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Communications

Goal 1
Raise perception of Whitworth's academic quality among prospective students, academic peers and alumni.

Action steps include:

• Consistently promote, in all admissions communications, the distinctive qualities of Whitworth's academic program: dual commitments to integration of Christian faith and learning and open intellectual inquiry; innovative international and cross-cultural study programs; abundant opportunities for involvement in student leadership, performing arts, research and scholarship and intercollegiate athletics.
• Continue development of the academic department web pages to include standardized faculty pages that list professors' academic areas of specialization, research/scholarship activities and honors, as well as professional-quality photographs and contact information.
• Develop a dynamic online catalog that is fully integrated with Datatel and with the existing academic-department and faculty web pages to ensure that the most current and complete academic information is available to prospective students and other key audiences.
• Re-design Whitworth Today to focus on academic quality and appeal to a broader audience; increase circulation among academic peers, regional leaders.
• Working with Office of Academic Affairs, develop and send significant academic announcements to senior administrators at U.S. News, CIC, CCCU and ICW peer institutions.
• Increase number of news stories and op-ed pieces placed in regional and national media.
• Continue to seek relevant national awards/recognition/speaking engagements that raise Whitworth's visibility among target academic audiences.
• Communicate data trends to relevant administrators in order to maintain or improve performance in U.S. News criteria that most influence rankings.

Benchmarks:

• Raise Whitworth's academic reputation rating to 3.9 in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Guide. (2005 U.S. News academic reputation score: 3.7.)
• Increase by 10% the percentage of students who give Whitworth an "excellent" rating for academic reputation in the 2010 Admitted Students Questionnaire. (2000 ASQ: 49%.)
• Increase by 10% the percentage of alumni and parents who give Whitworth an "outstanding" rating for academic quality. (2003 constituent research study: alumni 51.5%, parents 62.9%.)

Goal 2
Raise awareness/name recognition of Whitworth among Presbyterian pastors, high-school counselors, business leaders and the general public in Greater Seattle to support long-term admissions, fund-raising and career-placement goals.

Action steps include:

• Complete Whitworth College special report in Washington CEO Magazine scheduled for fall 2004.
• Increase number of media pitches to Seattle-area media. Establish quarterly schedule of op-ed submissions to The Seattle Times.
• Seek regional speaking opportunities for Bill Robinson, the Lindaman Chair, and other faculty and administrators who can help raise Whitworth's visibility, particularly in Western Washington.
• Seek annual opportunities for guest preaching and admissions visits at five largest Presbyterian churches in greater Seattle.
• Identify and execute advertising opportunities to reach high-school counselors in Western Washington.

Benchmarks:

• Increase by 15% the number of Presbyterian pastors and high school guidance counselors who identify Whitworth among the top five independent colleges in the state in polls taken in 2005 and 2010 (requires new funding).
• Increase by 10% the number of Seattle-area residents who identify Whitworth among top five colleges/universities in the state in omnibus polls taken in 2005 and 2010. (Requires new funding; pursue collaboration with ICW.)

Goal 3
Raise level of understanding and ownership of Whitworth's unique identity and mission among trustees, faculty and staff, donors, alumni, current students and parents. Specifically, increase awareness of what we mean by our dual commitments to the integration of Christian faith and learning and open and rigorous intellectual inquiry.

Actions steps include:

• Draft a succinct internal statement to elaborate on the specific ways in which Whitworth seeks to live out its dual commitments to faith-learning integration and open intellectual inquiry. Review with trustees, particularly in new trustee orientation. Review with new students during orientation. Review with parents during Parents' Weekend. Review with faculty and staff during employee orientation.
• Help organize and lead a series of campus dialogues involving faculty, staff and students to discuss the tensions and opportunities that arise from Whitworth's dual commitments and to identify ways to strengthen both commitments.
• Review instructions supplied to faculty applicants for writing a statement of commitment to integrate Christian faith and teaching. Develop a similar statement for staff applicants.
• Clarify and strengthen institutional support for lectures, music and theatre productions, art exhibitions and other co-curricular programs that bring to campus diverse perspectives on challenging issues.
• Work with the academic dean and the Weyerhaeuser Center director to organize an academic conference that attracts attention and participation from academic leaders and clergy nationally and that helps promote Whitworth's distinctive strengths.

Benchmarks:

• Identify or create appropriate SIRP and/or Senior Survey questions to evaluate the degree to which Whitworth's distinctive educational mission is understood and supported by students. Achieve 90% rate of understanding and support by 2010.
• Survey faculty, staff and, possibly, trustees – perhaps as part of Best Christian Workplaces survey – on the degree to which Whitworth's distinctive educational mission is understood and embraced. Achieve 90% rate of understanding and support by 2010.

Goal 4
Raise perceptions among prospective students and parents of Whitworth's ability to prepare students for success in careers and graduate school.

Actions steps include:

• Work with Presidential Planning Commission and Institutional Research Committee to identify the desired benchmarks that will indicate success in this area – i.e. number of students attending graduate and professional school or percentage of alumni who are employed to their satisfaction within one year of graduation. Then, develop a program for gathering, monitoring and reporting data necessary to evaluate progress toward the benchmarks.
• Develop new admissions brochure promoting recent alumni who are achieving success in graduate school and careers as well as the value of the Lilly and Murdock programs for supporting students in vocational discernment and long-term professional satisfaction and success (in process).
• Work with Academic Affairs to encourage recruitment, advising and tracking of students receiving high-profile academic fellowships; taking MCAT, LSAT, GRE, CPA and other post-graduate exams; and attending graduate/professional school. Continue to promote successful alumni in communications directed at prospective students.
• Work with Murdock Lives of Commitment Project leaders on planning their longitudinal research studies of graduates to include analysis of career and career-preparation satisfaction.

Benchmarks:

• Raise by 10% the proportion of alumni and parents who give Whitworth an "outstanding" rating on career preparation in 2009 constituent research survey. (2003 survey: 35% of parents rate career preparation "outstanding," 33% of alumni rate career preparation "outstanding.")
• Track percentage of prospective students who perceive Whitworth to be career-oriented. (2000 ASQ: 23%.)

Goal 5
Raise the profile of graduate and nontraditional programs in Whitworth's primary communications channels, including Whitworth Today, Of Mind & Heart, the web, annual report, media relations and other publications.

Actions steps include:

• Director of communications to meet at least quarterly with the graduate studies council and with the director of continuing studies to discuss marketing needs and opportunities.
• Establish system to solicit information/content regularly for inclusion in Whitworth Today, Of Mind & Heart, the web, annual report and press releases.
• Work with the president, vice president for Academic Affairs, deans of the Schools of Education and Global Commerce and Management and other senior officers to ensure graduate and nontraditional programs are included, as appropriate, in public-speaking opportunities.
• Develop targeted marketing programs aimed at increasing enrollment in the Master of International Management Program and the Graduate Studies in Education Program.

Benchmarks:

• Conduct an annual communications audit to evaluate the degree to which graduate and nontraditional programs are integrated into college communications.
• Survey deans, directors and marketing managers for graduate and nontraditional programs to get their assessment of institutional marketing and communications support of their programs.
• Achieve 20% increases in applications for MIM and GSE program.