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About SOU's new image manager Name : Kathryn Bazylewicz Education : bachelor's in communications and science and master's in public relations, both from Michigan State University. Experience : Most recently executive director of marketing and operations at the Michigan State University Consortium for Osteopathic Graduate Medical Education and Training in East Lansing, Mich.; previous jobs included director of marketing with the same MSU program; communications manager for Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange; public relations assistant at Mount Clemens General Hospital; and publicist for Visual Services, Inc., where she was responsible for media relations of a national public service campaign for Chrysler Motors Corp. Marketing exec will fill SOU job By DANI DODGE ASHLAND -- Southern Oregon University President Steven Reno chose a Michigan marketing executive to fill a new marketing and public relations position at the university. Kathryn Bazylewicz, 34, of Williamston, Mich., will be expected to boost the university's image and increase enrollment. She has 10 years' experience in marketing and public relations, five with a university organization. "We are moving toward an integrated marketing approach and she had the skills to do all three things: news and media, public relations, and marketing," said Mary Ellen Fleeger, executive dean to the president. "Her experience is really beneficial for us because this is a new approach we are taking." Bazylewicz said that she felt a lot of support for the position when she interviewed for the job. "I think it's a very good opportunity to showcase the experience that I have had over the past 10 years," she said. Bazylewicz will earn $48,500 in her new position. She begins July 15. Reno announced the decision Thursday. The search committee was unanimous in its recommendation of Bazylewicz, Fleeger said. "We are pleased to have someone with extensive experience in marketing for higher education as well as experience in the private and public sectors," Reno said. "She brings to Southern a broad understanding of the integrated marketing process, an ability to work with diverse constituencies, and a strong desire to live in Southern Oregon." For the last five years, Bazylewicz served as executive director of marketing and operations at the Michigan State University Consortium for Osteopathic Graduate Medical Education and Training in East Lansing, Mich. One of her duties was traveling around the country recruiting interns for the 16 hospitals in the consortium. In her cover letter to the university, Bazylewicz asserted: "Through presentation and focus groups, creation of award-winning promotional materials, and the development of a student and intern database, I have been successful in increasing the number of medical students selecting one of Michigan's (16 hospitals in the consortium) by 121 percent in a five-year period." Reno said the university has been considering the new marketing position about four years. But now that university funding is based on student enrollment, it's more important than ever to broaden the scope of the university's outreach. Reno said sometimes even people in the community don't realize the quality of programs at Southern Oregon University. With the creation of the new marketing and public relations office, the university will dissolve the news service office. Tony Boom, who led the office, will leave June 30, Fleeger said. Boom, who graduates with his master's degree in communications on June 12, plans to pursue communications consulting and photography locally, Fleeger said. Bazylewicz said she and her husband, a high school teacher and a head football coach, have been looking for a new part of the country to live in. She said they decided Oregon was their top choice, after visiting the Portland area. They are excited about moving to Southern Oregon because of the outdoor opportunities in the area. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA