Strategy: Build and enhance enduring relationships with alumni, parents and friends of the campus.
Point People: Bennie Osburn, Jessie Ann Owens, Beverly “Babs” Sandeen
Narrative Summary of Fifth Year Implementation Efforts:
Key objectives in 2007-08 included:
- Continued strengthening of the campus’ strategic communications and marketing capacity to reach key constituencies including students, their families, alumni, campus friends and donors, and community and governmental leaders.
- Planning was undertaken to leverage the UC Davis Centennial anniversary to engage key constituent groups by celebrating its past accomplishments, highlighting its future direction, and focus attention on the entire scope and breadth of the institution. The Centennial Web site was also established and used as the main hub for Centennial news, stories and volunteer opportunities.
Advances and Ongoing Programs Consistent with Strategy:
Communications and Marketing
- Kicked-off the UC Davis Web Content Management initiative in partnership with Information and Educational Technology, with the goal of implementing a solution that will support the creation, management, delivery and sharing of Web content across the campus.
- Launched the Branding and Marketing Initiative to hone UC Davis’ identity and develop our brand. Research conducted in partnership with marketing communications firm Peterson Skolnick & Dodge included interviews and group forums with volunteer leadership and alumni.
- Commenced the weekly campus e-newsletter UC Davis Friday Update!
- Promoted compliance with organizational standards for branding, accessibility and communications through the 155-person UC Davis Communications Council and also provided leadership to separate interest groups for campus employees who specialize in marketing and Web communication.
- Trained and instructed more than 150 campus employees who enrolled in the staff professional development Communications Certificate Series classes and coached more than 300 campus faculty, staff and students through ongoing media workshops and specialized seminars.
- Provided communications expertise, spanning a variety of audiences and vehicles, to promote key messages about the value and worthiness of private support for UC.
- Established UC Davis iTunesU Web site for podcasting of video and audio content.
- Provided ongoing communications support to the Centennial, including the Centennial Web site and special UC Davis Magazine Centennial issue.
- Provided critical assistance with the campus’s budget communication and Web page, including partnering with Associate Vice Chancellor for Budget Resource Management on campus information sessions held throughout campus.
- Continued to provide communications support on campus crisis planning, including handling of communications for the dorm evacuation-explosives investigation.
- Gained positive national media attention for the suspenseful opening of a gift of photos from the Andy Warhol foundation. The opening resulted in major media coverage including the Los Angeles Times, and TV broadcasts in New York, Memphis, Boston, Miami, San Antonio, Dayton and El Paso totaling 2.5 million households.
Partnerships and Events
- Coordinated the visit to UC Davis by the Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The dignitaries took a brief tour in a university vineyard, signed memoranda of understanding and Bachelet was presented with the UC Davis Medal.
- Organized the second annual "Neighbors Night Out" as part of the Good Neighbor Initiative, providing opportunity for student and non-student residents to meet and get to know one another at the beginning of the school year. Gatherings were held in over 60 neighborhoods, attended by over 500 participants. The Northern California Association of Park and Recreation Districts awarded this program a first place award for community outreach.
- Hosted the ARCS Foundation Northern California Chapter for their bi-annual program review at UC Davis. The purpose of the visit was for ARCS committee members to assess the eligibility of selected graduate programs to nominate students for ARCS Awards. We received a very positive response from the ARCS members, some of whom had never before visited UC Davis.
- Offered leadership to UCOP on its new e-advocacy tool 720 Strategies. This tool is meant to inform and mobilize registered alumni and volunteers to advocate for issues important to UC and UC Davis.
- Led UC Davis’s participation in UC Day, which included close collaboration with the Institute of Transportation Studies and a very well attended legislative dinner.
- Played a pivotal role in the Principles of One Community established with the City of Davis. This student initiative aims to extend the campus’ Principles of Community to include the city and reaffirm the values of mutual respect and engagement among students, faculty, staff and community members.
- Welcomed alumni and friends to Aggie Grove, a celebration area established in partnership between the Cal Aggie Alumni Association and Athletics.
- Hosted the UC Regents for their September business meeting. The Regents meeting was a campus effort led by Ceremonies and Special Events that included coordination with and assistance from 5 different departments: IET, Facilities, Mondavi Center, Police, University Relations. The campus "vision" video that showcased UC Davis to the Regents received praise from the board.
- Maximized Chancellor event plans for 2008 in close coordination with the Centennial team and also successfully executed annual chancellor events such as the Convocation, Endowed Chair & Professorship Dinner, Distinguished Speakers Series, Distinguished Teaching Award, Picnic Day Ice Cream Social, Undergraduate Teaching & Scholarly Achievement Prize Gala, Outstanding Student Award Program & Reception, and Commencements.
- Advocated for additional research and science funding for up to $250 million in supplemental funding for the Department of Energy Office of Science and the National Science Foundation and provided support to campus on capital outlay budget decisions.
- Coordinated the campus’ first quarterly submission of its federal lobbying activities in response to a new federal law, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act or HLOGA and served as a best practice model for the rest of UC.
- Led the effort to recruit and assist key UC Davis staff for participation in the April 15th hearing of AB 2296 seeking to provide additional protection against intimidation, harassment and violence by activists for university faculty and staff engaged in research involving animals.
- Supported a Health System campus visit by then Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and the Assembly Democratic Caucus for a two-day Budget Summit.
- Partnered with the staff of University Outreach and International Programs to host 48 Fulbright Scholars and Humphrey’s Fellows from UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and Stanford in Sacramento for the annual Fulbright/Humphrey’s Day at the Capitol. The day’s activities included presentations by key legislative staff, a greeting by Senator Alan Lowenthal, and a visit to the Governor’s office.
- Represented UC Davis at the West Sacramento State of the City Dinner and at SARTA Tech Index Celebration, the largest Sacramento region gathering of high tech industry leaders, including business executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
- Hosted a visiting delegation of government officials from Wuxi, China, for a forum on economic and educational partnership opportunities between Wuxi and the City of Davis.
- Hosted Congressman Mike Thompson for the February Focus the Nation.
- Provided Centennial leadership and integration via participation of the Centennial Advisory Committee.
- Hosted alumnus and chairman of the Board for Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, Dr. Koichiro Aramaki M.S. ’78 and a group of colleagues in September to learn more about UC Davis’ current research on functional foods.