Report on Communications and Alumni Relations to Faculty Council
Submitted by Kathleen O’Brien, Communications and Development Officer
Friday, November 28, 2014
COMMUNICATIONS
Publicity/Media/Event Management
 Negotiated deal where for occasional use of one of our classrooms, a professional
videographer will create a recruitment video for our Faculty free of charge (worth
$20,000+)
 Successfully pitched Prof. Krmpotich and Prof. Howarth’s research tour with
participants to the Smithsonian in Washington as part of their SSHRC Partnership
Development funded research. The Bulletin ran the news story with photo
 Working with Prof. Mihalache to write story on her research re Fashion group
 Continue to ask/email several faculty members to meet or tell me about their
research for website stories
 Other stories are in the works including one on the Museum Studies historical
timeline
 Updated Faculty Research on website
 Took photos at Faculty events such as Associations, Alumni Stars Mixer, Museum
Mix with Masters, etc.
 Successfully pitched Bulletin and worked with editor to run a Did You Know? fact
mentioning the Faculty of Information and the IP Sharp Lecture
 Sent out media opportunities to professors to speak to GlobalTv, Sun Media etc.
 Working on writing and editing various alumni profiles to aid student recruitment
 Wrote or edited various news stories for website. Ideas come from various sources
including media stories, professors, students, colleagues
 Successfully pitched deceased graduate for “In Memoriam” tribute in Uof T
Magazine (winter edition)
 Created and designed various plasma screens and website hero boxes for various
events, mental health, meet the careers officer, etc.
 Also put up and took down event advertisements, and changed up the three plasma
screen content
 Produced advertisement in ASIS&T conference brochure
 Pulled together listserv message for ASIS&T featuring list of faculty and doctoral
students attending conference
 Interviewed, wrote, updated, and created hero box featuring McLuhan Fellows,
Sandy Pearlman and David Nostbakken
 Met with PhD students to develop plan to revise website presence
 Working with KMDI to publicize program through various methods
 Worked with media outlets to publicize IP Sharp Lecture, took photos throughout
day and at event. Helped with tear down and follow up, including photos, writing
story, working with President’s Office to obtain quotation, etc.
 Presented media relations/publicity tips to Dr. Brower’s Museum Studies exhibition
class
 Created and posted photo albums of events on Facebook (Halloween iTea,
Convocation, Associations, etc.)
 Helped organize iTeas this year including Welcome iTea, Halloween, and end-ofterm
 Working on Professor’s idea to add ICCIT undergraduate student emails to weekly
events blast
 Working on creating copy and ad for Alise Conference
 Liaising with central communications on media training sessions
 Updated content and revised broken links on Connect and Alumni sections of
website
 Working on creating Recent Faculty Publications document to hand out to
conference attendees/post on website
 Work on publicity for faculty events, including design work, online event creation,
external promotion, and outreach
 Working on copy editing articles written by work-study student
 Attended monthly Communications meeting
 Sent out weekly event e-blasts each Tuesday
 Post regularly on Facebook, tweet on Twitter
 Created/posted events, plasma screens, atrium plasma screens, hero boxes, and
posters
DEVELOPMENT
Stewardship/Alumni Relations/Event Management
 Responding to requests to mail out Informed alumni magazine. Answering inquiries.
 Speak to alumni answering questions on events and various issues
 Wrote copy to send to alumni volunteers as thank you
 Consulted on Convocation Tent activities with Advancement
 Wrote and sent out Donor Financial Report packages for a dozen donors
 Sent out donor letters for fall awardees
 Applied for $4,000 funding for Nelson Mandela internship
 Attended monthly Advancement meeting
 Attended monthly FIAA Executive meeting
 Took photos at November Convocation and sent out welcome email to new graduates.
Arranged convocation pins to be given to each grad