Administration

Assistant Dean for Advancement Julia Allen Email: Advancement Associate Zai Cook Phone: 540/231-3929 Email: Director of Communications & Marketing Krista Timney Phone: 540/231-4160 Email: Digital Communications Manager Victoria Boatwright Phone: 540/589-7849 Email: Director of Alumni Relations Tanya Ridpath Phone: 540/231-2332 Email: Assistant Director for Leadership Gifts James H. Eddleton Phone: 540/231-8387 Email:

VT News Website

VT News is the university’s primary tool to share news, information, and videos. The website creates an immersive story-telling experience to learn about the things that matter most at Virginia Tech. VT News content is also distributed through media releases and shared through a variety of emails, including a daily email during fall and spring semesters to approximately 10,000 faculty/staff and more than 10,000 public subscribers; a weekly email to more than 35,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students; and a monthly email to all university alumni. VT News stories, campus notices, and media tip sheets are also shared through unit social media and publications.

Media Relations

Communications and Marketing has a five-member media relations team that responds to media inquiries, develops pitches, tracks media hits, organizes media events, and manages broadcast appearances in its on-campus studio. The college’s communications director works closely with the central team to create and respond to opportunities to raise the profile of the college and share faculty and student accomplishments.

Photography and Videography

Communications and Marketing has a six-member photography/videography team that the college’s communications director collaborates with to produce media that will assist with telling the story of the college and highlighting work related to college and university strategic initiatives.

Branding

The Virginia Tech Brand is the total experience we create for all of our audiences through messaging, design, and visual elements. The university unveiled a new logo, color palette, design elements, and messaging in fall 2017 as part of a total rebranding in 2016–17. Since then, the brand has continued to evolve to meet the needs of colleges and units, with new lock ups developed in 2021. Within the college, the AAD communications team seeks to articulate its own distinctive brand. We are a part of the university brand and experience, but it’s also important that we leverage our college brand because we have a unique story to tell.

College Platforms

The college has a three-member communications team, composed of a full-time director of communications and marketing, a full-time digital communications manager, and a part-time graduate assistant.

College Website

The digital communications manager maintains the AAD website with updated news, photography, and content edits based on needs of the college. They also assist with and center websites by providing technical assistance and page redesign. Beginning July 1, 2023, the college and school websites will be all managed through Ensemble, the university’s content management system (CMS). The digital communications manager has led the transition of five websites to the university-wide CMS software in order to take advantage of templates, tools, and services. The college’s current website was redesigned and launched in July 2022. The School of Performing Arts website was redesigned and launched in August 2022.

News Stories

The AAD communications team places a high priority on developing and publishing news stories that highlight college and academic department activities and elevate faculty and student accomplishments. This work serves to keep external audiences like alumni and donors informed and engaged and also ensures that the college maintains a constant and ongoing presence for university leaders and faculty/staff. All college communications directors strive to coordinate efforts and tag stories in order to elevate the collaborative work that is happening across the university.

Newsmagazine and E-Newsletters

The college is developing a plan for a quarterly e-newsletter to launch in late summer 2023. The college currently does not produce a printed magazine.

Social Media

Virginia Tech’s main university accounts are managed by the central Communications and Marketing team. In addition to creating content and maintaining those accounts, the central team manages university policy for social media, assists with crisis/issue response, maintains a directory of all VT accounts, and shares best practices. The college’s communications team manages the following platforms:

Recruiting Materials

The communications team will work closely with the college’s recruiter and collaborate with the Virginia Tech Office of Admissions to develop communications and marketing materials intended primarily to recruit new students, as well as assisting with other events and initiatives. College and school recruitment information is updated and produced on an annual basis.

Other Print and Digital Communications and Assets

The communications team creates a variety of other publications and assets as needed to promote events and initiatives within the college and departments that include, but are not limited to, the following: graphics for emails and social media, posters and fliers, digital signage for video monitors, pull up and table-top banners, wall artwork (posters and mural), stickers and other promotional items, and greeting cards. Communications team members also obtain photography assets used across all communications platforms and maintain photo and interview release forms.