C O M M UNITY Vol. 2, No. 1 SPRING/FALL 2014
PHONES OUT! Communication students put their smart phones and knowledge to work to take over CSB/SJU’s Instagram and Vine accounts
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 1
TEXT TEXT TEXT
C O M M UNITY Vol. 2, No. 1 Spring/Fall 2014
A new program in England
Joey Sullivan ’15 took advantage of CSB/ SJU’s new sports marketing program in Coventry, England, where he spent spring semester going to classes and working with a pro basketball team.
6
A wild internship
Olivia Kalkman ’14 writes about her summer internship at the Minnesota Zoo, which included a lot of writing and some play time with baby penguins.
7
Biting the Big Apple
Two CSB/SJU Communication majors are making their mark in New York City, one at HuffPost Live and one as Sirius Radio’s “The Catholic Guy.”
19
Energizing the classroom
Maybe it’s her theater background or maybe it’s just her incredible enthusiasm, but Professor Katie Johnson teaches media classes that engage students from start to finish.
24 Also Inside
In the Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6 Outstanding Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9 Cover Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 Beyond the Classroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15 Alumni in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-23 Faculty Insights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 On the cover: New Media Applications and Analysis students Caitlin Swanson ’14, Phil English ’14 and Jane Gengel ’14 took control of the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University’s Vine and Instagram accounts from their smart phones as part of a class project. See the story on Pages 10-11.
COMMunity is produced by the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University Department of Communication Quad 451 Saint John’s University Collegeville, MN 56321 Voice: (320) 363-3549 Email: mtamm@csbsju.edu Website: csbsju.edu/communication Editor: Dana Drazenovich Art director: Bea Lund ’13 Editorial contact: Dana Drazenovich ddrazenovic@csbsju.edu (320) 363-3464 Contributors: Preston Capps ’14, Phil English ’14, Jane Gengel ’14, Olivia Kalkman ’14, Adam Kolb ’16, Camry Martinez ’14, Katie Minnehan ’14, Erin Noel ’14, Rachael Newman ’14, Molly Reger ’14, Alex Rutledge ’15, Ellen Schmidt ’15, Kelsey St. John ’15, Caitlin Swanson ’14, Clayton Truhler ’14 Department of Communication DEPARTMENT CHAIR Terence Check OFFICE MANAGER Mary Tamm FACULTY Kelly Berg Terence Check Jeanne Cook Karyl Daughters Dana Drazenovich Katie Johnson Jennifer Kramer Julie Lynch Betsy Johnson Miller Shane Miller Emily Paup Aric Putnam Erin Szabo FACULTY EMERITUS Joan Steck
IN THE CLASSROOM TEXT TEXT TEXT
What do you do in Advanced Media Writing? Create the department’s magazine, for one
By Alex Rutledge ’15
actual magazine,” Drazenovich says.
The Communication Department is preparing its students for the real world by giving them real projects.
Each student in Drazenovich’s class came up with one story idea he or she wanted to pitch for the magazine.
The students of Dana Drazenovich’s Advanced Media Writing class created the magazine you’re reading right now.
After careful consideration of what they wanted in the magazine and what fit their audience and objectives, the students chose the content. Then it was time to go out and interview and start writing.
The idea of having the students write the department’s magazine started last year. Allowing the students to create the Communication Department’s magazine gives them a glimpse of what it’s like to actually write for the public.
“I like the concept of students creating something for the students,” Drazenovich says. “The students are right there in age so they understand our audience really well.”
“This magazine provides students with the opportunity to do a real story, with a real headline and get published in an
For many of the students, it was an eyeopening experience to write a story for the world to see.
“I’ve read many magazines in my life but it wasn’t until I had to create an actual article for a real magazine that I noticed how much work, thought and effort goes into it,” says Adam Kolb ’16. After a semester-long journey of coming up with ideas, interviewing, writing and editing, the magazine was finally done. It was the first time for many of the students putting something out there publicly, so of course some were nervous, but it was worth it. Ellen Schmidt ’15 summed it all up perfectly: “Having the opportunity to work on something that will be released for the whole world to see is nerve wracking, but is such a gratifying experience when you know you did your best.” CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 3
IN THETEXT CLASSROOM TEXT TEXT
Professor Karyl Daughters teaches Introduction to Human Communication, one of many Communication classes that help students see situations through different lenses.
Variety spices up the Communication major By Camry Martinez ’14 Communication encompasses more than just public relations, advertising and marketing, and no one knows that better than the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University Communication Department. With a variety of courses meant to cover a broad spectrum of communication topics, CSB/SJU’s Communication program aims to spice up the college careers of all who come in contact with it. Curriculum Format CSB/SJU’s Communication curriculum is formatted to best expose students to all aspects of communication. To accomplish this, the department has CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 4
set three main learning goals. Those goals aim to inform students about message design, teach them to analyze communication and allow them to explore the connection between communication and community. Students meet these goals by completing designated courses in each area. In these courses students gain skills that
can carry through to all aspects of life. “The Communication curriculum engages students in the types of activities that foster critical thinking, which can translate to everything they encounter,” says Professor Karyl Daughters. “It gives students the ability to consider multiple perspectives in every domain.”
“The Communication curriculum engages students in the types of activities that foster critical thinking, which can translate to everything they encounter.”
IN THE CLASSROOM teach that,” Daughters says. This critical thinking and ability to consider other perspectives is something that can be applied in any career path. The Communication major allows students to gain confidence in their critical thinking abilities and creates a solid base Setting Students Apart Providing students with an opportunity and variety for their liberal arts educato explore all aspects of communication tion. lets them acquire a wider skill set. “It really made me not afraid to question the information we see on a day-to-day “The Communication major covered so much broader of a spectrum than I basis,” Klassen says. thought it would,” says Abbey Klassen “It encourages pushing past the surface ’14. level of thinking.” “It connected to other classes I took Pushing past the surface level of thinkand events on a day-to-day basis.” ing is what a liberal arts education is all The skills students gain through study- about. ing the three learning goals can be used As Daughters says, “Communication rein any work environment. ally is the ultimate liberal arts major.” “The Communication major gives students the ability to acquire knowledge and to learn. Employers don’t want to
COMM’s curriculum The Communication curriculum is built around the department’s primary learning goals: Message Design Learning to create effective oral and written messages that are appropriate for particular situations and audiences.
Analysis of Communication Learning to think critically about messages — analyzing and evaluating communication.
Communication & Community Understanding the relationship between communication and community to explain how communication shapes participation in social life. Within each of the learning goals, students are free to choose from among a select group of courses designed to meet that learning goal.
In our curriculum, majors • Get a well-rounded sense of the Communication curriculum by taking all three of the department’s foundation courses, COMM 102, COMM 103 and COMM 105. • Complete at least one course from each of the department’s three learning goals: Message Design, Analysis of Communication and Communication & Community. • Complete 40 credits from learning goals and elective courses. • Complete a Capstone Course that is an indepth and detailed consideration of special topic in communication.
In our curriculum, minors • Complete 20 credits. • Take COMM 102 Public Speaking & the Public Sphere, as well as one other foundation course, COMM 103 or COMM 105.
Details: csbsju.edu/communication
Students in Professor Karyl Daughters’ Introduction to Human Communication course work on group communication theories through a team activity that required them to build a structure to meet specific requirements.
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 5
IN THETEXT CLASSROOM TEXT TEXT
off to COMM students cross the pond for CSB/SJU’s new sports marketing program By Ellen Schmidt ’15 Communication major Joey Sullivan ’15 didn’t just get to study sports marketing this spring. He got to do it in Coventry, England, where the College of Saint Benedict/ Saint John’s University have a new sports marketing study abroad program, one of the schools’ 19 semester programs. Classes take place at Coventry University, where Sullivan enrolled in the Sport and Event Management Department and took courses in Sport Marketing and Sponsorship, Contemporary Issues in Sport and Sport PR and Media. Sullivan also completed a 160-hour internship with the Birmingham Knights professional basketball team. The Knights were in their first year in the British Basketball League. This experience introduced Sullivan to valuable opportunities. For example, he and Zane Heinselman ’15 compiled content for the Knights’ game day program and completed a thorough database for potential sponsors for the team the following season. “I have been able to have some really cool opportunities with the Knights,” Sullivan says. CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 6
Joey Sullivan ’15 studied sports marketing in CSB/SJU’s new study abroad program in Coventry, England.
He also got to travel throughout the semester, and took full advantage of the opportunity. He went to Ireland, Wales, Sweden, Netherlands, Rome, Spain and China. He also traveled throughout England and Scotland. The Sport and Event Management Department offered the trips to China and Netherlands. In China Sullivan and his classmates stayed at Hangzhou Normal University and took four days of classes including Chinese culture and Mandarin lessons.
The new Coventry, England, study abroad program is a flexible program, which allowed Sullivan to make his experience exactly what he wanted it to be. “Overall, the Coventry program has been the perfect fit for me,” Sullivan says about the classes and internship. “I have learned so much from both of these opportunities and feel like they will be priceless experiences for moving forward in my future endeavors.”
OUTSTANDING STUDENTS
Internship diary:
A summer at the MN Zoo By Olivia Kalkman ’14
classroom.”
I have always been an animal nerd. Mere moments after I entered the world I began to memorize the names of different animal species.
Clearly, our department must be doing something right.
So when I found out that I scored a marketing internship last year at the Minnesota Zoo, I was to-infinity-andbeyond thrilled. Major thanks to the Career Services staff for my fine-tuned résumé and the Minnesota Private Colleges Job Fair for the networking opportunity to land the position. After a few months of nail-biting anticipation, June 2013 finally arrived. The moment I stepped through the door of the baby-blanket-cozy marketing trailer, I immediately recognized two faces: Kevin Jennissen’14 and Caitlin Swanson ’14, two people I had class with. Of the six marketing and promotions interns who got the position, three of us were College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University students. Color me impressed. Our supervisor Josh Le was impressed as well. “During the hiring process, I didn’t realize that I had hired three students from the same school until I was filling out the final roster,” Le says. “From my experience with my interns from CSB/SJU, it seems as though CSB/SJU’s Communication program is solid and provides students with the necessary experience needed to succeed in the working world, as well as the
The skills and theory we learned in our classes were all applicable and highly important to our success in the position. Our day-to-day tasks included • Daily social media content planning • Posting and writing social media copy • Brainstorming promotional campaigns • Tabling at promotional events • Taking and editing photographs for promotional use • Filming and editing footage • Conducting market research (surveys, online research) • Writing and editing blogs • Interviewing staff members for quotes and information • Escorting media (including National Geographic and The Food Network) • Emailing. So much emailing. The internship was a lot of hard work and demonstrated how demanding marketing and daily social media can be. Yet it was highly engaging and valuable, and we fostered great friendships. “I loved the people I interned with. A lot of our projects were collaborative, so it was great that we all worked together well and were able to easily bounce ideas off one another,” Swanson says.
Olivia Kalkman ’14 and Caitlin Swanson ’14 interned at the Minnesota Zoo during summer 2013.
The best part of the internship was not just the friends we made, the important professional connections, the expansion of our skills sets or even filming with Food Network. The REAL best part and quite possibly the highlight of my life was playing with the baby penguins. It was a wild experience, yet by the end of our internship we were navigating the marketing jungle like pros. That is probably since we are actual pros now, thanks to the Minnesota Zoo and CSB/ SJU.
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 7
OUTSTANDING TEXT TEXT TEXTSTUDENTS
COMm students show off research at By Rachael Newman ’14 Every year a group of Communication students crank out their research skills and show us what they are made of on Scholarship & Creativity Day. Cassie Cavello and Lillia Khelif are two students who presented this year. Cassie Cavello ’14 A student from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Cavello has known from her first day at the College of Saint Benedict that she wanted to be a Communication major. She was interested in event planning and sought the classes that would benefit her most. Fall semester 2013 she enrolled in Professor Erin Szabo’s Strategic Communication Campaigns course. Cavello and her classmates worked under the wings of Szabo and Assistant Director of Health Promotions Lori Klapperich to brand a new bystander intervention training program on campus. This year Cavello and her team presented on the background research they did for the Bystander Intervention issue and the skills and theories they learned in the process. Their team also outlined the outcomes of their branding campaign. It is a rewarding time for the students as they get to show off their hard work. “We are excited to talk to students and CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 8
Cassie Cavello ’14 was one of the Communication students who presented their research findings during CSB/SJU’s Scholarship & Creativity Day April 24. Presentations ranged from Lady Gaga to non-profit advertising.
faculty about the benefits of Bystander Intervention training. The program teaches you how to intervene in certain situations and not just stand by,” Cavello said before her presentation. She found that the process of branding was challenging. “We had to conduct numerous focus groups to determine how to convey our messages and create an effective brand that students will notice,” she says. Through Szabo’s class, doors opened for Cavello and taught her important life lessons. With the intention of educating people on the bystander program she says, “We came up with the brand ‘challenge,’ hoping that everyone will stand up to the challenge and go through the training. It has the potential to change your life and could possibly save another.”
Lillia Khelif ’15 The Communication major from Howard Lake, Minnesota, spent much of the second semester of her junior year working on two projects she presented at this year’s Scholarship & Creativity Day. Khelif ’s passion for rhetoric led her to Professor Karyl Daughters’ Organizational Communication class and Professor Aric Putnam’s Black Civil Rights Rhetoric. For Daughters’ class she presented a case study and assessment of the classes’ service learning location. The class conducted 25 hours of service work and performed one task for a senior living community. Working within the organization, they drew assumptions based on the theories they studied in class.
OUTSTANDING TEXT STUDENTS TEXT TEXT COMM Scholarship & Creativity Day Presentations Rhetoric and Provocative Texts Shawn Yoakum, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.” Taylor Berry, “Lady Gaga at SXSW.” Hannah Klinnert, “Rock from a Prison Cell.” Organizational and Relational Communication Shelby Groen, Lillia Khelif, Elizabeth Roering and Brennan Hall, “Organizational Culture in a Residential Healthcare Organization.” Molly Reger, Ben Precourt, Erin Noel, Dan Larson, Abbey Klassen and Kelsey LeClaire, “Study of Sexual Communication.” Camry Martinez, “A Systems Approach to Decision-Making in Organizations.”
Lillia Khelif ’15 presented on two different topics at CSB/SJU’s Scholarship & Creativity Day.
“We then had to unpack what we observed and make recommendations for the organization,” Khelif says. She believes this class was important because it taught her a lot about public relations and how to interact in certain settings. At first Khelif was surprised that all of the theories discussed in class fit with the functions of the senior living community. “I learned that everything has the potential to be an organization,” Khelif says. For Putnam’s class she presented a paper she wrote discussing portrayals of race as they are shaped by eras and environments.
Khelif explains that the purpose of race portrayals of cartoons specifically in the 1940s were used to legitimize an idea of whiteness in opposition to the idea of a constructed blackness. Through this class she has learned that the portrayals of race are inaccurate in 1940s cartoons. Even with her passion for rhetoric she found that writing the term paper was not easy. “It was difficult to find specific research. I had to find more general research and apply it to cartoons in that way,” Khelif says. This was her first time presenting at Scholarship & Creativity Day, and she enjoyed showing others her research.
Gender and Communication Erica Skarohlid, “Depictions of Hillary Rodham Clinton in Political Cartoons.” Anastasia Pauluk, “ ‘Frozen’: Disney Women Left Out in the Cold.” Elizabeth Severson, “Gender Construction Through Adolescent Sexting.” Laura Rhude, “Hillary Clinton vs. Michele Bachmann: The Voice Behind Their Primary Election Speeches.” The Rhetoric of Advertising Paige Saatzer, “The Imagination of Nature: Ideology in Chevy’s ‘Find New Roads’ Advertisement.” Molly Flaig, “On Innuendo and Intertextuality: An Analysis of Diet Coke’s ‘Gardener’ Advertisement.” Jack Ghizoni, “Identification and the 2013 Hyundai Team Superbowl Commercial.” Cody Lynch, “Lifestyles Aisle 20: An Analysis of Target’s Advertising Through the Lens of Justin Timberlake’s 2013 Album Campaign.” Camry Martinez, “The Constitutive Nature of Non-Profit Advertising and its Effect on Agency: An Analysis of the Campaigns of ChildFund International and (RED).” Communication and Bystander Intervention Cassie Cavello, Abbey Klassen, Shelby Spinner and Lori Klapperich, “Standing By or Standing Up? Bystander Intervention — From Theory to Practice.” Intercultural Directions Duy Nguyen, “Rhetorical Power: the Language of Violence and Non-Violence in the Contemporary Civil Rights Movement.” Darran St. Ange, “Life is Blinding.” Lillia Khelif, “1940s Animation & Race.”
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 9
COVER STORY TEXT TEXT TEXT
Social Professor Kelly Berg’s New Media Applications and Analysis class takes command of CSB/SJU’s Instagram and Vine accounts for a hands-on learning experience By Jane Gengel ’14 and Caitlin Swanson ’14 “All right, take out your phones and check Instagram.” That’s not something you’d expect to hear from your professor in the middle of class, but it’s a daily occurrence for students in Communication Professor Kelly Berg’s New Media Applications and Analysis class. “It was different being able to be on your phone,” says Matt Dockendorf ’14, a student in Berg’s class. “It’s valuable though. It’s social media, so it’s hands-on. And being able to use social media platforms in class let us look at different organizations to see what’s successful and what’s not.” Berg developed the class so students could creatively apply theories and concepts from other areas of communication to a real-world project – actually taking over the official College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University Instagram and Vine accounts. One section of Berg’s class used Instagram, while the other used Vine. The Takeover Berg and Tiffany Clements, the schools’ social media specialist, sat down and created the project. “Tiffany had been looking at how other colleges were using Instagram and CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 10
COVER TEXT TEXTSTORY TEXT Vine,” Berg says. “She thought it would be great to see how students would use the platforms. It really was her idea.” Clements likes the authenticity students bring to the social media accounts. “Students know why we’re great, I know why we’re great, but the ways that students can show it is more genuine,” Clements says. “It’s an accurate reflection of a day in the life here.” Before being able to officially manage the accounts, students had to do research and develop a social media plan. “Specific goals and objectives were helpful because it kept our focus on how we wanted to word things and post things on the Instagram account,” Dockendorf says. The Product Each week, a group of three or four students took charge of posting photos to Instagram or videos to Vine on the schools’ official accounts going out to a combined 1,100 followers. “I love seeing what you guys come up with,” Clements says. “The way I see Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s is very 9-to-5. I like to see time on the Link bus, time in the library, time in the dining halls. The way a day shapes up for you guys is so interesting.” Instagram Students posting to Instagram got creative. Dockendorf ’s group did “Humans of CSB/SJU,” modeled after the famous “Humans of New York.” The group took pictures of people on campus and asked them questions like, “What is the most embarrassing mo-
New Media Applications and Analysis students Caitlin Swanson ’14, Phil English ’14 and Jane Gengel ’14 had CSB/ SJU’s Instagram and Vine accounts at their fingertips for spring semester 2014.
ment of your life?” and “What’s your favorite thing about a snow day?” “We wanted to show the faces of the people who go here and work here,” he says. “We want people to become familiar with the faces you see every day on this campus.” Other groups developed themes around things like traditions at CSB/SJU and “throwbacks” to being a first-year.
“Basically the takeover project was a fun way to get hands-on experience with the kinds of tools and strategies we’ve been learning about and simultaneously feel like you have a real mark on the social media of the institution.” Takeover Takeaways After all was said and posted, the students gained valuable skills.
Alex Celeste ’14 was among the first to have his hands on the Vine account.
“For the real world, it’s a good experience for posting for an organization since most of us only have experience posting for personal use,” Dockendorf says.
“We realized that no one had even known that CSB/SJU had an account,” he says. “Our goal was simply to make people aware.”
The school benefitted, as well. Both the Vine and Instagram accounts increased their follower count, and people seem to like what the students posted.
Celeste’s group started by making panoramas of the school and the class hard at work planning the next step.
Clements, however, is not surprised.
Vine
“The work to gain attention is difficult, but getting a chance to put all I’ve learned into practice is pretty cool,” Celeste says.
“You guys are bright,” Clements says. “I was not this put together when I was your age. It’s exciting to see what you guys come up with. I’m interested to see where the bar is when you guys hit the job market. I’ll have to step up my game.” CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 11
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM TEXT TEXT TEXT
EARNING & LEARNING
Campus jobs give students the chance to hone their writing, speaking, analysis and strategic thinking skills
to land a job on campus that provides real world experience and prepares her/ him for a wide variety of opportunities after graduation.
By Clayton Truhler ’14
Adam Tucker ’14
Student A: Works on campus as a member of a student marketing team, putting together advertising material, managing social media accounts and planning PR campaigns. Student B: Works on campus in the dish room, cleaning plates and getting pruney fingers. Who would you rather be? Student A is a Communication major, using the skills she/he learned in class
You don’t need to look far to find a few great examples.
What is your on-campus job? I have worked all four years of my on-campus job as a student worker for Communications and Marketing Department, which handles external and internal publications such as the CSB/ SJU Magazine, press releases, and many different functions within media and marketing relations. How did your COMM classes help prepare you for your current oncampus job? From COMM classes that teach essential skills like Media Writing to classes that augment one’s ability to critically think, such as Rhetoric of Popular Music, I think that COMM classes have aided me both practically and theoretically for my on-campus and future jobs—the classes give you the skills and prepare you for the job experiences. Do you feel that your on-campus job has/will help prepare you for future job opportunities? Absolutely, I feel adequately prepared to accomplish the tasks required by my post-college employment opportunity as a result of being able to practice those necessary skills during my oncampus employment.
Adam Tucker ’14
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 12
Beth Leipholtz ’15
Beth Leipholtz ’15 What is your on-campus job? I work in the Communications and Marketing Department writing press releases for campus events. I also write feature stories for the front page of the website occasionally and contribute to the CSB/SJU Magazine each year (except this year because I was abroad). How did your COMM classes help prepare you for your current oncampus job? Well, I started my job during my first semester of college, so I hadn’t had any COMM classes to pull from apart from those in high school. However, as time has progressed and I have taken many COMM classes, I do find myself being able to draw from them and assist me in my job. I’d say the most helpful class for what I do here has been Intro to Media Writing.
BEYOND THE TEXT CLASSROOM TEXT TEXT Do you feel that your on-campus job has/will help prepare you for future job opportunities? Definitely. Having the opportunity to hold the same job for four years here has been great because I have written a lot of content, but I have also come leaps and bounds in terms of what I produce. I have also learned a lot about writing in AP Style, which is a very helpful skill to have when entering the journalism field. I have forged some great contacts and connections, both personally and professionally.
How did your COMM classes help prepare you for your current oncampus job? Communication courses have given me strong interpersonal skills, which are the most useful tool I’ve had in any job by far. In addition, having the opportunity to present in front of groups has made me confident not only in my public speaking but in self reliance and attention to detail in my work. Courses like Strategic COMM Campaigns gave me great exposure to creating surveys, running focus groups and reading research outcomes, which have also been helpful not only in my current role but in past positions as well. Do you feel that your on-campus job has/will help prepare you for future job opportunities? I’ve gained a wide range of skills that I can put on a résumé, as I’ve listed above. Currently I’m working on a survey research project on Johnnie seniors, which will be a great addition to that list of experiences. Overall my work here has been a great way to learn about broad range of career possibilities and to really fine tune how I appear on a résumé.
Cody Lynch ’14
Cody Lynch ’14 What is your on-campus job? As a Career Assistant in Career Services my main focus is assisting students in job and internship searches and applications through résumé and cover letter critiques, conducting practice interviews and assisting in position searches. In addition I create marketing, organize and plan, and moderate at career-related events.
Rachel Holzknecht ’15 What is your on-campus job? I work for CSB/SJU’s joint Communications and Marketing Department. We’re in charge of managing the student databases and sending out hometown news releases announcing the accomplishments of our current students. I get to write the occasional event brief or story for the Community Newsroom on the main website, but the experience of working with Communications and Marketing is inherently valuable in the sense that as student workers, we have the opportunity to glean wisdom from much more experienced writers
via open conversation in a professional office setting. How did your COMM classes help prepare you for your current oncampus job? I credit Dana Drazenovich’s media writing classes for getting me where I am today. Media Writing and Advanced Media Writing afforded me great writing samples, experience writing in a breadth of styles, as well as a whole new media writing vocabulary to make me sound like I know what I’m talking about. Dana has also been an outstanding reference and source of support throughout the internship search. Kelly Berg’s New Media Applications and Analysis was also valuable in landing me the internship with CentraCare. In my eyes, social media is the new wave of marketing, and I stressed in my interviews that my experience in Kelly’s class would ensure I had new knowledge to bring to the table to perhaps offer alternatives to outdated marketing strategies. Do you feel that your on-campus job has/will help prepare you for future job opportunities? To an extent, but I’d say the experience gained in Dana’s class is more valuable than anything else.
Rachel Holzknecht ’15
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 13
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM TEXT TEXT TEXT
Get engaged in the major with COMM Club By Phil English ’14 The Communication Club is a campus club that’s open to students whether they’re communication majors/minors or not. The club brings students together to talk about classes, professors, internships, post-grad plans and more. “I think the Communication Club is a great way to bring COMM majors/ minors or people interested in COMM together to learn from each other,” says vice president Katelin Fernholz ’14. “Communication Club is fairly new so I also see it as an opportunity to be creative and provide events for interested students,” she says. The club plans social events like ice cream parties and the popular “Pizza with the Profs” that gives students the opportunity to hang out with professors and learn about the next semester of classes. The club also hosts events that include alumni panels and trips to organizations and companies such as WCCO Radio. “This club is incredibly important to me,” says club president Abby Schmidt ‘14. “It serves as a way to represent the department across the study body, to encourage underclassmen to pursue the major, to form close relationships with both cohorts and professors, and to truly become more engaged with the communication field.” The COMM Club encourages students to learn the significance and strengths of leadership. It promotes the values CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 14
Milton Sosa ’16 and Professor Jeanne Cook share some laughs at “Pizza with the Profs,” an event the COMM Club hosts each semester to let students ask professors questions about the next semester’s classes.
of accountability and commitment to work together and plan events. The club encourages the value of compassion to help students who have an interest in a Communication degree learn about the possibilities it presents. “The major is very broad,” says club treasurer Kelly Sullivan ’14. “We try to have events that help students realize how much they can do with a COMM major.” The club provides a good opportunity for students to immerse themselves in Communication.
“The COMM Club really gets everyone involved, as much as they want to be, within in the Communication major,” says PR/advertising and event coordinator Shelby Spinner ’14. “It is also a way for students who want to possibly pursue a future in a communication career.” How to join: • Email the club: commclub@csbsju. edu • Find it at the Involvement Fair every fall.
BEYOND THE CLASSROOM TEXT TEXT TEXT
WHERE DOES CSB/ SJU look for award-winning news coverage?
The Record’s editors Molly Carey ’14, Adam Tucker ’14 and Evan Gruenes ’14 helped the campus newspaper bring home more awards this year and keep students informed about breaking news and important issues.
By Preston Capps ’14 The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University provide their students with the opportunity to actively participate in media outlets such as television, radio and most notably, newspaper. The Record is the oldest news medium on campus and has an extensive list of awards that prove its value. The Record has been produced for 120 years, and since 2000, it has been a collaborative effort between Johnnies and Bennies, providing all students with a weekly dose of local news. The Record has nearly 15 editors and managing staff, with more reporters who cover news on both campuses. The 2013-2014 editor in chief, Adam Tucker, could not be happier with his time working with The Record. “I honestly think some of the best people I have ever worked with all have one thing in common, The Record. It’s a family, a very successful one that enjoys working hard, and we enjoy each other’s company. “Each and every day is a joy to be in
the newsroom with the people we have gathered, working on projects and stories that have a tremendous impact and power within the community.” Over 2,000 issues of The Record have been released, and with such a tightly knit community of dedicated student journalists, it’s likely many more are to come. But it’s not just Johnnies and Bennies who support The Record. It also has been given awards by the Associated Collegiate Press, the Minnesota Newspaper Association, the Minnesota Private Colleges Newspaper Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. Tucker attributes The Record’s community to its many awards. “It comes down to the family atmosphere and the excellence of the people who work on the staff. Everyone works very hard and has fun doing it,” he says. “The awards are just a nice reminder of the quality journalism The Record produces, but for me as the club
leader, I find the people and experiences — and the memories I’ll take away — to be the true rewards.” Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s give their students a chance to immerse themselves into the world of media, and through the close community of committed individuals, those media outlets are thriving.
2013-14 awards The Record once again took home some impressive awards, beating out papers from bigger schools and showing the talent of CSB/SJU student journalists. • The Record won Best of Show in the four-year weekly broadsheet category at the Associated Collegiate Press Best of the Midwest competition in February 2014. This is the third year in a row The Record has taken the top place. • Beth Leipholtz ’15, a news editor, took second in the news story category. • Adam Tucker ’14, editor in chief, placed fifth in the news story category. • The Record also won General Excellence at the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s Better College Newspaper Contest in January 2014. CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 15
why a comm major? By Kelsey St. John ’15
Communication not only prepares students for a variety of professions and advanced degrees but also for their roles as active citizens in our increasingly interconnected, message-saturated society. What draws students to Communication in the first place? Let’s see what our majors have to say.
“I actually didn’t choose it. The school picked it for me after taking that quiz before freshman year. My first course was COMM 103 and I thought ‘Hey! I can handle this!’ I love it!” – Jane Gengel ’14
“I became a Communication major because I wanted to learn how to write for a large audience. Learning how to write formally and for different mediums is something that I will take most from my time within the major. And the professors are the best on campus!” – Ian Ward ’14
“There is literally a class for everyone, and it allows you to explore anything that you want. The Communication Department has professors that will bend over backward to help students, and you can feel that they want to be here. They have a passion that makes students want to be in class.” – Hunter Carrico ’14
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 16
TEXT TEXT TEXT
“After taking a media literacy class in high school I fell in love with the idea of media interacting with my life, and a Communication major fit that perfectly.” – Erica Skarohlid ’15
“Communication classes allow me to learn how people communicate interpersonally, and I think that is really important, especially in our society of always using technology to talk. I really enjoy it!” – Hailey Schwietz ’15 “I chose the COMM major because I actually want to go into social work, so it’s more about the humanities. COMM has helped me be more flexible in my communication styles in speaking with people from different cultural backgrounds.”
It is interesting, versatile, challenging and fun. There are so many different ways you can go about learning as a Communication major with the variety of classes offered. It helps better prepare us for what is to come after college.”’
– Sue Yang ’14
– Adam Happ ’15
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 17
ALUMNI IN TEXT ACTION TEXT TEXT
alumni make their mark on media market Two generations of alumni. Two separate journeys. One “Big Apple.” For College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University alumni Emily Bina ’11 of HuffPost Live and Sirius XM Radio’s “The Catholic Guy” Lino Rulli ’93, the journey to New York did not come easy. Through hard work, perseverance and a little bit of faith, they have made a name for themselves in America’s biggest media market. By Adam Kolb ’16 “My greatest fear was not moving to New York, it was not becoming something. So I had to go, because the opportunities in New York far outweighed anything available in Minnesota,” says Emily Bina ’11. Bina took a five-month, unpaid internship at The Onion right after graduation and moved to New York alone, but not unprepared. “As a Communication major, I think I was prepared for anything that I wanted to do. Whether I went into retail, journalism or producing, I had to know how to talk and write, and those are things the Communication major taught me,” Bina says. Two months into her internship at The Onion, Bina got a paid writing internship with The Huffington Post before being hired on full time as an associate producer of HuffPost Live, a livestreaming, online network. Bina was later promoted to the CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 18
Emily Bina ’11 took a chance and moved to New York for an unpaid internship at The Onion. Today, she is the morning producer at HuffPost Live.
morning producer position, which is her current job. “My role at HuffPost Live involves writing scripts, pitching stories, booking guests and producing the morning segment of the show,” Bina says.
“Every day is different, but due to the daily turnover of the network and of the news, I get to leave work every day with a finished product, as well as something to work on.”
TEXT TEXT TEXT
ALUMNI IN ACTION
Lino Rulli ’93 got his start working in the Minneapolis/St. Paul television market. Listeners across the country now know him at “The Catholic Guy” thanks to his show on Sirius XM.
“Ask yourself what’s your passion in life? If it’s media, then Communication is the major for you. It’s really that simple. If you love TV, or radio or print, or whatever it is, now’s your chance to learn it.”
Lino Rulli’s journey started with the dawning of a new era at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University with the official launch of the Communication major happening during his time on campus.
his résumé through Emmy award-winning work at WCCO-TV, KMSP-TV and in TV production.
“I was originally a theater major, but then I heard there was this new major being offered in Communication.
“Some executives at Sirius XM reached out to see if I’d be interested in working A potential opportunity that Rulli wants for a new 24-hour channel they were other CSB/SJU students to have: launching, The Catholic Channel,” Rulli says. “Ask yourself, what’s your passion in life? If it’s media, then Communication is the “I went to New York for the interview major for you. It’s really that simple. If because I wanted a free trip to New you love TV, or radio or print, or whatYork. While in the lobby, Howard Stern ever it is, now’s your chance to learn it — walked by and I realized I had the pos- to turn your passion into reality and get a sibility of working in the same hallway chance to spend the rest of your life doing as one of the greatest broadcasters in something you love.” history. So, when they offered me the job, I took it.”
“As I recall, the program launched my sophomore year. And since I was never good at math, science, English, history or geography, I knew the one thing I could do was communicate. So it was a perfect fit,” he says. Rulli eventually got his start in broadcast through an internship at KARE-11 his junior year, and he later enhanced
His key to New York came via radio in 2006.
His show “The Catholic Guy” airs from 5 to 7 p.m. ET daily on weekdays on SiriusXM Channel 129. The show is a traveling radio show about being Catholic and the way Rulli sees the world. Every week he is in a different city or country, which makes every show a new opportunity.
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 19
ALUMNI IN TEXT ACTION TEXT TEXT
TEXT TEXT TEXT
COMM grads find success behind, in front of the camera One hosts and writes for a nightly TV show. One shoots photos for a Major League Baseball franchise. Both say their Communication major helped them get them where they are. By Erin Noel ’14
Michael Anderson ’04 has a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas and hosts “The Not So Late Show” in Lawrence.
Michael Anderson ’04
where he received his Master’s degree and Ph.D.
letters of recommendation and really helped me prepare for graduate school.
He says his first Communication class, Professor Karyl Daughters’ Introduction to Communication Theory course, got him hooked. He still uses the class textbook to this day.
“They were all so excited for me, it was awesome. I got to know them a lot better and really appreciated their help. Whenever I go back to SJU I am amazed how great the professors still treat me.”
Hometown: Dellwood, Minnesota Favorite study snack: Beef jerky & cheddar cheese Combos Current job: Host and head writer for the “Not So Late Show,” on Channel 6 in Lawrence, Kansas When the bright lights hit and the au-
dience roars with excitement, Michael Anderson steps up to the microphone. Whether he is interviewing authors, scientists or actors, Anderson is confident in his abilities. The writer and host of the “Not So Late Show,” a weekly night show in Lawrence, Kansas, has seen success in front of the camera and in the classroom. The show celebrated its 100th episode last February, has received several awards and was a feature in Reader’s Digest. After graduating from Saint John’s, Anderson continued his study of communication at the University of Kansas, CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 20
Anderson’s Communication courses were the foundation of his academic success, and the backbone of his profession. “All of the rhetoric classes I took at SJU have always helped me in my public speaking, persuasive speaking and even creative writing. Those three areas are extremely important in my current job.” While graduate school applications give most college seniors nightmares, Anderson looks back at his application process fondly. “My professors helped me out with my
“My professors helped me out with my letters of recommendation and really helped me prepare for graduate school.”
ALUMNI IN ACTION
Brace Hemmelgarn ’12 combined his lifelong love for baseball with his Communication major and on-campus job to land his position as the Minnesota Twins’ team photographer. Hemmelgarn’s work has been featured in major news and sports media including Sports Illustrated and USA Today.
Brace Hemmelgarn ’12 Hometown: St. Cloud, Minnesota Favorite dorm: Tommy Current job: Team photographer for the Minnesota Twins If you look deep into the Minnesota Twins’ dugout, you can barely see a camera lens. Between the bats and the jerseys, Brace Hemmelgarn is the man behind the camera. In the midst of it all, Hemmelgarn photographs each stolen base, high-five and home run. When Hemmelgarn isn’t on the sidelines, he can be found writing, editing and blogging. He thanks his Communication background for giving him an extra edge as
a photographer.
tion was the major for him.
“The Communication classes gave me a strong foundation in a variety of fields and helped me to understand the media and PR industry from the inside-out,” he says.
Wanting to study media and writing, Hemmelgarn filled his schedule with Communication classes, especially ones taught by his favorite professor, Dana Drazenovich.
“Professors went out of their way to make sure myself, and my classmates, got the most out of every class.”
He credits his on-campus job as a graphic designer in the Saint John’s Athletic Department as a steppingstone to his career.
Hemmelgarn’s first love has always been baseball. Given the chance to play for the Johnnies, he was happy to follow in the footsteps of his Bennie and Johnnie older siblings. Unlike baseball, Communication wasn’t always on his radar.
“The job led me to photography, and looking back, if I attended any other school, there is no way that I would be where I am today without the resources that SJU gave me throughout my time on campus.”
However, after only a few weeks of his first Communication class — Introduction to Mass Media with Professor Katie Johnson—he knew CommunicaCSB/SJU Department of Communication | 21
ALUMNI IN TEXT ACTION TEXT TEXT
TEXT TEXT TEXT
“COMM taught me the importance of perspective.”
Baylee Mehr ’12 finds that her Communication degree serves her well as an English teacher in Spain.
COMM provides good basis for teaching abroad Baylee Mehr ’12
Hometown: St. Joseph, Minnesota Major: Communication Minor: Hispanic Studies Current residence: Gijón, Asturias (Spain) Current job: English teacher Shortly after graduation, Baylee Mehr took a chance and left her hometown for a country halfway across the world. While other Communication majors CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 22
went to start at marketing agencies or off to grad school, Mehr took advantage of the versatility of her Communication degree to become an English teacher in Spain. Mehr attributes much of her success to what she learned from being a Communication major. “COMM taught me the importance of perspective. As a teacher, each one of my students has a different story and background. I think it is important to
understand how the perspectives they come to class with are affecting their performance.” Her favorite Communication professor, Aric Putnam, was able to challenge her in ways she wasn’t expecting. “Some of the best lectures came from his classes, occasionally leaving me more confused than before, but always making me think really hard.” — Lindsay Percival ’14
ALUMNI IN ACTION
Campus job set stage for her career Megan Junius ’99 Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa Campus job: Communications and Marketing Department Current job: President and creative director at Peter Hill Design
ing agency Peter Hill Design, Junius uses the real world experience her oncampus job provided her.
While at the College of Saint Benedict, Megan Junius made sure to take advantage of the opportunities that would help her with a career in the communication field.
“I learned a lot of real-world experience working at the CSB Marketing Communications Office,” she says. “It was a great team environment and it was the only place on campus that had Macs and Quark at the time, so I learned all the design programs. We worked on the annual reports and on-campus event
President and creative director of the Minneapolis-based full-service market-
Her favorite memory is the time she spent working in the Communications and Marketing Department.
promotions.” Junius uses the communication skills she learned during college on a daily basis. “Even writing a coherent client email describing the project we are working on has to have a message and supporting facts.” These skills are also incorporated into her work with blogs, using different types of media and display advertising. — Lindsay Percival ’14
“Even writing a coherent client email describing the project we are working on has to have a message and supporting facts.”
Megan Junius ’99 worked for the Communications and Marketing Department while she was a student. Today, she puts those skills to work as president and creative director at Minneapolis marketing agency Peter Hill Design.
CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 23
FACULTY INSIGHTS TEXT TEXT TEXT
No such thing as a dull day in Professor Katie Johnson’s class By Molly Reger ’14 Communication Professor Katie Johnson might be one of the only women who can successfully fashion a wool sweater year-round. Starting her undergraduate experience studying theater, Johnson never thought she would wind up teaching. Her students can attest that she has taken her passion for lighting up the stage and transferred those skills to the classroom. When Johnson teaches she does not remain stationary. She’s full of adrenaline, gesticulating wildly. Johnson grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska, studied theater at the University of Nebraska for two years and then transferred to the acclaimed Juilliard School for two years. She got her Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Then she moved to Minnesota and started graduate school for speech communication at the University of Minnesota. “In graduate school I got really interested in the construction of common sense that happens through a whole bunch of social institutions, but media in particular,” Johnson says. Johnson came to the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University in 1997 as she was finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. CSB/SJU Department of Communication | 24
Professor Katie Johnson is known for her super-charged classes, deep knowledge of media issues — and the wool sweaters she wears fall, winter and spring. It’s hard to believe she gets cold given how much she moves in class.
Johnson found her niche in the area of media, teaching courses such as Mass Communication and Society, Media Aesthetics and News and Democracy. For Johnson, teaching is a complicated balancing act.
learned how to learn.”
“It’s not only the challenge of communicating the material and the challenge of getting to know the mix of students and the feeling the class has. It’s also about being able to figure out how to teach material to that specific group of students,” Johnson says.
“In the same way this institution turns out a unique kind of nurse because they are learning nursing in liberal arts setting, we could also turn out unique journalists from the same setting,” Johnson says.
Johnson teaches upper and lower level communication courses. “I love trying to nudge students to notice the outside world in a way that they can carry on and be critical thinkers their whole life,” she says. “You are not done learning once you leave here but I sure hope that you
Johnson is passionate about a liberal arts education and challenges students to take a variety of classes that make them think differently.
Many students remember Johnson as a stand out professor. She lectures with a strong and inviting presence, speaking thoughtfully in tones that drive messages home. She challenges students and urges them to step outside of their comfort zone. Although she didn’t think teaching was in her cards, it looks like CSB/SJU are Johnson’s permanent stage.