Individual Public Relations and Community Relations Projects: University of Washington, Tacoma - Gold Medal
Best Practice In April 2005, the governor signed legislation making the University of Washington, Tacoma, a four-year school. Advancement staff had only 18 months until the first day of class and about five months until prime application season. High schoolers didn't know they could enter as freshmen, and other institutions had been communicating with potential students for a year or longer. UW Tacoma's objective was to create a marketing program to fill 140 seats with qualified freshmen for fall 2006, while establishing a brand that emphasized its strengths and minimized its weaknesses.