Case Scenario:
You are a media relations specialist with Conestoga College. It is your job to put out a press release related to this major announcement:
The Government of Canada's opening of its border to international immigration and more open immigration policies has led to a population boom in Canada as the country looks to surpass more than 40 million people in 2024.
One of the beneficiaries of this influx of new international talent has been Conestoga College which has seen its student population increase to more than 40,000 students. More than 13,000 of those students at Conestoga College are international students.
Conestoga College will be opening a new campus in Milton and be accepting students at its GTA campus in 2024.
That success has also been seen at one of its newest campuses, the Downtown Kitchener Campus, also known as DTK. The campus is already at capacity and looking to expand.
Conestoga College announced the purchase of two buildings on Sept. 21 to address the space shortage at the DTK campus and to provide student residence space in downtown Kitchener and Waterloo.
The purchase includes a vacant office in downtown Kitchener at 22 Frederick St. that will become a residence for Conestoga College students. The first few floors of the 12-story building will be used for additional classroom space while the upper floors will be converted into student residences.
The college has also purchased a five-story building at 60 University Ave. in Waterloo that was previously a student residence leased and operated by Wilfrid Laurier University. It will now house Conestoga College students.
Conestoga College expects to spend more than $90 million on purchase, lease and renovations on the two buildings and a new campus building it is planning to open in the City of Guelph.
Construction and renovation are expected to run through 2024 with the opening of the news classroom space and residence space in downtown Kitchener set to open at the end of 2024, with construction set to start Feb. 1.
John Tibbits, president of Conestoga College, said the new residence spaces will address some of the affordable housing issues students face in the downtown core and will be a more cost-effective option than already exists.
The new space will be more appealing to international students and present different options than what's available for domestic students right now.
"What we want to be able to say to parents in foreign countries is ... we want this to be part of the experience at Conestoga: safe housing, quality housing, a low price point," said Tibbits.
"We're not trying to make money," said Tibbits. "It makes us more globally competitive and provides for a safer and a healthier experience for students."
Prospective students can find more information at www.conestogac.on.ca.
"We've grown much faster than we anticipated," said Tibbits. "We never planned to grow this quickly, but the demand is large, and the needs are large."
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic welcomed the announcement. Developing the education sector in the downtown core has been part of the strategic vision of the city for the last 20 years. The city now has major campuses of the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College in the downtown footprint adding millions of dollars a year to the city's economic activity.
"We want downtown Kitchener to be known as an ideas hub fostering the knowledge-based economy of tomorrow," said Vrbanovic. "These student developments support one of the fastest growing economies and communities in the country."
International students have added vibrancy, opportunity and vitality to the life of downtown Kitchener, and this is an investment in the future of the city," said Vrbanac.
Conestoga is a leader in polytechnic education, delivering a full range of career-focused education, training and applied research programs through a network of campuses and training centres in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Stratford, Ingersoll and Brantford and the newly opening Milton campus. The college is a recognized leader in innovative education, training and applied research for the development of highly qualified personnel to improve the quality of life for Canada's growing population.
Objective: The 10 per cent grade for this assessment will include the writing of media release based on the provided scenario. These media releases will be done during class time. Please check the instructional plans for the dates. Mandatory attendance is required for these assessments.
You will be provided with all the details of a potential story that would be of interest to a media outlet. This is what you will produce for each media release:
You will use the details (facts) provided, and only those provided, to write a media release. That means proper names, titles and spelling throughout.
The intent of this assignment is to assess your ability to choose the proper detail of the lead/lede paragraph to deliver a catchy hook to interest the media in your story.
The rest of the release will be evaluated as to how you present the remainder of the story details.
There are important elements that must appear in all media releases including contact information, appropriate quotes and making sure it is time bound as part of our understanding of SMART goals.
You will have feedback from previous assessments before proceeding to the next. Each succeeding press release will be marked with greater exactitude to make sure you are delivering professional quality work upon graduation. Upon graduation you are expected to be able to contact media organizations with proper tools like media releases.
The assessments may include releases targeted to both print and broadcast releases, with the approaches takes demonstration an understanding of the differences between media outlets.
The 20 per cent grade for this assessment will include the writing of media releases on three separate occasions, in-class. Please check the instructional plan for the dates. Mandatory attendance is required for these assessments.
Key Tip: Must haves in a news release.
Use of news writing/broadcast style. In Canada that is Canadian Press Style: Lose 1 - 2 points for poor style.
Grammar, proper spelling (especially names), sentence structure, CP Style: Lose 1/4 point for every error
Making sure all the required details are present (Time, place, contact information and proper quotations: Lose 1- 2 points for missed details.