My Fourth Year At WSU: Elevation

Wow. Can it really be four years? I have now worked at Washington State University for the length of time between Presidential Elections, leap years, and Summer/Winter Olympiads. I guess I am a well-seasoned Coug by this point.

It’s crazy. I have now worked at WSU for four years.

Memory Lane

But even with the passing of four years, my vivid recollection of March 16, 2020 is sharp. I woke up early to meet my then-boss (shout out Dave Wasson!) at a gas station right outside of Spokane. I hopped in his truck and we drove to Pullman for my first day of work. What has now become an icebreaker/inside joke among my University Marketing and Communications colleagues, that mid-March Monday would be my only day in the office for a long time. That afternoon we received the directive to work from home indefinitely as COVID-19 shook our world.

That turbulent and unpredictable period in our world’s history ensured that my first 365 days at WSU centered on reacting. By the time my second year came around, although we were still dealing with the Coronavirus, I embraced the building stage which, in normal times, would have transpired during my rookie year. My third year was about emerging as I became more than a Zoom square and our social program made tangible, measurable progress.

My fourth year? It was all about elevating.

Because I am a NERD, I always like to wear the same outfit on my work anniversary that I wore on my first ever day of work at WSU.

Elevation

A year after our social program invested in brand marketing, amplified major university accomplishments, and presented on the national stage at conferences, we did more of the same in Year #4 but to a greater degree.

By the time my third year was wrapping up, our social program was active in the first two installments of our #GoCougsMeans brand marketing campaign. During my fourth year, I had the privilege of doing social media ad buys for the next seven installments of the campaign. Furthermore, I grabbed a front row seat for the additional brand marketing work we started with a nationally renowned agency (big things to come!). And when it came to amplifying major university accomplishments from both a paid and organic front, our social team was called upon for strategy and execution. Communication projects included the establishment of a pediatric medical residency, the breaking of ground on Schweitzer Engineering Hall, and the renewal of a partnership with Pullman Regional Hospital. Finally, after presenting at the American Marketing Association’s Higher Ed Conference with Pac-12 colleagues during my third year, I submitted a proposal this past year solely on behalf of WSU. Stacked against stiff competition, it was among the 11% of accepted proposals, paving the way for Cara Hoag and myself to present at the 2023 AMA Higher Ed Conference in Chicago.

I presented at the American Marketing Association Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed in Chicago in Nov. 2023.

Besides those prominent opportunities to elevate, I had many other chances to make an impact. Over the past 12 months, I ran paid campaigns for numerous campus partners, assumed the project manager role of our UMC team’s effort to recognize #WSU’s Top Ten Seniors, presented to communicators system-wide on a variety of social media topics, and provided consultation to numerous departments about social media strategy.

I had a lot of fun, too. In this fourth go-around I collaborated with the video team like never before as we made some creative and memorable videos (favorites include this, this, and this). In May, the WSU communicators conference led me to Everett where I hung with my colleagues throughout the Washington State University system for a couple days. When fall arrived, I covered the WSU vs. Wisconsin football game as we answered a certain question everyone wanted to know. Then, in February, we successfully launched a social media organic campaign called #CougCounties—a project that had hovered at the top of my goal sheet.

It was a lot of fun working with video during my fourth year at WSU.

Challenges

With all that said, seldom do you journey through a year without adversity. Our department helped navigate our university through some challenging times. The Idaho murder case/court proceedings continued to linger, our academic student employees went on strike, leadership was questioned, and budgets continue to hang in the balance.

And then there was the Pac-12. The way the “Conference of Champions” disintegrated that August day was sad and shocking. But any personal hurt feelings I harbored needed to be cast aside because the days and weeks that followed would prove to be a big lift. Statements, court cases, short term agreements, and so much more kept us on our toes. My responsibilities thrust me right into the thick of it.

Gratitude

But those challenges can’t cloud the positivity cultivated during my fourth year at WSU. While the highlights and growth are neat, the best part of my job is the UMC team I work with. I am constantly heartened by our team of writers, photographers, videographers, designers, and developers who go out of their way to support our social program. Without these colleagues, our social media presence would be shoddy at best. Well, at least it would be if I was the only member of our social team. I am grateful to have Matt Haugen serve as our social media manager—he can do a lot with a little as his passion for WSU leads him to do great things for our program.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t recognize a couple other team members who played a big role in my fourth year. Let me once again mention Cara Hoag, our enrollment management marketing director, who presented with me at the AMAs. Whether it was preparing for that major conference, driving to Everett together, or trying to pinpoint strategies to bring more students to WSU, it was so nice to work with her and also have someone to talk with about the daily joys and challenges of raising young kids. Also, our creative director, Eric Limburg, continued to go out of his way to make sure our social team always had everything we needed from a video/photo/design perspective. The conclusion of my fourth year at WSU coincides with Eric’s final month at the university. He landed an incredible job at another university and I will miss him a lot. Thanks for everything, Eric!

Cara and I collaborated a lot this year. This is us returning to Spokane from Everett.

Finally, what more can I say about my boss? Holly Sitzmann is invested in my success and the accomplishment of my goals. Her guidance in my development as a professional is what most employees can only dream of when it comes to their supervisor. But as I have said on numerous occasions, the support she gives me as a WSU employee is only outdone by the recognition she gives me as an individual. Holly allows me to put my family first and pursue the quirkiness and weirdness of the person I am. 😉

——————

I am thankful to be at WSU. In fact, two of the people I just mentioned—Holly and Eric—were on the search committee who brought me here…so special thanks to both of them! I am grateful for the opportunities I have been afforded and I hope to continue to contribute. I look forward to Year #5 as I try my best to rep the crimson and gray. GO COUGS! Don’t Blink.

In Chicago For AMA Speaking Opportunity

As I write this, I am about to depart on the first leg of a flight itinerary that will take me to a familiar conference in a new place where I will do something that never gets old.

I am on my way to Chicago where I will present at the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. This will be my second consecutive speaking opportunity at AMA as I presented at the 2022 conference in National Harbor and my third overall as I also presented at the 2019 conference in Las Vegas.

I am thrilled and honored to speak at the 2023 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Ed.

However, this won’t be a rinse and repeat exercise. After presenting with colleagues from two other Pac-12 schools and TikTok in 2022, I will share the stage on Monday with my very own co-worker and friend, Cara Hoag. The two of us will present about how our WSU University Marketing and Communications team transformed our YouTube channel from a communications platform into a Gen Z-first marketing tool. It has been a lot of fun working with Cara the past few months on this presentation and we are looking forward to delivering it to the brightest minds in our industry.

Can’t wait to present with Cara Hoag on Monday.

The conference is taking place at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk as I am psyched to visit one of our country’s largest and most famous cities. It is in this heart of downtown Chicago where I will have the opportunity to learn about the latest trends in higher ed marketing, catch up with friends in the industry, meet new university marketing professionals, and of course leave it all on the stage when Cara and I present on Monday afternoon. I also plan to at least get a peek of what Chicago looks like outside the walls of the Sheraton Grand.

Looking forward to learning and presenting at the Chicago Sheraton.

If you are attending this conference, make sure to check out “Not Your Parents’ YouTube” by Cara Hoag and Brent Reser at 3:45 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13. If you are a regular Don’t Blink reader and couldn’t care less about higher ed marketing, you can still send good vibes our way 😉. Thanks to Washington State University for this opportunity! Don’t Blink.

One Year A Coug

Could a work anniversary be anymore unique? Today I celebrate one year at Washington State University. On second thought, I think semantics are important in this case. Let me rephrase it this way: Today I celebrate one year with Washington State University.

I make this distinction in jest because I only spent a single day in the office during my debut year as a Coug. After that first day on campus in Pullman, due to the pandemic, I have worked entirely from home in Spokane. Although I joke about the strange circumstances and still use it as an icebreaker on Zoom when I meet someone new (believe it or not, I was just on campus for one day…), working remotely would not sour my first year working for WSU.

At my 1-year mark of employment at WSU, I give my experience two big thumbs up!

Except for a little thing called the Coronavirus, my social media strategist position has been exactly as advertised—which is a good thing because that is why I took the job. Paid social advertising, campaigns, analytics, and social media management for the WSU System channels were all focal points of the job description and turned out to be responsibilities I perform every day.

COVID-19 added some necessities to my plate such as virtual town hall organization, testing communication, and safe behavior outreach. Truth be told, there was never a time during my first year when the pandemic did not have a daily impact on what I did. Although the virus could be disruptive and scary, I always considered myself lucky that my position allowed me to stay as informed as possible. Working at a place with world-class scientists and excellent science writers will keep you abreast during a pandemic.

I was all smiles my first (and only) day on campus.

This first year at WSU I had the opportunity to give numerous presentations, devise/execute many plans, make recommendations, introduce new platforms, and provide trainings. This allowed me to not only contribute but more importantly it opened the “virtual” door to meet new people. Although some might believe that working remotely can hinder professional relationships, I never felt that way throughout the past 12 months.

It has been such a pleasure working with colleagues from different departments and campuses. I have also enjoyed the opportunity to work with non-WSU professionals in the Palouse community and social media managers at other institutions. But I can’t say enough about the people I have the joy of working with on a daily basis within the department that I am part of—University Marketing and Communications. From our news unit that I am housed under to our graphics team to our enrollment management marketing director to our web wizzes to our video crew to our dedicated magazine folks, I just feel fortunate to work with these folks who are so good at what they do.

My dad commemorated today’s workversary by making this.

I also feel extremely lucky to work for effective and humble leadership. We have a superb vice president leading our department who trusts the expertise of each individual in University Marketing and Communications. I also have incredible direct bosses who are supportive and empowering. When I was interviewing for this position I thought I want to work for these people and when I became part of the team my motivation to work for them strengthened even more.

Looking back on the first year, I have a few favorite things I worked on. The #PalouseUnity campaign, the 2020 WSU holiday video, our Coronavirus research awareness push, and the debut of our TikTok channel were all fun projects that also seemed to make a difference. Another bright spot from the first year was just the social media outreach I got to do with colleagues within the WSU System. Whether it was talking strategy, building paid social plans, or identifying key metrics to focus on when reporting analytics, my job was very rewarding because I got to help others at WSU reach their social media goals.

I have worked from home since my second day on the job.

When I arrived at WSU I had to adjust to working at a university that was much bigger and had much more tradition than my previous institution. Thankfully, the person I work closest with was there to help me navigate the waters. Matt Haugen, our social media manager, has an immense amount of institutional knowledge and he has never withheld sharing it with me. His willingness to help me with the complexities and nuances of a system the size of WSU has made my job a lot easier and his own social media expertise has made me better at what I do.

I am proud to be part of the Coug family. When I started the job I wrote that first and foremost I just wanted to contribute. As I enter my second year I want to focus on doing the same. it seems like once you are able to add something of value to your team, everything else just falls into place. Go Cougs! Don’t Blink.