Communication Plan for QEP
Q
Shorter University
Emilee Bobo,, Blake Buford,, Cheryl
y Culp,
p, Shelbyy Farrer,,
Audrey Speight, Kaylee Wallace, and Maegan Wallin
December 2, 2011
Agenda
Introduction
 Where we are
 Why we are here
 Where we could be
 How we will get there

Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Where are we?
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Background and History




Founded in 1873
Four year, Baptist, Liberal Arts Institution
“A Christian Universityy Committed to
Excellence in Education”
Growing enrollment in the past 20 years
◦ 1991 enrollment was 800
◦ Current enrollment on main campus is 1542 (Fall
2010)
◦ Source:
S
F b k
Factbook
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
S d
D
hi
Student
Demographics
(Percentage)
90
80
70
60
50
Student Demographics (Percentage)
40
30
20
10
0
Female
International
Baptist
Georgia Resident
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Racial Breakdown
Non Resident Alien
Hispanic
2005 Shorter University Racial
Breakdown
2010 Shorter University Main Campus
Racial Breakdown
African American
White
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Majors
j
No School
Fine and Perfoming Arts
Nursing
School of Sciences and Mathematics
College of Buisness
School of Education
College of Arts and Sciences
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Student Life Demographics
50
45
40
35
30
Overall Percentage
Female
Male
25
20
15
10
5
0
Athlete
Resident
Greek
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Accreditation and QEP

Accredited under Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools
◦ QEP is a component of reaccreditation through this
council
Shorter’s QEP is “Christ-Centered Critical
Thinking”
g
 QEP was developed due to trends found at Shorter
University in the past 5 years:

◦ A rise in academic dishonesty
◦ A lack of development in critical thinking skills
◦ A need for strengthening a Christian worldview
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Media Analysis

Presentations from:
◦ Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences,
Dr. Sabrena Parton
◦ VP of Enrollment Management, Dr. John Head
◦ VP of Public Relations, Dawn Tolbert
◦ Director of Student Life, Emily Messer
y Culpp
◦ SGA President, Cheryl
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Media Analysis

Public Relations explained that most of their
communication is external
◦ Shorter 2U Alert System for Emergencies


Admissions Office mostly produces external
recruitment materials
Student Life explained the difficulty in getting
information to students
◦ No specific way is effective
◦ Student email is the official method, but it is not widely utilized
◦ Messer explained students responded best to mutually beneficial
interactions and activities
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats

Strengths:
St
th
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
High student-body involvement
Close knit “family”
Close-knit
family atmosphere.
atmosphere
Strong athletic program
Many involvement opportunities
Student-teacher ratio
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats

Weaknesses:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Overcrowding issues on campus
Traditional five day week instead of four
Multiple new policies concerning the student body
External reputation versus actual character
Athletic programs that focus less on Shorter’s mission
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats

Opportunities:
◦ Chance to get out of comfort zone
◦ Growth in faith and academics
◦ Completion of tasks formerly put on hold
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats

Th
Threats:
◦ Not enough real-life exposure
◦ School
S h l image
i
over iimportance off students
d
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Why
y are we here?
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Issues
Rise in academic cheating
 Lack of critical thinking skills
 Promotion of a Christian worldview

Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Information Gathering
and Research Methods

As
we have
completed
A a class,
l
h
l t d many tasks
t k
to gather information and research about
th QEP.
the
QEP
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Situational analysis
F
Focus
groups
Focus groups analysis
Creative strategy
Campaign planning
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Focus Group Participation

Students expressed positive support for
the QEP theme
◦ Beneficial, valuable
◦ Gain competitive edge after college
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Focus Group Participation

Lack of knowledge
g of Christ-Centered
Critical Thinking
◦ “You can look at something one second and know
what the answer is, but when you sit there and think
about it, you start second-guessing yourself. When
you start to critically think about situations, you’ll
come upp with a more solidified answer. You become
more grounded on what you believe.”
- Focus group student respondent
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Where could we
Where
be?
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Improvements

Students expressed negative
characteristics of Shorter
◦ Lack of competitiveness (versus a larger school)
◦ Other
O h schools
h l require more criticall thinking
h k than
h
Shorter
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Christ--Centered Critical Thinking
Christ

Focus on Christ-centered critical thinkingg
versus simply critical thinking

Gain 100% awareness
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
How are we going
to get there?
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Creative Strategy

Most students attend Shorter for reason such as
◦ Small class size
◦ Professor/Staff Relationships
◦ Community Atmosphere

Right now
now, there is no brand position for this initiative
◦ Focus group participants mostly seemed to be in favor of the
idea

Barriers
◦ Lack of consistent involvement
◦ Current campus issues

Motivation
◦ Job Market

Brand Personality
◦ Adaptive
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Creative Strategy
◦ Desired Consumer Actions:





Immediate action
Seek more information
Recognize brand relevance
Increase top of mind awareness
Change/reinforce attitudes
◦ Practical Considerations
 Timing
 Available media
 Other outlets
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Creative Exam

Stopping power
◦
◦
◦
◦

Flash
Fl
h mob.
b
Videos of students that encourage more students.
Chalking the campus.
QEP FESTIVAL!
Simple idea
◦ Teacher announcements at the beginning of class.
class
◦ Toilet Paper

Brand personality
◦ Approachable, interesting, useful course

Craftsmanship
 Chalking,
g, advertising,
g, pplanningg debate topics
p and field trips.
p
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Icons, Favorite Campaigns
Nike
 Apple
 Allstate: Mayhem
 Macy’s: Justin Bieber

Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Focus Group Campaign Ideas
Apple:
pp Think Different
 HWJT?
 Think Outside the Bun
 The More You Know.
 Cross
C
Y
Your Mind.
Mi d

Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Thi k about
Think
b t it.
it
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Think About It.
It
Command versus question
q
 Non-exclusive (non-religious)
 Thought provoking
 Stopping power
 Attention
A
i grabber
bb
 Shorter Lexicon

Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Our Plan

Traditional methods
◦ Flyers, email, TV monitors, SUB 49

Attention Grabbers
◦ Chalking, banners, t-shirts, toilet paper

New Ideas
◦ QEP Day, Commercial, QEP Student team,
Essay contest
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
The Key Benefit

Students take ownership
p of the QEP
Q
◦ Know Value
◦ Excited about participation and outcomes
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Summary

“Think About It” is the proposed
p p
communication plan
◦ Current status
◦ Student Input
◦ Communication media and activityy ideas

Goal
◦ Positive awareness over 100% of student body
◦ Student ownership of QEP
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter
Questions or Comments?

Thank you!
y
Communication Plan: QEP Shorter