Graduating brand ambassadors at U of C

The University of Calgary has launched a communications initiative to help its 2009 graduates celebrate their university careers, while encouraging them to become brand ambassadors for the university.

The “Graduating this year” program is intended to “bookend” students’ university experience, said Catherine Bagnell Styles, the U of C’s associate vice-president of external relations.

“Universities do a great job of welcoming new students, but now we want to celebrate the successful conclusion of their university career with them.”

Bagnell Styles said the university wants grads to have positive feelings about their time at the school in the hope they’ll share those feelings and promote the U of C brand in the wider community. The initiative, created with the help of Calgary’s Scout Communications, is part of an ongoing university strategy to enhance the graduation experience for students.

E-mail blasts, web banners, lamppost signs, window clings, magnets and on-campus advertising all feature a scrambled-letter version of the GraduatingThisYear.com website address. The website includes information about everything from how to excel in job interviews to getting out of debt.

There’s also a contest where grads can win cash, ski passes and a wardrobe makeover.

In the first week after its Jan. 12 launch, the website had 5,000 hits and 600 contest entries, said Bagnell Styles. “Our goal was to create excitement about graduation and we’re very happy with the response.”