By: Emma J. Walsh, Staff Writer
In last week’s Monday Missive, USM President Glenn Cummings thanked two staff members. After many years of service, Bob Stein and Danielle Vayenas will be leaving USM.
Bob Stein served as the Executive Director of Public Affairs & Marketing. President Cummings said in the email, “Over the past five years Bob has worked tirelessly to get out message after message on behalf of our organization. He has been a faithful advocate of our progress, and I will miss him.”
Danielle Vayenas served as the Director of Communications in the Office of Public Affairs. In the email, President Cummings said, “I also give thanks to communications director Danielle Vayenas for her service to USM and wish her the best as well.”
Jared Cash, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing, says, “Bob and Danielle are both champions of USM students and our community at large, and that commitment was demonstrated in their work. They were both active in our community as leaders and their presence will be missed.”
According to the Missive, Cummings said, “The university will be restructuring its public affairs department for new demands in the market.” Cash says they are still identifying a plan for the Office of Public Affairs. He says, “The department will maintain its identity as a department. We know we need to move in a direction that strategically positions us to meet market demands for more social media, multimedia/video rich storytelling and brand messaging.”
Cash said Public Affairs is working through the review and approval process for those funding requests and will have more definitive direction after the first of the year.
The mission of the Office of Public Affairs remains the same.
“We remain committed to sharing news and stories with our internal and external communities, and sharing the great work and partnerships that USM students, faculty and staff take part in every day,” Cash said.