This strategy seeks to develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for School of Education Internal Communications (IC) following SOE’s Re-Design and its pivot away from the departmental model.
Necessarily, a new “One School” IC strategy also will impact and be impacted by two related communications strategies: SOE marketing and communications and SU’s One University strategy.
Under the old SOE departmental model, some communications (news, events, etc.) may have been seen as internal to the students, alumni, or employees of a single department only. Under a “One School” model, sharing news as widely as feasible and practical—to internal, cross-campus, and global audiences—strengthens the School’s message and cohesion.
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This School of Education protocol for internal communications seeks to:
Promote sharing news and events as widely as feasible and practical—not only to internal audiences but also cross-campus and global audiences—in order to amplify SOE's mission, value proposition, core strengths, and accomplishments of its entire learning community.
Align with SOE's and SU's “digital first” marketing strategy, which requires regular content to be carefully and strategically curated across multiple channels for greatest impact.
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Professionalize communications (by using the “One University” brand)
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What Are We Trying to Avoid?
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, foster efficiencies, and eliminate wasted effort.
Meet legal obligations, such as the University's Privacy Policy for digital communications, especially as it relates to the EU General Data Protection Regulation and similar regulations.
Increase engagement of key audiences, such as alumni engagement and inquiries, applications, and yield.
This protocol will help SOE avoid:
News getting lost/sequestered
Duplication of effort
Confusing policy/workflow
Unprofessional look/feel
Non-brand compliant messaging
Lack of readership (e.g., wrong medium/wrong audience)
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This protocol will reduce out-of-date communication tactics:
Reliance on (print) fliers
Use of PDF/print newsletters
Listservs with very niche audiences
Listservs with external/alumni subscribers (i.e., to
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Imagining a New IC Strategy & Optimal Tactics
In order to re-imagine a “One School” IC strategy, it helps to ask of any message who, what, where, and how. These questions help to break down message flow into simple constituent parts:
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remain compliant with SU's Privacy Policy)
The Four Questions: Message flow for SOE news and events
Any potential SOE communication should be assessed using four simple questions that lead to choices for any message, such as whether it is "internal only" or deserves a wider audience:
Who is the audience?
What
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is the message?
Where
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should the message go (on one or more channels?)
How
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do I initiate the message flow and who champions it for me?
Further defining these questions leads to a series of choices that should be made for any message:
1) Who Is the Audience?
Alumni
Current Students—Undergraduate
Current Students—Graduate
Prospective Students
Faculty
Staff
Campus Community
Local Community (CNY)
National/Global Community
2) What Is the Message?
SOE News Story/
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Press Release
SOE Awards/Accomplishments
Alumni Notes
Alumni Events
Research: Grant Awards/Publications
Faculty Opportunities: Grants/RfPs
Personnel/HR News
Personal News: Births, Marriages, Deaths
SU/SOE Policies/Reminders
Events/Calendar Items
Admissions Messages
Student Academic Opportunities: Scholarships, Fellowships, Classes
Careers: Job Openings, Fairs, Networking
Student Work Opportunities
External Sponsorships
3) Where Should the Message Go (On One or More Channels)?
SOE Website News Feed
SOE Enterprise Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr)
Program-Specific Social Groups (LinkedIn, Facebook)
Personal Social Media Accounts (with tagging!)
SU/SOE Calendar
SU News
HTML
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Email
Listserv Message*
SOE Digital Signage
SU Digital Signage
Bulletin Boards: Print Posters/Fliers
Brochures: one-sheets, bifolds, trifolds
Press Release
Media Alert
Traditional Advertising
Slate email (
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prospective students)
4) How Do I Initiate the Message Flow (Who Champions it for Me)?
Under the departmental model, messages often would flow through department-specific admins and other team members. Although an appropriate system within a department, sometimes the chance for further distribution (and boasting!) was not taken.
Under a “One School” model, the MCE team would be the default champions of any SOE communication, but many messages also will have other champions—that is, points of contact—responsible for their creation and dissemination.
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Critical for this policy, the Office of Marketing and Communications should be made aware of all news, events, and other messages in order to determine if they also should be disseminated to external audiences.
Other "message champions
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" will be
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faculty and staff administrators:
Office of Marketing
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and Communications
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Team (DEFAULT)
Advancement/Alumni Relations Team
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Office of Academic and Student Services
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(Admissions)
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Office
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of the Dean
Program
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Administrators
Center Directors (CAASD, CDI, CEPP)
This Seems Incredibly Complicated? How Would It Work in Practice?
It’s not that complicated, really!
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Initiating the Protocol
Typically, a message flow starts when a faculty or staff member request to make a flier for an event, to announce an award, to notify students of an opportunity, etc.
Once this request has been made to a "message champion" within a program or unit ...
The "message champion" should pose the Four Questions (who, what, where, and how
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) to the requester.
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The Four Questions should elicit enough information to get the request into the right hands
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By way of example …
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, headed to the right audience, and in the right form.
Critical for this policy, the Office of Marketing and Communications should be made aware of all news, events, and other messages in order to determine if they also should be disseminated to external audiences.
Example
A professor wants to get the word out to students about a film screening on disability studies/special education taking place in the College of Law, but sponsored in part by SOE
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The professor approaches the CDI communications manager as a "message champion
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."
To find out the best way to disseminate this message, the CDI communications manager
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asks the Four Questions (who, what, where, and how
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Example 1
) and works with the professor to answer them.
1) What Is the Message?
A film screening about special education in another unit, sponsored by SOE
2) Who Is the Audience?
Current Students—Undergraduate
Current Students—Graduate
Faculty
Staff
Alumni
3) Where Should the Message Go (On One or More Channels)?
SU/SOE Calendar
Listserv Message (simple email or copy of HTML)—Undergraduates, Graduates, Faculty
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, Staff
SOE Enterprise Social Media—Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
SOE Digiboards (digital posters)
SOE Website News
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Feed—i.e.,
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announcing a mission-centered sponsorship
4) How Do I Initiate the Message Flow (Who Champions it for Me)?
Original message champion (CDI Communications Manager) informs:
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Office of Marketing and Communications (DEFAULT)—SOE Social Media (Instagram), SU/SOE Calendar, SOE Website News Feed
Program Administrators—Disability Studies/Inclusive Ed Listserv
Office of Academic and Student Services—Undergraduate/Graduate Students Listserv
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Office
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of the Dean—Faculty/Staff Listserv
Office of Advancement
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and Alumni
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Relations—Events Digest/EdExchange