Guidelines are offered and suggestions made for creating a student recruitment video that captures and keeps prospective students' attention. Illustrations are provided from the experiences of colleges, universities, and private schools. Topics, techniques, style, and cost control are discussed. (MSE)

Colleges need to pay more attention to presenting their distinctive character to prospective financial supporters. A framework comprising eight dimensions representing a wide range of human ideals is discussed. The dimensions are: moral, intellectual, egalitarian, spiritual, socio-political, humane, personal development, and tradition. (MLW)

All organizations have certain characteristics that make them unique. Corporate culture is defined as "a cohesion of values, myths, heroes, and symbols that comes to mean a great deal to the people who work in an organization." Culture as an internal management tool is discussed. (MLW)

Strategic planning for Centre College consists of two basic analyses: assessing the environment and discovering institutional identity. A strategic planning committee's job consists of several steps: articulating the institution's identity, analyzing strengths and weaknesses, setting goals, analyzing how strategies are working, and producing a…

Different types of donors may respond better to different types of approaches. Models built for four major donor groups (alumni, nonalumni individuals, business organizations) are described. (MLW)

Controversies and divisive issues on college campuses require swift action from public relations personnel. Although the issues may change, the basic coping strategy focuses on preserving a sense of community both on campus and among alumni, friends, and supporters. When polarization occurs it can be used as a source of communication and…

Guidelines are offered for making the most of either a foundation visit to a college campus in search of funding or a fund-raising visit to a foundation. Detailed planning, presenting the strengths of the college, and conducting an effective meeting are discussed. (MSE)

Advice is offered for making college alumni reunions fun and memorable, illustrated with anecdotes from various institutions. Suggestions include exciting opening activities, focusing on the particular habits or characteristics of a class, appealing to a variety of tastes, emphasizing class identity, savoring favorite campus traditions, and…

An interview with Philip Kotler, the Harold T. Martin Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University, is presented. Three approaches to marketing are identified: product-oriented, hard-sell, and building satisfaction in a long-term clientele. (MLW)

Based on experience with the 1994 earthquake, staff members of California State University at Northridge offer advice on coping with the aftermath of a crisis. Suggestions focus on early information dissemination both on and off campus, follow-up communication, finding things to celebrate, and remaining flexible and psychologically prepared for…

Change or the prospect of change can bring new life to an institution. In education's competitive marketplace, planned change (as opposed to change in response to a crisis) is both inevitable and necessary. Ways to sail smoothly through name changes, mergers, etc. are discussed. (MLW)

Strategic planning defines the university's mission, scans the environment and identifies challenges and opportunities for the university, assesses institution's strengths and weaknesses, sets priorities, and outlines strategies for achieving goals. Strategic planning at the University of Miami is discussed. (MLW)

The goal of institutional history should be to "place the institution in the context of American collegiate and cultural history." Two types of institutional histories exist: scholarly ones and public relations accounts. Guidelines for writing a history include begin at the beginning, decide on institutional image, etc. (MLW)

The simplest form of institutional identity program is a wordmark--a typographic treatment of the institution's name--and a set of guidelines for presenting the wordmark on all communications. A more detailed program might include a logo, standards for the placement of information on the paper, family of typefaces, etc. (MLW)

Increasingly, colleges and universities are establishing retirement communities on or near campus to attract active and generous alumni. The communities provide opportunities for continuing education and intergenerational contact. The working relationships between institutions and retirement communities are varied. Suggestions are made for…