Chandigarh, March 24
Panjab University (PU) today hosted an interactive session for structured academic visibility and stronger media engagement at Golden Jubilee Hall, in Sector-14, PU Campus. PU’s Department of Public Relations has organised a one day national workshop on “From Research to Headlines: Simple Media Strategies for Departments” for bringing together chairperson of various departments, media professionals, faculty members and students to deliberate on public relations and media practices.
Dean University Instruction, Prof. Yojna Rawat, Registrar, Yajvender Pal Verma, Director, Research and Development Cell Prof. Meenakshi Goyal, Former Director, Public Relations, PU and Guest Speaker of the event Sanjiv Tewari and Chairpersons of PU Departments were present on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, PU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Renu Vig emphasised the need for departments to adopt a proactive and systematic approach to documenting academic and institutional activities for achieving better national and international rankings. She highlighted the importance of preparing annual reports to maintain a structured record of achievements and to encourage greater student participation in academic processes.
Dean University Instruction, Prof. Yojna Rawat appreciated the efforts of the DPR in organising the session and noted that such initiatives contribute to strengthening academic and professional engagement within the university.
Registrar, Yajvender Pal Verma stressed on the significance of disseminating accurate, relevant and timely information, noting that effective communication remains central to institutional credibility and outreach.
Former Director, Public Relations, PU and expert speaker of the event Sanjiv Tewari spoke on the role of attitude, knowledge, skill set and communication in professional growth. He pointed out that technological advancements have expanded the scope of public relations, creating new avenues for engagement, and encouraged the departments to actively participate in such platforms.
Earlier, Dr. Vineet Punia, Director, DPR outlined key guidelines for Chairpersons to strengthen media engagement across departments. He urged departments to actively implement measures to enhance communication outreach and institutional visibility. Highlighting the importance of digital presence, Dr. Punia advised departments to develop and maintain dedicated social media platforms for consistent dissemination of information. He also suggested involving student reporters to encourage participatory communication and better communication outcomes.
Media professionals, during the interactive segment, shared practical inputs with departments on drafting press releases and photographs. It was followed with interactive session in which the discussion focused on identifying newsworthy developments within departments and the university, ensuring timeliness, and maintaining clarity and precision in writing. Stress was also laid on following inverted pyramid and best practices of press note drafting for effective language in press communication.
