SIU's President says the renewal of a marketing contract with a Chicago firm last week will mean continued progress in the future for SIUC.
%22It%20involves%20continuing%20to%20do%20research...%20the%20logo%20is%20such%20a%20small%20part%20of%20this%2C%20and%20the%20billboards.%20It%27s%20developing%20a%20whole%20strategy%20for%20reaching%20out%20to%20students%20in%20this%20state...%20and%20in%20surrounding%20states.%22%20--%20SIU%20President%20Glenn%20Poshard
Glenn Poshard says a disruption in the Lipman Hearne plan would have been a major setback for recruitment and retention programs all over the state. He says selling the SIUC brand outside this region is critical:
"60% of our students - or better - come from Cook County and the surrounding counties. If we're not marketing to where the population is, we're not getting the students. And we weren't marketing. We had almost no budget in the Chicago area to tell our story."
Poshard says the $2-million renewal, which was approved in an emergency SIU Board of Trustees meeting last week, is about much more than a logo design and some billboards. He says changing the perception of prospective students and their families could make or break the enrollment picture for the next several years.
