Tarrant County College recently launched a new publication called REACH to replace the former magazine, Projection. Produced in-house by TCC’s Communications, Public Relations and Marketing department, the new publication sports a new look, more in-depth content and a name selected to reinforce TCC’s new tagline, “SUCCESS WITHIN REACH.” The magazine will be produced semi-annually with the second edition slated for December 2014.
REACH targets a diverse audience that includes all faculty and staff, as well as alumni, community leaders and elected officials. To produce the magazine, TCC partnered with locally published 360 West magazine, which offered the benefit of packaging 8,000 copies of REACH with its August edition to select zip codes targeted by TCC. As a result, TCC was able to reach community members previously not on the College’s mailing list. Approximately 7,000 copies were mailed to TCC employees (full-time, part-time and adjunct faculty) and retirees; TCC Foundation donors and community leaders. Copies also are available at the campuses for students and visitors.
Managing Editor Sara Rogers, TCC’s District Manager of Marketing Communications, led the efforts to develop the new publication. “The biggest challenge was developing every aspect of the magazine from scratch in the time we did,” said Rogers. “In addition to crafting new and interesting stories, we built an original template and layout. Everything was custom, from photography to the graphics.”
According to Suzanne Cottraux, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing, student success was a high priority when determining stories for the inaugural issue. “We touch thousands and thousands of lives here every day, and so we felt it was important to highlight the work we’re doing to get students on the paths they need to achieve their versions of success. Similarly, we also showcased what TCC is doing to positively impact our community as well as enhance our institutional excellence. These three areas – student success, community impact and institutional excellence – will provide the editorial platform for all future issues of REACH.”
In the inaugural issue, the feature story focused on TCC’s journey to becoming one of only 74 Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges in the nation. Additional articles featured current and former students who submitted their personal stories about how TCC helped them realize their goals to TCCSuccessStories@tccd.edu. A professor, who was touched by the stories about overcoming challenges and achieving success, said he planned to share them with his students on the first day of class.
In addition to the print version of the magazine, Web Communications produced a digital edition accessible through www.tccd.edu. “We needed a presence online and the Web Team jumped onboard to create a very appealing, user-friendly website for us,” said Rogers. “I provided content and some direction and they took it from there with their creativity and expertise. It is even better than we imagined and they did it in record time.”
“The web version of REACH is TCC’s first online version of any publication,” said Web Design Coordinator Brandon Tucker. Prior to the web version of REACH, a .pdf of the print copy of Projection had been posted on the website.
Tucker worked closely with Web Programmer Stephen Fornal to create the content in a digital format. “Stephen and I brainstormed ways we could feature the same content but in a digital world. We wanted a mobile device such as an iPad to reflect the print publication as close as we could. We also wanted to create a site that was accessible to all, especially screen readers,” said Tucker.
Fornal, who joined TCC in February after working as a high school computer science teacher, feels the final product turned out well, even though it was his first time to design an online magazine. “The online version is a huge win for the College,” said Fornal. “It makes the magazine available to ALL faculty and students. In addition, the online version is ready to be read on any device (PC, tablet or mobile phone). It also is fully accessible to readers using assistive technology, such as a screen reading program for people with visual impairments.”
Tucker agrees. “The main advantage to the online version of the magazine is that it can REACH a larger audience than the print version and be shared by social media such as Facebook.”
According to Rogers, the reviews of REACH have been overwhelmingly positive. “REACH was a huge hit and the response has been better than imagined,” she said. “The new look and style has made people really stop and read the stories, allowing us to share the successes of TCC and our students. We are proud to share these stories in a fun and unique way.”
REACH Reviews:
“The magazine is wonderful. I love the new look!” – Louise Appleman, President, TCC Board of Trustees
“I love it. I just love it! It’s beautiful.” – Tahita Fulkerson, President, Trinity River Campus
“The new REACH magazine looks wonderful!” –Bryan Stewart, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Trinity River Campus
“Just finished reading the inaugural issue. Excellent! I was moved by ‘The Path Isn’t Always Easy.’ I plan to use the story in all my classes as an example of overcoming challenges and achieving success. Wow!” – Archie Wilmer, Associate Professor of Math, Northwest Campus
