As of this morning, the media are reporting probable cases of Swine Flu at the University of Delaware, Notre Dame, San Diego State University and California State University at Long Beach.  Campuses have large populations of people living in close proximity, some of whom traveled to Mexico for Spring Break, so this should come as little surprise.  Click here to view the messaging occurring on the University of Delaware website.

If you are interested in tracking the swine flu in higher education institutions (including the diagnosis status of those infected), click on this link to a Google Map of the United States.

So, what should you be doing from a planning standpoint?  First, take a deep breath.  Then begin drafting proactive communications that you can share internally and with parents of current students about your pandemic planning efforts.  Next, develop a course of action should you have probable or confirmed cases of H1N1 that break out as students are leaving campus or once students have left campus but could have been spread while the students were on campus.  The more information you can share, the better.  Remember that you are reassuring your key audiences that you are actively planning (not sure anyone can ever be truly prepared) and that you value their personal health and the transparency of the institution.

Finally, make sure that you are keeping in close contact with your local department of health.  Your approaches to the situation, should you have Swine Flu cases, needs to be seamless.

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

Has everyone seen The Wall Street Journal piece floating around today on nice and not nice college admissions rejection letters??  I actually really like the language Duke and Harvard used and suggest you check it out.  Humanity has its benefits J.

And, to counter-balance the sorrow of thin envelopes arriving across the country, see this article about music artist Ben Folds.  He heard collegiate a cappella groups covering his music and decided to record some of them.  He accepted nominations (received over 250), and recorded songs with 15 groups.  I just check on iTunes, and I am proud to say my alma mater's Buffoons are represented J. 

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

I was just IMing with Jeff Papa about my lack of enthusiasm for Twitter a month into my tweeting, which means I needed an article to validate me J.  Check out this Nielsen Wire piece about "Twitter quitters."  The article says "more than 60 percent of U.S. Twitter users fail to return the following month..."  And, pre-Oprah, "Twitter has languished below 30 percent retention."

The article then compares the early retention rates of Facebook and MySpace to Twitter's retention rate.  It's worth checking out!

I'll pose this question again... any additional examples of success on Twitter?  Any thoughts on higher education applications? Tweet with tvparrot or email me at tvp@SimpsonScarborough.com

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

This week's hot topic is pandemic flu, so I dusted off my resource list and sent it to some of my friends this morning... thought I should share it on our blog, too J.  Swine or Avian flu, the response is the same.  I'm also linking to my recent blog posting about infectious disease, because a number of those points apply here, too.   

General Information

• PandemicFlu.gov: http://pandemicflu.gov/
• Center for Disease Control Pandemic Flu Information: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/

 World Health Organization

• Ten things you need to know about pandemic influenza: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/pandemic10things/en/index.html
• Avian influenza (bird flu) Fact Sheet: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/avian_influenza/en/index.html
• Avian Influenza Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/avian_faqs/en/index.html 
• Current WHO Pandemic Alert Phase: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html
• Avian Influenza: Assessing the Pandemic Threat: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/WHO_CDS_2005_29/en/index.html 
• National Influenza Pandemic Plans http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/nationalpandemic/en/index.html

Higher Education Sites and Planning

• http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/collegeschecklist.html
• Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association: http://www.cshema.org/resource/pandemic0306.htm  
• Blueprint for Pandemic Flu Preparedness Planning for Colleges and Universities: http://www.ajg.com/portal/communities/community.asp?UserID=2&CommunityID=440  
• Federal Checklist for Higher Education: http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/school/collegeschecklist.html#1

General Planning

• http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/
• http://mercerhr.com/avianflu
• http://www.hhs.gov/pandemicflu/plan/sup8.html

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

According to Karine Joly, here are 10 higher ed blogs you should know about:

1. Higher Ed Marketing (Andrew Careaga)

2. Alumni Futures (Andy Shaindlin)

3. Bytes from Lev (Lev Gonick)

4. College Web Guy (Drew Stephens)

5. Tales from Redesignland (Tony Dunn)

6. The Old College Try (DW)

7. mStonerBlog (Michael Stoner)

8. Wired Campus (Chronicle of Higher Ed)

9. UB Buzz (University Business)

10. EDU Checkup (Nick DeNardis)

Thanks, Karine!  Couple of these are new for me!  I bookmarked them all and have lots of new reading to do!

-Elizabeth Scarborough

If you've been in higher ed marketing for more than 5 minutes, you have probably used Stamats' tagline repository a time or two. I guess Richard, Harrison, Bailey felt they could do a better job of tracking college and university taglines `cause they created their own HigherEdTaglines site. I searched on my favorite tagline word, "excellence," and found more examples than I could count including:

* Excellence. Impact. Access. - Arizona State

* Achieve excellence in all that you do - Curry College

* A tradition of excellence....a future of success - Georgian Court University

* Excellence in Action - Kent State

* Your Foundation for Excellence - Lincoln University

As you can see, there is no lack of excellence in these taglines.  :-)

-Elizabeth Scarborough 

With an ongoing national conversation on the economy, I found today's article by IHE's Scott Jaschik interesting as I sipped my morning coffee.  He reviewed an Iowa State University study of commonalities among colleges and universities that have closed.  The three common traits include: wealth, but not just endowment dollars; enrollment and its tie to selectivity and other narrowing characteristics; and religion--affiliation with a church helped institutions.

If you worry about the long-term viability of your institution, I suggest reading the article.  If you feel like you are reading a summary of your institution, I suggest asking for a copy of the study and reading it carefully.

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

Not sure if you have been following the drama surrounding the two Domino's employees who thought a YouTube video of disgusting behavior was actually cute...  Regardless, Domino's is in crisis mode and has launched a major damage control campaign online, in local communities, etc.  I wanted to make sure you saw a video corporate Domino's uploaded to show their remorse and their forward movement.  They have also made inroads on many other online resources including Twitter, blogs, etc.  In today's world, you can't forget sites like Twitter and their influence... see this Ad Age article on surviving a "Twitterstorm."

When viewing this, I want you to pay closer attention to the words, not the video portion itself.  How can you have stock messages ready for crises that can be personalized for the situation?  How can you match the speaker to the situation?  And how can you train your speaker to show a bit more emotion and connection?

USA Today has a great article on the Domino's situation and steps for defending yourself against a social networking attack including: monitor social media, respond quickly, respond at the flashpoint, educate workers, foster a positive culture, and set clear guidelines.  Ad Age also posted an article of recommended steps that can help should you find yourself in a fight for your reputation.

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

My friend, Charles McClintock, Dean of the School of Human and Organization Development at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, just sent me a link to his University's new Web site. There is nothing earth shattering about it but it's just very well done. I felt totally compelled to write about it. Keep refreshing and you will see various Fielding professors profiled; as we all know graduate students are ALL ABOUT the faculty. Gone are the typical links for "prospective students." Instead the site asks, "Looking for a master's degree?" "Looking for a doctoral degree?" Right from the home page you can link to a bunch of (good) reasons why you should consider Fielding. There are podcasts. Recent news. And, contact information and ways to learn more are really easy to find. Plus the whole idea of being "mindful" is so Fielding. This is a serious place where students and faculty feel an intense responsibility to work toward social change. The creative strategy is a great (and authentic) reflection of their brand. Congratulations Charles. Job well done!

-Elizabeth Scarborough

I want for everyone to take a moment of silence and reflection for Michigan's Henry Ford Community College, which had an on-campus shooting today.

But, I believe their experience, which as I type is still unfolding, has an immediate lesson to share.  Reason number 4,393,457,394,857 why your campus communicators need media training... the training makes clear to all communicators who can and can't speak on behalf of the institution and what they should or shouldn't say to frame the situation.

The last line of the CNN coverage at 3:30 PM today says: "A woman who answered the phone in the office of the school's president, Gail Mee, said that the shootings occurred in the Fine Arts Building and that the campus was in lockdown."  It would be more settling for the community to know who answered the phone, what next steps are occurring (said in a way that doesn't place others in harm's way, and how additional information would be disseminated.  Even in the midst of a crisis, remember that your initial response will set the tone for how you are judged both short- and long-term.

Please click here for a screen capture of the original CNN coverage and a screen capture of the message scrolling on the community college's site.  Remember to think through the messages that you place on the front page of your website--just saying you have an emergency doesn't provide enough information to those internally or externally to process the situation, let people know what to expect next, explain how to get additional information or if they should stay off of campus.  An emergency and lockdown are very different scenarios.  Remember your goals include providing information efficiently and effectively.

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

A few weeks back, I posted a blog called, "Economic Downturn and College Admissions: A Stressful Combination." Well, the beat goes on. With April 1^st just behind us and May 1^st rapidly approaching, check out the latest, smart strategies schools have implemented to encourage as many students to accept their offer of admission, according to the USA Today article, "Colleges are the Ones Fearing Rejection Letters."

• Santa Clara University has enlisted its president, provost and 400 alumni volunteers to phone all admitted students and encourage them to enroll.
• The College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn. (for women) and Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minn. (for men) doubled their joint transportation budget this year to $50,000 to fly in more than 160 admitted students from across the country for campus visits.
• Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va., this year has doubled (from five last year to 10) the number of local receptions it's sponsoring around the state for admitted students.
• Every student admitted to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif., is expected to get a note from someone with a common interest or geographic background.

And this is just "the beginning of the end" of the recruitment season. Something tells me this is going to be a long, hot and rather challenging summer for many of us.

-Jeff Papa

I just came across a great whitepaper on the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) website and wanted to pass it along.  Click here for a copy of "What Will Happen to State Budgets When the Money Runs Out?"  Although the stimulus package provides money to fill some states' higher education budget holes, most of the stimulus dollars provide temporary budget relief.  What happens once those funds are gone?  Sobering thoughts...

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

There is a story in today's University Affairs that talks about "Communicating in Bad Times."  I strongly encourage you to read the article.  It aligns with this spring's most relevant crisis planning topic--communicating through the down economy, which has dominated quite a bit of my time.  Click here for a copy of the presentation I gave to the AASCU's senior communicators on crisis communications, with special attention given to the economy. 

The gist of the article and my mantra these days: don't forget to communicate with your key audiences with the format and information (both scope and depth) that they want.

Over the past few months I have developed a list of topics all institutions may need to communicate through, including:

•  Decreased endowment (overall levels and amount dispersed from earnings)
• Faculty/staff layoffs
• High profile donor pledge default
• Decreases in annual giving or major gift donations
• Completing (or not completing) a campaign in tough times
• Launching a new program in a down economy
• Decreases in new student enrollment
• Decreases in student retention
• Decreases in diversity
• Decreases in state/public funding·     
• Questions about the salaries for your leadership, coaches, etc.

I hope you don't have to work through these issues, but if you do it will pay dividends to create and roll out a strategy that builds trust and communications vehicles before and after sharing your news.

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

True irony in this blog posting... I was out sick with the flu the latter part of this week while two of our higher ed friends battled infectious diseases. 

Michigan State University closed a dining hall on Thursday after 20 students had "stomach distress" that the campus believes is tied to "food safety" and today was confirmed as norovirus.  And Babson College closed the campus this past weekend after a norovirus outbreak.  Screenshots of their website can be found by clicking here.

Elizabeth was able to make contact with Babson to send our support, and she heard back the following from Grant Gosselin, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions: "It's been quite an experience.  I met as a team of about 25 key community members on Saturday morning at 9:30 - by 5:00 the campus was closed.  Communications in place, dining services converted to take-out dining (in three hours' time), press conference scheduled, cleaning regiment in place, and on and on and on."

Either case would be a great case study for you to share at a cabinet meeting for a tabletop testing of your crisis communications plan.  Take a look at Babson's website language--are there elements you can use as draft language in your planning process, or can you improve upon their strategy?

About two years ago pandemic flu was all of the rage in crisis planning.  Don't forget about pandemic flu, but remember that the situations MSU and Babson faced this week are more likely to occur.  Don't forget the mumps outbreaks in the Midwest two years ago, or the meningitis outbreaks that continually pop up.  Ensure your crisis plan covers all possible heath scenarios.

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

Yesterday the verdict was delivered in the civil lawsuit former Professor Ward Churchill filed against the University of Colorado.  The jury found in favor of Mr. Churchill and awarded him damages of $1.  The news came right around 4 p.m.--perfect timing for the evening news to carry the story as a teaser and lead with the jury's decision.

Except... yesterday was also the day that the Denver Broncos were able to reach an agreement on a trade for quarterback Jay Culter to the Chicago Bears for a quarterback and a host of draft picks. 

The 5 p.m. newscast of the most-watch local television news station didn't include an update on Ward Churchill's jury verdict until 5:08 p.m., following Cutler, traffic, economy update (yay DOW!) and weather news.  The 6 p.m. newscast had the story second to the Cutler trade. 

As was covered in the trial, at the time of the Churchill investigation, the media ran rampant with coverage of the story and it was all the university could do to conduct daily business.  I know--I was there.  Amazing how a bigger story in this media market and four years can change the fervor of the media consumption of this story.

Sometimes timing is everything, even if you don't have control over the variables.

-Teresa Valerio Parrot

SimpsonScarborough discussed with Steven Bahls, President of Augustana College, the nationally-focused media relations plan the college is building.

Q. Why did Augustana College decide to build a nationally-focused media relations plan?

A. In 2005, our board of trustees adopted Authentically Augustana: A Strategic Plan for Premier Liberal Arts College, in which the development of an integrated marketing plan was a major goal. Leveraging all of our hard work on campus to raise Augustana's national profile therefore became a strategic directive of the entire institution.

Q. How does the media planning align with the college's marketing plan?

A. Just as integrated marketing flowed from our strategic plan, the media plan was a direct and logical result of the marketing initiative.

Q. Which of the national media hits do you think best highlighted the college's excellence?

A. Prior to the adoption of our media plan, we had been tactically strong, but strategically weak. Scattershot hits would occur in high-profile media, but there was little, if any, connecting of the dots. Our national media strategy in many ways began with a front page article in USA Today highlighting two of our graduates who have enjoyed great success as corporate leaders. In it, Brenda Barnes, the CEO of Sara Lee, and Murry Gerber, CEO of EQT (a Business Week Top 50 performing company), shared the ways in which their education at a top-quality liberal arts college paved the way for their success. This had the result not just of tremendous buzz - it included a graphic that featured an Augustana pennant high above those of Harvard and Yale - but it sold our board and campus community on the need to think strategically in media relations. More recently, we enjoyed extremely well-timed stories in Insider Higher Education and other publications about our decision to announce next year's tuition early as part of our commitment to transparency. We've heard from families that they really appreciated this move in helping them make right decision about college during the national economic downturn.

Q. How have the faculty and alumni reacted to the increased media coverage of the college?

 
A. Bottom line? The increased media coverage is giving faculty and alumni more to talk about when telling others about their experiences at Augustana. We can inundate both graduates, faculty and students' families with all kinds of data about the kinds of measurable outcomes we're producing here at Augustana, but when a story shows up in The New York Times or The Chronicle of Higher Education, it's so much more impactful. Human stories have great power, and when faculty read about a colleague - or alumni read about a professor they know - those stories are shared in ways that data just aren't. The exposure helps alumni to reconnect to their college days and  drives faculty members to become more enthusiastic about the undergraduate research, internships and international study experiences we strive to provide our students.