• Melissa Bator
• Matthew Johnson
• Tim Pernetti
• James Caverly
• Alice Tier
• Allison Sentie
• Monica Fish 
• Tara Flynn Condon 
• Edna Castaneda
• Maggie Pazian
• Joshua Gelles
• Michael Hall
• Laura Lamberta
• Harry Glazer

Melissa Bator-- MCIS graduate and former Johnson & Johnson Graduate Fellow

Melissa’s experience as a Johnson & Johnson fellow and MCIS student confirmed her enthusiasm for learning, leading her to continue her studies at the PhD level at the University of California Santa Barbara.

While in the MCIS program, Melissa assisted Dr. Marya Doerfel in her post Hurricane Katrina research. This hands on research experience resulted in a new level of curiosity for Melissa who wanted to further explore research questions that could bring about new insights in the communication field while making a real world impact.

Working in the Corporate Contributions office at Johnson & Johnson while pursuing her MCIS, Melissa was further motivated by her department colleagues, most of whom held either a PhD or MD, to combine her passion for learning and giving back. Now at UCSB, Melissa’s research examines interorganizational interactions including issues related to corporate social responsibility and knowledge sharing.

Currently, Melissa is investigating interorganizational knowledge sharing among nongovernmental organizations in the development field, including the organizational and interpersonal networks that facilitate knowledge sharing among not for profit organizations, with a graduate student research grant awarded by the UCSB Institute for Social Behavioral and Economic Research. 

After one year in the Master of Communication and Information Studies (MCIS) program, James Caverly, who majored in journalism in his undergraduate school, has a simple answer to why he chose to do gradate school in communication.

“I love writing but I don’t want to just write.”

This answer may resonate with many MCIS students---they’re looking for a broader horizon and better preparation for future careers.

The first time you meet James in his Johnson & Johnson’s office, it’s hard for you to link this mature, sophisticated and professional public relations representative to a film screenplay writer, a band singer and especially, a graduate student who is still taking courses from the MCIS program at Rutgers University.

As a member of Johnson & Johnson Fellowship Program---a graduate fellowship program with Johnson & Johnson and the MCIS program, James spends 21 hours every week during three semesters in the Corporate Communication Office of the world’s premier health care company’s global headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

“When I first came here I knew nothing about corporate communication” James laughed.

He still recalls after working at Johnson & Johnson for 2 weeks, he attended a dinner sponsored by the Public Relations Association of America at Yale Club and he almost physically ran into NY Governor Pataki and later several well-known PR professionals. He calls this experience “the craziest thing I’ve ever done during my study at MCIS so far.”  It clearly made an impression on James to have the opportunity to mingle with people of that level of experience.

Even though it took almost 9 months for James to feel “truly comfortable with all the ins and outs of such a large company,” apparently it has been worthwhile for him.

“It’s a great combination of working here while studying in the MCIS Program because what I get from MCIS makes me realize why J&J’s actions work,” said James, “and the work at J&J provides me with a network of connections to fields of marketing, including advertising. That’s something I really want to do in the future.”

In many cases, James acts as a PR rep for the company’s corporate contributions department. “It is our job to get the word out about the non-profit organizations we partner with. When the J&J name sits next to these organizations, it acts as an accreditation and they become more attractive to donors.”

Graduated from the School of Communication Information and Library Science (SC&I) at Rutgers as an undergraduate student, James worked with Dow Jones, the big financial news provider, and wrote stories of small business, career advice and corporate culture.

“I do enjoy writing and being a writer is my dream but the work at Dow Jones made me realize being a journalist is not something I want to do for my entire life.”

One year after this job, James shifted to a freelancer and he finally got a chance to start what he truly loves---“the creative writing” as he stated. He began to write a movie script while he continued writing news articles and feature stories for Dow Jones, UGO.com and a Popular Science magazine.

In the spring of 2007, James decided to come back to school and started his MCIS life. He seemed satisfied with this decision. “I really learned a lot!” he said, confidently, “I think I am now capable to get what I want.”

Now James is thinking of getting a job in an advertising agency in New York after graduating from MCIS this winter.

By Difei Xie (Steven Shie)

Alice Tier was a successful practitioner of advertising and public relations for more than a decade when she came to MCIS to learn about communication theory.

Tier, owner of the Fallon Creative Group in Monmouth Junction, NJ, credits much of her success to what she learned through the MCIS program, from which she graduated in 2003.

“I really gained a deeper understanding of communication theory/philosophy,” said Tier.  “The most helpful bit of information I took with me is that messages sent do not always equal message received.”

Tier explained that the most beneficial part of the MCIS program were the courses offered. “My favorite course was leadership,” explained Tier.  “I think everybody getting a degree like this should take a course in leadership,” she added. The leadership course offered by the MCIS program not only educates students on how to become a better leader but also instills a set of fundamental values that enable people to work more efficiently in the workforce, she added.

Along with the course in leadership, Tier feels that public speaking and other communication courses offered by the MCIS program benefited her in the workplace and are essential for a successful career.  “I think it is unfortunate that communication courses are not required for everyone, especially business majors,” said Tier.

“People do not know what communication is, and you meet people who have not had training in organizational communication and it’s unfortunate,” she added. “Not only do people not have a background in communication, but they also have a misconception of what it is.  A lot of people think of telecommunications right away.”

Tier has an undergraduate degree from Rutgers in Journalism and Media Studies. She recommends an undergraduate sequence in journalism followed by the MCIS degree. “I would absolutely recommend going to MCIS,” said Tier. “You get a theoretical background from the MCIS program.”
Since graduation from MCIS, Tier has worked as a consultant, writer and editor for many clients. Through her business she does marketing, advertising, and public relations for corporations. “I have clients in a variety of industries such as global logistics, healthcare, and computer technology,” said Tier. “I do everything from developing concepts to buying media space, placing ads and writing press releases.”
The MCIS degree also gave Tier the credentials to teach college level courses. She currently teaches at Rider University, sharing the knowledge and experience she learned from the MCIS program with her students. 

“I enjoy teaching communication and the reward it brings when students begin to understand the social science aspects of the subject,” said Tier.  She has taught a variety of classes ranging from public relations to public speaking and strategic speech for business and grammar. 
Tier believes that potential and current MCIS students should learn more about the philosophy of communication but should be certain to keep improving their skills at the same time. “Interpersonal and group communication skills, and of course writing, speaking, listening, acknowledging and critical thinking are extremely important,” said Tier.  “I think an advanced writing course is extremely important because the educational system stops teaching English grammar early on, and many students do not know how to write,” she added.

As technology and the media continue to change the way we communicate, curriculum continues to change as well.  The core lessons Tier learned while she was in the MCIS program help her despite rapid changes in the communication system. 
“The MCIS program taught me to become a better listener,” said Tier.  “I consider all points of view and try to remember that every interaction matters,” she added.  “The program helped improve my self awareness and awareness of others.”

By Kristina Zias

Since being placed at Johnson & Johnson 14 years ago through the MCIS program, Alison J. Sentie remains an effective and dynamic employee at J&J today. 

“The MCIS program was my introduction to J&J, and without it, I never would have embarked on the career I have now,” said Sentie, who is a customer logistics strategy analyst based in Skillman, NJ.  “I believe all advanced degrees provide a certain amount of credibility, but the MCIS program, within Johnson & Johnson, has influence due to the quality of the graduates it turns out.”

 Sentie was privileged enough to be offered one of the J&J Fellowships while at MCIS. “So while I was earning my master's, I was also working in a business setting and able to apply my classes to my job and vice versa,” she said.

Not only has the MCIS program helped Sentie develop specific skills for her career but she also learned many communication skills.  These have served her well in not only business settings but in everyday situations. “I learned that crafting a message so that it can be heard by the intended audience is critical to succeeding anywhere, and perhaps that applies most in the corporate world,” Sentie said.  “In addition, MCIS taught me to value information very highly, before it was really viewed as a critical skill in many places.”

The MCIS curriculum was extremely beneficial for Sentie.  She loved her professors and felt that they were extremely knowledgeable in their fields.  They helped her see how communication is crucial in the operation of any company.   “The MCIS program also taught me that designing a system to capture data is useless, unless you can get that data back OUT in an organized, intelligent fashion that allows for rich analysis after the fact,” Sentie said.  “Otherwise, all that data is simply trapped and does not have an actionable impact on your business.”

There were many aspects of the MCIS program that convinced Sentie to apply. As a Communication major in the Rutgers College Honors program she was fortunate enough to be able to take graduate level courses in the MCIS program as an undergraduate student.   “I felt the MCIS courses were very well run and allowed me to explore topics at a much greater depth than I could as an undergrad,” Sentie said. Her favorite courses analyzed the direct communication between people in different ways, which were atypical of classes she was used to.

 “I liked the types of courses that allowed me to look at how people said things in addition to what they said,” Sentie added. “I also loved the course where we would observe people in social settings and deconstruct their entire communication, both verbal and non-verbal. I found the entire topic fascinating.” 

She rates her graduate study in the MCIS program as “completely beneficial and a positive learning experience.” Said Sentie, “The education itself was wonderful. I benefited from smaller class size, interesting topics, the ability to take some cross-training classes from the MBA program, and a core group of great classmates.”

Relating what she learned in her classes to her fellowship tasks at J&J was very useful.
She called the MCIS collaboration with J&J “the absolute most valuable and rewarding work experience I've ever had.”  Sentie has been able to apply the essential communication knowledge she gained from the MCIS program to her career at J&J. “I believe that the fundamentals of communication, critical thinking, and understanding information flow in organizations are of huge benefit,” Sentie said.
   

In almost a decade and a half she has worked in three sectors at J&J as well as its corporate offices.  She has also held positions in IT, Sales Operations, and Customer Logistics.  “At J&J, I have worked with large amounts of data in all my jobs, and my primary function is to turn data into actionable information,” Sentie said.  “That is the underlying key that has allowed me to move between functional silos and J&J companies.”

She would definitely recommend the MCIS program to others. “When taking courses, look at how you would apply them not only within the confines of the course itself, but to real-world situations,” Sentie advised. “Take advantage of networking within the program and reach out to others who have been in the business world for some time. If you are an experienced person pursuing a degree after having been in the business world for some time, be open to new and interesting solutions, even if they are unusual or different than how you have always done things.”

By Laura Schneebacher

Monica Fish

A valuable master’s degree in Communication and Information Studies from Rutgers University has taken Monica Hunter Fish from New Brunswick, NJ, to Los Angeles, where she manages public relations for Neutrogena, a Johnson and Johnson company.

Without MCIS, where she was chosen to join the Johnson & Johnson Fellowship program, Fish does not believe she would have the position she holds today. It’s really hard to get a foot in the door at a place like J&J,” she noted, “and the fact that MCIS offered an opportunity like that was amazing.” She was lucky enough to intern in the Corporate Communication Department at J&J, where she gained hands-on experience in the field of public relations.

Fish, a Washington D.C. native, was an undergraduate Communication major at Rutgers, and one summer found herself as an intern at the global PR firm Weber Shandwick Worldwide, where she was a member of the account team for the successful Beijing 2008 Olympic Bid campaign. Weber Shandwick was the first western public relations firm hired by the Chinese government and was charged with leading the communications effort to secure China’s first Olympics.

She knew she wanted a career in public relations yet at the end of her senior year was unsure of how to go about it. In a public relations class someone mentioned MCIS and the Johnson & Johnson Fellowship program. “It seemed like an amazing opportunity so I applied,” Fish recalled.

Looking back at her studies as a MCIS student, Fish believes, “Having a go-get-it mentality helped me understand the concept of how to apply classroom learning to the work environment. I got as much from the program as I put in.”   Fish feels that the MCIS program was extremely beneficial and useful. “You get to meet other working professionals; it’s a really nice mix to work with other people in the classroom. I met great friends, great contacts, people I still keep in contact with today. Having a network like that is really so valuable.”
   

Although Fish doesn’t know where her career might take her next, she feels that not only do companies value advanced degrees but master’s degrees open the door for many other opportunities.    “I would love to be involved in the training of future public relations professionals,” she said. “Having a master’s degree allowed that door to be open for me.  It allows me the opportunity to be an adjunct professor down the road.”

Fish’s MCIS degree has brought her success and enhanced opportunity.  She believes the program can do the same for others. “Everyone comes to MCIS with a different end goal, so make it your own,” she continued. “At the end of the day it’s your experience. Each experience is a stepping stone to somewhere else.”

By Kimberly Topping

Tara Flynn Condon

Location, location…curriculum!  These are what attracted the interest of MCIS alumna Tara Flynn Condon to the Rutgers MCIS program.

Condon, director of product marketing for a large New Jersey technology manufacturer, Cryptek, Inc., entered MCIS in fall 2001. She admits that she was first enticed by the program’s close proximity to her home in the Garden State.  “However, once I began to learn more about the MCIS program, I was attracted to the curriculum,” said Condon.  “I liked that I could get a broad education on the subject and then focus on the areas that interested me personally and professionally.”

She attributes her success in her job to the expertise of the MCIS faculty and the independent work she was permitted to do at Rutgers. According to Condon, faculty emphasize original research, cutting edge theory, and knowledge and skills necessary to understand and manage complex communications.   “I got the opportunity to do some independent study related to e-mail marketing,” said Condon.  “Having the ability to connect my studies to something in my professional experience was very valuable.”

Courses like Organizational Communication taught by Professor Marya Doerfel have proven to be “absolutely invaluable,” according to Condon. Since graduating in 2004, Condon has held several jobs marketing hardware and software products nationally and internationally. She has also served as an executive board member of the New Jersey Business Marketing Association (NJ/BMA).

“Because it is less common than an MBA, I feel the degree has—in some cases—made me a more interesting candidate,” said Condon.  “Communication is part of everything we do.  So, I feel my MCIS experience allows me to bring knowledge and experience to bear across a wide spectrum of projects.”

She continued: “I think I learned a strong framework for understanding and tackling communication challenges, particularly those in a corporate setting. Additionally, I learned a vocabulary for how to break down these challenges to others, which allows us to work our way through them. For example, if I had a nickel for every time I've asked, ‘Who are our stakeholders here?’ I would be very rich indeed!”

The bottom line is that the program helps students excel in the fields of their choice.   “I love technology in all forms,” emphasized Condon.  “So I like that I get to constantly learn new products and then educate and excite the public about them.”

Condon also acknowledges the importance of respect for the audience. “The MCIS program helped me to expand on this concept,” said Condon.  “Understanding your audience and communicating with them on their terms are essential to getting your message across.”

By Megan Vear

Edna Castaneda

Because of MCIS, alumna Edna Castaneda can run circles around her competition.  Castaneda, account manager for client services for the athletics-oriented Active Marketing Group in Manhattan, is enamored with running.  “It is an amazing sport that pushes individuals to exceed their goals,” Castaneda says.     

Castaneda is familiar with exceeding ambitions--a skill she honed during her graduate work at MCIS.

The program was an easy choice for the Rutgers communications major.  “As an undergraduate, I found that SC&I equipped me with insightful knowledge,” Castaneda says.  “It seemed a natural fit for me to continue with the school’s curriculum for my master’s.  As I transcended into more graduate work, I learned how the undergraduate fundamentals further resonated with real life and work situations.”

Castaneda especially enjoyed her organization and mediated communication courses.  “I still remember when I would leave Professor Brent Ruben’s and Professor Marya Doerfel’s classes fascinated by what I had learned,” Castaneda gushes.  “The funny thing is that even now I refer back to my textbooks to incorporate lessons with my real-life work experiences.”

In her work with Active Marketing Group, these experiences sometimes include direct contact with occasionally “temperamental” clients.  The digital media and marketing firm’s clientele includes Hershey, Choice Hotels, Vitamin Shoppe and Dunkin’ Donuts—to name a few.  The company uses its direct relationships with clients and the public to communicate nationwide with active-minded consumers and athletes.  

“We work with very targeted groups to ensure that their message is clearly
being relayed to the specific audience they’re looking for,” Castaneda says.  “A lot of work goes into ensuring a happy client.  Our role on the account management and operations side is to always do our best to attain a flawless outcome.”

Castaneda’s MCIS education has served her well.  “As I work with specific clients, it is very important for me to understand the granular details that make them tick so that I better speak and understand their language,” Castaneda says.  “At MCIS I learned the vast amount of details that go into a person’s make up.  Having that framework has allowed me to better understand our business and our clients’ direction.”
   

A crucial lesson Castaneda learned at MCIS was that the characteristic makeup of a leader is unique and specific.  “In a meeting with executives of one of our biggest clients, they were sharing a story on taking a ‘leader personality’ survey,” Castaneda said.  “I recalled lessons from Professor Ruben, and they were quite impressed with my educational background on the subject. There have been countless other instances that I’ve referred back to my education to help me rationalize, access and better manage situations.”

In addition to fine-tuning her communication skills, Castaneda’s work broadens her athletic horizons.  “With the opportunity to work on different accounts, I’ve garnered a fondness for running events, golf tournaments and the Little League World Series,” the avid cyclist said. “And, of course, any event that could give me a glimpse of Lance Armstrong.”

By Jessica Sager

Maggie Pazian  

Maggie Pazian has turned the art of people watching into her own behavioral consulting company, and that’s more than okay with her.

Pazian was born in Poland and grew up in Montreal, Canada before finally settling in Bergen County, New Jersey at thirteen years old. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Communication and French, and her master’s degree from Rutgers University

“I went to Rutgers because it was my safety school… my fallback school financially,” Pazian said, with a touch of shy humor. “But I’m very happy I came here and went through the Rutgers experience.”

Pazian, a graduate of the Master of Communication and Information Studies (MCIS) degree program, formally studied organizational communication and worked as a graduate student for Dr. Mark Frank while working toward her master’s degree.

“I ended up specializing and learning about nonverbal communication because of my work as a project manager with Dr. Frank: I ran studies, I analyzed data and I managed his office.

“My master’s degree was pointing me to the corporate world, communication within organization. It was like doing two master’s programs at once, one work experience and one corporate. Now that I graduated, I’m working in the nonverbal field.”

Pazian is the president of VisualEmotion, LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in behavioral analysis. VisualEmotion, LLC offers analysis of people’s behaviors, facial movements, body language, deception detection and emotional recognition.

Pazian is grateful for her MCIS education, which she feels helped her prepare for her current role as the head of a behavioral consulting firm.

“The training I got was through SC&I, but it wasn’t through classes. It was all hands-on experience. I got really lucky, doing this stuff day in and day out for two years and getting a graduate assistant position, which is very rare. The class work was a complement because it taught me more organizational theories.

“Both my fields were very different but prepared me for owning my own business.” Using the skills she acquired as a student of nonverbal communication, Pazian draws on everything from her subject’s expression to their tone of voice to determine whether they are lying or not.

Pazian forms her detailed analyses using a program called the “facial action coding system”, developed by Dr. Paul Eckman. She also uses a body coding system, currently under development, that she uses to analyze body deception. “I’m a human lie detector, essentially,” Pazian said. “People often think that looking someone in the eye as opposed to looking away means you’re lying, and that’s not necessarily true. There are small signs, like scratching one’s nose that’s also not necessarily true.  The most important thing is to always gauge people’s baseline and then to look for deviations,” Pazian said.

For the most part, Pazian appreciates the flexibility running a company allows her. “I work with independent contractors and everything is done virtually and remotely. [Running my own company] taught me how to manage a virtual team and how to manage having people working in different areas.

“I’m my own boss, and it’s constantly changing. I’m always looking at different people and being challenged in different ways by applying theories of emotional recognition.

 As for future Rutgers students eager to follow in Pazian’s footsteps? Pazian recommends the MCIS fellowship program with Johnson & Johnson, something she calls a “very good corporate and networking experience”, and pure, old-fashioned persistence.

 “There’s a lot of opportunity. The professors are excellent and full of knowledge, and it’s just a matter of taking advantage of the knowledge that professors have. “The door’s always open. There’s always an opportunity waiting around the corner—you just have to go after it.”

By Amanda Cafaro

Joshua Gelles

“I hope what I do can not only benefit myself but more importantly, benefit others,” said Joshua Gelles, a recent graduate of the Master of Communication and Information Studies (MCIS) Program at Rutgers University.

Carrying this commitment from the moment Gelles started his study in the MCIS program, he focused his academic interest on Health Communication area. “ I believe the achievement in this field will help more people,” said Gelles, who has been involved in several heath communication research studies on the dangers of drinking on campus.

As a Project Manager of the Center for Communication and Health Issues (CHI) which is dedicated to conducting research on communication and health issues affecting college students and to designing, implementing and evaluating campus and community-based education, intervention and prevention programs,  Gelles closely worked with Professor Lea Stewert on the “R U SURE Campaign,” a campaign that targeted on changing the “culture of college drinking” and correcting first-year students’ misperceptions of excessive drinking as a norm.

“We collected our data from the Personal Report of Student Perceptions and it helped us determine healthy, alcohol-related, normative behaviors of Rutgers students,” Gelles said. “The preliminary findings we’ve had is that 2/3 of RU students stop at 3 or fewer drinks. Almost 1 in 5 don't drink at all.”

An on-going public relations campaign was then created to gain increased media coverage of normative drinking behavior at Rutgers and it has received coverage on CNN, News 12 New Jersey, WWOR, and the Daily Targum (Rutgers student newspaper).

The academic capabilities Gelles aquired from his research in MCIS and CHI as well as the experience of being the Teaching Assistant for Health Communication led him to another health communication study at a higher level---Let’s Talk About It, an activity designed to provoke discussion and self-awareness about drinking-related behaviors and perceptions among college students.

“Let’s Talk About It is an interactive simulation/game that encourages discussion of alcohol-related choices and behaviors among students and their peers,” said Gelles, “We created a conjuction computing database to generate our srvey which was a Personal Feedback Intervention survey and we implemented the whole survey online.”

Let’s Talk About It has been now updated to reflect not only contemporary choices facing college students  but to extend previous games by including fact-based information and incorporating individual response technology.

The deep involvement in real academic research made Gelles’s master studies very busy.

 “I do feel the two years here at the MCIS is a very rewarding experience,” said Gelles who graduated from this program in 2009 and has decided to start his career in heath communication area.

Gelles said, “What I’ve learned from  MCIS shaped what I want to do and where I want to go.”

By Difei Xie (Steven Shie)

Michael Hall

Michael Hall, ’09, hopes to use his MCIS education to develop a career in politics, perhaps one focused on campaign organizing and strategies, more specifically for the Obama administration.

To get him there, he is planning on using the skills he learned at MCIS,  such as implementing the principles of organizational leadership he learned from Professor Brent Ruben, along with his acquired ability to manage media campaigns.

Hall is a former history major at Centre College in Kentucky and freelance writer for the Sunshine State’s Jacksonville Magazine.
 
He says he is inspired by role models David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s top political advisor, and David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager.  “Planning and organizing events like that is something I would love to do myself because it allows you to be creative and hands-on, all at the same time,” he stated.
  
Hall began the MCIS program a year and a half ago, transferring in with previous credits. “I came to the MCIS program because I wanted a grounded, yet liberal communication education that was broad enough to encompass multiple topics and themes,” he said.

To finish early, he also has been taking four classes each semester rather than the three most students take.

He chose the Rutgers program over several others, including Penn State and Lehigh University. “I wanted to be a part of the history of the university, and I chose the communications program because it closely matched my background in journalism,” Hall noted.
 
His favorite MCIS experience has been Professor Ruben’s Organizational Leadership course. In a class of four students, Hall said he learned a great deal. The course focused on specific books about leaders. “I learned a lot about various people I might otherwise have never bothered to study,” he added.

He is also learning about media campaigns and corporate PR, communication fundamentals, corporate social responsibility strategies, knowledge management, and organizational planning.

According to Hall, a lot of the MCIS professors are passionate about what they teach through knowledge and creative design. “Rather than letting the readings be the focus of the class, it is often the students and student-led ideas that become the focal point,” he reported. “In this way, the professors help generate a lot of lively discussion and idea sharing.”

Other professors he admired were Dr. David Greenberg, who teaches Media History, and Dr. Kathryn Greene, who teaches Health Communication. He said that both were encouraging to him. “A lot of emphasis was placed on student-led discussions and presentations,” noted Hall. “Both encouraged me to read the materials extensively and know them backward and forward. Both were very adamant about allowing us to come up with a design for our final papers.”

Through all this, Hall is learning how to manage stress and multiple deadlines. Although he was never taught to manage stress or deadlines, he has developed a coping mechanism over time through experience and trial and error.

“This is something you don’t learn in class,” he added. He said that many professors assign a lot of large papers over the course. Even though it can be overwhelming, said Hall, it is something you get used to.

He said, “I’ve definitely grown in terms of the amounts of pressure I can work under. This program is not for the lazy or faint of heart, and I can say that I honestly feel very prepared to go out into the working world.”

Without hesitation Hall recommends the MCIS program to other students. “I would say it’s a smart decision, but that it’s going to require a substantial amount of work and commitment,” he said.

Now that he is close to graduating, he notes how much he has grown in a positive way throughout his time in MCIS. And Hall is still excited to be in the learning curve. Before he graduates Hall is “hoping to gain an awareness of how corporations and/or media communicate messages to us.”

He may or may not end up in Washington, DC. But having an MCIS degree from Rutgers, he noted, will definitely benefit him due to its “reputation, its foundational structure.”

By Dupal Patel

Laura Lamberta
 
In the stressful world of practicing law where can a lawyer turn to for personal growth and a chance to be creative? For Laura Lamberta the answer is not the legal profession but rather the MCIS program at Rutgers University.

 “I liked the law profession, and it was challenging,” noted Lamberta. “But I enrolled in the MCIS program because I wanted to do something a little more creative, and Rutgers has a great reputation.”

In the MCIS program, Lamberta is in an environment that appeals to her creative side while still offering her the satisfaction of thriving while overcoming challenges. “It has pushed me to be a better researcher,” she said. “And the program’s focus on communication theory has been challenging,” Lamberta said.

“MCIS teaches you business communication skills, writing, and oral presentation skills,” she continued. “It really teaches you how to think critically about your communication with others.”

Lamberta is among a large and growing group of Americans who change careers. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics (April 2002), Americans averaged 10 jobs between the ages of 18 and 34, and that number has increased in recent years. While some of these changes can be attributed to laid-off workers, there is a growing number of Americans who undergo career changes in pursuit of greater career satisfaction.

Lamberta has not yet decided on a specific career path, but after just two semesters in the MCIS program she is more aware of her options. “I’m still searching but the MCIS program has exposed me to different areas in communication that I haven’t thought of before,” she said.

Lamberta credits her MCIS professors for giving her the tools to learn what is necessary to understand and manage the complex communication, information, and media processes inherent to the information age. “The professors are very open to new ideas,” she said. “They want you thinking about current research and how it affects your job,” Lamberta said.

In the MCIS program there is little separation between cutting-edge research and real-world applications. “My professor works at Johnson & Johnson, and he comes in with real-life scenarios,” Lamberta reported. “The professors in general work hard to be current.”

MCIS is hoping to attract more students like Lamberta who are anxious to make a career change. As technology keeps reinventing itself, the MCIS program may be the path toward a new, exciting, and more rewarding career, both emotionally and economically.

By Jonathan Rosenberg

Harry Glazer 

The communications director for the Rutgers University Libraries, Harry Glazer, is back in school in the MCIS program. “It was time to go back to improve my skills,” said Glazer, who attends MCIS part-time. A 1987 Rutgers College graduate, Glazer looked seriously at four different master’s programs at Rutgers before he chose the MCIS program. “It was
the most appealing to me in terms of my interests, experience, and professional work,” he noted.

And he has immersed himself in the program. For the past two and a half years, Glazer has also been the president of the MCIS Graduate Student Association (GSA). There used to be a student group before Glazer took over, but it slowly diminished. Glazer helped to bring the group back to life.

The GSA holds symposiums and also provides a chance for students within MCIS to socialize, build relationships and network with each other. With such different and busy lifestyles in graduate school it is not as easy as it is in undergraduate studies to build relationships, Glazer noted. He enjoys being involved and serving as president. “But if anyone else would like a chance, I’ll step aside happily,” he said.

The best thing about MCIS, said Glazer, is that what he learns in classes has helped him obtain more skills to bring to his current job.

Some of the classes he's appreciated the most include: Knowledge Management with Professor Stew Mohr and Media Studies with Professor John Pavlik. Glazer explains, “Knowledge Management is a class that helps one to better track the skills of different employees within an entire organization. This particular class has helped me to grow as a
communicator. I feel better trained and more confident when working on particular projects for my job within the library.”

Drawing on one of the concepts he learned in Knowledge Management, Glazer formed a Rutgers University Communicators' Community of Practice. The group brings together communicators from SC&I, the Bildner Center, the English Department, the Rutgers Foundation, and others to share best practices and meet with guest speakers such as newspaper reporters, a website usability consultant, and others.

The Media Studies class with Professor Pavlik is an online class. Glazer laughs as he states, “I don’t even know what the professor looks like, but I love the class." The class looks at different forms of the media and how they are developed. One of the projects Glazer had to do was to create his own blog. The blog Glazer created was called Facebook: Beyond
the Campus. It studied the uses and misuses of Facebook by people who are not in a college atmosphere. Glazer said, “From creating this blog I learned how media works from the inside. I would have probably never created a blog if it was not for this class.”

Glazer, who plans to graduate from the program in October 2009, definitely agrees that the MCIS program has made a significant difference in his work as the Rutgers University Libraries communication director. Glazer said, “My greatest achievement so far is doing well in my classes and making valuable contributions.”

By Jaime DiCostanzi