March 27, 2024

Brazilian Dam Collapses…and So Does Crisis Communications

The co-owners of a mine blamed for a tragic collapse in Brazil have been less than responsive, Judy Phair notes.  In a new Wall Street Journal "Risk and Compliance" post, she offers insights into this "corporate and communications nightmare." … [Read more...]

Judy Phair Comments on Australian 7-Eleven Crisis in Wall Street Journal Column

When Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman filed charges against a 7-Eleven owner for underpayment of workers, the franchiser 7-Eleven Stores Pty Ltd. offered confusing and contradictory responses.   "“It’s time for 7-Eleven to change a communications tone varying between arrogance and cluelessness," says Phair in the WSJ's Risk and Compliance Journal. … [Read more...]

Higher Education and the Democratic Debate

Note:  Three pages Through a word search of the full transcripts of the December 19 Democratic debate, here are all substantive mentions of the terms “college,” “education,” or “higher education.”  (Note that for brevity, some tangential comments have been removed.  See the full transcript of the debate for additional context.) Also see "Higher Education and the (Dec. 15) Republican Debates" Question:  We want to turn to the American jobs, wages and raises in this country.  We want to start with this eye-opening number:  In 1995, the median American household income was $52,600 in today's money. This year, it's $53,600. That's 20 more years on the job with just a 2 percent raise. In a similar time-frame, raises for CEOs went up more than 200 percent.  You've all said, "you would raise the minimum wage." But Senator Sanders what else - speak to that household tonight. 20 years, just a 2 percent raise, how as president would you get them a raise right … [Read more...]

Higher Education and the Republican Debates

Through a word search of the full transcripts of both December 15 Republican debates, here (verbatim) are all mentions of the terms “college,” “education,” or “higher education.” Also see "Higher Education and the (Dec. 19) Democratic Debate" Main Republican Debate John Kasich (in opening remarks):  “And when we think about our country and the big issues that we face in this country; creating jobs, making sure people can keep their jobs, the need for rising wages, whether our children when they graduate from college can find a job, protecting the homeland, destroying ISIS, rebuilding defense. These are all the things that we need to focus on but we’ll never get there if we’re divided.” No mention at all of either “education” or “higher education” “Undercard” Republican Debate George Pataki:  "I’m a great believer in the First Amendment, of Freedom of Speech. I wish we had more of it on our college campuses, but you can’t … [Read more...]

PhairAdvantage Helps Deliver Quads to National, Regional Media

One of the big back-to-school stories this year has been all four of the Jones quadruplets from Maryland beginning their freshman year at Virginia’s Randolph-Macon College. Working with RM-C’s internal public relations staff, PhairAdvantage has generated coverage of their arrival with regional and national media, including ABC’s Good Morning America , People magazine, and the Washington Post. … [Read more...]

Who’s Writing the Op-eds?: A Fresh Look at the Presidents Behind the Words

This an update to an earlier post in mid-December 2014. That earlier analysis was based on about 350 opinion pieces.  Now, however, I’ve amassed nearly 600 opinion pieces by college and university presidents that have been published in 2014, on line or in print, making this a far more definitive look at presidents' op-eds than the earlier post. In mid-January, I posted a comprehensive list of the 205 presidents represented in the database . Here are some demographics… Sector: Even with intense outreach to all sectors for published op-eds and an ongoing search across all media, private college and university presidents dominate the collected opinion pieces (70%). Public four-year institutions account for 22 percent, with community colleges being the smallest segment (8%). I’ve chosen to exclude tribal colleges and for-profits, but have seen virtually no op-eds from those sectors anyway. Number of Writers: As I note on the full list of presidents in the database, those with … [Read more...]

Washington Post Launches New Higher Ed Blog

The Washington Post has added a new higher education blog, Grade Point, that according to the Post’s announcement January 13, will “present a comprehensive daily report about local and national higher education.” Susan Svrluga (formerly Susan Kinzie) will oversee the new venture. Susan has been with the Post for over 10 years, and earlier in her tenure (under her former name) served as higher education reporter. Also contributing to the new blog will be higher ed writer Nick Anderson and former Chronicle of Higher Education editor Jeff Selingo. The announcement, written by Post Education Editor Josh White, also notes that the blog will “aim to include voices of those connected to higher education coast-to-coast, from university presidents to college freshmen,” making it another possible venue for op-eds by presidents and others on campus. A somewhat expanded version of the announcement appeared in the print edition of the Post on January 19 but, for whatever reason, … [Read more...]

Making a List

No, this isn’t a Christmas post, though Santa has long known the power of lists in keeping you focused on what’s important. As I’ve looked at hundreds of college presidents’ op-eds over the past year, I’ve noticed how some writers are making effective use of lists. What makes lists work as communication devices? They cast a spotlight on your key points. Rather than having to mine paragraphs for those key points, the reader can zero in on what’s important. They force you to prioritize and organize. In some op-eds, I sense the writer wandering without clear direction, like a lost driver. Lists are a bit like GPS for your writing. They are scan-friendly: In today’s Twitter world, many readers don’t have the patience or time to absorb a lengthy narrative. Lists are the billboards for drive-by reading. News media love them. Anyone who’s been in public relations beyond PR101 knows that lists are like catnip to editors. Send a news release titled “The Top Ten … [Read more...]

Who’s Writing the Op-eds?: The Presidents Behind the Words

The database continues to grow. I’ve now amassed roughly 350 opinion pieces by college and university presidents that have been published, on line or in print, so far in 2014. I’ll put content issues under the microscope in the coming weeks, but right now, let’s look at who’s writing those op-eds. Just a few days ago, I posted a comprehensive list of the presidents represented in the database (with links to all op-eds by the top 14 in number of published pieces for the year). It’s an extraordinary group. Here are some demographics… Sector: Even with intense outreach to all sectors for published op-eds and an ongoing search across all media, private college and university presidents dominate the collected opinion pieces. Still, public four-year institutions are well represented, with community colleges being the smallest segment. (I’ve chosen to exclude tribal colleges and for-profits, but have seen virtually no op-eds from those sectors anyway.) Gender: … [Read more...]

Op-eds: Why Are We So Afraid to Get Personal?

The headline on the college president’s Boston Globe opinion piece in early October read simply, “I have breast cancer.” Then in just over 500 words, Helen Drinan, president of Simmons College, tells the story of learning a month earlier that she has stage 1, grade 3 breast cancer, and details her medical procedures since the diagnosis. It’s a story with a purpose: breast exams may be painful and inconvenient, but they can be life-savers. “I reflect often on the dire consequences if I had skipped my [annual] mammogram,” Drinan says. It would be hard to imagine a more personal opinion piece. It’s also rare to find many college presidents willing to be seen as three-dimensional human beings with all the fears, failings, and family history that is both unique to each of us and common to all of us. Storytelling, a communication device that dates to the dawn of humanity, has been rediscovered in recent years. There is rarely a month without a webinar or conference … [Read more...]