A statewide advertising campaign showcasing the university’s faculty, staff and students will debut May 13 in newspapers statewide, including the Seattle Times, Post Intelligencer and Spokesman Review.

The "World Class. Face to Face." campaign is designed to appeal to high-achieving students and their parents. The campaign includes placements in newspapers, magazines, on billboards, in airport displays, and, next fall, on television and radio. It demonstrates high-quality, intense learning opportunities between WSU faculty and students.

The campaign will be presented in three, multi-week segments over 15 months. It is part of WSU’s integrated marketing program, which supports the university’s strategic goals through research-based, prioritized communication activities.

"Our research has shown that high-ability students in the state of Washington want a university education that includes interaction with an outstanding research faculty in a supportive environment," said President V. Lane Rawlins. "That is exactly what Washington State University does better than anybody else in this state—and this campaign will help students and their parents understand this."

The campaign includes faculty and staff LeRoy Ashby, Shira Broschat, Jim Cook, Ann Christenson, Glenn Johnson, Nancy Magnuson, Lynda Hatch, Horace Young, Gary Thorgaard, Debra Sellon, Molly Loaiza, Raymond Sides, Joe Valacich and a number of students. Additional faculty, staff and students will be asked to participate in the television and radio spots.

"This is an investment in our future," Rawlins said. "Faculty, staff and students have worked hard this year planning for increased academic quality and service for students through the strategic planning process. This campaign lets the state of Washington know that we mean business."

The "World Class. Face to Face." theme was developed after an extensive evaluation that involved more than 400 faculty, staff and students last fall. A positioning statement, written by Rawlins, his cabinet, and the academic and campus deans, articulates the market position the university seeks to hold with high-ability students in the state.

"We are recommitting ourselves as a university to excellence in all we do," Rawlins said. "We can’t do everything, but we can be the best at what we do. This campaign demonstrates our strength as a research faculty, our commitment to undergraduate education and our continual reach toward improved quality."

The integrated marketing program is focused on three goals: improving internal communications and building a shared commitment to excellence among faculty, staff and students; increasing the number of high-ability students (3.6 GPA or higher) who choose WSU; and improving WSU’s image statewide. Other communication efforts driven by the plan include the improved Web site unveiled today (May 4), the merger of Hilltopics, the alumni tabloid, with Universe, the university’s research magazine, to create a Washington State University magazine; specific recruitment and communication activities aimed at high-ability students; increased alumni involvement in recruiting; and numerous communication activities within the university community, such as the new AnswerLine Web site and the president’s brown-bag dialogues and quarterly e-mail updates.