Offers advice for college communications officers in dealing with the media. Tips include: "bring in the big guns", "play show and tell", expand the media circle, understand reporters' jobs and respect deadlines, "keep it real", "stay in touch", and "hedge your bets". (EV)

The public information office at Pennsylvania State University targeted news features to newspaper special supplements beginning in 1979. Editors rarely have enough stories for their special editions, and any institution has faculty who are good sources for features in these sections. (MLW)

Media relations directors say big events provide valuable opportunities. The institution can gain national media visibility and contacts, solidify relations with local reporters, provide work experience for student journalists, and have a lot of fun. Tips on how to make the most of the experience are provided. (MLW)

The Chautauqua Institution communications office guided media coverage of a major campus conference. By careful planning, the public relations office was able to make the most of this campus event. (MLW)

Media training can help campus presidents control TV interviews. Regardless of who teaches the program or what label is attached to it, most TV training revolves around learning how to look one's best, how to control the interview, and how to communicate positive points. (MLW)

Suggestions for creating a memorable inauguration of a campus chief executive officer include careful attention to public relations goals, forming an effective committee, creating a realistic budget, developing an ambitious media strategy, and following up with thank-yous and archival records. Involvement of faculty, staff, alumni, and students,…

Ways to prove that college public relations offices are meeting their objectives are discussed. Understanding objectives and how the office can meet them focuses activities and helps make efficient use of staff. Seven evaluation methods are identified: production; message distribution; exposure; accuracy; audience awareness; attitude change; and…

Reaching students and donors through advertising is discussed in several articles including: "Proven Effective," on what makes three advertising campaigns work; "Commercial Appeal," on how advertising can help institutions meet its goals (Frank A. DeFazio); "Desperately Seeking Savvy," on finding the right advertising…

In an era when sophisticated campus marketing calls for sensitive public relations strategies, more institutions are turning to advisory groups. Most of these groups are made up of alumni or parents who know the institutions and have experience in public relations or communications. (MLW)

Suggestions on how to avoid boring the media--and embarrassing the institution--with "non-news" story ideas are provided. Because reporters at the national level are bombarded every day, they hardly have time to listen to good ideas, much less mundane matters. (MLW)

A discussion of the relationship between campus public relations professionals and media relations consultants looks at why consultants are used, the best ways to use a consultant, searching for an agency, establishing fees and parameters, and making the relationship succeed. (MSE)

An informal survey of 19 media relations firms whose clients include schools, colleges, and universities revealed that institutions can contribute most to the success of the consultant-client relationship by planning, establishing goals and expectations, building a team, and identifying worthwhile stories. (MSE)

Lafayette College used the Nexis database to find out if their peer institutions were receiving more and "better" national press exposure. Four categories of exposure were identified: coincidental mentions, sports stories, stories placed by an institution's own public relations efforts, and stories based on general prestige and perceived…

The ways in which advancing technology will affect college and university public relations and the mass media in the next century are examined, and a survey of 60 campus public relations specialists and 40 journalists concerning predicted changes is reported. Implications for campus communications with the media are also discussed. (MSE)

College and university public relations specialists find that, to get competitive coverage for their institutions, they must provide the media with instant access to information and understand the way the media operate. Although the computer is useful in expanding contacts, responsiveness and information of real interest are foremost…