One benefit, and there are many, of pulling together content for unit-level newsletters and soliciting news from faculty directly is that I find out about things they are doing that might normally escape (my) attention - professional activity that doesn't rise to the level of press releases, but a host of exhibitions, lectures, interviews and other work. There is a lot of this and it's too-often elusive at the college-level. But much of it is compelling, and some of it's even beautiful. Like this work by associate professor of art Stephen Scheer, featured in an online book about civic architecture of the outer burroughs and northern Manhattan. It's an extensive body of work involving photography, research and writing and it's quite enjoyable.
Additionally, a career interview with Scheer can be viewed in two parts, here and here.