SOC Student Commencement Speaker Lauren Lumpkin
By Amanda Nyang'oro | May 2018
As a recent guest of CNN at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, a Black on Campus fellow and a Dean's Intern for The Washington Post, Lauren Lumpkin, a graduating senior, will have a lot to look back on when she delivers the undergraduate student address on May 12, 2018 at the American University School of Communication (AU SOC) commencement ceremony.
Lumpkin, who, despite her impressive list of journalistic credentials, will be receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Strategic Communication with a double minor in marketing and Chinese, started her freshman year as a writer for HerCampus where she was able to practice her writing skills and find out more about the type of topics that she enjoyed covering.
She went on to become the Editor-in-Chief of The Blackprint, an AU-affiliated publication aimed towards serving people of color (POC) on campus. The publication has grown quite significantly since she took over as Editor-in-Chief, after coverage of important stories such as the ' Black Exodus Protest.' After commencement, she will be writing for the Baltimore Sun.
During her four years at SOC, Lumpkin has been not just a high achieving student, but also an engaged and valued member of the AU community. She has been an advocate for fellow POC through her journalism and as a student representative on the American University President's Council on Diversity and Inclusion. She has also worked as the director of diversity and inclusion on AU student government to help build an inclusive campus culture after the racial incidents that occurred on campus in the 2016-17 school year.
Updated 5/16: Watch video of Lauren Lumpkin's speech.
https://www.american.edu/soc/news/Lauren-Lumpkin-Commencent-Speaker.cfm
'A New Presidency and the Press' Gives Students Context
By Amanda Nyang'oro | September 2017
When we come to learn at a university, we hope to be taught by the best professors who are experts in their fields and who strive to continue to learn and be responsive to the changing dynamics of their respective fields.
Professor Richard Benedetto does exactly this with his class “A New Presidency and the Press”. The course examines how the White House and the news media, traditional and new, are not only interacting but also working on behalf of the American people. The class was first introduced in the spring semester of 2009 with the Obama administration but has been re-introduced in light of the new administration.
Professor Benedetto believes that a course like this is needed now more than ever as the relationship between the Trump administration and the news media has been “chaotic and rocky”.
“It is increasingly necessary for serious scholars of politics and the media to intellectually examine that relationship as it is unfolding, analyze the performance of both sides and develop some recommendations for improvement.”
He thinks that high-quality academic institutions such as American University have a responsibility to students to offer academic programs that are not only timely in the issues studied, but also thinks this is a better step towards improving our reporting and analysis of the new administration.
The course will help students examine and re-examine the philosophies and responsibilities that both the news media and the government have to society. “Both sides have responsibilities to the public, and right now it appears that both sides need to brush up on how to shoulder those responsibilities better.”
Professor Benedetto is a retired White House correspondent and columnist for USA Today and political columnist for Gannett News Service. He began teaching at AU in 2006 and continues to write political commentary for publications such as Politico.
http://www.american.edu/soc/news/A-New-Presidency-and-the-Press.cfm
Meet SOC's Graduate Advisor: Jean McGee
By Amanda Nyang'oro | September 2017
Jean McGee serves as the advisor for all graduate students; full time, part time, and weekend; in the School of Communication (SOC). She has been working with SOC since 2006 and her hard work has paid off for many graduate students.
In 2016, McGee was awarded the SOC Staffer of the Year Award for her endless determination and positive attitude, no matter what the issue or challenge she faces. McGee was also awarded the SIS Special Recognition Award and the American University Staff Collaboration Award in 2017. An excerpt from one of the nominations for the SIS Special Recognition Award said that McGee, "thoughtfully addresses student concerns and facilitates the acquisition of instructor and departmental permissions for course registration. She streamlines a process that can otherwise be frustrating, resulting in an improved experience for our students."
SOC asked McGee a few questions to find out more about the important relationship between an graduate advisor and their student.
1) What are a few things that many graduate students seek advice about?
Graduate students tend to be very focused and many are already looking ahead to post-graduation when they start their programs. This is great, but students need to remember that they are here for an education and their academics should come first, at least for now.
For example, waiting to do an internship, for academic credit, until closer to the end of their academic programs can often lead to a better learning experience at the internship and could potentially lead to employment after graduation. Also, our programs are very intense. Trying to combine four graduate courses with a full-time job can be disastrous. Time management is critical.
2) When advising graduate students, are you focused on career choices and what they can do once they finish their programs, or about the programs themselves?
My work with the grad students is focused on academics. My goal is to make sure that students are fulfilling all of their requirements for graduation. For career related questions I generally refer students to the Career Center, since that is their area of expertise. However, I am always happy to hear about what students plan to do after graduation, or talk about ideas. The Career Center, however, has the expertise in terms of job hunting and career services.
3) What would you say to those graduate students who may not see the benefit of visiting an academic advisor?
I think it is always useful for students to meet with an advisor. First of all, students should meet with an advisor to check requirements for graduation. Advisors are also great at answering general questions, such as, "Who do I talk to about my bill, financial aid or career services?" Perhaps a student is feeling overwhelmed and just needs to talk about what is going on, or may possibly be in need of a referral for more specific services. Students often ask about internships. How would an internship fit into a student’s academic program and/or schedule for the semester? What are the requirements for an internship for credit, or can it be done for no credit? There are many ways an advisor can help!
4) What should a graduate student do to get the most out of their academic advising experience?
Be proactive. If there is a problem, or if a student has a question, don’t wait until things get out of hand. Be sure to read e-mails sent by your advisor and other University offices, the Registrar in particular, for important information. Pay attention to deadlines. Take advantage of services offered by the University, such as the Career Center and the Academic Support & Access Center.
http://www.american.edu/soc/news/Meet-SOCs-Graduate-Advisor-Jean-McGee.cfm
Students Deliver PR Strategy to Sony Electronics
By Amanda Nyang'oro | July 2017
Student PR team Power/PR won the challenge: (R to L) Angie Shumov, Jordan Weintraub, Luke Barr, Nikki Gale and Sophia Kebbede.
Over the past few years, professor Pallavi Kumar has been able to land top-notch clients such as Marriott, Honest Tea and the Newseum to give her PR Portfolio class the chance to develop a strategic communication plan for a real-world client. This past spring was no different: her class was given the opportunity to work with SOC partner Sony Electronics.
The students were divided into groups of five, and their goal was to create a trans media strategic communication plan focused on increasing audience share for either Sony's Extra Bass (XB) Bluetooth speakers or their 1000x noise canceling, wireless, Bluetooth headphones. Each group had to focus their tactics on three audiences: Millennials, Music Lovers (other than Millennials) and a wildcard audience of their choosing.
The Sony Electronic representatives were delighted with the students' work. Director of Marketing at Sony Electronics, Rosemary Flynn, said, "I was blown away with the level of quality and professionalism from Professor Kumar's class. Clearly they put time and effort into every detail and it showed. Passionate, intelligent and driven - they nailed it."
PR Portfolio 2017 class. Professor Kumar is front, center in blue.
They had a clearly defined theme ("For the Love of Listening") that carried through every aspect of the plan, tying everything together, which is what Kumar believes landed them the winning position. "Their tactics were super creative and really fit with their target audience and captured the essence of the audience and the product." In addition, Power/PR had very effective collateral materials including an engaging video.
"Part of why Sony was interested in partnering with American and my PR Portfolio class was to tap into the Millennial and Gen Z thinking," said Kumar. "I think across the board, each team was really able to capture the ethos of those target audiences by coming up with creative strategies and tactics to change the mindset of the key audiences."
This year marked Kumar's 10th time teaching PR Portfolio. Even though she says teaching the class is demanding work, the reward of empowered students and a happy client make it all worthwhile in the end. Her best advice for future PR Portfolio students to have a successful plan would be great teamwork. "We focused a lot on team building and working in teams. I often used the quote, 'Teamwork is dreamwork' and seeing each team develop and pitch a complete strategic plan despite all the different personalities, strengths and schedules was wonderful to see."