Faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the College of Health and Human Services at UNC Charlotte engage in research, community engagement and scholarship at the regional, national and international levels.
Sharing our stories is important for us to build connections and to share knowledge. We do this by first thinking about the impact of our work and the best ways to communicate that impact. Each story is unique, yet the steps we take to tell our stories follow a well-established path, which can be adapted in various situations.
The College’s Communications Director is available to provide guidance on what comprises news, developing a news story, the best outlets to approach for various stories, the University’s policies and practices on news and media, preparing for a media interview and other topics. We work closely with the University Communications team to gather newsworthy information and disseminate it to the news media, general public and constituents of the University through internal and external channels.
These tools also are designed to help walk you through the process.
The College of Health and Human Services will provide the highest quality educational experiences, engage in relevant research from bench to bedside, and act as primary partner in addressing community health and human service needs based on a platform that reflects six underlying principles:
Focus on student, faculty, and staff success
Focus on diversity, inclusion, and vulnerable populations
Promote innovation and entrepreneurship
Promote internationalization and a global perspective
Steward resources effectively and creatively
Evaluating whether your topic or activity is newsworthy is an essential first step. Many components go into determining whether something is news. Foundational questions to keep in mind are So what? and Who cares and why?
We as people respond to stories of people, rather than stories of institutions. Also think about the people who are affected by your topic or activity — whether that is students, community members, researchers or others.
The University Media Relations team, working in collaboration with the College Communications Director and other unit-specific communicators, holds primary responsibility for media relations at UNC Charlotte.
While members of the university community certainly may talk with the media about their individual work, they should not represent themselves as speaking for the institution.
The University Communications Office and College Communications Office should be notified when media interactions occur — preferably in advance or as soon after the interview as possible. This helps us spread the good word about your news coverage and provide assistance as needed.
The College’s Communications Director is available to provide guidance on developing a news story, the best outlets to approach for various stories, the University’s policies and practices on news and media, preparing for a media interview and other topics. We work closely with the University Communications team to gather newsworthy information and disseminate it to the news media, general public and constituents of the University through internal and external channels.