Faculty Experts Sharpen Their Media-Savvy Skills
Fairfield’s Media Relations Office recently organized two media training workshops, “Meeting the Media: Enhancing Fairfield’s Visibility in the Press,” designed to build and leverage the outstanding faculty expertise of ¶¶Ňô»ĆƬapp as a thought leadership brand.
Faculty from ¶¶Ňô»ĆƬapp’s five schools and college were represented in the workshops, facilitated by The Dilenschneider Group’s Bob Berkowitz and Joe Pisani.
During the two four-hour workshops, which took place earlier this week in the Quick Center’s Black Box Theatre, faculty participants were presented the “do(s) and don’t(s)” of dealing with the media. Topics discussed included an overview look at the media landscape, when to decline an interview, talking on and off the record, and Fairfield messaging, followed by "mock" interview sessions where each faculty member was video-taped and then critiqued, answering questions about their individual expertise.
Invited faculty experts who participated included Lynn Babington, dean of the School of Nursing; Bruce Berdanier, dean of the School of Engineering; Jocelyn Boryczka, associate professor of politics, CAS; Bryan Ripley Crandall, assistant professor of the practice of curriculum and instruction, GSEAP; Shahrokh Etemad, chairman and associate professor of mechanical engineering, SOE; Mousumi Bose Godbole, assistant professor of marketing, DSB; Jennifer Klug, associate professor of biology, CAS; Paula Gill Lopez, associate professor of psychology and special education, GSEAP; and Debra Strauss, associate professor of business law, DSB. In addition, Don Gibson, dean of the Dolan School of Business, and Jim Simon, Associate Dean of CAS, joined in round table discussions.
As leading experts in their fields, ¶¶Ňô»ĆƬapp faculty often serve as spokesmen and spokeswomen in the media, enhancing the university’s reputation in the press and positioning Fairfield across the nation and around the world.
The School of Nursing also has scheduled a day-long media training program to increase the visibility of the SON faculty as spokespersons with deep expertise in nursing, health and health care in ways that promote the health of individuals, communities and society.