Communicating our successes with pride
Welcome to the first issue of NOW for the 2011-12 academic year. Your official source for news and events at Concordia, NOW was launched last fall by University Communications Services as part of our efforts to improve communications across the university. Our goal is to showcase our successes and promote awareness of our research, programs, initiatives and events.
While we send out an e-newsletter for faculty and staff every week, and one for students every month, the Concordia website has a NOW News and Events section that is updated even more frequently. In today’s world, people are turning to websites, online newsrooms and social media platforms to stay connected and find out the latest news. NOW News and Events is our response — a fresh, innovative and dynamic news portal. News shouldn’t have to wait — we can post it in a timely manner.
We have redesigned the NOW e-newsletter and will continue to expand our multimedia section, enriching the content of our stories through videos and podcasts. Our Newsmakers section will highlight Concordians who make the news, and feature live chats and in-depth interviews that go beyond the headlines.
This brings me to the Journal, our long-standing print publication issued every two weeks. In the previous academic year, many stories that appeared in the Journal were also featured in NOW — a duplication of effort. While we appreciate that not everyone likes to get their news online, the reality is that fewer and fewer people were picking up the Journal. By contrast, NOW’s readership increased sharply in its first year.
Extensive discussions led us to recommend that the Journal cease publication, a decision supported by the President. This will allow us to focus on more engaging ways of communicating our successes.
On behalf of the entire team at UCS, let me say that we look forward to the year ahead and encourage you to share your comments with us. Let us know about your bold research project, a new initiative that is putting Concordia on the map, or a faculty or staff person who is making a difference.
Karen McCarthy is the Editor-in-Chief of NOW and Director of Internal Communications. You can reach her by email at karen.mccarthy@concordia.ca or by phone at 514-848-2424, ext. 4889.