"I'll call them...."

"I'll give them a call...."

When I email the media info about a faculty member who could be a good source for their stories, I sometimes hear back from them with a note that says they'll call the professor. Well, this is like dating: you wait for that call...and wait, and wait....sometimes they call, sometimes they don't. Four reporters have told me this past week that they'll call La Salle faculty. Out of the four, well, if one follows up, that's ok; two is great; three is phenomenal and if four call back I'll retire. Still, even if they call the faculty member that's no guarantee the faculty member's comments will be used. When that happens I say to myself, if you fail 2/3 times in baseball, you're in the hall of fame.

You never know where you'll find a good story

Riding in the shuttle bus one day I chatted with Carla Johnson, a senior who was about 50 years old. She told me she had gone back to school after her children were grown, and planned to volunteer with AmeriCorprs for a year after graduation. I made a note to do something about her at graduation. Well, Carla and I exchanged a few emails about her story, but when I asked her why she wanted to volunteer, she told me it was to honor those who had helped, including her fiance, Roland, who had been retired but started working again to Carla wouldn't have to to work while completing her degree. That last bit of info put Carla's story in the "A" category. I sent her info to Phila. Inquirer columnist Annette John-Hall, who immediately wrote about them. Here's a link to her column:

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/20100615_Annette_John-Hall__Couple_has_a_love_that_never_retires.html#axzz0qx9ywtLC

I was lucky I took the shuttle that day!

Press still has some power

A few weeks ago Philadelphia Daily News columnist Ronnie Polaneczky Polaneczky wrote about Mareeda Perry, a La Salle employee who has overcome much in her 24 years to earn her BA from the University. Since then, Mareeda has received many letters and emails from people who say they found inspiration for themselves through her story; one person offered to help her navigate the world of grants and fellowships to finance her graduate studies; there were even some job offers!

This all started back in March when I sent a campus-wide email asking folks for interesting and unusual graduation stories. Joan Ulmer, who works with Mareeda in the Nonprofit Center, sent me some info and the rest took care of itself. This proves that you never know where a good story will come from.