50th Anniversary Audiences

Key Audiences

 

Your approach to discussing Mason’s 50th Anniversary may need to shift depending on your audience. The following section outlines the major groups you may find yourself directing content to, as well as ways to shape that content to best connect with that group.

Current Students

Communication Goals

  • Generate excitement by stressing the importance of students’ role in this moment in Mason’s history—they are part of and contributing to Mason’s story right now.
  • Fuel pride and loyalty by showcasing Mason’s high-profile accomplishments; create buzz to showcase that Mason is a place where things happen—and students have a front row view.
  • Position the 50th as a moment of celebration. Build excitement with students and encourage them to participate in fun events for a once-in-a-lifetime year of celebration.

Notes

Make students aware of Mason’s history while stressing that they are at an institution like none other. Mason is young and has accelerated at a pace that far eclipses similar universities. This is just the beginning—students are uniquely placed to take advantage of that momentum, riding it to new heights for their careers, as it enables them to make an impact on their future and the world.


 

Faculty and Staff

Communication Goals

  • Emphasize that this is an exciting time to be a part of the Mason Nation. We’re at an organization that launches futures and helps students fulfill their dreams. The coming years will offer unprecedented opportunity for faculty to further their research while enriching the lives of countless students.
  • Position the 50th as a time to say thank you to faculty and staff and acknowledge that their individual contributions are the reason for Mason’s unprecedented rise. By celebrating Mason’s history, we’re also celebrating the people who helped make it happen in ways big and small.
  • Generate excitement by noting the importance of this moment in Mason’s history—they are part of and contributing to Mason’s story right now.
  • Fuel feelings of pride—Mason may be young, but its accelerated pace of growth gives it a reputation to be reckoned with.
  • Position all 50th events as moments of celebration—let’s all take time to celebrate our past accomplishments and dream big for our future.

Notes

Keep people informed and aware of 50th Anniversary events they can participate in on campus. Remind them that this is their chance to join in the celebrations and take pride in an incredible milestone. Help faculty and staff members see themselves as advocates for Mason and urge them to tell their student and research success stories in conjunction with your other marketing and communications.


 

Alumni

Communication Goals

  • The 50th Anniversary is a celebration of the entire Mason Nation, so it wouldn’t be complete without our alumni. Center alumni as the core of the Mason story and the last 50 years.
  • Evoke nostalgia to encourage alumni to return to visit old friends and faculty and see how the campuses have changed.
  • Strengthen pride in the institution by detailing how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time.
  • Reiterate that their status as alumni serves to spread the word about Mason. Alumni are our best ambassadors; they represent the university and all one can accomplish as part of that community.
  • Show Mason as an institution worth investing in—it launched their careers, and they have an opportunity to give back and be part of something larger.
  • Educate alumni as to what’s happening at Mason now and what our goals are for the future—as well as how they can get involved.

Notes

Alumni will have ties to Mason’s past but can also be part of celebrating its present and future. Consider featuring personal stories that offer your audience the chance for connection and identification with fellow alumni and with current students and faculty. We want to cheer them on in their accomplishments while connecting their current success to their foundational time at Mason. Use clear invitations to visit and take part in alumni gatherings and university events.


 

Community, Supporters, and Regional Partners

Communication Goals

  • Create connections between the work that’s happened in the last 50 years at Mason and its impact on the community at large.
  • Emphasize that the 50th is a celebration not only for Mason, but also for the community—Mason’s success is the community’s success. Both are to be celebrated.
  • Fuel pride in Northern Virginia fostering Mason’s growth into an R1 research powerhouse in such a short amount of time. Broaden recognition for Mason and increase awareness of our stature, build understanding of Mason’s mission and its value.
  • Emphasize that Mason is on the cusp of incredible forward change in a unique moment in history—and individuals have an opportunity to be part of that moment and making an impact by engaging and donating.
  • Highlight Mason’s impact as a cultural resource, and community builder, and a place that merits long-term investment.
  • Demonstrate that Mason is a good investment and critical to the success of our region, with the potential for wide-ranging impact on the nation and beyond. Emphasize that we are at a key point in our history, with a chance at wide-ranging impact, and we’re looking for collaborators who want to be part of that.
  • Emphasize that Fairfax/Arlington/Manassas/Virginia have a longstanding and beneficial relationship with Mason that is worth growing because Mason’s success translates into partner success.
  • Highlight Mason’s impact as an economic driver, research leader, partner to industry,
    and talent pipeline.