University of Iowa’s vice president of communication leaving

IOWA CITY - Less than two years after the University of Iowa introduced Joseph Brennan as its new vice president for strategic communication, Brennan on Thursday announced he's leaving for a similar position at the University of Albany in New York.

Brennan, after joining the UI on Aug. 31, 2013, led the university's communications staff and was responsible for 'steering consistent and successful messaging” from the institution in conjunction with its 11 colleges. He led the university's marketing push to increase overall and resident enrollment after the Board of Regents approved a proposed change in funding that would have tied a majority of state Brennan sent a message to his colleagues Wednesday sharing his next career move.

'You have been great people to work with,” he wrote in an email.

He told The Gazette in an email the decision was not an easy one.

'I've come to love the University of Iowa, but the opportunity at UAlbany is a great fit for me professionally,” he said. 'It's a chance to work for a dynamic new president and help elevate the reputation of a very good university. It also brings us closer to our family and friends in upstate New York.”

Brennan said he's proud of what his team at Iowa has accomplished, 'promoting the university's reputation, conducting a comprehensive marketing campaign that helped drive 15 percent growth in freshmen applications, strengthening the university's relationships with the news media, expanding the strategic use of social and digital media, and building the team in the Office of Strategic Communication.”

According to a news release from the University of Albany, Brennan will become vice president for communications and marketing for the school, effective Aug. 10. The move is return to New York for Brennan who spent five years before coming to Iowa as associate vice president for university communications for the University of Buffalo.

He also has served in executive communication roles at Ohio University, University of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., and the University of Toledo in Ohio.

In the news release, Brennan said, 'I'm very excited to be joining the University of Albany and am impressed by its academic quality, friendly people, and ambitious vision.”

'I am looking forward to working with President Jones, his outstanding executive team, and my new colleagues in communications and marketing to tell the university's story in a way that enhances its reputation and helps garner the additional students and resources it needs,” he said.

University of Albany President Robert Jones, in the release, called Brennan an 'established senior leader in higher education strategic communications.”

He brings 'a myriad of communications experience encompassing research, public relations, government relations, marketing and brand management, employee communications, digital and social media, and development/fundraising,” Jones said.

Brennan earned a doctorate in English from the State University of New York, a master's degree in marketing from the University of the Pacific, and a bachelor's degree in English and psychology from Wayne State University.

His current salary at UI is listed at $226,600.