ChE's Merzdorf invited to communications leadership forum
She was initially interested in the forum because of its name. “The forum identified communicators as leaders within higher education,” Merzdorf explained. “Communicators can be influencers with their various stakeholders by creating positive relationships built on the knowledge and experience they bring to the communications position.”
The limited number of participants at the forum, which was conducted by Ragan Communications, allowed Merzdorf to interact and network with communications professionals from across the United States and Canada. “It was valuable to hear that challenges and opportunities in communications are universal, regardless of the level of your position,” said Merzdorf, who appreciated the conversations regarding how to be your own best advocate in a wide range of areas, from brand journalism to communications audits. She said that she appreciates the support of ChE Head Sangtae Kim, who encourages professional development. “Dr. Kim’s day-to-day investment in my position is instrumental to the success of our School’s internal and external communications efforts.”
Merzdorf had a number of takeaways from the forum, some of which she is already implementing. “During our roundtable sessions, we discussed ways that communicators can improve the visibility of their position and the school they support,” she explained. Some of these ideas include: volunteering for internal and external committees; establishing regular meetings with other internal staff to learn about upcoming events and initiatives; producing audience-centric communications that incorporate creative storytelling; and proactively sharing and promoting stories with the media to make it easier for them to distribute news.
She recommends that other higher education communicators attend this forum if given the opportunity. Limiting the number of participants to around 30 communicators, the roundtable format allowed provided ample opportunity for all attendees to contribute to the discussions. “Each of us was considered a respected leader within the higher education communications field, regardless of whether we were in school-level or administrative positions.”
Also attending the forum was Teresa Koltzenburg, director of strategic communication for Purdue University Libraries.