University Advancement Blog | Rob Zinkan

13 Sep

In defense of the tagline (but not every tagline)

The following is an August 2016 post that I wrote for Inside Higher Ed’s Call to Action marketing and communications blog. Higher education marketing is frequently derided for its lack of differentiation, and the much-maligned tagline is often front and center in...
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28 Apr

Back to basics: The benefit of the benefit

The following is an April 2016 post that I wrote for Inside Higher Ed’s Call to Action marketing and communications blog. Heading to the nearby Starbucks is usually a quick break to get out of the office between meetings (my wife...
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28 Dec

The rise of the (unit-level) CMO

The following is a December 2015 post that I wrote for Inside Higher Ed’s Call to Action marketing and communications blog. If you accounted for the types of activities that fill each workday, what would be the breakdown of substance...
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5 Jan

More great TED Talks

In a previous post, I shared a list of TED Talks that my team and I watched together over the course of the year. I started this as a way for us to connect and hopefully spur some thought-provoking conversations...
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2 Jan

Book recommendations (updated)

Two years ago I wrote about the books that I give to our department to read for professional development. Each semester our directors read a book together and then take a long lunch near the end of the semester for...
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23 Oct

5 questions with Penn State Sr. VP Rod Kirsch

Rodney Kirsch, Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at Penn State University, is one of the consummate professionals in our field. Many thanks to Rod for participating in the “5 Questions” series. His perspective on the future of...
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18 Oct

5 questions with @HipHopPrez Walter Kimbrough

I had the pleasure of working with Walter Kimbrough, president of Dillard University in New Orleans, earlier this year when he keynoted a CASE Indiana conference. (The next CASE Indiana conference is coming up November 1.) Dr. Kimbrough delivered an...
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11 Oct

From CURRENTS magazine: Taking the lifelong view

The following is an article that I wrote for the September 2013 issue of CURRENTS magazine, published by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Taking the Lifelong View Indiana University East smashed its silos, embraced student affairs, and...
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2 Jan

12 great TED Talks

We started something new in 2012 in our department. Each month we had a brown bag lunch to watch a TED Talk together. I assigned a month to each staff member, who would pick the video and lead the conversation...
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6 Jul

Being president versus doing president

Last month I attended the inaugural Ohio Student Affairs Conference at Wright State University in Dayton. As part of the conference, Rebeckah Hester (Indiana University East director of campus life) and I gave a presentation on breaking down silos to...
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The University Advancement Blog

Rob Zinkan's thoughts and recommended readings on university advancement