John Zhu

In 2016, the Duke Graduate School marked the 90th year since its founding. From late 2015 through 2016, I oversaw the planning and execution of a celebration of that anniversary. I worked with colleagues to plan and implement a combination of digital content and in-person touch points designed to commemorate the occasion, strengthen the school's connections with its students and alumni, raise its profile on campus, and support its fundraising efforts.

Some of our deliverables included:

• A digital timeline of the school's history
• A printed version of the timeline for display in a high-traffic public area on campus
• A series of spotlights on notable aspects of the school's history, published on the school's digital channels
• A series of profiles of one notable alum from each decade of the school's existence, published on the school's digital channels
• A set of portable exhibit panels based on the spotlights and alumni profiles, for display at various school events throughout the year
• A 90th anniversary celebration at the school's annual homecoming reception
• A photo contest for current students to show off images illustrating their research, used for both digital content and a physical exhibit
• A new school alumni society as a vehicle for engaging successful graduates and potential donors

We developed all of the deliverables in about six months, rolling out various pieces throughout early and mid-2016. The celebration culminated around the homecoming celebration in fall 2016 and proved to be a success in advancing its goals. The stream of anniversary content helped boost the school's visibility on university channels throughout the year. The in-person engagement opportunities saw strong participation and were well-received. The anniversary messaging was integrated into the school's ongoing fundraising efforts, providing a vehicle to help the school conclude a very successful five-year campaign on a high note. In addition, many of the elements we developed for the celebration continued to provide returns well after the anniversary year. In many ways, our work on the 90th anniversary helped put the school on even stronger footing as it approaches its 100th birthday.

More on the anniversary content and events