Call us at    
504-549-2341  
or email us at  
publicinfo@selu.edu  

  
News Services 

   
Photographic Services 

   
  
Publications & Printing   
   
   
Advertising & Promotions 

   
Information  
Source Guide  

   
By-Lion

The Office of Public Information keeps the public informed about Southeastern’s programs, faculty, staff and students through publications such as By-Lion, the President’s Annual Report, Southeastern Alumni News, advertising, radio and television, the Information Sources Guide, and hundreds of press releases.  

Southeastern’s public includes faculty, staff and students, as well as alumni, prospective students and their parents, donors, foundations, the news media, opinion makers, public officials, other universities and residents of southeast Louisiana.  

The Public Information Office is headed by a Director who reports to the Executive Assistant to the President. We offer 1. news services  2. photography   3. publications 4.  printing and  5. advertising. We oversee publication of  6. By-Lion, the weekly  faculty/staff newsletter, and publish the 7. Guide to Information Sources. 

The professional work of our staff has been recognized with numerous awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the University and College Designers Association (UCDA), the Baton Rouge and New Orleans Advertising  Federations, and the International Association of Business Com-municators (IABC),  among others. We look forward to working with you and encourage you to use our  services. 

To announce or promote a program or event through the media, contact us at least a month in advance. This allows for timely   notification of the media and follow-ups. We  should be consulted during the planning stages of big events or programs since effective media coverage can’t be arranged at the last minute.  

To ensure the broadest distribution possible, send a memo (SLU 10880), e-mail (publicinfo@selu.edu), fax (2061), or call (2341) with a complete description of the event, program or project, dates, times, places, fees and biographical information of speakers or artists. Provide photos if you have them.  

Note: Attendance at professional meetings and presentation of scholarly papers are generally printed in By-Lion (the faculty/staff newsletter.) By-Lion is sent to most area news editors to give them story ideas.  
 
 

Photographic Services

The photographer’s duties include photographing University activities for news releases or  publications. Requests for photographs should be made at least 48 hours in advance. Our office will do all it reasonably can to assist; however, not all events can be photographed. For general campus events, contact the Lion’s Roar.  

Photo fees are not charged for most University-related projects. However, fees are charged for extra pictures for personal use, department files or other special requests. For a fee schedule, contact our office (2341).  

Please do not contact the photographer directly to schedule a photo. Photo requests are handled by the appointment secretary (Ext. 2341) to ensure that assignments do not conflict and so that the photographer can coordinate with news services.  
 
 

Publications & Printing

The Public Information Office is responsible for the design and production of all University publications pertaining   to recruitment and external relations, including Alumni and Dev-elopment Foundation publications. Our office is available, time  permitting, to help individual departments with publications such as brochures and posters. The Public Information art director (2341) should be contacted 6-8 weeks in advance to schedule a publication. If time does not permit on-campus printing, publications paid for by the University can be routed through the state contractual system or bid out. When events or programs are being planned, the art director should be contacted regarding prices, schedules, etc.  

We are also charged with ensuring that all publications contribute favorably to the University’s image. We think you will like the simple, streamlined procedure outlined here. We will guide you step by step until the printed piece is completed and delivered.  

Producing a publication is a fairly simple procedure. However, there are certain steps you must take and decisions you and your supervisor must make beforehand.  

Write your copy. Your manuscript should be as clean as possible, brought on a diskette or transmitted by e-mail. Don’t try to simulate the final layout with your manuscript. Just put it on a diskette in IBM format (text/ASCII format) or Macintosh (Quark or WordPerfect) or e-mail it. We also need a hard copy.  

Our editors will help you in every way possible. We can rewrite, edit and put your material in the correct format, but the beginning manuscript must come from you, since you know your own field best and know the points you wish to make. Before the design stage can begin, the copy must be approved by everyone in your department who needs to see it.  

Define your audience. This basic question is often overlooked in writing a manuscript. The style of writing and the design style are often determined by the audience. For instance, most undergraduate recruiting pieces are written informally using “you” rather than “the student.” Publications for alumni may be written more formally because of the difference in age and experience of the audience.   

Have an idea of the number of copies you will need. It is always more economical to print all the copies you need in the beginning rather than having to reprint.  

If you want photographs, give some thought to what you wish to portray. If you already have photographs, bring them to our office with your manuscript. Our photographers can provide photographs of campus scenes, faculty, students, etc. You will need to coordinate the scheduling of photos with us after your initial visit with Public Information.  

Other questions you may need to answer include: What is your budget? Is photocopying an option? How soon do you need the piece? Do you want a mail-back panel or card? Will the piece be a self-mailer using the University’s mailing permit?  

If you have an idea for your publication’s design, bring an illustration and we’ll discuss it. If you don’t have an idea, don’t worry—our designers have the expertise to produce attractive and very effective publications.  

Call our office (2341) for an appointment. At your initial meeting, the art director will explain your options and guide you in making decisions on your publication. Your job will be entered on a job list and a production schedule will be established.  

The time required for production is subject to variables such as the size of the publication, complexity of the artwork and design,  and workloads. At any given time Public Information has about 20 to 30 jobs in progress. During a typical year, the staff produces more than 300 different publications. However, we try to keep everything moving along as quickly as possible.  

If this is a new publication, your manuscript will be carefully edited by our staff. If the manuscript requires heavy editing, you will be asked to approve the changes.  

For reprints of previous jobs, note the corrections in red ink on the printed piece. Major revisions should always be typed   (preferably on disk, saved as text). Attach a hard copy of the corrections to the original, indicating the placement of inserts. Reprints without corrections can usually be handled directly by the Print Shop.  

Now, the only signatures you need to begin are those of your immediate supervisor and a designated Public Information staff member. These go on the only form which needs to accompany your job—the “Public Information Job Form,” available in your department office, from Public Information, or on our website, www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice.  

The only exceptions to this process are: if your publication deals with admissions, recruiting or financial aid, it must be approved by the Director of Enrollment Services; if it contains any information about courses or curricula, it must be approved by the appropriate Dean and/or the Vice President of Academic Affairs.  

Your first proof should be ready in about two weeks. A copy will be given to you to review. Since you have approved the copy, there should be no major changes. Editing at this stage is costly and time-consuming. We may not be able to make the changes immediately due to other jobs in progress. If corrections must be made, a copy will be returned to you for final approval, or, to save time, you may proof the copy in our office.  

Requests for design changes should not be made lightly. Our designers are seasoned professionals whose goal is to present the University in the best possible way. Making design revisions for one client takes time away from other clients, and usually cannot be made within the original production schedule. Design ideas need to be discussed at the beginning of the project, because design changes cannot be made at the final proof stage.  

When you approve the final proof, your publication is ready to be printed. We will provide you with information for your purchase requisition, and send your job to the Print Shop. Printing should take one to three weeks—longer in some cases—depending on the complexity of the job and how many jobs are before yours.  

Note: If you need a one-color or photocopy job, using your own desktop publishing software to produce it may be an option.  However, use of the logo must meet university-wide publications guidelines and be approved by Public Information. Of course, our office can assist you even with simple jobs.  

For a multi-color piece, let Public Information handle your job. We can design your publication to get the most out of your budget, and we have the technology to send your document to the Print Shop electronically. This produces color separations, saves time, and results in the best quality product. We have the expertise to make your publications shine.  

Stationery and envelopes follow a standardized format, with rare exceptions for non-budgetary units and student organizations. Send a purchase order with your information (official name of office, SLU box number, phone, fax, e-mail address, and budget code for envelopes) to Faculty Box 447, or deliver in person.  

Business cards are provided to professional employees of Southeastern and are charged to departmental budgets. Send or bring your purchase order to our office. Business cards are printed once a month, therefore, all requests are due by the end of the previous month. Requests received after that date will be held over to the next printing.  

Almost all printing is performed by the SLU Print Shop. However,  publications occasionally will need to go through the bid process because of state regulations. If this is an option for you, the staff will explain it to you in your initial meeting and direct you through the off-campus printing process.  
 
 

Advertising & Promotions

The PIO assists faculty, staff and departments with placement of paid radio, television and newspaper advertising and promotions.  

If you want to advertise, meet with our staff to discuss costs and strategies. Due to the deadlines of media outlets, it is important  to begin the planning process early.  

After determining your advertising needs and budget, an adver-tising plan will be developed. We welcome your suggestions.  Provide us with detailed information about your event, and we  will develop the advertisements subject to your approval. You   may also want to meet with the news staff, since many avenues  for publicizing events are free.  

We will send you copies of all insertion orders (one for each ad). These are the forms we use to reserve advertising space or time, and they contain information you will need to fill out your purchase requisition.  

After receiving your insertion order, fill out a purchase requisition, have it signed by your supervisor and send the entire purchase requisition to Public Information (Box 10880). On the requisition include: subject of ad, date the ad will run, cost, name of media you are advertising with, your budget unit number and advertising code #523000 so that advertising can be paid promptly. (It is important for us to maintain good credit with the media). Next, sign the blue copy of the purchase requisition to avoid completing a “receiving order,” and attach a copy of the insertion order to the requisition. We must receive a copy of your purchase requisition before we can place the ad. If placing ads with more than one media outlet, complete a purchase requisition for each insertion order.Invoices for ads must be forwarded to Public Information before they are returned to you (to ensure that there are no billing errors). It is then your responsibility to make sure the invoice is forwarded to Purchasing for payment.  

Public Information can also provide assistance with production of videos for promotional purposes. Call the Coordinator of Promotions (2341) to plan your project.  
 
 

Information Source Guide

To help make the University’s resources and talents available to the general public, the PIO coordinates the Southeastern Information Sources Guide. News directors, editors and reporters use this directory for news stories, interviews, and to locate experts in specific fields. Organizations may find the Guide helpful in scheduling guest speakers. The Guide can also be found at www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice.  

The Guide is updated annually, but more timely additions can be added to the Internet version. Please notify our office if you  would like to change or add topics and speakers.  
 
 

By-Lion

The By-Lion newsletter is published weekly for faculty, staff and friends of Southeastern. The deadline for submitting articles is 11a.m. Monday. Send items to SLU 10880, e-mail them to publicinfo@selu.edu, or drop them by the Public Information Office in East Stadium.  

Items appropriate for By-Lion include news briefs, attendance at meetings, published articles and books, new personnel, promotions, organizational and departmental activities, theater and   musical performances, etc. By-Lion is also sent to the news media and published at www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice.  

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Questions/comments about this page may be directed to Scott McDougal. Updated:31 October 1999