aerial view of campus through morning fog

Annual Report - 2024

2024 was another exciting year for UConn’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), which means that CAHNR Communications had a lot of amazing stories to tell. As part of our foundational activities, we continued to highlight the breadth of CAHNR’s strengths through regular content creation across channels. We also provided guidance to departments and programs to help them use their resources wisely and meet their strategic goals. With a major focus on several special projects this year, CAHNR Communications led and/or supported college-wide initiatives like highlighting the 10th Anniversary of Health, contributing to recruitment efforts for departments in need, and continuing to elevate CAHNR’s reputation with our wide-ranging stakeholders.

News & Media

Maximizing Reach Through Strategic Storytelling

In 2024, CAHNR Communications focused not just on crafting compelling narratives but also on ensuring they reached the right audiences through the most effective channels. This meant leveraging our own platforms, like UConn Today, and expanding our reach through strategic media engagement. By cultivating relationships with local, national, and international outlets, collaborating closely with University Communications, and proactively connecting faculty with journalists, we extended CAHNR’s impact far beyond campus.

Leveraging UConn Today for Greater Visibility

UConn Today, the University’s flagship news platform, continues to be a powerful tool for showcasing CAHNR’s achievements. By maintaining a strong presence both on our College-specific page and the widely viewed homepage, we continued to expand our reach with stories that span all of CAHNR’s departments and programs. This consistent stream of content and an audience that extends beyond campus helped us engage university leadership, industry partners, state policymakers, prospective students, and residents—all of whom are critical groups as we navigate evolving needs, risks, and priorities.

317.4K
views

Graph showing an increase in stories published, from 81 in 2020 to 202 in 2024.
Graph showing an increase in stories on the homepage, from 10 in 2020 to 164 in 2024

Breaking Into Major Outlets

In 2024, CAHNR research, students, and extension were featured in media outlets that span general news, industry-specific publications, and broadcast media. Coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN, CBS News, Newsweek, and the UK Guardian placed CAHNR’s expertise on a global stage. Closer to home, we had particular success thanks to strong relationships and strategic outreach. In 2024, we began sharing expert tip sheets on specific timely topics when local journalists needed them most. This helped our faculty become go-to sources for future needs as well.

Media Statistics

1,000
earned media hits

3
CAHNR Comms media trainings

40
TV appearances

2
targeted local media tip sheets

Strengthening Internal Awareness and Collaboration

Regular media reports distributed to the Executive Council and the Communications Committee help track coverage, highlight trends, and provide content for websites, social media, and reports. This approach reinforces CAHNR’s reputation while reducing the communications workload for individual departments.

Websites

A strong digital presence is essential for visibility, credibility, and engagement, making websites a cornerstone of CAHNR’s communications strategy in 2024. This year, we focused not just on maintaining and enhancing our existing web platforms but also on expanding support to ensure our online presence met the highest professional standards.

While the College’s primary sites—cahnr.uconn.edu and undergraduate.cahnr.uconn.edu—continued to perform well, we also prioritized ways to help departments directly. This included regular design and content support for all departments, quarterly performance reports, and proactive guidance on emerging guidelines from central university offices.

A major focus was helping faculty develop polished, user-friendly lab websites on the university’s approved platform,  ensuring their research and expertise were effectively showcased. By streamlining workflows, improving site structures, and adopting best practices, we strengthened CAHNR’s digital footprint, making it easier than ever for students, partners, and the public to connect with our work.

CAHNR Website Analytics

117K
page views

43K
users

67K
sessions

59K
undergrad site visits

15K
RHSA site visits

Project Spotlight

screenshot of Impacts Magazine website

CAHNR Impacts goes digital. Developed the first web version of the College’s annual magazine.

screenshot of Korey Stringer institute website

The Korey Stringer Institute’s website was fully redesigned to better showcase KSI’s mission and impact.

screenshot collage of faculty lab websites

A standard process and template for faculty lab websites improved turnaround times and increased visibility for impactful work.

Social Media

In 2024, social media remained a critical component of CAHNR’s digital strategy, serving as a dynamic platform to engage diverse audiences where they already spend their time. From prospective students scrolling TikTok to alumni networking on LinkedIn, each channel offers a unique opportunity to connect with specific groups in meaningful ways. We leveraged these platforms to share everything from breaking news and research discoveries to student life and community impact stories, reinforcing our brand identity and fostering engagement.

As we all know, the social media landscape is constantly evolving—from major shake-ups to unassuming algorithm changes and shifting user behaviors—we employ an adaptive strategy to keep pace with the changes.

In July 2024, UConn switched social media management platforms from Brandwatch to Meltwater, a more robust resource that has more integrated analytics. As such, our 2024 performance metrics reflect a combination from both sources.

Cross-Channel Performance for 2024
  • 1,954 Posts
  • 9,195 Followers (+27%)
  • 824,348 Impressions (+39%)
  • 65,931 Engagement (+200%)
  • Top Post: TikTok: Throwback to when some G.O.A.T.S. learned about horses with UConn's Equine Program (24.6K views; 5,359 engagements)
Facebook
  • 387 Posts
  • 1,575 Followers (+23%)
  • 7,920 Engagement (+32%)
  • Top Post: While most of us were asleep, Mother Nature was putting on a show. Northern Lights over Horsebarn Hill, October 8, 2024, 📸Milton Levin (14.8K impressions; 817 engagements)
Instagram
  • 619 Posts
  • 2,417 Followers (+23%)
  • 15,234 Engagement (+32%)
  • Top Post: In just a few days, our grads will become alums 🎓 #UConn24 #UConn #Commencement #graduation (5905 plays)There’s no need to try to fit in, when you were born to stand out. 📸Scenes from CAHNR’s 2024 Commencement ceremony (628 engagements)
LinkedIn
  • 290 Posts
  • 3,327 Followers (+29%)
  • 10,321 Engagement (+98%)
  • Top Post: While most of us were asleep, Mother Nature was putting on a show. Northern Lights over Horsebarn Hill, October 8, 2024, 📸Milton Levin (25,344 impressions; 1,003 engagements)

Spotlight on TikTok

In August 2024, CAHNR launched a TikTok channel to better engage with prospective and current students. With approximately two-thirds of teenagers using TikTok, it’s clearly a vital recruitment tool, even if its longevity regularly comes into question. CAHNR is following UConn’s approach to “keep posting until the wheels fall off” given the success we’ve seen in reaching new audiences.

  • 55 Posts
  • 490 Fans
  • 117,559 Reach
  • 146,411 Views
  • 19,726 Engagement
  • Top Post: Throwback to when some G.O.A.T.S. learned about horses with UConn's Equine Program (24.6K views; 5,359 engagements)

Initiatives

Beyond traditional marketing and news functions, CAHNR Communications' lean team has played a vital role in amplifying diverse initiatives across the College. By strategically applying storytelling, branding, and engagement strategies, we have supported efforts that enhance strategic priorities and overall institutional growth.

From promoting targeted alumni and donor engagement to increasing awareness of specific academic programs, our team has ensured that key initiatives reach the right audiences in meaningful ways. By crafting compelling narratives around research and community partnerships, we have helped showcase CAHNR's broader impact.

Through collaboration and creative problem-solving, we continue to extend the influence of communications and marketing beyond the norm, adding measurable value to initiatives that shape the College and drive institutional progress.

10th Anniversary of Health

2024 marked the 10-year anniversary of CAHNR’s name change to officially include “Health.” Working closely with our Alumni Relations team, CAHNR Communications provided integral branding and content strategy to showcase this milestone and our strengths in health research, education, and extension engagement.

Deliverables

  • Bespoke brand toolkit, including anniversary badge
  • Content strategy
    • 5 alumni profiles
    • 40 UConn Today stories
  • Integration across College materials
    • CAHNR Impacts
    • Executive communications
    • Department materials
    • Alumni messaging

Student Recruitment

CAHNR Communications continued to provide broad support to all of the College’s departments, as well as targeted resources and guidance to programs in the most need. By recommending strategic tactics aligned with best practice, CAHNR Communications bolstered departmental engagement efforts and university-wide recruitment initiatives with:

  • Strategic planning support, including helping several programs launch and maintain effective social media channels
  • Print and digital promotional materials at the College and department level
  • Content strategy to improve SEO
  • Photo and video production

student recruitment documents

Alumni and Donor Engagement

CAHNR Communications provides important support as part of the Advancement team. From connecting with alums and current or potential donors to showcasing their commitment to the College, we aim to highlight their ongoing commitment to CAHNR and inspire others to be active members of our community. Aligning with the UConn Foundation’s priorities, we leverage several channels, initiatives, and strategies to keep these connections strong:

  • College, department, and program alumni emails
  • UConn Gives team support via email, social media, photo/video, and web
  • Design and messaging support with targeted initiatives
  • Coordinated UConn Today coverage

Extension Branding

Given the reach of UConn Extension and the broad range of programs offered, developing consistent branding and messaging helps raise awareness with internal and external stakeholders. In 2024, CAHNR Communications collaborated with UConn Extension leadership and University Communications to continue to elevate branding for external audiences and drill down on messaging and processes that raise awareness of Extension strengths within UConn as well. In 2025, CAHNR Communications is focused on working with UConn Extension to finalize Standard Operating Procedures for Extension branding, as well as explore ways to underscore UConn Extension’s vital role in fulfilling UConn’s land-grant mission.

UConn Extension wordmark

Looking Forward

In 2025, CAHNR Communications is focused on adapting and responding to changing needs and directives since the status quo is being challenged everywhere you look.

At UConn, there are significant changes on the horizon for the University’s digital presence. First, the requirements related to accessibility and ADA compliance will require significant effort from staff and faculty who manage websites. That effort will also need to be sustained in the future, so CAHNR Communications is developing supports to ensure our College community always has resources to navigate these changes.

Led by ITS, changes to the University’s approved web platform, Aurora WordPress, are also underway. As part of this transition, CAHNR Communications will begin to develop plans for a redesign of the College website and parent template. In an attempt to sync our College design upgrades with the University’s platform changes, CAHNR Communications will steadily work with departments and units to upgrade their sites on all fronts.

On a national scale, change and disruption to the norm seem to be a daily fact of life. Being prepared to respond at a moment’s notice will be a priority for CAHNR Communications. In many cases, these activities will fall within CAHNR’s Sensitive Communications Protocol, to ensure CAHNR leadership, faculty, and staff have the support they need to navigate unique situations and maintain their own, the College’s, and the University’s brand reputation.