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We are thrilled to announce a few milestones in unveiling both the Foster School brand promise and identity system:

  • Foster business cards, letterhead & envelopes are being printed
  • An electronic version of our Foster letterhead (both first and second sheets) is now available. Download the file from the school's intranet site, in the Branding section.
  • First Brand Roundtable was held March 5th
  • Additional Brand Roundtables scheduled April 1 through 4

As we begin to implement the new identity system for Foster School collateral materials, I ask everyone to join me in doing so with care. Because we do not yet have a complete set of style guidelines in place, we ask everyone to refrain from using the logo for individual applications at this time. Without consistent use, we run the risk of confusing our audiences and looking unprofessional. Our goal is to distribute final style guidelines in early April so that all of us can be consistent in our use of the new Foster identity system.

We realize this is taking longer than we would like but in the end we will have developed a strong and recognizable identity for the School. Thanks for your patience.

Thanks,

Pam McCoy
Executive Director, Marketing & Communications


New Foster School of Business Identity

Thanks to all faculty and staff who placed orders for new Foster business cards, letterhead and envelopes. As of the March 12 deadline for submitting orders for the new materials, Publications Services had logged 245 business card orders, 26 letterhead orders and 35 orders for envelopes in several sizes.

Publications Services plans to put the new business cards into campus mail on Friday, March 21, so they should show up in mailboxes by early the following week. Expect delivery of #10 envelopes and letterhead on Tuesday, March 26 or shortly after. The 10 x 13 and 9 x 12 envelopes that have been ordered should arrive about the same time.

Other standard print items are being created to replace outdated materials with the old UW Business School identity. Look for further updates in future issues of touchpoint.

Foster School Brand Roundtables

On March 5th, Dean Jiambalvo held the first of 5 brand roundtables. During the meeting the Dean presented the Foster brand promise and attributes, Mark Forehand discussed the importance of branding in differentiating ourselves for other business schools, and then all participants broke into small groups to identify proof points of how we are already delivering on the Foster brand promise.

Additional Brand Roundtables are being held April 1, 2, 3 and 4 from 2:30 – 3:30pm in the Balmer Undergraduate Commons. Please RSVP for the session that best fits your schedule to learn more about how we can all align our decisions and actions with the brand and receive a Foster gift! RSVP Online.

In the News – February 2008

The faculty, students, alumni and staff of the Michael G. Foster School of Business are in the news on a regular basis. From features stories to faculty quotes, you’ll find a taste of recent media coverage below.

Puget Sound Business Journal, February 29, 2008
Study: Minority business owners In Washington are more optimistic
Professor Bill Bradford, an author of the Washington Minority Business Survey completed by the Business and Economic Development Center, is quoted about the most recent survey findings.

KIRO Newsradio 710, February 28, 2008
My Northwest
Meet the Millenials Part 4: Being Their Boss
Professor Vandra Huber describes the importance of meaningful work to Generation Y employees.

The Seattle Times, February 28, 2008
Jerry Large column: A guided tour of big breaks
The Business and Economic Development Center celebrated African American achievement at the Foster School of Business with a panel of successful leaders, including “Sir Mix-a-Lot” Anthony Ray. BEDC Executive director Michael Verchot and scholarship recipient Patricia Dixon are quoted.

The Seattle Times, February 28, 2008
Kirkland firm's custom labels create a liquid asset
Mark Forehand, associate professor of marketing says Bottle Your Brand’s custom water bottle labels help keep a brand in front of a consumer longer.

BusinessWeek, February 24, 2008
The Post-Bubble Curriculum: For business schools, the subprime meltdown has become a can't-avoid classroom topic—at least for now
Dean James Jiambalvo speaks about the role of the subprime debacle in MBA courses.

View the slideshow with deans’ comments

Seattle Times, February 23, 2008
Microsoft addresses Yahoo worries
Jarrad Harford, associate professor of finance, is quoted on Microsoft’s recent strategy to acquire Yahoo.

Puget Sound Business Journal, February 22, 2008
Is that your final answer? Judges of school business plan competitions get very involved
The Puget Sound Business Journal looks at business school competitions, such as the annual Business Plan Competition organized by the Foster School's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Puget Sound Business Journal, February 22, 2008
UW students pitched their export campaign for Chinese brew in Beijing
Foster MBA students bested seven teams from top U.S. and Asian business schools last month to win what was billed as the first international business case competition ever held in Beijing.

University Business, February 2008
Orientation Rites: Seal the Deal
Assistant dean of master’s programs Dan Poston describes the innovative attributes of the Foster School’s Full-time MBA orientation.

Concord Monitor, February 17, 2008
Natural-born cheaters
Scott Reynolds, assistant professor of business ethics, recently conducted a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology indicating that people who regarded themselves as morally strong were often willing to cheat for the good of society.

Internet Update

Foster Faculty Podcasts
We are now promoting the first-ever faculty podcasts across the Foster Web site. Go to http://foster.washington.edu/new/digitalmedia/podcasts.shtml to check out the various podcasts that faculty members, Michael Johnson and Morela Hernandez, have produced, researched and hosted with various management and organizational behavioral researchers and professors throughout North America. It's a great podcast series for students, faculty and practicing managers, focusing on such topics as stress management, cross-cultural issues and more.

To reach the podcasts from our Web site and IN, click the purple banner located on any these Web pages.
http://foster.washington.edu/in/
http://foster.washington.edu/glance/publications.shtml
http://foster.washington.edu/faculty_depts.html

Surveys Launched
The Online Marketing team is fielding two surveys this month, both intended to collect information that will help improve online user experiences at the Foster School.

  1. The first is a Qualtrics survey of visitors to the external-facing Web site developed with some advice from Doug “Mac” MacLachlan and assistance from Ph.D. student Ed Love.
  2. The second, developed with the internal communications team, seeks to discover how Foster School faculty and staff use the current intranet. Chances are you have already received your e-mail invitation to participate. Please take a few moments to fill out the survey and tell us how we can make the intranet better for you.