Strategic Plan, Elevate '28,
Objectives and Goals

Office of Communications
Chief Communications and Public Information Officer
Cherie Haughney

Strategic Priority: Student Success  

Objective 1: Continually increase participation and satisfaction levels of students at our commencement ceremonies.

  • Goal 1: Increase student satisfaction with commencement webpages by 2% each of the next five years.
  • Goal 2: Increase student satisfaction with student line-up by 1.5% each of the next five years.
  • Goal 3: Increase student satisfaction with the regalia ordering/purchasing/rental experience by 1.5% each of the next five years.
  • Goal 4 Increase student participation levels proportional to enrollments each year over five years.

Strategic Priority: Academic and Inclusive Excellence

Objective 1: Increase visibility of academic and DEI efforts to help internal and external stakeholders understand our commitment to academic and inclusive excellence across all aspects of the organization.  

  • Goal 1: In year one, establish a baseline for quantity and placement of content that emphasizes our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a goal of increasing quantity and placement of such content by 10% in each of the remaining four years.
  • Goal 2: Promote a culture of recognition that celebrates outstanding academic achievements by students, faculty, staff and alumni across diverse disciplines by securing five external media placements in the first year, with a 10% increase in each of the following years.       

Strategic Priority: Organizational Effectiveness  

Objective 1: Improve internal communication to ensure that our internal audiences have consistent and reliable access to information in the normal course of business and in crisis situations.

  • Goal 1: Develop a communication plan to increase Everbridge employee opt in from 33% to 65% and student opt in from 9% to 50% within one year.
  • Goal 2: Facilitate regular cross-departmental “Storyteller Group” meetings to encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing, aiming for a minimum of two joint projects or initiatives per month.

Objective 2: Align team performance programs with strategic plan.

  • Goal 1: Ensure that 100% of communications and events performance programs include measurable personal goals or objectives aligned with the strategic plan within one year.

Objective 3: Assemble and maintain a team of media-savvy experts.

  • Goal 1: Increase the capacity of faculty, staff, and leadership to contribute to the strength and effectiveness of outreach efforts through media-training opportunities.
  • Goal 2: Establish annual goals for re-training and expanding this team of experts.

Strategic Priority: Raising our Public Profile  

Objective 1: Increase Empire State University brand awareness.

  • Goal 1: Expand reach into national markets by focusing content geographically and securing four news or op-ed placements or mentions per year in national higher-education publications. 
  • Goal 2: Increase positive media mentions by an identified percentage annually relative to the baseline metric, to be established in year one.
  • Goal 3: Obtain and promote a minimum of one student, faculty, or alumni profile per month (12/year) that tells our story in a unique or interesting way.

Objective 2: Increase Empire State University organic social media followers and engagement.

  • Goal 1: Enhance organic social media engagement by increasing engagement (likes, shares, comments, reposts) on our social channels by 10% within year one, indicating improved audience interaction and brand visibility. Continue to increase by 10% in each of the remaining four years.
  • Goal 2: Increase organic social media net follower growth on our primary social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram) by 15% within the first year. Increase by 10-15% in each of the remaining four years.

Objective 3: Establish President Vollendorf as a thought leader in public higher education.

  • Goal 1: Increase the president’s Instagram followers by 40% each year over the next five years and LinkedIn by 20% each year over the next five years. 
  • Goal 2: In concert with the offices of academic affairs, advancement, and government relations, secure four high-quality public speaking or broadcasting events for President Vollendorf per year (roughly one per quarter).