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Photo by Joanna Pinker

Alumna Susan Conner used the KnowHow2Go campaign as an example for her talk, "Anatomy of a Public Service Campaign."

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School of Journalism alumna Susan Conner spoke to students in three public relations classes Oct. 30 about a public service campaign that tells seventh and eighth graders what they need to do to prepare for college.

Conner, B.A. ’73, M.A. ’77, has more than 30 years of combined experience in philanthropy, education, communication, public affairs and business. She is the executive vice president of Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education.

She talked about “The Anatomy of a Public Service Campaign,” basing her lecture on the multimedia KnowHow2Go campaign. The Lumina Foundation funded the campaign that was co-sponsored by the National Advertising Council (NAC) and the American Council on Education.

Because of the “tidal wave in immigration in the U.S.,” she said, the demographics for students who attend college are drastically different today than several years ago.

An NAC poll found 93 percent of students in grades eight through 10 said they planned to go to college. When it comes time to apply, however, only a small fraction completes the process.

Conner said one reason may be that less than half of junior high school students take college preparatory courses, making it difficult for them to gain admission. With an 18-month timeline, the objective of this campaign is match students with adults to guide them through the steps. The campaign also uses Facebook, MySpace and viral videos.

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