Brand Management and Public Relations
The Assistant Vice President for Brand Management and Public Relations serves as the spokesperson for the University, is the University's community relations liaison, oversees the areas of Media Relations, Design and Digital Print Services, Photography, and Sports Information, and is the liaison with the Office of Athletics Marketing. During crisis situations, the Assistant VP collaborates with other members of the Crisis and Incident Management Team to disseminate accurate information to the University community and the public.
Media Relations
The Media Relations unit works to increase the visibility and reputation of the University by publicizing information about academic programs, grants and awards, faculty and student and alumni achievements, special events, and other news of interest to the media and various constituents.
Among the vehicles used to tell Fairfield's story through the media are the following:
- Calendar listings that go out three months before the event.
- Press releases, often with photos.
- Public service announcements for radio and television.
- Press conferences for high profile issues, events, and announcements.
- Media advisories to alert reporters that we have an expert who can comment on a breaking story; such advisories are often sent to national media.
Fairfield also receives many requests from the media looking for experts to comment on breaking stories. Whenever possible, we work with our faculty or appropriate administrators, students, and staff to respond promptly to such requests. The result is that Fairfield University's name is being carried in media across the country.
Community Relations
The Assistant Vice President serves as the point person for increasing institution-wide efforts to boost our community relations activities and visibility in the region.
Photography
The University photojournalist's primary responsibilities are to take photos that will be sent to outside media, or will appear in University publications or on the web. Use of photography services requires a two-week notice and the submission of a photo request form detailing the purpose of your request. If the request falls within the parameters of the above guidelines, the photojournalist will cover your event or hire a freelancer at no charge to you. For requests that do not fall within the above parameters, the department or office making the request will be responsible for the cost of the photographer. You may then make arrangements for which you assume the costs. Photo requests may be submitted electronically.
Brand Management
The Senior Designer oversees staff of the design office who are assigned key areas for which they provide dedicated support in their efforts to maintain the integrity of the brand from a graphic standpoint. They work closely with the Account Managers in the team structures to create appealing designs and layouts for print and online publications. They develop and maintain logo and graphic standards, including font families and color palettes, for University materials.