The Office of External Relations (OER) at Botho University falls under the Pro Vice Chancellor, Internationalization and Communications. The office reports directly to the Deputy Vice Chancellor who is responsible for Communications and is headed at the (Assistant) Dean Level. OER connects the university with external stakeholders through its two sister departments: The Admissions Department and the Marketing and Communications Department.
The Admissions Department is responsible for recruitment of students while acting as a liaison between stakeholders and the university in all the countries where the university has a campus. ADM plans and attends student recruitment fairs, selling all programmes offered by the university on both Classroom Learning and Blended and Distance Learning modes. The office is also responsible for other key processes such students study breaks, termination and transfers between campuses, all of which are critical for a student’s welfare. Among the important stakeholders that ADM interacts with are sponsorship agencies. As an extension of this responsibility, ADM, in liaison with both the Information and Systems Department and the Accounts Office, takes care of invoicing and payment of students’ tuition by sponsors.
The mandate of the Marketing and Communications Department is advertising all programme offerings of the university and carrying out brand management in all the countries where the university has a campus. BU has a robust social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, alongside the website. These platforms are used to attract learners from across the globe, with a deliberate focus in Africa. All communication and use of the university logo pass through the MCD for verification. For this reason, MCD and ADM work closely together during the student recruitment process. MCD also manages contracts between the university and clients as well as overseeing the use of the university halls by the public. Another key stakeholder the office is responsible for is the media. Here, MCD coordinates all media placements and ensures proper public relations in liaison with the media.
