Theprevalenceofsocialmediaisessentialforbringingaboutawareness.

ICATaimsto
reachawideraudience,mostlystudents,tobeinvolvedinitsuniqueprogram.Wehave
conductedresearchtodiscoverthebestmethodsofexpandingICATssocialmedia
presenceandoverallcampuspresence.Usingourresearch,wehaveprovided
recommendationsonhowtoimproveICATsonlinepresenceandthebestmethodsfor
attractingbothstudentsandfaculty.Thisisanawarenesscampaign.

MelissaBuccino,JessCannon,RachelFellenstein,KellyKalkus,LoganNowicki,DanielStinespring

TableofContents

Research....2

CampaignPlan...17

Implementation21

Evaluation.51

Research

ExecutiveSummary
TheresearchweconductedwastoevaluatetheStrengths,Weaknesses,Opportunitiesand
ThreatsoftheInstituteforCreativity,Arts,andTechnology.Weconductedourresearchfromthe
studentpopulationofVirginiaTechtoseehowstudentsandfacultyreceiveinformationabout
educationalopportunitiesoncampus.Wewantalsowantedtofindthebestoutlettomarket
opportunitiestofacultyandstudents.Ourfindingswillhelpusimplementamarketingplanfor
ourclient:ICAT,TheInstituteforCreativity,Arts,andTechnology.

OneofthestrengthsofICATisthatitisaprogramcompletelydifferentfromthatofatanyother
school.Itworkstobringthedifferentareasofcreativity,arts,andtechnologyintoprojects.Their
uniquedesignofinterdisciplinarywork,students,andfacultymakeitaninnovativeinstitute.
Numerousuniversitieshavemanyeducationalandinternshipopportunities.VirginiaTechisthe
onlycampusthathassuchadiverseandinteractiveinstituteoflearning.

Aweaknessoftheinstituteisthatitislittleknownamongthestudentpopulation.The
organizationofmeetingscouldalsobeimproved,settingaclearscheduleforeachmeetingand
lettingthemembersknowinadvancewhatwillbetakingplace.Lastly,communicationbetween
themembers,facultyandnewstudentsshouldbeimprovedtomakethegroupworkbetter
together.

ThecurrentICATwebsitehasalotofopportunity.Thewebsiteisalreadysetupanddesigned
verywelltoconveywhattheirinstitutedoes.Itcanbeupdatedmoresouserscanfindout
exactlywhattheinstituteisdoingandhowtheycangetinvolved.Therearemanyeventsand
photosonthewebsitecurrently,buttheyareoutdatedandneedtobeundated.ICATssocial
mediapresencecanalsobeenhancedtogetmorestudentsandfacultyinvolved.

Ourresearchfoundthatmoststudentsreceivetheirinformationabouteducationalopportunities
throughwordofmouth,whichisadifficultoutlettomeasure.Anotherthreatwouldbetimingof
theimplementationplan.Itisessentialtostartrecruitingmembersatthebeginningoftheschool
yearwhentherearenewfreshmancominginandotherclasseslookingtostartfreshandjoin
neworganizations.Althoughthecurrentmembersmaybebusyatthebeginningoftheyearand
notavailableforrecruiting.

Introduction
ICATisafairlynewprogramtoVirginiaTechthatmanypeopledonotknowabout.Ourgoalisto
getthewordoutabouttheprogramandgetmorestudentsandfacultyinvolved.Currently,ICAT
consistsofmostlyengineeringstudents,buttheywouldliketoexpandtoincludeupperlevel
STEM(science,technology,engineering,math)majorstocalluponaccordingtotheneedsof
certainprojects.Togetmorestudentsandfacultyknowledgeableandinvolvedinweneedto
solvethequestion:whatisthebestwaytoengagestudentsandfacultyinmediaandgetthem
tolistentoyourmessage?

Background
TheproblemICATishavingintheircurrentstateislackofdiversityofmajorsofstudentsand
facultyandlowmembernumbers.Theydonothavegoodpublicityaboutwhattheycanofferto
studentsandfaculty,andmanywilljustdecidetodointernships,coops,otherclubsordifferent
research.ICATneedstogettheirnameoutstrongerinthecommunityandseparatethemselves
asaninnovativeinstitutethatstudentsandfacultyshouldgetinvolvedwith.

VirginiaTechClubs,Organizations&Partnerships
Oneissuethatmayarisewhileattemptingtoincreasestudentandfacultyinvolvementisthe
challengeofotherorganizations,partnershipsorgrants.Thenumerousonandoffcampus
opportunitiesmayoffersimilarincentivesandtakeupstudentsandfacultytime.Itisimportantto
determinethesedifferentopportunitiessoICATcancreateadistinctmarketingplantosetthe
programapartandcreateappeal.Challengersinclude,butarenotlimitedstudent,otherVirginia
Techorganizations,otheruniversitiesandfacultytimecommitments.

Listofclubs,organizations,partnershipsandgrants:

1.T heEnergyandMaterialsInitiative

3
0VTfacultymembersfrom4colleges,includingEngineering

E
nergyresearchprogram

C
reatesfundingmodelforcenterlevelprojects

C
ollaborateoninnovativeprojects:smallbuildingsandsmartcities

P
artnerswithTheInstituteforCriticalTechnologyandAppliedScience

2.V irginiaTechBusinessEngagementCenter

D
irectors,includingVTfaculty,willassistwithandexpandcorporatepartnerships

N
ewinitiative

3.M idAtlanticAviationPartnership

U
seresearchtosolveaviationproblems

V
Tresearchersworkwithregulatingauthorities&industrypartners

4.I nstituteofElectricalandElectronicsEngineerClubs
P romoteprofessionalandacademicgrowth

H ostsocialeventsformembers

5.E ngineeringWorldHealthClub

C ombinesengineeringstudents,healthcareprofessionalsandcommunitymemberstohelp

patientsinneed
U seengineeringskillsindevelopingcountriestoimproveglobalhealth

6.S erviceWithoutBorders

S tudentleadprojectsthatworkindesign,projectmanagement,construction,marketing,

fundraisingandculturalexperiences
I nternationalworkandtravelavailable

7.E ngineersforaSustainableWorld

S tudentsandprofessionalsengageintechnicalprojectstoimprovelocalandglobal

sustainability

8.B ridgestoProsperity

S tudentledclubthathelpsdevelopingcommunitieswithinfrastructureissues

G ethandsonprofessionalexperience

9.E ngineersWithoutBorders

P artnerswithpoorcommunitiestodevelopsustainableengineeringprojects

10.F acultypreexistingpartnerships
Alongwiththemanyotherrequirementsbyfaculty(teaching,research,
committee/departmentmeetings,officehours,etc.)manyfacultyarealreadyinvolvedwith
studentorganizations,oftenservingastheleader.Becauseoftimecommitmentissues,itwould
bedifficulttoconvincefacultyalreadyinvolvedinpartnershipstoparticipateinICAT.

11.InternalFacultyGrants
Facultycanapplyforgrantstocontinueworkingonresearchoutsideoftheirteaching
obligationswithinVirginiaTech.Internalfacultygrantswouldmakeitverydifficultforthefaculty
membertoworkwithICATaswell.

12.E xternalFacultyGrants
FacultycanapplyforgrantsoutsideofVirginiaTechthatawardfundingforresearch.Ifa
professorisawardedagrantitwouldbedifficultforthefacultymembertoalsohavetimeto
participateinICAT.

OtherUniversitiesInvolvedinSimilarActivity
ICATalsoneedstoexamineotheruniversitiesthatoffersimilarconsultingprograms.ICATcan
thenconductfurtherresearchtolookatwhatprojectstheyworkonandhowmanystudentsare
involved.StudyingtheseprogramscaninspireICAT.

1.S tanfordConsulting

S
tudentrunorganizationworkwithrealclientcompaniestosolvebusinessproblems

C
lientsinclude:IBM,Hyundai,CiscoSystems,Nokia,CapitalOne

2.U niversityofWashingtonConsultingAlliance

U
seinternalandexternalconsultantswithwiderangeofspecialty

M
ostlystudentswithMaster'sorPh.D.s.

VirginiaTechGrants
AmajorcomponentofICATisthegranttheorganizationreceivedwhichallowsstudentsand
facultytoworkwithrealcompaniesinBlacksburgandsurroundingareas.UsingtheVirginia
Techwebsite,wehaveidentifiedothergrantsdistributedtoVirginiaTechstudentsand
organizations.

1.J ohnE.DooleyStudentEngagementGrant
F
undsstudents/studentteamsinvolvedincommunitybasedcivicengagementprojects

T
woawards:$750and$1500

SearchEngineOptimization(SEO):

Wefirstconductedasearchengineoptimizationtoseewhatiscomingupontheinternetwhen
searchingICATorsimilaropportunities.Socialmediaisaveryimportantaspectofamarketing
campaign.TomeasureICATssocialmediapresence,weconductedanindepthanalysisof
theircurrentsocialmediaplatforms.Wealsocreatedasurveythatwepostedonvarious
Facebookgrouppages(VirginiaTechClassof2017,fraternityandsororitypagesandvarious
clubpages).Thissurveyinquiredstudentsabouthowtheyreceiveandrespondtomedia.The
samplesizewereallthestudentsthatrespondedtothesurveyduringthe10dayperioditwas
openthiswasatotalof90students.TwogroupmembersalsoattendedoneoftheweeklyICAT
meetings,orplaydates,tointerviewstudentsabouttheirroleintheprogram,howthey
becameinvolved,andwhattheylikeabouttheprogram.

ICATmusthaveastrongonlinepresencetoraiseawarenessaboutICAT.Usingtwopopular
searchenginewebsites,GoogleandBing,wetestedmultiplekeywords(ICATVirginiaTech,
VirginiaTechPartnerships,VirginiaTechGrants,VirginiaTechExternalPartnerships)to
seeifandwhereICATrelatedcontentappeared.Belowarethesearchengineoptimization
results.

Google

1. ICATVirginiaTech
1 st:ICATWebsite(h ttps://www.icat.vt.edu)
2 nd:ICATinMossArts

(https://artscenter.vt.edu/online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::
WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=C32B7C71BD674FA4A674703C2381227C&menu_id=9B1
B7D540BED4E66920F1A51817A24B2)
3 rd:VTNews2016storyaboutICATinnovation

(https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/04/icaticatday16.html)
4 th:VTAPEXSystemCenterWebsite

(http://www.apexcie.vt.edu/portfolioposts/virginiatechinstituteforcreativityartsandtechnolog
yicat/)
5 th:IC
ATFacebook(https://www.facebook.com/icatatvt/)
6 th:M oogfestWebsite>TechnologyFestivalheldinDurham,NCspotlightonVTICAT
(http://www.moogfest.com/program/talent/virginiatechicat)
7 th:T heVergeWebsite>TechnologyWebsitespotlightingICATsVirtualRealityCube
(http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/13/8204193/virginiatechicatvrresearchoculusrift)
R elatedSearches:ICATEnvironmentalSolutionsICATSeadGrantICATProetomics

IsabelaCollegeofArtsandTechnologyIrishClinicalAcademicTrainingICATTestICAT
logisticsICATimaging

2. VirginiaTechPartnerships
1st:V irginiaTechUniversityPartnershipsnomentionofICAT
(https://www.research.vt.edu/universitypartnerships)
2 nd:V irginiaTechBusiness&IndustrynomentionofICAT
(https://www.vt.edu/business.html)
3 rd:V irginiaTechandProjectWingnomentionofICAT
(http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/09/ictasmaapprojectwing.html)
4 th:V irginiaTechIndustry&CorporatePartnershipsnomentionofICAT
(https://www.eng.vt.edu/corporate/corporaterelations)
5 th:H okieWellnessUniversityPartnershipsnomentionofICAT
(http://hokiewellness.vt.edu/Outreach/University/University_Partnerships.html)
6 th:V irginiaTechMidAtlanticAviationPartnershipnomentionofICAT
(https://www.maap.ictas.vt.edu)
7 th:V irginiaTechCollaboratesResearchwithLockheedMartinnomentionofICAT
(http://www.cfr.givingto.vt.edu)
R elatedSearches:P rojectWingVirginiaTechMidAtlanticAviationPartnershipVirginia
TechVirginiaTechDroneProjectWingChipotleChipotleDeliveryDronesChipotleDrone
Delivery

3. VirginiaTechGrants
1
st:V irginiaTechUniversityScholarships&FinancialAidnomentionofICAT
(http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/grants/)
2
nd:V irginiaTechUniversityScholarships&FinancialAidnomentionofICAT
(https://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/grants/vtgrant/index.html)
3
rd:V irginiaTechCommonwealthGrantnomentionofICAT
(https://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/grants/commonwealth/index.html
4
th:VirginiaTechFundsfortheFuturenomentionofICAT

(http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/grants/fundsfuture/)
5
th:V irginiaGuaranteedAssistanceProgramsnomentionofICAT
(http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/grants/vgap/)
6
th:V irginiaTechFederalPellGrantnomentionofICAT
(https://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/grants/pell/index.html)
7
th:V irginiaTechFindFundingnomentionofICAT
(http://osp.vt.edu/researchers/funding.html)
R
elatedSources:V irginiaguaranteedassistanceprogramfinancialaidofficevt
scholarshipsVirginiatechVirginiatuitionassistancegranthokiespainclusionfafas

4.VirginiaTechExternalPartnerships
1
st:MidAtlanticAviationPartnership(https://www.maap.ictas.vt.edu)nomentionofICAT

2
nd:ProjectWingsPartnerswithVirginiaTech

(http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/09/ictasmaapprojectwing.html)nomentionofICAT
3
rd:VirginiaTechAdministrationNorthCapitalRegion

(http://www.ncr.vt.edu/about/administration.html)nomentionofICAT
4
th:NewInitiativeBuildsaUniversitywidePartnershipwithMaterials

(https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/04/040516priyaemi.html)nomentionofiCAT
5
th:VirginiaTechLaunchesBusinessEngagementCenter

(https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/01/researchengagementcenter.html)nomentionofICAT
6
th:2016StateoftheUniversity

(https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/01/researchengagementcenter.html)nomentionofICAT
7
th:VirginiaTechNationalCapitalRegion(h ttp://www.ncr.vt.edu)nomentionofICAT
Related Sources: Midatlantic aviation partnership Virginia tech Virginia tech uas test site
mark blanks Virginia tech rose mooney project wing mid Atlantic financial mid Atlantic
coloniesmidAtlantic500

Bing

1. ICATVirginiaTech
1
st:R .BenjaminKnapp(DirectorofICAT)(h ttp://www.icat.vt.edu/users/rbenjaminknapp)
2
nd:ICATWebsite(h ttps://www.icat.vt.edu)
3
rd:VTNews/Tags(withanICATstoryincluded)

(https://vtnews.vt.edu/tags.html/vtnews_vt_edu:icat)
4
th:ICATstoryregardingSEADgrants

(https://www.research.vt.edu/announcements/021116/icatinvitesapplicationsmajorseadgra
nts)
5
th:SpecificICATstorydescribingprojectinvolvingrobots

(https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/02/icateschersuit.html)
6
th:ICATArchives(h ttp://www.archive.icat.vt.edu/index.html)
7
th:ICATFacebook(h ttps://www.facebook.com/icatatvt)
R
elatedSearches:V irginiaTechVirtualReality,InstituteforCreativeIntegration,VTMoss
ArtsCenter,ICATPicat,CreativityandTechnology,VirginiaTechTheCube,VirginiaTechArts,
VirginiaTechStorageCube

2. VirginiaTechPartnerships
1
st:V
irginiaTechUniversityPartnerships(nomentionofICAT)
(https://www.research.vt.edu/universitypartnerships)
2
nd:VirginiaTechPresidentsReport19981999(nomentionofICAT)

(
h ttps://secure.hosting.vt.edu/www.reports.president.vt.edu/pres9899/partnerships.html)
3
rd:VirginiaTechMidAtlanticAviationPartnership(nomentionofICAT)

(http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/09/ictasmaapprojectwing.html)
4
th:VirginiaTechTransportationInstitute(nomentionofICAT)

(http://www.vtti.vt.edu/research/c3po/index.php)
5
th:VirginiaTechandArlingtonCountryJoinMetroLabNetwork(nomentionofICAT)

(http://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/05/05016ncrmetrolabpartnership.html)
6
th:P ublic/PrivatePartnershipsinVirginia(nomentionofICAT)
(https://www.troutmansanders.com/files/upload/public_private_partnership_seminar.pdf)
7
th:V irginiaTechCollaborativeResearchwithLockheedMartin(nomentionofICAT)
(http://www.cfr.givingto.vt.edu)
R
elatedSearches:P ublicPartnershipVirginia,VirginiaPartnershipReturnInstructions,
VirginiaPartnershipTaxReturn

3. VirginiaTechGrants
1
st:VirginiaTechUniversityScholarships&FinancialAidIndex(nomentionofICAT)

(http://www.finaid.vt.edu/types_of_aid/grants/index.html)
2
nd:VirginiaTechFindGrantsPage(nomentionofICAT)

(
h
ttps://www.lib.vt.edu/research/grants/findgrants.html)
3
rd:VirginiaTechGraduateSchoolFunding(nomentionofICAT)

(http://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding.html)
4
th:VirginiaTechWorklifeGrants(nomentionofICAT)

(http://graduateschool.vt.edu/funding/worklifegrants.html)
5
th:VirginiaTechResearchandInnovation(nomentionofICAT)

(https://www.research.vt.edu)
6
th:V irginiaTechComputerScienceGrants(nomentionofICAT)
(https://www.cs.vt.edu/grants)
7
th:V irginiaTechstoryregardingFulbrightgrantsAwardedtoStudents(nomentionofICAT)
(https://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2015/06/061115outreachstudentfulbright.html)
R
elatedSearches:V irginiaScholarshipsandGrants,VirginiaTechScholarshipsand
Grants,CollegeGrantsinVirginia,VirginiaTechStudentLookup,VirginiaTechEngineering
Scholarships,VirginiaTechCorporateResearchCenter,CommonwealthGrantVirginia,VA
GrantsforSchools

4. VirginiaTechExternalPartnerships
1
st:V
irginiaTechMidAtlanticAviationPartnership(nomentionofICAT)
(http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/09/ictasmaapprojectwing.html)
2
nd: WhyVTEngineering?Page(nomentionofICAT)
(
h ttps://www.eng.vt.edu/undergraduateadmissions/whyvt)
3
rd:S tory:VirginiaTechlaunchingbusinessengagementcenter(nomentionofICAT)
(https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/01/researchengagementcenter.html)
4
th:V irginiaTechPartnerships(nomentionofICAT)
(https://www.research.vt.edu/partnerships)
5
th:VicePresidentforResearchandInnovation(nomentionofICAT)

(https://www.vt.edu/about/administration/vpresearch.html)
6
th:V irginiaTechUniversityPartnerships(nomentionofICAT)
(https://www.research.vt.edu/universitypartnerships)
7
th:V irginiaTechHumeCenter(nomentionofICAT)
(http://www.hume.vt.edu)
R
elatedSearches:N /A

SurveyResearch
Thesurveyresultsconcludedthatthetopthreewayspeoplehearabouteducational
opportunitiessimilartoICATarethrough:announcementsinclass(71.1percent),advisors(61.1
percent)andFacebook(60percent).Aclosefourthwasbywordofmouth(58.9percent).
Studentsalsohadtheabilitytonameotherplacesnotgivenonthelist.Theresultsfromthis
categoryconcludedthatemailsandlistservsaretwootherwaysstudentshearaboutapplied
educationalopportunitiesoncampus.

InPersonInterviews
FromtheinterviewswithICATstudentsatthemeeting,wefoundthatmostofthestudents
becameinvolvedbypersonalinvitationsfromfacultymembersorstudentsalreadyinvolvedin
theprogram.Thissupportsourfindingsfromthesurveythatstudentsfindoutmostoftheir
informationbywordofmouth.Webelievethiswillbeaneffectivewayofgettingstudents
involved.TheresultsfromthesearchengineoptimizationindicatethatICATneedstodrastically
improveitsonlinepresencetogainawarenessandattractstudents.Theprogramssocialmedia
sitesdonotappearinthetopresultsoneitherGoogleorBing.Forexample,theICATTwitter
accountdoesnotappearuntilthesecondpageonGoogle.Amaingoalistorecruitmore
studentsbutthereisnoonlineinformationabouttheorganizationwantingtorecruitmore
studentmembers.Mostoftheinformationprovidedonlinefocusedontheinvolvementoffaculty
andprofessors.ThisprogramwasconsistentlyovershadowedbybiggerVirginiaTechprojects
suchasProjectWing,ChipotleDroneandtheMidAtlanticAviationPartnership.

WhilesearchingforVirginiaTechgrants,themajorityoftheresultswererelatedtofinancialaid
informationforstudents.TherewerenoresultsofmajorgrantsbeinggiftedtoVirginiaTech
organizations.

10

DatafromStudentInterviewsatICATmeeting

Subject QuestionSet Data

Male,Junior QuestionsforStudents StudentwithinCatalyst

MechanicalEngineer group
InformedaboutICATthrough
Tom(ClubDirector),wordof
mouthandclubAPACS
Wasnotinformedaboutclub
throughSocialMedia
believesinformationshould
bemoreinterpersonal
Workedonprojectwith
nondisclosurecontract
MoreProjectsandresume
buildersisbestwaytoget
peopleinvolved
BiggestincentivesforICAT
isresumematerial,
experienceandlearningskills
thatyouwouldntlearninthe
classroom
Nootherclubinvolvement

Male,Sophomore QuestionsforStudents StudentwithinCatalyst

BusinessInformation group
Technology(BIT) HeardaboutICATthrough
KrisFang(anAPACS
leader)healsoworkedwith
Krisinclassandinternship
Nocatalystproject
participaction
Wouldliketoseemore
technologyorientedprojects
Biggestincentivefor
participationinICATisfaculty
andstudentengagementand
problemsolvingskills
InvolvedinInnovate,Delta
SigmaPhi(Business
Fraternity),APACSand
PUMPMentor

11

Male,Engineer QuestionsforStudents Currentlyworkingonproject

withnondisclosure
agreement
InformedaboutICATthrough
Entrepreneursclub
Wouldliketoseemore
studentinvolvement
Biggestincentivesfor
participatinginICATis
networkingopportunity
InvolvedinEntrepreneur's
club,Innovateliving&
learningcommunity.

Additioncommentsfrom N/A(additionalcomments Iwouldliketoseemore

studentsattheendofthe memberswantedtogive) involvementfromInnovate.
meeting Wearetryingtogetmore
recruitmentfromclub
newsletters(2,000person
listserv)buttheonlypeople
thatseemtobecomingare
frompersonalinvitations.

ObservationsandInterviewsfromtheICATmeeting
TheICATclubmeetseveryotherMondayfrom5to6pm.Toencouragestudentsandfacultyto
getinvolvedwiththeprogram,theyhadBringaFriendNightonMarch13th,2017.Wewere
toldthatthemeetingweobservedwasnotthetypicalICATmeeting.Atthemeetingaguestwho
worksfortheOfficeofEconomicDevelopmenttalkedaboutacurrentprojectsheisworkingon.
Theguest,studentsandfacultybrainstormedideasforacollaborationbetweenNASAandthe
Shipyard.Theheadoftheprogramdiscussedapreviousprojectthatwasworkedonbysix
studentsandfourfacultymembers.Accordingtothehead,thisprojectinvolvedworkingwitha
3Dprinter.Unfortunately,hewasunabletorevealanymoredetailsduetoanondisclosure
agreement.Therewerethirteenpeopleinattendance,eightofwhichwerestudents.Therewere
onlythreefemalesatthemeeting,whiletherestweremales.Belowareinterviewswe
conductedbeforeandafterthemeeting.

Discussion
ThegoalofourresearchwastodiscoverhowprevalentICATsonlinepresencewas.Wealso
wantedtodiscoverwhatstudentsandfacultyarelookingforineducationalprograms.Wealso

12

aimedtodiscoverififthereisaninterestlevelandifstudentsandfacultywereevenaware
abouttheprogram.
Recommendations
First,ourresearchindicatesthatpeoplearenotgoingtoonespecificsourcetogettheir
information.Therearemanydifferentwaysoflearningaboutopportunitiesoncampusandit
appearsthatstudentsandfacultyareutilizingmultiplemediums.Forthisreason,wewould
recommendgoingbeyondjustavirtualcampaign.Itcouldbeverybeneficialtothinkofwaysto
expandbeyondacomputerscreentoreachouttostudentsandfaculty.

Thesecondobservationisthatmostarenotutilizingsocialmediaormediaatall.Basedonthe
survey,announcementsinclass,advisorsandwordofmouthareallinterpersonalwaysof
obtaininginformation.WesuggesttargetingopinionleaderssuchasadvisorsandSTEM
professorswithlargelectureclasses.ThiswouldhelpICATreachouttopotentialstudentsand
facultyandexplaininfulldetailwhatICATcanoffer.Theseopinionleadershavetheability
quicklyincreaseawareness.Itwouldalsoprovidestudentsandfacultywithafamiliarfaceto
answeranyquestionspertainingtoICAT.

Whilehavingmostlyonlinemediaishelpfulbecauseitisfasterandmorecostefficientwayof
gettingnewsout,havingsomepaperbasedmediawouldalsobeusefultoroundoutagood
multimediacampaign.Thelargerflyer(whichcanbefoundintheappendix)canbeprintedout,
incolor,andpostedinmainareasofallthehightraffic,academicbuildings(McBryde,
Torgerson,Goodwin,NCB,etc.),attachedtoemails,andpostedonsocialmediasites.Theflyer
isbrightandcolorfulsoitwillcatchpeoplesattentionandtheimagescurrentlytherearestock
photosthatcanbereplacedwithphotosofsomeoftheprojectsfacultyandstudentsare
workingon.Visualsareespeciallyappealingsopeoplecanseetheytypesofprojectstheycould
beworkingon.

Thesmallerflyercanbeprintedoutinblackandwhite,forcostefficiency,anddistributedto
individualstudentsandfaculty(inclass,byprofessorsintheiroffice)orputinthecardholders
onthedininghalltables.Thenumberoftablecardsandcostofprintingthemoutisdetailedin
thebudget.ThiswouldbeanotherwayofgettinginformationaboutICATtostudentsandfaculty.
Thepurposeofthespeechbubblesistotargetspecificcollegesbasedoninterest.Forexample,
howcanImakethismoreefficient?willplaytowardsengineerswhoareinterestedin
innovationandmakingproductsasefficientlyaspossible.

BecauseICATisaprofessionalinstitution,Linkedincouldbeofgreatuse.Linkedin,a
professionalnetworkingplatform,wouldallowtheprogramtoconnectedwithstudents,faculty
andpossibleclients.ManyupperclassstudentshaveaLinkedinaccounttomakeconnections
withpossibleemployersandwithotherstudents.BeingonLinkedinwouldestablishICATasa
programthatisbeneficialtostudentsfutureprofessionalcareer.Itwillprovethatitisnotaclub,
butratheraprogramthatwillproviderealworkexperience.

OnceICATrestructurestheirsocialmedia,webelieveitcouldbebeneficialtohireastudent
wageworkerwhowouldbeinchargeofrunningtheprogramssocialmediaplatforms.This
wouldensurethatallplatformsarecohesiveandconsistentlyupdated.

13

Whileitseemsinterpersonalmethodsarethemainwaysstudentsaregettingtheirinformation,
Facebookisstillastrongtoolthatcouldbeusedasasupplement.Havingastrongsocialmedia
presencewillbeusefulwhenpeoplehearaboutICAT,therewillbeonlineresourcestofindmore
information.LimitingthecampaignjusttoFacebookandtheICATwebsitewouldnotprovevery
effectivebecausestudentsandfacultyareunawaretogothereinthefirstplace.The
developmentofICATsonlinepresencewillstillbeveryimportantinmaintaininginterestonceit
hasbeenpeaked.

WhileobservingtheICATplaydate,wenoticedthemeetingscouldbemorestructuredinthe
approach.Thereseemedtobeoneortwostudentsdominatingthemeetingwhichmeansthe
meetingwasonlybeneficialtosome.Therewasclearlynostructurefordiscussionandthere
appearedtobealackofengagement.Werecommendrevampingthemeetingbyapplying
someconsistencyandengagementactivities.Forexample,smallgroupdiscussionscouldbe
beneficialandthenthosegroupscansharetheirmainpointstotherestofthegroup.Because
therewasnoagendaforthediscussion,itwasunclearwhatthestudentsandfacultywantedto
learnabout.Tofixthis,theprogramcouldimplementanRSVPsystem,suchasQualtrics,that
wouldallowstudentsandfacultytoputwhattopictheywouldliketodiscussinthecomment
box.Thiswouldhelpthemeetingfacilitatorplanandinitiateastructureddiscussion.Another
issuewenoticedwhileobservingwasthatthekeynotespeakerpresentedinthelastfew
minutes.Wethinkitwouldbebeneficialtostartthemeetingwiththekeynotespeakerthiscould
bealeewayforfurthergroupdiscussions.Thisalsoshowscourtesytothespeaker.Ourlast
issuewiththemeetingsistheofficialmeetingnameplaydate.Thisnamemakestheprogram
meetingsoundunprofessionalandunorganized.Thenamedoesnotconveyareputablegroup.
ICATworkswithrespectedclientsandshouldthereforepromotethemselveswithamore
professionalname.

AlthoughICATismostlygearedtowardsSTEMstudents,werecommendreachingouttoPublic
Relationsstudentsandprofessors.ThesePRstudentsandfacultycouldcontinuetoassistICAT
withmarketingandpromotion.Theycouldalsobeagoodresourceforresolvingconflictswith
clients.

Fromourresearch,wefoundthatitwouldbeusefultogetstudentsandfacultyinvolvedthrough
personalinvitations,continuingwithourfocusoninterpersonalmethods.Anotheroptioncould
besendingstudentsalreadyinvolvedwithICATtospeakatvariousclubmeetingssuchas
businessfraternities,foodscienceclub,PRSSA,andlecturestopersonallyinvitethosestudents
andfacultytogetinvolved.Settingupboothsoutsideofdininghallsandpassingoutinformation
flyerswouldalsobehelpfulonthedayofmeetings.Thiswouldbeatangiblewaytopromotethe
program.ICATprefersnottousepaperbecauseitisatechnologicallyadvancedinstitutionthat
valuesdigital.But,webelievepapermarketingisstillimportantandeffective.Basedonthe
searchengineoptimizationresearch,werecommendtherebemorepublishedinformation
distinguishingthedifferencebetweenICAT,SEAD,andothermajorengineeringprograms.
Whilelookingattheonlinesearchresults,itisnearlyimpossibleforstudentsandfacultyto

14

knowthatICATisitsowndistinguishedinstitution.WealsorecommendthatICATtrytogetan
articlepublishedintheC ollegiateTimeso ronanotherVirginiaTechplatform,announcingthat
theprogramisactivelyseekingstudentmembers.Itwouldalsobebeneficialtopublish
informationandstoriesaboutpastaccomplishments,projectsandclientsoftheprogram.While
lookingatotheruniversitiesstudentconsultingprograms,previousclientsandprojectswere
listedonline.Thishelpedmaketheprogramlooklegitimateanddesirabletostudentsand
faculty.Unfortunately,socialmediaplatformsforICATwerenottopresults.Thisismostlikely
duetolackofsufficientfollowersandactivityonthesepages.Asocialmediacampaignshould
beconductedtoincreaseactivityandfollowers,thusincreasingitsrankingonsearchengine
results.ThiscampaignshouldcreatearecognizableICATbrand.

ProblemStatement
Throughouttheresearchconducted,wehavegainedmuchknowledgeaboutthecurrentstate
ofawarenessofICATbothoncampusandonline.

Basedontheresearchresults,currentICATstudentsbecameinvolvedthroughotherstudents.
ThisconcludesthatspreadingawarenessaboutICATdirectlyoncampusisnecessary.Sending
currentstudentstoclassestopresentabouttheprogramwouldbeagreatwaytospreadthe
wordandattractstudentsandfaculty.Resultsfromboththesurveyandsearchengine
optimizationshowthatitisdifficulttodistinguishICATasitsownprogram.Student
presentationswouldalsohelptoaddressthismajorissue.TotacklethelackofpresenceICAT
hasonline,theprogrammustactivelyworkwithstudentmediaoutlets,suchasC ollegiate
Times,tohavepublishedworksoutliningtheprogramsgoalsandaccomplishments.The
programssocialmediaplatformsmustalsobeadjustedandmaintainedtocreateacohesive
onlinepresence.

Weunderstandthatthisisafairlynewprogramwithalimitedamountofstudentsandfaculty
currentlyinvolved.Aswithanydevelopingproject,recommendationswillcontinuetochange
andevolvebasedontrialanderror.Inadditiontotheimportanceofwordofmouth,wealso
understandthatstudentsandfacultyaredeeplyconnectedtotheinternetandtogain
awareness,ICATmustfocusoncultivatingitsonlinepresencetostandoutagainstthemany
othersuccessfulengineeringorganizations.

Byimplementingtheserecommendations,weexpecttoseeasteadyriseinmembers,campus
awareness,andaprominentonlinepresence.

15

PastandPresentPromotionsofICAT

VirginiaTechisaprestigiousinstitutehometomanyengineering,arts,researchand
scienceprogramsavailableto30,000activestudents.Uniquely,VirginiaTechhaspartnered
withtheinstituteofCreativity,ArtsandTechnologyorotherwiseknownasICAT.Ourgroupis
goingtoobserveindepththesocialmediauseandpromotionsthatICATiscurrentlyinvolved
in.WewillexaminehowICATisutilizingthesocialmediaplatformsofTwitter,Facebookand
theirmainwebsite.Wewanttoknowwhatsonthem,howaretheypromotingthesedifferent
socialmediaaccountsandwebsite.Lastly,willfindouthowmanyfollowersarecurrently
interestedinICATdevelopments.

WhenlookinguptheICATwebsite,youwillseeitislocatedintheMossArtsCenteronVirginia
Techcampus.Thewebsitealsoletspeopleknowofupcomingperformances,exhibitions,
openinggalleries,experiences,theimpactICAThashadonprojects,featurednews,directions,
potentialdining,tickets,prices,generalhistoryandinformationregardingICAT.Theirwebsiteis
wellputtogetherandhasanabundanceofinformationregardingtheirresearch,artand
educationalinnovation.IfICATdidnothaveanysocialmediaplatforms,theirwebsitewould
sufficeasastrongsourceofinformationforindividualsthatmightbeinterestedintheirpast,
presentandfutureprojectsandaccolades.

RegardingICATandtheirFacebookprofile,itisanexcellentideatohaveaFacebook,almost
everystudenthasaFacebook.However,noteverybodyhasanInstagramoraTwitter,etc.So
ICATandtheircreationofaFacebookisagoodideatoreachoutandgainrecognitionand
prompttheirprojectsandresearch.Theirmainpagecouldusemoredesignbutitisrathereasy
tonavigateandaccessanyinformationyoumightbelookingfor.Thepagehasanabundance
ofphotosandislikedbyadecentnumberofstudentsandfaculty.Thereare3,339peoplethat
currentlyknowwhatICATisandkeeptrackoftheirpostsandupdatesviaFacebook.Theypost
onFacebookabouteverytwotothreedays.Theycouldbenefitfromincreasedactivityandpost
somemoreeventsandinformationratherthanjustoneortwopostseverycoupleofdays.

Twitteralsoisnotbeingutilizedtoitsfullpotential.ICATstartedtheirTwitteraccountinOctober
2011andhaveonly477tweets,whichisjustunder80tweetsperyear.Thelayoutofthe
accountiscreativeandcontainsagoodbiography.Theycurrentlyhave994followerstoputthis
numberinperspective,aVirginiaTechfootballplayermostlikelyhastwiceortriplethatamount.
ICATalsohasonly184likesontheirpage,whichisarelativelylownumber.AlthoughTwitter
maynotbethebestormosteffectivesocialmediaplatform,itcanstillbeusefulifusedproperly
andupdatedeachday.

Incomparison,ICATpromotestheirwebsiteandFacebookpagemorethantheirTwitter
account.PopularitywillcertainlygrowifICATcansuccessfullypromoteallthreeplatformsand
possiblyuseanInstagramorLinkedinaccountaswell.Althoughmanystudentsandfacultyare
unawareofICAT,thiswillunquestionablychangeifmoretimeisusedtoreachouttostudents
andfacultyviasocialmediaplatformsandwebsite.

16

CampaignPlan

GoalStatement:
OurgoalismakeICATCatalystservetheneedsoftheVirginiaTechcommunity.

Objectives:
Ourgrouphascomeupwithmultipleobjectivestoreachthegoalstatedabove:

1. Gainatleastanother200socialmediafollowersandFacebooklikesbyMay2018
ThisobjectivewillbeevaluatedbycomparingthecurrentnumberofFacebooklikesversusthe
likesobtainedbyMay2018.
Ourgrouphascomeupwithmultiplestrategiestoimplementtheobjectivesstatedabove.
a. BuildonthecurrentsocialmediapromotionsdonebyICAT,andinteractivityofsocial
media.
Socialmediaplaysahugeroleinmarketing.Bybuildingonthecurrentsocial
mediaplatforms,whicharecurrentlynotverysuccessful,ICATwillbeableto
reachandappealtoawideraudience.Socialmediaisreplacingoldmethodsof
recruitingsuchascreatingflyersandwordofmouth.Moststudentsareactiveon
oneormoresocialmediaplatformsandrelyontheseplatformsfornews.
Tactic:RevampandmaintainICATsocialmediaplatform(Twitter,Facebook,
Linkedin)

2. EducatestudentsontheICATcatalystprogrambyMay2018
WehavecreatedmultiplestrategiestoeducatestudentsontheICATcatalystprogram.We
havecreatedflyerspromotingtheorganization.Theseflyerswillbedistributedthroughout
campusinvariouseducationalbuildings.ThisisacommonpracticeamongVirginiaTech
organizationsandasimplesolution.However,itwillbedifficulttotomeasureiftheseflyerswere
effectiveandwerethesolecauseofeducation.AnothersolutionwehaveistogetICAT
studentstospeakinfrontoflargelectureclasses.Wehavecreatedapowerpointandscriptfor
thesepresentations.Toseeifthesepresentationsareeffective,theICATpresenterwillpassa
sheetofpaperaroundtheclassroomtogetemailsofthoseinterested.
a. BuildexistingspecialeventsofferedbyICAT.
Currently,theonlyspecialeventhelpbyICATarethebiweeklymeetings,orplay
dates.Basedonourobservations,thesemeetingsdonotattractmanystudents
orfaculty.Oneofourmaingoalsistoincreasestudentinvolvement,which
includesincreasingmeetingattendance.Inadditiontosocialmedia,creating
andparticipatinginspecialeventsareaneasyandproactivewayforICAT
studentsandfacultytospeakwithandeducateSTEMstudentsandfaculty.
Creatingthisinterpersonalenvironmentwillallowstudentsandfacultytosee
firsthandwhotheycouldbeworkingwith.Thiswouldalsoallowstudentsand
facultytolearnmoreabouttheprojectsandclientsICATassists.VirginiaTech
holdsavarietyofeventstopromoteclubsandorganizations.Forexample,most
freshmanattendGobblerfestinthefall.Thisevent,whichtakesplaceFriday

17

September8,2017ontheDrillfieldfrom4:007:00p.m.,providestablesandthe
opportunitytotalkwithstudentsandfaculty.Registrationisfreeandopensupon
GobblerConnectstartingApril17,2017.GettinginvolvedinthiswouldallowICAT
toreachawideaudiencefromavarietyofmajors.OthereventssuchasCareer
Fairs,couldpotentiallybeusefultogetinvolvedin.AlthoughICATisnotan
internshiporacareer,itisanorganizationthatprovidesreallifeexperience
workingwithreputableclients.ICATcaneasilybecomparedtoanonpaid
internshiporashadowingopportunitybothofwhichareallowedtoparticipatein
careerfairs.Therearemultiplecareerfairssuchas:TheEngineeringExpoand
BusinessHorizons.In20162017,VirginiaTechheld20differentcareerfairs.
ThiswouldbeanothergreatwaytopromoteICAT.
Tactic:A dvertiseinmultiplestudentbuildings:GoodwinHall,Mcbryde,Surge,
Randolph,Patton,NewClassroomBuildingbycreatingflyers.

3. EducatefacultyontheICATcatalystprogrambyMay2018
WebelievethateducatingfacultywillleadtofacultyrelayingICATinformationtostudentswho
couldpotentiallybecomeinvolvedwithICATalongwithfacultymembers.Educatingfacultycan
beevaluatedbykeepingtrackofhowmanyprofessorswerereachedouttobyICATstudents.
Wecanalsoincludetheprofessorswhoarepresentduringclassroompresentations.Although
eachprofessormaynotgetinvolvedwithICAT,itisstillimportanttospreadthisinformation.
a. CreateflyerspromotingICATsocialmediaplatform(Twitter&Facebook)andhangthem
upinmultiplebuildings:GoodwinHall,Mcbryde,Surge,Randolph,Patton,New
ClassroomBuilding.
Althoughflyersaresslowlybecomingoutdated,theyareavitalpartofguerilla
marketingtacticsandhavebeensuccessfulinthepast.Themajorityof
academicbuildingsatVirginiaTechhavemultiplebulletinboardswithavarietyof
flyerspromotingavarietyofprograms.Eventhebathroomstallsinacademic
buildingsarefilledwithflyerstapedtothedoors.Creatingavisuallyappealing
flyerpromotingICATssocialmediaplatformswillincreasefollowersonICATs
socialmediaplatforms.OncepotentialnewmembersarebrowsingICATssocial
mediaplatforms,theywillbeexposedtotheprogramsprojectsandhaveabetter
chanceofjoining.Currently,theICATstwitteraccountattracts1,004followers,
thefacebookaccounthas3,337likes,andthereisnoinstagramaccounttodate.
Theseflyerswillnotonlyimprovethesenumbers,butwillenhanceICATs
prevalenceonsocialmediaaswellasontheVirginiaTechcampus.
Tactic:A dvertiseinmultiplestudentbuildings:GoodwinHall,Mcbryde,Surge,
Randolph,Patton,NewClassroomBuildingbycreatingflyers.

4. Increasestudentinvolvementby30percentbyMay2018
WeareattemptingtoincreasestudentinvolvementwithinICATthroughourvarioussocialmedia
andmarketingefforts.Wealsohopethatflyers,classroompresentationsandeducatingfaculty
willcontributetoanincreaseininvolvement.Thisobjectivewillbeeasytoevaluatebysimply
comparingthenumberofstudentsinvolvedcurrentlytothenumberofstudentsinvolvedbyMay
2018.

18

a. UtilizetheconnectionsbetweenVirginiaTechandICATconnectionstoincreasefaculty
interest.
ICATnotonlyneedstoincreaseitsstudentparticipation,butitalsoneedsto
increasefacultyinvolvement.Becausefacultymembershavemultiple
obligations:teaching,conductingresearchandbeinginvolvedoncommittees,we
understanditmaybedifficulttogetfacultyinvolved.Becauseofthis,ICATneeds
tocreateandmaintainconnectionsbetweenVirginiaTechandICAT.Thiscould
includehavingICATfacultypromotetheprogramatcommitteemeetings.
Tactic:InviteICATstudentstocomespeakatthebeginningoflargeSTEM
lectureclasses.Developasamplescriptandsamplepowerpointstudentscould
referencewhenpreparingtospeak.
Samplescript:Hieveryone,IamheretospeaktoyouaboutaprogramI
aminvolvedin,ICAT.ICATisamadeupofmostlyengineeringstudents
butwewouldlovetogainmembersofanyandallmajors.Weworkon
realworldprojectswithdifferentbusinessesaswellasprofessorshereat
VirginiaTech.Itisagreatwaytogainexperienceandmakeconnections
withthedifferentprofessorshere.ThemeetingareeveryotherMonday
from5to6pmintheMossArtsCenter.Pleasecomecheckouttheclub
andfeelfreetobringafriendwithyou!Thankyouforyourtime,andifyou
haveanyquestionsthereareflyersatthefrontoftheroomforyoutotake
withyou.
ThesamplePowerPointshouldhavephotosofstudentsandfaculty
workingonprojectsandgivebrieftalkingpointsaboutthemeetings,
projectsandbenefitsoftheprogram.

5. Increaseprofessorinvolvementby30percentbyMay2018
Wehopethateducatingprofessorsthroughourvarioustacticswillleadtoanincreaseinfaculty
involvement.Similartotheobjectivestateabove,thiswillalsobeeasytoevaluate.Keeping
trackofthenumberofprofessorscurrentlyinvolvedcomparedtothenumberinvolvedbyMay
2018,willtellhowmuchofanincreaseininvolvementwasachieved.
a. Reachouttoopinionleadersandprofessors
AnotherwaytopromoteICATandgainnewmembersistoappealtoopinion
leaders.Thiscouldmeanawellknownprofessororonewhoteacheslarge
introductoryclasses.Gettingopinionleadersinterestedintheprogramwillin
returngetmorestudentsandfacultyinvolved.Wealsothoughtthatforming
relationshipswithprofessorswhoteachlargelectureclasseswillprovidean
opportunityforclubmemberstogiveapresentationatthebeginningofclass,
usingascriptandpowerpoint.Thiswouldgivemanystudentsandfacultyabrief
overviewoftheprogram,promoteitssocialmediaandprovideinformationabout
whenandwheremeetingsareheld.Presentationssuchasthishappenoftenin
largelectureclassesandprovetobequickandeffective.
Tactic:U setheinterviewquestionslocatedintheAppendixandattendanICAT
playdate.Thishelpsusgainknowledgeonwhoisinvolved,howtheygot
involved,programincentivesandcurrentprojects.

19

Tactic:Formingrelationshipswithopinionleadersandprofessorsandinviting
themtoanICATmeeting.

20





Implementation

Budget

Everycampaignisassociatedwithcosts.Wehavestructuredourcampaigntobecosteffective.
Ourresearchwascostfreeduetotheuseofstudentsurveys,studentinterviews,observations
andutilizingtheinternet.Thebudgetwillalsorequireuniversity/staffsupporttoenhancethe
project.Professorscombinedwithemployeesoftheuniversityareessentialforthecampaigns
success.

Belowisalayoutofallcostsassociatedwithourcampaign,whichincludeallmarketingefforts.


Tactic Detail CostDetails Cost

FacebookAccount ICATshouldpostto Facebookisafree $0.00

Facebookonceaweek promotionaltool
(ormoreifthereare
specialeventsgoingon)
abouttheweek's
upcomingscheduleand
projectstheyare
workingon

LinkedinAccount ICATshouldkeepthis ThebasicLinkedinaccount $0.00

pageuptodaterequired isfree
afewtimesayear.This
pagecanbeusedto
connectwithstudents
andfacultywhomaybe
interested

TwitterAccount ICATshouldtweetona Twitterisafreepromotional $0.00

dailybasisregarding tool
upcomingeventsand
opportunities,aswellas
descriptionsexplaining
whatICATisallabout

Powerpoint ICATshouldask Powerpointisafreetool, $0.00

studentswhoare andalsofreetopresentin
currentlyinvolvedto classrooms
presentthispowerpoint
toclassesatthe
beginningoftheyear

21





whenstudentsand
facultyarelookingto
joinnewclubs.

LargeFlyer(color) Printlargeposter $0.52/page50pages $26.00

SmallFlyer(nocolor) Printsmallposter.There $0.12/page253pages(x4

are1010tablestotalin =1012smallflyers) $30.36
allthedininghalls.One
pagecanfitfoursmall
flyerssoweneed253
pagesandthentocut
thosein4.

UniversityStaff/Level Theplanwillrequire Supportfrom $0.00

Support someassistancefrom professors/staffwouldnot
professorsandstaff requireanycostor
memberstocoordinate payment.
eventsandpromotethe
campaign.

GrandTotal $56.36
























22



PowerpointPresentation
Wehaveprovidedasamplepowerpointthatcouldpotentiallybeusedtopresentbefore
classroomaudiencestocreatemorestudentinvolvement.Thesepresentationsshould
bemadebycurrentstudentsinvolvedinICATandshouldbeheldbeforeavarietyof
classestoensuremanymajorshavetheopportunitytojoin.

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

TwitterExamples

30

31

32

33

FacebookSamples

34

LinkedinProfileExample

35

MockICATEmail

EmailInformationTechnologyengineers:
RyanSpoon:spoonr@vt.edu
JeffLewis:jlewis86@vt.edu

36

LargeFlyerSample

Thisisthelargerflyerthatcanbepostedinbusyareasofcampus(library,classroombuildings,
etc.).Itwillgrabstudentsattentionandisquickandeasytoreadastheypassby.Realphotos
ofstudentsworkingonprojectscanbesubstitutedaswellasanyofthenamesorinformation.

37

SmallFlyerSample

Thisisthesmallertablecardthatcouldbeusedforthedininghalls.Itisinblackandwhiteto
savemoneybecausemoreofthesewillbeneeded.Thequestionsalltryandgrabtheattention
ofdifferentcollegeswithinVirginiaTech.Forexample,Whichpublicwillbemostimpactedby
thisproject?islookingtogetcommunicationsandadvertisingstudentsattention.Thiswillhelp
recruitstudentsfromacrosstheuniversity.

38

SampleMeetingSchedule
Priortomeeting:Tohelpstudentsandfacultybecomemoreinvolvedandexcitedabout
meetingscreateapremeetingsurveytosendouteachweek.SendoutRSVP,usingQualtrics
SurveySoftware,toseewhatstudentsandfacultyarecoming.Usecommentboxtoseewhat
studentsandfacultywouldliketodiscussatmeetingthenplanaroundresponses.

Meeting
1. Signinsheet
Havingasigninsheetwillhelptheorganizationkeeptrackoftheregular
membersattendingeachweek.Tocreateamorewelcomingenvironmenthavea
personsittingatadeskwiththesigninsheettogettoknownewpeoplecoming
inandintroducingthemselvessothenewstudentsknowafriendlyface.
2. Keynotespeaker
Decideonaspeakerpriortothemeetingfromtheresultsofthesurveysentout
priortoeachmeetingaboutwhattopicsstudentsandfacultywouldliketo
discuss.Lettingthatindividualknowbeforehandsotheywillhavetimeto
prepareandgivehelpfulinformationouttotherestoftheorganization.
3. Quickinteractivegame/challenge
Decideonachallengethatisrelatedtothetopicsbeingdiscussedinthecurrent
meetinganddivideeveryoneintogroups.
4. Announcediscussiontopicsfortheweek
Writeallthedifferenttopicsontheboardthatcamefromresultsofthesurvey
andtellthegrouptheycanpickanytodiscussinsmallgroups.
5. Getinsmallgroupstodiscusstopics
Splitintosmallgroupsof2to3peopletodiscussthetopics.Thesegroupscould
bethesameastheonescreatedfortheinteractivegames.
6. Quickpresentationsaboutwhatsmallgroupsdiscussed
Askifanyonewantstosharewhattheydiscussedinsmallgroups,andhavea
biggerdiscussiontogether.
7. Wrapupwithprojectupdates/upcomingprojects/opportunities,etc.
Keepthegroupupdatedoncurrentprojects.Andaskforvolunteersifthereare
anynewupcomingprojectsfacultyorstudentscouldgetinvolvedin.
8. EndMeeting
Saygoodbyetoeveryoneandremindthemtotakethepremeetingsurvey
beforenextmeeting.

39

Timeline
Belowisourtimelineforsocialmediapostingsandotherevents.Wecreatedthis
timelinecalendarthatmatchestheVirginiaTechAcademicCalendarforFall2017Spring2018.
Liketheacademiccalendar,oursbeginsinAugust2017.Webelievestudentsandfacultywill
notbeengagedduringthesummer,thereforethecalendarreflectsanacademicschoolyear
(excludingJuneandJuly).WebelievethatinorderforICATtoreachaudiencemembersthey
shouldpostweeklytovarioussocialmediaaccountsaswellasonholidaysandforspecial
events.
ThefirstweekofschoolinAugustwillbecriticaltogainaudienceawarenessofICAT.
Thereforethereshouldbedailypostsencouragingpeopletoattendtheinterestmeeting.
WebelievethepresenceonFacebookandTwitterareveryimportantforgainingawarenessof
ICAT,howevertheyshouldbeuseddifferently.Twittershouldbeusedforsmall,shortupdates
onmeetingtimesandeventscomingup.Facebookshouldincludetestimonialsofpeoplewho
arealreadyinvolvedinICATaswellaspicturesofcurrentprojects.

40

August2017
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Reserve Postlarge
smallflyer flyersin
spoton classroom
GobblerCon buildings
nect

27 28 29 30 31
Class Post Posta Encourage
Begin informatio testimonialto membersto
nabout Facebook cometo
NoMeeting thefirst froma interest
Firstweek meetingto member meeting
ofclasses both aboutwhyto nextweek
Facebook joinICAT on
Putsmall and Facebook
flyersin Twitter
cardholders
around
dininghalls

41

September2017
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Visit Visit Visit Visit 1 2

classrooms classroom classroomsto classrooms Continueto
topresent sto present topresent make
Powerpoint present Powerpointto Powerpoint Facebook
tostudents Powerpoin studentsand tostudents post
andfaculty tto faculty andfaculty reachingout
students togain
and interestin
faculty ICAT

3 4 5 6 7 8 9
LaborDay Make Gobblerfest
Facebook Facebook 48pm
First status statusabout
meeting! thanking comingout
Make peoplewho to
Facebook cameto Gobblerfest
statusabout meeting,
timeand encouraging
placeof membership
event

10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Weekly
Facebook
status

17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Weekly
Tweetout Facebook
information status
aboutthe
meeting

24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Weekly
Facebook
status

42

October2017
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesda Thursday Friday Saturday
y

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Tweetabout Weekly
progress Facebook
ICAThas status
madesofar
andcurrent
status

8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Weekly FallBreak
Facebook Make
status Facebook
status
wishingsafe
andfun
breakand
seeing
Hokiesback
atthe
meeting
Monday

15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Tweetabout Weekly
progress Facebook
ICAThas status
madesofar
andcurrent
status

22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Weekly
Facebook
status

Tweetabout 31
progress Halloween
ICAThas
madesofar
andcurrent
status
Halloween
promotiona
lFacebook
post

43

November2017
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Weekly
Facebook
Status

12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Weekly Posta Thanksgivin
Facebook statusabout gBreak
Status wishing Begins
everyonea
happyand
safebreak

19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Weekly
Facebook
Status

26 27 28 29 30
Thanksgivin Welcome Weekly
gBreak Students Facebook
Ends andFaculty Status
backfrom
breakin
Facebook
Post

44

December2017
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Weekly
Facebook
status

10 11 12 13 14 15 16
ClassesEnd Reading Exams
Weekly Day Begin
Facebook
status

17 18 19 20 21 22 23
ExamsEnd
Weekly
Facebook
statuswish
everyonea
safebreak

24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Weekly
Facebook
status

31

45

January2018
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6
W I N T E R
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
B R E A K

14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Classes Weekly
Begin Facebook
status

21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Weekly
Facebook
status

28 29 30 31
Weekly
Facebook
status

46

February2018
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Weekly
Facebook
status

11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Weekly
Facebook
status

18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Weekly
Facebook
status

25 26 27 28
Weekly
Facebook
status

47

March2018
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3
Facebook Spring
status Break
relatedtoa Begins
funandsafe
springbreak

4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Weekly
Facebook
status

11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Spring Facebook Weekly
BreakEnds status Facebook
welcoming status
students
andfaculty
back

18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Weekly
Facebook
status

25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Weekly
Facebook
status

48

April2018
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Weekly
Facebook
status

8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Weekly
Facebook
status

15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Weekly
Facebook
status

22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Weekly
Facebook
status

29 30

49

May2017
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturda
y

1 2 3 4 5
ClassEnd Reading ExamsBegin
Facebook Day
Postwishing
HokiesGood
Luckon
exams

6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Facebook Facebook ExamsEnd Facebook Graduation Graduati
Postwith Postwith Facebook Postwith Facebook on
testimonial testimonial Postwith testimonial Post
ofICAT ofICAT testimonialof ofICAT congratulating
member member ICATmember member graduating
graduating graduating graduating graduating seniors

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

50

Evaluation

ThisplanwillexpandICATpresenceatVirginiaTechthroughtheutilizationofsocialmedia.In
todaysworld,socialmediaisoneofthebestwaystogetthewordoutaboutacompany,
product,event,etc.BygainingfollowersonplatformssuchasTwitterandFacebook,wewill
haveoutletswhereweconsistentlyreleaseinformationaboutICATanditsprogress.Notonly
canweprovideinformationtoourfollowers,butwealsocanconnectandcommunicatewith
them.Asaresult,studentswillhavetheopportunitytoconnectwitheachotherandcontributeto
theprevalenceofICAT.Gaininghundredsoffollowerswillallowustocommunicatethegoals,
actions,andresultsproducedbyICAT.Thisiswhytheflyerswewillbeplacingthroughout
campuswillbeessentialtoourcampaignssuccess.Thiswillbuildupontheexisting
relationshipsICAThascreatedbetweenstudentsandfaculty.Onceasolidfoundationof
followershasbeenbuiltonsocialmedia,wecancontinuouslyupdateandadjustourplatforms
tokeepeveryoneinvolved.Classroompresentationswillalsobeawaytoconnectwithavariety
ofprofessorsandlargegroupsofstudents.Thiswillbeasuccessfulrecruitingstrategy.Itis
importanttonotethatallofthestrategiesandtacticslistedabovecanbeinterchangeableand
usedtopromoteandexpandotherICATprogramsinadditiontoCatalyst.Allsocialmedia,
presentationandemailsamplescanbeeasilyadaptedtofitmultipleprograms.Overall,ourplan
shouldeffectivelyincreasebothstudentandfacultyinvolvementforICATCatalystbyMay2018.

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I.References
https://www.icat.vt.edu

II.Appendix
ICATClubMeetingQuestionsforStudents:

1. WhatisyourrolewithinICAT?
2. HowdidyouhearaboutICAT?
3. Whatprojectshaveyouparticipatedin?
4. Whatisthebestwaytogetprofessorsandpeopleinvolved?
5. HowdidyouhearaboutICAT?
6. WhatarethebiggestincentivestojoiningICAT?
7. Areyouinvolvedinanyotherclubs?

MediaConsumptionsSurveyQuestions:
1. Whatisyourmajor?
2. WhatyearareyouatVirginiaTech?
a. Freshman,Sophomore,Junior,Senioror5thyear,other(pleasespecify)
3. Howdoyoufindoutabouteducationalopportunitiesaroundcampus(chooseyourtop3
methods)?
a. Facebook,Twitter,BlogPosts,AnnouncementsinClass,Advisors,
Gobblerconnect,Tablecardsinthedininghalls,other(pleasespecify)
4. Throughanymediaplatformmentionedabove,wouldyoubeinterestedinlearningabout
moreprogramsthatgivestudentstheopportunitytoapplyskillsgainedintheclassroom
torealworldproblems?

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