Be Connected

Marquette University has its first completely online undergraduate degree that was created by faculty from the Diederich College of Communication. This new Strategic Communication major is designed for non-traditional students.

Focusing on working adults is a tactical move. While there have been fewer non-traditional students in college classrooms, there has been a growth in the numbers of adults seeking online education.

The focus on adults is just one change occurring in higher education. Changes in demographics, for 18 to 22-year-olds, is forcing universities to make changes to the traditional college model. Research shows that by 2026, the number of college-aged students will drop almost 15 percent in five years.* This has forced universities to look at ways to remain viable, as they compete for fewer potential students.

Maggie Gillette, a junior studying digital media, wanted to find out more about this new, completely online undergraduate degree. She spoke to Dr. Kati Tusinski, who is chair of the department of Strategic Communication.

*The book Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education, by Nathan Grawe, was the primary source for that information.

Experiential learning is gaining traction at colleges across the country. It's described as learning by doing, where theory meets practice in a 'real world' setting.

Today's episode of Be Connected focuses on Hannah Engel, a Corporate Communication major in the Diederich College of Communication who is participating in a student-run business program that offers experiential learning and leadership opportunities.

This summer she is hiring employees for Vida, a direct trade student run coffee shop. Two business locations will be opening in the metropolitan Milwaukee area later this summer.

Maggie Gillette, a junior majoring in Digital Media, wanted to find out about Hannah's experience with Vida through Marquette's Blue & Gold Ventures program.

The spirit of entrepreneurism is alive and well in the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University. Today's episode focuses on a student who turned her love of ice cream into a business while she was in college. Olivia Menzia created Liv a Little, a vegan ice cream. The advertising major just graduated in May and is in the process of expanding her business.

Meredith Cavaleri, a junior majoring in Digital Media has Olivia's story.

Many college students know the importance of internships and that employers want to see career-related experience on a graduate's resume.

Today's episode of Be Connected focuses on Isaiah Gencuski, a recent Marquette University graduate who took advantage of internship opportunities to strengthen his resume and tap into his love of visual storytelling.

Meredith Cavaleri, a junior majoring in digital media in the Diederich College of Communication, talked to Isaiah.

Career opportunities can become available many times on this journey we call life. Whether we decide to pursue them or not, is a choice we make. Dr. Sarah Feldner, took advantage of an opportunity in the fall of the 2018/2019 academic year and became the acting dean in the Diederich College of Communication. She's been in the position for several month now and Meredith Cavaleri, a junior majoring in digital media, decided to talk to her about the position and the transition on this episode of Be Connected.

***Update to this story: On May 21, 2020, Dr, Feldner was appointed to the permanent position of dean in the college.

A fond farewell to filmmaker and faculty member Joe Brown, an assistant professor of digital media who is passionate about the environment. Even though he's only been with the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University for six years, Joe's had a big impact on students and faculty here.

He's moving west to his "home" in the mountains. Besides teaching and making films at the University of Denver, he's also looking forward to climbing "14ers" (mountains exceeding 14,000 feet) with his daughter Olivia and dog Bubber.

In this episode of Be Connected, Rome Gandelsman, a senior majoring in journalism, talked to Joe about his film 'Operation Wolf Patrol,' a project that took him on an unexpected journey.

Imagine being 70 and still working for an employer you've spent 51 years with. Now, visualize loving that job. Hard to fathom, but it's true for one staff member in the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University. Susan Clinton, director of student records and academic advising for the college, is retiring soon. Instead of being pushed out the door though, faculty and staff are wondering how we'll get along without her, because of the tremendous impact she's had on faculty, staff and students. Her final day will be in August or early September, she hasn't finalized it yet. Dan O'Keefe, a senior majoring in digital media, caught up with Sue to find out why she stayed here so long and to talk about some of the changes that have taken place during her time in the college.

An advertising major, who loves to make people laugh, found a way to tap into his passion for comedy while enrolled in the Diederich College of Communication at Marquette University. David Klinger, who's graduating later this month, is interested in writing comedy. Dan O'Keefe, a senior majoring in digital media, has David's story.

Several studies have shown geography plays a role in where a student goes to college. The Chronicle of Higher Education's interactive view of freshmen enrollment trends in the U.S. shows most students stay in state or attend a university near their home state. That's certainly the case for Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The largest percentage of the 2018/2019 freshmen class came from Illinois. (MU's first year profile: https://www.marquette.edu/oira/fresh-dash.shtml)

But what about those students who travel across several states to go to college? On today's episode, we focus Caroline Norton, a young woman who made the more than 10 hour drive to come to MU and major in Theatre Arts in the Diederich College of Communication. Why? Dan O'Keefe, a senior majoring in Digital Media and minoring in Marketing, decided to find out.

Many students come to college and know what they want to major in, others don't have a clue. It can cause some students a lot of anxiety trying to figure out where their best fit is. Although no one really knows where their career journey will take them, even if they have a plan.

JP Bauer came to the Diederich College of Communication from Detroit, where he a attended a Jesuit high school. He also had his major selected, or at least he thought he did, but then something surprising happened at an advising session. Journalism and Political Science major Alex Milbrath shares JP's story.

The study on job changes, mentioned in the podcast, can be found on this Bureau of Labor Statics spreadsheet: http://www.bls.gov/nls/79r25jobsbyedu.xlsx