Vice President for Marketing and Communications
- Employer
- Alcorn State University
- Location
- Lorman, MS
View more
- Executive Administration Jobs
- Vice Presidents
- Administrative Jobs
- Institutional & Business Affairs, Communications & Marketing, Technology, Multimedia & Audiovisual
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
Application packet must include:
a) Letter of interest
b) Current curriculum vitae
c) Leadership Philosophy Statement
d) At least five references with full contact and e-mail information (References will not be contacted without applicant’s consent.)
Finalists for the position will participate in on-campus interviews that will include a public presentation.
Submit application and nomination packet to marketing@alcorn.edu (preferably as PDFs). Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Purpose of JobThe Vice President for Marketing and Communications reports directly to the President, and oversees the communication efforts of Alcorn State University. Communications effort includes all internal and external communications, including strategy and policy, message development, media relations, issues and crisis management, university-level internal communications with enrolled students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff, brand management, marketing and advertising, social media, website management, and graphic design services. The Vice President is also charged with strengthening relationships with all university stakeholders and driving local, state, national, and global communications.
As a dynamic leader and change agent, the Vice President’s goal will be to strengthen existing communications and create a strategic plan that reflects the University’s mission and goals, addressing target audiences and key stakeholders, as well as ensuring alignment and consistency of communications across the institution. S/He will develop a communications plan for Alcorn State University, managing activities that promote, enhance, and protect the university’s desired image and position.
As a strategic advisor, the Vice President will serve as the primary communications and marketing resource for the President and the University’s senior leadership.
The Vice President for Marketing and Communications will plan, develop, integrate, and implement the University’s marketing strategies, communications, branding, and public relations activities, both internal and external. S/He will be responsible for varied and integrated communications products and services including newsletters and other print publications web, e-news, and other online communications; media and public relations; and marketing and branding. The individual will work collaboratively with senior leadership, athletics, the School of Agriculture, and other internal constituents to develop, coordinate, and implement communication strategies to drive broader awareness, enhance and elevate the institutional profile, and increase donor support for the University.
Essential Job Functions●Serve as chief communications counselor to the university president and other university leaders on all internal and external strategic communications, branding and marketing, with responsibility for oversight and direction of those functions and staff
●Manage university-wide marketing and communications, including media relations, issues and crisis management, university-level internal communications, digital communications and social media, brand stewardship, marketing, and graphic design services.
●Set communications policy/standards and a high-level messaging framework for campus and college communications teams to work within successfully.
●Create and implement a strategic, integrated communications plan that addresses varied priorities and stakeholders. The plan should address a proactive media relations strategy and program at the local, state, national, and global levels and encompass print, television, and social media outlets.
●Coordinate crisis management efforts involving both the university as a whole and its individual units.
●Handle media spokesperson duties and conducts media interviews for the university when appropriate.
●Collaborate to strengthen, align, and guide the University’s overall and unit brands, including athletics, advancement, and Agriculture, through strategic marketing activities. Ensure brand standards are maintained and consistent throughout the organization
●Take a research-based approach to identify key messages and audiences, and work consistently to tell the University’s stories, weaving them together to create a consistent, unified message in support of the Alcorn brand to a broad range of targeted, diverse audiences
●Work with University senior leaders, faculty, and staff to assess the University’s communications and marketing needs and identify strong messages, compelling stories, and key audiences
●Collaborate across schools and administrative units – including admissions, development and alumni affairs, and athletics – to align messages and to promote key initiatives of the University
●Reinforce a culture of excellence, innovation, and creativity, one that is proactive and quick to mobilize around important issues facing the University at all levels
●Anticipate, prepare for, preempt, and mitigate issues with the potential to negatively impact the University’s reputation. Oversee issues-management and crisis communications plans and advise senior leaders in the event of a crisis
●Lead strategy and provide oversight for internal communications to ensure that faculty, staff, alumni, students, and their families are kept informed of the University’s goals, objectives, and progress. This will include the creation of a framework and content for internal and external websites.
●Develop and oversee a dynamic, interactive, and comprehensive website that meets the needs of multiple constituencies.
●Lead the strategic use of digital media and other current social media tools to disseminate brand messages and achieve University application, enrollment, and other objectives
●Cultivate and sustain collaborative relationships/partnerships with external stakeholders, government and community leaders, businesses, and foundations
●Oversee the day-to-day operations of the Office of Marketing, and Communications including staff supervision and evaluation, workflow efficiency, budgeting, planning, and professional development
●Develop and mentor staff performance based on goals, accountabilities, objectives, and priorities
●Work in collaboration to support University events, including but not limited to Commencement and Convocation
•At least 7 years of progressive leadership responsibilities and experience managing communications and/or marketing in a complex, dynamic environment.
●Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
●A holistic understanding of all aspects of communications, positioning and messaging, including industry best practices in both traditional and emerging media platforms and experience with state-of-the-art communications technology. Demonstrated experience with digital communications strategies and new media
●Proven ability to lead with direct authority and through influence, including collaborating across peer leadership groups and deploying resources to support individual units as well as an enterprise-wide narrative. Ability to forge effective relationships, influence, and collaborate internally and externally at all levels
●Demonstrated political savvy in identifying influencers in the broader public context, and in achieving public relations impact among outside stakeholders
●Demonstrated senior leadership experience designing and executing a strategic communications plan in a large, complex, decentralized organization with varied priorities and stakeholders
●Experience managing teams and budgets in a highly complex organization. This includes experience hiring, developing, and retaining high-performing professional teams, as well as evaluation and retention of and change management for existing teams
●Outstanding management and planning skills, including the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously
●Excellent and nuanced writing ability and range. Strong interpersonal skills and persuasive presentation and public speaking skills
N/A
Knowledge Skills and Abilities●A strong record of success as a supervisor, including but not limited to performance evaluation, professional development, setting individual goals, and assessment of performance effectiveness
●Demonstrated effectiveness as a culturally competent professional with broad experience interacting with and supporting the needs of a diverse student population
●A high level of collegiality in working with other campus units, along with the ability to build collaborative relationships characterized by mutual respect, trust, and commitment to shared goals
●Integrity, creativity, energy, and decisiveness along with the capacity to engage and inspire others
●Highly effective in all aspects of crisis management, including the ability to work collaboratively with others in managing crises
●Excellence as a manager of complex organizational processes, heavy reliance on assessment data to inform decisions, superb supervision and professional development skills
●Effectiveness in setting priorities and deadlines to ensure project goal and objectives are met
●Strong skills in developing and managing budgets
●Sensitive, diplomatic, and highly articulate in written and verbal communications with all constituencies
●Well-developed skills in assessing organizational effectiveness and identifying areas of strength as well as needs for improvement
Alcorn State University
Equal Employment Opportunity and Notice of Non-Discrimination
Alcorn State University is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Alcorn State University is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities.
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
Organization
Institutional Statement
Alcorn State University is a premier comprehensive land-grant university that develops diverse students into globally-competitive leaders and applies scientific research through collaborative partnerships which benefit the surrounding communities, states, nation and world.
History
Alcorn is the oldest public historically black land-grant institution in the United States and the second oldest state supported institution of higher learning in Mississippi. When it was founded in 1871, the institution’s three major study components were the four year college track, the two year track, and the three year graded track. The students spent the mornings from seven o’clock until noon in classes. In the afternoon, they worked in the various shops for eight cents per hour. Room and board, including laundry, equated to five dollars a month.
Alcorn State University was founded as the result of the people of Mississippi’s efforts to educate the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans. It was named in honor of the sitting governor of Mississippi, James L. Alcorn. The site was originally occupied by Oakland College, a school established by Presbyterians in 1828. The state of Mississippi purchased the Oakland College campus for $40,000 and named it Alcorn University with the first president being Hiram R. Revels. Revels resigned his seat as a United States senator to assume the post. The state legislature provided $50,000 in cash for ten successive years for establishment and overall operation of the college. Additionally, proceeds from the sale of 30 acres of land for $188,928 yielded three-fifths of the proceeds for Alcorn, totaling $113,400. These proceeds were used only for the agricultural and mechanical components of the college.
In 1878, Alcorn University became Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College. The original purchase of 225 acres of land had grown to over a 1700 acre campus. Alcorn is situated in Claiborne County, seven miles west of Lorman, Mississippi, 80 miles south of the capital city Jackson, Mississippi, 45 miles south of Vicksburg, Mississippi and 40 miles north of Natchez, Mississippi. The college was exclusively for males at first, but eventually women were admitted. A dormitory for women was built in 1902. Over time facilities increased from three historic buildings to more than 80 modern structures.
In 1974, Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College became Alcorn State University. Governor William L. Waller signed House Bill 298, granting this status. Alcorn has thrived by continuously accomplishing dynamic goals and objectives despite limited resource allocations from the state. By the early 1990s, Alcorn’s physical plant and academic programs had grown from just a name change into a more diversified university. The student population is now representative of more than 65 counties, more than 30 states and at least 18 foreign countries. The university provides an undergraduate education that enables students to successfully pursue work in graduate and professional schools, engage in teaching, and enter other professions. As Mississippi recognized the importance of educating all citizens, Alcorn grew in status and importance.
Alcorn State University began with eight faculty members in 1871 and today there are more than 800 faculty and staff. The student body has grown from 179 students to more than 4,000 students from all over the world with varied ethnic backgrounds. Although early graduates of Alcorn had limited horizons, today’s graduates are successful in their chosen professions and many are outstanding entrepreneurs. Throughout Alcorn’s history, the leadership and faculty remained committed to restoring and enhancing the institution’s image and to attracting young people whose interest is the pursuit and receipt of a quality education. Over the decades, “the college that excelled against great odds”, has now become one of the leading universities in the nation. Alcorn State University operates seven divisions with degree programs in more than 50 areas including the bachelors, masters, and educational specialist degrees.
The collaborative strength and contributions of Alcorn’s past seventeen presidents during its 140 years of existence have enabled the institution to excel. On November 30, 2010, the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning voted unanimously to appoint Dr. M. Christopher Brown II as Alcorn State University’s 18th president. President Brown’s background and vision are strategically aligned with Alcorn’s history and tradition. He is poised to expeditiously move Alcorn State University to the next level of excellence.
Dr. Josephine M. Posey
Against Great Odds: The History of Alcorn State (1994)
Location
Alcorn is in Claiborne County, Mississippi, seven miles west of Lorman, seventeen miles southwest of Port Gibson, and about halfway between Vicksburg, to the north, and Natchez, to the south.
Organization
At Alcorn, seven schools offer a number of diverse programs for undergraduate and graduate studies leading to the associate, baccalaureate, master’s, and specialist degrees.
Enriching program opportunities include:
The Honors Program is a rewarding option for students who wish to further enhance their academic experience. It brings together students and teachers who share exceptional intellectual commitment in an atmosphere that strengthens scholarship, leadership and creativity.
Global Programs helps students broaden their perspectives and become more competitive in today’s international marketplace. Besides coordinating exciting study-abroad opportunities, Global Programs brings worldwide perspectives to campus through exchange programs and special events.
Alcorn offers Pre-professional Programs to prepare students for a successful transition to specialized studies in the fields of law, engineering, nursing, physical therapy, pharmacy and dentistry.
Enrollment
Approximately 2,946 full-time undergraduates (1,037 men; 1,909 women), 350 part-time undergraduates (97 men; 253 women), 722 graduate students (154; 568), total enrollment 4,018.
Accreditations
Alcorn State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate, bachelor’s, master’s and education specialist degrees.
The University also holds accreditation with the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, the American Dietetics Association, the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, the National Association of Schools of Music, the National Association of Industrial Technology and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Activities
At Alcorn, it’s easy to make friends — and make a difference. With such a wide range and more than 50 student groups and organizations, there’s one to suit every personality, interest, skill set and schedule.
Without ever leaving campus, students can volunteer — as Peer educators, Student Ambassadors and Orientation Guides, to name just a few possibilities. In addition, many student groups coordinate volunteer opportunities off-campus in surrounding communities and public schools.
Athletics
The Alcorn Braves have won numerous athletic championships. And many of our alumni have found success as professional athletes. Alcorn State is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Division I.
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