Boutique public relations for higher education

Your university has a story. Make sure the right people hear it.

Senior-level PR counsel for colleges and universities, without the agency overhead. Media relations, thought leadership for presidents and faculty, and steady hands when the news cycle turns.

Photo coming soon
Laura LessnauFounder & Principal Consultant
20+years in communications and public relations
1:1you work directly with me, never a junior account team
Michiganbased, serving institutions nationwide

Services

Three ways to work together

Every engagement is scoped to the institution, not pulled from a rate card. Most clients start with one of these.

Retainer

Media Relations & Earned Coverage

Consistent, credible placements for the research, programs, and people that define your campus.

  • Faculty expert sourcing and pitching
  • Research and grant announcements
  • Enrollment, rankings, and admissions stories
  • Regional and trade press relationships

Program

Executive & Faculty Thought Leadership

Position your president, provost, and deans as the voices reporters call first.

  • Op-eds and bylined commentary
  • LinkedIn and speaking platform strategy
  • Media training and interview prep
  • Ghostwritten remarks and essays

On call

Crisis & Issues Counsel

Calm, fast, and experienced when a story breaks: leadership transitions, Title IX, campus incidents, budget cuts.

  • Rapid-response messaging and holding statements
  • Board, trustee, and community communications
  • Reputation recovery planning
  • Spokesperson coaching under pressure

Approach

Small firm. Senior judgment. No surprises.

Universities move through committees, shared governance, and academic calendars. The plan respects that reality instead of fighting it.

Listen

Interviews with leadership, communications staff, and a few faculty. I learn what the institution is proud of and what keeps the cabinet up at night.

Map the year

A 12-month editorial calendar built around commencement, research cycles, admissions deadlines, and board meetings.

Earn coverage

Targeted pitching to higher-ed trades, regional outlets, and national reporters who actually cover your beat.

Report honestly

Monthly reporting on placements, message pull-through, and what did not work, so we adjust before the next cycle.

Results

Work that moved the needle

Regional public university

14

National placements in six months for a new engineering program

Positioned three faculty as sources on EV battery manufacturing. Coverage cited by the state economic development office in its own release.

Private liberal arts college

48 hrs

Presidential transition announced without a single unanswered inquiry

Built the announcement sequence for trustees, faculty senate, alumni, and press. Local coverage led with the college's framing, not speculation.

“Laura understood how a university actually works before she wrote the first pitch. That saved us months.”

Vice President for Communications
Photo coming soon

About

Two decades of telling institutional stories well

I started this practice after a long career in communications because I kept seeing the same thing: universities with remarkable research and people, and PR support that was either an overstretched internal team or a large agency that did not understand tenure, shared governance, or why the board matters.

Lessnau Communications is deliberately small. You work with me directly. I take on a limited number of institutions at a time so each one gets senior attention, fast turnaround, and candid advice.

FocusColleges, universities, and higher-ed nonprofits
Based inMichigan, working nationally
BackgroundCorporate and institutional communications, 20+ years
MembershipsPRSA, CASE

Insights

Notes on higher-ed PR

Short, practical pieces for communications leaders.

Contact

Let's talk about your institution

A 30-minute conversation, no pitch deck. Tell me what you are trying to accomplish this academic year and I will tell you honestly whether I can help.

Phone