UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Marketing & Communications

Campus Community Brand and Web Refresh Workshops (Oct. 22-23)

The Division of Enrollment Management, Marketing, and Web Services is pleased to announce an exciting new project underway at University of Portland: as of this month, we have officially broken ground on our highly anticipated Brand Refresh and Web Redesign!   

University of Portland has retained Carnegie Higher Education to partner with us on this important research and consensus-building project to clarify and define who we are, as well as provide opportunities for growth in enrollment, awareness, and reputation for the institution.  

Carnegie is an industry leader in reputation research and strategy, specializing in crowd-sourced and consensus-driven processes to achieve authentic results. This project will take several months to complete, and ultimately culminate in a new reputation strategy and communication platform for University of Portland.  

This project will only succeed with YOUR involvement. Carnegie’s method is entirely built around the input of the people who know University of Portland the best—and that means you!  

On October 22 and 23, the team from Carnegie will be on campus to conduct a series of in-person workshops. There will be a total of six sessions held throughout the two days. 

Please register by October 16 at the link below. 

REGISTER HERE

Workshops are limited to 50 participants per session, so be sure to register ASAP to secure a seat.

The central question across all of the workshops is: Who is University of Portland at its best? As you will learn, the “who” is a very important variable to understand, and Carnegie’s proprietary philosophy will help us crystalize this. The results will unify the communication—and thus the reputation—of the institution for years to come.  

The first workshops will be Brand Personality Workshops. These workshops will work to define the authentic human personality of University of Portland, both today and tomorrow. The following day, we will be holding Brand Messaging Workshops. These workshops will take the insights gained from the Brand Personality Workshops and cascade these insights into messaging outcomes for the University. 

Participation in both workshops over the two days is highly encouraged to maximize your experience and input. However, if you can only make it to one day, we still want your participation.  

Your voice is essential to the success of this important work. Please register today and encourage other colleagues and stakeholders to attend as well.  

 Questions? Contact mktg@up.edu

UP Marketing & Communications recognized with two 2023 CASE Awards

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is a: ” global nonprofit association dedicated to educational advancement professionals—in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services—who share the goal of championing education to transform lives and society”. The creative team in our Marketing & Communications department was recognized at the 2023 Circle of Excellence Awards; with over 4,000 entries globally for these awards, UP received both Silver and Gold level prizes for their exemplary work.

A Gold Writing Profile award was given to Cheston Knapp for his piece: “Where The Grass is Always Greener”, a feature on UP’s Athletic Fields Manager Kevin White. The short feature was noted as: “…a wonderful and refreshing piece that stands out for its concept, writing, and art.” You can read the full text of the article HERE.

A Silver “Specialty Design Piece” award was given to the You Belong Here illustrated map project. The creation of the map was a joint effort, combining the work of : Danielle Centoni, Pat McDonald, and Karen Bridges (Marketing & Communications); Tanya Wangsmo (Admissions); and faculty member Brad Franco (History), whose artistic talent brought the map to life.

Canva for Campus

We’re happy to announce that Canva for Campus is now available to all active UP students through the MyApps page! 

Canva can be used in academics to develop videos, infographics, research posters, and nearly any type of visual communication project. Canva is a non-designer’s design tool, making creating digital media simple and fun. 

We also have several licenses of Canva for Teams available for faculty and staff. 

Please reach out to Chris Long (longc@up.edu) in Marketing & Communications if you have any questions or if you’d like to inquire about a license of Canva for Teams. 

Pilot Stories (Video Series)

Marketing & Communications and Admissions recently teamed up to launch an ongoing series of videos that capture students’ transformative experiences while attending UP. The short videos are in each student’s own words and highlight them engaging in some of their favorite activities on campus. Marketed on social media, the videos aim to help prospective students imagine themselves here, see the value of a UP education, and make connections that are relatable. 

The first three videos in the series can be viewed on our website, Instagram, or Facebook. Please feel free to share them on your social feeds as well! 

To view more Marketing & Communications videos, check out our YouTube.

New to The Bluff: Kerri Skinner, Associate Director for Integrated Communications, Marketing & Communications 

Kerri joins the Marketing & Communications team after working with them for nearly a year as a contractor supporting their digital projects. She previously worked for Oregon Food Bank for seven years managing their digital communication strategy. Outside of work she enjoys getting out in nature and spending time with her daughter and son. 

New to the Bluff: Sophie Peterson, Visual Designer, Marketing and Communications

Sophie Peterson is delighted to join the University of Portland’s Marketing & Communications Department as the new Visual Designer. A native Oregonian, she is excited to return to the Pacific Northwest after living in Austin, TX with her partner for three years. Since graduating from Oregon State University with a BFA in Graphic Design in 2018, she has worked as a creative for both large and small organizations like Whole Foods Market in Austin, TX, and a family-owned sustainable farm in Corvallis, OR. Outside of work she enjoys reading, selling her printmaking art, cooking, and being outside. She is thrilled to move to back to Oregon and be a part of such an iconic Portland institution like UP!

Say Cheese, Please: Feb. 24 Photo Shoot

The Office of Marketing and Communications has scheduled a photographer to take headshots of new employees for our online directory on Wednesday, February 24. To schedule an appointment, please email Suzanne Frey at freys@up.edu. Photos will be taken in Clark Library. Only those with confirmed appointments may attend.

Please note: These appointments are limited to faculty and staff who currently do not have a professional headshot in the online directory.