Communication News

This year, 47 House and the Library will host a virtual kick-off of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) on Thursday, October 29 at 7 p.m. Facilitated by BizComm professor and author Stephanie Verni, the event will begin with a quick activity and then move into tips to get you started writing your novel, collection of poetry, travelogue, family history, or memoir. NaNoWriMo is a national endeavor that prompts writers who have ideas but do nothing with them to set a goal of writing 50,000 words during the month of November (which constitutes a short novel or novella), or putting their best foot forward on other writing projects. Writers who are on social media post their daily word counts, words of inspiration, and tips for writing throughout the month of November. As well, many famous novels were written during NaNoWriMo, including "Water for Elephants," "The Night Circus," and "Fangirl." The SU Library will also be posting information about NaNoWriMo, so stay tuned! Be sure to use the BlueJeans link to join, and don't forget to use the hashtag #NaNoWriMo to share your progress. All are welcome!

BizComm sophomore Ryan Kenny is the "stang in the spotlight" in athletics this week. Ryan, who hails from Sparta, New Jersey, plays men's hockey at Stevenson and aspires to play professionally in the future. According to Ryan, "Playing for Stevenson is extremely special. I love throwing on the Mustang jersey every Friday and Saturday night and going to war with my teammates. Each moment I'm on the ice it's always the best time for me." So far, Ryan's favorite moments at Stevenson include getting to the rink early for practice, beating St. Norbert and playing at Utica College, and taking a course in marketing. Congratulations on being the spotlight player, and we look forward to seeing you on the ice, Ryan!

BizComm graduate Alexandra (Alex) Button was sworn into the U.S. Air Force last week as  Airman First Class. A former athlete and business communication major, it is no surprise that Alex is set to fly in this new endeavor and career. We wish her all the best and are confident she will excel in her new role. Way to go, Alex!

SU BizComm grad, Ian Abee, is enjoying an 8-week externship in the the Transformation Office at Under Armour. A temporary switch from his job in customer service at Under Armour, Ian is learning how to generate a system of governance, including templates and guidelines, that will be used to boost productivity, efficiency and accuracy of program and project tracking. Additionally, he will be helping the Transformation Office brainstorm ideas, create content, and craft layout for a SharePoint site. The objective of the SharePoint site is for people to have access to learn what the Transformation Office is about and also to potentially house a portfolio of projects and initiatives. Best of luck, Ian!

Dr. Lee Krähenbühl has been named as the department chair for Communication Programs in the School of Design. Having recently served as SUO’s Interim Dean for the last several months, Provost Dr. Susan Gorman said, "He has done an excellent job steadying the ship and navigating through choppy waters under trying circumstances, and I am very grateful for his dedication and service." Dr. Krähenbühl will assume the role on Monday, October 12, and will oversee the accelerated online undergraduate degree, traditional undergraduate degrees in Communication Studies and Business Communication, and the graduate program in Communication Studies. Congratulations, Dr. K!