Letter from the Executive Editor

Communicating with the campus community

Communication leads to community, that is, to understanding, intimacy and mutual valuing.
— Rollo May

A hearty New Year’s greeting to all of our UW Oshkosh “friends,” “followers” and “fans.”

This fourth issue of Engage marks the two-year anniversary of the redesign of UW Oshkosh's  magazine — an integral component of the institution's commitment to an integrated marketing and communications strategy.

During the past two years, this integrated effort has received several nods of recognition, including most recently a Silver Award for most improved magazine from the Council for the Support and Advancement of Education (CASE Region V) for institutions with an enrollment of 10,000 or more. The University's integrated marketing and communications strategy also gained recognition through CASE V, winning the 2009 Teresa du Bois Exline Award for Best Practices in Communications and Marketing for the development and implementation of a university-wide creative and client-focused model.

CASE is a professional organization for advancement professionals at all levels who work in alumni relations, communications, fundraising, marketing and other areas. The CASE V region is the largest in the nation.

In this issue of Engage, the latest innovations in communication take center stage. Through the perspectives of UW Oshkosh alumni and faculty alike, we explore how social media impacts not only our personal lives but also how we learn and how we do business.

The communication technologies timeline that accompanies the cover story, “Social Media: The New Word of Mouth,” really puts the latest social networking innovations into perspective. We also highlight how UW Oshkosh is keeping pace with the latest trends in communication and even developing an Interactive Web Technology Management degree.

The University is using social media as part of its strategic integrated marketing and communications plan to enhance the value of the UW Oshkosh brand. Since 2008, we have been making "friends" on Facebook and connecting with our "followers" on Twitter.

We invite you to check out the UW Oshkosh and the UW Oshkosh Alumni groups on Facebook. On Twitter, follow UWOshkosh for campus updates and events, UWOshkoshToday for news and feature stories, and, of course, UWOshkoshEngage for Engage magazine and alumni news. Or subscribe to UW Oshkosh Today’s RSS feed for the latest campus updates.

Another way to stay connected and, perhaps, boost your professional development and career opportunities is to join the UWO alumni group on LinkedIn, where we interact with 1,700 members.

Even with so many “high-tech” options, we know some folks still prefer communicating via e-mail, telephone and even good, old-fashioned U.S. mail. No matter the vehicle, we want to hear from you. Let us know what you think about the latest social networking trends or send us a quick update about what’s going on in your life. 

Of course, nothing can ever replace getting together and talking face to face. Join us in 2010 at one of our alumni events held across the nation or at Homecoming on campus Oct. 23–24. We would love to see you in person at Pollock Alumni House, 765 Algoma Blvd. Stop by for a visit soon! 

Cheers,

Jeanette DeDiemar. Ph.D., ’88, Executive Editor

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