1. Leah Holmstrom
Introduction to Public Relations
November 11, 2010

2.  Higher education is big business in the United
States.
 16 million students are enrolled at more than 4000
colleges and universities.
 Almost every one of these institutions has personnel
working in public relations, marketing
communications and fund-raising.

3.  The president, or chancellor, is the chief public
relations officer.
 Large universities: the vice president for
development and university relations is
responsible for:
 Supervising the office of development
 Division for alumni relations
 The office of public relations
 Smaller institutions combine these functions

4.  Development and alumni personnel:
 Seek to enhance the prestige and financial support of
the institution
 Conduct meetings and seminars
 Publish newsletters and magazines
 Arrange tours
 Maintain a public relations web page for the
institution

5.  Build alumni loyalty
 Considered the major foundation of any fund-raising
effort
 Fund-raising has increased in recent years.
 $31.6 billion in 2002, which represents 13% of charitable
giving that year.
 Generate funding from private sources
 Donors who are not alumni
 Donations based on their interest in a particular field
of study

6.  Most visible aspect of a university public
relations program
 Produces hundreds of news releases, photographs,
and special columns and articles for the print media
 Prepares programs of news and features about
faculty activities and personalities for stations
 Provides assistance and information for reporters,
editors, and broadcasters affiliated with the state,
regional and national media
 Responds to hundreds of telephone calls from news
media and public seeking information.

7.  Public relations specialist must be a part of the
management team of the institution
 Attend all top-level meetings involving the president
and other administrators
 Learn the whys and wherefores of decisions made
 Lend counsel
 Then
 Develop action programs
 Respond to questions from the publics those
programs concern

8.  Able college presidents involve their faculty in
decision making to the fullest extent possible.
 Faculty and staff serve as major public relations
representatives.
 Communication through:
 E-mail
 Internal newsletters and newspapers
 Periodic meetings at which policies are explained
and questions are answered.

9.  Faculty and staff who fully understand the
institution’s philosophy, operations and needs
generally will respond with heightened
performance
 Example: The University of Georgia sought
$2.5 million in contributions from its faculty as
a part of an $80 million bicentennial
enrichment campaign. The faculty contributed
nearly $6 million dollars, more than double
what the school had anticipated.

10.  Students make up the largest public relations
arm that an institution has.
 Determinants of students allegiance to an
institution:
 Quality of teaching
 Sound administrative attitude toward student body
 Involving students as much as possible in decisions that
affect their campus life
 Communication
 Student publications
 Broadcast stations

11.  State and federal governments hold the vital key to
whether or not an institution is receiving sufficient
monies to maintain facilities, faculty and
programs.
 Large institutions have someone, a government
relations coordinator in most cases, who regularly
monitors the state legislature.
 This person’s work involves
 Competing with other state institution for money
 Defending proposed increases in higher-education
budgets and protecting against cuts
 Establishing an institution’s identity in the minds of
legislators
 Responding to lawmakers’ requests for favors

12.  Colleges and universities must maintain a good
relationship with the community in which they
are located.
 Faculty and staff are encouraged to achieve
community visibility through work with civic
and other organizations.

13.  Many institutions have turned to highly
competitive recruiting methods to lure
prospective students.
 Extensive advertising in print and broadcast media
and on billboards
 Brochures with four-color, slick materials that use
bright graphics and catchy headlines
 The web

14.  Public relations professionals at this level are
faced with many contemporary issues.
 Necessity for sound community relations.
 Primary publics:
 Teachers
 Children
 Parents
 Staff
 The community

15.  When an issue is brought forward it is the
public relations professional’s job to come up
with a plan that can include:
 News releases
 TV and cable messages
 Fliers or brochures to parents and community
members

16.  For any type of emergency such as, sudden loss
of utilities, fires, school shootings, bomb
threats, a communication plan should be in the
ready.
 The public relations professional(s) should be
prepared to:
 Deal with various media outlets
 Help the community deal with any tragedy
 Restore calm and confidence in the school system