MPC & PCAA News – Spring 2018

Upcoming Events

PCAA Spring Social & Executive Committee Election
April 4, 2018 | 120 Diner, Toronto, ON

The PCAA cordially invites all current and soon-to-be alumni to attend their annual Spring Social and Executive Committee Election! This years’ event will feature a live performance by up and coming artist Stuart O’Brien, along with raffle prizes and SWAG bags donated by our generous sponsors.

We’re searching for our next Executive Committee to help lead our rapidly expanding
organization. With the second cohort of undergraduates joining the ProCom and Ryerson
alumni families this spring, we want to establish relations across both the BA and MPC
programs and explore the wealth of experience that lies within such a talented and professional network. Opportunities in alumni engagement, event planning, communications and social media, as well as financial and strategic planning are available for the upcoming executive term. Committee elections will be taking place at the event.

There will also be plenty of wine and food! Click here to purchase tickets.

Alternate Routes: Emerging Career Pathways in Professional Communication
April 17, 2018

Alternate Routes is an opportunity for MPC students, upper-year ProCom BA students, and
faculty members to hear about industry trends and emerging career pathways in professional
communication. A panel discussion featuring industry professionals will provide insight into
three fields where professional communicators are engaged in innovative and socially-impactful work: global immigration law, policy research think tanks, and humanitarian emergency response.

Take a look at the Alternate Routes event poster for more details.

Spring Events Recap

Donuts and Data Analytics: Panel and Q&A Session for MPC Students
January 22, 2018

From Big Data to recommendation systems to tools like Facebook Insights and Twitter
Analytics, there is an abundance of new methods for measuring, predicting and influencing
audiences. How can we use these resources effectively and ethically?

Donuts and discussions, led by Jon Packer (Director, The Idea Workshop) and Ian Ray Barcarse (Digital Marketing Manager, York University), were shared by participants along with insights from the hosts into the way organizations use social media data to enhance their communications.

MPC Visual Design Workshops
February – March 2018

Led by MPC 2018 candidate Travis Boyco, this series of three workshops was designed to
enhance skills in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign for current MPC candidates. Each workshop focused on a specific set of software tools and techniques which students used to create business cards, magazine covers, infographics and posters.

ProCom Connect: Webinar Series
February 27, 2018

Networking can be a challenge, never mind in the dead of winter! Which is exactly why the
PCAA decided to host the first webinar edition of the ProCom Connect mentorship program. On February 27, 2018, alumni plugged in from the comfort of their homes to share tips and tricks on job searching, networking, and interviews.

Digital Marketing Manager Ian Barcarse (MPC 2015) provided strategies on how to respond to typical recruitment questions and how best to prepare (and what to bring) to nail that big
interview. Brand Marketing Professional Katherine Fernandez-Blance (MPC 2016) expressed the importance of research and persistence with the seemingly endless process of job searching. PhD candidate Tanya Pobuda (MPC 2017) listed resources and action items to help network with a professional purpose.

If you missed the live session but want to catch up on all the advice, be sure to check http://procom.ryerson.ca/after-graduation for details on how to watch a recording of the online session!

New Courses in Knowledge Translation, Startups and Fashion

In 2017, Prof. John Shiga developed a new course called Technical Communication as Knowledge Translation (PC8106). The course was first offered in Fall 2017.

“In the course, students explore the rapidly growing field of knowledge translation/mobilization, which is the communication of specialized or technical knowledge to diverse audiences, often beyond the university.

“Students are introduced to a range of theoretical perspectives and approaches to KT and develop strategic communication plans and products which are designed to facilitate the use and impact of academic knowledge. Students work in groups to develop prototypes of their KT campaigns.

“Among the topics that students took on this year were cryptocurrency, alternative energy, the impact of climate change on whales, and augmented reality.

“The course takes a design-oriented approach to the development of campaigns and the adaptation of messages to target audiences. Students are encouraged to integrate a wide range of media into their KT campaigns and explore the potential of arts-based practices for engaging broad audiences in current academic research.” — Prof. John Shiga

Other new courses launches in 2016-17 include Greg Levey’s Startups and Storytelling, and Carolyn Kane’s Colour Fashions. ProCom has also opened some elective spots in Human-Centred Design, a course taught by Sandra Tullio-Pow, offered by the Fashion MA program.