{"id":43593,"date":"2026-02-03T11:18:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T11:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/?p=43593"},"modified":"2026-02-03T11:18:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T11:18:21","slug":"helping-faculty-build-channels-to-audiences-that-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/?p=43593","title":{"rendered":"Helping faculty build channels to audiences that matter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Many university public relations strategies are still predominantly built for a traditional media ecosystem that has dramatically changed over the years. As op-ed placements shrink and newsrooms continue to contract, higher education communicators should consider helping faculty build durable, direct publishing platforms through tools like Substack and LinkedIn newsletters.<\/p>\n<p>Faculty-led content platforms have the potential to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reach audiences institutional channels may never touch<\/li>\n<li>Attract journalists, collaborators and prospective students<\/li>\n<li>Add depth, diversity and timeliness to school narratives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Tim Hussey, Harvey Mudd College\u2019s vice president and chief communications officer, has seen this impact firsthand. His colleague, Professor Josh Brake, authors the Substack, <em>The Absent-<\/em><em>M<\/em><em>inded Professor<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe posts could be reaching students that are interested in the work being done at Harvey Mudd and thus benefit Admissions; they could be reaching faculty at other institutions working in similar spaces and be a vehicle to share best practices and encourage collaboration,\u201d explained Hussey. \u201cThis kind of faculty public scholarship truly broadens the reach and impact of the college\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Traditional media relations efforts shouldn\u2019t be abandoned but complemented with faculty-led direct publishing and engagement strategies. For many communications departments, this requires a shift from controlling messages to enabling voices; from pitching stories to amplifying scholars; and from measuring success by placements to focusing on sustained reach, relevance and engagement. Below are ways that communicators can enable this shift.<\/p>\n<h4>1. Meet Faculty Where They Are <\/h4>\n<p>We need to be sensitive to faculty members\u2019 existing workloads. Content creation on individual platforms shouldn\u2019t be seen as another obligation. If publishing feels like a chore, it won\u2019t last, and it won\u2019t be good. This shouldn\u2019t be an institutional mandate.<\/p>\n<p>Support starts with understanding individual goals, motivations and comfort levels. Communications teams act as advisers, not enforcers, respecting academic freedom and autonomy.<\/p>\n<p>Quanda Hunter is the director of marketing and communications at the University of Michigan&#8217;s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. The Ford School has faculty who engage in independent public scholarship through platforms like Substack; Professor Don Moynihan\u2019s newsletter, with over 23,000 subscribers, is one notable example.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor those interested in expanding their reach or trying new platforms like Substack or LinkedIn, we\u2019re here to support them, similar to how we\u2019ve always supported them in engaging with traditional media,\u201d said Hunter. \u201cWhether it\u2019s sharing examples, offering advice or brainstorming ideas together, we provide whatever guidance feels most useful. Sometimes it\u2019s just a conversation to help someone think through their approach. Ultimately, we want to lower barriers, build confidence and celebrate faculty efforts in public scholarship, whatever form that may take.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>2. Encourage Authentic Voice and Personal Perspective<\/h4>\n<p>Substack and LinkedIn Newsletters allow faculty to show how they think, not just what they publish. They can respond quickly to current events and emerging debates. Faculty voices are more compelling and credible when they are not overly branded or mediated.<\/p>\n<p>Ashley Cimino works with several professors at Duke University\u2019s Fuqua School of Business who have vibrant individual publishing platforms: Professor Cam Harvey\u2019s video podcast <em>Through the Noise<\/em>; Professor Dan Vermeer\u2019s Substack <em>In <\/em><em>T<\/em><em>he Watershed<\/em>; Professor Sharique Hasan\u2019s newsletter <em>Superadditive<\/em>; and Professor Scott Dyreng\u2019s <em>Tax Chats Podcast<\/em> (cohosted with UNC\u2019s Jeff Hoopes).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe authenticity of these channels adds depth to how we showcase the diversity of experience and expertise among our faculty,\u201d she said. \u201cFaculty-led content complements our institutional channels by expanding both the volume and the richness of stories we\u2019re able to share.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen our faculty communicate directly with their audiences, their passion and individuality come through much more than when it\u2019s filtered through more traditional, branded channels,\u201d noted Hunter.<\/p>\n<p>Communicators should consider training faculty on how to share their content through such channels. Encouraging this activity can go a long way and training is a critical enabler.<\/p>\n<h4>3. Amplify Content<\/h4>\n<p>Support doesn\u2019t always mean editing or coaching. Sometimes it simply entails helping the content travel. The easiest win-win is amplifying faculty-created content through institutional channels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Communications Office has been thrilled to help share and promote Josh Brake\u2019s Substack with Harvey Mudd\u2019s audiences on our social media channels, in our internal newsletter, in parent and alumni newsletters and with the media,\u201d Hussey said. \u201cThese kinds of personal, first-hand experiences from faculty resonate with our community and can showcase the innovative teaching and learning that is going on every day at the college.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Promoting contributions can signal institutional validation and expand reach beyond the faculty member\u2019s existing network.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we share faculty content through our channels, it helps demonstrate impact and expand reach, which can be motivating,\u201d said Cimino.<\/p>\n<p>Such amplification can play an important role in supporting a culture that normalizes faculty contributions via their own channels. This can build confidence, both for the individual faculty contributor and that individual\u2019s peers from the institution observing from the sidelines. It can help reduce uncertainty and encourage others to experiment in low-risk ways.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe share and celebrate their content and achievements across our networks,\u201d said Hunter. \u201cThis shows their efforts are valued and can encourage others to explore new ways of engaging.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Questions to Consider<\/h2>\n<p>Next time you are asked to pitch a piece of research and you reach out to 100 journalists with a beautiful personalized message and get no feedback, consider how you and your colleagues might adapt. Ask:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>How might we help faculty reach audiences directly, rather than relying solely on traditional media intermediaries?<\/li>\n<li>Which faculty voices and perspectives could benefit from greater visibility through personal platforms?<\/li>\n<li>Which faculty members are already creating content that could be amplified more intentionally?<\/li>\n<li>What training or light-touch support could lower barriers for faculty interested in publishing directly?<\/li>\n<li>How might we measure success beyond media placements to incorporate faculty-driven platforms that connect to our big-picture goals?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many university public relations strategies are still predominantly built for a traditional media ecosystem that has dramatically changed over the years. As op-ed placements shrink and newsrooms continue to contract, higher education communicators should consider helping faculty build durable, direct publishing platforms through tools like Substack and LinkedIn newsletters. Faculty-led content platforms have the potential<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[8924,1512,17140,3350,9532,5552],"class_list":{"0":"post-43593","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"tag-audiences","9":"tag-build","10":"tag-channels","11":"tag-faculty","12":"tag-helping","13":"tag-matter"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}