Increasing national and international news coverage about faculty research, student achievement and innovative programs is one of the ways University Communications seeks to raise the profile of Florida State University. University Communications’ News & Research Communications staff, in collaboration with communicators across campus, pitches story ideas, provides experts lists, writes news releases and distributes video content for use by producers and reporters all over the world.

Faculty experts Lance deHaven-Smith, Munir Humayun, Jeffrey Kahn, James McNulty and Toby Park were among those featured by some of the top media outlets in the United States and abroad in November. Stories featuring them were published or broadcast by numerous media outlets, including the BBC News, Christian Science Monitor, Inside Higher Ed, NPR, Psychology Today, USA Today and Washington Post.

There were about 940* media placements in November, and about 20 percent of those were directly generated by media relations strategies. An analysis of the media coverage is as follows:

Focus Summary Geographic Summary n 45% research/faculty n 50% national n 42% college, unit or student focus n 30% international n 13% other features, issues n 20% regional and local management and/or editorials

Social Media § FSU gained 3,236 new Facebook fans in November; there was an average engagement rate of 8.4% (compared to a 1% industry average) while the high quality engagement rate was 1.8% The total reach for the month was 1,528,016 users. § Twitter (@floridastate) increased by 1,211 followers. § There were more than 18.9 million average total impressions across Facebook and Twitter, 20,807 total views on YouTube and 6,325 engagements on Instagram.

Broadcast Media § There were more than 1,000 mentions of Florida State University in television and radio markets across the country, including New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

The following provides highlights of media placements resulting from pitching, news releases, news events and collaborative efforts:

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL (RESEARCH)

Martian Rock — Munir Humayun, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, uncovered what may be the first recognized sample of ancient Martian crust based on the analysis of a 4.4 billion-year- old meteorite. After News & Research Communications, in collaboration with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, issued a news release, hundreds of national and international media outlets covered up the story, including ABC News, NBC News, CNN, Fox News, BBC News, Christian Science Monitor and Popular Mechanics.

Newlyweds — A new study by James McNulty, associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences, showed that newlyweds’ gut-level reactions to their spouses can predict the happiness of a marriage. After News & Research Communications issued a news release, numerous national and international media outlets covered the story. Among them: Washington Post, USA Today, Christian Science Monitor, NPR, BBC News, (U.K.) Express, The (Calcutta) Telegraph, Yahoo News Canada, Psychology Today and Science Daily.

College ‘Stopouts’ — Toby Park, an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy in the College of Education, conducted research on students who took a break from college, or “stopped out,” and then re-enrolled. He found that students who “stopped out” more than once were less likely to return to complete their degrees. Several media outlets covered his findings, including Reuters, USA Today, Inside Higher Ed and U.S. News University.

Wind Tunnel — The Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion’s new polysonic wind tunnel will allow leading scientists and engineers to conduct aviation and aerospace experiments at speeds as fast as Mach 5. An event to unveil the new wind tunnel was covered by the Tallahassee Democrat, WCTV and the FSView and Florida Flambeau.

FACULTY EXPERTISE

Anniversary of JFK Assassination — The Daily Beast cited Lance deHaven-Smith, a professor in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy and author of “Conspiracy Theory in America,” in an article about the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy.

Tax-Free Buyouts — Jeffrey H. Kahn, the Charles W. Ehrhardt Professor in the College of Law, was quoted by USA Today in an article about tax law and buyouts of college coaches’ contracts.

STUDENT-CENTERED UNIVERSITY

AcaBelles — Florida State’s all-women a cappella group, the AcaBelles, performed Lorde’s song “Royals” on a video that went viral with more than 6 million views on YouTube to date, thanks in part to coverage by national media outlets, including Good Morning America, Huffington Post, People Magazine, Elle, Seventeen, NBC Miami, CBS Atlanta and Buzzfeed.

Student Veteran Film Festival — The third annual Student Veteran Film Festival featured the film “Which Way is the Frontline from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington” and the presentation of the Torchlight Award to filmmaker Sebastian

Junger. Several media outlets reported the news, including The Hollywood Reporter, Yahoo!, Indiewire, Capitol News Service, WJHG-TV (Panama City), WJXT-TV (Jacksonville), WCTV, WFSU-FM and the Tallahassee Democrat.

State of the University — President Eric J. Barron addressed the university’s pre- eminence status, climb to the top 25 and a commitment to hiring new faculty during his annual address. Several news outlets, including the Tallahassee Democrat, the FSView and Florida Flambeau and WCTV, covered the president’s speech.

ISSUES MANAGEMENT

Sexual Assault Allegation — There were more than 4,500* news stories about an allegation of sexual assault involving student-athlete Jameis Winston that appeared in major media outlets across the nation, including USA Today, NPR, CNN, ESPN, CBS Sports Radio and Tampa Bay Times.

*Many of these stories were covered by sports writers and not captured in the total non- athletic news clips.