The role of international marketing in student recruitment: perspectives from the US, Europe and the UK
This IC Global Café delves into the strategies and practices employed by higher educational institutions in these regions to develop their global brands in order to enhance global engagement and attract diverse students from around the world. By examining the experiences of these regions, the Café aims to discuss the impact of strategic marketing on student recruitment and global outreach initiatives.
Date: Tuesday 27 February 2024
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Our expert speakers
Alonda Thomas, Chief Communications Officer and Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications, Jackson State University, USA.
Alonda Thomas is the Chief Communications Officer and Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Jackson State University. She manages a team of 12 dynamic innovators, and is responsible for university brand and reputation management, marketing, media relations and strategic communications. The division has been recognized for several awards, including 2023 PRNews Digital Award for long-form video, finalist for the 2022 PRNews Platinum Award for Marketing Communications, and a finalist for the 2022 Public Relations Society of America Bronze Anvil Award for Best Use of Social Media.
Alonda previously served as director of public relations and interim vice president of communications at Howard University. During her tenure, the Office of University Communications received several awards, including the PRSA 2021 Bronze Anvil Award for Executive Communications, the 2020 Bronze Anvil Award for Twitter Engagement, and the PRWeek 2020 Best in a Crisis Award.
In 2016, Alonda served as a publicity consultant for Liquid Soul, an entertainment and sports marketing company in Atlanta. She led the PR strategy for a variety of clients, including ABC Network, CNN, Walt Disney Studios and Fox Searchlight. She executed national urban press outreach for the highly acclaimed Spike Lee film “Chi-Raq,” and CNN’s award-winning docu-series “The United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell.” She also developed the PR campaign strategy and crisis management for season 2 of ABC’s hit sitcom, “black-ish,” which increased the show’s viewership among its target demographic and led to multiple award nominations.
Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She received her master’s degree in integrated marketing and management communications from Florida State University where she served as a university fellow and taught public speaking. She is a sought-out speaker on media relations, branding and crisis communications. She is recipient of the PRNews 2020 Top Women Award, PRWeek 2021 Hall of Femme Women to Watch, Award and the PRNews 2023 Top Women Award.
Inés-Teresa Palacio, IC Global Fellow, Spain
Inés Teresa-Palacio is a global education specialist, advisor and consultant with 17 years of strategic experience in marketing, communications, student recruitment, alumni engagement, fundraising and internationalisation. She has held senior roles including at C-Level at UK and Spanish institutions and has led successful strategic projects in multiple regions including the UK, South Asia, Latin America, Spain and rest of Europe.
Inés was Chief Marketing and Advancement Officer and member of the Board of Directors at the Open University of Catalonia, in Spain, for 4 years. She previously worked at the University of Southampton for 13 years, first in international student recruitment and then as Head of Strategic Marketing. During that time she provided support to the University’s Executive Board as well as the Malaysia Campus marketing team.
During her career, Inés has developed, led and implemented multiple growth, positioning, engagement and go-to-market strategies internationally. She currently sits as a member of the Planning Committee for CASE’s Summit for Leaders in Advancement, is a former member of the CASE Europe Council and has been a speaker at many global education events. She is a Fellow of the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
