Public Relations Highlights
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The primary goal of the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies' public relations office is to create and maintain a favorable environment for student and faculty recruitment, private giving and public funding by raising awareness of the college and its accomplishments among essential elements and constituencies. The office advocates the use of planned and purposeful marketing communication ideas, strategies and tactics. Ronni French coordinated media relations activities for the college.

2001 Overall Institutional Relations Program

The most important strategic activity this year was the decision to outsource our public relations efforts. The Echols Group was contracted to provide marketing and public relations expertise, and to write and produce the Briefing, Experts Guide and a new Viewbook. Lee Echols provides public relations and marketing advice and strategic thinking, and excellent relationships with local, state and national media. Jennifer Echols provides excellent writing skills and good relationships with designers and printers. The Echols Group has worked effectively over the past year with the Office of University Relations to ensure that the Andrew Young School was recognized for its accomplishments, both internally and externally.

We continue to explore ways in which we can more effectively present the Andrew Young School and its activities. As our college is known more widely, and our record of achievements recognized, our reputation continues to grow. In an effort to "brand" the Andrew Young School, this year we created an institutional ad that would be instantly recognizable. This institutional ad was placed in a number of publications.

Publications

The Briefing: Two issues of The Briefing were published this year. The Spring issue was 12 pages, and contained a 4 page insert on the Andrew Young Birthday Celebration. This issue was written by former PR director Betsy Robertson. The Winter issue was 16 pages long. It was planned, written, and production was overseen by Jennifer Echols.

Dean's E-News: Robin Steinbrenner, Associate to the Dean, compiled and produced several issues of the Dean's E-News, an electronic newsletter for faculty and staff members. Distribution was expanded this year to include our Board of Advisors.

The 2000 Annual Report: Cynthia Blasdell coordinated the 2000 Annual Report effort, pulling contributions from throughout the college.

Recruitment Collateral:

Seven new brochures and/or recruitment tools were developed:

• Nonprofit Studies Program
• B.S. in Urban Policy Studies
• B.S. In Human Resource Development
• Economics Ph.D. Poster
• South Africa Study Abroad Brochure
• Fiscal Policy Training Brochure
• Summer Policy Internship Brochure

Display Advertising:

• Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management Conference Program and Pre-program
• Public Administration Times
• American Society for Public Administration, Education Supplement
• Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2001 Book of Lists
• Georgia Trend Magazine, September Issue

Marketing/Promotional Materials:

• Photo Wall display unit
• Photography - various projects
• Website - we added two new sections to our site: "Looking for an Expert?", that offers information about faculty and staff able to respond to current issues; and "Media Hits", that lists faculty and staff who have been quoted about current events and issues in newspapers and periodicals

Special Events

AYSPS organized and participated in numerous special events designed to increase its visibility among key constituencies. The Andrew Young Birthday Celebration required the participation, coordination and cooperation of the entire college, as well as our outside volunteers. The college participated in Georgia State's annual Leadership Appreciation Night in January, showcasing its programs and personnel. The Honors Day program this year was the best attended ever, attracting board members, alumni, and donors to our campus.

Media Relations

Our faculty, researchers and data are always in demand by the media on the local, state and national scene. This year, the tragic events of September 11 created an even greater demand for information on disaster management, aviation safety and security, and the economy. Normally, we average 10-12 interviews, articles or reports monthly. In the weeks following September 11, our faculty and staff gave hundreds of interviews to both print and electronic news media from around the world.