Years back, we spoke at a national media conference in Bethesda, Md., and we offered up our “Top 10 Questions Most Frequently Asked of Media Relations Professionals in Higher Education.” Some people seemed to like it so we thought we’d reprise it.

1. We have the most innovative curriculum in higher education. Why can’t we get the press to cover that?
2. Why can’t we get the kind of good press they get at (fill in the blank) college across town?
3. Why weren’t we in that story about mating fruit flies? We have the best guy in the country on that subject on our faculty.
4. Why don’t we get the press coverage we deserve?
5. Don’t we need a big-name PR agency to get national press coverage?
6. (If your ranking went up in the U.S. News & World Report survey): What took them so long to start recognizing the excellence of our faculty and students?
7. (If your ranking went down in the U.S. News & World Report survey): Why aren’t we getting good PR like those other schools?
8. Sure, you can get press coverage for the easy stuff, the stuff the press wants to cover. But why can’t you get coverage of the great work we’re doing in Boolean algebra or stochastic modeling?
9. The guy gave us $100,000 for God’s sake. Can’t you get the press to cover that?
10. Doesn’t someone at The New York Times want to interview the president?