From Rachel Toor
We hope everyone enjoyed a nice tryptophan hit and survived had peaceable and loving family gatherings this week.
While we ask our president writers not to give advice, in the spirit of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and with the understanding that not every institution has the resources to bring in experts, today we offer you some premium swag.
This summer, at a gathering for aspiring provosts and presidents, your faithful correspondent had a chance to catch up with one of the sweetest peeps in university communications, Brunswick Group's Michael Schoenfeld.
I listened to his presentation, took notes, then asked if I could just steal it to share with the (IHE Insider) class. He readily agreed.
I also reached out to another friend of The Sandbox, Erin Hennessy, EVP at TVP Comms—a communications expert known for giving straight talk and tough love, with a weakness for dogs and good books—to see if she had anything to add to Mike’s list.
She said, “I make it a habit to agree with everything Mike Schoenfeld says, and so I would heartily second his points and add somewhat more tactical thoughts on communications considerations for the next weeks, months, years.”
One of my takeaways: Even if we think we know things, it never hurts to be reminded of the basics. Like, for example, we can forget how truly weird higher ed is, with our fetish for dressing up in Harry Potter–esque robes for ceremonies that last hours and where the caste system is literally displayed on our nerdy shoulders.
So we hope these tips reinforce things you’ve already considered. But of course, even if we know what we’re supposed to do, we also actually have to do those things.
