STRATEGIC MARKETING + COMMUNICATION

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The Strategic Marketing & Communication (SM&C) Office advances the mission and reputation of Wartburg College through strategic and integrated marketing communications. The office is responsible for managing the college brand through its visual identity and by influencing public opinion. In collaboration with partners across the campus, the SM&C team provides innovative and strategic solutions to achieve institutional goals and tell Wartburg’s distinctive story. With expertise in marketing, strategic planning, web development, design, media relations, social media, photography and video, our professional staff focuses on college-wide messaging through a variety of communication channels by reinforcing the college’s focus on student and alumni success and achievement.

The SM&C team has won dozens of awards for excellence in strategic and tactical marketing communications in recent years and is considered to be a leader in higher education marketing for the Midwest region.

The Juice is the preferred venue for singular announcements, calendar items, and other non-urgent information of interest to the campus community. News, events, internships and job announcements, and other campuswide notices can be submitted for inclusion in The Juice e-newsletter sent to faculty, staff and students.

The Juice is sent Monday (Thursday deadline at 4:30 p.m.). Most announcements will run twice, but will continue to be available in the Juice archiveUSE THE JUICE SUBMISSION FORM to send in your item to be included in Juice. Email juice@wartburg.edu with questions or comments. 

Sending messages for events, seminars, or other similar programs are great candidates for inclusion in The Juice, rather than being sent as broadcast emails. Announcements can also be posted on department websites, social media, or, if newsworthy, can be submitted to emily.christensen@wartburg.edu for campus- and community-wide distribution.

Juice Email Policies
Deadline for each Monday edition is the previous Thursday at 4 p.m.   Please keep your submitted item short—no longer than one paragraph—and let us know if your item is for students, faculty/staff, or both audiences. Our policy is NOT to include any off-campus items unless there is a direct connection to the college (meaning the college or a department or a campus organization is an official sponsor of an event). 

Wartburg students, faculty and staff: Please note The Juice is an official communication of the college, and per your connection with the institution, you must allow your inbox to receive college communications at your college-provided email account. Those who unsubscribe will be charged a fee for restoring your email preferences.

Special Broadcast Email

Generally speaking, broadcast email is appropriate for messages that:

  • relate to changes in campus policy or time sensitive issues.
  • inform a select group of people (e.g. faculty, staff, students, etc.) of an announcement or event related to their specific role within the college.

Announcements not meeting these criteria of urgency and/or critical college information should seek other methods of relaying their information, such as: the Monday Juice e-newsletter, the college calendar, and department web pages.

The following checklist outlines criteria for sending a broadcast email:

  • A broadcast message should be brief, self-explanatory, clear, and concise, and should only be used for important messages relevant to all recipients.
  • Avoid sending attachments, which take up more disk space and degrade server performance. A link to a website (URL) or a document sharing solution is preferred. If it is necessary to send attachments, the total message size should be under 5 MB.
  • Avoid sending frequent or repeated messages. Weekly, monthly, or quarterly electronic newsletters are preferred.
  • Send collaborative messages with others at the college to avoid redundancy.
  • Broadcast email should NOT be used for: 
    • Commercial advertising for merchants or service providers external to the college, except for notices of services and discounts arranged for members of the college community by the college.
    • Solicitations for contributions, charities, or participation in personal activities not related to college purposes or not sponsored by the college.
    • Solicitations for non-college businesses operated by faculty or staff.
    • Surveys or solicitations to members of the community selected on demographic characteristics,such as to selected groups or individuals identified as candidates for research subjects.
    • Targeted audiences that might appear discriminatory or may appear to be infringement on privacy.
    • Offensive material.

This listing is a digital resource from the Wartburg College Writing Style Guide.
Please use this reference for all official names and spellings for campus buildings and locations.

  • Anderson Human Performance Lab
  • Bachman Fine Arts Center (not Fine Arts Center)
  • Becker Science Hall
  • Bluedorn Instrumental Music Hall 
  • Buckmaster Room (Whitehouse Business Center 214)
  • Canfield Athletic Weight Room
  • Cardinal Commons 
  • Clinton Hall
  • Den-Rittersaal or The Den
  • Diers House
  • Founders Hall
  • Greenwood (President’s residence)
  • Grossmann Hall
  • Hagemann Auditorium (Science Center 102)
  • Hagemann Castle Room
  • Hamm Platz
  • Harms Stadium at Hertel Field (baseball) 
  • Hertel Outdoor Athletics Complex 
  • Hoover Fieldhouse & Track (fieldhouse is one word in this usage) 
  • Knief Pavilion
  • Knights Ballroom: This is the area created by opening all of the meeting rooms on the north end of the second floor in Saemann Student Center. The individual rooms are not ballrooms: Heritage Room, St. Elizabeth Room, and Knights Room.
  • Knights Village
  • Konditorei 
  • Levick Arena
  • Liemohn Choral Music Hall 
  • Lilly Reflection Room 
  • Luther Hall
  • Lynes Field (softball)
  • Löhe Hall
  • The Manors (Waverly Manor, Afton Manor)
  • Max Cross Country Course
  • McCaskey Lyceum
  • McCoy East
  • McCoy Living & Learning Center and Clinton Hall
  • McCoy West
  • McElroy Center
  • Meirink Family Tennis Facility
  • Mensa
  • Meyer Strength & Conditioning Annex
  • Neumann Auditorium
  • Noah Health Clinic 
  • Old Main Ott Anatomy & Physiology Lab
  • Otto Science Hall
  • Platte Observatory
  • Price Television Studios 
  • Print Center
  • Rada-Aleff Classroom Technology Center 
  • The Residence (North and South Halls)
  • Saemann Student Center
  • Salzwedel Field (soccer)
  • Sandra Rada Recital & Orchestra Hall
  • Schuldt Natatorium
  • Science Center
  • Shotwell Tower
  • Ubuntu Center (Slife Hall, Hebron Hall, Vollmer Hall)
  • Voecks Auditorium (Science Center 134)
  • Vogel Library
  • Waldemar A. Schmidt Art Gallery
  • Walker Wrestling Room
  • Walston-Hoover Stadium
  • Wartburg Chapel
  • The Wartburg Store
  • Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center (The W)
  • Whitehouse Business Center
  • Wuertz Health & Human Performance Center
  • Zesty Orange
  • Zimmerman Field

Wartburg College recognizes that the operation of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS), also referred to as “drones,” are popular for both recreational and educational usage. This policy establishes minimal requirements for the safe operation of sUAS and shall be a reference to assist with compliance with Federal Aviation Administration requirements, state laws, local ordinances and University policies and procedures.

sUASs may be flown by both college (faculty, staff, and students) and non-college users if the flight adheres to all limits prescribed by this policy. As a private institution, all flight operations of non-college users must be approved by college officials at least three days in advance. Such approval should be obtained by the Marketing & Communication Office. Users shall keep a copy of the approval and present it upon request.

sUAS operators must be FAA Part 107 licensed and comply with all applicable FAA regulations as well as all state and local laws and ordinances. This includes flying below 400ft. AGL, avoiding flight in inclement weather & not flying over non-participants.

sUAS shall not be used to monitor or record areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy in accordance with accepted social norms. These areas include, but are not limited to, restrooms, residential rooms, changing or dressing rooms, and health treatment rooms.

The college has the right to immediately suspend or terminate the operation of a sUAS by any means necessary if it interferes with campus operations, poses hazards to any person or college facilities, equipment, or other property, or has not received the proper approvals.

Persons wishing to operate a UAS on college property must complete the drone permission form below, which will include the following requirements:

  1. Proof of current FAA Part 107 pilot rating, compliance with all sUAS airspace and operational rules.
  2. A flight plan indicating where flights will occur, a written statement of how any recorded footage will be used, and a backup plan in the event of a broken link or flyaway.
  3. An agreement to hold the college harmless should the user’s sUAS technology be damaged during flight.
  4. Insurance company information in the event college property is damaged during a sUAS flight & proof of a $1,000,000.00 liability policy, at minimum.
  5. sUAS is equipped with FFA-approved remote identification. 

UAS Resources:

There are two parts to this approach:

  1. Always respond as soon as possible to the media request. Reporters work on tight deadlines and, with the advent of 24-7 online news, many deadlines within a day. Responding doesn’t mean giving them the interview or the answers to their questions right away; it means that you are a) acknowledging their inquiry, 
    b) cognizant of their deadline, and 
    c) committed to putting them in touch with the right source
     as quickly as possible.
  2. Always contact Marketing & Communication — typically Emily Christensen — when you receive a media inquiry. There are lots of reasons for this.
    1. You might not be the correct or only source involved in the story. 
    2. Lack of coordination is typically the reason institutions end up seeing incorrect or incomplete information reported in the media. 
    3. Our office is the clearinghouse for all media traffic, and we need to track what stories about Wartburg are likely to appear so we can protect the institution’s reputation. 
    4. If the subject is a benign one, it is OK to let us know after the fact. 
    5. If it is a complex issue — such as a safety or security incident, or a controversial policy, or something involving law enforcement or legal matters, or personnel-related — those inquiries should be directed to our office so we can coordinate an institutional response. 
    6. We can provide media prep and even role play with likely questions so you can feel more comfortable in your media interview.

Transparency is incredibly important in this age, especially if we want to maintain credibility with the media. This is ever more important as we rely more on “earned” media to help in our marketing and communications plans. Additionally, the 24-7, instant availability of information and information dissemination means that it is on our best interest to share all that we can as early as we can so we don’t have to spend out time doing “damage control. “We don’t want to gag anyone. We only want to ensure that reports and responses are accurate, complete and consistent.

Additionally, here are tips on what to do if the media calls and you agree to an interview: 

  • Know what you want to say. Write down some talking points ahead of time. This will keep you from getting sidetracked.
  • Remember:  nothing is “off-the-record.”
  • If you don’t know an answer, say so. NEVER fake an answer.
  • Give us a call (319-352-8347). If you still have questions or concerns, we can help you prepare.

Marketing & Communication (M&C) prioritizes marketing projects focused on external audiences and brand-oriented campaigns. Prioritized areas of campus have an M&C liaison below assigned to them.

EMILY CHRISTENSEN

Career Connections
Internships
President’s Office
Study Away
The W

CHRIS KNUDSON

Admissions/Financial Aid
Campus Signage (Operations)
Graduate Programs
Music
Print Center (External)
Wartburg Store

ALAN SIMMER

Alumni & Parent Engagement
Athletics
Development/Campaigns
Dining/Catering (External)

If you have a marketing project that does not fit within one of these areas, please use the marketing request form to request a specific project be considered by the M&C team. Approved projects will have an M&C team member assigned to follow up with the project contact about next steps. Due to the volume of requests received, we appreciate at least 4-6 weeks of notice. 

Media Relations

As a private institution, Wartburg College requires all outside media to contact the Marketing and Communication Office for permission to cover Wartburg events. Please contact Emily Christensen, director of news.

Photography/Videography Disclaimer
Any photographs or video taken under the direction of the Office of Marketing and Communications or any other college-sponsored program, may be used in news stories, on the web or in college publications. Photos may be used in publicly disseminated promotional materials. Your name will not be listed in the caption or accompanying text without your permission. If you prefer not to be photographed, simply inform the photographer at the time photos are taken.

News Media Coverage
Wartburg College welcomes media coverage of events, activities and other programs on campus open to the public. However, as a private institution, Wartburg College reserves the right to limit access to its property, facilities, classes and invitation-only events. Members of the media are required to contact the Marketing and Communication Office prior to photographing, recording or interviewing faculty, staff, students, and guests on campus. The Marketing and Communication Office will endeavor to assist in arranging interviews and visuals and finding the appropriate resources on campus to help with a story. News media should contact Emily Christensen to make such arrangements.

Media Relations for Students
If you play on a sports team, belong to a music organization, make the Dean’s List, hold an office in a college organization, graduate, or distinguish yourself in other ways, a news release about your accomplishment is sent to your hometown newspaper and the appropriate area media. If you prefer not to have news about your activities sent to your hometown paper, you must sign a form available in the Marketing and Communication Office.

Advertising Opportunities

Spark451 Logo

Agency of Record
Wartburg College partners with Spark451 as its agency of record for all advertising. If you wish to let Wartburg know about any opportunities, please email wartburgmedia@spark451.com and it will be reviewed by both agency and college personnel. 

As a not-for-profit private institution, Wartburg College is tax exempt. Please contact Chris Knudson, chief marketing officer, with any questions.

As an independent, not-for-profit institution, Wartburg College will never endorse a candidate running for any office at any level of government. Individual employees of the college may choose to support candidates, but must be transparent about their views not representing the college, and they may not use college resources to benefit any candidate. Likewise, the college cannot provide goods or services in exchange for political favors. The college will not provide live-streaming services for political candidates. Fliers may only be posted on approved campus boards. They may not be left on cars or in gathering spaces around campus. The college offers options for political candidates/campaigns who wish to appear on campus:

OPTION #1: SPONSORED EVENT

  • Political candidates/campaigns can be sponsored by a recognized student organization on campus. A campaign representative should contact a Student Senate officer or one of the college political group contacts.
  • Once a sponsoring student organization has been secured, the logistics of reserving a location and any audio/video technology must be done by the student organization or Student Senate representative.
  • A member of the sponsoring group should be present during the event.

OPTION #2: FACILITY RENTAL

Wartburg College will only promote events secured through the sponsored event option. The promotion will consist of a mention in the weekly e-newsletter, an announcement on social media and an event posting to the online calendar.

Video Recordings
Video recording is allowed during a political speech in the assigned location of the event only. No other campus locations can be recorded for political or promotional purposes.

SM&C TEAM

Emily Christensen

Chief Communications Officer and Assistant Director of Marketing and Communication

Julie Drewes '90

Visual Media Manager

Chris Knudson '01

Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Marketing & Communication

Roland Ferrie '08

Video Production Manager

Alan Simmer '07

Senior Marketing Associate

Beth Sinnwell

Office Coordinator

Mike Tyer '03

Design & Visual Brand Manager