media strategic planning

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA FIVE ¬- YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN ON INFORMATION ANDCOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
2011-2015
BY

OKORO KINGSLEY UGONNA






INTRODUCTION
This strategic media relations plan for university of Nigeria Nsukka is directed towards the actual utilization of the ICT project available in the institution, its objectives and vision and was formulated using Frank. W. Jefkins public relations planning model. This model was chosen simply because of its straight nature and simplicity. The Frank W. Jefkins Model has the following as its basic steps:
A. Appreciation of situation
B. Identification of Objectives
C. Identifying publics
D. Choice of Media and technique
E. Budgeting
F. Evaluation









EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The mission of University of Nigeria
Restoring the dignity of man
The vision of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Placing the University among the best Universities in the world














SITUATION ANALYSIS AND PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
There is a rising rate of poor purposeful utilization of the ICT projects initiated by the vice chancellor of this university. This is rampant among students and staffs of this university.
OBJECTIVES
This 5 – year media relations strategic plan is with the aim of re – orienting the University of Nigeria primary and secondary audience on the actual purpose of the ICT projects. The case where students and staff of this institution poorly make use of the ICT project is in the increase. A visit to the institution Library reveals that students are always busy engaging in to fruitless activities, making them to deviate from the actual objectives of the ICT project. The students are seen browsing most of the time social network sites where they chat and upload pictures. Most of the Institution’s workers are also in line with the deviation from the actual purpose of the ICTS project as detected by my research. This plan is hereby made to proffer solution to the rising problem by re – orienting the targeted publics, there is no doubt that if the rising poor utilization of the project continues; the institution will not actualize her goals and objectives.
NATURE OF THE ICT PROJECT
The project was installed in the university with the help of MTN and Google and it’s the largest ICT infrastructure in Africa which also has free wireless capable technology installed in the institution, covering the four campuses of the University with the following aims: to attain excellence in-

A. research
B. Innovation
C. Human resource development and
D. Generation and dissemination of ideas
The deviation from the actual objectives of the ICT project is because the Institution primary audience are not fully aware of the objectives.
RESEARCH
The ICT was done according to the university’s vice chancellor so as to create enabling environments for research by both the students and staffs of the university. For the University to be a world class University, the students and members’ staff of the school must engage in researches.
INNOVATION
When researches are carried out by both the students and staff of the university, there can be innovation which will actually make the University to compete with other world class Universities.
HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
With the installation of the ICT project, the development of the university’s human resource is made easier.
GENERATION AND DISSEMINATION OF IDEAS
Students and Staff of the Institution should be able to use the technology expose to them to engage in to activities that will be fruitful by generating and disseminating useful ideas beneficiary to both the University and the country.
Several seminars have been held in the Institution with the regard to sensitizing the students and staff of the objectives and availability of the ICT project .This media relations strategic plan runs for five years (2011 – 2015) which will be with specific targets each year to be evaluated after the length.
Summary of the activities that will be taking place in the strategic media relations plan for the institution on yearly bases:
YEAR ACTIVITIES
Year1 (2011) Shifting from strategies to implementation, inauguration of committees selected base on ICT experience, deliberating on the agenda, submission of the strategic plan to the chosen media, seminars which will take place two times in each year with the invitation of well known ICT experts to sensitize the target audience on the objectives of the ICT project, media discussion headed by the media relations planner and his team on the plans and progress of the strategy done at the beginning and towards the end of the first year.
Year 2
(2012) Inclusion of ICT as a course in the General Studies Unit starting with the year’s beginners (year one students) to final year students to be run for a full session, encouraging research by establishing a research based department which over - sees the reward of students and lecturers who did meaningful research every year, the annual seminars and media discussions.
Year 3
(2013) Rewarding the outstanding students and lecturers based on their performances ICT classes and meaningful research, establishing a special training centre for lecturers and students who did well in the previous year in the field of ICT (advance training). Continuation of the media discussion with the visit to other media houses for the benefit of UNN secondary audience, the use of the first medium house will be retained for the benefit of the institution’s primary audience and continuation of the annual seminar lectures.
Year 4
(2014) Continuation of the previous year’s activities.
Year 5
(2015) A. Continuation of the previous activities with the inclusion of new activities if the need be.
B. taking a broad look at the lessons learned in terms of success and obstacles in implementing these activities.

THE TARGET PUBLICS
The target publics of this strategic media relations plan are the primary and secondary publics of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The primary publics being the students and staff of UNN and the extended publics like those that have indirect issues with UNN i.e other Universities both national and international, the parents and guidance of the Students of the Institution etc. This is because both publics are meant to know the objectives of the ICT projects, the situation of things and progress.
MEDIA CHOICE TECHNIGUES
The 5 – year media relations strategic plan will be appropriate on both the electronic and print media. This is because of the nature of the strategic plan which is purely academic and the nature of the target audience who are mostly educated. The technique will be press release for the print media and granting of interview for the print media (radio station)


BROADCAST MEDIA
The use of the Institution’s radio station known as Lion FM is very important so as to reach out to the primary audience very well. The students and staffs of the Institution in most cases are the audience of Lion FM before any other radio station and the Station will be easy in terms of accessibility and cost effective. The use of radio Nigeria nationwide as also another channel of communicating to the publics especially the secondary publics is very necessary. This is because the Institution radio station can’t reach most of the secondary publics.
PRINT MEDIA
The use of the various department magazines which is published yearly or quarterly is very, for instance the Records newspaper of the department of Mass communication, this is because, the medium can capture the interest of the students as well as the staff of the institution. This will be added with the use of any major national news papers for the communication with the secondary publics.
BUDGETING
A. The first phase of the strategic plan (which involved research) will cost 2% of the annual budget of the Institution’s PR department.
B. The second phase which involves the objectives and means to carry them out will cost 12% of the annual budget of the institution PR department (UNN).
C. The third phase will cost 1% of UNN PR annual budget ( identifying the publics)
D. The fourth phase which involves media choice and techniques will cost 10% of UNN annul PR budget.
E. The evaluation phase will cost 9% of UNN PR department annual budget.
This means that sum of 1.2 million naira will be needed for this plan.
EVALUATION
The assessment of the whole Media Relations strategic plan will be done under two methods;
A. The use of the electronic media i.e. the radio medium, both the Institution’s radio station and the radio Nigeria nationwide station
B. Caring out an opinion poll. This is to ascertain if there will be the need for a change of plan.