CUPRAP

AVP/Executive Director, Marketing and Communications

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 13:54:54 GMT

Alvernia University | Reading, PA

The Assistant Vice President/Executive Director of Marketing and Communications leads Alvernia University’s integrated marketing strategy with a primary focus on driving enrollment growth through modern, data-driven, and digitally enabled marketing practices. Reporting to the Chief Enrollment and Strategic Communications Officer, this role is responsible for building a high-performance marketing engine that generates qualified student demand, strengthens market position, and delivers measurable impact across undergraduate, graduate, adult, and partnership populations.

As a key member of the university’s extended leadership team, the AVP/Executive Director provides strategic leadership across digital marketing, demand generation, brand strategy, and marketing analytics, while ensuring alignment with enrollment priorities and institutional goals. The role also oversees institutional communications, public relations, and reputation management to ensure that the university’s voice and visibility support its growth trajectory.

This leader sets vision, priorities, and performance expectations for all marketing and communications functions, including creative and content execution, while leading internal teams and external partners to deliver high-quality, on-brand, and results-oriented work.

Join a team that values your well-being! We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you and your family:

Robust Health Coverage: Choose from three offered medical plans, plus dental and vision.

Financial Security: Enjoy University-paid life/AD&D insurance and long-term disability, with options for short-term disability and supplemental coverage for you and your family (including accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity plans). Flexible spending accounts are also available.

Exceptional Retirement: Start saving immediately with our 403(b) Retirement Plan . You will get 100% immediate vesting , a University gift contribution, and a generous match up to 5% of your deferrals.

Time Off & Flexibility: Take advantage of 18 paid holidays each year and the possibility of flexible or hybrid work options for many roles.

Invest in Your Future: Enjoy tuition remission benefits for yourself and your dependents.

On-Campus Wellness: Benefit-eligible employees on our main campus receive free access to our Medical & Counseling Center.

Employee Meal Plan : This plan provides convenient, flexible dining options on campus at a reduced cost.

Job Responsibilities

Essential Functions
Mission :
• Promote Franciscan ideals and adherence to the Mission of the University as demonstrated by the University Ideal Characteristics.
• As an equal opportunity employer committed to Franciscan values, all employees share responsibility for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in their roles while demonstrating a service orientation, respect for all, intellectual curiosity, a solution-focused approach, innovation, and mutual accountability.

Strategic Marketing & Enrollment Growth Leadership:
• Develop and execute an aggressive, data-informed marketing strategy designed to drive enrollment growth, expand market reach, and increase qualified inquiries and conversions.
• Align marketing investments and priorities with institutional growth goals, program expansion, and new market opportunities.

Digital Marketing & Demand Generation:
• Lead the university’s full digital marketing ecosystem, including paid media, search engine marketing (SEM), SEO, social media, email marketing, and marketing automation.
• Establish clear strategies for lead generation, nurturing, and conversion, and continuously optimize performance across the prospective student lifecycle.

Enrollment Marketing Integration:
• Partner closely with Admissions and Enrollment teams to create a seamless, end-to-end recruitment marketing strategy.
• Ensure tight integration between marketing campaigns, CRM systems, and admissions processes to support prospective students from inquiry through enrollment and first-course registration.

Analytics, Performance & Growth Optimization:
• Establish clear KPIs and dashboards to measure marketing effectiveness, including cost per inquiry, cost per enrollment, conversion rates, and return on investment.
• Use data, testing, and market insights to refine strategy, reallocate resources, and improve performance continuously.

Brand Strategy & Creative Direction:
• Serve as the strategic steward of Alvernia’s brand, setting direction for visual identity, messaging, and storytelling.
• Establish creative priorities, standards, and expectations that ensure consistency and effectiveness across all channels.
• Provide oversight and direction to internal teams and external partners responsible for design and content execution, ensuring alignment with brand strategy and enrollment goals.

Integrated Campaign Leadership:
• Oversee the development and execution of integrated, multi-channel marketing campaigns that support enrollment, partnerships, and institutional priorities.
• Ensure campaigns are grounded in audience insights, competitive intelligence, and performance metrics, and are executed effectively by internal teams and external partners.

Communications, Public Relations & Reputation Management:
• Provide strategic leadership for institutional communications, media relations, and public relations efforts to enhance visibility, credibility, and reputation.
• Serve as a key spokesperson and advisor on external communications.
• Develop proactive media strategies, support executive communications, and lead crisis communication planning and response in coordination with senior leadership.
• Ensure communications efforts reinforce brand positioning and support enrollment and institutional objectives.

Vendor & Agency Strategy and Management:
• Oversee the selection, management, and performance of external marketing and communications vendors, including digital agencies, media buyers, creative firms, and consultants.
• Establish clear scopes of work, performance expectations, and accountability measures.
• Ensure all partners are aligned with university goals, brand standards, and ROI expectations.

Team Leadership and Culture:
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing marketing and communications team.
• Establish a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement, with a strong focus on strategic execution and measurable outcomes.

Institutional Collaboration:
• Partner with Enrollment, Advancement, Academics, Athletics, Student Affairs, and the Office of the President to align marketing and communications strategies with university priorities, program growth, and partnership development.

Committee Participation and Strategic Counsel:
• Serve on the Extended Leadership Team, Emergency Management Team, and other cross-divisional committees.
• Provide strategic counsel on marketing, communications, major initiatives, and institutional positioning.

Additional Responsibilities:
• Oversee the Marketing and Communications department budget, including planning, forecasting, and fiscal reporting.
• Coordinate the allocation of marketing resources across university departments to ensure strategic alignment, cost-effectiveness, and maximum impact.
• Guide internal partners on project budgeting and vendor negotiations.
• Oversee the development of university publications, including the Alvernia Magazine, annual reports, and branded collateral.
• Lead communications strategy for major events such as Commencement and presidential announcements.
• Supervise vendor and partner relationships, including creative, media buying, and consulting firms.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Qualification/Education:
• Commitment to the mission, core values, and strategic goals of Alvernia University.
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, journalism, or related field; master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of 7–10 years of progressively responsible experience in marketing, communications, or public affairs, including team leadership and supervisory experience.
• Proven ability to develop and implement comprehensive marketing and communications strategies.
• Demonstrated success in leading cross-functional teams, managing staff, and fostering a collaborative, high-performance work culture.
• Exceptional writing, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience with media relations, executive messaging, and crisis communication.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects across multiple platforms and stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of branding, digital strategy, analytics, and content marketing.
• Experience working in higher education or mission-driven institutions preferred.

Physical Requirements:
• Attendance is required to perform the duties of this job.
• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times.

Meet Sekou Cherif, the 2026 CUPRAP Student Catalyst Fellow

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:21:28 GMT

March 20, 2026

Franklin & Marshall College student Sekou Cherif ’26 was named the 2026 CUPRAP Student Catalyst Fellow, a recognition of exceptional promise by an undergraduate in writing, social media engagement, video and audio production, graphic design, journalism, and related fields.

Cherif, a film and media arts major and economics minor, was praised for his creative portfolio, with particular attention received for short films he created in his F&M coursework and for Drama Club NYC, a nonprofit focused on improv programming for formerly incarcerated youth. He is the first F&M student to receive the award in the organization’s 46-year history. He was honored at CUPRAP’s annual conference, held in F&M’s home city of Lancaster, March 11-13.

“ When I received [the fellowship], I thought it’d be a great opportunity to engage with professionals,” said Cherif, reflecting on the news he was selected as this year’s fellow and that he’d be attending the conference. “It came at a fitting time, as a senior looking at prospective careers. It’s a great position to be in, because now I have all these new connections from colleges and different marketing agencies.”

Keep reading.

Sandbox Strategies: How Swarthmore Built Collaboration That Actually Ships Work

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 15:27:29 GMT

February 5, 2026

Higher ed marketing and communications often comes down to one deceptively hard job: getting people to “play nice in the sandbox.”

In a recent CUPRAP webinar, leaders from Swarthmore College shared practical case studies on how their teams improved collaboration across Communications, Admissions, Advancement, and the Provost’s Office—while also rolling out a major institutional rebrand.

Their message was refreshingly concrete: collaboration isn’t a vibe. It’s infrastructure. When you build the right systems, partners don’t have to “try harder” to work well together—the process pulls everyone into alignment.

Here are the key takeaways—and how you can apply them at your institution.

1. Stop hoping for collaboration. Build a system that produces it.

Swarthmore’s biggest wins didn’t come from better intentions or more meetings. They came from creating repeatable structures:

Clear intake pathways (forms, single points of contact within their office and campus partners)
Shared timelines and expectations
Templates for partners to use without going rogue
Cross-team roles designed specifically to bridge gaps

Takeaway: If your work depends on collaboration, don’t leave it to personality. Design it into the workflow and job descriptions.

2. Faculty storytelling needs a pipeline, not a pile of emails.

Swarthmore’s communications team identified a familiar challenge: important faculty achievements were sometimes missed—not due to lack of care, but because there wasn’t a reliable way to flag what mattered most. Emails arrived inconsistently, details were incomplete, and communicators couldn’t be experts in every discipline.

What they changed

They rebuilt faculty news promotion with two key moves:

Faculty Spotlight (launched)
A dedicated, magazine-style faculty feature experience on the website, built to showcase the breadth of scholarship and teaching. Faculty were selected in consultation with the Provost’s Office, and the content was created for repurposing across web, social, and alumni publications.
Faculty Submission Form (in development at time of webinar)
A structured submission process embedded in their CMS (Drupal), designed to replace scattered emails with consistent data capture. The goal: make it easy for faculty to submit news, make it easier for comms to triage impact, and increase the team’s ability to say “yes” to more coverage —even if some items aren’t full story-worthy.

What made it work

The Provost’s Office wasn’t just consulted—it was positioned as a co-owner and advocate, which is essential for adoption.
Budgeting included freelance support for writing capacity.
ITS support was required for a workable technical workflow.
The team was realistic about the hidden bottleneck: scheduling and producing photography.

Takeaway: The fix isn’t “ask faculty to email us.” The fix is a pipeline that captures the right info, flags impact, and supports different content formats.

3. Event branding isn’t decoration—it’s trust, clarity, and performance.

For Advancement, Swarthmore focused on Alumni Weekend as a flagship rebrand opportunity—an event already filled with joy, emotion, and identity.

Why that mattered: new visual systems can trigger skepticism, especially among loyal audiences. But a celebratory event provides a natural opportunity to introduce change in a way that feels welcoming.

Why branding mattered (beyond aesthetics)

Swarthmore highlighted practical benefits that resonate across institutions:

Unified narrative: consistent design makes varied stories feel connected
Trust & credibility: well-designed communications reduce skepticism and confusion in an era of scams/phishing
Recognition: alumni can instantly identify official event messages in a crowded inbox/feed
Stronger experience: a coherent brand environment elevates engagement and belonging
Improved performance: better design and consistency correlated with improved email metrics and event attendance

A smart language move

In some environments, “branding” can be a loaded term. Swarthmore initially framed their approach as “institutional visual storytelling” to reduce resistance and keep stakeholders engaged.

Process mattered as much as design

They used rebranding as an opportunity to reset timelines and expectations:

Email planning with an ideal multi-week runway for drafting, review, approvals, and final checks
Print planning with longer lead times due to vendor dependencies

Takeaway: Branding becomes easier to defend when you connect it to trust, recognition, and measurable performance—not just visuals.

4. If a relationship is strained, treat the relationship as the project.

One of the most resonant moments of the webinar was a candid look at a previously strained relationship between Communications and Admissions.

What they heard:

From Admissions: “I waited until the last minute so you couldn’t tell me no.”
From Comms: “Admissions is the problem child—good luck.”

They named what many teams experience: when trust erodes, people work around each other. And that damages outcomes.

What changed everything

They didn’t just “collaborate more.” They changed the structure:

Leadership from the very top (the Dean and VP of Communications) was committed to improving this relationship and understood its impact on the College’s bottom line
A dedicated Admissions communications lead became the single intake point for all communications projects going through the Admissions Office
Intake was built into Admissions’ system (Slate) and routed into Comms’ project workflow (Wrike)
Teams were intentionally embedded:
Comms attended Admissions weekly meetings and retreats
Admissions comms lead participated in Comms retreats and professional development
Monthly leadership touchpoints between both offices kept priorities aligned

The empathy insight that mattered

They surfaced a root cause: people in Admissions were asked to do communications work without it being in their job description or skill set. Naming that created space for empathy and justified the staffing change.

The results they credited

Stronger coordination through major disruptions (FAFSA delays, SCOTUS decision)
Higher morale and smoother execution
Recognition from senior leadership
Admissions became a high-trust, high-priority partnership instead of a friction point

Takeaway: When the partnership is broken, your next campaign won’t fix it. Your operating model will.

5. “Easy wins” that scale into culture change

Swarthmore’s recommendations weren’t flashy—but they’re the kinds of moves that compound:

Create partner-friendly templates (flyers, posters, email modules)
Establish lead-time norms for video, web, and email requests
Build a simplified style guide for non-designers
Maintain regular leadership alignment
Invest in rapport: informal connection builds the trust that makes hard feedback possible

Takeaway: If you want fewer last-minute requests, you need more clarity, easier tools, and a process people can follow without friction.

Final thought: Collaboration is built, not wished for.

Swarthmore’s “sandbox strategies” weren’t about perfect harmony. They were about building roles, systems, and shared expectations that make collaboration the default.

If your institution is navigating rebranding, partnership challenges, or capacity constraints, this webinar offered a powerful reminder:

You don’t need everyone to agree. You need a process that helps everyone move.

Want to implement one thing this month?

Pick one:

Build a structured intake form for a recurring content need
Create a simplified style guide for partners
Establish a standard lead time policy for major deliverables
Formalize a single point of contact for a high-impact partner office

Small infrastructure changes can create outsized results.

Members can watch the recording of this CUPRAP webinar with Swarthmore by logging in.

Beyond Crisis Comms 101: Navigating a Viral Moment

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 15:23:00 GMT

December 3, 2025

 Jamie Yates , Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Gettysburg College
Mike Baker , Deputy Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Gettysburg College
Staci Grimes , Director of Marketing and Digital Engagement, Gettysburg College

Crises are nothing new to those of us working in higher education communications. A sensitive issue that reaches your constituents can test your messaging discipline and coordination. But when a campus incident goes viral—when it’s picked up, amplified, and distorted across social media—the challenge takes on an entirely different magnitude.

As communicators and marketers, we’re entrusted with protecting and advancing our institution’s reputation. Yet, in the digital age, when misinformation spreads faster than official updates and emotional narratives eclipse the facts, it becomes all the more challenging to feel in control of a situation. The rise of social influencers—many of whom seek clicks over accuracy—has only added fuel to the fire, thrusting even small-campus incidents into national headlines and international newsfeeds.

At Gettysburg College, we’ve experienced our share of issues management moments, navigating difficult stories while staying closely connected to our key audiences. But last fall, we faced something bigger—a campus issue that truly went viral. Not Gettysburg viral. More like “What’s Trending” viral. Suddenly, managing the message wasn’t just about timely communication; it was about cutting through digital noise and reclaiming the narrative.

Yes, you need a phone bank ready. Yes, you need to keep your key constituents informed. Yes, you need prepared press statements and campus partner talking points. Still, above all, what you really need are lessons that extend beyond Crisis Comms 101.

Here are 7 ways that you and your team can prepare for a viral incident:

1. Test your digital response beforehand

Before a crisis arises, review your established social media policy on your institution’s website, testing whether it can both guide your response strategies and be a useful resource worth sharing—with secondary account managers, with concerned community members, and with general users interacting with your digital channels throughout the course of a crisis. Will your policy stand up in the heat of a crisis?

Be prepared to protect the identities and contact information of individuals who might be targeted for online bullying or doxxing as an issue escalates. Try to examine all your digital spaces with fresh eyes. If the world were to look through your channels right now, what conclusions could they draw based on what they see there? Does the content accurately reflect your institution?

2. Listen carefully: Know your digital normal

It’s important to understand what normal looks like on your institution’s social platforms. Practicing regular social media listening through average days can help you recognize when the tides are beginning to shift. With quality social listening tools, a tonal change can be discovered hours or even days before an incident escalates.

If you see a trend beginning to bubble up that might be cause for concern, think carefully about your subsequent posts—each may be the last one for an extended period of time, if you need to pause from your regular posting during an incident. The last post shared before this pause on your social media platforms will become the digital “face” of your institution during the duration of the crisis.

3. Cultivate trust and authentic voices now

When social media narratives were spinning beyond our control, something powerful happened at Gettysburg: our students stepped in on their own. They went to TikTok and reached out directly to social influencers, helping to correct misinformation and share their lived experience of what was really happening on campus. In many cases, it worked.

We didn’t script them or direct them to do this. They spoke up because they wanted to, and because they trusted the College enough to defend it in their own way. That trust didn’t materialize overnight—it was the product of ongoing relationship-building, transparency, and a communications culture that treats students as partners rather than audiences.

After the story broke, we brought in the most-affected students and had genuine conversations about what happened, what our response would be, and the challenges a viral story posed for all of us. The lesson: authentic advocacy is earned, not orchestrated. When your community feels informed and respected, they can become your most credible messengers.

4. Empower traditional media to dig deeper

When misinformation starts to spread, it can feel instinctive to retreat, to shut down all communication until the storm passes. But one of the most effective strategies we found was to lean in and work with journalists who were committed to getting the story right.

In our case, several reputable outlets—including the Associated Press, ESPN, and local media—approached the story as a genuine investigation. They wanted accuracy above clicks. We couldn’t (and didn’t) violate FERPA or share protected details, but we found ways to let journalists in—to provide context and institutional perspective that helped them frame the situation truthfully.

5. Revisit your digital advertising strategy

During a viral situation, even your paid media can become part of the problem if left unchecked. Review your list of placements and ads to consider how to approach each. It’s better to pause advertising in the face of a full-blown crisis than to appear alongside negative coverage or heated discussions.

Additionally, if you don’t configure a list of negative keywords for strategies like PPC, you may actually end up paying for users to search for your institution on the internet in the context of the crisis and to visit your site.

6. Protect owned digital communities

Your institutional channels are often the first places audiences will go for answers—and the first place they’ll go to vent. Moderation is more complex during a crisis. Balancing freedom of speech with community standards requires judgment and consistency. Learn in advance what platform tools exist that may be applied on an as-needed basis to protect your digital communities from irrelevant or abusive engagement: negative keyword filters, comment settings, and hiding engagement (which can help with the “bandwagon effect”).

The goal isn’t to silence conversation; it’s to ensure that dialogue in owned channels is safe and constructive.

If you’ve paused posting on your main college channels, sometimes secondary accounts can be used to continue sharing content with audiences. And when you resume activity, your first posts matter enormously. Choose content that signals transparency, care, and a return to mission.

7. Recover by flooding the zone

Stay connected to public sentiment through listening tools throughout the crisis. While things may still seem very heated in the comments on your social channels—often by the same collection of frequent fliers—actual attention to the crisis could be rapidly diminishing. This tipping point shifts the focus and signals when it’s time to proactively market again.

“Flooding the zone” with nuanced, authentic content across your channels not only reinforces to your audiences your mission and values, it also leaves little room for negative spin. In our case, when it was time to post again, we were ready with repurposed content and new content, and we flooded our channels with stories that underscored who we are as a community.

Reassert your institutional narratives to remind users why your community is so special and to help rebuild trust with your online audiences.

Don’t hesitate to invite your strongest online advocates to rejoin conversations with their own positive perspectives where it’s appropriate. Board members, alumni, employees, students, and even families and local residents can work together to help turn the tide. Generally, even the loudest critics run out of endurance when not only the brand content is forward-looking, but its digital communities show up in solidarity.

Meet Sarah Alice Keiser, CUPRAP’s New Executive Director

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:25:00 GMT

CUPRAP is thrilled to welcome Sarah Alice Keiser as our new Executive Director! With more than a decade of experience managing nonprofit programs and member-driven associations, Sarah brings a unique blend of strategic organization, relationship-building, and creativity to this role.

To help members get to know her better, the CUPRAP Board of Directors sat down with Sarah Alice for a candid Q&A about her background, leadership approach, and vision for CUPRAP’s future. From community-building to conference planning, she shares what inspires her and how she plans to build on CUPRAP’s strong foundation of connection and collaboration.

She’s passionate about strengthening professional communities and helping mission-driven organizations thrive. Get to know Sarah Alice below!

Background and Experience

You’ve spent over a decade managing nonprofit programs and member-driven associations. Which past experience do you think most prepared you for your new role with CUPRAP?

All of my past experience has given me a unique perspective and skill set in association management, stakeholder engagement, and relationship building. I don’t think I can pinpoint one specific role — it’s really been the combination of all the interesting challenges I’ve faced, especially through the pivots required to survive during the pandemic, that have honed my skills. I love building community and have already met so many wonderful people through CUPRAP.

How would you describe your professional superpower — the skill that clients and colleagues consistently count on you for?

My professional superpower is taking big, complex ideas and turning them into clear, actionable plans that bring people together. Clients and colleagues count on me to create structure where there might initially be uncertainty — whether that’s designing a conference experience, launching a new program, or aligning a board around shared goals. I have a knack for connecting vision to execution in a way that makes projects feel both inspiring and achievable.

About Joining CUPRAP

CUPRAP is known for its strong community of higher education marketing professionals. What excites you most about supporting this membership?

What excites me most is the opportunity to strengthen and elevate a community of professionals who are incredibly generous with their ideas, creativity, and expertise. In higher education, the challenges are always evolving, but CUPRAP members consistently rise to meet them by sharing strategies and celebrating each other’s successes. I’m energized by the chance to foster that connection, create meaningful opportunities for collaboration, and ensure members feel both valued and inspired.

You’ve produced large-scale conferences and managed membership operations — both central to CUPRAP’s work. How do you hope to enhance members’ experiences through these areas?

I see conferences and membership operations as two sides of the same coin — they’re both about creating meaningful, lasting value for members.

For the annual spring conference, my goal is to help design an experience that feels both inspiring and practical: forward-thinking speakers, rich networking opportunities, and moments that spark creativity and connection.

On the membership side, I’m excited to build systems and programs that keep that energy alive year-round — from professional development and peer learning to simple touchpoints that make members feel seen and supported.

Vision and Goals

What does success in this role look like to you six months from now?

Six months from now, success would mean that I’ve built strong relationships with the board, committee leaders, and members — and that operational systems are running smoothly. I’d love for members to feel a renewed sense of connection to CUPRAP, seeing value not just at the annual conference, but throughout the year. If members feel heard, supported, and excited about where CUPRAP is headed, that’s success to me.

How do you balance operational excellence with fostering a sense of warmth and community?

For me, operational excellence and community-building go hand in hand. Clear systems create trust — members know things will run smoothly and that their investment is valued. But alongside that structure, I always bring warmth and personality into interactions. When the logistics are handled well, there’s more room to focus on people — their stories, their challenges, and their successes. That’s where real connection happens.

Personal Insights

Outside of work, what do you enjoy doing that helps you recharge or stay inspired?

Outside of work, I recharge through baking — I operate a small from-scratch home bakery! It’s a creative outlet that connects me to friends and family. I love experimenting with flavors and seeing how food brings people together. I also find inspiration in travel — whether it’s a neighborhood coffee shop or a new city abroad. My husband and I recently moved back to Ohio after living in Montréal for four years, and I’m excited to rediscover Dayton as our new home.

If CUPRAP members could take away one thing about your approach or personality, what would you want it to be?

I genuinely care about creating spaces where people feel both supported and inspired. My approach is collaborative and relationship-driven — I believe the best ideas come from listening closely and working side by side. I hope members see me as someone who brings warmth and energy, along with a steady commitment to making sure their experiences with CUPRAP are meaningful and impactful.

CUPRAP’s strength has always been its people — and Sarah Alice is eager to keep building on that tradition of collaboration and creativity. As she steps into this new role, she looks forward to hearing from members, learning their stories, and working together to make CUPRAP an even stronger professional home for higher education communicators.

Welcome, Sarah Alice! We can’t wait to see all that’s ahead.

You can reach Sarah Alice by emailing info@cuprap.org .

The post Meet Sarah Alice Keiser, CUPRAP’s New Executive Director appeared first on CUPRAP .

Celebrating Betty Hanson

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 14:03:00 GMT

CUPRAP board members come and go, but Betty Hanson, has been the face of the organization forever. Since 2011, she has served as CUPRAP’s executive director, playing a leading role in planning and executing the annual Spring Conference, among other duties. Betty sat down recently with former CUPRAP President Tom Durso to chat about her involvement with the organization, her fondest memories, and her advice for new members.

Note: This has been edited for space and clarity.

TD: How did you get involved with CUPRAP in the first place?

BH: I had not been working in higher education. My first job was at Philadelphia Magazine , and then I worked at two advertising agencies. Something came up at Widener, and I got a job there in the marketing department. My boss was just looking through professional development and said, “Well, maybe you should go to this conference and see how it is.” I got the job at Widener in ’86, so I guess this was in ’87 that I went to the first conference. I enjoyed it and have been a member ever since.

TD: And when did you get involved in your current role as an administrator?

BH: I was a member through the 90s, and then after that, I was on the board as treasurer. Then I left Widener and at the time, if you didn’t have an affiliation with a college, you had to step off the board, but I continued to be a member. Alan Janesch and I planned one of the spring conferences. It was not at all as encompassing with as many sessions and breakouts that we have now. It was a modest conference, but it was good. It was always a practical conference for people, and I think that’s what they appreciated. It was something that you could go to, and people would talk to you.

“It was always a practical conference for people, and I think that’s what they appreciated. It was something that you could go to, and people would talk to you.”

CUPRAP past president Paul Redfern and Betty Hanson

We used to have a one-day conference in October. We had a meeting in September, and nobody had remembered to plan the conference, and we had to quickly get it together. So we decided to hire Dick Jones to plan the conference, which his company did for a while. And then it reverted to Betsy Robertson, who was doing it on her own. And she did a great job. The conference started to just blossom and become larger and more welcoming, and it started including more topics that were relevant to different departments, like Enrollment Management and Development. Betsy was doing it maybe in the mid-2000s, and then when I got laid off from Drexel in 2011, Betsy got a full-time job with Susquehanna. They offered it to me, and I have been planning the conference since 2011.

TD: Besides just the conference, how would you say that the organization as a whole has evolved?

BH: Well, it always used to be that we had to have two members on the board from a community college, two members from a private university, and a public university. And it’s not that anymore. The board members can represent various entities; even vendors are now board members. We were very adamant before that we didn’t want vendors, but it turned out to work out really well. Our first was Mark Cunningham, and it added a dimension that we didn’t previously think we needed. But we do. So that was what has changed about the board members. Our constitution and bylaws were also changed to have more than a two-year term for the president, and also for board terms to be longer, so that they can get their feet wet and then continue to do good work on the board.

I think that a lot has changed, but a lot has not changed. What has not changed is the fact that people care about the members and about lifting up the members, which is our new branding. It’s about members and not about the organization — celebrating the members and their accomplishments.

CUPRAP Conference Agenda from 1997

“I think that a lot has changed, but a lot has not changed. What has not changed is the fact that people care about the members and about lifting up the members, which is our new branding. It’s about members and not about the organization — celebrating the members and their accomplishments.”

TD: What are some of your favorite memories from CUPRAP?

BH: At the Spring Conference, on Thursday after the CUPPIES, we used to have entertainment. One year, we had a hypnotist. I can remember a woman getting hypnotized. She was running around and being crazy. We used to have line dancing, and, really fun things. We had a poker night.

As far as the conference part is concerned, I think one of my best memories was when Barbara Marshall and I sat down at one of the retreats and talked about the CUPPIES. We hadn’t even named the CUPPIES — I guess the board named it. But we talked about having a competition for creative excellence. CASE had done it before us. Barbara and I sat down and thought about it, and we started to plan it.

When we had the first competition, it was really rewarding and exciting that so many people had entered. And their work was really good. At the time, people were coming from different agencies and institutions to do all the judging in person at one time. We didn’t have the online platform where the judges could judge from their office or whatever. I thought it was fun to get people together. That was one of my great memories. Sometimes, what happens now is that you can do so many things online the social aspect of things gets forgotten.

TD: How do you hope people see your legacy with CUPRAP?

BH: Well, I’m just hoping that it’s one of mentorship, because I’ve seen so many new people come in and they are excited about their growth. Our current president, Joe Master, will tell you that he had looked up to Ray Betzner and Andy Back and Mike Bruckner and thought, wow, these people are really somebody to emulate. I am hoping the new people will look at the seasoned people and think, wow, this is great. I want to do this or want to be like that.

TD: What kind of direction would you like to see the organization go in?

BH: I know that the board has been talking about getting people from other states, and we do have some members from California, a couple here and there. Most of them are from the Mid-Atlantic region, but we have some people from other states. I don’t want to get so big that we lose the essence of the organization. I know we want to grow our conference attendance, but I would like to see it retain the personal aspect as we grow. People should be able to attend, make new friends, reconnect with those they know and feel welcome.

TD: Any words of advice for new CUPRAP members?

BH: I would say don’t take yourself too seriously. The higher education climate is just so different and it’s easy to be anxious and upset about what’s going to happen to you and what’s going to happen to your job. Because a lot of people are. They are worried about that, and they should be worried about that. But enjoy the work, because I’ve enjoyed it for all the years that I’ve been in higher-ed marketing. Just have fun and try to do the best that you can for your school, and for yourself as well.

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