Central Michigan Life

Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: News

Renée Walker is one of four candidates for CMU's Associate Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing. She previously worked for Kelly Services in Detroit, and also worked for former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer. [Click to enlarge]

Renée Walker believes Central Michigan University has a story that needs to be told.

She also believes public relations and marketing should involve an entire organization.

"Public relations is a participatory sport - you can't just show up at the stadium and clap - you have to be on the ground making things happen," she said.

The CMU alumna is one of four finalist candidates for the position of associate vice president of marketing and public relations. She spoke at an open forum Thursday afternoon in the Bovee University Center.

Walker said she would work to establish CMU's brand identity.

"We have a couple of issues with brand," she said. "It's not that the brand is bad, but people can't articulate our brand promise."

She currently is the manager of corporate public relations at Kelly Services, a staffing services firm headquartered in Troy.

Walker has a master's degree in marketing from Davenport University, a bachelor's degree in organizational administration from CMU and is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America.

One thing Walker would like to improve at CMU is the Web site.

"The navigation needs to be revisited; the content is too dense and it's not interactive enough," she said.

Walker said an interactive Web site is important in targeting members of the millennial generation.

"They like text messages and podcasts - they want things fast," she said.

She also suggested talking to freshmen students about the best parts of their experiences and using that information to attract future students.

Admissions Director Betty Wagner said she was pleased with Walker's knowledge of admissions and student recruitment.

"I was quite impressed with her knowledge of the millennial generation and what they want," Wagner said. "She did a lot of research on CMU and that was obvious in her presentation."

Walker has also worked as an assistant and executive assistant to former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer.

"I'm really motivated to be in higher education because as the economy moves from manufacturing to service and knowledge, higher education becomes increasingly important," Walker said.

Mary Henley, Gear Up director and search committee member, said the university is looking for a candidate who is well-rounded.

"We're looking for the educational background, someone with experience in both corporate and university settings," she said. "We want someone who can step in and hit the ground running."

The next candidate, Michelle Searer, will speak at an open forum 4 p.m. Friday in the Lake Huron Room in the Bovee University Center.


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