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Michelle Bartonico ’08 has been named assistant vice president for Strategic Communications and Marketing (SCM).

Bartonico previously led the department as director. Under her leadership, the department launched a spirit campaign that produced “Maroon Fridays” and the #TigerPride hashtag, revamped-and continues to optimize-the University website, and developed a strategic partnership with Enrollment Management to strengthen market position and improve student recruitment.

The university has seen a dramatic increase in applications, with the largest application pool this year at more than 8,600 applicants for the class of 2022. This most recent class is also the strongest academically in recent memory: 34 percent of applicants were accepted, compared to 38 percent in 2017 and 41 percent in 2016.

Now, as AVP, Bartonico’s title change mirrors SCM’s evolving charge.

“Going forward, we are going to push the envelope to help the University achieve its vision,” Bartonico says. “We are going—and it will be demanded of us—to do things differently than we’ve done before. We’ll have to ask hard questions, come up with answers, and continue to innovate, all in pursuit of moving the University forward along our strategic plan. Together, with our students, fellow departments and faculty—the heart of our University—we’re going to keep creating a better, stronger market position for this University and for our brand.”

As a �԰����� student, Bartonico majored in history with a double minor in communication and Spanish, played for the golf team, and joined Sigma Theta Tau. After graduation, Bartonico worked her way through a series of positions in the fields of communication, marketing, and advertising.  As a communications and project management professional (PMP) with a specific interest in neuromarketing, Bartonico applies these skills to help inspire her team.

During her four-plus years at the helm of SCM, Bartonico has applied those skills to help the department grow from offering about five services to more than a dozen, ranging from market research to web design and development to user experience.

“We’ve been evolving into the department we are now,” Bartonico says. “It’s important for us to keep telling �԰�����’s story - with words and numbers and design- to further exemplify all the things that �԰����� has been doing for 150 years. That includes our commitment to teaching and the personal attention that our students and faculty both want. That student-faculty relationship is at the heart of the experience that we offer.”

“We have to bring this information out of the �԰����� bubble and into the community,” Bartonico says of �԰�����’s future.  

You can reach Michelle on Twitter @mlbarto or via email at mmccullo@trinity.edu.