Overview
As Director of Communications at Fort Hays State University, I led a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy that advanced on-campus and online enrollment, both domestic and international, strengthened alumni engagement, and elevated the university’s brand. I directed a professional staff of 8 and supervised 12 student employees, balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution. My work spanned print, digital, and live programming, creating consistent messaging that reached prospective students, alumni, donors, and international audiences.
Challenge
- Competing in a crowded higher education marketplace for student recruitment with a reputation for being a thrifty educational option, while undergoing significant leadership changes.
- A need for clear and consistent messaging to reach both domestic and international audiences.
- The alumni community is seeking stronger connections to the institution.
- Outdated tools and fragmented communications across multiple units.
Strategy
- Develop and implement an enrollment-focused marketing strategy that integrates print, digital, and emerging channels to increase enrollment.
- Craft publications and campaigns tailored to domestic and international prospective students.
- Reinforce alumni pride and connections and increase philanthropic giving through storytelling and flagship publications.
- Introduce new digital tools (chatbots, livestreaming, targeted campaigns) to modernize outreach.
- Build processes and workflows to ensure consistency and alignment across campus communications.
Execution
- Directed creation of viewbooks, recruitment guides, and admissions collateral for both domestic and international markets.
- Served as managing editor of ROAR magazine, the university’s flagship alumni publication.
- Designed and executed digital marketing campaigns that included email, social media, video, and chatbots.
- Produced presidential communications and live digital programming to engage campus and alumni communities.
- Collaborated with the President’s Executive Council and Crisis Management Team to produce University communications during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Coordinated across units to align enrollment, alumni, departmental and institutional messaging.
- Mentored and managed a team of 8 professionals and 12 student staff, developing workflows, training, and professional growth opportunities.
Outcomes
- Achieved 41% increase in web traffic following a strategic website redesign.
- Launched a historic brand refresh grounded in primary research and analysis, adopted campus-wide through in-person and online trainings and internal brand adoption campaigns.
- Strengthened enrollment pipelines through updated recruitment materials, holistic student lifecycle strategies, and multi-channel campaigns. Securing steady enrollment growth domestically and internationally.
- Expanded international reach with publications and digital tools tailored to global audiences.
- Expanded alumni reach through ROAR magazine and digital programming, contributing to FHSU’s record-breaking Journey campaign.
- Modernized institutional communications with digital-first approaches (e.g., chatbot adoption, email campaigns, audience-first social media, livestreamed events).
- Positioned communications as a driver of both enrollment growth and alumni giving.
Acknowledgment
The successes at FHSU were made possible through collaboration among enrollment management, alumni relations, and university leadership. These partnerships ensured that communications were aligned with institutional priorities and reached audiences around the world.
Samples of work
- Fort Hays State University Website: https://www.fhsu.edu/
- Fort Hays State University 2021 Viewbook
- Fort Hays State University 2021 Transfer Guide
- The FHSU Viewbook and Transfer Guides are the key recruitment pieces for the Admissions Department. These pieces were created in collaboration with Admissions and served as the foundation for all annual marketing materials.
- Role: Copywriting, editing, photography, strategy
- ROAR Magazine was a cornerstone of content for the Office of University Relations and Marketing, serving the entire student lifecycle from awareness to enrollment and connection with alumni and supporters. We operated with a lean team during a period of institutional change, so I served as managing editor, contributing writer, and photographer.
- Fall 2021: https://issuu.com/forthays/docs/roar_fall21_digitalx
- Fall 2020: https://issuu.com/forthays/docs/roar_covid20
- Spring 2019: https://issuu.com/forthays/docs/roar_spr19
- Fall 2019: https://issuu.com/forthays/docs/roar_win19
- Press Release: Fort Hays State University Department of Agriculture Launches New Degree Programs
- Recruitment Blog Writing: 6 Reasons to Finish Your College Degree
- Recruitment Blog Writing: Experience in agriculture leads to Cranwell’s dream internship
