Testimonials
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Sean Ramsden
Editor, The Lawrenceville School
CUPRAP is such a robust, forward-thinking professional development organization, but through it, I have also met so many smart, creative, and talented people who have also become friends. The people in CUPRAP are at the center of what makes it great – fellow communicators who understand your pain points, have done many of the things you are looking to do, and want to share their experiences and solutions. When you think of a professional network, this is what you want it to be.
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Tracy Jackson
Director of Marketing, Duquesne University
From its members-only LISTSERV access to the annual spring professional development conference, CUPRAP brings together our higher education colleagues from across the state allowing us to share industry ideas, challenges, and triumphs.
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Carina Sitkus
Director, University Communications, Lehigh University
Some professional networks can feel large and anonymous. When I have a challenge or a question, my CUPRAP colleagues are always my first go-tos. The CUPRAP network is personal and accessible and made up of communications and higher education professionals with high levels of expertise who are always willing to exchange ideas and solutions. I also highly recommend their professional development, conference, and networking programs.
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Christine Baksi
Director of Media Relations, Dickinson College
CUPRAP is an incomparable network of higher education professionals who are always eager to share knowledge, resources and ideas
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Steve Filipiak
Associate Director of Web & Digital Strategy, Commonwealth University
I’ve been a member of CUPRAP for many years and am proud to be a part of a network of professionals that provide expertise and advice across many of the challenges we all face in the higher education industry. The willingness of members to share their knowledge is one of the things I appreciate the most and find invaluable. The workshops and annual conferences in particular are extremely beneficial and have provided me with key insights along with ample networking opportunities to connect with colleagues in my field. Whether you seek specific advice on an upcoming project or wish to gain experience-backed feedback on more complex challenges, CUPRAP provides you with the opportunities you need to be successful in your career.
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Jacquelyn Muller
Senior Director of Marketing Communication , Grove City College
Having been an active member of this organization for nearly three decades, I can attest to the strong sense of mission, collective conscience and professional expertise CUPRAP brings to aspiring and career higher education marketing communications professionals. CUPRAP is a perennial leader in the space bringing the best and brightest together to deliver best of class experiences that strengthen institutional messaging and market positions. Here, you ™ll find a home among highly-regarded colleague professionals who understand the challenges we undertake and opportunities we pursue in a complex climate. At CUPRAP, you ™ll enjoy the benefit of professional growth and development alongside great communicators and marketers from all walks of higher education providers. Our team at Grove City College remains closely connected to peers who can help us achieve best in class status.
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Jamie Yates
Executive director of communications and marketing, Gettysburg College
Of all of the higher education marketing conferences I have attended, CUPRAP is by far my favorite. The sessions are informational and relevant and the presenters are the top of their field. Perhaps most importantly, I ™ve been able to form meaningful and lasting relationships at the conference. Colleagues (friends!) who have provided me with guidance and support throughout the years.
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Gail Towns
Executive Director, Marketing & Communications, Georgian Court University
I (heart) CUPRAP! It ™s where I found professional development opportunities, for sure. More than that, I found professionals like me trying to do a lot with a little ”and it ™s where I learned that it can be done. CUPRAP members are the best: knowledgeable, experienced, willing to share, and above all, willing to support you. They get me ”and like me, they love what they do for their institutions and students.
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Lisa Baldi
Director of Strategic Communications, Penn State Berks
Since joining CUPRAP, I have gained a great deal of knowledge and insight into the fields of marketing and communication for higher education from a network of professionals who face the same opportunities and challenges day after day. The colleagues I have met through CUPRAP “ many of whom have become friends “ have been incredibly generous in sharing their experiences and the lessons they ™ve learned along the way. The fall workshop and spring conference, which feature all the hottest and most timely topics in higher education communication and provide valuable networking opportunities, are two highlights of my year. The CUPRAP community is like no other, and it provides a valuable experience for higher education communicators at every stage of their careers.
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Paul Redfern
Vice President for University Communications, St. Lawrence University
I have been a member of CUPRAP for more than ten years. The organization has provided tremendous value to me and my team. The programming at the annual conference and workshops are relevant and timely. The connections that I have made with people are long-term and deep. Due to CUPRAP I have developed a network of close colleagues that I can count on and have helped me to develop as a stronger communications professional. CUPRAP has consistently offered the best value for my professional development dollar without question.
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Angela Burrows
AVP for Marketing and Communications, Edinboro University
œI ™ve been involved with CUPRAP for most of my years in higher education. I continue to appreciate the exposure it provides to a network of professionals who face many of the same challenges and opportunities. Those of us in this sometimes crazy field of Marketing and Communications face some unique stresses, and experience victories and successes that can only be fully appreciated by those in similar roles. The mission of higher education is noble and those of us responsible for promoting our institutions and protecting them from reputational damage hold privileged positions. I enjoy the CUPRAP community and the friends and colleagues I ™ve met along the way.
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Heather Johns
Director of Content Strategy, Bucknell University
CUPRAP is great for connecting with professionals who can offer practical solutions to challenges we all face in higher ed communications.
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Annmarie Ely
Media Relations and Publications Coordinator, Delaware Valley University
œCUPRAP has been a great resource for me as a young professional. The spring conference provides an opportunity to get together with people working in higher education and learn about a variety of topics. I always come away from CUPRAP events with new ideas and solutions that I can take back with me to use in my career. The email list is also a good place to ask questions and get advice from peers at other institutions.
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Tory Irwin
Marketing and Communications Associate , Washington and Jefferson College
I was first introduced to CUPRAP when I attended the Fall West Workshop in October of 2017. After connecting with colleagues from all over western Pennsylvania, I returned to my office and informed the rest of our staff of the value of the workshop and the knowledge of those in attendance. Not long after, three of us were members of CUPRAP and signed up for the annual conference in March. I ™ve found membership in CUPRAP to be a great way to make connections, learn from others in the field, and share valuable skills and insights with my peers.
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Jennifer P. Stoudt
Vice President for Communications, Albright College
Whether you ™re new to higher ed communications or a seasoned professional, the opportunities that CUPRAP provides to learn and grow are worth every penny. But, over the course of my 19 years as a CUPRAP member, what I have always been most grateful for are the relationships that I ™ve established with colleagues at other colleges and universities. To have access to a community of people who do what you do, who are generous with their professional counsel, who will listen to your ideas and commiserate with you over shared challenges “ that is truly priceless.
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Tom McNamara
Executive Director of Communications, DeSales University
I have been a member of CUPRAP for more than 13 years. The networking, camaraderie, and professional knowledge sharing, as well as the all-important validation that you are following our industry ™s best practices, are great reasons for joining. Communications and marketing of higher education matters, and CUPRAP is an outstanding resource for newbies and veterans of this important work.
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Cathy Toner, JD, MJ
Director of Communication and Marketing, Villanova School of Business
CUPRAP is an exceptional organization and my involvement has been incredibly rewarding. Attending CUPRAP conferences has connected me with creative, engaged colleagues at other schools and universities and contributed to my own professional development. The Villanova School of Business was honored to host a successful CUPRAP workshop last fall.
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Joseph Master
Assistant Vice President of Marketing & Digital Strategy, Drexel University
“I attended my first CUPRAP spring conference just 10 days after starting my first position in higher education. I hadn ™t even left my job in publishing yet, and I received an email from my future boss that said: œYou have to go to this.” I haven ™t missed one since and I have encouraged all of my staff to attend. The power of this organization isn ™t just the programming; it ™s the people. It ™s the commiseration over shared pain points, the validation that you ™re on the right track, and the sometimes enlightening realization of what the right track even looks like. In a field where university communicators are so outnumbered by our faculty colleagues, the CUPPIE awards also serve a noble purpose in recognizing work that sometimes goes unnoticed (or under-appreciated) by those on the other side of the academic isle. I am so grateful that I was forced to go to that first conference. I assure you, the rest have been by choice.”
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Genna Welsh Kasun
Director of Marketing, The University of Virginia's College at Wise
CUPRAP is a fantastic professional development organization. In addition to providing a network of approachable, professional colleagues who I ™ve come to count on, CUPRAP brings resources and trainings from experts at the same time that said presenters emerge into the national higher education marketing conversation. Because these trainings are so timely and cover so many topics, CUPRAP provides a learning space for designers, writers, social media managers, and other professionals to learn alongside one another. I am so grateful for CUPRAP; it has provided more than I thought a professional organization ”a term that has a cold, corporate connotation to me ”could.
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Chuck Marsh
Director of University Relations and Marketing, Penn State Abington
Networking with other like-minded professionals in our field has been the biggest benefit of my membership in CUPRAP. The chance to connect with colleagues in and out of sessions at the annual conference opens up a network of advice and support I use throughout the year. I ™ve found the members to be professional, experienced and always willing to share their expertise.
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Cathy Skitko
Director of Communications, The Hill School
I first became involved with CUPRAP more than 20 years ago when I worked at a small liberal arts college. When I left that position to become Director of Communications at an independent college preparatory boarding school, I wanted to remain involved with CUPRAP “ even though, at that time, other secondary schools were not yet members. I knew CUPRAP would continue to be an invaluable professional resource. CUPRAP conferences are best in class in terms of offering relevant information, training, networking, and inspiration. Furthermore, the culture of CUPRAP is very collaborative and collegial.
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Terry Day
Media & Public Relations Director, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
When I started at Mansfield in 1999, one of the first things my then boss Dennis Miller did was have me fill out a CUPRAP membership application. Since joining I have found CUPRAP to be the most generous organization I ™ve ever been a part of. The members are willing to share and truly support each other. I have learned so much, made so many friends and having the opportunity give back to this great organization has been the highlight of my professional career.
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Gale Martin
Director of Communications and Marketing, Harcum College
“CUPRAP has been invaluable to me throughout my career. I learn new things at every session and have made invaluable connections with influential reporters and other experts who have greatly helped me and my institution over the years. The time you make to attend and be present at CUPRAP events is a really smart investment in your career and in the success of your organization.”
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Noel Sarah Dietrich
Director of Communications, Wilmington Montessori School
I attended my first CUPRAP conference two months into my first job in educational communications, and almost 10 years later, continue to be grateful to be part of this organization. Through CUPRAP, I’ve stayed up-to-date on the latest practices in our field, found mentors and formed lasting friendships. I look forward to remaining part of this amazing group throughout my career!
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Rosalee Rush
Ph.D. Senior Assoc. V.P. for Marketing, Media Relations, and Communications, California State University, Stanislaus
Membership in CUPRAP has afforded me the opportunity to learn, lead and demonstrate my professional knowledge and skills. The annual conference is a great way to network and develop professional relationships and friendships. Through my membership I’ve had the chance to serve my profession as a conference presenter and my colleagues as a member of the board of directors.
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Adam Zewe
Communications Manager, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
I decided to join CUPRAP because I wanted a way to share ideas and interact with my peers at other colleges and universities. What I have found is a true community of people who are not only great communicators, but are also dedicated to the constant improvement of our craft. I have enjoyed the chance to talk shop with communicators of so many different backgrounds, who have so many different approaches to problem solving. Being a member of CUPRAP has enabled me to take on new challenges ” from social media to magazine publishing ” with a healthy set of fresh ideas.
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Gina L. French
Creative Director, Albright College
CUPRAP gives me a great perspective on what’s going on locally within our business. It helps me strategize more efficiently and market my college’s message more effectively.