Strategic Assessment: The School of Earth Sciences is one of Stanford’s smaller schools and is the smallest school involved in undergraduate education. Our assessment made clear that school faculty, staff, and students recognize and enjoy the many rewards of our small size, including a friendly, congenial, and supportive environment, relatively low barriers and good communication conduits from faculty to dean to university leaders, and relatively strong financial resources within the school. On the other hand, the assessment uncovered frustration at a perceived lack of connection with and recognition by the rest of the university, especially in the area of undergraduate education (see Goal E related to undergraduate education). Moreover, while the faculty and students in the school understand and are proud of the importance of Earth sciences and engineering to the nation and the world, there is a strong sense that what the School of Earth Sciences does, and why it is important, is less than clear to a significant part of the university, Stanford alumni, the public, and sometimes even to ourselves.

Strategy 1: Sharpen and communicate the image of the school (as more than the sum of its parts) by developing and implementing a communications plan to promote the identity and visibility of the school to the university and beyond.
• develop a marketing plan, a “brand” for the school, and a cohesive look and feel for our various forms of communication
• improve the school’s Web site, ensuring that it is vibrant, easy to navigate, and features content that is timely and useful to our various audiences
• develop promotional materials such as press kits, white papers profiling faculty, and announcements of department rankings, etc.
• become more involved in university outreach through speakers and alumni programs
• increase dean’s outreach activities
• develop a public seminar series to reach local alumni and friends, and explore professional development course opportunities
• actively build relationships with the media
• leverage existing outreach activities to further promote the School of Earth Sciences

Strategy 2: Improve communication within the School of Earth Sciences.
• improve the School of Earth Sciences Web site
• develop a regular, school-wide electronic newsletter
• develop a better mechanism for advertising seminars
• implement a series of ongoing school-wide seminars and faculty meetings

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