Iowa City Press Citizen
05-18-07
Regents eye hiring PR firm
The Iowa state Board of Regents is looking for an agency to handle its public
relations and communications efforts.
"One thing this isn't: image building for the Board of Regents," Executive Director
Gary Steinke said Thursday. "We don't have anyone in the office who can
disseminate information. We had two major grants come to the University of Iowa
and Iowa State (University), and they got virtually no attention."
Steinke is looking to start a part-time position, whether through a firm or an
individual, that would last one year beginning July 1 with the option of an
additional year. There is a solicitation on the regent Web site for contract bids.
Regents had a similar position vacated about two years ago, but it was filled
because of budget reasons, Steinke said.
Steinke said this position would not serve as spokesperson, but one duty would
be to advise how to get prominent media play for positive stories.
"A lot of times the really cool discoveries are treated as ho-hum. A lot of these
things are really important, for farmers and on the medical side.
"The budgets of the universities are $3.5 billion; not all of it is state money, but a
lot of that is taxpayer money. Taxpayers have a right to know what is happening
at the universities when this much money is involved. What are they getting from
the universities? They have a right to get the word, and we haven't been doing
that," he said.
Stated objectives for the service are to spread the message across Iowa about
what regent institutions do and how they affect and benefit Iowans, to develop
"champions" for each university and improve internal communication among the
nine regents and board staff.
The target audience is identified as elected officials, business and community
leaders, taxpayers, students and families, regent institution champions and
media.
Intended results include a unified regent message, a statewide campaign to
reach the target audiences, evaluating for distribution public documents, and
"obtain objective depictions of (regent) messages and activities appearing in the
media."
One regent, Robert Downer of Iowa City, said he hadn't seen an absence of
objectivity in the media.
Downer said he had not been informed of the plan and had some concerns. He
wanted to be sure how this service would affect the board office budget, and he
said he didn't want it to "wall off" regents or senior office staff from the public or
the media.
However, Downer said it may be appropriate, particularly to publicize what the
regents do in light of mammoth budgets.
"It certainly seems necessary to me to have someone who will disseminate
messages that affects the board as a whole as opposed to just someone who
does that for the universities," he said.
Board members do not need to vote to approve the position.
Currently, there is no dollar amount budgeted for this service. Bids are due by
May 28, with a contract awarded June 22.
Regent president Michael Gartner did not immediately return phone or e-mail
messages.