Nearly 1,500 stories featuring or mentioning WSU captured in 2022 by media outlets around the globe
The 2022 news cycle was dominated by stories related to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — from the Omicron variant and vaccine boosters to ongoing supply chain disruptions and inflation — and the gradual return to normalcy and social gatherings. Other headlines revolved around a tumultuous political climate and the midterm elections, international conflicts and acts of domestic violence, mental health concerns, labor movements, and civil unrest marked by demonstrations and protests across the nation.
On campus, headlines were happier as the WSU community navigated a hybrid environment and celebrated a return to many campus traditions while graduation rates continued to soar through continued student success initiatives. WSU welcomed new leadership and looked ahead with its next strategic plan. A Warrior won the MLB World Series, and the university bestowed an honorary degree upon Motown legend Stevie Wonder.
Wayne State experts were often called upon for their perspectives on these topics. The Office of Marketing and Communications’ public relations team not only facilitated media requests but also proactively developed media tips sheets and recruited experts to heed the call from local and national outlets.
Though the news cycle was crowded, other stories were developed and pitched to outlets on a regular basis about the university, including student success and campus life, research, the environment, arts, and numerous other programs and activities.
Nearly 1,500 stories featuring or mentioning Wayne State were captured in 2022 by media outlets around the globe. Included in the overall number were 814 stories focusing primarily or exclusively on the university — known as Tier I media placements.
“We take pride in the fact that the public relations team worked both proactively and reactively to line up a wide variety of WSU faculty experts to provide context and information on important news topics, while also shining a light on the university’s impact and successes,” said Matt Lockwood, associate vice president of university communications.
The Office of Marketing and Communications annually reviews media activity to determine the content of news coverage and geographical reach. Data is captured through several monitoring tools and identified by a tier structure — Tiers I, II and III. Tiers II and III, though not focused entirely or exclusively on Wayne State, feature faculty experts commenting on trending topics — commonly referred to as pull quotes and soundbites — or topics shared with other institutions.
Tier I stories are often pitched or facilitated by Wayne State communications professionals. Another component of the annual media review is the advertising value of the stories, which refers to the actual cost of purchasing comparable advertising space for each story. The estimated advertising value of 2022’s stories is nearly $5 million.
This year’s stories extended from Detroit-area dailies, television and radio to national media outlets such as The New York Times, the Washington Post, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Fox News, CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, the Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Yahoo News, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, and numerous international outlets.
Also included in the media coverage are articles written by faculty for The Conversation, an independent news outlet focused on sharing commentary and analysis from the academic and research community to provide context on the news. Because they are authored by credible scholars, articles in The Conversation are frequently republished in large national outlets and regional newspapers. In 2022, 17 faculty authored 32 articles in The Conversation, reaching 2.4 million readers through publication in outlets like Smithsonian Magazine, PBS, CNN, Business Insider, Popular Science, Newsweek, the Washington Post, Marketwatch, Salon, Quartz and more.
A sampling of major stories’ headlines included:
Student success and campus news
- Wayne State sets five-year plan to support student, institutional success
- After floods and fire, Wayne State looks at moving WDET from longtime home
- Students bypass tropical spring break to volunteer in their own community
- Wayne State President reveals deeply personal experiences in new memoir
- Wayne State University releases economic impact strategy
- Stevie Wonder, Tim Meadows among those to receive honorary WSU degrees
- Wayne State University Police Department’s national de-escalation program aims to prevent excessive use of force
- 2022 Michiganians of the Year: M. Roy Wilson improved graduation rates at Wayne State
- Wayne State changes transfer credit policy to increase access
- Wayne State, Karmanos to build cancer research, medical towers in Detroit’s Midtown
- Wayne State University President M. Roy Wilson to step down
- Astros pitcher, Wayne State product Hunter Brown prepares for homecoming
- Three quarters of Wayne State students used to drop out, now most graduate
- Wayne State dedicates Colonel Gregory Gadson Office of Military and Veterans Excellence
- Wayne State adopts tuition model that promotes graduation rates
- Eugene Driker posthumously presented with inaugural award
- Henry Ford College students to get guaranteed admission to Wayne State
- Wayne State University receives $6M grant from the Mellon Foundation to increase Black Studies faculty and establish Center for Black Studies
Arts and culture
- How to protect your family from horrific news images — and still stay informed*
- Browser cookies make people more cautious online*
- Wayne State University leads excavations of Malcom X’s Inkster home
- Detroit HIV clinic’s new mural makes a statement
- Landmark 'Who Killed Vincent Chin?' documentary airs on PBS as part of 40-year remembrances
- Black Bottom mural celebrates Black history in Detroit
- Wayne State to close historic Hilberry Theatre
- Misinformation threatens Twitter’s function as a public safety tool
- Detroit stunt actor, Wayne State alumna plays fierce woman warrior in ‘Wakanda Forever’
- The day the football gods revered the tide of history
Business and economy
- With inflation going up, are companies working to raise salary budgets in 2022?
- Examining inflation’s impact on purchasing power in metro Detroit
- Program aimed at spurring immigrant-founded startups launches at Wayne State
- Inflation hits 40-year high, but it’s not necessarily all bad news
- Four Detroit projects tap economic power of higher ed, med facilities
- Michigan poised to have advantage as demand grows for EV jobs
- The rise, fall and potential resurgence of unions in America
Community
- DOJ recognizes Wayne Law for increasing housing stability and access to justice in Detroit
- Math Corps summer camp gives students free chance to improve math skills in Detroit
- Wayne State University to host day for children with incarcerated parents
- With infrastructure funding available, communities need to ‘use it smartly’
- Wayne State researchers explore novel groundwater monitoring method
- Mobile health meets Detroiters ‘where they are’ for care
- Wayne State research group receives grant to help solve Detroit’s flooding issues
Diversity, equity and inclusion
- First Black woman nominated to SCOTUS, Ketanji Brown Jackson, earns rave reviews from Detroit legal community
- Wayne State law students launch new diversity initiative ‘Lawyers Look Like Me’
- What factors help students with disabilities transition to college?
- Restoring the Black communities highways wiped out
- Discovering your African roots through DNA testing is tracing roots back hundreds of years
- Wayne State designated as age-friendly
- Symposium looks at transgender health equity and the law
- Wayne State adds American Sign Language to teaching curriculum
- When Black psychiatrists reach out to teens of color
Environment and infrastructure
- Students win sustainability contest with plan to deconstruct, reuse Detroit’s abandoned houses
- Researchers working to reduce micro-plastics in the Great Lakes
- Wayne State and Great Lakes Water Authority to create workforce and laboratory center of the future
- Project aims to find new ways to convert river water into drinking water as pollutants evolve
- Wayne State gets $11M to study impact of air pollution on birth outcomes
Politics and society
- Can a Christian flag fly at city hall? The Supreme Court will have to decide*
- The importance of oversight in America’s past and present
- Ukrainian-Americans share perspective on Russian invasion
- Many Ukrainians face a future of lasting psychological wounds from Russian invasion*
- Oklahoma state officials resist Supreme Court ruling affirming tribal authority over American Indian country*
- Mass shootings leave behind collective despair, anguish and trauma at many societal levels*
- What 5 previous congressional hearings can teach us about the House Jan. 6 committee hearings
- What Reconstruction teaches us about today’s politics
- Political scientist shares Black voter concerns ahead of Michigan’s midterm elections
- Undecided voters say they're still searching for information ahead of the the general election
- Native American children’s protection against adoption by non-Indian families is before the Supreme Court*
- Supreme Court signals sympathy with web designer opposed to same-sex marriage in free speech case*
Public health
- Wayne State University secures NIH grant to develop mobile intervention for young Black adults with asthma
- Why taking fever-reducing meds and drinking fluids may not be the best way to treat flu and fever*
- What is alopecia? It’s no laughing matter for millions of Black American women*
- Wayne Health adds specialty care services at new facility in Midtown
- Experts examine warning signs of mass shootings
- Wayne Mobile Health Unit brings equality to life expectancy
- The power of short breaks, movement and other practices on improving mental health*
- No snacks or drinks, these vending machines dispense something that saves lives
- Proposal 3 in Michigan: Abortion rights & what would change if it passes
- Vitamin B12 deficiency is a common health problem that can have serious consequences — but doctors often overlook it*
- Researchers studying why Detroit leads the nation in pre-term birth rates
- How Michigan universities are educating students about monkeypox
- Wayne State program to offer free mental health support for first responders
- Heart disease exposes disparities, so medicine goes mobile in Detroit
- Meditation holds the potential to help children suffering from traumas*
COVID-19
- State awards Wayne State University $4.3M to increase readiness to fight infectious diseases
- COVID-19 may cause fetal inflammation even in absence of placental infection, researchers report
- What the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines could look like
- For bullied teens, online school offered a safe haven*
- How Biden’s new ‘test to treat’ COVID plan works — and why it might not be enough
- Is Michigan prepared for the next COVID-19 surge? Wastewater testing may help
- Mental health telemedicine was off to a slow start — then the pandemic happened*
- Wayne State University, Wayne Health receive grant from Bank of America to strengthen the Wayne Health Mobile Unit
- Doubting mainstream medicine, COVID patients find dangerous advice and pills online
- With cold and flu season ahead, when should you get your vaccines in the fall?
Research
- Wayne State researcher takes up the genetics of stuttering
- The strategic singlehood of Black women
- Wayne State University THINK Lab studies the impact of childhood stress, trauma
- New measure of sperm age may be predictor of pregnancy success
- Wayne State University study provides framework for prioritizing investment in drinking water systems
- Michigan supplied $40M for marijuana research — here’s what it’s funding
- $11.3M NIH Superfund award to address environmental health issues caused by VOCs
- How augmented reality helps patients overcome phobias
*indicates a faculty-authored article from The Conversation
To learn more about media opportunities, contact a member of the public relations team at today.wayne.edu/staff.