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Antioch University Communications Plan
February 17,2008
DRAFT
Goal
To communicate carefully selected key messages efficiently, effectively and in a
timely manner regarding the suspension of College operations June 30,2008,
the shuttering of the College for a period of time and the Board of Trustees and
Antioch College Continuation Corporation’s continued negotiations.
Objective 1: Develop specific, carefully selected key messages to send to
key audiences identified below. The messages will focus on the
effects of the Board’s decision on Antioch College and the five
nonresidential campuses. Note both the College and University
are jeopardized if any announcement is not carefully controlled
and handled.
Objective 2: Develop talking points for use by the communications team
and University leadership upon release of the Board’s decision~
Objective 3: Target key audiences identified below.
Objective 4: Be prepared to send an e-mail to the appropriate audiences,
listed below; ensure all databases are updated and ready to
send once an announcement is made ..
Objective 5: Ensure no member of the Board of Trustees confirms or
denies any rumors that may circulate.
Key Audiences
• Board of Trustees
• ULC
• Alumni Board members and alumni
• Faculty, staff and students of the College through the President and with
the Board Chair and Chancellor, if appropriate
• Faculty, staff and students on the nonresidential campuses through the
Presidents
• Prospective students for the nonresidential campuses ,.
• College parents
• Donors and potential donors
• Yellow Springs community
• Higher education media nationwide
• Media nationwide
• Higher education leaders nationally
1
For use by the communications team:
Background/chronology
See the separate document.
Talking Points and Specific Next Steps
Antioch University’s Board of Trustees and the Antioch College
Continuation Corporation, a nonprofit Ohio corporation, have not yet
reached agreement in the transfer of Antioch College from Antioch
University to the independent corporation. A desire to find a common
ground continues to motivate both groups in their passionate work.
At the February Board of Trustees meeting, the Board-appointed
negotiating team, with oversight by the Trustees’ Finance Committee,
presented the Trustees with detailed oral reports about negotiations to
date. The Board was told the negotiating team had met twice with the
ACee and the Finance Committee met twice after those sessions
evaluating, providing feedback and analyzing the results. Prior to this
meeting the Board was provided with written detailed reports on all these
meetings ..
Based on the current lack of a sustainable fiscal and academic plan for the College
by the ACCC, the University Board of Trustees reaffirmed its June 2007 decision to
suspend operations at Antioch College beginning June 30,2008. This reaffirmation
was made explicit so students, faculty and staff would be able to continue planning
for the next phase in their education and careers.
Should the transfer of the College occur at a later date, the ACee will determine
the date and scope of the College’s reopening.
Antioch University and the College administrations will work together with ~dl
Antioch College students, faculty and staff to ensure they are able to plan the next
steps in their academic and professional careers.
The five other Antioch University campuses will continue to operate with no
interruption.
Goals, Strategies and Tactics by Audience
1. Board members
Goal: To ensure the Board has access to all information communicated
about its decisions at the February Board meeting and to ensure the
Board’s decision is communicated broadly and accurately ..
2
Task: Draft the communications plan and chronology of events for the
Board.
IResponsibility: Group IDate Due: Done
Task: Distribute and discuss the press release, the communications plan
and chronology of events to the Board.
IResponsibility: Mary Lou
3
IDate Due: Board meeting
Tasks: Create and distribute– the press release accompanying
chronology and Board chair op-ed.
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: Done
Responsibility: Lynda and Mary Date Due: after the Board
Lou to oversee distribution decision
Tasks: Draft an op-ed from Board Chair Zucker outlining the rationale for
the Board’s decision and the realities facing the Board; share with Board
members and place with the Yellow Springs newspaper or the Dayton
Daily News.
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: done
Responsibility: Lynda to submit Date Due: after the Board
decision
Task: Pitch Chair Zucker or appropriate Board member for interviews with
the Chronicle of Higher Education and InsideHigerEd.com.
Responsibility: Lynda and Mary
Lou
Date Due: after the Board
decision
2. ACCC, ACCe’s PR group (skypr), Alumni Board Alumni Chapters
Goal: Ensure ACee, ACee’s PR group and the alumni board leadership
have access to information and documents for distribution to their
constituents once a decision has been made.
Task: Communicate with Alumni Board Chairs the decisions of the Board
and the chronology of the past year.
Responsibility: Group to draft
Responsibility: Lynda and ML
Date Due: After Board meeting
Due Date: After Board meeting
Tasks: Create and distribute the press release, press release chronology
and op-ed.
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: Done
Responsibility: Lynda and Mary Date Due: after the Board
Lou to oversee distribution decision
Task: Feature any announcement in an immediate issue of the Antioch
Update, on Antioch.edu, the College website and lA’s publication based
on press release language.
IResponsibility: Lynda
4
IDate Due: after the Board
Idecision
3. Faculty, staff and students at the College
Goal: Ensure faculty, staff and students receive an update on any Board
decisions as quickly as possible.
Task: Prepare and make a public announcement on the campus and the
president to hold constituency meetings on campus after the Board
decision (4 hour response time needed, please see attached process).
Responsibility: Lynda Sirk and
President
Date Due: after the Board
decision
Tasks: Feature any announcement in an immediate issue of the Antioch
Update, Antioch.edu and the College website based on press release
language.
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: Done
Responsibility: Lynda and the Date Due: after the Board
College decision
Tasks: Update this audience on ongoing negotiations. An electronic
communications update should be issued with any news ..
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: Ongoing
Responsibility: Lynda to oversee Date Due: as negotiations
distribution proceed
Task: Should the faculty re-file their lawsuit against the University, prepare
a statement to address specifics of the suit. Language will include: “The
Alumni Board’s financial consultant validated the financial basis on which
the Trustees
t
original decision was made.”
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: ASAP after the suit is
filed
Responsibility: Lynda to oversee Date Due: upon completion of the
distribution internally and statement
externally
4. Parents of students
Goal: Ensure parents are updated with the most accurate information
possible.
5
Task: College has established a call center to communicate with parents.
Responsibility: College Date Due: after the Board
decision t but available currentl
Task: College to write a letter to parents updating them on the impact of
the Board’s decision on their children.
Responsibility: Lynda and
President
Date Due: Draft to be distributed
after the Board decision. but
available currently
~College to put all public information online on the parents’ webpa
Responsibility: lynda Sirk Date Due: after the Board
decision
5. Faculty, staff and students at the nonresidential campuses
Goal: To ensure faculty, staff and students on the nonresidential
campuses understand the Board’s decision and receive reassurance there
will be no impact on them, their prospective students or on their current
students’ education.
Tasks: Prepare and distribute an e-mail announcement from the
Chancellor to the Presidents in advance of any decision and be prepared
to distribute immediately to all nonresidential internal audiences.
Responsibility: Teresa to draft Date Due: ASAP
Responsibility: Mary Lou to ensure Date Due: after the Board
the text is sent from Tani to the decision
Presidents
Responsibility: Presidents hold Date Due: after the Board
responsibility for sharing with their decision
campuses
6. Prospective students for the nonresidential campuses
Goal: Ensure the nonresidential campuses are more visible to potential
students.
Task: Update Antioch.edu with academic information about nonresidential
campuses and human interest stories, innovative faculty activities, etc.
Responsibility: Mary lou and
Lynda
6
Date Due: ongoing after the
Board decision
Task: Post a statement about the unon-impact” of the Board’s decision on
nonresidential campus websites.
Responsibility: Mary Lou and
campus marketing directors
Date Due: after the Board
decision
Task: Post a vision statement for the University.
Responsibility: Lynda and Mary
Lou
Date Due: after the Board
decision
7. Donors and potential donors (tasks are listed under alumni communications,
#2 above)
Goal: Coordinate all communications with donors and potential donors
with messaging distributed by the IA Office to ensure they understand how
the decision impacts them.
8. Yellow Springs community
Goal: Ensure the Yellow Springs community understands the impact of the
decision.
Task: Invite the Yellow Springs to the on campus public forum through
PSA announcements to be aired on WYSO (see attachment).
Responsibility: Lynda Sirk
7
Date Due: after the Board
decision
Tasks: Draft and run an op-ed by the Board Chair to run in the Yellow
Springs newspaper and a second draft in the Dayton newspaper (see #1,
above).
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: done
Responsibility: Lynda to submit Date Due: after the Board
decision
9. Higher education media nationwide:
Tasks: Send press release to all higher education media (see #1, above) ..
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: Done
Responsibility: Lynda and Mary Date Due: after the Board
Lou to oversee distribution decision
Task: Arrange interviews with Chair Zucker or other appropriate Board
member following any announcement (see #1, above).
Responsibility: Lynda and Mary
Lou
Date Due: after the Board
decision
Tasks: Send the press release to higher education associations and ask
for opportunities to write about or provide communications on the decision
and next steps, lessons learned, etc.
Responsibility: group to draft
Responsibility: Lynda to contact:
• ~ . >~:’~’;”‘:~~t~j<;,~:It
· l~,,:~~~,j~:~l~1
• Great Lakes Colleges
Association (GLCA)
Responsibility: Teresa to contact:
~. .
• ~. ·1
8
Date Due: Done
Date Due: after the Board
decision
Date Due: after the Board
decision
, "0
Tasks: Draft an op-ed for Toni focusing on lessons learned, what other
institutions can learn from the past year and half.
Responsibility: Annie Beckmann Date Due: after the Board
decision
"Responsibility: Teresa and Lynda Date Due: after the Board
to oversee distribution decision
10. Media nationwide
Tasks: Send main press release to the Associated Press. Lynda's media
database, key outlets for each of the nonresidential campuses, and the
outlets that have covered the College's story most frequently (see #1,
above).
Responsibility: Group to draft Date Due: Done
Responsibility: Lynda and Mary Date Due: after the Board
Lou to oversee distribution decision
9
Attachment
Campus Meeting Plan
Antioch College
Campus Plan for Announcement of Results of the Negotiations
This schedule is a guideline for the process ofrelease ofthe announcement. It is
crafted to be flexible and is to be adjusted according to the time and date ofthe final
decision.
Schedule for the day of the release:
Prior to the 10 a.m. PSG meeting, EMBARGO Release with timeline and
send to local, regional and national media with announcement of the 11
a.m. Kelly Hall meeting
Cal] Paul Maasson at WYSO to begin the PSA announcements of the meeting
place and time for the announcement. Paul also will send a reporter to the
announcement for a live feed to station. If announcement breaks after 5 p.m., also
call Peter Hayes on cell (937.684.7883).
Call Tyler Lee as representative of ComCil to initiate assistance with press
SCHEDULE OF MEET1NGS:
PSG ] 0 a.m. (all departlnent heads)
CG ...~ • 1 t> a.m. to join PSG (3 community managers)
tt.: ..P~G and CG move to Kelly Hall for the community meeting
..
Kelly Hall .1 ]a.m:- general meeting for campus and YS community
Podcast from LA of Art and Toni
Coordi~nated through WYSO YS and WYSO LA-a FIRST
“Lun”ch }.2.noon–possible delay of lunch schedule
……. “. , • • ~ J. …
Staff 6} p.m.
AdCil 3 p.m.
Faculty 4 p.m. faculty
Students 5 p.m~ dinner ex”tended in the calf
Evening 7 p.m. on evening activity for students ….Call We Talk? Hosted
1?yCG; extended food, music and adults on campus to talk with-Andrzej, Janice,
las, Milt.
10
