We are often in awe of our own inspired ideas, so much so that it
becomes second nature to ignore them, and they get lost in the shuffle
of our exceptional brain activity. Many brilliant notions that strike us
just slip through the cracks before we have a chance to process them,
especially because as students we are exposed to new information and are
having new experiences and readjusting our own goals and philosophies
on a daily basis.
The richness of our academic setting often being the source of such
inspiration, our half-baked theories about pursuing excellence are
typically ones that, if developed, would be embraced and taken on by
several other members of the university community. However, the task of
advertising and recruiting support for our schemes is daunting, and
well-meaning, though we may be, we more often than not deign to even try
to get them off the ground.
Thanks to Pathway 3 of UMaine President Paul Ferguson’s Blue Sky
Project, the resources previously at students’ disposal for such
endeavors have become infinitely more accessible, with the promise of
continually improving ease of usability and navigation for UMaine
community members who want to garner support for their causes and
organizations.
At the Communicators Summit held Wednesday and attended by members of
the university’s many departments, a proposal for how to enhance
communication across the university was introduced. This integration of
departments may not seem like it would have tangible benefits to
students — indeed, it sounds fairly theoretical and it would be hard to
describe without sounding like mere lip service to warm, fuzzy ideals
like unity and community — but there are in fact some significant
changes being implemented that are worthy of mention and, dare we say,
praise.
Individual students and specifically student organizations, already
established or still undergoing processes of formation, can — if they
choose to utilize it — benefit directly from this reorganization no
matter what phase of planning they have reached so far. Anyone
affiliated with the University of Maine can reach out to the division of
marketing and communications —the former Department of University
Relations — for help with website design, advertising, literature and
student outreach. Students can easily access the UMaine photo database
for their promotional materials and are privy to individualized guidance
from the marketing and communications division’s marketing team. This
is going to be an invaluable resource for students who want to get their
organizations off the ground and for those who simply want to more
effectively publicize their group and reach higher levels of success.
To any student who has ever wanted to take an idea out into the
public sphere and test its rally potential, or for anyone who wants a
more constructive way to advance a preexisting organization, this is
something to be celebrated. The first edition of the comprehensive
UMaine directory and a unification of the university logo are just a
couple of ways this concept will be implemented on a policy level. How
it is taken up by the community will be a test of its capacity to
strengthen our sense of identity.
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