Media Relations

The Office of Marketing & Communications is the official liaison between Pacific University and the news media. We work strategically with local, regional, and national journalists to share Pacific’s story, highlight groundbreaking research, and position our faculty and staff as trusted industry experts.

Employee Responsibilities: What To Do If The Media Contacts You

• Pause: Do not provide an immediate or off-the-cuff interview. Politely inform the journalist that university policy requires all media inquiries to go through Marketing & Communications first.
• Gather Basic Information: Ask for the reporter’s name, news outlet, topic, key questions, and deadline.
• Connect With Us: Forward the details to the Media Relations team at news@pacificu.edu or call for urgent deadlines.
• Exceptions: Faculty and staff who are listed in the subject matter expert database may speak with reporters on topics specific to their areas of expertise. Be sure to contact MarCom following such interviews so that we can track coverage.

Becoming a Subject Matter Expert

Reporters frequently look for academic experts to provide commentary on breaking news, clinical breakthroughs, cultural events, and industry trends. Serving as a media expert elevates your own professional standing and raises the profile of your program and Pacific.

What It Means To Be A Media Expert

• You agree to be listed in Pacific’s searchable Subject Matter Expert Database in our public media kit.
• You are comfortable being contacted by MarCom or by media outlets when a timely news topic aligns with your field of expertise.
• You are willing to participate in phone, print, broadcast, or video interviews when your schedule permits.

How MarCom Supports You

• We can provide media training and interview prep for subject matter experts.
• Our Advocate Kit includes university fast facts and talking points.
• We can help handle reporter and location scheduling.
• If you are interested in becoming a subject matter expert for Pacific, please contact Blake Timm at news@pacificu.edu.

Pitching Stories

Marcom helps evaluate and elevate story ideas to external media outlets. Because journalists operate in a fast-paced environment and expect high relevance, we do not pitch every requested story to the press on demand.

What Makes A Strong Media Pitch?

• Timeliness: Connects to a current national news event, seasonal trend, or societal issue.
• Community & Regional Impact: Demonstrates how Pacific research, clinics, or programs directly benefit local communities.
• Firsts & Milestones: Represents a groundbreaking advancement, a novel innovation, or a unique partnership.
• Visual Potential: Includes strong visual opportunities for photojournalists or broadcast TV crews.
• Strategic Alignment: Reinforces Pacific’s core strategic priorities and messaging themes. (See our monthly themes in our Advocate Toolkit)

Cross-Channel Amplification

If a story idea is not selected for an external media pitch, we can also help identify alternative ways to share your news — such as featuring it on our website, highlighting it on social media channels, or helping you post to internal news feeds.

Pacific In The News

Want to see where Pacific’s showing up in the news?

• Access current press releases and feature stories on the university’s magazine newsfeed at pacificu.edu/magazine
• Review our curated digest of recent local, regional and national news mentioning Pacific at pacificu.edu/media