The research and discovery phase of this project is swiftly moving forward. Through conversations and other resources we have immersed our creative partner, Little & Company, in publications and information about and from the College's departments, centers, programs/fields of study, services, central efforts, and collaborations/partnerships with other units at the U and in the community. They have toured campus and the College's buildings, and have had a meeting with Dean Darlyne Bailey.
Focus group sessions have begun; a staff session was conducted Thursday afternoon, and another staff focus group was held Friday morning. A department chair focus group was held Friday afternoon. The remaining focus groups to occur in the next few weeks will be one with associate deans, two faculty groups, and three groups of students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional/licensure). Phone interviews are being conducted with alumni and members of the College's advisory council.
The focus group participants represent the range of units and functions within the College. The sessions last 90 minutes and participants have found the hands-on activities and conversations enjoyable. If you are contacted in the next week to participate in one, please try to make the time as these are difficult to schedule considering the tight time frame and everyone's busy schedules.
The last focus group session will take place April 9, ending the research phase. The next step is that research results will be pulled together and distilled into a brand essence. From there a visual and verbal vocabulary will be developed -- ways to talk about the College and the framework we use to portray the College visually. A major deliverable of this is what's called a visual identity system. This system and its accompanying deliverables is outlined in the original RFP, posted below this entry and downloadable as a Word doc.
Because of the tight timeframe on the research phase, we'd like to encourage you to take the opportunity to highlight and share the work that you value by commenting on this blog. Start with this post on Our strengths, create a For-It's-That statement, and look for more questions to come.
Not every question will spark something, but feel free to comment on any of the entries at any time. It's a chance to talk about the great work you do in your unit, department, program, center, collegewide committee, office, initiative etc., which together comprise the work of the College -- outreach efforts in the community, international partnerships making an impact in the world, groundbreaking research, inspired teaching, what our graduates bring to their fields and to the world.
Speak from your heart. Jot down some thoughts, it doesn't need to be formal. Nudge your neighbors to do the same. Thank you.