Agenda
Join us June 22–24 in New Brunswick, New Jersey to learn from and network with Big Ten Plus colleagues, as well as members of national media, and experts in storytelling, diversity communications, social media, and more.
Wednesday, June 22 | Thursday, June 23 | Friday, June 24
Wednesday, June 22
4:00–6:00 p.m. Registration and Check-in at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (across the street from Heldrich Hotel)
6:00–7:00 p.m. Welcome Reception at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center
7:00–8:00 p.m. General Session: Building a Brand That Matters
Bailey Leffler, Lead Brand Manager, Purdue University
Learn how Purdue University harnessed the power of brand to tell meaningful stories and buck the trend of stagnant "one size fits all" content, developing personalized messages for their community and reaching them right where they are to influence attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. We will walk you through our brand strategy, the research, how it all comes to life, and showcase the impact of our marketing efforts.
8:00 p.m. Night out in New Brunswick / Optional shows at NBPAC
Thursday, June 23
8:45 a.m. Shuttle to campus begins
9:00 a.m. Breakfast
10:15 a.m. Welcome Address
Francine Conway, Chancellor-Provost, Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Keynote Address: Effectively Engaging Generation Z
Mark Beal, Professor and Author, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University
Generation Z (Gen Z), those born between 1997 and 2012, surpassed millennials in 2019 as the largest consumer segment. Members of the Gen Z cohort range from elementary school students to those who graduated college in the past several years and are now embarking on their careers. The pandemic occurred during their most formative years and has impacted them significantly leading to a prioritization of mental health. The most diverse and inclusive generation, Gen Z is also called, The Purpose Generation. They support brands who demonstrate a higher purpose as customers, and they seek to be employed by companies and organizations that prioritize purpose over profit. Gen Z's media preferences are unprecedented. They consume news and information via content channels that did not exist at the turn-of-the-century including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other emerging channels.
11:30 a.m. Break
11:45 a.m. General Session: The Art of Inclusive Communication
Djenaba Figueroa, Director of Communications for University Equity and Inclusion, Rutgers University
Inclusive communication explores and values diversity in the fullest sense of the word, including race and ethnicity, but also gender, sexual orientation, age, and ability. In this interactive session, participants will explore ways to communicate across differences with respectful, inclusive messaging that values, recognizes, and speaks to diverse audiences.
12:45 p.m. Lunch
1:45 p.m. General Session: Multi-Channel Storytelling
Katie Lawson, University of Maryland
Kevin Lorincz, Rutgers University
Larry McAllister II, Rutgers University
Jessica McKesey, University of Maryland
Jennifer Trenkamp, Michigan State University
Multi-channel storytelling is one of the most efficient ways universities and brands get their messages across to consumers. Audiences value trust and transparency to build connections, and multi-channel storytelling allows those messages to be received through many mediums. Learn from storytelling experts and hear the best examples of how their stories (big or small) demonstrate the very best of their institution and its brand. This session will be a moderated panel discussion.
2:45 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. General Session: Pitching Stories – What Works and What Doesn’t
Shoshannah Buxbaum, Science Friday
Anemona Hartocollis, The New York Times
Arrica SanSone, Freelance Writer and Editor
Eric Strauss, ABC News
National media coverage is the coveted outcome for the enterprising communications teams at our institutions. This session is your chance to hear from reporters from a broad cross-section of national media, including from legacy media (New York Times), national radio (Science Friday), television (ABC), and health care (freelance). Find out what works, what doesn’t, and what’s interesting to leading reporters in the country.
4:00 p.m. Pre-dinner break
5:30 p.m. Bus to dinner
Friday, June 24
8:30 a.m. Breakfast
9:30 a.m. General Session: Public Perception of Research Universities
Ken Goldstein, AAU
Pedro Ribeiro, AAU
AAU’s Public Opinion Project is focused on the public opinion landscape for research universities. The Project exists to provide intelligence to university leadership on where the American public stands on higher education issues and to deliver guidance on how best to communicate what we do to the public and to other key audiences, such as policymakers. This presentation will cover the current state of public opinion and perceptions of research universities, as well as highlighting recent findings on messaging, partisanship, admissions, public funding, and legislation under consideration in Congress. This presentation is intended to be interactive, and you are encouraged to react to the findings and contribute ideas on both the messages and tactics that leading research universities and their strategic communications can employ.
10:30 a.m. General Session: Lightning Round: Success on a Shoestring
This rapid-fire session will have each institution share in 3 minutes or less the strategy, implementation, and outcomes of their best budget-friendly campaign or initiative.
11:15 a.m. Concluding remarks and lunch