University communications and marketing reorganization to improve collaboration and effectiveness

A reorganization of two UCCS departments will improve the university’s communications and marketing efforts by encouraging collaboration across campus, improving efficiency and effectiveness and stretching spending further, Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak announced at a meeting Feb. 9.

The reorganization involves two offices, University Communications and Media Relations and University Marketing, which will be renamed UCCS Marketing Communications.

The reorganization is the culmination of a year of work and encompasses the recommendations of a nationally recognized consultant, input from virtually every department and college on campus, a financial analysis of marketing and advertising spending, input from campus deans and an internal communications audit.

“As we grow, we have limited resources, and we need to be able to very strategically expend those resources in the most efficient way possible,” Shockley-Zalabak said in the meeting, attended by more than 30 faculty and staff members. “And because we are growing, we have to up our internal game of communicating more effectively.”

The reorganization will include a variety of changes and new initiatives and is expected to take at least a year to fully implement. Under the reorganization, UCCS Marketing Communications will:

• Build a single comprehensive marketing communications department
• Provide brand and messaging leadership
• Provide vendor coordination for marketing needs across the campus
• Formalize the role of campus members who already have some marketing duties by way of the Marketing Integration Team
• Enhance and formalize ties with key departments
• Develop internal communications strategies
• Expand trademark licensing efforts
• Lead the campus in defining marketing, communications and branding
• Improve internal communications
• Include arts communications
• Expand the marketing communications staff

Many of the changes are intended to make the university’s marketing and communications efforts more strategic and effective. For example, coordinating advertising placements by various colleges and departments will save money and result in smarter ad buys, she said. Coordinating the purchases that various departments make for marketing purposes – anything from graphic design to mugs and pencils– is expected to save money and encourage expenditures that are more effective.

Now that the reorganization has been announced, work will begin on prioritizing the efforts with Martin Wood, senior vice chancellor, University Advancement; along with Tom Hutton, executive director, University Communications and Media Relations; and Gregory Hoye, director, Marketing.