The Job Search: Balance Your GPA With Life Skills

I just read an "evergreen" article that appeared on Ragan's PR Daily, "Students: The 9 things that matter more than GPA," by Becky Johns, Nov. 29, 2011. The advice from this article is worth passing along, with a few bits of my own advice. I agree with Becky's observation that every student should take classes seriously, work hard, learn something, and achieve the best possible outcome in terms of grades; but many other factors outrank GPA when it comes to preparing for and succeeding in a professional career.

Yes, grade point averages (GPAs) are important when applying for a job. As a former recruiter and public relations practitioner, I can assure you that one of the first things a prospective employer looks for on a resume is the GPA. However, the GPA is only one of many things an employer considers before inviting you in for an interview. As a college professor, I constantly remind my students that what you learn in class is much more important than the grade. However, students usually reply, "But I can't get a job if I don't have a good GPA!"

Think of a GPA as you would a college-entrance exam like the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). You need to achieve a certain score to move on to the next stage in your life. However, outcomes on an SAT exam measure only certain skills and can be influenced by a student's test-taking ability (or ability to afford SAT preparatory courses). Likewise, GPAs tend to reflect a student's test-taking ability and how well a student performed academically in college. And what contributes to a student's success in college does not always equate to the skills required to succeed professionally in the work force.

Recognizing the fallacy of overemphasizing standardized test scores in the admissions process, many colleges have adopted an "SAT optional" policy. This allows admissions officials to consider other factors in a well-rounded applicant's package that may be better predictors of success in college (e.g., ability to lead, follow, and interact with others). In 2007, former Sarah Lawrence University President Michele Tolela Myers observed, "The information produced by SAT scores added little to our ability to predict how a student would do at our college" (click here).

So, too, many employers have learned from experience that an applicant with a high college GPA will not always experience success in a professional career. A recent Christian Science Monitor editorial ("Qualities that could solve America's budget crisis," by Diane Lim Rogers, April 26, 2011) quoted columnist and author David Brooks on this point. According to Brooks, "When we raise our kids, we focus on the traits measured by grades and SAT scores." Rogers added, "Then we elevate people to positions of great authority based on those great scores rather than on their abilities to understand and communicate well with others."

Based on my experience, a strong work ethic will always trump test-taking ability over the long run in a professional career. So, if I were to choose between two job applicants, all other factors being equal, I would readily hire a student who had to work hard for a good GPA over a student with an outstanding GPA who could ace an exam with little or no study time.

Getting to the point, what counts more than a GPA when preparing for the job market? Well, here's where I pass along an abbreviated list of "what matters" factors provided by Becky Johns (click here to read the entire list and click here to read Becky's blog).

1. Knowing how you learn
2. Applying theory to real-life situations
3. Time management
4. Relevant professional experience
5. A portfolio demonstrating your work
6. Ability to give and receive feedback
7. Presentation skills
8. Writing skills
9. Your network

In summary, students, work hard to earn an impressive GPA. Just remember, though, it's not the grade that counts. What counts is how you develop the professional qualities and traits that help you earn that grade. Others (and perhaps even you) will soon forget your college GPA. You will be defined by your professional qualities and traits for the rest of your life.

What Is PR? Let's Help Define It

Congratulations to the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) for leading a collaborative, global effort to redefine public relations. On November 21, the PRSA announced on its blog, ComPRehension:

"Starting today, PRSA is embarking on an international effort, in collaboration with multiple industry partners, to modernize the definition of public relations. In a small way, we seek to rebrand the profession." (Click here for the full blog post.)

This initiative is long overdue. It's impossible to create a profession out of a field that cannot be defined. Our field has struggled for decades with this identity crisis. We teach our public relations students that they are preparing for employment in a field that has over 500 definitions (see the latest edition of the classic Effective Public Relations text by Cutlip, Center, and Broom). The PRSA also admitted its official definition of public relations, “Public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other,” was last updated in 1982.

My preferred definition of public relations comes from Jim Grunig and Todd Hunt's 1984 text Managing Public Relations, "The management of communication between an organization and its publics" (p. 6). Granted, this is but one of 500 +/- definitions of public relaitons, but it seems to resonate the most closely with what I have practiced and taught for decades. I must admit, however, I think this definition should include management of relationships as well as communication, since the outcome of excellent public relations should be to establish and maintain long-term, mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and key publics (see the excellence theory in public relations).

So, I have updated my personal definition of public relations and posted it on the PRSA's "Public Relations Defined" web site. I encourage others to do the same. This is a unique opportunity to join public relations scholars and practitioners around the world in an effort to define our profession.

Help us answer the question, "What is PR?"

Examining U.S. Military Public Affairs and Strategic Communication: Information or Influence?

Joint Publication 3-0
Joint Operations

Through my work this week at the U.S. Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership, I engaged in an interesting exchange of ideas about U.S. military public affairs and strategic communication roles – or how to integrate public affairs, information operations, public diplomacy, and even psychological operations (recently renamed military information support operations) in strategic communication. This dialogue is not unlike the discussion among communication professionals in the private sector who are trying to figure out the best ways to harmonize public relations, marketing, advertising and other organizational functions in the form of integrated or strategic communication processes

I recently published a post on the Center for Leadership’s official DIME blog (see “Social Media in the U.S. Military: A New Information Center of Gravity?, Sept. 21, 2011). The DIME blog provides a forum for discussion related to elements of U.S. national power: diplomacy (D), information (I), military (M), and economics (E). My post contended that communication channels like Twitter, when used effectively by military communicators, can exert such influence that social media becomes a “new information center of gravity.”

This week, a student at the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College commented on my post and disagreed with my characterization of social media as a center of gravity. The student, a military officer applying knowledge gained from his studies at the College, claimed that U.S. public support of the national and military strategy and policy was the real center of gravity. This comment prompted a response from Professor Dennis Murphy, professor of information operations and information in warfare at the U.S. Army War College. Click here to follow this commentary on the DIME Blog.

Prof. Murphy made an excellent point about the U.S. military’s responsibilities to inform rather than persuade U.S. publics. According to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Principles of Information the U.S. military public affairs function (PA) is responsible for making “available timely and accurate information so that the public[s], Congress and the news media may assess and understand the facts about national security and defense strategy.” The DoD is also responsible for making available a free flow of information, “without censorship and propaganda, to the men and women of the Armed Forces and their dependents.” The principles explain, “The sole purpose of such [information] activity is to expedite the flow of information to the public: propaganda has no place in Department of Defense public affairs programs.”

This policy, which guides the flow of public information intended for U.S. domestic audiences (including Congress and the news media), should not be confused with the doctrine and principles that guide U.S. strategic communication (SC) efforts intended for audiences abroad. Joint Publication 3-0 Joint Operations (11 August 2011) defines strategic communication as focused “processes and efforts to understand and engage key audiences to create, strengthen, or preserve conditions favorable to advance USG interests, policies, and objectives” (p. I-7). Also, the strategic communication process “occurs through the use of coordinated information, themes, plans, programs, and actions synchronized with other elements of power” (p. I-7).

Furthermore, according to Joint Publication 3-0, “The term strategic communication, an aspect of strategic guidance, applies to USG-level department and agency activities. CCDRs [combatant commanders] are the primary interface for implementing SC in the context of their theater strategies during specific joint operations. The US military plays an instrumental role in SC, primarily through IO [information operations], PA [public affairs], and DPSD [defense support to public diplomacy]” (III-15). Of note, unlike DoD public information activities that simply educate and inform, joint strategic communication efforts are designed to affect joint military operations by “gaining or maintaining the support of the relevant population” (III-15). The public affairs responsibilities in the context of joint operations extend beyond domestic public information and command information activities to include “community engagement activities directed toward both the external and internal publics with interest in DoD” (p. III-17). The PA function is also assigned responsibility for “countering adversary misinformation and disinformation” (p. III-17).

I’ll end with a final word of caution and a few questions about the evolving nature of global public affairs and strategic communication, which I hope will stimulate further discussion. First, the caution: The boundaries that have historically delineated PA, IO, SC and other military communication functions are gradually eroding. In his landmark book, Socialnomics, Eric Qualman described the fragmentation of Internet Age publics. Qualman pointed out, for instance, that the pervasive nature of social media and the proliferation of communication outlets (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) means that “we no longer search for news; rather, the news finds us” (p. 9).

Now, the questions:

If news “finds us,” how can U.S. military strategic communication specialists using social media channels (e.g., Twitter) to transmit messages intended only for Afghan citizens (or even insurgents) in Kabul manage the risk that those same messages will reach unintended audiences in the United States (e.g., via re-tweets)?

Joint Publication 3-0 identifies national will as an essential instrument that supports application of national power (p. I-4). The publication also assigns responsibilities to the joint public affairs function in strategic communication for promoting and maintaining the support of U.S. national and military policies among key publics (p. III-17). Considering the combined importance of national will and international support of U.S. national and military policies, should the U.S. Department of Defense continue to limit its public affairs principles to simply informing and educating U.S. domestic audiences? Or should U.S. government officials consider integrating DoD principles of information, joint public affairs efforts, and strategic communications in ways that simultaneously foster U.S. national will, promote support of audiences abroad, and deter adversaries?

Please offer your comments.

Still Looking for a PR Job? Consider Latest Employment Stats

Andrew Worob

Two recent discussions on our Marist College Public Relations Alumni & Student Group caught my attention. The first was posted by Andrew Worob, manager at Ruder-Finn in New York City and publisher of the popular PR at Sunrise blog. Andrew’s post from PR at Sunrise, “Want a Job in PR? It All Starts with the Cover Letter,” was authored by contributor Lisa Hutchins (on Twitter @lisahutchins).  



Lisa Hutchins

In this discussion, Lisa offered advice on landing a job in the public relations field, beginning with the cover letter. Before offering some very useful advice, she described a cover letter for a job application as “the first step in branding your package and who you are as a public relations practitioner.”

Shortly after reading Andrew and Lisa’s post about finding a job, a saw group member Andrew Clinkman’s post, “Unprepared for PR in a Social World?,” which appeared on his blog, The Blog: Someday This Will Be Famous.

Before elaborating on factors that might make a difference between success and failure in public relations, Andrew began with the following narrative:

College rocked, don’t get me wrong. I studied hard, did well in school, and developed lasting relationships. I traveled abroad to Morocco, studied difficult material, and learned of concepts that challenged the mind. As I walked from graduation, I had a sense that I was the most marketable person ever! I had a Communication degree with concentrations in Public Relations and Communication Studies from Marist College. I was ready to sit back and watch companies come crawling to my doorstep. Six months later, that hasn’t happened.

Both of these posts made me thankful for the good fortune many of our Marist College graduates have experienced in the job market. A quick review of our LinkedIn group members list reveals a bank of employers that reads like a Who’s Who in public relations. However, I am mindful that many of our talented graduates, like Andrew Clinkman, are still looking for a job. As I reflected on what makes the difference between those landing a job and those still looking, I ran some numbers.

First, I checked the annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communication Graduates conducted by the James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia. Results of the most recent survey were just reported in the November 2011 edition of AEJMC News, the newsletter of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

According to the survey, "The job market for graduates of journalism and mass communication programs around the country showed signs of improvement in 2010 and the first half of 2011, though the improvements are tentative and the market has not yet returned even to the level of two years ago."

The report also noted:

The 2010 graduates were more likely than graduates of 2009 to report having at least one job offer on graduation, more likely to report being employed at the benchmark date of the end of October of last year, and more likely to hold a fulltime job six to eight months after completing university studies. The jobs the graduates held were more likely to be in the field of communication in 2010 than they were in 2009.

Click for enlarged view. Courtesy of AEJMC News.

The survey found that median annual salaries for entry-level jobs, which hover around $30,000, haven’t changed since 2006. This statistic, factoring in inflation, means “graduates in 2010 reported salaries with significantly less purchasing power than did graduates in 2006.”

Click for enlarged view. Courtesy of AEJMC News.

On a brighter note, the survey report’s authors indicated, “Graduates in 2010 who found jobs were a bit more likely to report those jobs matched their goals and to be satisfied with the jobs overall than were graduates a year earlier.” Also, “A clear majority of the graduates reported they had been prepared for today’s job market by their courses, but large percentages did not report obtaining skills that now seem important for those seeking jobs in the changing communication occupations.” This latter finding seems to track with Andrew Clinkman’s post about the changing nature of the public relations field and the need to develop skills that often go beyond what we teach in the classroom.

I then reviewed the latest U.S. Department of Labor employment statistics, which predict significant growth in demand for public relations professionals through 2018. According to the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (see the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook online):

Employment of public relations specialists is expected to grow 24 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. The need for good public relations in an increasingly competitive and global business environment should spur demand for these workers, especially those with specialized knowledge or international experience. Employees who possess additional language capabilities also are in great demand.

The recent emergence of social media in the public relations is expected to increase job growth as well. Many public relations firms are expanding their use of these tools, and specialists with skills in them will be needed. 

After digesting all of these figures, I concluded that graduates can improve their chances of finding a job if they follow Lisa Hutchins’ advice to brand yourself and your application in a way that sets you apart from other applicants for a job.

Also, following up on Andrew Clinkman’s advice, which is supported by recent statistics, find your niche in the changing world of public relations. That niche seems to be associated more and more with social media skills and expertise. I’m impressed with Andrew’s efforts to promote his social media brand through his blog, posts on Twitter and LinkedIn, etc.

So, for those still looking for a job, take heart. The job outlook in public relations is looking brighter. Find your niche, polish your skills (even if it means publishing your own blog and remaining active on the social media scene), and promote your brand.

Now, how about other practitioners who have succeeded in finding jobs and advancing in their careers? What can you share with us in terms of the public relations employment outlook in your sector? And what advice can you offer to those still seeking employment? Please comment.

NOTE: For members of the Marist College Public Relations Alumni and Student Group on LinkedIn, you are invited to comment on this in our discussions forum at http://linkd.in/tI0CiI.

Social Media: A Question of PR Leadership or Ownership?

The Council of Public Relations Firms “Firm Voice” blog post, “Owning Social Media” (October 12, 2011), raised some excellent points about taking responsibility for managing the social media function in the marketing and public relations sector. The post’s author, Widmeyer Communications Senior Vice President Barry Reicherter, issued a cogent call for public relations professionals, who need to assess the elements of their social media inventory in order to increase the effectiveness of their communication programs. However, I urge readers to think beyond Reicherter’s call for sole “ownership” of social media and consider the more important issue of strategic leadership in public relations.

Barry Reicherter

I am a public relations advocate but I’m reluctant to support Reicherter’s claim, “If public relations practitioners can acknowledge the primary elements that comprise social media, we can successfully claim ownership.” I agree that public relations practitioners (and students) need to develop expertise in social media tactics. Digital communication has become a core requirement in our profession. However, as they become more senior, public relations professionals should look beyond the tactical elements of social media and develop the expertise required to lead and manage the ways that social media activities are integrated in global marketing and communication programs at the strategic level.

Sabrina Horn

In another “Firm Voice” blog post on March 9, 2011, (“The Future of Talent: Building Best-In-Class Account Teams in the Social Media Age”) author Matt Shaw wrote, “The rise of social media and the erosion of boundaries between public relations and other marketing disciplines is rapidly creating the need for a new kind of public relations professional." According to Horn Group President and CEO Sabrina Horn, quoted in the blog post, that new kind of professional has to possess more than digital skills. “We’re already looking for people with a more well-rounded communications background—generalists who are capable of doing many things and floating between specialties, with digital skills as a central core area of competency,” Horn observed. “But the talent we hire just has to understand marketing strategy, because our clients are demanding that level of thinking as to how to build audiences.”

So, today’s public relations professionals (and certainly current students who will become our future professionals) must broaden their portfolios beyond expertise in individual functional areas. They must also be able to work with and manage other functional areas (marketing, business, research and analysis, etc.). Hence, social media might have many “owners” in a large corporation organized by departments or divisions (public relations, marketing, employee relations, executive communication, analyst relations, etc.). While public relations should “own” social media within its own functional area, I believe it’s more important that public relations “own” responsibility for integrating, coordinating, and leading strategic communication efforts (including social media) that span organizational boundary lines. This requires expertise in leadership and management as well as social media planning, tactics, and measurement.

ADM Mike Mullen

Retired U.S. Navy Admiral Mike Mullen, former chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, an active user of social media, once warned about focusing too much on individual communication tools or concepts and not enough on the overall communication context and process. In 2009, then serving as the U.S. military’s senior uniformed executive, Admiral Mullen wrote, “As someone who ‘tweets’ almost daily, I appreciate the need to embrace the latest technologies. But more important than any particular tool, we must know the context within which our actions will be received and understood.”

In conclusion, I suggest that Reicherter add to his call for expertise in social media by encouraging public relations practitioners to develop expertise in managing individual tools, integrating social media activities, and leading communication programs that accurately communicate context and promote understanding of an organization’s actions.



Marshall McLuhan

As a postscript, I also wanted to comment on Reicherter’s A Clockwork Orange analogy that “social media is both organic and digital — humans connecting with technology as a conduit.” I’m a big fan of A Clockwork Orange, but, with all due respect to Anthony Burgess, I prefer Marshall McLuhan’s 1960s prediction of what’s happening today with social media. I believe that social media have become more than a connection between humans and technology. In fact, I think social media have become extensions of our human personalities, senses, and experiences. For as McLuhan described in The Medium is the Massage (1967), years before the launch of the Internet, “[Social media] are extensions of some human faculty – psychic or physical.”

Mexican Drug Wars and Social Media: Deadly Lessons

Read my latest post on the U.S. Army War College's DIME Blog at http://bit.ly/ppf5Xw. The DIME Blog is a product of the Army's Center for Strategic Leadership, where I am currently serving as the 2011-2012 Visiting Professor of Strategic Communication.

Here's a preview of my blog post, "Mexican Drug Wars and Social Media: Deadly Lessons in Information Power":

Recent CNN and New York Times news reports raise thought-provoking albeit disturbing notions about social media as a means to enable the information element of power. The reports about Mexico’s rampant drug war offer a case study of how law-enforcement, para-military, and military agencies need to adapt to the increasingly influential role of news and social media in power struggles.  



Late editor Maria Macias



The CNN report (“Mexican Editor's Death Linked to Work with Social Media,” Sept. 27) and three New York Times reports ("Mexico Paper, a Drug War Victim, Calls for a Voice," Sept. 20, by Randal C. Archibold; "In Mexico, Social Media Become a Battleground in the Drug War," Sept. 15, by J. David Goodman; and "Mexico Turns to Social Media for Information and Survival", Sept. 24, by Damien Cave") all described grisly murders of journalists like Maria Macias (right) and other social media users, allegedly by members of drug gangs, as a means to discourage Internet reports about gang activities.

A synthesis of these stories reveals how social media has become such an influential means of information power that adversaries are now battling for control of this space. In particular, a careful reading of the Times reports provides a sense of how strategic communication activities are becoming the center of gravity that Prof. Dennis Murphy wrote about in this blog on Sept. 14 (“Resources: How Important is Information as Power?”). Just as Murphy wrote, “Destroy the center of gravity directly then, and you defeat your enemy,” the Mexican drug cartels are attempting to destroy Mexico’s system of free speech and defeat the will of people to oppose their illicit activities.

First, social media must be managed strategically. According to Cave, social media can “create and destroy communities.” Veracruz’s State Assembly recently passed legislation outlawing use of social media to undermine public order. Also, the recent murders of online journalists exemplify the personal risks of reporting via social media in Mexico. Still, social media can promote public safety by warning people to stay away from areas where drug cartel violence erupts. According to one Twitter user quoted in Cave’s article, “People’s lives are saved with Twitter.”

Second, social media is pervasive. Many Mexicans see social media as essential for survival, and social media can unify citizens dispersed over large areas. Cave reported that there are more than four million Twitter subscribers in Mexico and, of more than 30 million Internet users, 95 percent have Facebook accounts.

Third, social media fills a psychological need. Many Mexicans see the traditional pillars of state and press as contaminated by organized crime. Social media authors on the other hand are viewed as independent and trustworthy. According to a doctoral student at the University of Texas quoted by Cave, social media in Mexico “fulfill the need for information in an immediate and accessible way and, on a deeper, psychological level, provide some knowledge or certainty in the face of uncertainty.”

Finally, social media can be a source of reliable information. News reports can be “bundled” on social media channels like Twitter, which contains streams of content organized by “hashtags” that connect tweets of similar content or subject matter. This bundling allows readers to aggregate information instead of relying on isolated, unconnected reports. Social media is also self-regulated. According to one researcher interviewed by Goodman, “Most of the information [on social media] is reliable and the information that is not often goes ignored.” Furthermore, a large percentage of tweets are actually retweets, which are “curated” by others and scrubbed for reliability.

For a deeper analysis of this issue and its relationship with U.S. policy on using information as an element of power read my complete post on the DIME Blog.

Marist PR Students Selected for Innovative Crowd Sourcing Program

Gaining an edge in today's global marketplace is critical. Marist College public relations students are learning this lesson first-hand by participating in an innovative program from Ketchum that allows them to tackle real client challenges as part of a worldwide digital community.

Seventeen students in Professional Lecturer Jennie Donohue's Public Relations Case Studies class are among those from top communication schools around the globe selected to participate in Ketchum's Mindfire program, an open innovation crowd sourcing site for students. Ketchum, one of the world's leading communication firms, gives students the opportunity to work together to provide fresh creative ideas for clients in return for unique incentives and prizes.

Currently more than 300 graduate and undergraduate students representing more than 30 leading colleges and universities in North America, Europe, Asia and South America are collaborating on domestic and overseas business challenges facing Ketchum and its clients. More than 60 of the agency's clients including Hertz, Wendy's and Frito-Lay North America have used Mindfire for creative inspiration.

"We're excited that our students have been invited to work with Ketchum and its clients in such a unique way," said Steven Ralston, dean of the Marist College School of Communication and the Arts. "The Mindfire program allows our students to obtain hands-on, real-world experience that taps their creative, strategic thinking and digital skills in a student-centered, global learning environment – a hallmark of the Marist experience."

In addition to gaining valuable experience to add to their resumes, students participating on Mindfire may be eligible to receive career coaching, training and job alerts from Ketchum along with prizes provided by the clients that issue each challenge.

Courtesy of Marist College School of Communication and the Arts "In the News" (http://www.marist.edu/commarts/news.html)

Social Media: A New Information Center of Gravity

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the 2011 Social Media Summit (Wednesday, Sept. 14) at Harrisburg University. I accompanied my colleague from the U.S. Army War College, Dennis Murphy, professor of information operations. Professor Murphy, a member of the summit's Social Media and the Military panel, delivered a presentation entitled “Fighting Back: New Media and Military Operations.”

The summit featured a variety of other panels and presentations on social media and education, job searches, organizational policy, legal issues, political change, life sciences, intellectual property, and even disconnecting from social media. Click here for a complete listing and links to videos of the summit’s panels.

The summit provided an excellent opportunity to listen to experts, speak with colleagues, and consider the impacts of social media on our military profession and our personal lives. The day was brief but packed full of information – not unlike a 140-character message on Twitter. After deciphering all of this information, I identified a few themes that emerged during the summit.

• Social media is here to stay. Summit organizers provided a list of amazing facts that indicate social media is not merely part of a passing fad. Social media is, increasingly, fueling business practices. For instance, 80% of companies use social media to recruit and hire new employees; and 95% of those companies use LinkedIn. Even more impressive, in July 2011, 38 million people reported that social media influenced their purchasing decisions, an increase of 14% from only six months earlier.

• Social media is ubiquitous. Social media touches the lives of billions of people daily. Facebook attracted 500,000,000 users in 2011, or one in every 13 peopleon the planet. Also, 46% of the world’s humans access social media platforms – every day; and 57% of these people spend more time talking to each other online than they do offline. For example, in an average 20-minute period in 2010, Facebook recorded 1,587,000 Wall posts; 2,716,000 photo uploads; and 10,208,000 published comments.

• Social media is no longer the domain of youngsters. Adults in the 35- to 54-year-old age group represent the largest group of followers on Facebook. And our mobile society uses a variety of devices to follow each other more and more closely. Twitter members exchanged 50 million tweets daily in 2010, which pales in comparison to the average of 100 million tweets a day that have gone back and forth so far in 2011. And speaking of mobility, Twitter use on mobile devices rose 347% over the last year.

Upon returning from the summit, I published a post on the DIME Blog of the Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College. The DIME Blog addresses issues related to the information component (I) of national military power, with the other elements of national power being diplomacy (D), military (M), and economics (E).

In the DIME Blog post, I elaborated on the influence of social media on military strategic communication activities, coining one of Professor's Murphy's descriptions of social media as a "center of gravity" in U.S. military operations. Click here to read and comment on the entire post.

*Follow tweets from the summit on Twitter, hash tag #HUSocialSummit

Taliban's Internet Strategy -- Information Power

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on its website late last week ("The Taliban's Internet Strategy," Sept. 9, by Bashir Ahmad Gwakh), that the Taliban is developing an increasingly sophisticated Internet-based strategic communication approach in its fight against the United States and other Western nations.

In its report, RFE/RL quoted Abdul Sattar Maiwandi, the web editor of a Taliban website, who addressed the importance of information in warfare and the influence of news media. Reportedly, in an interview with Al-Emarah, the official Taliban website, Abdul Sattar Maiwandi observed, "Wars today cannot be won without media." He then added, "Media aim at the heart rather than the body, [and] if the heart is defeated, the battle is won."

Abdul Sattar Maiwandi seems to have studied well the strategic art of information in warfare. As I have learned here at the U.S. Army War College, victory in asymmetric warfare often means simply surviving. Despite the U.S.-led coalition's dismantling of the Taliban government in Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, Taliban resistance continues and, some claim, is in resurgance in Afghanistan. If so, this development would support the notion that a smaller, more poorly armed group could outlast a more powerful force by avoiding destruction while it erodes the political will and means for that force to continue fighting.

This is not unlike the situation that Western governments now find themselves in, with economic conditions that are leading to reductions in military budgets and a refocusing of public attention from international conflict to domestic problems. At least in the United States, however, public opinion still supports the fight against terrorism, with nearly two-thirds of U.S. citizens expressing a willingness to give up some personal privacy and freedoms to continue the fight. Click here for more from AP.

Still, public support among Western nations seems to be at a tipping point, which increases the need for effective strategic communication efforts to counter and defeat Taliban propaganda. The reports of Taliban propaganda efforts are not new. News organizations like the BBC have been covering this story for nearly a decade.

But recent reports of the Taliban's use of social media and other emerging Internet-based forms of communication to prey upon willingness to fight further highlight the need to stay ahead of the Taliban in terms of employing information as an element of power. Organizations like the U.S. Army War College's Information in Warfare Group in the Center for Strategic Leadership are at the forefront of this effort. Visit the group's website for details of its information programs.

But more work may be needed to counter any increased investments by the Taliban in its information campaign. Just consider the alternatives. According to a BBC report in 2009, "The propaganda fight is intense because whoever wins it will gain the support of the people and stands a chance of winning the war on the ground too."

2011 Social Media Summit, Harrisburg (PA) University of Science & Technology

I'm looking forward to attending the 2011 Social Media Summit, held at Harrisburg University of Science & Technology next Wednesday, Sept. 14. I will accompany Professor Dennis Murphy, director of the U.S. Army War College's Information in Warfare Group, in the Center for Strategic Leadership. He will be a featured panelist for the Summit's 12:30-1:45 event, "Social Networks and the Military." Dennis and other panelists will discuss the difficult balancing act of using social media as an important communication channel while protecting against threats to military security as well as the safety and privacy rights of military members and families.

Prof. Dennis Murphy

Dennis is Professor of Information Operations and Information in Warfare at the U.S. Army War College's Center for Strategic Leadership. He served on active duty as an Army officer for 27 years and has published extensively on information operations, strategic communication, network centric warfare and national security issues. He was the first George C. Marshall Fellow for Political-Military and Diplomatic Gaming at the Department of State's Foreign Service Institute in 1999. He also has vast experience in information operations (IO) and strategic communication in combat and peace operations. As a result, he is in high demand as a speaker and panelist at forums like the 2011 Social Media Summit.

Click here for more information on the Social Media Summit. Click this link for more information on Dennis Murphy.

Cyberterrorism: New Information Frontier

Jeff Caton

Congratulations to U.S. Army War College colleague Associate Professor Jeff Caton for his invitation to appear with author Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down) at the Oct. 5 World Affairs Council of Philadelphia forum on cyberterrorism. 




Mark Bowden

Bowden has written a new book, Worm: The First Digital World War (Grove/Atlantic), due out this October. In the book, Bowden explores the dynamic interplay between our hunger for Internet access and the risks associated with viruses, security flaws, personal privacy, network attacks, etc.

Jeff, whose office is next door to mine, is Professor of Cyberspace Operations here at the U.S. Army War College. He served for 28 years as an active-duty Air Force officer and has authored 13 professional publications and many book reviews. He is has gained national recognition as an expert on cyberspace as well as space, missile, and nuclear operations. Jeff and I often debate the merits of social media and other Internet-based forms of communication versus the risks associated with such open communication and personal privacy in cyberspace. The conversation between Jeff and Mark Bowden should be fascinating.

For more information about Jeff's appearance at the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia event on Oct. 5, check the council's website: http://www.wacphila.org/programs/center_city.html. You can also click this link for Jeff's biography.

Marist PRSSA President Alexis Murphy Receives National Gold Key Award

Congratulations to Marist College senior communication major (Public Relations) Alexis Murphy for receiving the prestigious Public Relations Student Society of America's (PRSSA) annual Gold Key Award. This national award recognizes outstanding public relations student leaders who best exemplify excellence in the academic study of public relations, ambitious pursuit of professional development opportunities, and leadership in their PRSSA Chapter.

To even be considered for the award, students must meet the following, very selective criteria:

 

• Have been a PRSSA member for at least two years.
• Be a senior or graduate student. (Seniors may apply up to one year after graduation.)
• Have a GPA of at least 3.4 in your major.
• Have held a PRSSA leadership position at the Chapter or National level.
• Have completed at least one public relations internship, approved by your Faculty or Professional Adviser.
• Affirm intention to become a PRSA Associate Member within one year of graduating.

Alexis has been an active member of the Marist College Red Foxes Chapter of PRSSA since her freshman year. She is currently serving as president of the chapter and served previously as the chapter's vice president. She has been instrumental in the chapter's professional growth and visibility on the national level. Among other accomplishments, she helped manage the chapter's first online leadership development forum, which was featured on the national PRSSA website. She also contributed to the establishment of the chapter's new student-run public relations firm, Northroad Communications LLC.

A complete list of previous Gold Key Award recipients is listed at http://bit.ly/pn7Q8q.

Update From U.S. Army War College -- It's About Thinking, Not War

I wanted to focus my latest update about my work at the U.S. Army War College on the mission of the College itself, which continues to impress me. When the institution was established in 1901, the College's founders committed an incredible misnomer. The curriculum taught at the War College is hardly about waging war. Quite the opposite: it's about thinking of ways to apply elements of national power (diplomacy, information, military, econonics) without having to resort to war; or, when war becomes inevitable, acheiving the nation's political objectives through the most ethical and effective application of military power.

The U.S. Army War College's name was bestowed by the U.S. War Department, which is now known as the U.S. Department of Defense. Wisely, military institutions of higher learning established by the Department of Defense have been given more appropriate names. Take for example the National Defense University, founded in 1976, whose mission is "prepare military and civilian leaders from the United States and other countries to evaluate national and international security challenges through multi-disciplinary educational and research programs, professional exchanges, and outreach" (see http://www.ndu.edu/info/mission.cfm).

Elihu Root, U.S. Secretary of War, 1899–1904

Still, in spite of its inauspicious name, the U.S. Army War College performs a valuable service for our nation. In 1903, at the ceremony that marked the laying of the War College's cornerstone, Secretary of War Elihu Root proclaimed, "Not to promote war, but to preserve peace by intelligent and adequate preparation to repel aggression, this institution is founded" (see http://bit.ly/pzmxag).

Contemporary military leaders, like current War College Commandant Major General Gregg Martin, U.S. Army, have explained that the War College experience is "about thinking how to think." General Martin Dempsey, U.S. Army Chief of Staff and the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarked recently that the frantic pace and bias for action associated with most military jobs allow little time for officers to read, think, and reflect.  Gen. Dempsey offered the following advice to students at the War College: "Take the opportunity here to do some serious thinking ... about how to think."

Everywhere I go on Carlisle Barracks, home of the U.S. Army War College, I witness this advice being enacted by students, faculty, and staff. Just yesterday, sitting in class with 16 students (senior military officers from the United States, Italy, and Columbia), I found myself amazed (and grateful) for the opportunity to listen to the War College's chair of national intelligence, a Central Intelligence Agency officer, lead a discussion of current political-military strategy in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other regions of instability. Seamlessly, the class actively dissected current national security strategy, compared it to lessons from historical events like the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), and constructed ideas for improvements to strategy using critical thinking processes taught here at the College.

Students here prepare for such discussions by reading the work of some of the world's greatest military historians and strategists: Thucydides, Sun Tzu, Clausewitz -- along with current works by contemporary authors like Roger Fisher, Thomas Ricks, Bob Woodward, Thomas Schelling, and Joseph Nye.

In closing, I will provide the reading list of books (this list does not include shorter readings) assigned to students during the year at the War College. Looking at this list, I no longer feel bad about the "heavy" reading list I assign to undergraduate and graduate students in my courses at Marist College. In fact, I have copies of these books on my office bookshelf, and aspire to read through them before my year here is complete.

• Art of War (Sun Tzu/Griffith)
• Clausewitz (Howard)
• Conflict after the Cold War, 2nd ed. (Betts)
• Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis, 2nd ed. (Allison & Zelikow)
• Fiasco: the American Military Adventure in Iraq (Ricks)
• Fifth Discipline, rev. and updated (Senge)
• FM 6-22, Army Leadership (Oct 06)
• Future of the Army Profession, rev and expanded, 2nd ed. (Snider)
• Getting to Yes (Fisher)
• Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders (Baldoni)
• Inevitable Surprises: Thinking Ahead…Turbulence (Schwartz)
• Landmark Thucydides: Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War (Strassler)
• Leading Change (Kotter)
• Making of Strategy
• Masks of War (Builder)
• Obama's Wars (Woodward)
• On War (Clausewitz)
• Price of Liberty (Hormats)
• Rise to Globalism, 8th rev ed. (Ambrose)
• Soldiers, Statecraft, and History (Nathan)
• Strategic Leadership Primer (3rd ed.)
• Strategy (Liddell-Hart)
• Thinking in Time (Neustadt & May)
• Type Talk at Work, rev. (Kroeger)
• Understanding Global Conflict and Cooperation (Nye & Welch)
• US Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, 4th ed. (Bartholomees), V. 1 and 2
• War & Politics (Brodie)
• War Within (Woodward)
• When Cultures Collide, 3rd ed. (Lewis)
• Who Says Elephants Can't Dance (Gerst)

Happy reading to all!

USA Today College Features Marist PRSSA and President Alexis Murphy

Congratulations to the Marist College PRSSA Red Foxes Chapter and, in particular, PRSSA President Alexis Murphy and Faculty Adviser Jennie Donohue, for recognition of their work by USA Today College. USA Today College featured the community service work performed by the Red Foxes PRSSA members in support of a local Girl Scout chapter this past spring. Specifically, the chapter conducted a workshop on public speaking for the Girl Scouts.


Following the workshop, Alexis authored a blog post with advice for other PRSSA chapters, which USA Today College featured online on August 26, 2011. Among other bits of advice, Alexis suggested:

• Take a look at your club’s objectives and missions.
• Research your local community.
• Reach out to the organization that is of interest to you and your team.  
• Dress appropriately based on the event.
• Bring a camera to document your event to share with other organizations and your college. 
• Make sure that all the supplies you need are all set

Read the entire post at http://usat.ly/qYaJRE. Again, congratulations to Alexis, Jennie and the Red Foxes chapter for earning Marist more national recognition. Follow the Red Foxes PRSSA Chapter on its website or blog.

Online Education -- Not So Fast (or Cheap, or Easy)

Mike Terry photo, for The New York Times

The New York Times' front-page story, "Online Enterprises Gain Foothold as Path to College Degree" (by Tamar Lewin, Aug. 25, p. 1) caught my eye ... and raised some concerns.

First, Lewin pointed out that a number of enterprises are making a lot of money by creating online degree programs that are "cheaper, faster and flexible enough to take work experience into account" (para. 1).  Second, Lewin claimed, "For those who have the time and money, the four-year residential campus still offers what is widely considered the best educational experience" (para. 5).

I have nothing against efforts to make the cost of higher education more affordable and accessible. However, I take exception to the impression left by the article that online education programs are inherently cheaper, faster, easier and better than traditional face-to-face degree programs.

I teach several graduate courses in Marist College's School of Communication and the Arts' master's program in communication. I know from student feedback that our courses, while they may be affordable and flexible, are not fast or easy. The following comment, posted by a graduate student in one of my online discussion forums, belies the notion that online courses are by nature faster and easier:

"Being on a virtual team at Marist has made communication more difficult because of the delayed response that often occurs when communicating via email. Being a distance learner means that I cannot simply walk into my professor's office and ask a question. Instead, I need to email my professors when I have a question and then wait until they check their email accounts if I want to have a question answered. I've also noticed that operating in a virtual classroom has required more time in the process of getting to know my professors and classmates than face-to-face relationships tend to require. Perhaps that is the most significant challenge I've noticed in virtual communication versus face-to-face communication – time. Everything seems to take more time. Coordinating meetings online can take almost as long as attending a meeting face-to-face. Plus, virtual communication often requires learning new technologies, which takes time as well.

"The benefit of virtual communication I've noticed most is the education it enables me to acquire in spite of a very busy schedule. Without the ability to meet virtually, I would never have time to commute to and attend face-to-face classes. Another aspect of virtual communication that I greatly appreciate is the ability to compose my thoughts before posting them online. In face-to-face interactions, communication is impromptu and harder to prepare for. With virtual communication like discussion forums, I am afforded all the time I need to consider the discussion occurring around me and compose my thoughts about a given topic before chiming in."

Another student in the course offered this comment, supported by quotations from course readings:

"In this virtual environment ... class is always taking place, so there really is no 'cap' on participation. So we spend much more time 'in the classroom' than if we were attending a weekly, physical class. As Barrett (2010) wrote, 'With a virtual team, a high level of commitment is even more critical than with a traditional team' (p. 333). It also requires more effective internal communication from professors, including 'supportive management, effective media/forums, and ongoing assessment' (p. 349)."

Yet another student affirmed the value of flexibility in online education described by Lewin but dispelled the notion that flexibility equates to easier coursework:

"I chose the Marist program over in-person programs here where I live because of my harried schedule between work and my lacrosse club. I needed the flexibility of working within my limited free time.

"But I have [found] that the Marist program is more challenging and I do more work for this than I would have if I were actually attending classes here. When I share info with friends about what we do as part of our program, they are amazed."

"So, online learning has definitely come a long way."

I could go on and on, offering other comments from graduate and undergraduate students that echo the previous examples. However, my point is that quality of teaching and learning in degree programs is not determined by the platform (e.g., online or on the ground). Rather, the quality of outcomes in online education, just like on-the-ground education, is associated directly with the quality and commitment of the educational institution, teachers, and students.

I'm proud to teach at Marist ... and grateful for every opportunity to share a classroom with our superb students, whether that means undergraduate or graduate, on the ground or online. And, if you are considering a Marist education, come and join us. I can't say that your experience will be cheap, fast, or easy. However, I can offer assurances that your education, whether it takes place online or in a brick-and-mortar classroom, will be of the highest quality.

Update From U.S. Army War College

I just started the third week of my new visiting professor job at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA. It's been an enlightening and invigorating experience so far. The students that I work with in class are incredible. This is the largest class of its kind in U.S. Army War College history (368 students, including 67 international fellows from 66 countries). Students, all senior officers and civilian leaders being groomed for command positions, are are among roughly 2% of their peers selected to attend this program. Many of the Army and Marine officers have experienced multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some already have their master's degrees and a few even have doctorates. Here's a breakdown of this year's class: 

Military Service Representation: Officers typically have approximately 20 years of service and have reached the rank of lieutenant colonel, colonel, or the equivalent rank depending on the military branch.

• U.S. Army: 210 active, Reserve, and Guard officers
• U.S. Air Force: 32 Air Force active, Reserve, and Guard officers
• U.S. Navy: 15 active and Reserve officers
• U.S. Marines: 18 active and Reserve officers
• U.S. Coast Guard: 1 active officer

Senior Civilian Representation: 25 high-ranking civilians from 

• Defense Department
• Defense Intelligence Agency
• Department of the Army
• Department of State
• National Security Agency
• Department of Homeland Security
• Veterans’Administration

International Fellows Representation: 67 senior officers from Afghanistan, Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Germany, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan (2), the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Yemen and Zambia.

Students will graduate on June 9, 2012, with a master of strategic studies degree and a U.S. Army War College diploma.

I'm also thrilled to be supporting the mission of the U.S. Army War College with my work in strategic communication management. The name of the college is somewhat of a misnomer. No, the college isn't in the business of making war. In fact, Elihu Root, the U.S. Secretary of War under President Theodore Roosevelt who established the U.S. Army War College described its mission as:

"Not to promote war, but to preserve peace by intelligent and adequate preparation to repel aggression...to study and confer on the great problems of national defense, of military science, and of responsible command."

Here is today's U.S. Army War College mission:

"The Army War College develops, inspires and serves strategic leaders for the wise and effective application of national power in a joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environment, emphasizing development and employment of land power. The USAWC is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools."


Seminar 14 students in action during Boat Yard Wars

I'll comment on my work in the Center for Strategic Leadership later. I'll close this post with a slide show depicting some of the fun had by students, faculty and staff during the first week of orientation for the new class. Some of the photos depict teams of students building boats out of cardboard and duct tape, and racing them against each other in the annual "Boat Yard Wars" picnic ice-breaker family picnic. Who says military officers don't know how to let their hair down (note the buzz cuts, though) and have fun!

Volunteers Needed For PR Project -- Non-Profit in Poughkeepsie, NY

Eddie Summers, presidential fellow for Marist College President Dennis Murray, has offered announced an opportunity for any faculty members or students who would like to complete a capstone or other class project in support of a very deserving non-profit organization in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Eddie, who recently became president of the board of directors for the Catharine Street Community Center in Poughkeepsie, wants to promote awareness of the center’s 90th anniversary in 2012. The center (http://www.catharinecenter.org/) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and coordinate educational, health, and cultural programming that enriches and enhances the lives of individuals, children, and families. The organization provides an array of programs for the community ranging from after-school programs, a boys choir, pre-k, ESL, medical and case management, to name a few.

In conjunction with the anniversary, Eddie and the center’s board would like to arrange a number of programs, events, activities throughout 2012 that will lead up to a 90th anniversary celebration event in August 2012. The center is even thinking of creating a video charting the history of the organization.

If you or anyone you know might be interested in pursuing this opportunity, please contact Eddie, edward.summers@marist.edu.