00:07 BROOM: Hi, I'm Cheryl Broom, CEO of Graduate Communications. The Higher Education Coffee and Conversation podcast is dedicated to exploring issues of importance to staff and faculty who work at community colleges and universities. Today's guest has decades of experience serving as a communications leader in higher education and in the private industry. Before her retirement earlier this year, she served as Vice President of University Advancement for CSU San Marcos, where she was responsible for division oversight of advancement communications alumni engagement events. During her tenure, Kathy oversaw a 15-million-dollar comprehensive campaign. The first for the university. She also successfully navigated a number of crises, including natural disasters and crises of confidence, and worked tirelessly to integrate marketing and advancement into the culture of the university and into all of its communications.
Thank you so much for joining me today on this beautiful afternoon. I am really excited to have you on the podcast, and I'm particularly excited to start off by talking about your career. I noticed a couple of weeks ago a big announcement on social media that you're retiring after a really amazing and successful career in the CSU system. So, let's start off by telling me about that...
01:31 BAYER: Well, thanks so much, Cheryl, it's a pleasure to be here with you. Now, I've really had a great career. Over the last 12 years, I've been at Cal State San Marcos, serving in a couple of different roles as the Associate Vice President for Communications, that's the role I was hired into, and then for the last four years as Vice President for University Advancement. I've had a long and varied career. I think the epitome of having someone that has had a career, experience, if you will, really having leveraged different positions and having worked in both public and private sector. I am really happy to be able to conclude my career with Cal State San Marcos. It's kind of like coming full circle. I started my career in public relations communications as an intern at my university, Cal State Fresno, in the communications office. And I was really excited when I went, came to work at the university here, and to wrap it up, it just... Really seems like it's coming full circle.
02:45 BROOM: Oh, that's fantastic. And I think I'm going to start off our discussion by asking the question that every other community college marketer probably wants to ask. What is it like to market for a four-year? Do you just have huge budgets and pockets of money and resources? Tell me what it was like in your department...
03:07 BAYER: Well, and actually, I have to say, I look at community colleges and go, “Wow, they have a lot of budget for marketing! How can I get some of this.” I think the reality is when you're working for a public institution, budget is always an issue, and we have had a very small budget for advertising. Looking at that, one of the benefits I think, of being part of this system is that we have always been an in-demand institution, fortunately or unfortunately, we have not had to expend a lot of dollars to get those students in the door. But one of the things that is limited, it the amount of money that the institution was really investing, I'll say in that reputation development for Cal State San Marcos. We had students, but we really weren't working at getting the name out there. One of the things when I first came on board was that San Marcos was known as the best kept secret in North San Diego County. One of the things that I think has been important in looking at how we leverage the little amount of money that we had for marketing was looking at public relations, looking at more of how we can tell our own story, and then really working to try and ensure that we got to that integrated marketing communications effort.
04:55 BROOM: Interesting that you say, Cal State San Marcos was known as the best kept secret, because when I started at MiraCosta, which for those listening is only about 11 miles from where Kathy works, we were known as the best kept secret. So I think in higher education, I hear it from colleges across the United States, that there's this perception that the community just doesn't know enough about them, and I always admire your work at CSU, especially the story. I've subscribed to your e-newsletter and just loved the PR, the rich storytelling culture that you have developed during your time there.
05:43 BAYER: Thank you. And I think that that is really key when you start looking at the Integrated Marketing Communications, which is something that I am such a huge fan for, I think we've all picked up a collateral piece from a university, and it could be any university, anywhere in the country, maybe the scene changes a little bit and you might be able to distinguish it as an East Coast school or a Wessel because of some of the pictures, but it doesn't really tell the story about that institution, it may lack authenticity, because it's produced by maybe some folks that aren't familiar with the institution. So when we start thinking about that integrated marketing communication, really what it is, is getting down to the core of what the key messages are for the institution and ensuring from whether it's the president making a speech in the community to the communications department, writing an article about a student success, to creating a collateral piece that's really going to market the university, that it all has that same message. One of the things that I like to say is, you know, you're doing a good job with your branding and with your integrated communications, when somebody can pick up a collateral piece or somebody can see a poster from across the room and just by the stylist know, “Oh, that's Cal State San Marcos,” or “That's MiraCosta,” a community college, because you've been so consistent in your messaging.
07:31 BROOM: Now, that's something that when we were talking before the podcast that you really homed in on that you really believe deeply…integrated marketing. What did that look like at CSU when you came on board? The college was pretty new, I think... How long has it been around? About 30 years now, 25.
BAYER: Yes, we just celebrated our 30-year anniversary last year.
BROOM: Which is hard to believe, because I remember when San Marcos was chosen as a site for a new CSU, and I don't feel like that was 30 years ago, but it was... So you were able to really build a communications department and sell this idea of integrated marketing. How did you go about doing that?
BAYER: Well, I think you start by first showing how that integrated marketing communication is really going to leverage your dollar by combining forces, delivering that consistent message, you're really generating a cost savings because you don't have to expend as much to get the message across because everything is running and see.
08:43 BAYER: You meld all aspects of your marketing communications together and you really start to reap the benefit, and I think that those were some of the things that came across early on, and people could really see the advantage in it.
08:59 BROOM: You had mentioned when we were talking earlier that the role of communications and enrollment management has changed at the university, particularly in recent months, what role does the communication department and play in enrollment management? What does that look like?
09:18 BAYER: One of the things that I've been really happy to see, particularly over the last several months, is that our communications efforts have really been able to impact the messaging that we are doing in enrollment management, that we're able to review and provide feedback and input on everything from the simple list letter that's going out to a student or encouraging different kinds of communications, maybe to family members or other audiences that need to know about the enrollment management cycle. In doing so, I think we're really taking a much more holistic look at our students and thinking about the messaging that they're receiving throughout what will call the student life cycle, and when we're looking at that student life cycle, we're thinking about it from a perspective of a student in third grade that makes a visit to the college to experience with the college campus is like all the way through to our alumni. And, as I like to say, to the point when those alumni become donors to the university. And, if we're focused on ensuring that throughout that life cycle, people are getting the same messaging and that they're experiencing the university in that same manner, we're really building a brand loyalty, where we're creating an environment that gains an additional commitment to the university.
10:56 BROOM: I love that holistic approach to marketing and communications because I feel that one way that four-year universities really hit the mark where sometimes community colleges miss is in building that brand loyalty and starting from a young age and continuing after somebody leaves the university, where community colleges are so focused on enrollment gains semester-to-semester. There isn't that long-term commitment to building a relationship with individuals and building that brand loyalty, so I think there's a lot to learn. We have a lot to learn in that area, and I think one of the advantages that you might have is the fact that your department is set up as an advancement model, which we don't see a lot of at community colleges. Now, you're the Vice President of Advancement. So your role has shifted a little bit, so tell me a little bit about the advancement model, what you do now, what the department looks like, and how you can weave this holistic messaging through the student life side cycle, just in the way that you're set up to communicate.
12:10 BAYER: So, at our university, the advancement office really looks at every element that is part of furthering the institution, and that's part of this division, so that means that communications is one very important arm of university advancement. We also have alumni engagement as another arm, and then the development function all housed under one division, so we're really impacting that messaging of that student messaging of the entire life cycle for the student, which I think becomes key when you're looking at building the relationship and then getting it to that fundraising piece of it. From a communication perspective, we're touching all of our audiences, whether they be students, families, community members that are interested in the success of the university, as well as those board members that are participating actively in serving the institution and our alumni. So, we've got that consistent message, messaging happening, we are working on programming that engages students, alumni, donors, and then we have the development piece of it, which is really where we're doing the philanthropic efforts.
BROOM: I love that you are the head of advancement with the background in communications.
13:55 BAYER: When I first assumed the role, there were a couple of things that I was concerned about, but one of the things that I very quickly learned is that within development, it's all about the relationships, and in my previous roles from the communications and marketing, it was all about the relationships and understanding the needs of the audience and being able to build and communicate from that perspective, so development is so closely aligned with the public relations aspect. And one of the things when I first stepped into this role, and it wasn't a role that I had ever thought I would pursue was, I know how I was going to feel about that whole concept of asking people for money. People always say, Oh, you have to ask people for money when you're in development, but one of the things I learned early on, if you're doing this job right, you're not asking people for money, you're really working with an individual to understand how they want to have an impact with their money, and that you're helping them fulfill a dream in many cases, of having an impact on your institution, so it's really more about dream fulfillment then asking people for money.
15:27 BAYER: Certainly, you can do those one-time ask where somebody's gonna give you 100, but they're really not invested in your institution if that's all you're doing, but if you work with a donor that envisions having an impact on... Maybe they have a particular interest in foster youth, and they want to do something to help those youth, and you can help them fulfill that vision that they have, then you're gaining somebody who's going to be a supporter of your institution for the rest of their lives.
16:01 BROOM: Of that perspective, because it's not just trying to get a gift from someone, but it's also giving them a gift as well.
16:11 BAYER: Absolutely. And again, if you approach it with that, fulfilling what does a donor a want to do with their money … that's impactful for them. What resonates with them? You really bring success to this whole effort, you know you do have to say, Okay, let's get this put on paper and get this gift agreement sign, but by the time you get there, they're begging to do it because they're so excited about what they're going to be able to do to help your institution.
16:50 BROOM: Now with an advancement model like yours, how do you prioritize within your department, because I'm envisioning that you've got alumni affairs, you have development, you have a PIO, you've marketing communications, it's like a big boxing ring for Bayer, people wanting a piece of you, or a piece of the college. How do you prioritize? Where does that come from?
17:20 BAYER: Well, I think... Well, when you have to have really great leaders right below you so that they're able to fulfill, but you also have to look at how integrated everything is, I really think that it's not working in Alumni, working on a project with alumni in isolation, it's... How does everything work together, if Communications is working on a project, it's likely going to involve development and alumni, so everything's blending together, so that all are a part of it. I will say that depending on whatever season it is, there's times when one area over another will take precedence, and when you're dealing with communications, if you have those crisis or issues that pop up dealing with that crisis or issues from a communications perspective is going to take priority. But then you're also looking at it from a development perspective and an alumni perspective of how this will impact those audiences and when do I need to move them in. What is the message to those audiences look like that about whatever the particular issue is? And when and how do we share that with them?
18:46 BROOM: Now, speaking of crises… We are right in the middle of one right now, of several, and one of the things that I think you've had to deal with that most community colleges haven't, and I say most, because some community colleges have on-campus housing, but not a lot of them, but you as a CSU system, you have dorms and students living near campus on campus, what has it been like in dealing with COVID and moving remotely and shutting the campus down... How did that look for you?
19:23 BAYER: I think... And probably for all of us, it was pretty amazing how we all came together to make things happen in a very short period of time, I think we had about four days where we transitioned from in-person communication to virtual... Within our housing, we had to work with the students to shut it down, in essence for... Except for a very small number of students that have maintained residents in the student housing, it was looking at what do our students need and how do we make sure that they have it, everything from the technology to... If they were going to be staying in our housing, fortunately our housing is all set up apartment style, so there were kitchens there within each unit, but ensuring that they had necessary resources, and then as we get into the students that are in housing, how do we ensure that they're able to either stay with an above or socially distance.
20:36 BROOM: Your campus is so beautiful and new, only being 30 years old, and it's such a big part of the identity of a student … the campus that they go to, so I imagine losing that connection is going to be a little difficult in building that Affinity and Brand Loyalty. Is your communications department doing anything different this next year, or is messaging shifting?
21:46 BAYER: Well, one of the things that we did differently is when we look at our discovery day and orientation, we've had one of our staff members and communications who is also an alumni, and I'm really proud of the number of alumni that we've been able to bring into our communications office, because I think that really helps with our storytelling, do some video points around campus, like little feature points and really talk about what it's like to be a student on campus and what students can expect, so really trying to find those opportunities to engage from a virtual perspective, and one of the things that has really emerged as a lot of just, I'll say one-on-one connections with students, whether those are calls from staff members or faculty members or alumni even, to make sure that we're not only checking on the student, but making sure, that they understand what it's like to be a co-state cameras. So, I think those are certainly some changes that have come about in our communications much more individualized and looking for those opportunities to engage students on a small scale.
22:26 BROOM: And you've definitely had some experience when it comes to crisis communication...
22:30 BAYER: Yes, for better or worse. We have had our share of interesting moments.
BROOM: Tell me a little bit about what you've had to deal with over your career because it's been substantial, and I've watched from afar and I actually learn lessons from how you dealt with certain crises, and I think that a lot of listeners will get a lot out of your lessons as well.
BAYER: Well, I'll start with one that was not one that you could have necessarily predicted, but for me, it really showed the impact of social media, and that was several years ago, we had a major fire, a major wildfire in San Diego County, and it was just... I think about two or three days before our commencement ceremonies in May, we had to evacuate the campus, it was during finals week. Immediately evacuate the campus, go into shut down mode and reschedule our commencement ceremony when the evacuation order came. The hills behind the university were on fire. The communication team and I immediately went to our Emergency Operation Center and began communicating and... in the emergency model, there's maybe two folks that are in there from communications, we had four folks and it took every last one of us. We had somebody that was just monitoring social media, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram for messages and responding almost immediately to that, we had other individuals that were getting messages up onto the website as fast as we could and working and crafting those... We had our PIO that was feeling just all kinds of media calls and inquiries and doing the interviews, and then I was... At that point, I was the AVP for communication, and I was liaison with the executive team on what those decisions were going to be made as far as how we were going to handle finals, grading, commencement ceremonies. And it really was a time when you could see the importance of communications and the ability to work with social media to quickly identify that kind of rumor mill and be able to counter it and or get information out there to fill a void very quickly.
25:34 BROOM: Now, I had paid attention to your response to the fires in particular, because I was at MiraCosta at that time, and our academic calendar was a week behind yours, so whatever you guys put out, we're like, Okay, what's Cal State San Marcos doing? The college said or something had been said about coming with being cancelled as postponed and people lost it on social media.
26:05 BAYER: Exactly. We knew we needed to, I think it was like that evening, we knew we needed to let folks know what was happening with Commencement, but we were in the middle of the fire and you really couldn't predict how long is this going to last. So, when we announced the ceremonies would be cancelled for that that weekend, it really was... It was just like, Oh my gosh, how can you possibly do this? And you have to understand our student population, over 50% are there first and families to graduate from college. When you see our commencement ceremony, it is packed and it's an achievement not only for that student, but for an entire family, and we have thousands and thousands of folks that come to each of those ceremonies and it's so heart-warming. So, this was a moment in time that people were afraid was going to be taken from them very quickly, we were able to come back and say... We will have a commencement ceremony, we just have to look at the timing, and fortunately, in the next couple of days, it became a point where we could have the commencement ceremonies the next week.
27:28 BAYER: Now, what that meant from a communications perspective, we already have all of these commencement programs printed with wrong dates at this point, we have all of these vendors, etcetera, that had been canceled, but everybody worked tired tirelessly to get that rescheduled for this next week, and we actually turn that into a messaging and media opportunity for us, as soon as we were able to get back on campus, we had stickers that were printed and a social media find flag that went out that said “it's on” and smiling graduates with the new dates. When we got back on campus, we had had all these stickers printed and a special insert developed to go into the program that highlighted the fire that basically would become a history of what it happened the weekend that commencement was supposed to be in place. So, we did a big sticker-ing party and labeling all of those commencement programs, putting the insert in there, got a lot of media that came out and covered that, and it enabled us to start, I'll say, more on that healing factor of getting over the fire and the trauma that had happened with that and setting on the road to getting to that happy place that was commencement and really brought the campus community together, working on that little project.
29:08 BROOM: I took away a big lesson. We were really lucky that we didn't have to cancel our ceremonies, and for those people listening, the fire, the fire was burning on your campus, like I remember seeing it from the freeway, I think I was out in San Marcos, and it was literally that hill behind the police department, the whole hill was on fire, it was crazy, and we had students from San Marcos sho lost their homes. Then, the fire came through San Marcos into Carlsbad. It jumped the freeway, it was a major, major, major fire. So, we watched it from afar, and we did have to reschedule finals, I actually think our decision to leave it up to faculty, and most faculty chose that if the student wanted to take the final exam to improve their grade, they could. Otherwise, they'd be given the grade that they had in the class up until that point. But, I do remember the announcement on social media and saying, Okay, that one word sparked a lot of anger because the population... it means so much to them. And, so, I think it was an important lesson on training something in a way that makes people feel that it's still going to happen or their accomplishments are still going to be recognized, and there wasn't any way for you to know that at the time.
30:33 BAYER: But I think that's a lesson that a lot of people have learned from that. Feeding off of that, we remember that lesson when it came to how we were going to handle this year and our commencement ceremonies, and the decision that they were not going to be able to take place in May, and that came out very clearly in the messaging that our president shared, which was, it's not cancelled, it's just... Not now, but it will be happening. And even with COVID-19, we were able to put something together, the county had started to open up just a little bit, we put together a parade that graduating students could come through in their cars, everybody keeping socially distance, we... We had signs printed that students could then put in their yard that said Proud 2020 graduate, but that day was so exciting for so many, getting to see the pride that our students took and the joy that they got to have in doing some little piece of celebration for the commencement this year.
32:01 BROOM: Now, besides the fire, you had a... This will be our last crisis we talk about...
There was a big crisis of confidence earlier this year with some improper spending that had been uncovered. How did that come about? How was that uncovered? And tell me a little bit about that.
32:09 BAYER: To set the scene just a little bit. We had had a change in leadership. Beginning in last July, we had a new president that had come on board, replacing our former President, who had been there for quite some time, had had been the longest serving president of our campus. Our new President arrives, and probably within that first week or so, we received whistle-blower complaint alleging some fiscal improprieties with Our dean of extended learning. That whistle blower letter or one probably very close to it, was also sent to the local media, to the Union Tribune, and we received a Public Records Act request. When we received the letter, the president immediately had referred it to our central office, the Chancellor's Office, and had requested an investigation based on what was in the letter, the media request. We responded to our media requests, obviously, and begin working through all of that. One of the things I think that was very important and that our president did very well, particularly as a new president, she took the allegation seriously, she immediately took action, was very open in the communications to the campus community as well as to the community as a whole...
34:07 BAYER: And I think in any of these kinds of crises, honesty, accountability and timeliness in your message are critical because you have to build, build trust, and because the president was willing to deal with this head-on and acknowledge that we didn't have as tight of controls as we should have... That we did need to make changes and that she was making those changes. We weathered that storm very, very well. And I think one of the other key things and weathering that storm, in addition to being very public with everything that we were doing was ensuring that we kept those advocates for the university up-to-date and that we kept... We made the effort to reach out to the group, I'll say the insiders, and those being your Board members, your academic senate leadership, and advising them, when we knew something major was going to be coming out in the paper, you also never know exactly when it's going to be happening, but if you're doing the interviews and you're responding to the reporter and they're saying, Okay, we expect it's going to run on whatever date it is, if you can let them let folks know so that they aren't picking up the newspaper and reading something in at first, before you've been able to share it with them and sharing it with them honestly, and what angle you think they're going be taking in the reporting, it proves very beneficial. I'm proud to say that because of the approach, because of the transparency, because of the commitment to ensuring that we have better practices, it didn't impact our donors from a perspective of folks losing confidence, people stood by as they acknowledge that these things happen in organizations, but it's how you respond to it, that's as even more important.
36:25 BROOM: I can really see the advantage of the integrated communication model and the advancement model in this particular instance, because not only do you have clearly to communicate to the public, but you also need to let your donors know that the institution is taking it seriously, that they are still an institution that they should give to, there is still a need for students. You have to let your internal folks know what's going on in particular, those people who might have been involved in the whistle blowing. So, there's so many different audiences you have to make sure that you communicate to and with and having that centralized communication function probably really helped make that message clear and consistent.
37:16 BAYER: Absolutely, and I think when you're looking at all of those different audiences, you always have to look at who is the right person to deliver the message, and what form does it need to take? Is it something that needs to be done in person? Or is it something that can go to somebody via a letter... I know that for the article before the evening before our audit was released and the President had seen what it was going to contain, we spent that night making calls to donors, giving them that heads up. Now, that wasn't something that a staff member could do, it needed to be the president, and it needed to be her, that was saying, Here's what we're going to do, here's what this is going to say, And here's the action that we've already taken.
38:21 BROOM: A really, really, really good lesson. And actually, a question that I get quite frequently with crisis communication is who should be your spokesperson, and there are sometimes where the only person who can be the spokesperson is the President.
39:07 BAYER: Absolutely, yeah, so no matter how trained you are, it's not appropriate for the AVP or VP of advancement or PIO to be calling donors following an audit, that's something that the president can do... Both of the presidents have been so fantastic, in fundraising and in those donor relations, when do you put the President in front of a donor...I like to say that there are donors that you know need to have that presidential touch, certainly, if this is a donor that's getting ready to make a major donation to the university, and when you think about it, if it's an investment for the donor, it's an investment, and if you are going to be making an investment in a business, you would not only want to know what the product was that the business was doing, but what the operations were like and what the leadership is like, because again, it gets down to relationships and that donor wants to feel comfortable with the leadership style, the leadership commitment, the leadership vision of the president. I like to say that the president working with it, coming in with a donor, if you're looking at that stage of a cycle, I would never let my president make an ask of a donor, if I didn't already know that it was going to be a... Yes, so you've already done that leg work, the groundwork, the donor is really ready to make the gift or maybe has already indicated to you that they are going to, but then they have that opportunity to be with the President and to talk about their vision for the gift and the president to talk about what the impact of that gift is going to have on the institution, and then they're able to...the President can close the deal. And you already know what the outcome is going to be. You never want to have your president ask and be told no.
40:47 BROOM: Right, probably not a good reflection on you... And one of the other things that I think that you have done really well, and I'm not sure how this fits into your role, is alumni relations, and I know there's been a big investment in an alumni association, that's something that a lot of community colleges are just starting to explore is how to build a culture of philanthropy, starting from when somebody is a student, do you have any advice to give around that.
41:23 BAYER: And it really is important that you start day one with building that culture of philanthropy, but as students, they have an opportunity to participate in the Giving, Giving Day has been just really a great tool that we have used over the years, and we put into place a student Philanthropy Council that helps us with running that, and then we have had our foundation board have taken such an active role by providing matching gifts, so the students are really seeing the impact of their gift, the fact that donors are investing with them, and then as they become alumni, it becomes natural then for them to want to provide that same kind of opportunity that the other generation had provided to them. We've really started working with any of our students that are receiving scholarships, they are sending thank you letters, we have every year progress report, particularly on our endowments that talk about how they're doing, and then showcase the students. The donors are provided an opportunity to meet the students. For the students, they are then able to see, this is the individual that someday I can become and be giving back to my institution, and when we always talk with them about that, you're getting this opportunity now, when you become an alumni and you become successful in your career, you need to think about giving that back to the students that are coming behind you, and it's been amazing to see how that grows, it's been amazing to see the participation of our alumni in our foundation board and in those kinds of activities.
43:31 BAYER: But I think you really... You can't wait to build that relationship after the student is gone, they have to be building that the entire time that they're with you.
43:44 BROOM: And it's a real long-term investment, it's not something that you can set up this year and expect to see results in a year is something you have to dedicate yourself to.
43:57 BAYER: And that's very true, and you have to respect and acknowledge the 5 gifts, the 10 gifts today that will someday turn into the 50,000, the 100,000, the million dollar gifts of tomorrow, because of those donors that are young in their giving cycle, don't feel appreciated. They're going stop giving. So, it's really important to understand that small donors become the big donors of tomorrow.
44:31 BROOM: Well, you've had such an amazing career and been able to... It's funny as communicators who are like, Wow, she's so lucky, she's had all these crises, but Definitely challenging and being able to grow from it and offer great experience. Now that you're retiring, Is there anything in particular that you're going to miss?
BAYER: I think it's that having the opportunity to create something new every day, whether that's being involved in a message or having an opportunity to review a collateral piece or design a strategy to work with... I work with a donor, I've always said that being in communications, being a marketing, being in public relations are the most fun jobs you can possibly have because you do get to create and you get to experiment and you get to try new things. So... I will miss that aspect, but I'll probably incorporate it into a number of different hobbies in the interim, but I think having the ability to create something and then see the impact and the success that can come from it.
45:51 BROOM: I'm speaking of creating... You're going to be creating wine.
45:57 BAYER: With my husband and really having a good time with that. We planted some vines. We had our first small harvest last fall, and it inspired us to plant quite a few more, so we have about 300 vines here in Valley Center, and so I've actually been having fun creating all of the collateral to go with the Bower Vineyard, it is... I'll look at doing marketing for that.
46:29 BROOM: A different type of marketing, making labels, and maybe one day your wine will be the center pieces of an alumni event or...
46:39 BAYER: Yeah, that’s a wonderful... And you'll at least have to come have a taste out on the
Veranda...
46:45 BROOM: Oh, I love it, I love it. I can't wait, I can't wait to get back out. And I have always loved the beautiful events on the campus that have been to your... I think you had a 1960s night. I got my hair done and a Big Bouffant and it was really fun.
47:07 BAYER: Yeah, we've always had a good time with those. And I think that was one of the things that when we looked at our galas, because we have a young alumni base, is making sure that they felt comfortable, and there was that element of fun and enjoyment and coming to the galas. So that was something that we were always keeping in mind when we were putting the planning together for them, super fun. And, on the flip note, now that you're approaching retirement and about to make wine and do all these fun things, and anything you're happy to leave behind, the crises do, whether you... Any time there's a threat to the campus community, that was always something that weighs very, very heavily on me, glad that that is something that I'm going to be able to put behind me, if you will. Although if anything happens on campus, I'm going be such a part of that campus for many, many more years, years to come, but I think having to deal with the day-to-day stresses of that and the stresses of what will our budget look like, what will the state be able to provide? And glad that that era is going to be done for me.
48:30 BROOM: The uncertainties and there's definitely a lot... And particularly in communications, when you're doing your job really well, most people don't know what you deal with every single day, on how many things have happened that nobody heard of because they were solved, and the college moved on to the next thing. Well, you've done a great job and it's been such a delight to talk to you and learn more about your career and have you share some of your insights, and I really appreciate the time that you took.
49:03 BAYER: Well, thank you, so it's such an honor to get to kind of wrap up my career and spend this time talking with you, I really enjoyed it.
49:12 BROOM: Well, thank you so much and... Save me a bottle of wine.
BAYER: Absolutely.
BROOM: Alright, Cathy, I hope to talk to you soon, alright, bye.
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