EAST LANSING, Mich. — Heather Swain Shupp, associate vice president for marketing and communications at Ball State University, has been named assistant vice president for university relations and director of public relations at Michigan State University, effective Oct. 16.
She succeeds Sandra Conn, now vice president for external relations at the University of Alberta.
“Heather brings to MSU the breadth and depth of experience needed in a comprehensive university branding effort,” said Terry Denbow, MSU vice president for university relations. “She has been a successful leader at two universities in integrating communications programs and strategies toward effective positioning.”
A graduate of the College of William and Mary, Shupp served as associate director for university-wide marketing at Indiana University’s office of communications and marketing before being named executive director of communications at Ball State in 2000.
Denbow noted that Shupp is widely recognized for developing tactics and strategies in student recruitment communications and for the use of research in developing and evaluating public relations programs.
The Division of University Relations at MSU comprises the offices of public relations, media relations, marketing and creative services, digital communication services, and, with the department of athletics, sports information.
Shupp’s appointment follows a national search. Rick Cole, chair of the department of public relations, advertising, and retailing in the College of Communication Arts and Sciences, was chair of the search committee.
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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 14 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.