GradComm
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GradComm is a marketing and branding agency that works exclusively with community colleges and public education partners.
06/18/2026
Get to know the people behind the work at GradComm ✨
What if the biggest challenge facing higher education isn't enrollment? 👀
☝️ What if it's a trust problem?
For years, colleges have promised students a better future.
☑️ Earn a degree.
☑️ Get a good job.
☑️ Change your life.
But today's students and families are asking harder questions. They want proof that the investment is worth it. They want to know what the experience will actually be like. And whether colleges can deliver on the promises they make.
In the latest episode of Higher Ed Conversations, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom explains why rebuilding trust requires more than strong messaging. It requires creating an exceptional student experience at every stage of the journey.
Because every email, phone call, advising appointment, campus visit, and classroom experience shapes how students perceive your institution.
🎧 Listen to the full episode: https://gradcomm.com/podcast-ep-79-quick-take-higher-ed-has-a-math-problem/
06/16/2026
This year, several of our partners were recognized with awards for standout marketing campaigns. While the trophies are exciting, what matters most is what these campaigns teach us about connecting with students, building trust, and driving results.
We took a closer look at what made this year’s award-winning work so successful—and the key lessons other institutions can apply to their own marketing efforts.
Read more: https://gradcomm.com/blog-from-strategy-to-standout-what-this-years-award-winning-work-got-right/
Congratulations again to our outstanding partners:
🏆 Inland Empire/Desert Regional Consortium
🏆 Cuesta College
🏆 Cerritos College
🏆 Lake Tahoe Community College
🏆 Mt. Hood Community College
🏆 Shasta College
We're proud to support your work and celebrate your success.
We partnered with Irvine Valley College to create a video celebrating 40 years of student success, community impact, and educational excellence.
We know anniversaries are more than milestones. They’re a reminder of the lives, opportunities, and futures shaped through education.
We’re proud to help colleges tell stories that honor their legacy while inspiring the next generation of students.
🎥 Want to see more of our work? Check out our full video portfolio on YouTube and learn more about what we do: GradComm Video Portfolio
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06/07/2026
It’s graduation season, and we’re celebrating the incredible accomplishments of our staff, family, and friends as they reach new milestones and take the next step toward their futures. 🎓✨
Meet Dylan Fenton, nephew to GradComm's Corey Paul.
This spring, Dylan graduated from Chapman University Argyros College of Business & Economics, earning his degree in business. He is now preparing for an exciting new chapter as he heads to West Palm Beach to begin his career with Goldman Sachs.
Dylan’s hard work, dedication, and ambition have led him to this incredible milestone, and we can’t wait to see all that he accomplishes in the years ahead.
Congratulations, Dylan, on this well-deserved achievement! 👏
It’s graduation season, and we’re celebrating the accomplishments of our GradComm community as they reach new milestones and continue building toward bright futures. 🎓✨
Please join us in congratulating our intern, Alexis Cabrera, on earning his Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Fullerton this spring!
Alexis’ educational journey began in the community college system, where he attended Fullerton College and Cypress College before transferring to Cal State Fullerton. His path reflects the determination, resilience, and hard work that have brought him to this exciting milestone.
We’re proud to celebrate Alexis’ achievement and grateful for the dedication, positivity, and contributions he has made to the GradComm team. Congratulations, Alexis, on this well-deserved accomplishment. We can’t wait to see what you achieve next! 👏🎓
06/03/2026
Last week, we were back on campus at for another video project.
While we were there, we noticed something.
As , GradComm’s Client Success Director, put it, “There’s something powerful about being in a place where growth, possibility, and transformation happen every day.”
That is especially true at LTCC. The faculty and staff are engaged, proud of their work, and genuinely connected to both their students and the college’s mission. There’s an energy on campus that can’t be manufactured and a culture that can’t be written into a strategic plan.
In higher education, we often talk about student success, belonging, and impact. At LTCC, you can see those values in action. You can see people investing in one another and in the students they serve.
Thank you, LTCC, for welcoming us to campus. We’re excited to share more from this visit soon.
Do the people who know your brand best agree with how you describe it?
Do you show up the way you say you do?
In the latest episode of Higher Ed Conversations, Aaron Edgell, Chief Marketing Officer at Alliant University , shares why colleges and universities should focus on character before reputation.
☝️First, understand who you truly are and what makes you different. ✌️Then, ask whether that reality matches the story you're telling.
💡Because the strongest brands aren't built on perception alone. They're built on authenticity.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://gradcomm.com/podcast-ep-78-why-most-colleges-arent-ready-to-be-different/
05/29/2026
Last month, the GradComm leadership team took a step back from the day-to-day deadlines, meetings, and campaigns to do something just as important: pause, reset, and think strategically about the future of higher ed.
The best ideas don’t happen by accident. They happen when passionate people come together, challenge each other, share ideas openly, and stay focused on one important goal: helping colleges move forward.
Because we’re not here to deliver the same ideas every other agency is delivering. We’re here to bring colleges bold thinking, fresh strategy, and creative work that sparks change, drives innovation, and helps institutions stand out in a crowded landscape.
Big thank you to our leadership team: Cheryl Broom, Christopher Walker, Carrie Smith, MBA, Jamie McNinch and Michael Mahin, Ph.D. for showing up with creativity, honesty, and a shared commitment to bringing the very best of who we are to the colleges and communities we serve.
What happens when someone says marketing is using “too much AI”?
In this month’s Client Question of the Month, GradComm CEO Cheryl Broom tackles one of the biggest conversations happening in higher ed marketing right now: the role of AI in strategy development.
Cheryl explains why the real challenge isn’t using too much AI—it’s not understanding how to use it thoughtfully. From enrollment messaging to audience strategy, great marketing still depends on human expertise, institutional knowledge, and real-world experience.
She also explores how colleges can move beyond generic AI tools by training systems on their own institution’s messaging, audiences, and goals.
That’s exactly why we built AMY—the first AI marketing tool designed specifically for community college communicators and marketers.
Learn more at www.gradcomm.com/AMY/
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