Otterbein comm students enjoy behind-scenes view of NHL game

By Haley Young ‘14

Six Otterbein students, including myself, had the opportunity to experience a Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game from a different angle.

On Tuesday, November 15, we attended the Columbus Blue Jackets versus Minnesota Wild hockey game with media passes.  These passes presented us with an inside view of those who work behind the scenes; the public relations staff and the media.

We were able to speak with newspaper reporters, T.V. broadcasters and radio broadcasters.  We watched them in action and asked them questions related to their jobs.

After speaking with the PR staff and media, we attended the press conference that followed the game.  We were able to witness the question-and-answer-session with the media and the Columbus Blue Jackets’ coach, Scott Arniel, who shared his opinions about the game’s outcome.

Overall, the experience was beyond what I expected.  I was excited to see everything I have been learning in both my journalism and public relations classes come to life.

Comm Dept. Student Profile on Josh Adkins!!

We sat down with a current Otterbein student in the comm dept, Joshua Adkins, and asked him to tell us a little about himself!

Q: What is your major?

A: I’m a double major in public relations and journalism

Q: What made you decide to come to Otterbein?

A: I knew that Otterbein offered a PR major and that’s something I was really interested in. I sort of fell into journalism and love it just as much as PR. I love the comm. department.

Q: So how would you describe yourself as a student?
A: I like seeing my work as a finished product and a lot of hard work goes into both PR and journalism.

Q: What do you like about Otterbein’s communication department?

A: I like this department a lot because it’s so easy for anyone to get involved from the minute they step foot on campus.
Q: What have you been doing to prepare yourself after graduation?

A: Well before I graduate, I’d like to have another internship that will prepare me for a writing job with a firm or corporate company.

Q: Ideally, what would you choose to do with your education in the field of PR after graduation?

A: Well I’m really interested in copywriting for an agency or some form of writing job in a corporate setting.

Josh is also involved in PRSSA and an active participant in many events on campus and in the communication department. We look forward to seeing what Josh will accomplish in his very bright future!

Q and A Session with Otterbein Alumni Jennifer Pearce!

1.) What is your
title?

Executive Director of Marketing and Communications for
Otterbein University.

2.) What careers
have you had in the public relations and communications fields?

Account executive for a PR firm (Wilson Comm Group),
communications coordinator for Fairfield Medical Center, PR director for
Longaberger Baskets, Marketing Director for Cheryl and Co.

3.) What is your educational background?

B.A. in journalism and public relations with a
business minor from Otterbein.

4.)    How did you
get your first job in the industry?

An internship with Clairy Communications my senior year,
and Sandy Cleary got me an interview and I was hired.

5.)    What type of people do you/have you worked with?

Communications people are all outgoing, genuine, fun,
interesting, open-minded, creative, empathetic, and dedicated.

6.)    What was your favorite job?

PR director at Longaberger baskets; it was more media
heavy and dealt with people on an international level.

7.)    Explain your job in crisis communications

I dealt with executives who were dealing with a crisis
such as in oil refineries and nuclear power were accidents happen.

8.)    What was difficult about it?

Keeping executives ethical and keeping your integrity.

9.)    What did you enjoy about it?

I got to travel all over the world which was a lot of
fun

10.) Where do you see yourself in five years?

Growing the marketing shop at Otterbein. We have added
four people since I have been here and now I am taking on more of a leadership
role.

11.) What advice do you have for people going into these
fields?

Get an internship! They will help you the most getting
a job, as well as networking with others. You also need to remain ethical and
prepare for dilemmas ethically.

12.) What classes from college have helped you the most?

Any writing class helped. Photography and
broadcast classes has also helped me out in my careers. Having a business minor
helped me when I was had corporate jobs.

13.) Is there anything you wish you could have done
different in your education if you could have done it all over, i.e. a minor or
different major?

I wish I would have taken more psychology classes; you
tend to deal with “bad” people so I think that would have helped.

14.) Is there anything I did not ask you want to say?

Get your feet wet and have a tough shell. These
jobs can be overwhelming and you can’t please everyone. Be resilient and keep
persevering.

New Health Comm Class To Be Offered In Spring

A new course in health communication will be offered this spring, Introduction to Health Communication (COMM 1910). The instructor will be Dan Steinberg. We met up with him to get the latest scoop on this new course.

Why did you see a need for this new course?
Health Communication is a growing field. Even in these times of economic turmoil, the health field continues to add jobs. Exposing Otterbein students from numerous majors to health communication will help them learn valuable theories and skills to help them find jobs in the future.

What special skills will students learn in this course as opposed to
generic communication courses?
Of course everything will be geared to the health communication field and to communicating within the field. We will discuss terminology, learn how communication varies within the field, and learn about the healthcare field in general.

When and where will the class meet?
It’s scheduled for TuTh at 10 am I believe.

Will there be any special events or speakers who will enhance the
class experience?
I hope to plan visits to hospitals as well as bring in healthcare speakers, yes.

How can a student access and apply to this course?
No application necessary… just register. Not only will comm majors profit from the course but those students already in the pre-health majors will benefit as well. I plan to teach the course at an entry level so any student in any major at even the freshman level will be challenged and can do well.

Keep up with us for all the latest info on this new course!

Otterbein Alum Returns From The Big Screen!

Current Otterbein student Haley Young, met with Sam Jaeger, a theatre grad from the class of ’99. Jaeger has hit the big screen in his ABC television hit, Parenthood. He returned to Westerville to debut his new film, Take Me Home.

To read more on the interview with Jaeger, go to this webpage!

http://www.otterbein360.com/index.php/article/2011/10/tv_star_alumnus_debuts_film

New LinkedIn team for Otterbein Comm!

The Otterbein communication department’s linked in staff is
receiving a facelift. Ruth Payne, Melissa Kent, Jazmyne Flowe are heading up
the new team that will be including new sources for links, as well as finding
internships for communication majors.

Kevin Lang, Lindsay Vilga, Samantha Francis will be
departing the LinkedIn group to focus on the Otterbein communication’s blog.
The new team will be showing different perspectives of Otterbein communication
students and will be in charge of the blog indefinitely.

Blog viewers will be seeing new segments featuring current
Otterbein communication students, as well as question and answer sessions with
Otterbein Communication alumni.

Look for the newest blogs to be coming out this week.

Check out Otterbein360.com for the latest campus news

Otterbein360.com is your one-stop shop for the latest Otterbein news, campus events, sports, and arts and entertainment.

Columbus to host Premiere of Otterbein Alumnus Independent Film

Sam Jaeger, an Otterbein theatre alumnus from the class of ’99 has decided to premiere his independent film in Columbus. The film “Take Me Home,” was written, directed and produced by Jaeger. “Take Me Home” will be showing at the Arena Grand Theatre in Columbus (175 West Nationwide Blvd) Oct. 21 through Oct. 27. Otterbein students will be admitted for free with their Cardinal Card. Jaeger will conduct Q&A sessions with the audience after each showing during the opening weekend. The film is a romantic comedy that tells the story of Thom and Claire. When Claire jumps in Thom’s beat-up cab in New York, neither realize that they have just begun a journey together of self-discovery that will have them crossing the United States in an effort to find home. In addition to Sam Jaeger, the film also stars: his wife, Amber Jaegar, a Class of 1999 Otterbein theatre alumna; Victor Garber and Lin Shaye. This independent film has received critical acclaim and rave audience reviews at several film festivals across the country. Recently this picture won the “Audience Award” at the Rhode Island International Film Festival and the Boston Film Festival and “Best Music in a Film” at the Nashville Film Festival. Get out an support your Otterbein alumnus! Check out the trailer here;  

Comm blogs

Just a reminder that the Communication Dept. maintains two blogs:  one for new internships, and the other for jobs.

The address of the internship blog is:

http://internships1-2-3.blogspot.com

The address of the jobs blog is:

 http://otterbeincommjobs.blogspot.com

Comm student shares her tips for success

Hannah Ullom  shares some of her experiences as a communications student at Otterbein. She has great advice for current students and those seeking an internship! 

What are you doing this quarter?

This quarter I’m in class two days a week and work in downtown Columbus three days a week as a marketing and communication intern at the Columbus Chamber. I love my internship!

What is your major at Otterbein and what organizations or groups are you involved in?

I’m a public relations major. I’m vice president of Otterbein PRSSA and I’m also involved in Lambda Pi Eta, Mortar Board and last year I was the opinion editor for the Tan & Cardinal.

Any other internship or professional experiences to share?

Before I started working at the Columbus Chamber, I was an event planning intern at the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce and a communication intern at the Otterbein Office of Alumni Relations.

What classes prepared you the most for your internships

All of the public relations classes have definitely prepared me for my internships. A lot of the journalism classes I took have been helpful too because writing is so important in public relations. I’ve also been able to apply what I’ve learned in marketing and economics classes to my chamber of commerce internships since those organizations are focused on helping businesses.

Do you have any advice for current majors about communication department classes or activities?

Don’t underestimate your classes. I have learned so much just from class discussions and you’ll learn so much more if you get engaged and participate. Also take business and marketing classes if you can. I wish I had taken more of those. As far as activities go, get involved! We have so many organizations on campus and especially in the communication department. Getting involved with organizations like PRSSA, T&C, WOBN and WOCC will help build your resume when you start looking for an internship.

What advice would you give communication students about networking and internships?

Building your network is very important. You never know how someone could help you in the future or how you could help them. Take advantage of networking opportunities every chance you get, but don’t get hung up on them. Knowing someone might get you an interview, but you need to have the skills and experience to get the job. Start looking for internships as soon as you can. The process of finding an internship can be overwhelming, trust me, but having internship experience is the best way to prepare yourself for life after Otterbein. Good luck!