Dissemination of information in the community
In the past, we have participated in numerous Health Fairs in the community. We have an annual Open House and this year have a brief television spot on a local educational channel. As the Dean of Student Services the full responsibility for these events has been allocated to me. Usually, I have had alumni and students to help. We are very small and consequently, there is not a large population of "workers" to draw from.
I have several ideas from this section on how to improve our brochures, flyers, and website. I would love to begin a newsletter, time being the drawback. Thanks.
HI Ruth
Always a challenge with a small staff, lots of great ideas, and not a lot of people to implement them. Why not have students take on some projects? Start creating some traditions. For example, have the junior students plan graduation for the seniors. It builds community, gets the job done, creates a lot of great ideas, and improves retention.
Best wishes, Susan
Hello Ruth,
We belong to a professional organization that provides a newsletter format with stories and suggestions for implementing a newsletter. We use some of their stories along with news from past students in a "where are they now" section.
Chris Masters
HI Chris and Ruth
Good point. There are several websites and services that provide great information about publicity and public relations. They are free. We subscribe to some of them. Always a good point to learn or a new spin on somethings we already know and can do better.
Best wishes, Susan
Dr. Schulz,
Do you have a listing of these sites that you can share with us?
Chris Masters
Ruth:
The same thing struck me while reading about this topic. We definitely need to start creating Newsletters as well. It is a great way to motivate current students, create re-enrollments from alumni as well as nurture new and old employer contacts.
HI Janet and Ruth
Newsletters are a great way to stay in touch with your entire constituency. You might start with just 1 to 2 pages. Keep articles interesting, informative, and short. Most people are only skimmers and don't like to read a lot.
Thanks, Susan
Someone else asked if you have a list of these websites. I would also be quite interested in accessing such a list. Can you tell me where I might be able to find the names of these great websites?
The best websites are those within your own community that will help you disseminate information about your school. do some google research and you'll find them. Best wishes, Susan
We always try to include stories, recipes, pictures or any kind of submission from current students about topics of their interest. While these are generally the most popular articles, they serve to keep the newsletters in student hands and increase the probability that other articles will be read and that the newsletter will be passed on/seen by others.
Great technique, Bruce. Schools have a lot of content for stories, announcements, etc. that is of interest to the community. Getting the school name out in the public is an important way to build a brand, a reputation, and just let people know you are a resource for education and training. Many schools are the best kept secret in town. Thanks, Susan
