1:13 p.m., Nov. 12, 2008----New approaches to promoting the achievements of the University of Delaware while identifying and protecting its brand were among the topics discussed at the Faculty Senate meeting held Monday, Nov. 3, in Mitchell Hall. The agenda also included a presentation on the continuing implementation of a new budgeting system and an opportunity for members to meet George Brelsford, the new dean of students.

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David Brond, vice president of communications & marketing, spoke on the importance of consistent, effective and comprehensive communications to enhance the UD brand and support the strategic milestones identified in the University of Delaware's Path to Prominence^TM.

“The mission of the Office of Communications & Marketing is to identify and implement effective methods of promoting the University of Delaware that enhance the UD brand to key internal and external constituents so that the University is recognized around the world as one of the great public institutions of higher education,” Brond said.

Among the services offered by the Office of Communications & Marketing in support of the University's strategic initiatives, Brond said, are:

• Strategic communications
• Trademark licensing;
• Creative services, including Web communications and photographic services;
• Graduate, research and global communications;
• Publications;
• Public and media relations;
• Marketing and advertising; and
• Marketing administration, mascot and community services.

“To accomplish this, we have established the UD Marketing Council and Licensing Advisory Committee. We also are marketing the University's Commitment to Delawareans,” Brond said. “Additional efforts include initiating a brand research identity study, producing programs like Great Decisions TV, with the Foreign Policy Association [www.fpa.org/], upgrading the University's closed circuit television channel and refocusing the mission of The Messenger.”

Brond said that a sample project of such efforts to promote UD on a national and international level is Extreme 2008: A Deep-Sea Adventure, with Craig Cary, professor of marine biosciences serving as the chief scientist, and Eric Wommack, associate professor of plant and soil sciences, who serves as one of the three principal investigators for the project. The project has registered more than 20,000 students from 350 schools representing seven countries, and project outreach is being coordinated by Tracey Bryant, associate director, Dave Barczak, senior art director, and Pam Donnelly, production coordinator, all in the Office of Communications & Marketing.

Responsibility-based budgeting

In introducing Robert Specter, vice president for finance, UD Provost Dan Rich provided some background on the switch from a centralized to a responsibility-based budgeting system at UD.

“The University had until recently a very highly centralized budgeting system. It was rigid about when you got money and when you had to spend it by. You had to use it by a certain date, or you lost the money,” Rich said. “The responsibility-based system is more flexible and responsible in helping deans and department heads to make decisions about the resources that are available.”

Specter noted that the budget system to which UD is moving is capable of supporting the highest academic priorities, while decentralizing decision making and aligning authority, responsibility and accountability for revenues and expenditures.

“The University's leadership recognizes that revenue-incented decision making has much greater potential to move UD forward than our current expense-oriented approach,” Specter said. “By aligning allocation of resources with their generation, UD's academic leaders (deans) will have incentive to generate greater revenues and operate more effectively and efficiently in achieving objectives and containing costs.”

New dean of students

George Brelsford, the new dean of students at UD, said that he hoped to be a sounding board for students and someone to whom faculty would refer students when they thought it was appropriate.

The former associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., Brelsford said he has lived on or near a college campus for more than three decades.

AT UD, Brelsford will liaise with University safety and security staff and coordinate a team of student life professionals charged with policy and systems development, as well as responding to critical incidents and student emergencies.

“The dean of students is kind of like the drawer you have in your kitchen where you put things that don't fit anywhere else,” Brelsford said. “It's a 24/7 job, providing advice on policy and being an advocate for students, while working to help solve problems in a creative way.”

Residence life program update

Matthew J. Robinson, associate professor of health, nutrition and exercise sciences and chairperson of the Faculty Senate Committee on Student Life, said that the new residence life program will continue to be reviewed, and that a report will be presented to the Faculty Senate meeting in February.

“We will be holding open forums at different locations in December to get feedback from students on their experience with the new program,” Robinson said.

The next Faculty Senate meeting will be held at 4 p.m., Monday, Dec. 1, in 104 Gore Hall.

Article by Jerry Rhodes