Work with ‘The Conversation’ creates greater awareness of faculty expertise

In May of 2023, Wake Forest became a member of The Conversation, a non-profit, independent news organization dedicated to sharing the knowledge of academic experts with the public for the common good. The membership gives Wake Forest faculty the opportunity to write articles in collaboration with a team of editors to provide informed perspectives rooted in their scholarship on important and interesting topics. 

The goal of the work is to create greater awareness of Wake Forest’s faculty expertise and scholarship and enhance Wake Forest’s reputation for academic excellence.

Halfway through the initial engagement, Wake Forest faculty have seen their work highlighted in more than 40 media outlets, including Yahoo! News, Fast Company, Discover magazine, Newsweek, Scientific American, MSN, Philadelphia Inquirer, Houston Chronicle and San Francisco Chronicle/SF Gate. 

As a result of these stories, Wake Forest faculty have been interviewed by multiple media outlets, including The New York Times, Wisconsin Public Radio, Sirius XM Canada, Marketplace, Canada Talk Radio/CKNW, Inside Higher Ed’s Academic Minute, ABC Radio Australia, Cleveland.com and WJR Radio Detroit.

Music Professor Aaron Hardwick’s article on video game music is a strong example of how articles in The Conversation support faculty and University goals. His article was picked up by Fast Company, Scientific American, Newsweek, and WFAE in Charlotte. He received a request from Cambridge University Press to include his work in one of their projects.

Work will continue in the spring semester, including planning workshops in the first week of February with editors from The Conversation working directly with faculty. 

This effort is sponsored by the offices of the President and Provost, and the work has been led by Communications and External Relations.