the messages as their own, while also developing related key language for each major area. In this session, we’ll discuss FIT’s Strategic Messaging Exchange, an engaging, effective, and cost-efficient workshop that achieved buy-in from every participant—even the most recalcitrant chair. The result was on-point, ready messages for all institutional departments for all types of communications. We will talk you through the process and help you learn how to put together a model to take back to their campuses.

Alumni Engagement 2.0: Creating a Total Web Presence for Alumni
Presenters: Kimberly MacLeod, Communications and New Media Manager, SUNY
Delhi Christopher Quereau, Creative Director/Owner, GrafiQa Creative Services

Tracks: Alumni, Public Relations, Web

In this session, we’ll walk you through a web engagement plan created for the SUNY Delhi’s Alumni Association. We will address the strategy behind the creation of a microsite for alumni 40-65 years of age and how Web 2.0 and social media technology were tailored for the target audience. We will show how these tools were used, not merely as bells and whistles, but as solid tactics that related to the overall goals and objectives of the plan. In addition, we will cover how the microsite’s content identity was developed, how messages were tied to tactics, and how the plan created a total web presence by aggregating content and pushing it out to external sites across the Web. Most importantly, the presentation will show how measurement tools and a “listening schedule” can evaluate the success of these endeavors. 

The Real-Time Web          
Presenter: Colin Nekritz, Director/Principal, Image Wranglers

Tracks: Alumni, Marketing, Public Relations, Web

The next big evolution of the internet is upon us, the real-time web,the “always on” experience. Innovation is happening with real timemessaging and interactivity. From Twitter to Google Wave, the pace ofdisseminating information is getting quicker and moving toward realtime. In this session, we’ll discuss the realtime web, from anon-technical aspect, and look at examples and how it's being used,both in higher education and in business.

10:45 to 11 AM: Break

11 to 12:15 PM: CONCURRENT SESSION #3

Trends in Fund-Raising: What’s In, What’s Out
Presenter: Jerry Smith, President, The J.F. Smith Group

Tracks: Development

The 21st century donor is not the same as the 20th century donor.  Donors today are much more savvy and involved, and need a slightly different approach.  Above and beyond our changing communication, from direct mail to electronic mail, today’s fund-raiser needs to be a facilitator.  In this session, we will discuss current trends in fund-raising.  Learn how you can address the current needs and opportunities within your prospective donor constituency.

Successfully launching and marketing a comprehensive campaign depends heavily on leveraging the existing identity that is shared among an institution’s key stakeholders. How do you prepare for a campaign when your institution has a stronger identity among its parts than its whole? How do you complement the existing brand loyalties with “Crest” and “Tide” while getting people equally excited about “Proctor & Gamble”?  At the University of Rochester, the office of advancement grabbed the reins and conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative research with both alumni and friends to explore and discover the core elements of UR’s identity. In this session, we’ll discuss the research, the results, and how they are being applied. We’ll also describe the challenges and opportunities associated with such an effort.

The Transparent Ask: Social Media Strategy for Institutional Fundraising
Presenter: Fritz McDonald, Vice President for Creative Strategy, Stamats

While we’ve seen some social media success stories on the marketing and admissions side, college and university development officers are just starting to explore this brave new world, from UC Berkeley’s Great Minds Online alumni community to LaSalle University’s Nonprofit University blog. Social media is a natural fit for institutions seeking to build communities of engagement, especially in fundraising. The challenge: using social media successfully requires a change in fundraising culture, a shifting of priorities from targeting donors to earning their trust. This presentation will discuss the fundamental building blocks of a viable college social media fundraising program, from strategic participation to optimal transparency, and cover key tactics such as optimizing web sites for social communication. It will also cover how such a program fits into a larger institutional fundraising campaign, how it scales to meet the unique demands of college audiences, and how it will change alumni relations and advancement offices.

The Rise of Online Journalism. Have the Rules Changed?
Presenter: Scott Jaschik, Editor, Inside Higher Ed

Has higher education journalism and, concurrently, our relationship with the media changed significantly over the past ten years? Inside Higher Ed co-founder and editor Scott Jaschik will discuss the rise of online journalism and the growing effects of social media.  Scott will cover the foundations of pitching to a national entity like Inside Higher Ed, and also discuss the ways the Web continues to change how news about your school is generated, disseminated, and consumed.

Implementing Your Agenda through Integrated Advocacy                                     
Presenter: Ryan McPherson, University at Buffalo

Tracks: Government Relations, Public Relations, Marketing

Implementing one’s legislative agenda is never easy, but doing it without using all the available tools is nearly impossible. Integrated advocacy is about strategically incorporating all the relevant institutional players and resources to advance public policy and funding objectives for your institution.  In this session, Ryan will provide a case study of an integrated advocacy campaign in action.  Elements of the campaign consist of several interconnected parts: a grassroots network; lobbying; coalition building; public policy development; direct, paid, and earned communication; and other key elements that leverage the resources an institution needs to achieve excellence, growth, and impact.  The context for this integrated advocacy campaign will draw heavily from the UB 2020 initiative that the University at Buffalo is pursuing as a vehicle to become a preeminent public research university and develop an innovation economy for Upstate New York.  

Is Print Dead?
Presenters: (Panel Discussion) Tom Tozier, President, TNT Print Consultants, Bob Russell, Director of Enterprise Account Development, Océ North America, Tracy Rammacher, Director of Publications and Electronic Media, SUNY Cortland, and John Heiser, Director of Graphic Design and Printing Services, Hudson Valley Community College

Is it possible that today's driving technologies such as social networking and digital content have killed the printed page? Is there still a place for print in this new age? Recent studies have shown that print is alive and well and continues to be an integral and valuable tool in the world of multi-channel communications. From student recruitment to alumni solicitations, a collaboration of targeted print, direct mail and electronic communications provides a greater return for every dollar spent. In this session we will discuss the future of static print products (catalogs, view books, course listings) and how these products can be made more relevant and accessible to your audience with variable data and print-on-demand technologies. We will also address how printing judiciously and strategically can provide a true sustainable business practice, allowing printing to continue being a part of the solution to a green world.

Grant Writing Basics                                                                                                             
Presenter: Dan McCormack, Binghamton University

Tracks: Development

In this session, Dan will cover the basic components of common grant proposals, including the need to be addressed in the project, goals and objectives, plan of operation, evaluation, and budget.  Other topics to be covered include: the general questions that have to be addressed when developing ideas for grant funding, and the identification of potential funding sources.

12:15 to 1:30 PM: Lunch and SUNYCUAD Business Meeting

Major on the Majors: Identifying Major Gift Prospects                                    
Presenter:  Jerry Smith, President, The J.F. Smith Group

Tracks: Development

In this session, Jerry will focus on major gift prospects and will include information on assessment tools and techniques in advancement that help identify these prospects. You will learn all the appropriate steps in dealing with prospects, including building a prospect pool, compiling and managing prospect information effectively, prospect evaluation, prospect communication, and making the ask.

Lessons Learned from a Fast-Paced and Complex Integrated Brand Strategy
Presenters: Paula Monaco, Director of Communications and Marketing, Hudson Valley Community College, Josanne DeNatale, Vice President & Co-Founder, Cognitive Marketing Inc., and Laurie Bennett, Vice President/Media, Tipping Point Media

A community college is among the most complex of learning institutions in terms of the constituents it serves and the range of programs it offers. Students pass through its halls at a rapid pace, and while many are grateful for the education received, most leave without becoming loyal alumni. Developing an integrated brand that engages all constituents poses challenges, but it can happen, and the lessons learned are instructive for other institutions, large and small. In this session, we will share multiple perspectives and review the successful brand program being implemented at Hudson Valley Community College. We will compare this to how brand plays out at various other institutions. Attendees are asked to submit examples of challenges and successes they have faced in developing their brand programs to be used as part of the interactive discussion portion of the session. 

Integration Works!                                                                                     
Presenters: Jodi Bailey, Director of Marketing, Sue Goetschius, Director of Communications, Gary Roberts, Director of ITS, Alfred University

Alfred University recently took on the daunting task of redesigning its website – in house. The offices of communications, ITS, and marketing collaborated to bring this project to fruition. The directors of communication and marketing served as the ‘clients’ while the university designer and the web team infused the needs of various campus constituents. Student focus groups provided input on the design and content. AU’s previous website was completed in 2000 – it was definitely in need of a face lift. The new site was done in conjunction with updated and comprehensive identity standards, which include both print and electronic elements to help ensure consistency in branding. Doing the project inhouse was a necessity because of budget constraints. The new website went live in November 2009.

Marketing Assessment Tools & Techniques on a Tight Budget                             
Presenters: Michelle Ashby, President/CEO, Tipping Point Media, Nicolette Hawks, New Media Specialist, Tipping Point Media

As New York State academic institutions face significant budget reductions, there is increasing pressure to quantify the results and impact of public relations, marketing, and advancement efforts. Accountability and return on investment (ROI) are a recurring theme in strategy and planning meetings. Michelle will discuss inexpensive, but valuable marketing tools that can stretch your budget while justifying the time, energy, and effort associated with implementing these tactics. From analytics reports to tagging ads to monitoring chatter on social networks, these ideas can enhance any marketing campaign. We will showcase online college search sites that connect you to your ideal student. We will demonstrate how behavioral, geographic, and contextual targeting can reduce “waste” and how layering social networking into the marketing mix will assist in developing a relationship with the target. Once this relationship begins, the online measurement tools we’ve presented will track students moving through the recruitment funnel, ultimately leading to the retention of qualified applicants.

Leadership Session:  Problem Solving for  CAOs
Presenter: Kathy Cole, President, West Wind Consulting Strategies in Fundraising, LLC.
Tracks: Development, Senior Leaders

Chief advancement officers sometimes find themselves in the middle of some pretty “sticky” situations. This session is designed to help CAOs steer through and even prevent these scenarios that can de-rail productivity and/or threaten the quality of donor relationships.   Kathy Cole will facilitate this highly interactive case study session as participants work together to address several real-life situations.  Participants will learn from one another while following a process for diagnosing the problems presented, assessing the resources available, and identifying the options for resolution.

8 AM: Breakfast

9 to 10 AM: Town Hall Meeting on SUNY Branding
Presenters: Stacey Hengsterman, Director of University Relations, and Jen LoTurco, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Operations, State University of New York

In April, the State University of New York unveiled a new brand identity, The Power of SUNY, along with a new strategic plan. SUNY’s Stacey Hengsterman and Jen LoTurco will share the research behind the brand, discuss SUNY’s plans for implementation, and answer your questions about how the SUNY brand affects your campus.

11 AM: Conference adjourns