Driving into campus through the South Village entrance, upon approaching the Recreation & Wellness Center, a new sign may be observed. It’s hard to ignore, as it stands several feet tall and has a digital display with interchanging graphics. 

As part of a new initiative from university marketing, four new digital signs will be installed by the end of the fall semester across campus that plan to improve university communications. 

“We want to engage the community in the life of the campus. We also want to make sure that students, faculty and staff are informed and know about the major things that are taking place on campus,” Deborah Wiltrout, interim associate vice president of University Marketing and Communications, said. 

University Marketing has the role of writing content and creating graphics for the signs, which show welcome messages and information such as events on campus and reminders for students. 

Austin Stanley, a marketing developer for the University’s Recreation Center, knows firsthand how students are informed of events on campus and how these signs can help improve university communications. 

“At the Rec [Center], you’ll see the screens above the front desk and promotions for our events,” Stanley said. “But if we could utilize these new screens, then it would be really neat to promote our events to more people who wouldn’t necessarily be at the Rec or the Aquatic Center.”

According to University Marketing, the other three signs should be up and running throughout the coming months. The main campus entrance sign should be up in early September, the North Lake campus entrance in October and the Cohen Student Union sign in mid-October. 

These dates are subject to change, and their progress depends on construction conditions, such as the weather. 

However, this is only phase one of new digital signs being installed on campus. University Marketing is set to have three phases that will continue to improve university communications and allow students to be more informed and involved. 

“I see the four monument signs as a little bit more external facing [for] bigger events, but then as you drill down into locations that are very student-focused, then those messages would be more directed towards students,” Wiltrout said. “So our long-term plan is that messages are directed to places that students are, that our students are gathering and they’ll be messages that are for students and events that are for students and activities.”

The digital signs were also made to improve the appearance of the university and maintain an innovative aesthetic.

“I think it’s kind of exciting, and it really gives the campus some energy,” Wiltrout said. 

University Marketing is creating a website submission process for faculty, staff and student groups who have prospective messages and notifications to be posted on the signs. 

After submission to the website, these messages will be vetted for compliance with university guidelines and rules. Once the messages are approved, they will be scheduled for display on the signs. This process will be available once all four signs are installed.