Colorado State University’s Assistant Vice President for University Relations to Serve at the University of Tennessee in February

Tom Milligan, assistant vice president for University Relations at Colorado State University, has been named to lead the communications and marketing team at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He will begin his duties in mid-February.

"For many years, Tom has fulfilled important roles as university spokesman and marketing director in addition to being one of Colorado State’s most enthusiastic advocates," said Colorado State President Larry Edward Penley. "He has helped to successfully communicate the university’s outstanding research and accomplishments to the public, and he has played an important role in developing a strong communications team. We wish him all the best success in his new position at the University of Tennessee."

Milligan, who began at Colorado State as a media relations specialist in 1992, served as director of Media and Community Relations and is currently assistant vice president for University Relations.

During his tenure at the university, Milligan managed central marketing and advertising initiatives and brand management, served as spokesman for the university and manager of the media and community relations and publications and printing functions, managed the university’s Web site and oversaw promotional video production and internal communications.

He also served as lead public relations representative for the Colorado State University System for the Board of Governors and was staff member of the university’s Development Council. He recently led the effort to integrate communications and marketing at the university and merged the publications and printing and media relations units into a single unit.

"While I am certainly proud of all the accomplishments of our university relations team during my time here, Colorado State has given me much more than I have given it," said Milligan. "I am excited about the opportunities in Tennessee for Coleman and our family, and we are grateful for the friends and unforgettable experiences we’ve had at Colorado State and in Fort Collins."

Milligan will move to Knoxville with his wife, Coleman Cornelius, and their two sons. Cornelius, a former northern Colorado reporter for The Denver Post, recently has worked as a research and technical writer for the Colorado Institute of Public Policy, part of Colorado State’s research unit. In that role, she wrote "Bio-Pharming in Colorado: A Guide to Issues for Making Informed Choices," a neutral policy paper that details the pros and cons of growing genetically engineered crops for pharmaceuticals.

During Milligan’s tenure, Colorado State’s university relations team won some of the top awards in the public relations and communications fields, including the Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America, Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal Awards from Council for Advancement and Support of Education, several Telly Awards, the Magellan Award for top national public relations plans, along with numerous state and regional awards, including the Communicator of the Year Award from the Colorado chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.

Mark Minor, director of marketing and constituent relations at Colorado State, will take over day-to-day management and budgetary oversight for the unit. Brad Bohlander, director of media relations, will serve as the lead spokesman for the university. Leslie Hilbert will oversee the university’s Web presence.

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