Professional Communication and Emerging Media students celebrated their classmates and shared presentations at the 3rd annual PCEM 5 + 8 event, Monday, April 29 at Harvey Hall.
Program Director, Professor Mitch Ogden, opened the evening. He noted the range and talent of Stout’s PCEM students. He reflected on the time they dedicate to their college career.
"They add to our community of learners," he said.
PCEM 5 + 8 offered five graduating seniors the opportunity to highlight their program. They shared their experiences, challenges, and achievements during their time at Stout. After the seniors' presentations, the event shifted to showcase eight student projects.
Five Lightning Talk Reflections
PCEM has 19 seniors graduating this spring. Of the 19, the PCEM faculty members selected the five presenters.
“We nominate students whose perspectives we know will be insightful and reflect the diversity of paths of interests that lead into and out of the program,” Professor Ogden said.
This year’s seniors were Cam Parrucci, Kendra Lamer, Katie O’Connell, Katie Schulzetenberg, and Max Barbee. They shared thoughts on their love of writing and their need to express their creativity. They recognized the skills PCEM gave them to work with people in a professional setting.
They thanked the PCEM faculty for testing their skills and pushing them toward professional opportunities. They feel prepared for life after graduation.
One Senior’s Big Takeaway
Cam Parrucci described PCEM as going beyond an English degree.
"It's not your dad’s communication," he said. "PCEM's modernization of communication sets it apart."
PCEM gave Parrucci the skills to recognize and acknowledge his audiences. He emphasized this in his presentation “The Art of the Audience”.
“Without consumption, content means nothing,” he said. “I always think about this when I'm developing any kind of content, if there's no audience there to share that content with, why bother?”
Parrucci learned more about his audiences during his internships. He was a Satire Writer for Stoutonia and Social Media Specialist for University Communications.
Rachel Hallgrimson, University Communication’s Social Media Coordinator, often works with PCEM students. She values their skillset. And has seen Parrucci mature in his thought of how content and audience cannot live without the other.
“Cam has a strong understanding that in any context, content is never a white elephant gift to its audience,” she said. “It’s always intentionally thought out, bought, and wrapped specifically for the person it’s delivered to. With his understanding of how important audience is, Cam will continue to grow as a content creator and communicator."
Eight Student Projects
For the second half of the evening, guests visited the Digital Humanities Lab. The lab was converted into a gallery to showcase students’ individual and group projects.
Projects ranged from augmented reality paintings to podcasts. Research on user experience and Twitter, Twitterbots, and publications.
PCEM students in Professor Kate Edenborg’s Applied Journalism Seminar collaborated to create CONTENT.
Brooke Rossi and Matthew Adam explained how they worked with Professor Ogden as their client. They worked together to design, edit, and create the magazine. CONTENT focuses on PCEM’s peoples, paths, and projects.
“They are good content creators for such a purpose. They know first-hand the difficulties of clearly communicating what our program is all about,” Professor Ogden said. “I’m pleased with the final project, and I am eager to see the final product from the print shop.”
PCEM plans to share CONTENT with freshman and parents during registration and orientation. And it will be used to recruit students throughout next year’s recruiting cycle.
“The seminar students might produce an issue of CONTENT each spring, so we always have fresh material at hand,” Professor Ogden added.
Values, Challenges, and Achievements
Rossi and Adam see PCEM 5 + 8 as the perfect way to show the community the evidence of their skills and to celebrate their classmates.
“The event is great because we all get to come around and show off what we’ve done,” Adam said. “And the PCEM faculty sees what we’re learning and what other faculty in the department are teaching.”
“I am really proud of my peers and their content in the publication we made,” Rossi adds. “It is a perfect glimpse into what we are passionate about and the value we see in PCEM.”
Rossi was challenged by the team's workload while creating CONTENT. There was a lot of back and forth between content writers, editors, and Professor Ogden.
They also worked with Graphic Communications students who are printing CONTENT.
“It was a great experience to understand what a journalistic setting will be like in the professional world!” she said.