College of Communication and Information

Spring 2018 Student Field Trips

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Field trips offer CCI students the opportunity to see their chosen profession in action, meet and network with alumni and learn about interviewing/resume best practices. Three groups of students took field trips this spring: the Communication Studies Club went to Washington DC, the School of Journalism and Electronic Media traveled to New York City and CCI’s Diversity Student Leaders Society went to Washington DC. Here is a recap of their learning experiences.

Communications Studies DC tripCommunication Studies
Washington DC
February 24 – 28, 2018

Twenty communication studies (CS) students led by CS Director & Associate Professor John Haas and CS Lecturer Dean Rice toured national sites and met with communication professionals as part of their trip to Washington DC. Tour stops included the Smithsonian Museum, the national memorials, the Newseum, the US Capitol, and the Library of Congress.

Students met with Paul Adler at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade); Ed Ingle (BS/JEM ’83), General Manager, Government Affairs at Microsoft Corp; Senator Bob Corker’s office; Tiffany McGuffee Haverly (BA/CS ’08), Communications Director, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs; Stacia Couch Aylward (MS/C&I ’06), Chief Executive Officer, Zelos Strategic Planning & Performance Measurement; and Christian Marin (BA/CS ’08), Department of Defense. They also had dinner with De’Marcus Finnell (BA/CS ’14), Democratic National Committee; Heather Reid, Democratic National Committee; MacKenzie Morales (BA/CS ’16), staff assistant for Congressman Thomas Garrett (R-VA); and Caroline Moore, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies. In addition, the group met with a panel of professionals including: Anne Marie Malecha, senior vice president, Dezenhall Resources; Marcie McSwane, senior vice president, The McGrath Group; Dominic Manecke, communications director for Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH); and Carline Ponseti, press secretary, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

JEM NYC tripJournalism & Electronic Media
New York City
March 11 – March 17, 2018

Fourteen students along with JEM Howard Distinguished Professor Stuart N. Brotman and JEM Director and Professor Catherine Luther met with representatives from several media organizations, learned about job requirements from their recruiters, toured studios and watched live show tapings. While in New York they also took part in a JEM alumni reception.

Their tour stops and the CCI alumni who helped connect them included: NBC Today Show – Brooke Fraser (BS/JEM ’12), Fox News, Bloomberg, CNN/Time Warner, The Daily Show, Late Night with Seth Meyers, ABC Good Morning America, The Food Network, Facebook – Reggie Murphy (PhD/C&I ’94), Megan Kelly Today, International Radio and Television Society Foundation, and MSG Network.

 

DSLS DC tripDiversity Student Leaders Society
Washington DC
March 10 – March 14, 2018

Thirteen students from CCI’s Diversity Student Leaders Society (DSLS) along with DSLS Director and Communication Studies (CS) Lecturer Alice Wirth, CCI Dean Mike Wirth and CS Lecturer Nick Meade traveled to Washington DC and met with communication professionals and CCI alumni at the following organizations.

    • CNN Session and Tour – Patrick Davis, CNN field operations manager (BS/JEM ‘95) and Doug Schantz, CNN field production manager (BS/JEM ’91)
    • Liberty and Access for All (libertyandaccessforall.org), Maram Abdelhamid, president & founder
    • SKDKnickerbocker, Cecelia Prewett, managing director (BS/PR ’93 & CCI Board of Visitors (BOV) member)
    • FBI Experience Tour & Session – facilitated by Elizabeth Clement Webb, Public Affairs Officer, FBI Memphis Division – Nashville RA (BA/CS ‘03/MPA ’05 & CCI BOV member)
    • Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center Session Ed Ingle, General Manager, Government Affairs, Microsoft Corp (BS/PR ’83 & past Chair & current member of CCI’s BOV)

Students also spent an afternoon visiting the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture, experienced a guided tour of the national monuments,and attended a CCI alumni reception hosted by Ed Ingle at the Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center.