UM-Flint University Relations

When I arrived at UM-Flint in 2001, I had never heard of the Critical Issues Forum. My first introduction to it was by Joanne Sullenger who was the Vice Chancellor for Development. Joanne always had University Relations design the brochure for the event. So when it was time, Joanne called me into her office for [...]

It is time to end awards for marketing in higher education. What is the point of awards anyway? Yeah, I know: – Recognition from colleagues – Institutional Pride – Morale-building for staff – Validation of work But really….beyond the award ceremonies, what do these awards actually do or mean for your operation? While it is [...]

This summer is the season of change in the Office of University Relations at UM-Flint. The 5th floor of the Northbank Center is a bit emptier as we bid farewell to three staff members. All wonderful contributors and good friends, off to pursue excellent opportunities and leave their mark in the world. Now it’s time [...]

I really am lucky. There are lots of things I truly enjoy about my job, but I think one of the top five things has to be the annual Critical Issues Forum. The Critical Issues Forum (or CIF) is a gift from UM-Flint benefactor Frances Willson Thompson that allows us to bring leading experts to [...]

  Snake oil. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? Just what kind of brew is boiled down essence of snake? Can you drink it? Do you even want to? It seems that vast quantities of snake oil are being consumed across higher education in the form of vendor products that promise to cure what ails you, but [...]

Is there anyone out there who works for a university that doesn’t have diversity as a core value? I didn’t think so. Chances are, your university is full of councils and task forces devoted to diversity. Diversity is in your institution’s mission statement. Your leadership heralds diversity in nearly every speech and official document. So [...]

Photo credit: Flint Journal We did it! I am happy to report that the University of Michigan-Flint achieved a big first over the weekend: two commencement ceremonies in one day. This was a huge endeavor taking months of planning (and worry) in order to make the big day for our graduates go smoothly. The reason we [...]

A fast blog post with two things to get creative juices flowing…. Here’s a link to a great blog called Marketing for Higher Ed. Always good stuff, including this post on Top 10 Facebook Landing pages. What can you do to make your landing page better? And, I recommend subscribing to the Educational Marketing Group [...]

Gwen Ifill is coming to UM-Flint as part of the 2011 Frances Willson Thompson Critical Issues Forum. Ms. Ifill, a highly respected journalist, is coming to campus to speak about the present and future state of journalism. Ironically, she is coming to Flint at a time when local journalism is in crisis. Local television station [...]

Oh, to say what you really think. It’s a movie moment–to say eloquently and even cuttingly the very best line of your life to the person or people who just don’t get it. If only Aaron Sorkin and his laptop were somehow lodged in your brain for those times when you need it most. But, [...]