Reveille: A Call for Community

Volume one, issue one of the “University Reveille” was published in April of 1860 while campus was still located in the town of Norwich. Published by the Pantheon Society of Norwich University, it included lists of cadets, student organizations, University news, and a feature from the editors, among a variety of additional information. With the rebirth of a new-age Reveille, we thought we would follow the lead of the original trio of editors; or, as they wrote themselves in 1860: “To those few ignorant persons who have been uncharitable enough to suppose we left the last leaf of the Reveille blank through exhaustion of ideas, we have nothing to say. To the host of friends who attribute it to the eccentricity of the cadets, we politely touch our cap-visor, and say, they are right — we left it to suit our convenience.”

The introductory feature of the first-ever Reveille spanned its final two pages and highlights that “It was for the purpose of establishing a medium through which we [the students] might speak that the Reveille was started.” When considering how and where to place our own introduction, and how we should use the first-ever feature space, we took a page from the original Reveille and “we left it to suit our convenience.”

Much like the original publication from 1860, the goal of this new Reveille is to share the community’s endless triumphs and adventures directly from the source, as often as possible. In the Marketing & Communications Office, we noticed the sheer amount of community stories and updates that need a home; unfortunately, the Record is cursed with a finite page count and cannot fit every story there is to share. Within this iteration of the Reveille, you will find a host of stories submitted and written by your very own community members alongside your familiar flow of news, media mentions, and other Norwich content.

“It rains content — some stories big, other small.  So much so that even if we had four editions of the Record and an army of staff writers, we couldn’t get to all of it. We knew we had to solve that,” says Vice President of Brand Marketing and Communications, Sarah Stefaniuk. “In doing so, I must credit the team with coming up with something entirely innovative. I don’t think it has been done before. The team delivered more than a media hub. It’s a community space — sort of like the intersection of a magazine, digital news platform, and social media.”

Voice of the Community

While we are fortunate to have such an abundance of stories to share, including your voice is a priority. Submissions are not only welcomed but encouraged — this is where you can share your voice directly to the Norwich community and share the stories and updates that you think everyone should know.

Content sourced as directly as possible from the source is a priority for Stefaniuk. “Everyone can tell their story, and we can share it here instantly,” she says. “It’s really about community stories, not just news stories and press releases.”

Even the name harkens back to the community publication that first came off the press. Associate Vice President of Campus and Athletic Communications, Marc Kolb, originally proposed reviving the name. “The Norwich University community takes immense pride in its history while simultaneously forging ahead as a leader in innovation and emerging fields,” says Kolb. “The launch of this new platform, combined with carrying forward the proud name of Reveille, is another example of uniting our traditions with our future. It is a moment that honors those original campus storytellers from 1860 while embracing the possibilities ahead.”

Finding Inspiration

“Something I’ve noticed since I began at Norwich a few years ago was the dedication to the school and genuine interest in the state of the institution. I’ve interviewed people for stories, and they call me back and check in on things; not in such a way that they want to take over the process, but to ensure I have everything I need or even just tell me about something new that might be relevant,” says Senior Writer, Zack Bennett. “I’ve even had unsolicited, fully-completed stories sent to me when people simply took the initiative to write it themselves because they knew a story that needed to be told.”

The community’s pride and involvement in the school is noticeable, even to those who never graduated from Norwich. “The first time I went up to campus, heck, I think I was going for my job interview. I had free time and went to Sarducci’s in Montpelier,” says Director of Digital Strategy, Steve Pereira. “There were two parents there — they didn’t go to Norwich, but their kid went to Norwich, and they had joined the Alumni Association when their child was there. The kid had been gone for five or ten years, whatever it was, but they still went to campus every year. They’re still part of the Alumni Association — they didn’t go to Norwich, but they’re still dedicated. That’s how entrenched people get in the University.”

Stefaniuk also noticed the commitment and love the community shares for the institution when she began as an “outsider” who had never attended Norwich. “I fell in love with Norwich because of the mission. It’s still relevant today and probably will be forever,” she says. “But then you meet students and alumni and learn about the transformational experiences they have — it's inspiring. Between the mission, the values, and the transformational experiences, how can you not love Norwich and want more Norwich?”

“I find Norwich fascinating. I think it’s a great school, there is no other institution like us. I say, ‘It’s one of one,’ it’s not one of many — it’s one of one,” says Stefaniuk. “It’s a really strong community and the students really impress me. In previous roles, I’ve hired many students out of universities — from top schools — and I would hire a Norwich student just based on how they walk through the door.”

The community’s impression and laundry list of achievements and stories created a need for a way to share them constantly. “Not to mention, people from the community tell me all the time that they want more,” she says. “Clearly, the Record wasn’t enough. The old newsroom wasn’t enough. Alumni, students, faculty, staff, friends, and family were all calling for more.”

Starting from Scratch

The idea that would become the new Reveille would evolve over time but eventually morphed into an online media hub where anyone from the community could share their stories. “The old news page was a bit underwhelming,” says Pereira. “We would syndicate the news and spread it to certain places on the website, but we didn’t really have a newsroom or news homepage that was dynamic or interesting — it just dropped the page and filed news in the order that it was uploaded,” says Pereira. “Now it’s dynamic and inviting. There’s a certain way it’s delivered and we can convey how important it is to the reader. There’s a delivery and impact that wasn’t there before.”

“There was a lot of creative development on the idea, and then Steve took the creative idea and put it into a digital user experience. I asked him to create something where people could feel connected, like they know what’s going on,” says Stefaniuk, also adding that Senior Web Director and Front-End Web Developer, Archer Greenhalgh, was instrumental in building out the site on a technical level. “Archer not only built the platform, but he also added his own interpretation of the user experience. To ensure that the Reveille launch coincides with the fall Record, he’s had his head in the weeds coding and developing it through a lot of testing and collaboration to get it ready. We are all excited to provide a forum to tell stories through a first-person view that you don’t get in a typical news or magazine website.”

Bennett’s constant conversations with students, alumni, and friends of the University have provided a first-hand look at the potential stories that are floating around and looking for a home. “I’ve noticed that the community is really articulate in their descriptions of their experiences. No matter how many people I interview, I’m certain that I will never be able to tell many of these stories in the voice that they themselves can,” he says. “We wanted to find a way to produce these stories that kept the same voice, emotion, and meaning that is constantly conveyed to us through interviews and conversations.”

Pereira emphasizes that the same Norwich stories that the community already loves reading will still be here alongside a new wave of ultra-personal, first-person stories. “We’re giving you the same content, that’s not going to change — but this is about storytelling,” he says. “We’re giving you a bigger presentation so you’re not going to want to scroll so quickly, just funneling through. You’ll recognize names in the bylines — this is the Norwich community. We’re changing the way we approach things through the lens of storytelling here. We want to give you a dynamic, engaging way to interact with and tell the stories from the community you know best.”

“Imagine an impactful alumnus writes about their experiences in the cyber domain that could be helpful to students in the Senator Patrick Leahy School of Cybersecurity and Advanced Computing, or a student writing about an experience that a high school student reads and leads them to become interested in the Norwich way of life,” says Stefaniuk. “Anybody can come to the platform and learn a lot about Norwich in ways that they wouldn’t normally get to.”

Sharing your stories for the benefit of the community is of paramount importance to our office. Your stories not only inform others but inspire and connect with readers in unique ways. “I used to say it was ‘Norwich in your pocket,’ before the idea was smoothed out,” says Stefaniuk. “The idea is that anybody in the community can go to the site and find something new to read at any time, any given day, and feel close and connected to the community.”