Communicating the Value of a Global Education
One of the main functions of the international office is to produce and promote campus events that support cross-cultural dialogue and understanding. To support those efforts, an increasing number of international offices are hiring staff dedicated to sharing their global mission and outcomes with the wider community.
Communications staff in the international office can help the institution reach broader internationalization goals, as well as raise the profile of the office on campus. They can meet marketing and communications needs that are specific to the international office’s objectives, but also work with the university’s communications office staff to amplify each other’s messages.
“Today’s international office has a much broader role than some people may imagine,” says Kate Hoving, public relations manager at the College of William & Mary (W&M)’s Reves Center for International Studies. “For the same reason, the communication needs of the office are much broader and go beyond simply promoting events and participation in programming. You have multiple constituencies and multiple goals, which include education and information as much as marketing and promotion.”
Building the International Brand
Like most staff in international offices across the country, dedicated communications staff have a breadth of responsibilities. At W&M, Hoving is responsible for overseeing strategic communications for the vice provost for international affairs, editing a biannual newsletter about international initiatives and research, managing the center’s website, coordinating and promoting globally focused events, creating a weekly email, maintaining social media, doing media outreach, and hosting international visitors.
With this overarching view of the
