Photo courtesy of Jay Dedrick |
| Dedrick |
Jay Dedrick, a former Rocky Mountain News journalist and an award-winning writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience in public communication, will oversee the development of the University of Colorado's systemwide faculty and staff newsletter.
Dedrick also worked as a features and entertainment editor and writer at the Boulder Daily Camera and developed a business blog for Colorado Biz magazine focusing on the state's pioneering and booming craft brewing industry.
"We could not be happier to have someone of Jay's caliber on staff," said CU President Bruce D. Benson. "He brings the journalist's gift for storytelling, the feature writer's eye for detail, and the business reporter's sense of enterprise and Web development - all skills he will need to help us evolve our newsletter into a compelling communication tool for our faculty and staff."
Dedrick will spend the coming weeks producing the Faculty and Staff Newsletter while assessing CU's communication needs through survey research and interviews with key individuals and groups. The newsletter (which the university community will help rename), replaces the Silver & Gold Record, which the university eliminated in June due to budget cuts.
As system administration's new internal communications manager, Dedrick will help CU develop its Web-based newsletter, which will be the university's main mode of communication with 24,000 employees on its four distinct campuses. Dedrick began Aug. 27.
"I'm excited to be part of a team that tells stories about the vital contributors to a great institution, and that also meets demand for good information," Dedrick said. "I'll be working to provide a vehicle for staff and faculty members throughout the system to connect with one another and with the president's office. This is a special opportunity to collaborate with a community and help deliver content that's useful, enlightening and hopefully, at times, fun."
Dedrick, who earned a bachelor's degree in technical journalism at Colorado State University, has won many journalism accolades, including first-place awards for feature writing from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards, the Colorado Press Association and the Wyoming Press Association.
A Colorado native, Dedrick grew up in the Denver area. He currently resides in Broomfield, Colo., with his wife, Melissa, and his daughter, Sophie, who is almost 2 years old.
