Answers to frequently asked questions about the Office of Public Relations and Communications (OPRC) at DePaul and the services we provide.   

What is the mission of the Office of Public Relations and Communications (OPRC)?
What does OPRC do?
Does OPRC manage all DePaul communications?
How do I contact OPRC?

How do I get word out to DePaul audiences about my news and events?
Will news media coverage help me attract an audience to my campus event? 
If I contact OPRC about a DePaul story idea for the media, is coverage guaranteed?
Can OPRC get reporters to cover my event? 
What is the university’s policy about filming on campus?
Does OPRC do advertising and marketing? 
Where can I find brand and logo information? 
Does OPRC do event planning? 

What is the mission of the Office of Public Relations and Communication (OPRC)?    
The Office of Public Relations and Communications (OPRC) collaborates with administrators, faculty and staff to execute internal and external communications initiatives that support DePaul’s goals and mission.

OPRC may apply its own resources and/or refer university clients to other resources that are appropriate for meeting specific communication objectives. Because our resources are finite, we are selective in the projects we undertake to ensure that our work focuses on the university’s communication priorities.

 

What does OPRC do?   

Presidential and internal communications:

• Position the university’s president through a variety of internal and external communications methods, including the President’s website.
  
• Collaborate with university leaders, faculty and staff to identify key information about the institution’s direction and goals to share with the DePaul community through Newsline, the online and print faculty/staff newsletter, as well as e-mail, video, photography and other communication tools. 

External communications through the News and Information Bureau (NIB):

• Execute strategic public relations that reach external audiences, including news media.
• Proactively use traditional and new media tools—news releases, media pitches, story tip sheets, faculty expert guides, websites, social media, video and digital photography—to place stories about DePaul and reach a variety of audiences.
• Maintain the content of the Newsroom website, which contains news releases, Media Guide to DePaul Experts and facts and stats about the university.
• Respond to media requests for faculty and staff interviews.
• Advise faculty on managing media interviews and writing opinion pieces (op-eds).
• Serve as a spokespeople for the institution.
• Support crisis communications.
• Produce guides that help the university community communicate more effectively, including Media Interview Tips, Op-Ed Writing Tips and DePaul’s Editorial Style Guide.

New media:

• Produce high quality videos and photography and manage the websites mentioned above.
  

Does OPRC manage all DePaul communications?   

No. OPRC is one of several university communication units, which include:

• Enrollment Management and Marketing (EM&M) works with administration, departments and colleges to create communication initiatives, particularly in the areas of recruitment, promotions and non-recruitment publications. DePaul’s advertising, brand standards, logo, main website, DePaul Magazine, alumni newsletters and other marketing projects are managed by this unit.
• Advancement Planning and Communications engages alumni, foundations, donors, potential donors and others with the university
• School of Music Marketing and Communications promotes performances by students and faculty of the university’s music school.  http://music.depaul.edu/NewsAndEvents/index.asp 

• The Theatre School Marketing and Public Relations markets performances by and disseminates news about DePaul’s theatre school

• Sports Information manages media relations and marketing for the university’s student athletics program.

• Community Government and International Affairs (CGIA) connects DePaul to Chicago and the world by strengthening relationships between DePaul's Chicago and overseas programs and communities.  If your initiative involves a visit or communications to public officials or civic leaders, contact CGIA. 

How do I contact OPRC?   

To reach appropriate staff members, see Contact Us.

To request OPRC support for an event or initiative, please complete an OPRC Project Request Form at least four weeks before your deadline.  For bigger projects, please consider involving OPRC in the planning stages of the initiative. After we evaluate your request based on the university’s communications goals and priorities and your communication needs, we will provide a recommendation within five business days.

For projects that may involve video and/or photography, please also complete a Photo/Video Assignment Request Form.

 

 

How do I get word out to DePaul audiences about my news and events?   

To publicize news and events that are of interest to specific DePaul audiences, faculty and staff are encouraged to contact these resources directly: 

Events of interest to the university community and/or public:

Post events on the DePaul Campus Events Calendar.   

Faculty and and staff news:

Newsline
Ed Lawler, editor 
(312) 362-7028

News about academic excellence:

DePaul Distinctions 
Margaret Hoag, editor 
(312) 362-8687                                        
                                    
Alumni and donor news: 

DePaul Magazine 
Carol Sadtler, editor 
(312) 362-8824

College/school alumni newsletters:
Ruhan Memishi, editor 
(312) 362-8629

Advancement and alumni communications:
Carmen Marti, associate director/writer/editor
(312) 362-6354
http://alumni.depaul.edu/

Fundraising campaign communications:
Christian Anderson, senior director
(312) 362-5459
http://alumni.depaul.edu/campaign/Default.aspx

Student news:
 
The DePaulia (official student newspaper) 
(773) 325-7443
Depaulianews@gmail.com

Radio DePaul (student radio)
(773) 325-4133
radiodepaulnewsdirector@gmail.com

Good Day DePaul (student web-based newscast)
Rick Brown, faculty advisor     
(312) 362-7088
http://www.facebook.com/gooddaydepaul

Posting flyers on campus:

Materials for posting on campus must be approved, registered and stamped for approval by the Office of Student Involvement (OSI). Materials may be posted for up to 14 days prior to the event and will be removed the day after the event has occurred. For more information, contact OSI: (773) 325-7361.

Social media, various audiences:

DePaul Social Media Working Group   
(DePaul staff who manage various social media for colleges, departments, centers, etc.).
socialmediagroup@depaul.edu
http://cms.schooleffects.com/depaul/home

 

 

Will news media coverage help me attract an audience to my campus event?    

Reporters rarely do stories previewing events. Even if your event does generate a news item prior to the event, it may not target the specific audience you seek or appear before your RSVP deadline.

To ensure success, event planners must develop a PR and marketing plan for attracting specific, interested audiences, with an appropriate budget and timeline. First, evaluate your goals realistically and identify your audiences. Then reach these audiences through invitations, fliers, e-mail, social media, advertising, brochures and/or partnerships with appropriate organizations to access their memberships. These marketing, networking and paid-media vehicles allow you to control the timing and content of your message and to target the audience that is most interested in your initiative.

If I contact OPRC about a DePaul story idea for the media, is coverage guaranteed?    

Alerting OPRC to a potential DePaul news story does not guarantee media coverage. OPRC evaluates the newsworthiness of all ideas presented to us and pitches only those that carry DePaul’s key messages and have the most coverage potential.

After we contact the media with a story idea, reporters, editors or producers decide whether to pursue the story based on their news judgment. Please note that because DePaul is in the third largest media market in the nation, our story ideas compete with those from many other sources.

Can OPRC get reporters to cover my event?    

OPRC devotes most of its efforts toward gaining coverage of major ongoing initiatives that represent the university’s goals, mission and brand rather than coverage of individual events. This does not mean that events aren’t important. It simply means that events are finite news items that often generate only a small amount of coverage, whereas issues-oriented stories generate far greater coverage for DePaul.

If your event has a newsworthy angle, is open to the public and you want to explore whether media may cover it, please fill out an OPRC request form at least a month in advance with all pertinent information. OPRC will evaluate the request and provide a recommendation.

What is the university’s policy about filming on campus?    

DePaul is a private institution and its campuses are closed to news media, commercial and other non-university filming/recording unless prior permission is granted by the university. Those seeking to film on campus should contact OPRC at (312) 362-8591.

Does OPRC do advertising and marketing?    

While OPRC coordinates its communication efforts with DePaul’s marketing and advertising initiatives, the department is not responsible for marketing and advertising.

DePaul’s Marketing Communications staff in Enrollment Management and Marketing (EM&M) work with department and college offices to plan, create and implement a variety of marketing initiatives, particularly in the areas of prospective student recruitment and alumni communications. The office is responsible for advertising, recruitment publications, DePaul's homepage, DePaul Magazine, several college alumni newsletters and other marketing and communications projects.

The Marketing Strategy department in EM&M ensures that all DePaul divisions leverage the university’s brand identity, employ fact-based decision-making and integrate key marketing messages across the university with the ultimate goal of advancing DePaul’s position and prominence.