Neag School Office of Communications

How We Can Help You

The Neag School Communications Team strives to address as many incoming requests for communications assistance from across the School as possible, based on our current pending deadlines and the resources available to us. We can assist with questions about best practices in marketing and communications, as well as provide support in the following ways:

  • Help promote your event or news — We will assist in getting the word out about your upcoming Neag School-affiliated events and announcements internally and externally. Depending on the nature of your announcement or event, this may include:
    • Writing and pitching news releases and/or media advisories to UConn Today and/or external media outlets
    • Writing and posting stories to the Neag School website and/or bimonthly e-newsletter
    • Building, testing, and delivering targeted, branded email invitations for events, recruitment info sessions, etc.
    • Sharing news via social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and/or YouTube
    • Scheduling posts about your event or announcement to run in the faculty, staff, and/or student email digests or in the University-wide email digest
    • Listing your event on the University and/or Neag School Events Calendars
    • Publicizing your upcoming event via the digital LCD signage throughout the Gentry Building
  • Shape comprehensive marketing strategies — We can offer recommendations regarding the most appropriate communications platforms for promoting your information sessions, academic programs, and/or news – whether via email, social media, print, web, video, or other platforms – and outline a pick-and-choose set of options for deliverables, based on your needs and budget. Get in touch with us as far in advance as you are able so that, together, we can plan ahead.
  • Produce marketing collateral — Looking to produce a recruitment brochure or handout that you can provide to prospective students? Need a print and/or email invitation sent to your target audience? A program produced for your event? Submit your request online.
  • Share your expertise — Need a hand in wordsmithing and/or placing your op-eds? Planning to publish some major research findings in the coming months? Think you can offer great insight into a hot topic in education? Please let us know; we will do the best we can to help spread the word.
  • Offer insight into successful interaction with the media — Get quick tips on successful interviews with reporters, information on standard journalistic practices, and other assistance in the realm of media relations. If you have been invited to speak on live television, we can connect you with UConn’s own on-campus broadcast studio.
  • Brand your event — Ensure that your event attendees recognize your event’s Neag School affiliation with branded banners, tablecloths, or signage.
  • Advertise your academic program, upcoming information session, or other initiative — Gather pricing on your behalf for various advertising options, with recommendations on how to target your key audiences by medium (print, web, broadcast, etc.).
  • Give guidance on branding standards — We can point you to the University’s approved branding standards when it comes to design, wordmark usage, and more; connect you with the right resources; and review your print or digital materials and make suggestions regarding branding compliance. Be sure to check out the Neag School Intranet’s Communications Resources for templates, how-to guide, and other resources on branding.
  • Provide wide range of other communications support — This may include: giving your print or digital marketing collateral a cohesive design that follows UConn branding standards; capturing photos at your events; coordinating the production, printing, and delivery of print materials; promoting your upcoming external event appearance or speaking engagement; uploading videos to Neag School YouTube channel; and more.

How You Can Help Us

  • Don’t assume we know. Invited to speak at an upcoming event? Just won a prestigious award? Releasing a book or publishing a journal article? Sometimes we hear about your upcoming (or past) achievements via media monitoring or through a department head – but that may not always be the case. Your professional activities may provide us with research findings we can pitch to media, future story ideas, or material to share via various platforms, including social media and our bimonthly Accolades. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at mikala.kane@uconn.edu or shawn.kornegay@uconn.edu.
  • Give us as much lead time as possible. We strive to offer as much support on the communications front with the resources available to us. Whether you will be hosting a conference or publishing major research findings in a high-level journal in the foreseeable future, don’t hesitate to give us a head’s up. Timing is critical when it comes to mobilizing our efforts and coming up with an effective game plan.
  • Don’t sell yourself short. You are the experts in your field. You know what is big news in your discipline. And, you know the key players in your specialty. Reporters look to experts like you for guidance and commentary because they must translate complex issues into simple terms for the greater public – and they need your help to do that. Share with them the sorts of questions others in your field are posing. Help point them in the right direction for further answers.
  • Respond promptly to media requests. The news world moves quickly – very quickly. Reporters often work against daily deadlines. If you hear from us because an outlet has reached out seeking expert commentary, please get back to us ASAP – whether you decide to be involved or not. Even if your schedule will not permit an interview with a reporter, please let us know so that we can try to find someone else and/or get back to the reporter. In turn, this will help the Neag School – and the University as a whole – build better relationships with external media.
  • Give us your elevator speech. We want to make your research and policy work as accessible as possible to the outside world – so that, ultimately, it can make an impact on those who need it most, whether that means schoolteachers, students with disabilities, kids in low-performing school districts, or gifted learners.
  • Don’t be shy. The more we know about what you’re up to, the better equipped we will be to mine great story ideas, celebrate your successes, and share your work with those who will benefit from it. On Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn? Share comments on the education topics you care most about. Tag @UConnNeag as appropriate so that we can, in turn, showcase your knowledge to an even wider audience.
  • Update your faculty profile page periodically. External audiences will often search our faculty pages for information — the faculty directory remains one of the topmost visited pages on our website. The more detailed and up-to-date our faculty directory is, the better.
  • “If you done it, it ain’t bragging.” So said the wise Walt Whitman. Singing your praises, promoting your expertise, and honoring our School’s accomplishments will, in the end, help the Neag School recruit the best students and most qualified faculty, and it will show our current and potential benefactors why we are worth their attention and support.

Additional Communications Resources

Overwhelmed by the media? Check out “How to Survive a Media Blitz: An Academic’s Guide” from The Chronicle of Higher Education for some great insights.

Visit the Neag School Intranet (Go to the Neag School homepage, click the “My Neag” tab in the top navigation, and log in with your NetID), where you'll find:

  • How-to guides on updating your faculty profile page or submitting to the Neag News, Daily Digest, and Events Calendar
  • Neag School Facts & Figures
  • Neag School-branded PowerPoint templates
  • UConn’s approved color palette and style guide
  • Social media guidelines
  • And more

Connect With the Neag School Communications Team

Seeking graphic design, photography, videography, writing, or general event support? Send us a request.

Request Marketing and Communications Support

Request Promotional Items

Reserve Digital Signage in the Gentry Building

Submit a News Story Idea

Email Us