Payne unites USU to promote image
President Kermit L. Hall recently appointed Renee Payne as director of university marketing in hopes of elevating USU’s appearance and aid in enrollment, graduation and retention.
“This is the first time USU has had a university-wide marketing director. The basis for creation was that President Hall recognized a need to integrate and deliver a marketing plan for the university,” Payne said.
“Several people think the brand of the university has been diluted. There is a need to pull marketing groups and image makers together to form a federated approach. I was hired to create this group or federation and to learn what the present image [of USU] is to students, faculty, business leaders, the state and even facilities outside the state,” she said.
Dan Peterson, vice president for University Extension, Extension Marketing and Public Relations, said, “Renee brings with her an incredible drive to be productive. She brings experience with the business world that can directly help the academia here … She is energetic and motivated. Grass does not grow under her feet.”
Payne said “I have been ferreting out the marketing units. There are lots of them and I am trying to find out their needs and create this federation of representatives from the various units coming together. Because of decentralized marketing in the past, this is no mean feat. I like to say that we have a lot of house bands but we need a cohesive orchestra.
“As in any organization, it comes down to creating a venue for communication,” she said.
Peterson said, “Her position should bring continuity and consistency to university branding efforts as well as more awareness of students’ needs … It’s a tough position. [For example] there are many different logos such as the Big A, U State and the Aggie Bull. Everyone is passionate about one. She will have to decide on a final one for us.”
“I want everyone to be part of the marketing team,” Payne said. “Word of mouth is often most effective. It comes from the grassroots. I am meeting with student government, ambassadors and PLC [President’s Leadership Council]. They are giving lots of feedback and suggestions. I have learned that prospective students want to hear from their peers and I would like to see an increase in that.
“I have discovered tremendous accomplishments and success stories that are part of daily history in the making as well as past history,” Payne said. “I am really looking to push my winners. I am looking for great success in faculty, students and alumni. Where are the great inventions and innovations? Who has the cool jobs? I am looking for stories.”
Payne said she has already discovered a remote controlled plow or tractor was developed here. Research that spun off to be Arctic Cat was also conducted at USU.
She recently learned of an alumnus who is the human resource manager for a winery in California.
“I invite anybody and everybody to tell me their stories,” Payne said. “As a prospective student, I think those are things people want to know.”
“My favorite part of my job is working on a campus,” Payne said. “I’ve never worked on a campus before. Working with students keeps you young.”
Payne said in her spare time she likes to make figurative sculptures, canoe, ride horses and bicycle.
She said for a time she worked as an architect. She found that she enjoyed the marketing aspect and made a career change.
“Right now, I am focusing on the big seven goals that President Hall has set forward,” she said. “My feet are in the fire and I would like to see rates go up based on redoing our image and focusing on those goals.”
Payne can be contacted at renee.payne@marketing.usu.edu. She is still looking for marketing and image making goups and would like to hear any success stories involving the university.