Public Relations Academy

Welcome & Overview

SPEAKER:

Make the Most of Your Presidential Role at Events

How presidents spend their time is a complicated decision, which makes it critical to turn each of the many institutional events into impact. Drawing upon more than 50 years of experience working with college presidents on events, our speakers will provide how-to guidance on making the most of the events that presidents host or attend on- or off-campus. Attendees will leave this discussion with a set of guiding principles and action items that will help avoid typical event pitfalls and capitalize on the promise of events for shaping perceptions of your institution and you, including:

• The three key roles a president should play at events.

• The seven top questions for making best use of the president’s participation.

• Essential communications considerations for planning, presentation, and follow-up—and for addressing the unexpected.

• The top on-site protocols for connecting an audience’s expectations with your event goals.

• Why the speech is only the beginning of the possibilities for getting your message across.

SPEAKERS:

Pete Mackey, Ph.D., Founder and President, Mackey Strategies
Sarah Winkler, Co-Founder and Managing Principal, Educe

An Insider’s Look at the Most Challenging Questions Facing Presidents

Hear one of the leading higher education editors and journalists discuss the most challenging questions leaders of independent colleges are going to be asked in 2019, especially by reporters and politicians. 

SPEAKER:

Navigating Difficult Conversations on Campus

What devices do college leaders need to move beyond simplistic conversations to forging a path toward genuine respect when addressing the hardest issues facing college campuses today? This session will distill lessons for navigating conversations about the thorniest cultural issues on college and university campuses.  Professor Wilson will describe the process and deliberate measures used to mine streaks of good will among Millennials and members of Gen Z and to defuse controversy so that real dialogue and civil discourse marks the event. This process harnesses and amplifies the insights of tomorrow’s leaders, who have grown up with unprecedented diversity—and a spirit of openness and inclusivity—elevating the responsible voices often crowded out in the flair-ups over free speech on campus. This session will also touch on the use of social media to propel dialogue and elevate constructive voices, the value of involving students in the process of planning and promoting dialogue and civil discourse, and things to avoid.

SPEAKER:

Robin Fretwell Wilson, University of Illinois Professor, Director and Founder of Tolerance Means Dialogues and co-editor of Religious Liberty, LGBT Rights, and the Prospects for Common Ground