We are pleased to announce the agenda for the 2018 CUPRAP Spring Professional Development Conference from March 14-16, 2018, at the Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott Penn Square in Lancaster, PA. Click here to register.

To upload a PDF of the conference brochure, click here.

Wednesday, March 14

10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Registration

(Heritage Ballroom “ Pre-Function Lobby “ Third Floor)

11:00 a.m.

CUPRAP Board Meeting

Montgomery House “ Charter Board Room

Noon “ 1:15 p.m.

Lunch/Scholarship Presentations

Lunch is included in the conference this year.

(Commonwealth Ballroom “ Second Floor)

1:30- 4:00 p.m.

(Heritage Ballroom “ Salon A-B-C)

Stefan Mumaw, Creative Director, First Person

Becoming an Idea Wizard: How to Summon Creativity on Demand

We live in an on-demand world. Microwaves cook 4-course meals in 30 seconds. We can call space from our pockets. Even flu shots have drive-thru lanes. As creatives, we’re expected to pull mind-blowing ideas out of thin air at the drop of a hat and we’re asked to do it every day. It’s impossible, right? What if it wasn’t. Creative Director and Creative Boot Camp author Stefan Mumaw will show you how. He’ll whimsically illustrate each line of the three-part spell for generating quality ideas quickly and provide the blueprint to repeatable idea harvesting. From comedy improv rituals to problem design remedies, attendees will leave with a storehouse of lightning bolt ideas, minds spinning and briefcases brimming with all the tools necessary to become an idea wizard and your institution ™s superhero.

4:15-5:30 p.m.

(Heritage Ballroon “ Salon A-B-C)

Gil Rogers, Director of Marketing, National Research Center for College and University Admissions (NRCCUA)

Michael Stoner, President and Co-Founder, mStoner, Inc.

Mythbusting Your Beliefs About Marketing to Teens

Have you ever wondered what prospective teens are thinking when they visit your website? What pages are most important? Do they click through and sign up? And what about the materials you send them? Are they read or tossed in the trash? For the past three years, this team conducted surveys with teens and asked them for their frank opinions and reactions to the recruitment materials they receive from colleges and universities ” emails, print materials, websites, texts, and other communications. Their responses were surprising. Then, the same questions were asked of college marketing, admissions, web, communications staffs. Our presenters will share their biggest surprises about what teens really pay attention to and what marketers know (and don ™t know) about their likes and dislikes.

1:00 “ 5:00 p.m.

Sponsor Exhibits

(Heritage Ballroom “ Pre-Function Lobby “ Third Floor)

Please take time during the conference to visit our sponsors and learn more about their services.

6:00-7:00 p.m.

CUPRAP Cocktail Reception

(Heritage Ballroom “ Pre-Function Lobby “ Third Floor)

Dinner on your own “ Suggestions for restaurants in the area will be provided.

 

Thursday, March 15

7:00-8:45 a.m.

Breakfast

(Commonwealth Ballroom “ Second Floor)

9:00 “ 10:15 a.m.

(Heritage Ballroom “ Salon C)

Oli Gardner, co-founder of Unbounce

The Landing Page Lessons: Ending Marketing Mediocrity with Data-Informed Design

Over 90% of paid ad traffic sends visitors to generic, untargeted, and un-personalized landing experiences. The impact of this goes far beyond wasted ad spend. It hurts our brands, it disappoints our customers, and ultimately sends them straight into the hands of our competitors.

That ™s the bad news. The good news is it ™s really easy to fix when you combine conversion-centered design principles, with a process for data discovery and observation.

In this entertaining and highly actionable session Oli will show you:

• 7 essential conversion principles
• How to improve the clarity of your value proposition
• And a new optimization process that will improve the performance of your marketing teams, and every campaign you create.

10:15-10:30 a.m.

Break

Heritage Ballroom “ Pre Function Lobby

10:30-11:45

Track One “ Content Strategy

Carnegie & Google’s Student Online Behavior Insights
Gregory Potter, Executive Director of University Relations, Widener University

Let’s go straight to the source. Understanding the online behaviors and preferences of students and parents is critical for developing short- and
long-term strategies for recruitment and admissions. And as a Google Premier Partner, there is no better source than the warehouses of data Google has to offer. This presentation will go beyond surveys and tap into the most comprehensive sets of behavioral data available to answer the key questions about prospective students’ online behaviors, preferences, and journeys. Topics covered include search, mobile, social, video, your website, creative/messaging, and more.

Track Two “ Design and the User Experience

Achieving the œAha  Moment: What Gen Z and Millennials Need from EDU Video

Brian Connelly, Senior Consultant and Brittney Dunkins, Director of Content Strategy, Converge Consulting

The new 2018-19 fiscal year is just around the corner and many schools are building in budgets for video. In theory, anyone can make a video ”86% of colleges and universities have a presence on YouTube. But in a sea of campus tours, student testimonials and flash mobs, how do you craft high-impact video that stands out and engages your unique audience? During this presentation, examples from some of the coolest video campaigns in the education space will be shared. You ™ll walk away with insights on how to effectively integrate video storytelling to engage prospective and current students, alumni and more.

Track Three “ Communications and Marketing

How To Create A Measurable Marketing Funnel | Why Higher Education Needs To Take A Cue from SAAS Products

Jon Vogel, Founder and Partner, 215 Marketing

In this information-packed session you ™ll learn how the many components of the marketing ecosystem should work together with higher education.   Topics covered will include how to group your audience into categories based on their browsing habits, how people search/research/evaluate higher education institutions online, and how our institutions should be measuring and evaluating the success of their marketing efforts.

Noon “ 1:30 p.m.

Lunch

Presentation of Don Hale and Donovan Rising Star Awards

(Commonwealth Ballroom)

1:45 “ 3:00 p.m.

Track One “ Content Strategy

Trade Secrets of Content Strategy

Molly O ™Brien-Foelsch, Chief Communications Officer, Lebanon Valley College

Nicole Berkhimer, Digital Strategist, Lebanon Valley College

Heather Johns, Director of Content Strategy, Bucknell University

Jasmine Bucher, Director of Enrollment Communications, Lebanon Valley College

A.J. Nutter, Director of Visual Communications, Lebanon Valley College

Content strategy sounds like fun ”and it is! In this interactive working session, we ™ll explore what content strategy looks like from high-level strategy to day-to-day creation. Facilitators and participants will explore best practices, share and hear ideas and questions, and collaborate to move their own efforts forward. Topics of focus will include: 1) The Big Picture: How to align divisional goals, budgets, organizational structures, and systems with institutional priorities and build buy-in across campus, 2) Messaging Mindfulness: How to develop a messaging platform to guide content decisions and rise above the noise 3) Case Studies in Quick Wins: Successful strategies and tactics for compelling video, web, and social strategies and tactics that bring eyeballs and engagement to your content.

Track Two “ Design and the User Experience

A Website Design Process that Works

Greg Hoy, Principal and Michael (MJ) Johnson, Design Director, Happy Cog

Great higher education websites don ™t create themselves, but you probably wish they could. Truth be told, successful digital projects require a solid, shared understanding of scope and a well-defined process to successfully execute the tasks to complete them. With nearly twenty years of experience designing web experiences in higher education and beyond, Happy Cog will share their process for taking on complex design and development projects from start to finish: from scoping, to research, to content strategy, to conceptual and system design, to front-end and back-end development. They ™ll share insights into what works, what doesn ™t, and what can lead to painful conversations downstream. In the end, you ™ll have a blueprint you can use to assemble your RFP or use within your institution to complete projects on time, on budget, with minimal friction.

Track Three “ Communications and Marketing

Five Lessons Learned on Engaging with National/International Media in a Crisis.  

Scott Willyerd, President, Dick Jones Communications

In this session, several case studies will be examined, detailing how institutions responded to national/international situations and the lessons that we can learned from those situations. You will hear about instances like what can go wrong when your president goes off script to what happens when an influential international newspaper writes an untrue story about your institution. In each case study, you will hear about lessons learned and how institutions navigated these sometimes-murky waters.

3:00-3:15 p.m.

Break

Heritage Ballroom “ Pre Function Lobby

3:15 “ 4:30

(Heritage Ballroom “ Salon C)

Producing an internal communications plan for your institution

Chris Ledford, Senior Vice President

John Martorana, President

Stefanie Rumpf, Director of Communications

Oxford Communications

This topic was one of the most talked about on the CUPRAP listserv. Many schools have no formal written plan or policy for internal communications.   You will leave this session with the knowledge to craft a plan to include best methods for gathering information (events, happenings, etc.) from various campus departments, and then best methods for distributing to the appropriate internal audiences through your available channels.

5:30- 6:30 p.m.

Cocktail Reception

(Commonwealth “ Pre Function Lobby “ Second Floor)

6:30-9:00

Awards Dinner

(Commonwealth Ballroom “ Second Floor)

Presentation of CUPPIE and Art Ciervo Awards

 

Friday, March 16

Breakfast on your own –   Gift cards to Central Market will be included in your packet.  We encourage you to enjoy breakfast and explore this charming farmer ™s market before the day ™s sessions begin.

8:30-8:50 a.m.

Annual Meeting

(Hickory Room “ Third Floor)

9:00-10:15 a.m.

Journey Mapping: A New Way of Thinking and Doing

Meg Frisch, Associate Director of Digital Strategy and User Experience,

Vivienne Dobbs, Senior Director of Research and Strategy

Michael Mastroianni, Director of Market Research

Temple University Web Collaboration Center

Temple University uses user-centered design thinking methods in a workshop-style setting to align constituents as well as create an environment where new and wild ideas and contributions are not only accepted but celebrated. They ™ve implemented this technique successfully several times with various stakeholders and it is one of their favorite tools to use for discovery, strategy and relationship-building across boundaries. In this session, they will share: their experiences and case examples for this method, activities and artifacts that develop as a result,  the benefits of investing in this way of thinking and doing.    The team will ask attendees for input and collect data during the conference to use as part of a live demonstration during this presentation.

10:15-10:30

Break

Heritage Ballroom “ Pre Function Lobby

10:30-11:45

Track One “ Content Strategy

Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest, Oh My! How Colleges and Universities Can Best Engage With Their Students on Every Major Social Media Platform

Liza Viana, CEO & Content Strategist, EDGE Creative Co.

Dan Gejay, Digital Marketing Strategist, EDGE Creative Co.

Social media has given colleges and universities many ways to reach out to, and engage with, students both on and off campus. But it ™s often hard to keep up with the latest trends on how to most effectively use the platforms students spend the most time on. How do you best reach them and when? What types of content do they respond to best? How can you use social media to increase student engagement? Today ™s student may spend more time on Snapchat and Instagram than Facebook or Twitter, but you can create actionable strategies for each platform that are all interconnected to increase student engagement and create brand ambassadors for your school.

This session will include discussion on the following topics:

·   How to best utilize Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook to increase student engagement and build œbrand ambassadors  for your school

·   How to use your school ™s Facebook insights to provide valuable data guiding your posting and ads activity on both Facebook

·   How to effectively use Instagram stories and video to give students an inside look at (humanize) the lives of campus professors, admissions counselors, etc.

·   Snapchat takeovers: how you can use student social media influencers to create unique stories from their perspective and share with the rest of campus

·   Overview of social media ads: which platforms your school should advertise on and why

Track Two “Design and the User Experience

Brand Strategy for Designers

Ryan Smoker, Partner and Creative Director, Infantree

This session will detail Infantree ™s brand strategy theory and demonstrate their processes, all designed to equip the creative team with the tools and information they need to do great work.

Track Three “ Communications and Marketing

Building the Powerhouse Communications Team

Christine Hutchins, Associate Vice President and Chief Communications Officer, San Diego State University (Formerly Vice President for Communications, Mount Holyoke College)

Christine transformed the Office of Communications and Marketing at Mount Holyoke from silo-centric units into a truly integrated marketing and communications powerhouse. She applied more than 20 years of marketing, communications, sales and development experience to lead the charge for change on campus. From Deutsche Bank to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to marketing for Stanford athletics, Christine leveraged the best practices she picked up along the way to develop a high performing team of marketers.

Noon

Lunch

(Commonwealth Ballroom “ Second Floor)

CUPRAP Board Meeting

Montgomery House “ Charter Board Room

Conference Ends