Nevada State College

Client:

Established in 2002 and located in Henderson, Nevada, Nevada State College (NSC) is the only four-year, comprehensive public institution in the state.

Challenge:

While many factors set the college apart from its local competition, NSC lacked overall public awareness for its mission, degree programs, and diverse student population of nearly 5,000. NSC needed to bring attention to its key differentiators in order to educate the public on the college, keep enrollment numbers up year-over-year (YOY) and receive vital state funding to support its expansion efforts. With no internal communications team in place, NSC retained MassMedia to fill that gap and handle all external communications efforts.

Strategy & Approach:

MassMedia developed a comprehensive and proactive public relations strategy that centered on the college’s commitment to economic development efforts in Nevada. Public relations outreach efforts focused on the college graduating a highly skilled work force that could meet the demand for much needed careers in Nevada, including teachers and nurses. Proactive pitches centered around student diversity and success stories, faculty expertise and profiles, NSC’s growth initiatives and community partnerships. Outreach was conducted consistently to a wide variety of local and statewide media, including multicultural publications to ensure all audiences would be exposed to the college’s initiatives on a regular basis.

Results:

o Significantly increased positive press coverage with more than 350 positive press clips in a three-year period; the College was included in all major education editorial features statewide.

o Secured news coverage from proactive outreach reflected 100% positive tone and included 100% coverage of key messages.

o Public relations efforts supported and contributed to NSC successfully securing more than $60 million in state funding for the construction of a new education building to meet the area’s growing workforce demands.