Tysen Kendig Named Vice President for University Communications and Marketing

Carnegie Mellon University has named Tysen Kendig, the current vice president for communications at the University of Connecticut, to the position of vice president for university communications and marketing. Kendig will join CMU’s leadership team on July 8.

In addition to his responsibilities as chief steward of UConn’s brand, Tysen has shaped and spearheaded a range of initiatives aimed at sharpening the university’s storytelling and reputation.

“Tysen is arriving at a pivotal moment in Carnegie Mellon University’s history — at a time when our academic and research missions are thriving and transforming every facet of society,” said CMU President Farnam Jahanian(opens in new window). “His deep expertise in all things communications — paired with his ability to convene, collaborate, pivot and enact a strategic vision — will benefit not just his immediate team but all of our university’s schools, colleges and campuses and enable him to quickly and effectively cultivate trusted partnerships with campus colleagues and stakeholders.”

Kendig will oversee CMU’s University Communications & Marketing(opens in new window) Division, which includes media relations, internal communications, social media, integrated marketing, digital strategy and creative professionals. He will also foster collaboration with CMU’s colleges and schools to highlight the full scope of the university’s world-renowned education and research.

“I’m humbled to be joining one of the world’s most distinctive and prestigious academic communities,” Kendig said. “Carnegie Mellon represents a pinnacle of innovation and teaching as a collective force for good in the world. With its unparalleled excellence in applied knowledge and research that has been advancing the human condition for generations, CMU is a special place with a role in today’s fast-changing global society that is more important than ever. It will be a privilege to help tell the university’s countless inspiring stories of transformational impact, and I am grateful to President Jahanian and university leadership for the exciting opportunity to do so.”

For more than 11 years as UConn’s chief communications and marketing officer, Kendig led all aspects of the centralized content, media relations, branding, FOI compliance, and trademark licensing efforts for UConn and UConn Health. Later in his tenure, he directed communications, branding and fan engagement endeavors for UConn’s Division 1 intercollegiate athletics program.

Among his many accomplishments at UConn, Kendig led the creation and implementation of a new brand platform and campaign, integrated UConn Health marketing communications into the university communications infrastructure, and developed teams and protocols to advance crisis readiness and storytelling across the enterprise.

Kendig previously held similar senior leadership positions as vice president for strategic communication at the University of Iowa and as associate vice chancellor for university relations at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Prior to that, he held an appointment at his alma mater, Penn State, as assistant director of public information and chief spokesperson for nearly seven years. He began his career in higher education at Rider University.

Kendig’s appointment is the result of a national search supported by WittKieffer and a search advisory committee composed of representatives from CMU’s academic and administrative leadership.