Having struggled to tell its story in the past, Utah's higher education system is embarking on formal promotional campaign that promises to be more than a "puff piece."
Dale O. Zabriskie, a member of the state Board of Regents and a public relations professional, told the regents recently that their message needs to be issue-oriented and have a clear direction.Regent Ian Cumming said the regents need to take a lesson from Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. When Gingrich and other Republicans proposed the much-ballyhooed Contract With America, they literally waved the document in people's faces as rhetoric developed.
Cumming, an international executive, said the regents' message ought to focus on the erosion of America's economic status worldwide because of the decreased emphasis on producing an educated and well-trained workforce.
"Let's take a leaf out of Newt's book. Let's say it 150,000 times," Cumming said.
Cumming, half-joking, volunteered to print and laminate wallet-size cards that explain the relationship between higher education and lifetime earning potential.
Regents would be expected to carry the cards at all time (except when wearing pajamas) and display them at every opportunity, he said. Any regent caught without the card would have to forfeit his or her meeting per diem pay, he quipped.
"We all ought to carry that Contract with Higher Education," Cumming said.
Regent Evelyn B. Lee observed that the higher education system may be sending "conflicting messages" to lawmakers and the public.
On the one hand, higher and public education officials frequently point to short-term training programs than can lead to good-paying jobs. Public education has received state funds to establish a slick public relations campaign to emphasize the benefits of applied technology education. Meanwhile, the message about the long-term gains in income provided by a college education are overshadowed.
"I don't think the legislators are hearing that as much as they hear the other side," Lee lamented.
Zabriskie, chairman of the higher education campaign task force, suggested the Regents settle on issues they want to promote in advance of the 1998 Legislature.
The sooner the better, said Utah State University President George Emert. "We need to get on our horse and try to give him all the ammunition possible," he said.