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Medical center employees read about the opening in UNMC Today. Omaha residents learned about the Sorrell Center in local news media stories. Dignitaries, donors and others from the campus community attended elaborate opening ceremonies. And people from around the world could log on to the Internet to watch webcasts of opening ceremonies and YouTube clips highlighting the new building.
A common thread to all this was the effort of the UNMC Public Relations Department.
PR staff wrote the UNMC Today articles, pitched the stories to local media, planned and executed the ceremonies and produced the Web video features.
“The Sorrell Center opening and the various work put into it really show how the broad array of skills and talent in our department come together to showcase the incredible things going on here at UNMC,” said Renee Fry, the department’s director. “And this work doesn’t just happen for special events. Our staff works hard every day and in many ways to showcase UNMC to the world.”
This week, UNMC Today will feature daily stories highlighting the four teams that comprise the PR Department — media relations, advancement, publications and the Web team.
“Each team carries out different tasks that are vital to our mission,” Fry said. “These stories are meant to show what the various teams bring to the table in terms of carrying the UNMC message and assisting the medical center on its path toward world-class status.”
The schedule of stories about the various PR teams is as follows:
- Tuesday — Media relations
- Wednesday — Advancement
- Thursday — Publications
- Friday — Web
Fry also expressed excitement about new developments in the department, including the new name. As of Jan. 1, the department changed from UNMC Public Affairs to UNMC Public Relations.
Some other PR developments that already have occurred or that will soon occur include:
- Today’s launch of a UNMC news portal (see sidebar);
- The launch and development of a new experts page that features biographies and photos of the medical center’s leading experts in various fields of medicine and research;
- A cooperative project with Omaha’s KETV Channel 7 that has PR staff producing short video segments with UNMC faculty on various health topics that will air on the station’s newscasts;
- The communication and implementation of changes that will accompany UNMC’s branding initiative;
- An updated administration Web page that features information about campus leaders and UNMC’s history and mission; and
- The introduction of a new look for UNMC Today.
Along with the UNMC Today redesign, new sections and series will be added to the daily newsletter. Readers may have noticed the new “Research Notes” articles for news about UNMC-related research publications. A similar series of articles regarding grant awards will be introduced soon.
“UNMC has a great story to tell and our energetic and talented staff are constantly looking at new ways to tell it,” Fry said. “These coming developments combined with the efforts we already make are exciting. And I’m sure as we go on, we will find more new and interesting ways to bring UNMC’s message to the world.”
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The UNMC Public Relations Department |