Communicating IEP Plans to External Stakeholders

On May 18th, APLU hosted a webinar for our current IEP startup cohort focused on Communicating IEP Plans to External Stakeholders.

The webinar began with Alvaro J. Muñiz, Director in the Office for International, Community, and Economic Engagement; plugging the IEP Summit taking place on August 2, 2022, in Detroit, MI.

Next, Dr. Sheila Martin, Strategic Advisor for Economic Development and Community Engagement at APLU; Mike Brost, Associate Director, Public Affairs at APLU, and Alvaro provided an overview of IEP Stakeholder Communications.

The session began with a description of IEP’s impact as documented in Land-Grant Universities for the Future: Higher Education for the Public Good by E. Gordon Gee and Stephen M. Gavazzi. We then reviewed the public relations resources that APLU provides its , including a designee press release template, IEP Designation communication toolkit, and announcement amplification through re-tweets and blog entries. Mike shared some press release examples and points of consideration for institutions when creating press releases. Our team also shared how institutions could utilize local newspapers, community partners, and their own internal news sources to highlight their IEP accomplishments like designation and awards.

The webinar then transitioned to IEP impact quantification. Alvaro first shared a National Institute of Standards and Technology study that sampled 110 public doctoral universities in the U.S. One of the main takeaways was that universities “with the IEP designation produced a significantly higher mean volume of new disclosures, new patents, startups initiated, and exclusive licenses and options.”

Sheila then discussed how institutions could use the New Metrics Field Guide to communicate the impact of talent and innovation. However, harder to quantify since this area focuses on the many diverse ways that institutions contribute to making attractive competitive communities. An effective way for institutions to quantify their community impact is by using a model or theory of change. Institutions should think about their goals and plans, then use a model to meet their goal and achieve impact in traditionally non-quantifiable areas. Additionally, institutions could use logic model impacts for measuring intermediate outcomes and long-term impact.

Interested in Applying for Designation or Comment?

The next and final IEP Designation and Comment Deadline for 2022 is August 12^th. Access Momentive to submit your application.

Inspired by what you’ve read here? Learn more about how to get engaged at www.APLU.org/SeekIEPand read more articles like this at www.aplu.org/iepblog.