Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1920 [PAGE 572]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

568

2.

BOARD OP TRUS&EES

[October &,

Interscholasdc activities a. Bringing hundred of interscholasdc pupils to the University each year b. University brought to the attention of every high school in the state 3. Homecoming a. Revives "mouth-to-mouth" publicity b. Item of news value to state papers B. Alumni Association 1. Illini clubs throughout country a. Active in various ways in respective communities 2. Alumni association's moving picture film C. Debating Teams D. Band Concert Tour E. Glee Club Tour IF Evidence of Publicity A. Analysis of newspaper clippings (appended) B. Analysis of News Bulletin circulation and results (above) C. Success of "The {Health Adviser" Analysis of Clippings From August 26, to Oct 1. Total clippings 128 In state papers 109 In out-of-town papers 19 128 Total papers in which publicity appeared: Number of state papers Number of out-of-state papers 66 48 18 66

Securing publicity is a more difficult thing than at first thought appears. Our desire to give out information is not the only factor. The people to whom we want to give it, must desire it and be ready to receive it. It is easy to say: "Write stories about the University," but it is more difficult to get daily and weekly journals and monthly periodicals to accept them. It is in this kind of publicity that the University has been weakest in the past. I believe that the right kind of a publicity man can find a great many stories—to use the newspaper phrase—in our ordinary University life, which, if well written up, would find ready acceptance by the journals. In appointing a young man to take the place formerly occupied by Dr. Filbey as private secretary, I have selected one with some newspaper experience in order to have him try to get up stories of the kind I have in mind and get them not only into the weeklies, but into the newspapers of the state. It seems to me important to make up our minds concerning fche aim of our publicity. It is to make the name of the University known to the largest possible number of people in the state, or is it to furnish the largest possible number of people in the state with information about the University, which will lead them to appreciate its needs and will therefore lay a foundation for our legislative programl In my opinion the latter is the purpose we should have in mind, and the advertising we do should be of a character to accomplish that purpose. I mean that this is our greatest need in the way of advertising just now. The two kinds of information about the University are nor mutually exclusive, to be sure, but I feel very sure that we cannot win much in the way of support for securing necessary additional appropriations at the next legislature if we confine our advertising efforts to pleasant information or views of student life and activities. It is for that reason that I want to make an effort to inform the people of the state abount out work, its results and advantages, oru expenditures, our income, our financial condition, our difficulties, our need for more money. I believe that topics of that character can be made acceptable for some news article, and that we should send out the largest mailing list we can make, leaflets giving information that the newspapers and journals will not take. There is a place for moving pictures in a complete scheme of advertising the "University. The possibilities of this kind of advertising have been well and fully