The Big Ten Plus communications and marketing coalition is composed of leaders and staff from the universities of the Big Ten Conference, plus the University of Notre Dame, Rice University, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Chicago, and the University of Illinois Chicago.
For more than 30 years, Big Ten Plus has convened to bring together these professionals who promote institutions of similar size and scope.
The objectives of the group are to:
- Share best practices among communications professionals from the leadership research universities in the Big Ten and other institutions.
- Provide an annual professional development opportunity for staff at a cost lower than typically found.
- Network with communicators and marketers who face similar challenges.
- Collaborate on stories in which two or more member universities may be working together on research, service or other initiatives.
2026 Conference
In 2026, the University of Oregon will welcome the Big Ten Plus News and Marketing Conference to the Pacific Northwest for the first time. Save the dates: June 22–24, 2026, in Eugene, Oregon.
2025 Conference
The 2025 conference was hosted by the University of Illinois.
Member Institutions
- Indiana University
- Michigan State University
- Northwestern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Purdue University
- Rice University
- Rutgers University
- The Ohio State University
- University of California, Los Angeles
- University of Chicago
- University of Illinois Chicago
- University of Illinois
- University of Iowa
- University of Maryland
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Nebraska
- University of Notre Dame
- University of Oregon
- University of Southern California
- University of Wisconsin—Madison
- University of Washington
- Washington University in St. Louis