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5 Tips for Getting Presidential Op-Eds Published

If you’re involved in drafting or pitching op-eds for a college or university president, this blogpost is for you.

Recently we launched a searchable database of such opinions published in major national outlets since fall 2016. The database currently includes nearly 500 op-eds. Having read them all, we’d like to share several realities that are worth considering if you want to give all your hard work on op-eds the best chance of seeing the light of day:

1.  BE TIMELY

It’s no surprise that if a topic is dominating national news, editors will be interested in the higher-education angle. This was obvious during, for example, the intense debate about the Trump administration’s immigration policies, when presidents found an audience for numerous related opinions, from protecting DACA students to learning from those with whom we may disagree to scaring off future Einsteins.

Of course the impact of COVID-19 gets editors’ attention now, and a slew of related presidential pieces have emerged, including how the pandemic has undermined the foundation of our educational system, how to support students while campuses are closed, and opportunities to improve higher education beyond the crisis.

2.  PAY LEADERSHIP FORWARD

Editors’ interest is clear: the database already includes nearly 100 articles in which presidents offer tips and insights into the weighty issues that come with being at the helm. These include commentaries on everything from coping with scandals and prioritizing mental health to achieving faculty diversity and creating leadership pathways for women. There’s even a president’s wish list to Santa. What has your president learned lately that can be shared?

3.  PICK A HOT BUTTON

Campuses are in many ways testing grounds for antagonisms boiling in our culture. If your president is willing to publish a strong opinion on a topic that is drawing heat (although that is far easier said than done when the diverse constituencies of campuses are reading), editors may well bite. In recent years, for example, as controversial speakers and related campus protests have fueled debates about the First Amendment, presidents have opined on how to protect students’ rights and ensure student safety, and offered a free-speech checklist to help prepare for events that can go awry.

4.  COUNT ON COST QUESTIONS

Is college worth the investment? This question isn’t going anywhere. Actually, it promises to be even more controversial—which likely means of editorial interest—as fall planning takes shape in the coming months. Published presidents have taken the cost question head on, considered the value of education beyond price, and wondered what happens if public support keeps declining.

Kitchen-table issues like this get attention, as do more sophisticated versions (Ph.D.-kitchen-table issues, if you will), like these: research supports the intellectual and societal value of higher education and the economics of college degrees.

5.  HUMANIZE THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

News outlets know that America’s 20 million college students represent a lot of potential readers. Some presidents have gotten personal, sharing what it was like to trade places with a student for a day or move into a first-year dorm. Others have reflected on their time exploring student views on “impractical humanities courses” and how to choose a major.

Those last types of commentaries are less likely to wade into controversy’s midst. But the database shows that if your president is willing to do that, the axiom is true: conflict is interesting.


Sources:

Pete Mackey

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