March 5, 2012
University’s internal communications rated ‘good’ to ‘very good’
The Johns Hopkins community feels generally well informed about university-related news, and learns about all things JHU through a multitude of print and online sources, according to a recent survey.
The Office of Communications launched the survey Dec. 5 to gauge the effectiveness of current internal communications and build new strategies for sharing information, news and stories of the university. More than 4,400 responded to the survey, which ran for 10 days.
The majority of participants, 56 percent, said that they learn about university news and receive information via emails from the President’s Office. The next-highest-rated sources of information were, in order, Today’s Announcements (daily email to the Homewood campus), departmental meetings, a supervisor, The Gazette and the university’s main website. Other sources included Johns Hopkins Magazine, JHU’s Facebook page and the My Johns Hopkins portal.
When asked about the preferred method to learn of university news and events, the majority, nearly 77 percent, said an email with an embedded message or link to the information. Just over 10 percent said they preferred to go on their own to the university website.
The results said that people are interested in hearing directly from the president, particularly on matters related to the administration of the university.
Overall, survey participants said that they considered themselves sufficiently knowledgeable on a vast array of university news and affairs. Roughly 70 percent of participants rated internal communications as “good” to “very good.”
Glenn Bieler, the university’s vice president for communications, said that the results will help guide future communications projects and strategies.
“We had a very good response to our survey, and I want to thank everyone who participated for helping us out,” Bieler said. “The message from the results is clear: Internal communications are good at Johns Hopkins University, but we can always do better. Our goal is to keep faculty and staff well informed about all that is happening around our amazing university. We are currently exploring several new ideas for how to do just that.”
Respondents to the survey were offered the opportunity to participate in a drawing for an iPad. The winner was Alison Currie of the School of Medicine.
The Johns Hopkins University currently employs roughly 28,000 people, spread out over 10 divisions and multiple campuses in Baltimore, Laurel and Montgomery County, Md.; Washington, D.C.; and abroad.