The technologies of communication have always had a big impact on our society, culture and business. The printing press ushered in a new age of knowledge sharing and standardization that culminated in the industrial revolution. Now social media, smartphones and tablet technologies are binding us into a tightly knit network that doesn’t so much resemble an orderly grid, as it does the heaving surges and flows of communication in a town square packed with people, awaiting an event. If anything, social media have turned daily life into an unmissable event which captures the poetry of the everyday. We have all heard the complaint that “no one wants to know what you had for lunch” and yet we share this information on Twitter and Facebook and we are inspired by it, wanting to meet the challenge posed by knowledge of what another has done. Indeed, social media have begun to transform our culture, politics and economics.

Our world is no longer as it was. Our world is no longer as even I – with my 39 short years on this Earth – remember it to be. My father often speaks wistfully of a rural Northern Ontario world that is long gone and mostly forgotten. I always thought that I would not be in his position, that the world I lived in was always vital and real and true – that it would persist and exist forever. It has not. The world I grew up in during the 1970s and 1980s is as remote to the digital natives of today as the world of my father’s youth in the Northern bush camps was to me.

Truthfully, we are in the beginnings of a move from the print and broadcast model of newspapers, book publishers, terrestrial radios stations and broadcast television networks to an age of self-publishing and interpersonal sharing via social media. This change is a shift from a culture of gatekeepers, editors and experts to a culture of storytellers, rhetoric and persuasion. This means a move from understanding culture and business through the lens of mass communication theory toward thinking of mediated communication as a primarily interpersonal phenomenon.

While this might seem to many to be a largely academic distinction, having little bearing on the world of motion and action outside the university, in fact it is a phenomenally important distinction to begin to fathom. Mass communication privileged experts and gate keepers. It had very high production values that demanded significant investment on the part of media companies to create content that was fit to print or broadcast. It was a world of hierarchy, rules and constraint. That world is rapidly disappearing and being replaced by a place where the human voice, the story and the village are of primary importance.

We are morphing into a society shaped and organized by the tenets of oral culture – fluid, chatty, playful, emotional and mistrustful of expertise and authority. Its rhythms are in tune with the flow of conversation, rather than segregated by the categories and boxes of print and broadcast. The operative skills, identified half a century ago by Marshall McLuhan, are pattern matching and fit. Statistics and probability reign in this world, while rigid logic fades. It is a world of relative and local understanding, not universalism. It is world where people are motivated by principles rather than constrained by unenforceable rules.

It’s a whole new world and I will be back at regularly writing this blog to explore it with you.

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. (photo: Sarah Parent)

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

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. (Photo: Sarah Parent)

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

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

2012 was a very full year: from taking over the directorship of the McMaster-Syracuse Master of Communications Management program (MCM), co-founding and securing university approvals for the McMaster-Mohawk Honours Bachelor of Professional Communication, to founding new research partnerships and passing my Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) exams to become “Accredited in Public Relations (APR)” to working on three book manuscripts (which should be completed this year), to securing a solid financial and institutional footing for Journal of Professional Communication and the grad students’ McMaster Journal of Communication, to trying to be an effective board member of various not-for-profits, sitting on the National Education Council of the Canadian Public Relations Society, and being professional development chair for the Hamilton Chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society, to supervising several graduate student capstone and major research projects, to chairing the communications team for the successful re-election of Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Farming and Rural Affairs, Mr. Ted McMeekin and helping out with the Ontario Liberal leadership bid of Mr. Gerard Kennedy, to offering expert media comment over 50 times, to the over 25 public speaking engagements I did. I am sure I have forgotten several things, but those were the highlights.

Let’s just say that this year was so busy professionally, that I kind of put my personal resolutions aside in the interest of honouring commitments and advancing causes that I believe in. This year, however, is a little different. The programs are in place, I have become more accustomed to the pace and rhythms of managerial life, and quite frankly, 2013 will be the last year of my thirties. All of this has led me to have a very clear focus on the several things that I need to do such that I am well-positioned for my upcoming fourth decade.

So, here are my more modest and reasonable resolutions for this year:

1. Get fit, stay healthy. I have become a little humbler with with this one. I would be happy to just be able to say at this time next year, that I ate well and cleanly, swam a lot and lifted weights regularly. It might be good to shed a few pounds, as well. My target, will be, as always, to be a muscular 154 lbs, but we shall see… I don’t promise that number.

2. Prayer and Meditation. These were just not a big enough part of my life this year and I felt their absence acutely. I would like to bring religious practice back into my life for the beauty, challenge and comfort that it brings.

3. Writing. I am going to write an academic book about social and mobile media strategy and management. I have two textbooks to complete: the third edition of Understanding Human Communication and the groundbreaking Understanding Public Relations in Canada. Also, although I certainly do not think of myself as any sort of artist, I would like to work on the various fictional stories floating in the lagoons of my imagination. I would also like to get JPC humming, with more regular appearance of issues.

4. Caring Personal Relationships. I would like to spend more thinking about and being with the people I care about. I can be very hard to catch up to sometimes, a little breathless, even, as I pursue my various goals. I have felt acutely this year – both through the loss of friends and other who have had serious health scares – that I must pay more caring attention to family and friends and not take anyone for granted.

5. Consulting and Public Speaking. I am resolved to ramp up my consulting and public speaking practice. I have found that I both enjoy and excel at executive education and professional development. So, if you want strategic counsel on a digital communications, social media or mobile computing integrated marketing  communications  or public relations strategy for your business, not-for-profit, governmental or political campaign, give me a call – I am open for business. I am also available for public speaking engagements and workshops!

6. Fencing. I would like to get back into competitive fencing in the future, when I pass the age threshold to the “Master’s” league in a few years. To that end, I would like to start training again, gently. So I guess I will try to attend a fencing practice regularly, whatever that ends up meaning (hopefully at least twice a month).

7. Piano. This was woefully neglected this year, but I do plan to pick it up again in 2013. I’d like to be able to play a few tunes on my 40th birthday in January 2014.

Well, there you have it. Let’s see if 2013 proves to be the year that I make my resolutions count.

Finally, I wish you strength and discipline in your efforts to keep your resolutions for the coming year.

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!

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.

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.

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

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. 

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. 

We also had a lovely networking dinner at Symposium restaurant in Burlington, Ontario where we were regaled with a one-man band who played some acoustic tunes and took requests. Last night, we had our end of residency reception at Emma’s Back Porch in Burlington – what a great view of the lake from the lovely patio. Students and faculty wound down after an exciting week of learning and networking. It was very pleasant.

On Wednesday afternoon, Karen Humphreys-Blake, whose capstone I am supervising, presented her capstone project in front of the residency group of faculty and students on the topic of “Best practices in employee engagement communications.” Her presentation was superb, as was her capstone research. She took a mixed methods approach, including secondary data and in-depth interviews with organizational leaders to determine their strategic management of employee engagement communications. I hope she will soon publish her results.

This residency saw us introduce three major innovations into the program, all of which should significantly enhance the student experience. I have been working hard with Janice Peltier, our program assistant, to get these ready for liftoff during residency. I am happy to say we met our targets, with all three ready to go:

MCM Non-Disclosure Agreements

This week we introduced non-disclosure agreements that every student, staff and faculty member must sign. The NDAs ensure that MCM participants have frank and fearless conversations in full confidence and security during residency,  in class, through our secure online learning environments, in MyMCM, our private social media portal.

MyMCM: A Private and Secure Social Media Portal for MCM Students, Faculty and Alumni

I was very pleased to announce the launch of MyMCM, a new social media portal private to the MCM program and fully secure. MyMCM will be a community of our program students, faculty, staff and alumni that where they can have profiles similar to Facebook pages and upload videos, audio, text, links or post status updates and participate in online discussions about any topic they choose. MyMCM will be a place for connecting and reconnecting and sharing personal life milestones, as well as professional opportunities: job postings, consulting opportunities, market intelligence and opportunities to publish.

MCM 740: Advanced Research Methods and Capstone Project

This new course, pioneered by all-star McMaster communications professor, Dr. Philip Savage, transforms the capstone project from a somewhat solitary endeavour to a project done within a supportive and collaborative community of practitioners and scholars. The course ties together all of the student’s learning of the past two years of the MCM by providing an in-depth examination of research methods from a practical, critical and ethical perspective. Dr. Savage then guides the students through the research ethics approval process where appropriate and then through to the creation of their research plan. He also remains as a trusted guide to make sure that the students and their chosen capstone academic supervisors stay on track in terms of goals and objectives and finish on time. As the MCM grows, this course will become central to the program’s consistency and sustainability.

Thus ends my second full residency as program director. I can tell you that it has been an exciting journey thus far – I have really enjoyed it. The students are excellent, the program is growing and the faculty are expanding. What could be better?