Faculty/Staff invited to become news sources

A Letter to Faculty & Staff at SUNY Fredonia from Mike Barone, Director of Public Relations

You never know when that phone is going to ring.

In February, it was during a surprise 60th birthday party, seeking a geologist to comment on a mild earthquake in Clarence, N.Y.

In April, it was when I was in Washington D.C., standing next to the Reflecting Pool between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, to discuss an IT situation.

In June, it was when I was at Chuck E. Cheese (yes, with my kids…), seeking a political science professor to comment on Hilary’s decision to bow out of the race.

Hello! For those who I have yet to meet, my name is Mike Barone, the director of Public Relations here at Fredonia since mid January.

News can break any time of day. And that’s a great thing for us, because it means we have a chance to weigh-in on mainstream stories of interest and ensure we stay relevant and top-of-mind with reporters and the public at-large! Universities are a terrific resource for editors and reporters when they need an expert opinion, and we’ve made some great progress in just these last six months toward making sure we get on, and stay on, the radar of media across Western New York.

But to help make sure we stay there, I need your help.

Speed is everything to a reporter, so we’re creating an internal reference tool for each department — academic and administrative — listing your areas of expertise, as well as contact information (most importantly, home and cell numbers), so that we can reach you quickly and determine if you would be a good fit for an interview opportunity when it arises.

We’ve created a brief web form that we’d like you to fill out, listing your name, on-campus address, on-campus phone, on-campus email, AND personal land and cell numbers. In addition, please summarize your areas of expertise and topics upon which you could comment. Try to consider broad topics that might be of interest to a general, mainstream news medium (e.g., political science might suggest: local, regional and national electoral campaigns, polling tactics/trends, and pending legislation, while the financial aid office would be a good source for discussions on trends in the student lending market, tips on saving for college, etc.). Please note that side interests are welcome as well (e.g., Alberto Rey’s passion for fly fishing has perhaps garnered just as much attention for SUNY Fredonia as his professional artistry.)

Rest assured, this will be for our department’s use alone. Personal phone numbers will not be shared with a reporter or anyone else unless an individual specifically gives us permission to do so.

Also, please know that this is entirely voluntary. If you have no interest in talking with reporters, that’s fine. But for those looking to raise their personal and department profiles, as well as SUNY Fredonia’s image as a whole… this is your opportunity!

Lastly, in the spirit of full disclosure… if you should ever find yourself in a media or other emergency situation and need to reach me outside of business hours, don’t hesitate to contact me by cell: 785-7702; or at home: 839-3920.

Thanks,

- Mike Barone