Engaging in Everett

After the successful and educational WSU System Communicators Conference last October in Vancouver, it didn’t take long for us to do it again. Today we wrapped up our 2023 conference in Everett. Once again, marketers and communicators from across the WSU system came together to discuss our work, learn from each other, and look ahead to the future. This time we got to do it on the WSU Everett campus!

Our latest WSU System Communicators Conference took place on the WSU Everett campus (image courtesy of WSU Photo Services).

I wanted to share some highlights and themes from our time in the Puget Sound…

Travel Partner – I traveled with my colleague and friend Cara Hoag. We were supposed to take a motor pool car but a scheduling mistake meant that we had to take my personal vehicle at the last minute. Cara, our enrollment management marketing director, took it all in stride as we had smooth travel, lively conversation, and plenty of caffeine to/from Everett.

Cara and I spent a lot of time in the car together. She made the travel time go by quick!

Special Visitor – How do you make a WSU conference stand out? You have the top university leader make an appearance! Kirk Schulz, our WSU president, made the trip to Everett to talk to our group. He thanked us for our work, expressed his goals for our marketing efforts, and even fielded questions. It was really cool to have him in-person in such an intimate setting.

It was a privilege to listen to WSU President Kirk Schulz speak to our group.

Brains Behind the Agency – The leadership team I am part of within University Marketing and Communications is working with a newly hired and highly touted marketing agency called BVK. This agency is going to help us do BIG things. We were fortunate that Vince Kalt, BVK’s senior vice president, underscored this enthusiasm by presenting to all the marketers and communicators at the conference. In a series of three different talks, Vince gave an introduction to BVK’s services/philosophies and shared some research that his agency has already completed regarding WSU. The sky is the limit for us!

Vince Kalt flew to Everett to share how BVK will greatly benefit WSU.

Updates From Phil – Our University Marketing and Communications vice president, Phil Weiler, was the glue throughout the conference. Not only did he serve as the emcee and keep the itinerary on track but he presented as well. Phil gave updates on the work our department is doing, discussed a specific communication model, and even hosted an icebreaker event on the first night.

Thanks to Phil for keeping the conference on track and for presenting!

Campus Tour – After lunch on Tuesday, we were treated to an in-depth tour of the WSU Everett campus. WSU program coordinator Brandon Buckingham took us around the main campus building as he showed us the innovative labs, impressive classrooms, creative art, and student-focused features that define the campus. After seeing so many photos and videos of WSU Everett over the past three years, it was nice to actually view it all in-person.

Brandon Buckingham was a superb tour guide. It was nice to finally visit the WSU Everett campus.

Work Project – Tuesday also allowed us to complete the filming of a video project. My social team and our video team are working on a “Best-Kept Summer Secrets” video that includes all WSU campuses. WSU Everett was the last campus we needed to film so my colleague Kara Billington (videographer) and I worked with a couple students to highlight their student center. It was enjoyable to take a break from the presentation grind and engage with a couple of enthusiastic and high-energy WSU Everett students.

Kara Billington and I were able to film with WSU Everett students for a system video project we are working on.

Communication and Mental Health – We were so fortunate that Erin Carroll, the marketing and communications director of Student Affairs, presented on a topic that many of us feel nervous and unworthy to champion within our jobs. You see, the tendency is easy to either neglect communicating about mental health entirely OR to address it in a stigmatizing, out of touch way. Erin’s expertise was much needed and appreciated as she encouraged us to normalize the topic. My favorite part of her presentation was her challenge to be more thoughtful about the images we use within stories and social media posts that relate to mental health. Erin sure was impressive!

Erin Carroll provided us with invaluable knowledge and knocked it out of the park during her presentation about communication and mental health.

The Fun Breakout 😉 – During the afternoon on Tuesday, three breakout sessions were offered. I naturally attended the one about social media. Matt Haugen, our social media manager within University Marketing and Communications, presented on content development and the hierarchy/ecosystem of social media at WSU. I was proud that Matt represented our team and I enjoyed listening to others in the session talk about their triumphs/successes with social.

Thanks to Matt Haugen for representing our University Marketing and Communications social media team!

Debrief – This morning we had the opportunity to bring it all together. We broke into small groups and chatted about what we had learned at the conference and how we can apply it moving forward. We also shared the tools we are using to make us more efficient at our jobs. The honest discussion made me feel so proud to be part of our central strategic communications team as the progress we have made under the leadership of Holly Sitzmann was highlighted.

Chantell Cosner provided a recommendation of Asana, a work management platform, to our group.

Community – At a conference like this, you can learn a lot and grow professionally. However, I prioritize the opportunities to build and solidify relationships. You can’t put a value on going out to dinner with a fun group, connecting with a new employee, or sitting down in-person with a colleague you have only interacted with via Zoom. I feel lucky to have had these experiences during my three days in Everett.

When you are visiting a beautiful city like Everett, it makes connecting with colleagues even more fulfilling. I took this photo of an Everett sunset on Tuesday night.

Big thanks to our University Marketing and Communications staff, especially Amanda Beardslee and Maria Anguiano, who organized many of the logistics for this conference. Much gratitude to Corrie Wilder, the WSU Everett marketing and communications director, for hosting us. Finally, kudos to the planning committee and presenters who made sure we had a content-rich conference. I look forward to our next all-system in-person meeting in May when we will all converge in Pullman. Don’t Blink.

Connecting With WSU Colleagues in Vancouver

It is time for a business trip! This evening I arrived in Vancouver. No, not the major Canadian seaport but the southwest Washington city that is a stone’s throw from Portland. I am in this beautiful city for an internal conference. For the next couple days, I will join my fellow marketers and communicators from across the Washington State University system for team building, presentations, and discussions.

For the next couple of days, I will be connecting with my WSU communications and marketing colleagues at an internal conference on the WSU Vancouver campus (photo courtesy of WSU Photo Services)

Sometimes people don’t realize how big WSU is. Besides our flagship campus in Pullman (which I am headquartered), we also have physical campuses in Spokane, Tri-Cities, Everett, and Vancouver. Additionally, WSU is home to a thriving online campus. All these campuses have marketing and communication teams. On top of that, most of the academic colleges, student services, and other university departments boast marketing and communications teams too. This adds up to a lot of marketing and communication personnel that represent WSU. Every year or so, during normal times, we like to get together.

Because of the pandemic, this is my first WSU MarComm Conference. It will also mark the first time that I engage with many of my colleagues in-person after working with them for 2.5 years on a virtual basis. Other “firsts” include my first time ever on the WSU Vancouver campus and my first time ever on the WSU Tri-Cities campus—I caught the bus on the latter that took me to the former.

Perhaps the most significant “first” will be an in-person presentation to my WSU colleagues as a Coug staffer. The last time I presented in-person to a WSU audience was when I visited for my on-campus interview nearly three years ago. I am honored and a little nervous to have a speaking role at a conference with 75 of my co-workers. I am prepped to discuss how we are leveraging TikTok at WSU and anticipate a lot of interest. Wish me luck!

I feel grateful to be at this conference. Marketing and communications is definitely emphasized at WSU and it is cool to see all the people who play a role in it. I look forward to leaving Vancouver with more connections and a greater appreciation for the hard work that my colleagues put forth on a daily basis. Don’t Blink.

Back on Campus

GO COUGS! We are now officially in-person.

For the first time since March 2020, classes at Washington State University took place in physical classrooms with an instructor up front teaching material and students in desks absorbing the content.

Classes were in-person at our five physical campuses today, including at WSU Tri-Cities.

How long has it really been? I wasn’t even working for WSU the last time in-person classes were held. But the 18 months of remote learning is now all in the past and it is full steam ahead. Well, kind of—I am not that naïve. I know the Delta variant has the potential to cause disruptions so I am keeping those ramifications in the back of my mind. To be honest, though, I am staying positive and hoping for an entire academic year of faculty engaging students on our beautiful campuses across the state.

The absence of students on campus was an especially tough pill to swallow at WSU Pullman. To see a full campus was awesome.

Alright, let me slow down a bit. There really isn’t a reason tonight to look too far down the road, or, for that matter, rewind through the past year and a half. Instead, I think it is important to just savor today. Seniors and juniors got to return to their beloved campuses, second year students finally got a taste of the college experience after their freshman year was virtual, and new students got to enjoy something they might have questioned would even be possible a year ago at this time. Today was big.

Our future healthcare professionals returned to WSU Spokane today.

I would like to wish all WSU students a fantastic semester. They deserve this. I feel fortunate to be part of the Cougar family and feel the excitement that is clearly evident. Let’s take this one day at a time and hope for the best. Don’t Blink.