On the Green goes Green!

To: Gallaudet community

From: Office of Public and Media Relations

Re: On the Green going green

July 9, 2010

On the Green, Gallaudet's newsletter for faculty and staff, has changed several times since the first issue —mimeographed on 8.5 x 11-inch paper—appeared in 1971. The Office of Public and Media Relations is pleased to announce that today it is changing once again--this time to an all-electronic format. The change is being enacted on a trial basis over the summer months.

On the Green will now refer to an online news stream that will deliver all Public and Media Relations news stories on one central website. Readers may have noticed that this format is already in place. New stories will continue to show up in Daily Digest and news.gallaudet.edu. Selected stories will also appear on the lower half of the Gallaudet home page.

Other news sources, including the slide show on the upper half of the Gallaudet home page and the stories on the Clerc Center's home page, will continue as before. Some Clerc Center news will also appear on the On the Green page. Public and Media Relations will continue to print Gallaudet Todaymagazine and newsletter, while publications like the Alumni e-Newsletter(generated by the Office of Alumni Relations) and the Family and Parent Connection will continue to appear in electronic form. The On the Greentransition will not affect the newsletters of individual programs and departments.

Several factors prompted the change in On the Green. One was campus response. Public and media Relations saw a steady stream of requests by departments to receive fewer print copies of On the Green, or to stop receiving the print version altogether. Requesters cited both environmental concerns and a preference to read news electronically. This response is consistent with many colleges and universities, which have also opted for all-electronic communication with campus constituencies.

The change is also a logical fit in a world that has grown accustomed to a 24/7 news cycle. Publishing articles quickly is becoming more essential every day, especially if Gallaudet is to reach a media-savvy generation of prospective students.

In brief, the new version of On the Green will have several advantages:

• More timely news delivery
• Lower environmental impact
• Cost savings
• More photos, all in color
• Option to add video
• Ability to hyperlink to other Web stories, department Web pages, etc.
• An RSS feed that delivers news to subscribers as soon as it goes live
• Option to print each article using any Internet browser's print command

An additional change is that the news stories will lean toward shorter, snappier copy in the general style of Web stories. In-depth news still has a place in publications like Gallaudet Today Magazine and the occasional electronic feature story.

Public and Media Relations believes this news arrangement better meets the needs of most of its readers. However, the office staff realizes this interrupts news delivery for some readers, especially those with limited access to the Internet at work. Please keep in mind that this summer serves as a pilot period, so feel free to share feedback with the Office of Public and Media Relations. As the fall semester approaches, the system will be evaluated and a decision will be made on whether to continue it through the academic year.

Public and Media Relations encourages faculty, staff, teachers, alumni, and students to contact us with news and information. Your tips on upcoming events, research, curriculum innovations, professional development, faculty and student accomplishments, and more are always appreciated.

Thank you for your ongoing readership and support. Public and Media Relations hopes you will enjoy the next generation of On the Green.

Photo: On the Green through the years (counterclockwise, from center): The first version of the faculty/staff newsletter began on September 8, 1971, printed on one page--front and back--of 8.5" x 11" paper. This modest format continued until October 1, 1979, when the publication became a four-column, four-page newsletter and included photos. The newsletter underwent a major redesign in September 1997 and continued in this format over the next 13 years with only minor changes.