Even professors need a little help!

Just when you thought faculty waved a wand and graded all those papers almost as if by magic, the secret is revealed!
We have help!
In some cases, our "helpers" are lying down on the job, but they still provide motivation and encouragement.
Take Mr. Truman, for example. He is my grading assistant each semester.
Shown here "helping" me grade papers, he is very sticky about writing and a grammar, spelling or punctuation error really gets his back up, as they say.
His method of lying on top of the papers is designed to pace my work. I would probably never take a break if not for his interruptions.
Have a grammar question? Just ask him.

He's really the "purr-fect" editor!

Lots of Lavender

Last weekend's Sunday trip was a drive to Skaneateles and a stop at the Lavender Festival. The country setting was ripe for nice photos and we brought home a bunch to make our linen closet smell pretty. Watch out for those bees!

There's something about a little kid...

Summer events are a great time to see friends' kids and see how much they've grown and changed. Our Welcome Clambake was a chance to see Aiden Tarrats and his mom, Jessica, as well as River Greenfield and his mom, Karen. Aiden loves the camera. River, not so much. But both are very photogenic! Something about kids and summer makes you forget those three-foot-high snowbanks.

New friends and clams

Last weekend's Welcome Clambake gave all of us a chance to meet and get to know the new PRL master's class. Some of them had never had steamed clams. Others were new to the whole "salt potatoes" thing. Spectacular weather and good company made for a great day.
Did you know clams are brain food?

Here they are!

Summer is zooming along and here comes a new crop of PR master's students!
They're fresh-faced, eager and smart and we're looking forward to getting to know them over the next 13 months.
Today's Orientation Day and soon they'll be walking across that stage and receiving their degrees.
How time flies!

Autumn in New York

Those of a certain age (and you know who you are!) will remember the haunting melody of the song "Autumn in New York".
The crisp air and turning leaves are back in Upstate New York and it reminds us of how much we enjoy living here.
There are hills to show off the fall colors and yard chores to gather up those fall colors and compost them or set them by the curb.
Our dogs love to run in the piles of leaves.
Reminds us of when we were kids and used to create enormous piles of leaves for jumping.
That unmistakable fragrance of autumn leaves is in the air, too.
Let's savor it.
It won't be long before we're living up to our Golden Snowball reputation again!

Team Insidedge

Employee Engagement is the mission of the practice at Insidedge here in Chicago.
The team includes full-time staffers, as well as interns.
I met Stephanie Gurtman, an intern from Boston University who knows my friend and fellow SU alum, Dr. Edward Downes.
Dharma Subramanian, a recent graduate of Purdue University, is an Account Executive at Insidedge. I learned she can sing "Happy Birthday" to her colleagues in FOUR DIFFERENT LANGUAGES!
And Jessica Brubaker, an Account Supervisor who holds communication and graphic design degrees from St. Norbert College, was very helpful in making sure I knew how to locate the office and helped with many other final trip details and questions a day or so before I left Syracuse.
I'll be watching the careers of these wonderful new colleagues and friends with great interest!

Farewell, Chicago

I leave my two-week adventure at Insidedge with mixed feelings.
On one hand, it will be good to be home to my partner and "kids" (translation: pets) after being away for two weeks.
On the other hand, I wish I had more time to spend with these smart, dedicated people here at the firm.
I envy them being in the practice and it makes me think where I might be now if my career had taken some slightly different twists and turns.
But, all in all, I know I'm doing what I love best, teaching, mentoring and learning for a living. It's a good gig, as my colleague Dr. Dennis Kinsey, would say.
So, as another colleague, Dr. Carla Lloyd, always says at the start of a new semester, "It's time to go teach college!"
A special shout-out to Keith Burton, President of Insidedge, whose care in planning and preparing for my visit made it a big success, and to Helen Loosevelt, his right hand and all-around organizer and miracle worker.
I'll post more pictures of all the team members you've yet to meet in my last post.
Thanks, gang. I'll never forget you and hope this is just the beginning of a friendship and partnership that will go on for years to come!

Millenium Park

I haven't had a chance to mention a treasure tucked into the city of Chicago, Millenium Park.
The Park boasts wonderful artwork, like "The Bean" which I discovered my first full day here when Keith Burton and Dave Duschene took me to the new restaurant in the modern wing of the Art Institute. It's a luxurious stop for a meal!
The Bean reflects the city and adds some whimsical fun to the Park. I ate lunch one day in the park, relaxing on a bench and people-watching.
Flower beds are beautiful and the energy of the city balances nicely with a spot to rest and refresh.

Gourmands!

Last night was very special.
The Insidedge Team, of which I am now a proud honorary member, celebrated my visit with a special dinner at Red Light here in Chicago.
I've visited several restaurants since arriving here and this one, undoubtedly, was the best of all. The company of new friends made it even more special.
We sampled many exotic Asian dishes and appetizers.
The most spectacular (and delicious) of them all was the catfish.
The desserts included a "Chocolate Bag". Very clever and tasty!
My final posts from this trip will include a picture of the team with me at dinner, as well as some farewell thoughts.
Thanks, team. I'm proud to know you all!

Meet Linda Kingman

Linda Kingman, Executive Vice President at Insidedge, Chicago, took me out for lunch today and we had a wide-ranging discussion about corporate and agency PR, what students find interesting these days, and how her background has prepared her for her role at Insidedge.
Linda has an extensive background, including work for Kemper Insurance and Hill & Knowlton. Of particular interest was her experience working at Kemper during the 9/11 tragedy. Fortunately, no Kemper employees were lost in the terrorist attacks, but the challenges of helping employees work through the aftermath and recovery from this tragedy were significant.
Linda loves her work with clients, especially the opportunity to train both communicators and front-line managers as the clients she counsels work to establish better employee engagement.
Linda also has responsibility for the firm's blog. Check it out at http://intake.insidedge.net/

Using Research to Solve Client Problems

Earlier this week, I met Hertha Meyer, Senior Vice President, Research, at GolinHarris. We had a fascinating conversation about how she uses research to solve client problems and also look for opportunities for clients.
Much of her work involves analysis of secondary data. So often, we think we must rush out and do more primary research, but secondary data can be rich in information that clients and their strategists at GolinHarris find helpful.
Hertha has had a very interesting career and lived around the world while working for several different companies.
Her work here allows her to also track issues for clients. Issues management is becoming increasingly important in public relations.
Societal trends and issues are of great interest to clients, too.
The secondary data available through a number of different vendors can be analyzed to create client reports and track media coverage, too.

An Attorney Working in PR? Yup!

There are so many colleges and universities today offering majors or minors in public relations that you'd assume everybody working in PR has a degree in PR. Not always so.
Just as some of us originally came from journalism and eventually went into PR/got PR degrees, others come from fields such as the law.
One such person is Caroline Hoenk, Esq., who is a Vice President at Insidedge here in Chicago.
Caroline and I met and talked about her work with the Society of Actuaries (SOA). She had previously worked in investor relations at Financial Dynamics and had supervised Carly Jarosz there (see earlier post). Another validation of that "small world" thing!
One thing the SOA is working on is recruitment on college campuses. Many students in business school are unaware of the actuarial field and the career opportunities there. Caroline sometimes travels along with SOA to visit campuses and spread the word.
Having Caroline's legal training and expertise on staff at Insidedge is smart, as is Caroline!

Managing Communications At McDonalds

Last night I reunited with a graduate of MSU's masters in public relations program.
Vanessa Payoux is now Manager of U.S. Communications for McDonalds. The headquarters is located in suburban Chicago.
Vanessa has always been a very energetic and curious person and it's no surprise that she's done so well since graduating.
We talked about how small and connected the PR community can be. Networking and contacts have helped her be successful, along with extensive experience in the food industry.
As I told Vanessa last night, one of my greatest joys is to keep in touch with former students and hear about their successes.
Chicago has lots of successful alums, from both MSU and SU.
It was so nice to reconnect with another one who makes me very proud!

The Future of Public Relations

Today I met with the GolinHarris interns over lunch.
This cream-of-the-crop group consists of approximately 16 interns selected from a pool of nearly 800 applicants! You can see this is one sharp group of Public Relations professionals!
We talked about the importance of continuous learning, about networking and interpersonal relationships and how to make things happen for yourself in a competitive job market.
This was one of the best experiences I had while here. Every time I meet the future of the profession, I'm reassured that we're turning the field over to very capable, bright and talented people.
Because they were such a great audience and because I had so much fun with them, I'm including not one, but two, pictures of these terrific interns.
I hope ALL of them will keep in touch with me...and I mean that sincerely!

A Conversation with Ellen

This morning I met with Ellen Ryan Mardiks, Vice-Chairman of GolinHarris.
Ellen's been with GolinHarris for 26 years--quite a tenure!
In her role, she has many responsibilities including overseeing the Consumer Marketing Practice Globally. Several areas report to Ellen, including new business development, the marketing of GolinHarris as a company, and the Research function.
I had a chance to learn about The Gold Standard in Client Service, which Ellen spearheaded. This is the template for how the firm works with clients and the commitments it makes. Of particular interest is the Storyboard strategic planning process which uses Storytelling as its model. I mentioned that every incoming Freshman this fall at Newhouse will be required, under our new curriculum, to take a storytelling course. Glad to see we're on the right track.
Ellen and I talked about the unique culture at GolinHarris, something I've been observing while here.
She started at the firm as an Account Executive in 1984. She ran the Consumer Group and Health Care business for the agency and was Chief Marketing Officer prior to becoming Vice Chairman.
Ellen and I had a lively discussion about gender and public relations. She gave me a great idea for a future research project!

Faculty Friends

During my five years teaching at Michigan State University, I worked for part of that time with Dr. Theresa Mastin, who earned her Ph.D. at MSU and then left to teach elsewhere for a few years before coming back.
She and I both taught PR in what was then the Department of Advertising. (Now, Public Relations has been added to the department name.)
Theresa is a terrific teacher, and is actively involved in research in public health and AIDS.
She is leaving soon for two weeks in Kenya to conduct some of this important work.
Dr. Mastin is also one of the five professors (including yours truly) selected for the Plank Center for Leadership Educators Program. She is interning at Ketchum here in Chicago.
It's always fun to catch up with friends. Theresa is one of our favorites from our days in Michigan.

From PR to Veterinary Medicine

Last evening I met Sarah Lusn, a MSU alum who took one of my PR writing courses one summer. We've stayed in touch ever since as Sarah has moved from PR to a decision to pursue a degree in Veterinary Medicine.
Sarah is half-way through her four-year program at Illinois to become a vet. Her love of animals and mine are a shared interest and I updated her on our pet family.
Sarah looks as young as she did as an undergrad and says vet school is challenging, but very rewarding. I am so proud of her decision to follow her passion and can't wait to hear what she'll be doing once she finishes vet school.
Go, Sarah!
BTW, since we're talking pets, I decided to add a picture of our girl, Holly, shaking hands with my great-nephew, Matty.

Steadman Sighting!

This just in...
I noticed a sign in the hallway this morning outside the offices of Octagon, the Sports Public Relations firm down the hall.
As you can see, the sign is there to welcome Steadman Graham.
As I was leaving the building for lunch, I noticed Steadman himself checking his Blackberry (or was it an IPhone?) in the lobby.
He followed me out and down the street, walking briskly over the bridge and down Michigan Avenue.
Maybe HE can arrange for Oprah to buy us all brunch?

The Value of Mentoring

Today's lunchtime visit was with Erika Crowell, a 2002 alum of MSU's Communication Arts & Sciences College. Erika started her career at GolinHarris as an intern right out of college and also worked at DD&B before landing at Deloitte two or so years ago.
She's now Manager of Deloitte's Internal Communications for hte Midwest Region.
Erika was one of the first students I met at Michigan State University when I started teaching there in 1999 right out of grad school.
She was very active in the PRSSA chapter there, eventually becoming president of the chapter.
Erika credits her PRSSA experience and connections and the mentoring she received during her college career as being the difference in her Public Relations success.
Erika continues to give back as a mentor to interns and others and believes that's one of the most important things she can do to "pay it forward".
Erika and I met at the South Water Kitchen on N. Wabash in downtown Chicago for lunch.
I couldn't be more proud of one of my students than I am of Erika. That great smile is as bright as her career and I know she will be one of Public Relations' brightest stars!