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MCIS Student Attends International Association of Business Communicators Conference in Cleveland - by Sarah Mays
Four members of the newly formed IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) student chapter at Rutgers attended the Heritage Regional conference that was held October 18 - 20, 2009 in Cleveland, OH. I count myself as one of the lucky attendees. Below you will find a brief synopsis of the conference along with some insight into what I learned and what the conference offered to student members.
Being a Midwestern girl by birth I was excited to head to Cleveland - even though I was going to the land of the Buckeyes. (Wolverine friends, please don't hold this against me!) As this was my first professional conference I was not sure what to expect. The conference agenda seemed to be robust, however, touting speakers from dozens of communication related fields. Some of the speakers that presented were Bob DiBiasio, VP of PR for the Cleveland Indians; Terry Stewart, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Linda Dulye of Dulye & Co.; Gerard Braud of Braud Communications; and Mark Crowley of The Sherwin Williams Company, previous IABC Communicator of the Year Award Winner.
Two of the sessions I enjoyed most were entitled "They are Just Not That into You: Communicating with the Millennial Generation" presented by Dr. Jan Ferri-Reed and "Tactical Transparency: How Communicating More Openly with Stakeholders Can Build Brand Bottom Value and Boost Your Bottom Line" presented by Shel Holtz of Holtz Communication + Technology. The former presentation discussed the differences between the growing workforce composed of Millennials and their relation, or lack there of, with the current workforce of Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers. Active professionals and students engaged in a lively discussion regarding their differing needs, beliefs, and values. As a Millennial myself, it was interesting to hear the viewpoint of other generations in the group. I enjoyed the discussion which reinforced the fact that open communication between employers and employees is more important than ever to have an effective and productive work relationship.
The latter session presented by Shel Holtz gave some very concrete examples of businesses (The TSA, Beth Israel hospital, etc.) that have used transparency to avoid major stakeholder relation dilemmas. His aim was to encourage the use of transparency to inform stakeholders and allow them to make their own decisions instead of simply relying on what they have heard from a third party which may be detrimental to the company. This subject hit home as I am currently enrolled in a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) course taught by professors Mark Aakhus and Michael Bzdak and transparency is a major theme.
The conference was not only geared toward the professionals. The "student track" provided some valuable programs exclusively for students. These programs included a resume writing workshop, a networking panel discussion and the apprentice program where students were given a real life communication issue from local businesses to tackle. Issues ranged from marketing a new product to solving consumer communication hurdles to developing social media programs designed to promote a specific product.
I greatly enjoyed meeting, speaking with, and learning from the many communication professionals that attended the IABC Heritage Region conference. I look forward to keeping in touch with the individuals that I had the pleasure of meeting and to working on the many upcoming events planned for the IABC at Rutgers student chapter this year.
J oint Degree Program for Communication Majors!
Communication Majors can now apply to MCIS as Juniors or Seniors and start taking MCIS courses in their senior year. If you'd like to get a start on your graduate education while you are still an undergraduate consider applying for the Joint Degree Program. To learn more, click on the "Joint BA and MCIS Degree" button on the menu bar.
New Fall MCIS Students
New J&J Fellow and Rutgers Grad Has A Penchant for Philanthropy
Imani Davis started out her college career planning to be a business major. The Piscataway High School graduate always had an enterprising nature.
That instinct, and her talent for working in a collaborative group, flourished during Davis's semester abroad in South Africa. Unprodded and completely separate from their studies, Davis and two dozen other students founded a nonprofit organization called Sibambisene—"we are working together" in Zulu.
"We all thought, 'We should probably be doing something positive for this community. There is so much that we can offer so why don't we just do something about it?' No one told us to do it, and no one before us or after us did anything like it," Davis said.
And so the schoolchildren of Trustfeed township in South Africa's Kwa-Zulu Natal province have benefited from student-led training and teaching in art, music, computers, and environmental and AIDS education. "We taught on the weekends and in whatever free time we had," Davis said.
Davis is graduating from Rutgers this year with a major in communication and a minor in economics. In the fall, she will start the master of communication and information studies at Rutgers' School of Communication and Information. Davis is also a Johnson & Johnson Fellow. While pursuing her master's degree, she will work in corporate contributions at Johnson & Johnson for 20 hours each week.
When she returned to the United States from South Africa, Davis knew she wanted to work in corporate America, but not necessarily in the name of profit. She wanted to continue the type of work she started in South Africa—helping people improve their lives. But she also wanted to make a significant impact.
"As an individual you can only do so much," Davis said. "But a Johnson & Johnson or a Wal-Mart can do so much through their foundations."
Davis looked to the School of Communication and Information to start her educational journey toward philanthropy. "Most social responsibility and philanthropy programs are based on communication. Choosing to major in communication made the most sense for me in terms of helping people," she said.
Mindy Weinberg
Mindy received her B.A. in English from Rutgers College, and currently works as Program Manager for Princeton University in The Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies (at the Woodrow Wilson School), and The Center for the Study of Social Organizations (CSSO, Sociology Department). Her job includes budget oversight, grant reporting, website maintenance, and event planning and administration. Mindy is in the process of developing a new website for CSSO.
Mindy has also worked as an independent software training consultant, and volunteered to do website production for Montgomery Township’s historical society and for an Open Space citizen’s group. Mindy has also worked as Production Editor for Bloomberg Financial Services in the Book Publishing Division, and in the Creative Services Department.
Mindy enjoys spending time outdoors by cycling, hiking, or just walking her dog, and cooking, gardening, and reading both fiction and nonfiction. Mindy has two teenage daughters, and likes to spend time with them, when they will allow it.
Swetha Balasubramanian
Swetha received her undergraduate degree in Biotechnology from Bangalore University (St. George College of Management and Science), Bangalore, India in 2005. and a Post Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC), Pune, India in 2007.
Swetha’s career highlights include: Covering an independent, exclusive investigation series for CNN-IBN exposing a scam worth more than $20 M involving the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Sri. Dorjee Khandu, coordinating and handling the prestigious “CNN IBN Indian of the Year 2007” event in Bangalore, and reporting on the Bangalore International Airport Series. Swetha’s other professional credits include nearly 100 bylines on issues covering Business, Politics, Crime, Sports, Entertainment, and Human Interest.
Swetha intends to secure a career opportunity with a global organization within the area of corporate social responsibility, corporate communication, and/or marketing communication. Swetha’s career goal is to serve as Chief Communication Officer in a prestigious non- profit organization, such as the United Nations.
Sean Leavey 
Sean is a first year MCIS candidate. He holds an AS with a concentration in Social Science from Ocean County College in Tom’s River, New Jersey, and a BA in Political Science from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Livingston College, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
He has had a very diverse employment history. Past experiences include working with a business development and marketing firm, an independent distributor of electronic hardware, and in retail sales. Currently, Sean works for the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, State Park Service, at Allaire State Park, as a Visitor Services Assistant, conveying regulations and general information to the public.
Sean has contributed to the campaigns of candidates running for local and national offices, and over the years, has also been engaged in progressive social and political activism. In his spare time, Sean enjoys expressing himself artistically, playing the guitar and mandolin.
His interest in researching and analyzing the modalities of social interaction, mediated communication and media studies, is what drew him to the MCIS program. He would like to study the nuances of interpersonal communication, and how the intersection of technology, corporate culture, public relations, and decentralized media impacts the dissemination of information, public opinion and attitudes.
Franklin Ettinger 
Franklin’s undergraduate degree is a BA in History, which he earned at Carthage College, a small private college on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan. Franklin would like to say that he has a long list of academic accomplishments, such as making the Carthage Dean’s list several times, but his academic efforts have brought no extraordinary measure of renown.
In life post-college he has found some additional success, first in landing a competitive internship in the Chicago office of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and than a post as Assistant Director of Admissions for The New England Institute of Art (NEIA) in Brookline Massachusetts. NEIA has recognized Franklin on multiple occasions for his efforts in building strong cohorts and for contributions to the admissions team. He is moving on from this post and taking up the MCIS program full-time.
His primary motivator for selecting the MCIS program over others was the great deal of flexibility it seems to offer in pursuing ones passions in communication. Also attractive is its Capstone Seminar which should offer opportunity to develop and demonstrate tangible evidence of skills learned. Ultimately Franklin would like to work in public relations or information management as a contributing member of a politically oriented entity.
Franklin was married to Erica Mason on December 20th of 2008. Erica graduated from the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work in May of 2009. She is still looking for a job that would employ her skills in geriatric advocacy or care (She is an expert on Medicaid/Medicare and entitlement programs). If you know of one Franklin would be overjoyed to hear of it! (shameless plug) Both of them enjoy keeping up with the news, are active in progressive politics, and can be convinced to have a good time. Franklin was an avid member of the Carthage College Ping-Pong Club and would love to challenge anyone that has a table.
Sangeetha Illango 
Sangeetha holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Women’s Christian College in India. Sangeetha has worked as a business analyst for both BusinessEdge Solutions, Inc. and SBM Technologies Inc., and as a supply chain analyst for Zydus Pharmaceuticals Inc.
The reason Sangeetha chose the MCIS program is because it is broad and the possibilities are numerous for shaping a career path in the field of Communication. Sangeetha is particularly interested in Corporate Communication coupled with a new found interest in Corporate Social Responsibility. Upon completing her MCIS degree, Sangeetha hopes to work in Communication, Public Relations, or Marketing for a Global Organization.
Sangeetha is an avid reader and also a movie buff. Sangeetha loves to travel, and spend time with her 4 year old, exploring the world with him.
To learn more about the 2009 MCIS cohort, click on "Stories about our Students" on the menu bar.
