CSUB | CSUB Fact Book

(IRPA) - 2017/18

The Institutional Research Planning and Assessment Office reached out to our Public Affairs & Communications Office for a representative guide of the university with fast facts and figures that they could put on the website. We’d never had something like that, aside from the President’s Annual Reports.

“Divide and conquer” became a motto with my colleague, Veronica Catalan and myself. We were the dynamic duo always together on campus, tackling whatever assignment or project given. We were a small team, but mighty in our reach.

This was no simple task. It was just before the holiday season and we had nothing else to go off of. We were paving the way.

Veronica and I got to work immediately, writing on the marker board in our office, brainstorming possible ideas and how it should be arranged. There was a lot of information to condense into a thinner guide that gives only…Well, the fast facts that people would want to know.

Organization/Timeline

We went through all of the important headlines, possible sections, various areas on campus that should be included. We created an overall outline of the flow - once that was approved and revised, we were able to get into the nitty gritty and details.

Teamwork

Again, this is where the dynamic duo comes into play. Veronica and I were in constant communication, along with the IRPA team, and of course, our director. We reached out to those around campus, including Campus Programming, Athletics, Sustainability, Academics and more, for the vital information and important statistics that should be included. Each of us had our own sections and contacts to reach out to. We worked quickly and efficiently, always informing each other of where were with the project and responses we were awaiting.

Visuals/Design

Once we’d compiled all the information and knew what would be included, we got to work on the visuals. We’d compile our favorite/best photos in the folder to correspond with the necessary text/copy, once it was approved. Much like the President’s Annual Reports, we would move on to working with the graphic design artist in our Print Shop on campus.

Once all the final approvals and edits had been given, we were ready to print. Again, working with the Print Shop, we were able to print out the necessary amount of Fact Books to go to the correct offices around campus.

This was another important project, as it required teamwork to make it all happen. It was jumping into action, since we didn’t have time to delay or wait around for the next steps. It was moving forward and we’d figure out the rest as we went along.