TO: Dr. Joe Scarcella
FROM: Phil Fournier
DATE: 12/23/2004
RE: 502, Quiz 3 Vocabulary, Fournier

Public Relations Events

Community colleges are by their very nature and definition public institutions, designed for the improvement of the communities that they serve. Community colleges can do a better job of serving their respective communities by holding public relations events to bring publicity to their programs and facilities. PR events take time and careful planning to be successful, requiring commitment on the part of the instructors and students involved. A timeline leading up to the event is a useful tool to insure that all bases are covered before the event takes place. On the timeline there must be deadlines installed, consistent with holding the event on the desired date. Someone, usually the department head, must oversee the timeline to insure that deadlines are met in order to guarantee a useful and successful public relations event. Community colleges can reap substantial rewards in terms of better community relations and improved funding as a result of increased student populations from well-planned PR events.

Advisory Committees

Advisory committees are of particular importance in occupations where technology is in constant flux. Employers look to community colleges provide well-trained entry level employees. It is the responsibility of the community college to ensure that its curriculum is consistent with the needs of employers in the community. Instructors in rapidly changing occupations quickly loose touch with the realities of applied technology unless they establish some means of keeping up-to-date. Advisory committees can fulfill this need by providing a link between employers and the instructor.