Category Archives: Academic Life

McMaster-Syracuse MCM February Residency: Record Cohort and 7 Capstone Defenses

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Another successful residency of the McMaster-Syracuse MCM program drew to a close on Thursday afternoon. We had a wonderful time sharing ideas, debating the latest industry challenges and opportunities and simply building friendships and professional collaborations.

This residency saw three key events:

  • Seven students successfully defended their capstone research projects. The capstone project is the culminating event in the MCM. Most of the successful students left on Sunday for a well-deserved “new MCM alumni trip” to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico.
  • Terry O’Reilly, founding partner, Pirate Radio, a major advertising firm, and creator and host of two successful CBC radio shows - The Age of Persuasion and Under the Influence - gave an insightful and engaging speech at the Saturday MCM Gala dinner that is held at the start of every residency.
  • John Clinton, president, Edelman Canada, a major public relations firm, presented the lunchtime keynote on the findings of the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer, which measures trust levels in different sectors and countries globally.

This residency also saw the record-setting first-year cohort of 23 new MCM students finish their first term and head confidently into their second term of six. Now they are old pros and full of excitement at the positive difference that the MCM is making for them by boosting their professional careers and enriching their personal lives.

To ‘cap it all off’ our graduating class offered a wealth of new insight and research directly applicable to practice, and continuing in the MCM tradition of leadership. The following abstracts showcase the talent and innovation, of another successful round of graduate capstone presentations.

From Enrolment to Alumni: Relationship Marketing and Measurement of University-Student Relations (Katherine Blanchard, Supervisor: Dr. Alex Sévigny)

A study that included 17 U.S. and Canadian universities, looked at the application of relationship management theory and relationship marketing to University-student relationship. Examining key components of relationship management, and relationship marketing to develop best practices for university-student relations. The research developed a comprehensive view of tactic and strategy for community building and adding value to the student experience.

Natural or Misleading: A content analysis of media coverage and consumer comments on product labeling and impact on reputation and the bottom-line. (Rosa Damonte, Supervisor: Dr. Terry Flynn)

​The prominence of media attention to a particular product is something that marketing departments strive to achieve when introducing a new product to market. Whereas conventional wisdom suggests that any publicity is good publicity, does the media cross the line when they are aiming to persuade in some way? As in this case study, agenda setting by reporters and editors can influence the public’s perception of companies through their selection and display of the news. This case study explores consumers’ reactions to the news coverage of a major food producer’s product line that were reported extensively in major newspapers and television networks in order to determine the impact the coverage had on the company’s reputation and bottom line.

Best Practices for Media Relations in a Shifting World (Susan M. Emigh, Supervisor: Dr. Philip Savage)

Public relations practitioners are key in media relations and as the variety of media sources and digital media continues to evolve, the role is becoming more complex. Through surveying 18 influential players in politics, journalism and public relations, it was found that traditional media sources are no longer the sole-gatekeepers of “agenda setting” but have maintained most of their viewership and authority in influencing public policy issues. Although the fundamentals are maintained, additional understanding of new media streams is needed as they continue to gain credibility.

Exploring the Relationship Between Personal Experience, Word of Mouth and a Community Hospital’s Reputation, (Anne Marie Males, Supervisor: Prof. David Scholz)

Looking at the importance of corporate reputation building and reputation management in the context of community hospitals. The importance of reputation is recognized by hospital administrators, and this study illustrates that standard models of corporate reputation do have direct application to the community hospital setting. Personal experience and word of mouth, and in particular the appeal to emotion, came out as prominent influence in patient evaluations of treatment. The results suggested that “feeling cared about” and a positive experience positively influenced how patients and families evaluated outcomes of treatment. Good experiences in hospital translated into a positive hospital experience, even when clinical outcomes where poor.

Thought Leadership in Canadian Professional Service Firms (Wendy McLean-Cobban, Supervisor: Prof. David Scholz)

A new reputation based economy and increasing value of intellectual capitol create the opportunity for Canadian service firms to gain a competitive advantage through Thought Leadership. Becoming ‘leaders in the field’ is an important goal and strategy in reputation management for professional firms. There is an opportunity for implementation of long-term strategies that will position the leaders in those firms as experts on the topics and industries most relevant to their existing and potential client base. This study examined the need for a holistic approach and mechanisms for tracking reputation and thought leadership strategy.

The New Lobbyist Rolodex: PR, (Jennifer Tomlinson, Supervisor: Prof. Michael Meath)

An in-depth inquiry on lobbying in Canada through a communications management and public relations perspective. The findings indicated that PR and Communications intersect in the practice of Lobbying, with “soft lines” of separation between them. Social media is breaking down the traditional singular networks of power in government relations, increasing the need for public relations and communications strategy to play a more strategic role in lobbying.

Reputation and Perception of Value: Online vs. Traditional Degrees (Amber Wallace, Supervisor: Prof. David Scholz)

Online education is becoming increasingly more popular, with the rise of online universities and the increasing number of traditional “bricks-and-mortar” post-secondary institutions offering online courses. It found that educational programs based solely online are poorly perceived, lacking institutional reputation. Established classroom based institutions offering online education benefited from a “halo-effect” based on their established relationship. The study found that the executives, administrators and hiring managers expressed concern for the “un-tested” nature of online learning. That is, that online education programs are a relatively new development and the graduates looking to enter the workforce don’t have the long-standing reputation of classroom based programs and established universities.

Dr. Al Seaman teaching MCM students about how financial market trading works in our McMaster Trading Floor Simulator.

Dr. Al Seaman teaching MCM students about how financial market trading works in our McMaster Trading Floor Simulator. (photo: Sarah Parent)

A candid moment during the MCM Saturday Gala Dinner.

A candid moment during the MCM Saturday Gala Dinner. (photo: Sarah Parent)

 

Terry O'Reilly in conversation with MCM Exec. Director, Alex Sévigny.

Terry O’Reilly in conversation with Alex Sévigny, MCM Executive Director. (photo: Sarah Parent)

John Clinton, president, Edelman Canada presenting the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer.

John Clinton, president, Edelman Canada presenting the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer. (Photo: Sarah Parent)

Students who completed their capstones successfully.

Happy moment, post-capstone defense! (Photo: Sarah Parent)

Alex Sévigny, MCM Executive Director, giving a capstone briefing for 2nd year students.

Alex Sévigny, MCM Executive Director, giving a capstone briefing for 2nd year students. (photo: Sarah Parent)

 

Superb MCM October 2012 Residency concludes

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What a successful, exciting week we had in communications management at McMaster. The record-setting October residency of the McMaster-Syracuse Master of Communications Management program came to a close – a week of learning, networking as well as personal and professional growth. We were joined by students from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Québec, Ontario, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. We would have had two professional communicators from Nigeria join us as well, were it not for Canada’s singularly slow consular offices in that country. Our MCM students were all working professionals and entrepreneurs from an incredibly diverse set of backgrounds: corporate communications, public affairs, the agency sector, marketing and advertising, human resources, political staff, small business, agribusiness, journalism, community colleges, government agencies, government offices, arts management, social enterprise, advocacy and several others.

The class was also diverse in terms of age and gender: 14 women and 10 men, with a median age of 37, the youngest in their 20s and the oldest in their 50s. What they all had in common was a desire to learn about the latest ideas in strategic business administration, finance and accounting, management, and marketing, through the lens of strategic communications management, research, ethics and law.

We had an amazing week. It was a week of discussion, networking and debate. On Sunday, Mr. Frank Vassallo (MCM’13), defended his capstone project in front of an assembly of all current MCM faculty and students, as well as a sprinkling of alumni who made the trip in just to support him and participate in the happy ritual of capstone defence, thinking relieved thoughts about their defences, I am sure!

On Monday, we were joined by lunchtime guest speaker, Dr. Andrew Laing, President of Cormex Research in Toronto, one of Canada’s leading media content analysis firms. He spoke very eloquently about the process of professional content analysis research. He also provided some fascinating insights on where he thinks social media – in fact he stressed the importance of digital communication in general – is taking communication measurement and how this will affect how we understand organizational KPIs, ROI and benchmarks.

MCM residency is a special time. For five days, students gather for an amazing week of discussion, networking and debate. It is a life-changing program for many, a program that leads to professional growth for all who are involved with it, whether they are faculty, staff, students or alumni. Alumni are always welcome back at residency or at our dinners and their presence builds a feeling of continuity that makes the MCM feel like a club that spans Canada. A club for achievers and innovators in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Our three residency dinners were very successful, each in a very different and unique way.

On Friday, we ran our once-a-year, beginning of term Orientation Dinner at Symposium Restaurant in Burlington. It was a lovely, casual night where new MCM students and longstanding faculty got to know one another and forge new friendships.

On Saturday, we had a lovely dinner at the Hamilton Club, in the heart of McMaster’s historic hometown. It was an extraordinary evening, which started with cocktails in the lounge and ended with a delicious three-course dinner in the elegant Michael S. Schwenger dining room.

Finally, on Wednesday night, we had our gala dinner at McMaster’s historic University Club. Our guest speaker was Mr. John Crean, National Managing Partner, NATIONAL Public Relations, who gave a superb lecture on the history of public relations, his career and where he sees the future of the profession. We were joined by Associate Dean of Research, Dr. Bonny Ibhawo, and Dean Suzanne Crosta, both of whom were happy to greet the MCM students, faculty and alumni present and welcome them to the main campus.

All in all, the October 2012 MCM Residency was a smashing success. A great time was had by all, diving into the deep end of Canada’s leading Master’s degree for professional communicators. MCM is truly where communications and business meet. It truly is the MBA for right-brain thinkers!



Remembering Dr. Sue Vajoczki, the students’ champion

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I recently received the sad news that our McMaster colleague, Dr. Sue Vajoczki, associate professor of geography and geology, has passed away, far too early. Her passing is profoundly sad news for McMaster’s students and faculty. As director of McMaster’s Centre for Leadership in Learning, Dr. Vajoczki was passionately committed to students and thought that McMaster’s teaching mission should always advance in step with our great university’s research mission.

Dr. Vajoczki believed that students are an integral part of a the learning community that is the university. She didn’t think of students as “clients” or that they are somehow a burden to be shouldered so that we can get on with research. Rather, she believed that McMaster should be a learning community that integrates – as much as possible – undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff and the professional world.

Dr. Vajoczki also thought that the university should spill into the city. She thought that McMaster shouldn’t be an island separated from the communities of practice that conduct professional research and end up employing our students. Rather, she thought that students learning should be integrated with businesses, activists, cultural organizations, cause advocacy, government offices and not-for-profits. Dr. Vajoczki did not think that university students should feel that they are sitting in society’s ante-chamber, looking in on the action, faces pressed against the glass. No, she thought that students should feel like they are part of a larger society from the first day of their time at university.

She was a committed proponent of problem-based, experiential and challenge-based learning. Her commitment, passion and tireless work helped make McMaster a leader in the integration of professionals and real-world problems into the curriculum. I am proud to say that we structured our new Honours Bachelor of Professional Communication (BPC) to implement many of her ideas. In fact, it was her legacy of institutional reform at McMaster that allowed us to build a program that is completely unique in Canada. Dr. Vajoczki’s caring voice will echo long into the future through the BPC’s integrated curriculum.

When we first started to plan the BPC, Dr. Vajoczki was off sick to fight her first bout with cancer. After undergoing chemo, her cancer went into remission and she bravely came back to the university. I will never forget how her husband would push her wheelchair to all of her meetings, the image of caring love. She would get tired after an hour or so of discussion, and then go quiet for a few minutes until she was ready to join the conversation again. Even while silent, her presence assured that students would be at the centre of any dialogue in which she participated.

I heard that the cancer had returned recently and that this time it was serious. I must say that I prayed for her recovery, but this time it was not to be. She was called to take her place in the gardens of paradise.

Her passing leaves a void in our learning community at McMaster that will not easily be filled. We can only strive to try and live up to the example she set and continue to innovate by further integrating university life with the worlds of public, private and not-for-profit practice. Above all, we must continue to strive to put students at the centre of our professional lives as faculty and staff.

Dr. Vajoczki will be sorely missed. May she rest in peace.

 

 

Inspired by our young people

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I spent most of this weekend at the Ontario Universities Fair at the Metro Convention Centre in Toronto, representing our new Honours Bachelor of Professional Communication program, of which I am the founding director.

We have launched this new professional program, to meet the needs of the marketplace, and to provide a powerful education for young people so that they can deal with this crazy new world of information and communication technology that envelopes us.

I have to say that I was incredibly impressed by the high school students I met this weekend. They were full of life and dreams and desire. They weren’t jaded. Rather, they were young people who wanted a better life for themselves and for others. There was very little irony in the room. Very little cynicism. I heard many inspiring stories and looked into many pairs of bright eyes, sparking with electric potential and caring intelligence.

The high school students I met at the Toronto Convention Centre were full of hope and anticipation about their futures – they were thinking about university – a leap which for many is the first step into adulthood and independence. It’s scary and a little intimidating, but the students I spoke to this weekend were meeting their future with aplomb.

It is so easy to get so caught up in the day to day that we forget those ideas and people who inspire us. They open a door in our minds and make us dream of many possible futures for ourselves and those around us. These kids were doing that.

They impressed me with their budding maturity, their humour and, above all, with the amount of thought that they had put into their choice of university and program. The young people I spoke to were keenly aware that university was expensive and that their choice of program would have a big impact on their happiness while in university and their future happiness in both career and life as educated citizens. Many spoke to me of their dream of making change in politics, helping heal our broken society or trying their hand at entrepreneurship.

Many people like to criticize the “new generation,” but I think the naysayers are wrong. The young people I met this weekend were pragmatic, kind and hopeful. They made me very confident that Canada’s future is, indeed, sparkling and bright.

Now it is up to us at universities to match their optimism and provide them with an education that helps them turn their dreams into reality.

McMaster launches a new Bachelor of Professional Communication (BPC)

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Our world is changing at light speed and it need a new class of highly qualified, well-educated, ethical professional communicators.

This change is creating the need for highly competent and well-educated professional communicators, whose role in winning battles in the court of public opinion will work in parallel with lawyers who fight in the court of law.

McMaster University, in partnership with Mohawk College, is responding to this need for highly qualified, entrepreneurial leaders in professional communication by launching a brand new, highly selective Honours Bachelor of Professional Communication, pending ministry approval.

Business, government, culture and the not-for-profit sectors are being transformed from top to bottom by digital communication technologies like social media and smartphones. All of these sectors require a new class of professional communicators who combine public relations, communications management, journalism, advocacy and market research.

Media, digital communication and mobile smartphones are transforming the way we do business, practice politics, raise money, create culture and are governed.

The BPC will combine several things:

  • Training in finance and accounting, marketing, communications management and entrepreneurship
  • A rich liberal arts approach to professional communication, steeped in ethics and a critical understanding of our culture
  • Extensive training in communication measurement: polling, audience research, cognitive and behavioural, content analysis, surveys, focus groups, ethnography, semiotics and many more.
  • Cutting edge training in photography, videography, mobile app and web design, professional/journalistic writing and project management
  • A mandatory full-term, for-credit work placement in the government, not-for-profit or private sectors
  • An honours project tied to research or a campaign in the real world of professional communication practice
We are convinced that the first graduates of the BPC will not only be market-ready when they graduate, but that they will be market leaders among junior practitioners of public relations.

The characteristics of a successful applicant to the BPC:

  • High Academic Achievement is a MUST
  • Demonstrated ability in writing or another form of digital or print creative production such as photography, video and audio
  • A mature personal outlook and a desire to make a difference in the world
  • Personal qualities of leadership, enterprising and/or advocacy and activism.

Who can apply?

  • Applicants completing their high school diploma.
  • Applicants who have completed a university degree or college diploma
  • Applicants who are in the midst of a degree and who wish to transfer into the BPC
To gain some insight into the thinking that went into the creation of the BPC, please click on our white paper, published in the Journal of Professional Communication.

We invite you to spread the word about the BPC to anyone you think would be an ethical, enterprising and bold professional communication practitioner.

 

MCM Admissions in Full Swing

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July 31 is the last day to apply for the McMaster-Syracuse Master of Communications Management program, of which I am the Director.

We are in full admissions mode, right now, interviewing candidates and receiving completed applications daily. It’s an exciting time.

The MCM is Canada’s premier professional communications management master’s degree. This year’s class is shaping up very nicely – a diverse group of professionals: junior, mid-career and seasoned professional communicators.

This year we will accept a maximum of 15 new MCM students, so that students get a lot of personal attention and have a chance to build true professional and personal friendships with one another. The program fills up fast.

If you are still interested in applying, make sure you do so! We will consider every application that we receive up to and including July 31st. 

An inspiring act of kindness in Chicago

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Every so often, we have  an experience that reaffirms our belief in the goodness of people. This morning, it was my turn.

I have spent the last several weeks running to six conferences, presenting five papers and delivering one keynote speech in three different time zones! It has been quite the month and I am quite tired. So this morning, as I was cabbing it from the Dana Hotel on N. State St. in Chicago to the Sheraton Towers Hotel, where IABC 2012 World Conference is being held, I did a very silly thing.

This morning, I was rushing to get to the Sheraton Towers to be in time to hear Robert F. Kennedy speak about the importance of good communication. As I leapt out of the cab, I realized that I had forgotten my conference tag in my hotel room, without which I wouldn’t be admitted to any sessions, for security reasons that I appreciate, of course. I took a short cab ride back to the Dana Hotel and again, leapt out to rush to my room and grab the tag. I thought I would say a word to my colleague, who was leaving to return to Canada, so I reached into my pocket to grab my cellphone. No phone. Oh oh.

Getting a little worried, I dumped all the contents of my bag onto the bed and emptied all of my suit pockets. No phone. My anxiety mounted. As most of you probably have experienced, our cellphones have become our lives. Like little turtles, we carry our digital homes with us everywhere and disappear into them regularly – in queues, in the loo, on public transport and as we walk into street signs which rudely spring up in front of us as we text and walk. Cellphones are central to our lives. Mine has my life in it. I was really worried.

So I started calling around to get in touch with the cab companies to try and track down my driver. After about 10 minutes of fruitless searching, I receive an email from my former thesis student, current colleague and lifelong friend Melonie Fullick which read:

“Are you looking… for your phone? Someone just called to tell me you left it in a cab in Chicago. I honestly thought you were playing a joke on me–Here’s his number:”

Needless to say, I quickly called the number and heard the reassuringly familiar voice of the cabbie who had taken me to the Sheraton.

“I think you left your phone in my cab, sir,” he said in a heavy hispanic accent.

“Could you come by the Dana and bring it over? Then take me to the Sheraton?” I asked.

“Of course. See you in ten minutes,” he replied.

Like clockwork, ten minutes later, there he was in his checker cab, and we were skimming through the streets of Chicago toward my destination. When I got out, I gave hime a $50 tip because he had literally saved me a priceless amount of consternation and anxiety. He took it awkwardly, commenting that I was being overly generous.

As I settled into my chair, a few minutes late for the Kennedy speech, I thought about how the world of digital communication facilitated this little everyday life drama. The cabbie found my phone on the seat and called the first number on the speed dial – that of my friend Melonie. She’s in Hamilton, Ontario. She then sent me an email in Chicago and gave me the cabbie’s coordinates. I called him and was relieved to be reunited with my phone.

All in a space of twenty minutes. Isn’t technology amazing?

And isn’t honesty inspiring? I think it is.

Heartfelt thanks to David the cabbie for being an honest fellow.

 

PS. A word about IABC 2012. This has been a great conference. What a pleasure to connect and reconnect with professional communicators from across the world. On Sunday night, I went to the Canada Party, which was an amazing night. Last night, my colleague Terry Flynn and I “crashed” (well, ok, we were actually invited) the European/Asian/African IABC Party and had some lovely conversations about how professional communication is changing in those regions.