Television commercials will be kicking off the “Do Something Great” campaign to all those receiving the Ohio News Network’s coverage of the high school football state championships Nov. 30 and 31, with the targeted audience being potential Ohio State students.
OSU delayed running paid media advertisments because of the budgetary problems the university is facing, even though the campaign is being paid for by “unrestricted funds,” or gifts from donors.
“At the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is to enhance the academic reputation of Ohio State,” said Lee Tashjian, vice president of University Relations.
He said public service announcements began running this past week on ONN. The commercials will end up costing $50,000.
“We did buy a sponsorship,” Tashjian said. “It was too good an opportunity to pass up.”
But, according to Tashjian, research for the campaign had a much earlier start, beginning 18 months ago.
David Hoover, senior director for University Marketing Communications, was responsible for recruiting faculty for focus groups concerning the “Do Something Great” campaign this summer.
“The whole process was about identifying people on campus who needed to be part of the process of shifting perceptions of the university,” Hoover said. “So, of course, we were interested in those who were pre-determined to think negatively about our project and those who would be positive.”
Hoover called for the names of faculty who were “naysayers” — those who “would benefit from hearing about (it) directly from the president” — and those who were inspirational leaders within their fields, in order to have a representative group consulting on the project.
“I solicited from communicators across campus who would be aware of perceptions among students and among staff,” Hoover said.
Tamera Cramer, public relations coordinator for Computer Information Sciences, submitted a list of faculty to Hoover on June 28 via e-mail. She said the list provided newer faculty, who would be around for a while to explain the campaign, and faculty who had been at OSU longer, whose leadership would be needed to make the campaign a success.
“He was trying to get together some people for focus groups,” Cramer said. “That’s what David Hoover was asking for, and those are my personal opinions.”
Along with the faculty she suggested, she included descriptions of the awards the faculty had won and the committees they served on. Cramer also included personal information about their families, which served as support for her identifying them as “high risk” or “medium risk” for leaving the university.
“We have several folks who have been raising a number of issues and we have some people who are ‘at risk’ for leaving us,” Cramer wrote.
DeLiang Wang, a full professor in CIS, has taught at OSU for 10 years. Cramer referred to him as a “medium risk” for leaving the university in her e-mail.
“I have heard some frustration from him. But he can play the diplomat and hold back, so I’m not sure where he sees his future,” Cramer wrote. “I have heard him argue soundly for growth and what we need.”
Wang said he thinks it was inappropriate for Cramer to write about him to Hoover in such a way.
“It’s not accurate,” Wang said. “I’m not really frustrated.”
He said he sometimes complains, but only in a joking manner. Wang was never asked to participate in a focus group, and he was not aware Cramer had sent the e-mail.
“It surprises me a bit that she’d include me in an e-mail,” he said. “She might have wanted to project a story, but I don’t know her motivation for it.”
D.K. Panda is also a full professor for CIS who has taught at OSU for 10 years. Although he is on tenure, Cramer classified him as “high risk.”
“He has a 2-year-old child so there would be no worry of uprooting her and his wife works for Lucent, so she may be looking elsewhere. Also, he has been frustrated with the recent cutbacks,” she wrote.
Panda was not aware of his inclusion in the e-mail, and he said he does not believe Cramer is qualified to make those assertions about him.
“I’m completely satisfied (working at OSU),” Panda said. He said he believes there was nothing wrong with Cramer including his personal information in the e-mail.
Stuart Zweben, the CIS chair, agrees with Panda.
“I think she’s giving some perspectives there for why faculty would be considered,” Zweben said. “I think (Cramer) was well-meaning.”
He said “mitigating factors” — like situations within a person’s family — contribute to career decisions, which would contribute to making them “high risk.” He commended Cramer for giving insight to the people she recommended sit on the focus groups.
“Not everybody leaves because they’re dissatisfied,” Zweben said.
According to Zweben, the CIS faculty have had reason to be less than happy. In the past five years, demand for CIS classes has increased 60 percent, but there has been no increase in funding for the department.
“We’re actually serving more than 30 percent more students now,” Zweben said. “We’re not serving students to the point where they want to be served.”
“I think everybody’s believing in ‘Do Something Great.’ I don’t think you need a tag line for that at this campus,” he said. “The people are already motivated to do something great.”
