Higher education is my beat.

I love talking with faculty and students. I love learning about their work in every discipline: law, theater, agricultural economics, you name it.

Here are a few things I’ve learned about interviewing academics.

Start out filled with intellectual curiosity.  You can’t fake this very well.  An academic friend once complained to me about a writer he called a “dumb groupie,” who loved academics, not their ideas.

Bone up.  You’ll be talking everything from Chinese history to veterinary science.  And you’ll be talking with people whose lives revolve around their topics. With curiosity and research, you’ll be able to ask interesting questions and follow the arcane conversation with the same enthusiasm as the professor.  

Realize that the process will take at least two hours.  Ask enough questions to focus the interview without derailing the discussion.

Once you’ve got a notebook or MP3 full of high level talk, it’s time to make the story fascinating for everyone without misrepresenting the complexity of the professor’s work.  When you research the topic, be alert for when the writing works and when it doesn’t.  In general, notice, find, and read writers who make intricate concepts clear.  Then -- practice!

Your job is to make the college and its work look terrific, and your interviewee feel great about working there.  That means allowing your interviewees to read your article.  A journalistic no-no is the college writers’ “yes-absolutely.”

They will nitpick your work.  They’re academics.  So when you send the material, set them up carefully.  Say something like:  “I know how busy you are, so just let me know about any factual errors, or misrepresentations.  This is for a general audience, so I’ve simplified accordingly.  And my editor wants only 900 words, so if you really need to add anything, tell me what to take out.”

Usually the professor gracefully says “feel free to take or leave my suggestions.”  If not, treat him or her as you would a client, tactfully discussing how some of the edits will work for your audience, and some won’t.

Then stand ready to learn about another esoteric and enthralling topic.