Office of Communications and Marketing has new name, location

Western’s Office of University Communications has a new name – Office of Communications and Marketing – and a new location, moving to Old Main 375 and 370 from the Old Main 300 suite where the office has been for years.

The new name reflects expanded service offerings by the office and increased skills by the staff. In addition to continuing to promote Western through traditional media, the office now engages in video storytelling and leads the campus’ highly successful engagement in social media. The new name also indicates the office’s longstanding role as the university’s marketing arm.

“There are more great Western stories to tell than ever before. Through new opportunities such as social media and video storytelling, our office has even more ways to communicate those stories and to effectively market Western,” said Paul Cocke, director of the Office of Communications and Marketing. “The new name more accurately reflects the wide range of responsibilities the office now has, such as marketing Western’s brand and communicating with Western’s many diverse audiences and stakeholders via social media, video, web, media, publications and graphic design.”

“The office is staffed by extremely talented and creative professionals whose work benefits and advances the interests of the university in many ways,” he said.

The office staff includes: Cocke; John Thompson, assistant director and manager of marketing; Matthew Anderson, new media coordinator and editor of Western Today; Mary Gallagher, publications editor and Window magazine and Soundings editor; graphic designers Chris Baker and Derek Bryson, and Pam Smith, program assistant. Thompson, Anderson and Gallagher are now certified in video production in addition to their other responsibilities. The office also typically has several student interns each quarter in the areas of public relations and new media.

The Office of Communications and Marketing is part of the Division of University Relations, which is led by vice president Steve Swan.The new name and office move are coincidental. The new name was selected through a University Relations Division visioning session that focused on the changing needs of Western stakeholders, a group that includes among others students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and the media. The office move is part of a continuing reorganization of offices in Old Main.

The main phone number for the Office of Communications and Marketing remains the same at 650-3350. Individual staff extensions also are the same. The mail stop remains 9011. Please feel free to call or stop by for assistance with communications, marketing or graphic design projects.