Campus media relations policies for 2023-24
Staff in the Office of Communication & Marketing are available to work with students, employees and alumni to publicize virtual events, accomplishments, initiatives, awards and research via social media and with journalists seeking expert comment on issues in the news.
We encourage you to continue helping us “Tell the New Paltz story” by sharing news of publications, awards, appointments, events and other interesting activities via our campus news submission portal.
You can also share news with your division or unit rep, who works closely with liaisons in our office through the Office of Communication & Marketing Liaison Model.
Please read on to review the University’s media relations and social media guidelines and reacquaint yourself with our policies.
SUNY New Paltz Media Relations Policies
The Office of Communication & Marketing serves as the primary institutional contact with the media. All media inquiries related to institutional issues should be coordinated through our office by contacting (845) 257-3243 or emailing University Spokesperson Andrew Bruso.
The Office of Communication & Marketing uses media opportunities to portray the University and its activities in ways consistent with our overall institutional messaging and branding. We aim to be a transparent campus and err on the side of sharing information. Our goals are to speak with one voice as an institution and put our best foot forward with the hope of generating positive news coverage of the New Paltz campus community.
If a member of the media contacts you in your role at the University with a question about an institutional issue, please get in touch with our office so we can offer support. Our staff may have institutional knowledge that can help inform a response, and we can also direct inquiries to the appropriate individual on campus who is best informed and able to respond in a timely manner.
It is important when working with the media to respond to requests quickly. Media expect responsiveness and quick turnaround to questions, given the fast-paced deadline environment in which they work. So, if you hear from media, please reach out to us!
While the majority of our media inquiries are handled directly by the Office of Communication & Marketing, there are times when it makes sense for us to refer specific inquiries to administrators, faculty and staff who have distinct areas of expertise. When this happens, staff in the Office of Communication & Marketing will be in touch with you before referring the reporter to you.
When faculty and staff are published in media, there are some situations where it is appropriate for them to include their University affiliation, and others where that is not appropriate:
When writing or speaking to media in your role as a scholar, educator and/or administrator on a topic related to your expertise, please feel free to include your affiliation to SUNY New Paltz.
However, if you wish to write an op-ed or letter to the editor for a publication, please do not submit those in a way that could be reasonably interpreted as an official communication from SUNY New Paltz. Please instead submit them to the media outlet with your name, address and phone number.
If there is the possibility of confusion about whether you might be speaking on behalf of the University, it will be necessary to specifically indicate you are speaking as a private citizen and not as a representative of the University. The Office of Communication & Marketing can help clarify these situations, and administrators, faculty and staff are encouraged to contact us for advice and guidance.
Because we have a strong journalism program and campus media at New Paltz, many inquiries come from our student journalists. Our policy has been to respond to student journalists in a timely manner, to provide our student journalists with valuable hands-on experience and to educate students about the institution and how it works. Our interaction with student media has led to many articles that carried the institution’s perspective on various issues in ways that have been beneficial to our campus community.
That said, it is not unusual for student journalists or professional media to contact faculty and staff directly. We ask that requests related to institutional issues be directed to the Office of Communication & Marketing, where they will be appropriately vetted by our staff with various administrators and experts across campus. This is particularly important when multiple student journalists have the same or similar questions (perhaps related to breaking news, an event, etc.) for a specific expert or administrator. Our office can help manage these inquiries in a way that maximizes the availability to respond while still meeting students’ deadlines.