Annual Report 2005-2006 - Osgoode Hall Law School - York ...

Communications
The Communications Office at Osgoode Hall Law School is responsible for all marketing and
communications initiatives of the Law School including print and electronic publications, media relations,
Web design and content development, and advertising. Working with the Dean and specific Osgoode
departments as well as York University Marketing & Communications, the Communications Office seeks
to promote the Law School to its internal and external publics so that the School’s mission, work and
objectives are understood, and its reputation is enhanced with target audiences. In a nutshell, the
Communications Office aims to inform, persuade and motivate audiences.
The Communications Office, which consists of the Communications Manager who reports directly to the
Dean, also ensures that the positioning strategy for the marketing of the Law School is incorporated into
all print and electronic publications. Osgoode’s positioning strategy consists of (1) our positioning
platform, “Through Law to Justice,” which encapsulates our mission and is meant to convey to our target
audiences that Osgoode is a professional law school committed to serving Canadian society and the world
in ways that further social justice; (2) our image — those qualities that constitute and distinguish Osgoode;
and (3) our graphic identity — the visual representation of those qualities that constitute Osgoode.
The Communications Office also ensures that communications objectives are aligned with the
organizational initiatives articulated in Osgoode’s strategic plan (The Plan for the Law School 2006-2010:
Making a Difference).
Key Accomplishments of 2005-06
• Created a document called “Communications Policies & Procedures” that provides Osgoode faculty and
staff with a set of policies and procedures for applying the Osgoode and York identities; producing
institutional publications; using the electronic bulletin board; dealing with the media; maintaining the
Osgoode Web site; and creating advertisements.
• Updated the Law School’s Communications Plan for 2006-07.
• Worked with the Assistant Dean (Student Services), York Marketing & Communications, doug agency,
and Osgoode ITS to revamp the design and content of the LLB Program Web site.
• Oversaw the editing and/or proofreading, design and printing of six publications that had not previously
been the responsibility of the Communications Office, namely the 2004-05 Annual Report, the PBA, the
Wallenberg Program, the Wallenberg Conference Proceedings, the “Full” Strategic Plan and the
“Highlights” of the Strategic Plan, while continuing to assist the LLB Program, the Graduate Program
and the Advancement Office with their print and electronic publications. (See Table 1.)
• Joined the Office of the Dean in August 2005 and worked closely with the Dean to enhance internal
communications to the Osgoode and York communities by (1) drafting messages from the Dean that
celebrate the achievements of our faculty, students and alumni; (2) helping to promote School events
such as Dean for a Day; and (3) ensuring that our success stories were shared with the greater
University community through YFile.
• Proactively managed the busiest period in the six-year history of the Law School’s media relations
program. (See Table 2.) The top three stories that generated the most media attention for the Law
School were “Clicking with students” by Tess Kalinowski of the Toronto Star (A3, Wed. Sept. 28, 2005);
coverage of the Law School’s one-day national summit on implications of the Chaoulli ruling for the
future of health care in Canada; and the Supreme Court nominee hearing. Dean Monahan was kept
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