By Breanna Hunczak

Reporter

  The community around CSU Bakersfield is not often informed about non-athletic events on campus. 

  That is all going to change with new Director of Public Affairs and Communications, Michael Lukens. 

  The job of the Director of Public Affairs and Communications is to shed light on the events, faculty and students going to CSUB. Everyone who attends or works at CSUB has a story to tell and it is Lukens’ job to find those stories and share them with the community, students, faculty and alumni.  

  “There are a lot of great things going on, but people don’t know about them. I am going to collect information and package it in a way to tell the story of CSU Bakersfield,” said Lukens.

  Lukens came to CSUB from Fresno State. 

  At Fresno State, he was the chief academic officer, the communications consult with the provost. 

  Previously, Lukens worked with Mayor Ashley Swearengin of Fresno and several governors in Pennsylvania. 

  The experience helps with legislative affairs, community outreach, attending community events like the chamber of commerce and other groups.

  This gives CSUB a new face for the community to turn to.

  He also pioneered the Maddy Daily, which Lukens calls his “baby.” 

  The Maddy Daily is a website that Lukens started in order to show the news happening in the San Joaquin Valley. 

  Eventually, the Maddy institute, a public affairs institute that is a part of Fresno State, approached Lukens to do the Maddy Daily through them. 

  “I publish my own paper every day, 365 days a year, 7 days a week, and I have done it from Peru, Cuba, Ireland and Paris,” said Lukens. 

  “This campus has great leadership. Students are doing cool things and so are the faculty, and I want to know” said Lukens.

  He would like to do something similar to the Maddy Daily, but is not yet sure what that will be. 

  “My goal is to find an organized way to do that, a communication vehicle to push out that information,” said Lukens.

  Lukens wants to showcase the best of CSUB, and the stories of the students, faculty and administration. 

  He attends every event at CSUB and community event that he can to answer questions, but one person can only do so much.

  “People support their university,” said Lukens. 

  He encourages others to share their stories of people helping the community, interesting projects on campus, or faculty members who go above and beyond.