October 2007 - Posts
Planning ahead is an important element of your time here at Missouri State--and beyond. So, here are some things you might be thinking about and CAN do something about. 
1) Have you ever thought about attending Graduate School? Have you wondered what it's all about? In September, we had a session during COM week about that, and here's another opportunity to learn more about grad school from the students themselves. Next Monday at 12:00 noon in Craig 337 there will be a panel discussion of graduate students talking about their life as students. Come hear what they have to say. This will be a brownbag lunch discussion, so bring your lunch and water, coffee, and assorted desserts will be provided.
2) Are you interested in taking Communication classes in summer 2008? In the coming weeks on the blog, I will provide you a link to take a short survey regarding classes and times for the summer session so that we can gauge level of need and interest in summer COM courses. Link to that survey coming soon!
3) Thinking about a spring internship in public relations? How about spending a whole semester in St. Louis? Consider this:
PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Intern Handout 5-2007.pdf
Fleishman-Hillard is an international, full-service public relations firm with headquarters in St. Louis. For 20 years, the Fleishman-Hillard St. Louis office has offered college students and recent graduates the opportunity to gain valuable, practical public relations experience through its internship program. The Fleishman-Hillard St. Louis internship program offers three sessions: spring, summer, and fall. While at Fleishman-Hillard, interns have the opportunity to work with staff members to develop and execute media campaigns; write news releases, research papers, media pitch letters and other correspondence; participate in new business opportunities; and coordinate events.
Although interns are assigned to work with specific groups and accounts, they are exposed to many facets of the firm. Practice areas in the St. Louis office are: Corporate Communications • Investor Relations • Marketing • Healthcare and Environmental • Public Affairs • Employee Communications
Interns are paid on an hourly basis and are competitive within the industry and the St. Louis market. Interns work from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and usually have opportunities for overtime. In addition, the company pays for parking.
Winter/Spring: January – May (application deadline: November 1)
For more information, please visit their Web site at http://www.fleishman.com/careers/interlist.asp
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Final question of the day: This your time to give me feedback...
Would you like to have another networking activity similar to the COM Week Alumni Networking Luncheon in the Spring semester?
How do you get involved on campus? What are things you can do to feel connected to your major or the university as a whole? Tell me some things you do...post a comment below. I'd love to hear from you about ways you get involved...
Trapped in the System: Diversity Dialogue
Ever feel trapped in the system yourself? Would you like to understand the issues of immigration? Please consider attending a diversity dialogue taking place
tomorrow night. It's a panel discussion surrounding issues of
immigration and it includes: a Missouri State Representative whom
chairs the House Committee on Higher Education, a local City
Councilman, two community leaders one from Springfield and one from
Kansas City, the MSU Diversity Outreach Coordinator, Associate Provost
for Faculty & Chairperson of the President's Commission for
Diversity, a Equal Opportunity Officer & Member of the President's
Commission for Diversity, The Student Body President, and four student
representatives. This panel is going to be a great way to get knowledge from direct sources on Immigration and how it effects college students and higher education generally.
The Panel will be held on October 10th in the Parliamentary room in Plaster Student Union from 7-9 p.m. Refreshments will be available and please encourage all you can to come and participate at this event.
TIP: If you go, take notes and write up a reflection of how communication concepts were present in the discussion and submit it to one of your COM professors.
Advising Notes
COM 100: Introduction to the Major/Minor in Communication is a perfect course for all new majors and transfer students. If you are in that group, I strongly
recommend this course to you. I'll be team teaching this
course with Sam Dyer this year. We review all the majors, discuss
course sequencing, include visits from all the faculty, and generally
introduce students to the discipline of communication.
There is
still time to register for it THIS semester, MW 2-2:50, second block
begins tomorrow. Otherwise, as you are planning for Spring 2008
scheduling, include it in the list of courses planned!
COM Professional Student Organizations
Another way to get involved is participating in a student professional organization within the COM department. I've listed our organizations below along with contact information. Also, there are bulletin boards near the 3rd floor elevator of Craig Hall with information about these organizations. Check them out.
1. IABC: International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
Purpose: The
International Association of Business Communicators is a professional
organization with more than 13,000 members worldwide. MSU has an almost
20-year-old student chapter of this organization. Our student chapter
provides opportunities to make valuable networking contacts and
interactions with professionals in the field of public relations and
corporate communication. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sam Dyer. President: Sara Tate
2. Association for Women in Communication (AWC)
Purpose: The
Association for Women in Communications is a professional organization
that champions the advancement of women across all communications
disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership, and
positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications
era. Faculty Advisor: Valerie Turner. President: Katie Reed
3. Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)
Purpose: The
purpose of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) is
to provide students a professional organization that is committed to
the discipline of public relations. Faculty Advisor: Dr. Susan Waters. President: Emilee Mudd
Spring 2008 registration begins soon
Yep, it's that time again, pre-registration for the spring 2008 semester begins in November. The schedule is already posted on the website, including your registration date and time. If you are new to this process, here are some tips and for those veterans out there, this is a refresher 
1. Make an appointment to meet with your major advisor NOW. The earlier you meet, the more likely you'll have your schedule ready to go WELL in advance of your date of registration. Also, if you need any paperwork or signatures, the earlier you get those submitted the better. If you aren't sure who your advisor is, go to the MY INFORMATION on the university webpage, and click under Advising Notes or Advising Folder. The person's name is hotlinked to their email address, so click it and send an email requesting a meeting. If no advisor name appears than you should call Karen in the department office at 836.4423.
2. Don't always expect your advisor to tell you want to take in terms of classes. Be proactive and develop a trial schedule (a short list of courses you think you want to take). That will really impress your advisor. There are four year plans for each major in the department on our webpage so you can consult those for help.
3. Check on pre-requisites and need for permission. There is an online permissions form that you can submit in advance of registering for a class. Get those permissions completed before you register as well.
4. Pay attention to sequencing of courses. Some classes are only offered in the fall and others in the spring. Some classes are only offered on demand and not offered every semester.
5. If you need a signature for a waiver to register, or admission the major, plan on a 24 hour turn around time in our office. During this time of the semester I get a lot of requests for signatures. I take time to review each request individually. So, turn in your paperwork to Karen in Craig 375 and come back the next day about the same time.
6. In sum, get this work done at least a week before your registration day. Be prepared for anything.
Are you interested in PR? How about working for a company that distributes beer? Look into this job
Here's a recent email from one of our alums:
"Hello, my name is Brittny Tolsch, and I'm hoping you can pass on a message to any interested students about a job opportunity. I graduated from the Com department in May of 06 and have been working at Wil Fischer Company since then. We have a position open for a Contemporary Marketing Coordinator and it needs to be filled ASAP! If you have any interested students, please direct them to our website, www.wilfischer.com- About Us- Careers. I've attached a brief description of the position*. Thanks for your help!
Thanks,
Brittny Tolsch
Contemporary Marketing Coordinator
Wil Fischer Companies
3539 W. Farm Rd. 142
Springfield, Mo 65807
Cell (417) 224-6106
brittny.tolsch@wilfischer.com"
*If you are interested in this position, email me directly and I will send you the job description. Meantime, you can email Brittny directly.
That's all for now. Let me know if you have any questions!
Kelly