A plan to optimize ISU's marketing and communications structure

President Wendy Wintersteen has accepted several recommendations from a working group's proposal aimed at optimizing the university's marketing and communications (marcom) structure.

Since June, the working group had explored approaches to increase collaboration, consistency and accountability across campus units -- one of five key recommendations by a consultant. The Segal Group produced the recommendations last spring following a communications and constituent engagement assessment that encompassed the university, ISU Alumni Association and ISU Foundation.

Wintersteen asked the working group to draft a proposal with options for a networked or formally connected organizational model for university marketing and communications. Carol Heaverlo of ISU Extension and Outreach chaired the 16-member working group, which included college communications directors, selected communications leaders from other units and university human resources (UHR) representatives.

On Sept. 30, the working group delivered its proposal to the president, and last week in a memo to the working group, Wintersteen outlined recommendations she supported and was accepting.

Reporting relationships

The working group proposed creating direct, solid-line reporting relationships for a set of key campus marcom leaders to university marketing and communications (UMC). The president instead supported implementing dotted-line reporting relationships at this time.

"After discussions with senior leaders, including the deans, I decided that now was not the right time to recommend changes to solid-line reporting, which would have likely required a major reorganization across campus," Wintersteen said. "I am confident that a dotted-line approach will foster greater coordination and alignment that moves us closer to my stated ideal of 'One University' for strategic communications and marketing."

Dotted-line relationships (11) to UMC will be implemented for the communications leaders of the seven colleges (Agriculture and Life Sciences, Business, Design, Engineering, Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Veterinary Medicine) and senior communications leaders of the four university divisions (academic affairs, student affairs, operations and finance, and president). Roles and responsibilities of each dotted-line reporting relationship will be defined and mutually agreed upon by the respective campus unit and UMC.

Wintersteen deferred a decision on a recommendation to also adjust reporting lines for several university-wide units such as Admissions, Iowa State Online and ISU Extension and Outreach.

She noted a new partnership is under development to link Extension and Outreach's advancement (marcom) staff with the central university marcom team, "strengthening its [University Marketing and Communications] capacity and capabilities to fulfill strategically important priorities for the mutual benefit of both units."

Wintersteen did not accept a further recommendation to require solid-line reporting relationships within each division and college -- a structural change that would have connected marcom staff at many levels to a college or division marcom director.

"Staff reporting relationships or structures within divisions or colleges will remain the prerogative of each division or college," she said.

Policy, coordination and more

Wintersteen accepted several other recommendations from the proposal:

• Develop and adopt a university policy on marketing and communications that would define standards for university messaging and representation to strengthen awareness, reinforce accountability, reduce risk and safeguard the university's reputation.
• Establish formal groups tasked to better coordinate campus marcom strategy, including a strategy council, a brand governance council and a university marcom network.
• Implement a university-wide social media strategy to strengthen brand visibility, foster authentic engagement and ensure consistency across all units.
• Work more collaboratively on undergraduate and graduate student recruitment marketing strategy and on internal communications strategy.

What's next?

Wintersteen asked associate vice president and chief marketing and communications officer Jacy Johnson to develop an implementation plan on the accepted recommendations and work with UHR professionals for guidance on establishing the dotted-line reporting relationships. She also asked Johnson to continue to review other recommendations in the proposal and consider how they might be prioritized or adopted in the future.

These are important steps, Wintersteen said. "Although it was my decision to initiate the assessment that produced the Segal Group recommendations, it was meant as a 'future of Iowa State' institutional priority, about positioning our university to be in a much better, more strategic place for years to come," she said.