Public Relations
The Public Relations Unit is responsible for increasing awareness of the University of West Florida through strategic internal and external communication.
Services Provided
- Develops public relations strategies to support and promote the University’s mission.
- Manages relationships with media representatives to effectively tell the University of West Florida story.
- Generates news releases and pitches story ideas to garner local, regional and national coverage for the University, including all divisions, departments, colleges and units on campus.
- Develops University position statements in response to the media.
- Responsible for University crisis communications.
- Writes and produces internal messages to best community with University students, faculty and staff.
- Responds to media and public requests for information and serves as the University’s spokespersons.
- Provides media training to campus administrators, faculty and staff.
- Manages strategic messaging for UWF’s main official Facebook and Twitter pages.
- Responsible for managing the UWF Event Calendar as well as all digital signage on campus.
Newsworthiness
To ensure detailed coverage of UWF stories, the Public Relations Unit reviews all submissions, assessing their newsworthiness. News is anything that is timely and interesting. We utilize the following checklist to define newsworthiness and reserve the right to determine whether news and events on campus merit media releases or other coverage opportunities. For your item to be considered newsworthy, it must have one or more of the following factors:
- Timeliness: Readers want to know what is happening now.
- Significance: The more impactful a story or event, the more newsworthy.
- Prominence: Anyone in the public arena, or an area or event that carries distinction.
- Proximity: An event that happens close to home, or may involve local people.
- Human Interest: A story that is unique and highlights conflict or emotion.
UWF Newsroom
UWF’s official online newsroom features the latest news, campus life stories and mentions of UWF in the news; provides direct access to variety of media and other resources, and much more. The newsroom also serves as a “go-to” news and information archive. Visit the UWF newsroom at news.uwf.edu.
For additional information on our services and resources available, please contact Megan Prawdzik, Public Relations Director, at mprawdzik@uwf.edu.