Can You Make It Pretty?

Self-care has become such a buzzword in recent years, it's tough to look at the concept beyond drinking enough water and going for a walk. But in the last year, it’s become even more important for higher ed employees, who’ve seen their industry get really complicated: With the dismantling of the DOE and the canceling of billions in funding for research and key programs that support students, colleges are left vulnerable. Dr. Lindsey Nemcek, public relations manager at the College of Lake County in Illinois, regularly presents at NCMPR conferences about mental health, happiness and self-care. She shares real ways higher ed marcom and PR employees can take care of themselves. She gets a little honest and vulnerable with episode host, Beth Jendro Noël, NCMPR's director-at-large (DEI) and the director of communications & creative services at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts.

Patrick Stone remembers feeling a little out of his depth when he attended his first NCMPR conference in 2011. He was new to the field and attending with two long-time industry pros.Fourteen years later, he is president of NCMPR. In this episode of "Can You Make It Pretty?", Patrick discusses being new to the industry, the importance of new members to NCMPR, why marketers need to make time to see their college's big picture and a whole lot more. Patrick is from Cape Cod Community College in Massachusetts; and this episode's host is Patrick's fellow board member Matt Radcliffe, from Pikes Peak State College in Colorado.

Marcom and PR is an industry full of creatives, and District 6 member David Steiman – who worked in the film industry before winding up at Pasadena City College in California – talks about his path to marketing director. He chats with guest host Andrea Rangno, director of marketing & public relations at Golden West College in California. This episode was taped live at the District 6 conference in Tucson, Arizona.

The College of Lake County in Illinois won Best in Show at the 2023 Paragon Awards with “The Path to Better Care,” a graphic novel that promotes CLC’s healthcare programs. Marketing analyst Jessey Prugh and graphic designer Maddy Asma – who wrote and designed the novel, respectively – share how they did it and the community’s response. NOTE: CLC's enrollment in PATH-eligible programs saw a 36% increase after the graphic novel was distributed, and PATH programs saw a 30% completion rate.

Lisé Freking oversees the marcom staffs at two different Minnesota colleges: Dakota County Technical College and Inver Hills Community College. She's also NCMPR's 2024 national Rising Star of the Year. Lisé shares project management and multitasking tips, and how to get a seat at your college's leadership table. We also meet the new cohost of "Can You Make It Pretty?", Emily Ray, with Hopkinsville Community College in Kentucky.

Virginia Moreland has been with Tennessee Board of Regents – The College System of Tennessee since 2012, and she attended her first NCMPR national conference the following year, in New Orleans. In 2025, the conference will return to New Orleans, for NCMPR's 50th anniversary – with Virginia as NCMPR president. In this Meet the President episode, Virginia shares why she's focused on getting new members involved, her love of pop culture ... and that time she was a McDonald's mascot.

Community colleges are full of great stories that represent a diverse student body. How can the college's marcom team find those stories? How can they tell those stories without falling back on tokenism, tropes or stereotypes? Sally Cameron, an NCMPR president emeriti and former vice president of college communications at Bristol Community College in Massachusetts, and Liz Cooper, associate director of public relations at MassBay Community College in Massachusetts, share how they do it. They'll also present on this topic at NCMPR's national conference in Seattle this March.

Three topics that come up A LOT in marketing, especially at community colleges: Too many boring meetings. Dealing with clients who think they're marketers. How to handle creative burnout. Chris and Jenny Schell are the co-founders of Design Rangers, a Colorado Springs design firm that specialize in camps (not meetings), asserting your expertise in marketing, and tips to keep yourself engaged when the burnout is lurking. They chatted with Can You Make It Pretty? live at the District 4 conference in Colorado Springs on Oct. 13, 2023.

Saddleback College wanted to launch a targeted digital marketing campaign, and it wanted to ensure it got the details and audience right. As an HSI – Hispanic-Serving Institution – the California college needed to speak its audience's language, both literally and figuratively. Jennie McCue, Saddleback's executive director of marketing and communications, talks through how it selected its vendor, the research conducted, and the (successful!) results of the campaign.

In college, Fiona Lytle thought she was going to be a dentist. Like so many community college marketers, though, her path changed. Today, Lytle is the chief communications officer and legislative liaison at the Colorado Community College System. She's also NCMPR's 2023 Communicator of the Year. Fiona shares how she got into her current job role, some tips for marketers on working with government officials and the importance of creating a personal brand.

Before he found himself as Harper College's chief of staff, NCMPR's 2023-24 president worked in marketing, yes. He also worked in construction, in radio, for the American Library Association, and filing taxes in a cat-filled basement. Jeff Julian, whose résumé also includes "former co-host of Can You Make It Pretty?," chats about how NCMPR continues to help him do his job better (even though it's not technically under "marketing"), how he builds off his predecessors' goals as the org's president, and lunching with Snoopy's PR rep. Also: Stephanie has a new co-host! Meet Matt Radcliffe, digital marketing strategist at Pikes Peak State College in Colorado.

We’ve heard it a lot: Areas outside marketing don’t really know what we do. One way they get around that at Cape Cod Community College in Massachusetts is to approach areas like admissions and enrollment and say, “You tell us the stats.” By brainstorming with Student Services, marketing ensures the message focuses on the right students – and what they care about. Our guests are Patrick Stone, Cape Cod’s director of strategic communication and marketing, and the college’s digital marketing specialist, Jonathan Fonseca. Plus, it’s Jeff’s final episode co-hosting with Stephanie … so things get just a little off the rails.