POP QUIZ
PM: Are promotional items a budgeting priority for the school? Why or why not?
Wilder: It probably varies, but there’s a concept relevant to this point that might be important to consider: Schools recognize that distributing promotional items [is] a common practice. But I think, too, that colleges are a bit different than some other organizations, in that our first priorities always center around using our resources in ways that support our academic mission most directly. In particular, we always have to be conscious that we are perceived as using financial resources responsibly. We’d never want people to walk away from an event saying, ‘Gee, they sure spent a lot of money giving these out!’ Vendors who recognize that and find ways to help us strike that balance are going to have a great advantage in the education market because it will really demonstrate that they get what we’re about.