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On April 13, 2016, Anouar Majid, the University of New England’s vice president for Global Affairs and Communications, presented a keynote address at the University Communicators conference, the premier symposium for university PR administrators. His lecture, titled “The Pulse of the University: Establishing Communicators as Institutional Storytellers,” discussed the ways in which communications professionals shape the identity of universities.

Majid’s talk took place at the Harvard Faculty Club.

As Majid notes, communications departments in universities typically serve a threefold purpose: publicize the work of faculty, manage the reputation of the university, and oversee branding efforts. However, the work of the department should extend beyond these traditional functions and help position the university for a better understanding of its strengths and mission.

In his lecture, Majid explained the ways in which communications professionals can help faculty and academic leaders sharpen their vision of their own institutions. Creative designers, filmmakers, photographers and writers are instrumental in this project of collective self-definition.

In less than three years after assuming the job of vice president of Communications, Majid has overseen the redesign of ɫ����Ƶ’s website, built on a new platform and hosted in the cloud; redesigned the university’s magazine, and added new profiles to the unit, such as a full-time filmmaker, full-time photographer, social media strategist, writer and director of marketing. In very short order, the ɫ����Ƶwas named among the top in the nation in the 2014/2015 Collegiate Advertising Awards program, receiving Gold Awards for the revamped magazine and video work. In 2015, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) awarded the same magazine its top prize. This year, AACOM bestowed another prize to ɫ����Ƶ’s Office of Communications for excellence in design in advertising.

Commenting on this rapid transformation, Majid says that the key idea is never to be bound by the dictates of unexamined convention. “Just like in academics or politics, people tend to be driven by the latest fads or wisdom, but no two situations in life are exactly alike. ɫ����Ƶ is unlike any other university, so you need to create a storyline that reflects this uniqueness and then share it broadly. We are not just branding but instilling pride and loyalty within our own institution.”