Monterey Peninsula College knows the value of marketing with print. In a time when budgets are tight and some colleges consider discontinuing printing and mailing their class schedules, Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) enthusiastically continues to use print. “At one point we tried to reduce the print run, eliminate the mass mailing and distribute the schedule as an insert in the local newspaper” says Richard Montori, MPC’s Public Information Officer. “We found that our enrollments suffered, so we’ve gone back to the tried and true method of printing and mailing. Now that the mailed version of the catalog is back, enrollments at the college are back on track, meeting our projections.” MPC learned that its students depend on, and look forward to receiving the printed schedule in the mail.

Richard, a Pacific Grove resident, has been with MPC for 35 years and has seen many changes in the production process of the class schedule. Today’s slick digital process is a far cry from the days of the analog workflow. Back then the system consisted of outputting the class information to tape, printing it in galley form and cutting and pasting to lay out camera-ready flats. “We made corrections with a single-line linotype typesetter,” said Richard, “we all got very skilled with an Exacto knife.”

A twist of fate started Rich on his marketing career. During his time attending Cal Poly in SLO., he had the opportunity to take an internship with the American Association of Junior and Community Colleges in Washington, D.C. This led him to a job at MPC. Richard moved to the Monterey Peninsula not knowing a soul, thinking that he would work for a couple of years and then move on. Thirty-five years later he is still at MPC working diligently to get the Schedule of Classes, and other information, into the Monterey Bay community. When not at work, he might be found working on his cabin in the Sierra Nevada Mountains or rooting on the Giants at Spring Training in Arizona. “It’s been a good ride” he quipped.

Four years ago the college was at a crossroads. “They tried to have an off-campus vendor produce the schedule, but without the knowledge of the college’s overall operation, the venture proved disastrous” commented Richard. “We brought the production back on-campus and recruited Jeanette Haxton to help out. She moved to the Public Information Office to take over the task. Having come from another office on campus, she understood the organizational process that was involved to produce the schedule of classes, but the process of design and layout was new to her. “Jeanette is very creative and an accomplished fine artist, but had no previous experience as a graphic artist,” explained Richard. “The learning curve was huge. She had to learn InDesign and the Adobe Suite on the run. Her growth has been tremendous and thanks to her the production runs very smoothly. All deadlines are met, and MPC has a useful, attractive, professional product.”