New research from the National Center for Postsecondary Improvement provides a tool that colleges and universities can use to describe the higher education market, find their places within it, and identify what they need to do in the future. The market analysis and segmentation tool is outlined, and a worksheet for institutional planning is…

Five veteran college alumni directors share strategies for creating an effective association: deciding what program aspects must be measured; assessing the program realistically; listening to customers; stretching program resources to hold down cost and work more efficiently; and remembering the value of the human touch in program design and…

Discusses Internet access and monitoring in light of H. G. Wells' idea of a world brain or encyclopedia, or mind of the species. Topics include the evolution and effects of Internet access, including employee productivity, network bandwidth, and legal liabilities or negative publicity; and Internet usage and security policy. (LRW)

An interview with professor and journalist Jerry Footlick focuses on his recent book, "Truth and Consequences: How Colleges and Universities Respond to Public Crises," which presents case studies of how institutions deal with scandal, lawsuits, or other crises, focusing on media relations and the role of university public affairs staff. (MDM)

Considers how, for many years now, courses in public relations, advertising, and communication management at universities throughout Europe have been attracting more students than ever. Notes a survey among Dutch companies found that communications activities in the Netherlands are indeed coordinated in a single department that generally has a…

It is important for college presidents, through public relations staff, to know what constituent groups are thinking, anticipate issues before they become problems, and predict reactions to decisions. Strategies for access to the president include learning his style, keeping a formalized meeting schedule, networking, and volunteering him for…

University public relations directors are offered guidelines for conducting an economic impact study to evaluate the institution's worth to the community. Discussed are positive and negative aspects of such studies, the selection of a formal or informal research approach, testing study validity, and disseminating the information. (DB)

Step by step, the designer of this employee-based recruiting tool, a campus speaker's bureau, details its rationale, planning, and implementation at American Telephone and Telegraph. Concludes a speaker program is an invaluable link between a company and students. (Author/TE)

It is essential for a campus to designate a representative to develop a program for both disseminating information to legislators and cultivating good relations with state governments. This person should know area legislators and should work with them to prepare annual programs of activities for members of the general assembly. (MLW)

The purposes for publishing a factbook at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are reviewed and then used as a context to illustrate why this evolution took place and what was learned from the experience. Fact sheets, an on-line electronic factbook, and electronic databases are now being used. (MLW)

Offers guidelines for planning fund raising events for small public libraries, with examples of activities that have been used successfully. Areas discussed include involving librarians and trustees as fund raisers; group discussion activities to encourage brainstorming; developing strategies based on community resources; and capital fund drive…

Asks whether public relations can best be taught in the context of a traditional communication curriculum or in a business school setting. (MS)

Asks public relations educators what they think about core classes required for students in their field. Finds they generally support the idea that their students should take core mass communications courses, even if such core courses are developed from a traditional journalism/news-editorial standpoint. (MS)

Examines whether Roosevelt's condemnation of electric utility public relations represented a fair interpretation of the Federal Trade Commission investigation into the issue as authorized by Senate Resolution 83 in February, 1928. Concludes that the condemnation was campaign rhetoric, but constituted a successful public relations campaign for the…

Advice for alumni program directors to increase productivity and counter negative images includes developing a long-range plan for budget-building, being flexible enough to seize opportunities, building a base of support within the institution, cultivating support among senior administrators, building on successes and expecting excellence, and…