As AUTM President Todd Sherer mentioned in his recent blog, the AUTM member survey provided valuable input for AUTM leadership.
As the AUTM VP for Communications and Marketing, I was pleased to see that the AUTM website and AUTM publications are highly valued. All of the AUTM committees that fall under communications are mining the member survey for insights on how we can improve our offerings, and we'll use your feedback as we plan future projects this year.
Because the member survey was distributed only a few weeks after we launched our completely revamped AUTM website, we plan to send out a separate survey that focuses exclusively on the AUTM website in the months ahead. We have heard from many who have said that the new website makes it easier to find information, but we are always looking for ways to improve the site and are looking forward to your continued suggestions.
In past surveys, you also told us that you value the member directory, the online discussion groups and the AUTM Update. We plan to launch a mobile version of the community section of the website this year, which means you'll have an even more convenient option for accessing both the member directory and the online discussion groups. We hope this change will make these tools even more valuable.
As for publications, you said you like the new online format of the Better World Report. You asked for more information on submitting stories and a way to create printouts based on searches. The Better World Report Committee has been working hard to promote story submissions encouraging AUTM members to submit stories. For the record, we accept stories year-round. Submit one today!
We've also spent the past year working on a new Better World Report database. This database will hold all of the previously published Better World Report stories, and will allow you to submit your own new stories. Then, when you have a meeting and you wish to show a constituent a sample of stories from your institution or even your state, you can search the database and print out a customizable leave-behind piece. The new AUTM Better World Report database is the next step in enabling you to tell the story of how technology transfer is making a difference in our lives.
We were pleased to learn that the majority of you highly regard the AUTM Technology Transfer Practice Manual. Based on the survey feedback, the TTP Manual Committee will spend some time this year evaluating how we might be able to make the TTP Manual searchable and easier to download and print.
We look forward to your continued feedback and suggestions.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Gottwald
AUTM VP for Communications and Marketing