Public Relations Highlights
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The mission of Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ public relations is to promote a favorable environment for student and faculty recruitment, private giving and public funding, by raising awareness of the college and its accomplishments among essential constituencies. Our public relations efforts use planned and purposeful marketing communication ideas, strategies and tactics. Avani Raval and Jennifer French Echols coordinate public relations, publications and events.

The AYSPS audience is widespread. It includes potential students, alumni, and parents; potential faculty and research associates; members of the State Legislature; peer researchers; government, nonprofit and business leaders in the Atlanta, regional, national, and global arenas; decision makers at national and international development agencies such as USAID, The World Bank, and IMF, as well as the leaders in foreign governments with whom the AYSPS works; the media; and the community at large.

The Andrew Young School mission to “inform the debate” on local, state, national and global policy, hinges on its research being widely known. The public relations office strives to reach its many audiences via its media relations, event management, and publications efforts.

Media Relations

The Andrew Young School was often cited in 2006, including media hits in such places as Science, WSB-TV, WXIA-TV, MSNBC.com, CNN News and NPR affiliates, local and regional papers including Gwinnett Daily Post, Athens Banner-Herald, Creative Loafing, The Story, The Weekly, The Citizen Newspapers, AccessNorthGa.com, Houston Daily Journal, Georgia Trend magazine, The Macon Telegraph, Henry County Times and Southern Voice, national and international new sources including The San Diego Union-Tribune, Quincy Herald-Whig, The Daily Pennsylvanian, Los Angeles Times, Forbes Magazine, Arizona Daily Star, St. Paul Pioneer Press, The New York Times, The Vancouver Sun, Taipei Times, The Jamaica Observer, Daily Times (Pakistan), and more. The weekly Atlanta Business Chronicle and the hometown daily newspaper Atlanta Journal-Constitution, whose influence drives much of Metro Atlanta and North Georgia’s media decisions, are important media outlets for the School, and often include expertise from the Andrew Young School. Topics range widely. Samples include: tax policy, health policy, the economics of sports, obesity, and disaster preparation and response. See the Media Hits section for a list of media hits from 2006.

Georgia State University's Department of University Relations assists in Andrew Young School media relations. A designated public relations specialist works with the School, writing and distributing press releases on college research, programs and events and proactively pitching experts who can discuss newsworthy topics. Reporters from local and national media outlets often contact University Relations seeking commentary for their news stories, and the department matches them with faculty members in the Andrew Young School who have the appropriate expertise. Many of the school's professors are frequently sought for interviews on a wide variety of subjects. Media hits in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other news sources are tracked daily, and distributed to the School via the Dean's weekly E-News publication.

Publications

The Briefing. A key component of the school’s visibility efforts is The Briefing, the Andrew Young School's newsletter showcasing research, teaching and outreach by the School’s faculty, students, alumni and friends. The Briefing is sent three times a year to 13,000 constituents (4,800 alumni and 8,200 friends, about half of which are colleagues, deans and department heads, and many of which are government officials), and is featured on the School Web site. Feedback is impressive regarding the content and presentation, and the sheer magnitude of activity that the School consistently achieves. Jennifer French Echols continues to write The Briefing, bringing clarity to the issues, and setting stories in context with what is happening in the world. The publication’s annual highlight is the Research Issue.

Annual Report. Each year the School conducts a thorough accounting of what it has done, producing an approximately 200-page report. Hardcopies of the report are distributed to select peers and are available for distribution throughout the year, and announcement cards of the annual report’s availability on the Web are sent to 12,000 alumni and friends of the school. The 2006 Annual Report was again placed on mini-CD, which allowed the Andrew Young School to distribute it easily with other promotional materials. Bonnie Naugle continues to coordinate this effort.

Academic Brochures. Academic brochures are available for each of the Andrew Young School programs. In addition to the brochures, Wanda Cooley and members of the PAUS and Economics departments worked with Bonnie Naugle to design flyers for undergraduates, as a way to encourage majoring in current and new AYSPS programs.

Viewbook. The Viewbook is a full color brochure with broad overview of the School. With a pocket in back, it is useful for a wide array of events, in which specific information targeted toward each event is placed. A new edition of the Viewbook was published in Summer 2006 to incorporate the new visual identity of the School, as well as to reflect new faculty and research associates, and the new building.

Web site. The Andrew Young School's Web site offers a wide array of information about the School. “Expert pages” are maintained for AYSPS faculty and research associates, including contact information, vitae, bios, and photos. Story ideas, news releases, and the online experts guide provide assistance for the news media. An active calendar site and informational intranet area prove useful for faculty and staff. Information on academic programs, courses and syllabi are popular with current and prospective students, as well as those that advise them. Availability of working papers online continues to grow. Stories from The Briefing are featured prominently throughout the site.

Dean’s E-News. The Dean’s E-News occurred weekly in 2006, serving as a vehicle for sharing achievements within the School, and for identifying news to be distributed to external audiences. Bonnie Naugle oversaw editing, publishing and distribution of the Dean’s E-News.

Georgia State Magazine and The Villager. The Georgia State University Office of University Relations promotes the Andrew Young School along with other colleges on campus through its publications, including Georgia State Magazine, a 40-page glossy magazine published quarterly for alumni, donors, legislators and the university community (circulation: 110,000), and The Villager, the university’s official faculty/staff newspaper, which is distributed biweekly to all employees (circulation: 3,500).

Advertising. The Andrew Young School advertised the MPA program with advertisements in the Agnes Scott College Student Paper, Morehouse College Student Paper, Emory Student Paper, Georgia Center for Non-Profits (online advertisement), Georgia Association of Chiefs and Police Newsletter (online advertisement), The Foundation Center (online advertisement), Georgia State Student Paper - The Signal, Georgia State University Magazine, APPAM Preconference brochure, APPAM Fall Conference Program, and the Public Administration Times Education Supplement.

Additional materials are created as needed, including event brochures, job placement announcements, and others. PowerPoint templates with the AYSPS identity are offered to researchers; publications are in adherence to the University's identity guide. Georgia State University's professional photographers are often used. The research centers produce a wide array of publications, including working paper series, fiscal research notes, child policy brochures, and conference brochures.

Events

The Andrew Young School is a vibrant place, with a busy calendar of events. (See the routinely updated Calendar on the AYSPS Web site.) Each of the academic departments and centers within the School has a wide array of research and outreach initiatives, with a corresponding lot of events. The Dean’s office coordinates events within the college to ensure minimum overlap and maximum attendance per event. Avani Raval oversees scheduling of rooms, coordination with University photographers and audio/video production crews, catering, and event promotion for AYSPS events.

Event highlights in 2006 included:

Honors Day. Honors Day is an annual, special day in the life of the college. Exemplary students are recognized in a formal reception, dinner and awards ceremony. See the “Student Awards, Honors and Scholarships” section of this report for further information.

Commencement Receptions. Three commencement receptions were held in 2006, in spring, summer and fall. The receptions were held in the lobby of the new building. The two-floor lobby with wide open views of the 5 Points streetside, glass-railed stairs to the Vault student area, prominent AYSPS signage and the glass railing of the mezzanine above provide an exciting atmosphere for the receptions.

Distinguished Visitors and Lecturers. The Andrew Young School hosted several important figures for lectures and receptions during 2006. Bill Usery spoke on the American Automobile Industry; Herrington Bryce, College of William & Mary, UPS Lecture; Jane Hannaway, The Urban Institute, Dan Sweat Lecture; Discussion with John Portman, Charlie Loudermilk, and Andrew Young on Reflections on the Development of Atlanta; Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy Carter; and Alan Krueger, Princeton University, as the Second Annual W.J. Usery Lecturer.

Georgia State University's Georgia Legislature Appreciation Night. Georgia State University hosted a Legislature Appreciation Night where state representatives, state senators, government department heads, and staffers are invited to visit various displays and booths showcasing research and activities conducted by various colleges throughout the state of Georgia. The Andrew Young School showcased the school's two prominent research centers, the Georgia Health Policy Center and the Fiscal Research Center, both of which conduct various and widely cited policy research throughout the state of Georgia.

Coordination between the AYSPS and other units on campus occurred in 2006 via monthly PR Council and PR Executive Roundtable meetings, hosted by the Office of University Relations, to review events underway as well as major publications and media initiatives. AYSPS also works in conjunction with such offices as the Office of Development, routinely providing materials and assisting these offices in their work for the AYSPS, and working groups such as the College Webmasters Group.

Academic Department and Research Center Seminar Series. The academic departments and research centers of the Andrew Young School keep their calendars full of activities that benefit both the School and the broader AYSPS audience.

Lecture series include: The Child Policy Speaker Series, Dan Sweat Lecture Series, W.J. Usery Distinguished Lecture Series, Applied Econometrics Workshop Series, Experimental Economics Seminar Series, Fiscal Research seminars, Health Policy Center Conference, International Studies Program lecture series and conference, Microeconomic Theory Seminar Series, Nonprofit Executive Roundtable and seminars, Public Administration and Urban Studies seminars, Research Atlanta Forum, and the Roundtable for Atlanta-Area Experimentalists.

Seminar speakers came from such places as the City University of New York, University of California, University of Arizona, Hartsfield Jackson Airport, World Bank, Georgetown, Princeton University, University of Amsterdam, The Urban Institute and more.

The list of speakers and events for 2006 includes: