To succeed in recruiting development officers, colleges and universities must use more aggressive methods to reach alumni, people with ties to the campus, and local business people; expand their selection criteria, perhaps including candidates with little or no experience; streamline the hiring process; and train new professionals. (MSE)

Provides advice on how to instill the giving habit in recent graduates and how to encourage them to take an active part in alumni issues. Development officers need to keep track of recent alumni, use telephone and electronic mail rather than letters to contact young alumni, and develop special programs to encourage giving by recent graduates. (MDM)

College public relations and institutional development offices can provide media training for faculty to master interviews. Methods include providing portable media manuals to faculty, conducting workshops, providing seminars on media communication during a crisis, having journalists coach faculty, creating a section for faculty and staff on the…

College development administrators are wise to make special efforts to keep their best contact staff, those who have significant contact with major gift prospects. However, those officers are likely to be recruited away. When they do leave, a structured transition is best for all parties. (MSE)

An in-house media training program can help college faculty feel comfortable with taped and on-camera interviews. Everyone benefits: faculty gain valuable experience; the media and public obtain quick, concise, and clear information; and the campus gets good public relations. Effective programs are carefully designed, realistic, and include…

A survey of campus publications directors and designers in a variety of institutions concerning the transition to computerized publication design revealed some common problems regarding staff relations, training needs and considerations, retention of some traditional methods, and cost effectiveness. Suggestions for minimizing them are made. (MSE)

Developing a timetable for a college fund-raising campaign may be critical to success. Planning involves deciding what tasks to include, how to prioritize and schedule them, and how much time to allot, based on task requirements, institutional size/complexity, experience. Other factors include campus climate, board style, systems readiness, and…

The Internet and other technological tools are rapidly becoming an expected means of communication for college and university public relations offices. Making this transition requires conquering fears of new technology, building on existing staff public relations skills, reorganizing operations to accommodate new tasks, enjoying the new…

Services that colleges and universities can offer to support alumni job placement and career development are noted, and practical suggestions for creating, administering, and advertising them are outlined. Program ideas include seminars, career-development courses, career placement, counseling and resume services, electronic services to support…

Successful campus public relations requires: (1) segmenting the mass audience into categories according to demographics, interest, lifestyles, and other factors; (2) analyzing how members of each segment respond to various messages and media; and (3) designing a campaign tailored to specific segments of the general audience. (MSE)

Presents marketing guru Guy Kawasaki's seven rules for revolutionaries, and examples of alumni relations innovators who are implementing change with cutting-edge programs, services, and business practices. Rules include: "jump curves" (look for new paths); "break down barriers" (challenge roadblocks of ignorance and inertia);…

Professional event planners give advice on producing pleasing alumni special events. Planning elements include creating a theme, picking the place, finding talented people to help, thinking carefully about seating options, setting the mood, having clear objectives, drafting a detailed script, and managing last-minute changes. (MSE)

Suggestions are offered to campus editors on ways to make periodical article headlines more arresting. Stressed are the need for accuracy, appropriate length, use of poetics, and cleverness. Examples of good and poor headlines are offered and the need to devote adequate time to headline preparation is stressed. (DB)

College alumni directors are finding that alumni want more than parties at their reunions and are overcoming attendance slumps with creative, substantive programing. Ideas include faculty seminars on topics of current interest, sometimes integrated with professional continuing education, alumni panel discussions, involving the family, involving…

Colleges and universities are achieving modest results in using the World Wide Web for fund raising. Suggestions for developing/updating Web sites include: providing basic information such as pledge forms and development office contacts; tailoring the site to campus and potential donor interests; using the site to support other efforts; providing…