Office of Strategic Communications

About the School of Education Office of Strategic Communications

The VCU School of Education Office of Strategic Communications aims to elevate its visibility, engage key stakeholders, and reinforce its commitment to advancing learning beyond traditional boundaries. Through consistent messaging, impactful storytelling, and strategic partnerships, the SOE Office of Strategic Communications helps differentiate the School of Education as a leader in education and attract top talent, students, donors, and partners.

The School of Education's director of strategic communications is responsible for:

a.) soe.vcu.edu including website maintenance, compliance and analytics and for managing a system for content updates from stakeholders via the portal or consultation and in compliance with VCU Website Standards and Guidelines and VCU Brand Standards .  

b.) the School of Education Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts content updates and analytics in compliance with VCU Brand Standards  and VCU Social Media Policies. 

The director of strategic communications is the admin for the SOE YouTube Channel and Flicker account and facilitates content from SOE  stakeholders on these two platforms as requested. 

The Office of Strategic Communications employees a full-time graphic designer who is responsible for maintaining a consistent branding presence for the School of Education; producing signature digital and print assets and supports the director of strategic communications in consultations with SOE stakeholders. 

The Office of Strategic Communications hires freelancers and other individuals for support on major initiatives.  

School of Education Social Media Accounts

Stakeholders in VCU School of Education departments, centers, sub-centers and programs may manage social media accounts that were established prior to December 31, 2023 but are responsible for compliance with VCU Brand Standards  and VCU Social Media Policies.  The director of strategic communications is available for consultations regarding social media account management.

As of January 1, 2024, no School of Education stakeholders, including departments, centers, sub-centers and programs, may establish new social media accounts without approval by the director of communications and VCU Enterprise Marketing Communications.

Photo Release Forms

SOE stakeholders are advised to consult with the director of strategic communications to access and utilize VCU's photo release form for images that are used for marketing and promotional purposes.  Stakeholders are advised the VCU has a minor release form for any and all photos that feature minor individuals. 

Media Relations

The director of strategic communications, in collaboration with the Dean of the School of Education and VCU Enterprise Marketing Communications Office, provides support to SOE stakeholders for media and press interviews, coverage and requests.  VCU School of Education stakeholders are required to notify the director of communications about interactions with the media regarding coverage o School of Education events, announcements and feature stories.  Story and announcement suggestion for publicity or promotion on social media, may be submitted to the director of communications via the Communications Portal, email or consultation. 

The director of communications is responsible for coordinating responses to media inquiries (including expert comment on breaking news, information about programs and individuals, or crisis management). Faculty or staff who are contacted directly by the media should refer the inquiry to their supervisor and/or director of communications.

Collaborating with the Office of Communications

Please use the Communications Portal to request communications and marketing support, suggest news or social media content or request website or faculty/staff directory edits.  Stakeholder are also welcome to email or meet with the SOE director of strategic communications for a consultation. 

VCU Brand Standards

Any materials representing the VCU School of Education, its departments, programs, centers, sub-centers or other functional subunits will adhere to VCU Brand Standards  and include the appropriate School of Education brand marks, identity or other visual elements. The director of communications is available to consult on the use of school and VCU branding.  

Templates, Wordmarks and Logos

More about the Office of Communications

Mission

At the VCU School of Education Office of Communications, our mission is to foster effective communication and disseminate valuable information that bolsters the prominence of the school and enhances the schools ability to attract prospective students.  

Vision

We envision the VCU School of Education Communications Office as a beacon of excellence, setting a standard for communication that is both innovative and responsive, facilitating robust engagement with all stakeholders.

Core Values

Integrity: We uphold the highest standards of honesty and accountability in all facets of our work.
Quality: We are dedicated to delivering excellence, striving for the highest quality in all our products and services.
Agility: We are nimble and adaptable, adeptly addressing the dynamic communication needs of our stakeholders.
Collaboration: We believe in the power of partnership, fostering strong collaborations to achieve exceptional outcomes.
Innovation: We embrace creativity and innovation, continuously refining our methods to enhance effectiveness and efficiency.

Major Functions

The VCU School of Education Office of Strategic Communications aspires to serve as the central hub for unit-wide communication efforts, both internally and externally. We provide essential support to stakeholders including students, staff, faculty, alums and strategic partners. 

Major functions of the office include:

• Update and maintain the SOE website, soe.vcu.edu with input from stakeholders.
• Manage content and messaging to include partnership announcements, rankings and achievements, events, and human interest and feature stories. Via the Communications Portal or in consultation with the director of strategic communications SOE stakeholders provide leads for news, announcements, and awards to support the school’s strategic communication goals.
• Manage and update the SOE faculty and staff website-based directory. Stakeholders coordinate headshots with the Dean’s Office and provide updates or new content or modifications for directory listings to SOE communications via the portal or in consultation with the office. 
• Write, design, produce and distribute an annual report for SOE.
• Assist in the production of the graduation programs.
• Develop content and announcements to publish on SOE social media post and blog/news posts stories featuring SOE.
• Collaborate with VCU News on stories that feature the accomplishments and impact of SOE. 
• Develop graphics for printed materials and SWAG for the Office of Recruitment and Outreach. 
• Develop content, graphic and execution for marketing campaigns and assets as assigned by the Dean or department chairs to promote specific projects, initiatives or academic programs. 
• Support the DAR and the SOE development team on a case-by-case basis with communications tactics and custom assets to promote donors, events or campaigns.
• Advise center/program directors on general VCU and SOE branding and web guidelines and provide overall insights and resources to help amplify messaging.
• Manage and provide support for communication resource tools and platforms such as Canva, Adobe Suite, Flicker, MailChimp and analytics for web and social media. Expand the availability of templates and assets to continuously improve marketing communications materials.  

This section was last updated April 26, 2024.