Reporters are often looking for expert opinions for their stories. Laurier professors are looking for ways to gain exposure for their research and recognition for their areas of expertise. 

Laurier’s new-and-improved Experts at Laurier website will help to make the connection.

The Experts at Laurier site provides the media with an easy to use, up-to-date list of Laurier researchers and their specific areas of expertise, searchable by topic, name or faculty. Reporters will also be able to view rotating profiles and photos of featured experts, as well as a list of experts available to comment on topics that are currently in the news. 

Faculty members have been invited via email to take a few minutes to update their experts listing. The potential benefits are significant; not only do faculty members stand to gain exposure in the public arena for their research endeavours, but they can also help to increase awareness about Laurier’s wealth of research and academic expertise. 

By completing an Experts at Laurier profile, faculty are offering to consider interview requests from the media. Reporters may ask for in-person, telephone or on-camera interviews. 

“It’s about popularizing information from the academic sphere,” said political science professor Barry Kay, who is looked to as a political expert by the media. “Each election, the media remembers you from the one before. It helps to get Laurier into the Toronto market and the national market in a way that we may not be able to do otherwise.”

“By making themselves available to the media, faculty members can establish themselves as go-to resources on specific topics while at the same time raising Laurier’s profile among business, community and government leaders," says dean of business and economics Ginny Dybenko, who gives regular media interviews.

Key features of the new Experts at Laurier site include:

• Faculty members can update and maintain their experts listing through their Laurier web page.
• When faculty members are quoted in the media, they can post a link to the article through the new “In the News” section.
• An enhanced search function makes it easy for journalists to find experts by keyword, name or department, and provides links to other faculty members with related expertise. 
• The site will display “Featured Experts” on a rotating basis, and link reporters to faculty members with expertise in “Hot Topics” that are currently in the news, enhancing Laurier’s ability to promote its research and expertise. 
• Faculty can upload a press photo of themselves, which will ensure they are included in the featured experts rotation.

Visit www.wlu.ca/experts to see the new Experts at Laurier site. Faculty members can click on “How to update your experts at Laurier profile” on the left-hand menu bar for step-by-step instructions. 

To have the site ready for use in the fall, Public Affairs is asking faculty to update their profiles by August 24. Public Affairs would like to make the process as easy as possible – if you require any assistance, please contact Lori Chalmers Morrison at lchalmersmorrison@wlu.ca or ext. 3067. 

To see examples of news articles featuring Laurier, visit Laurier in the News or look for our monthly Laurier in the News e-newsletter.