Thursday, June 16
Campus Tour of Virginia Tech
3-4 p.m.
Meet in front of the Squires Student Center at the Alumni Mall entrance.
Networking and Social Event at The Maroon Door
5:30 p.m.
Friday, June 17
Check-In & Breakfast
8:15-9 a.m. | Commonwealth Ballroom, Squires Student Center
Welcome
9-9:20 a.m. | Commonwealth Ballroom, Squires Student Center
Tiffany Beker, President of CCA, Director of Digital Marketing, University Marketing
William & Mary
Jesse Tuel, Senior Director and Executive Editor, University Relations / Advancement
Virginia Tech
Michael Stowe, Senior Director, University Relations, Media Relations / Colleges and Units
Virginia Tech
Keynote Panel
9:20-10:30 a.m. | Commonwealth Ballroom, Squires Student Center
Michele Deramo, Associate Vice Provost of Diversity Education & Engagement
Virginia Tech
Ellington Graves, Director of Africana Studies and Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion
Virginia Tech
Moderated by J. Scott Parker, Marketing and Communications Manager at Cranwell International Center
Virginia Tech
Metrics - What's Behind the Numbers
10:45-11:45 a.m. | Brush Mountain A, Squires Student Center
Sunni Brown, Director of Media & Public Relations
Cynthia Price, Associate Vice President of Media and Public Relations
University of Richmond
You’ve likely heard, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” University of Richmond’s Cynthia Price, associate vice president of media and public relations, and Sunni Brown, director of media and public relations, live that adage daily as they analyze the numbers behind their media relations success, which includes more than 30 billion (!) media impressions last year. The two drill deeply into those numbers to inform their media strategy yearly, quarterly, and even daily. Learn how and what they track, why it matters, and how to apply it to your work.
SMART Events - How to Use Events as Part of Your Marketing Strategy
10:45-11:45 a.m. | Room 219, Squires Student Center
Robin Khan, Director of Communications, Marketing & Public Affairs
George Washington University
If you already produce events, panels, webinars, or conferences as part of your role; learn how to be more strategic by creating wrap-around promotional assets for pre and post-event marketing. If you're not an events pro or lost budget and staff during the pandemic; learn tips for how to produce high-quality events with less that showcase your college, your faculty's expertise, and spotlight your brand.
The Elliott School of International Affairs hosts over 350 events per year, both big and small; from political leaders like Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, to faculty book launches, and student org co-sponsored events with groups like No Lost Generation and Young Black Professionals in International Affairs. The GW School of Business hosts its signature George Talks Business Series of 30-minute interviews with notable alumni and respected thought leaders in the business, government and nonprofit arenas. We've learned a lot about what makes an event great and how to produce one on a budget with the least amount of stress possible!
It IS Remotely Possible: Staying Connected While Working Off Campus
10:45-11:45 a.m. | Brush Mountain B, Squires Student Center
Joe McClain, Director of Research Communications
William & Mary
Your job may not be right for remote work — or maybe you just don’t think it’s right. Joe McClain began working remotely shortly before COVID-19 drove us out of our offices in, well, droves.
He found that working remotely turned out surprisingly well, and in a surprisingly short time. Joe will discuss challenges, successes, workarounds and in general how he stayed in touch with various constituencies on campus and remained productive. Have you noticed more and more job postings are referencing a remote-work option? There’s a reason for that.
Lunch
Noon-1 p.m. | Commonwealth Ballroom, Squires Student Center
Making Virginia Tech Websites Radically More Accessible
1:15-2:15 p.m. | Room 219, Squires Student Center
Scott Chandler, 508 Compliance and Digital Accessibility Officer
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech has been on a 7-year journey to improve the efficiency, UX, and accessibility of vt.edu. We’ve implemented a program to teach communicators and developers about disabilities and assistive technology. VT.edu offered an improved theme; 600 university websites now take advantage of our “One” design.
Learn about our process, where we succeeded, and where we still have work to do. We’ll be frank about our methodology, our results, and a few ways that you can review how accessible your websites are.
The NeverEnding Story - Young Alumni Engagement Through Digital Storytelling
1:15-2:15 p.m. | Brush Mountain A, Squires Student Center
Kelly Holdcraft, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement
William & Mary
William & Mary is focusing young alumni engagement on creating NeverEnding stories through immersive alumni-centric digital and social media content. Our alumni dread the dark days of online pandemic panel discussions. Grand, gleeful in-person galas feel like a far away fantasy. We are telling our alumni's tales of adventure by highlighting their personal and professional journeys, triumphs and tribulations across all platforms. We don't let these stories collect dust on website shelves or hide buried beneath event logistics; instead we weave their noble sagas through our communications channels so they may live on for all time coming. We will also provide Cliff Notes on how you too can bring your alumni stories to digital life.
Topic Roundtables
1:15-2:15 p.m. | Commonwealth Ballroom, Squires Student Center
Facilitated by Tiffany Beker, Director of Digital Marketing
William & Mary
Eager to pick your colleagues’ brains on how they do something on their campus? Stick around in the ballroom after lunch for a handful of informal small group discussions on a range of topics. Have an idea for a topic you’d like to discuss? Send it ccavadc@gmail.com.
Everybody likes Parfaits: Making the Most of Your Communications
2:30-3:30 p.m. | Brush Mountain A, Squires Student Center
Amy Ostroth, Senior Director of Communications
Sweet Briar College
Publications, direct mail, email, social media, digital marketing and more--we have a seemingly endless array of tools to choose from when developing a communications plan. But how do you make all of those tools work together effectively? This session will explore how Sweet Briar's admissions and communications teams layered those tools--parfait-style--to recruit its largest class in nearly a decade. Whether you work in recruitment or any other area of your institution, you'll come away from this session with creative ideas to integrate multiple communications tools.
The Art & Science of Writing Op-Eds - and Getting Them Published
2:30-3:30 p.m. | Room 219, Squires Student Center
Howard Witt, Director of Communications, Miller Center of Public Affairs
University of Virginia
Publishing an op-ed in a prominent media outlet is a powerful way to gain attention for a particular research project, professor, or your college or university as a whole. But the competition for that valuable media real estate is fierce, and the effort that's involved in conceiving, writing, and pitching a winning 800-word op-ed is considerable. The odds of success may seem low, but there are proven strategies you can use to boost your chances. Howard Witt, a career journalist and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize who is now the Director of Communications at UVA's Miller Center of Public Affairs, shares the secrets of writing and placing influential op-eds.
Thank you to our conference sponsor: Ocelot
All conference participants, including, but not limited to, attendees, speakers, volunteers, exhibitors, staff members, service providers and all others are expected to abide by the CCA Conference Code of Conduct.
This and all events follow our Cancellation Policy.