Comm ideas from Dean Scola

Today I met with Dean Scola and her assistant Robert, who is himself a GS student.

Dean Scola is the Assistant Director of Communications for the School of General Studies reporting to Dean Rodgers. Dean Scola is responsible for the GS website, print ads in the New York Times and semi-annual publications like The Owl. Her time is spent shaping the image of General Studies in the public mind and mitigating damage to that image. She also handles direct inquiries from the press regarding individual students.

Her communications ideas center on freshness, relevance and responsibility. The website needs a fresh, accurate calendar, not the weather report, no matter how accurate it is. The website needs to balance the fact that the content creators are GS students taking classes with the requirement of fresh material at all times. A majority of the students live off campus. The website should be a hook to allow these students to make the most of their time when they are on campus or wish to socialize with other students.

Content produced should be responsible. Responsible to the legacy of the student creating it, toward the School of General Studies and ultimately Columbia University itself. Controversy is fine, but it people creating it should be well known, not anonymous and always mindful of the larger circles their online communication works within.

Thanks,

Brody