University of St. Thomas Marketing & Communications Department celebrates Dr. Jon Taylor who has racked up 1,500 media mentions over his 21 years as a faculty member. Dr. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Master of Public Policy & Administration Program. He is also an expert on China and urban politics.

Taylor Named a China Scholar Twitterati 100

Dr. Taylor’s media hits are a combination of print, broadcast and online. He is such a prolific tweeter that in 2014, he was named on the list of China Scholars Twitterati 100, which brings attention to some of the scholarly experts active on Twitter.

“This media appearances tally for Dr. Jon Taylor is an extraordinary service to the University,” Sandra Soliz, director of Communications, said. “Dr. Taylor has the combination of charisma and general knowledge as a faculty expert on China, and local, state and national politics. He is highly sought after for political coverage on the local TV stations several times a year, and is a regular on Houston Public Media’s Houston Matters show discussing a roundup of political topics for the week.”

Taylor’s Media Hits by the Numbers

Dr. Taylor’s depth and breadth of experience is exemplified by the media hits from the most recent years.

• 2015: 68 media hits
• 2016: 84 media hits
• 2017: 89 media hits
• 2018: 104 media hits
• 2019 (so far): 34 media hits and counting...

Other Faculty Experts of Note

UST has had several faculty experts who have racked up a sizeable number of media appearances, including Dr. Ron Hackett, who served as a previous director of the Center for International Studies. Hackett had a contract with KHOU Channel 11 as their on-air political advisor.

Other faculty members who have been regular experts over the years (in no particular order) are: Dr. Mary Catherine Sommers, Dr. Ed Houser, Prof. Rick Sindelar, the late Dr. Gustavo Wensjoe, Dr. Rogelio Garcia, Dr. Ulyses Balderas, Dr. Hans Stockton, Dr. Steven Meyers, Fr. Leon Streider, Fr. Brendan Cahill, Fr. Dempsey Rosales-Acosta, Fr. Donald Nesti, CSSp, Dr. John Story, Dr. David Schein, Fr. Michael Miller, CSB, Fr. Chris Valka, CSB, Fr. Mike Buentello, CSB, Sr. Madeleine Grace, CVI, Dr. Lynn Godwin, Dr. Joe Ueng, Dr. Poldi Tschirch, Dr. Robert LeBlanc, Dr. Jean-Philippe Faletta, Dr. Lawrence DiPaolo, Dr. Charlene Dykman, Prof. Nicole Casarez, Dr. Dominic Aquila and Dr. Beena George.

Faculty Expert Training

MarCom hosts faculty expert training with an outside media consultant once or twice a year. In the training, faculty experts learn tips and techniques for talking to the media. To date, MarCom has trained 50 faculty members.

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