Overview

The Student Communications Coordination effort began by examining challenges identified through the National Institute for Student Success (NISS) report, the Academic Innovation + Intelligence (A.I.I.) Lab Student Communications Mapping Report and Listening Lab Report, benchmark research, and discussions with faculty and staff across campus.

Early conversations focused on issues such as communication volume, survey fatigue, message prioritization and communication standards. As research progressed, it became clear that these challenges were connected to broader questions about how student communications are governed, coordinated and supported across the institution.

During the 2025-26 academic year, the SCC helped establish the research foundation and implementation roadmap for this work. Building on that foundation, the effort is now transitioning into implementation.

Current Focus Areas

The implementation team is developing recommendations across four interconnected areas that together will help shape the future of student communications at the university.

01. Student Communications Governance
Developing a framework that helps define:

• who can access student contact data.
• who can communicate with students and under what circumstances.
• how audiences are defined and managed.

02. Platform Strategy
Developing a clearer approach to how communication tools and systems should work together by:

• documenting current communication tools and practices.
• evaluating communication needs across the institution.
• identifying opportunities to improve coordination while supporting diverse use cases.

03. Workflows and Coordination Practices
Exploring how communications should be coordinated across units by:

• documenting current communication practices.
• identifying opportunities to improve visibility and reduce duplication.
• defining future processes for prioritization and coordination.

04. Organizational Structure
Determining how this work should be staffed and supported by:

• identifying organizational capabilities and gaps.
• clarifying roles and responsibilities.
• defining who is responsible for governance, platform administration and communication operations.

Our Approach

The Student Communications Coordination effort will be implemented in phases to ensure recommendations are developed, tested and refined before broader implementation.

The current phase focuses on developing recommendations related to governance, platform strategy, workflows and organizational structure. This work is informed by a university-wide communications inventory, stakeholder engagement and the research completed during the planning phase.

The current goal is to launch a pilot in Spring 2027, gather feedback and refine the approach, and then expand participation over time. Broader implementation will occur in phases and is expected to extend beyond 2027.

Measuring Success

The success of this effort will ultimately be measured by whether students are more likely to receive and act on important information that supports their success. Indicators of success may include:

• improved completion of key student actions such as registration, advising and financial aid processes.
• more effective audience targeting and communication relevance.
• reduced duplication and conflicting messages.
• improved coordination across communication channels and units.