“UHD’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan: A New Paradigm is the opposite of what most people think of when you say the words ‘strategic plan,’” said Advancement and University Relations (AUR) Vice President Javier “Jay” L. Zambrano, who leads the efforts behind Goal F (Visibility & Recognition) and parts of Goal E (Sustainable Operations). “Instead of a tome that sits on a shelf, gathering dust, our strategic plan actually acts as a roadmap with strategies helping us achieve our objectives,” Zambrano continued. “We refer to it in our daily work and discuss it in our AUR leadership meetings.”
On Sept. 26, Zambrano’s division of Advancement and University Relations held the first of the Strategic Plan Seminar Series, inviting members of the campus community to join roundtable discussions about enrollment marketing, branding, social media, and website development—four essential elements for “enhancing the reputation and visibility of UHD” (Goal F). The team collected those comments and are now incorporating some of them into their future plans. But that’s after three years already invested in the strategic plan with stunning results.
AUR’s first year’s strategy to measure the impact of the marketing plan resulted in extensive stakeholder feedback from sessions in which the television commercial was aired. The UR team took the comments back to the editing room, revising the commercial to better reflect the UHD experience. Other strategies employed to date are website improvements, making the website more user-friendly and uniquely UHD; a focus on social media, establishing a position in each college to maintain a social media presence; and major growth in alumni engagement.
AUR has also enlisted many strategies beyond the strategic plan to increase UHD’s visibility in the region, propelling the university as an anchor institution for Houston. “More than a million people have seen our 45-foot-tall, Ed-U-Gator balloon on television or in-person each year in the H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade for the last two years,” said University Relations Assistant Vice President Debra McGaughey. “Couple that with 10 billboards reinforcing the UHD brand each semester; 160,000 followers/fans on our official UHD social media platforms; 2,122 mentions in the media vs. 1,200 just three years ago including Houston Chronicle front page stories; and the incredible recognition we received in conjunction with our 50th anniversary marketing campaign,” said McGaughey, “and it is clear that AUR continues to elevate UHD through its strategic marketing and communications efforts.”
“It’s important to remember that the strategic plan is for all of us: students, staff, and faculty,” said Zambrano. “The entire campus community is encouraged to participate in the Strategic Plan Seminar Series.” Next up? Goal B: Strategic Learning Partnership at 11 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, at the Wellness & Success Center.