Our Purpose
We tell Carleton’s story, energize and elevate the Carleton brand, and celebrate the impact of a Carleton education.
Our Principles
Our shared values derive from and are intended to support the mission of the College. The following principles guide us and illustrate how these values show up in our work.
- Foster curiosity. We engage in the academic process, valuing inquiry over ideology. We ask “why” and “how” of ourselves and our colleagues. We value good questions over simple answers. In the tradition of the liberal arts, we seek information and inspiration from diverse sources.
- Deliver excellent work, and with necessary context. The work we deliver to campus partners reflects our best work, is reviewed internally, and is delivered to campus partners with context and rationale to build trust and lend transparency.
- Use insights to inform decisions. As much as time and resources allow, we use data, analytics, context, available information, and knowledge of current and past practices to make recommendations and inform our decisions. We realize the power of trying new things when existing tactics are no longer relevant or meeting our goals.
- Be accountable. Just as we expect our campus partners to meet their deadlines, we meet ours. We communicate proactively when setbacks come up. If we make a misstep, we own it, communicate why, and learn from it. We build trust through accountability.
- Work and show up as a team. We are a collaborative team with a co-created process and shared leadership. This means we come to meetings with campus partners on the same page, with shared context and goals.
- Have a sense of humor. While we always strive to uphold the integrity of the College, we also aim to uphold a sense of humility and irreverence that makes Carleton unique. We are willing to laugh at ourselves and with each other. Rather than diminish the reputation of the College and the serious nature of the problems we face as a community, we know humor can humanize challenges and form bridges across differences.
- Make time for community building. We realize our best work comes from understanding the people we’re communicating to and with, and that engaging in conversations across campus and beyond takes time and effort. We show up for team meetings, staff events, campus lectures, student comps, Northfield festivities, and creative networking outside of our immediate community.
- Advance equity. We recognize that the greatest strength of Carleton is its community, and we contribute to a culture that ensures everyone can experience Carleton at its best. We welcome and celebrate individuals and amplify their talents as evidence of the enormous power of a Carleton education. We strive to be aware of our personal biases and build relationships that expand our own perspectives.
- Create fun! Part of our brand as a college is “not taking ourselves too seriously.” We welcome lightness and playful ideas that might just turn into the next beloved tradition.
Our Contributions
Our goals are tied directly to institutional priorities in service of Carleton as a whole. We operationalize the College’s annual communications plan and add value in the following ways:
- As strategic partners, we lean into “why?” and “how?” questions, focusing on goals before tactics.
- As communicators, we help distill key messages and proactively talk through setbacks, challenges, and underlying assumptions.
- As content creators, we draw inspiration widely to bring fresh ideas to our work.
- As collaborators, we work with our campus partners, and we show up prepared — for meetings, for new challenges, and for brainstorming sessions.
- As brand ambassadors of Carleton, we actively participate in college life, lean into new ideas, and are willing to go the extra mile to add a uniquely Carleton element of playfulness.
- As creatives, we give and receive feedback effectively and empathetically.
- As people, we respect our colleagues and the diversity of perspective and experiences we all bring.