Identified opportunities:

• A survey of alumni can be structured so as to gather more useful information on current status and interest in ongoing MCDM involvement
• MCDM can have better email communication segmentation, targeting messages based on alumni status/cohort number/or other individual information
• The alumni group could be given access to the alumni mailing list and ask everyone to join the existing LinkedIn group
• We could look into using LinkedIn’s API to pull info to the MCDM site, so alums and students don’t have to maintain profiles in yet another location
• Flip the Media could be a venue for alums
• Flip the Media could run alum profiles
• Rebrand Media United as “MCDM Pro,” and align it with the new MCDM site branding.

Assigned tasks:

• Begin structuring survey questions and methodology, potentially using Flip the Media as a means of gathering input (Harry)
• Coordinate with Beth to post events and other information in one place (Amy Rainey)
• Identify two people in each cohort that fill the social connector role (Beth). Craft a plan for asking these connectors to coordinate cohort social events, maintaining ties that can roll up to the MCDM level (Peter and Brook).
• Schedule another MU meeting (Brook and Harry).
• Amy Rolph raised the idea of MCDM alum profiles for Flip the Media. Brook will present this at the next FtM editorial meeting and follow up with Amy

Unassigned tasks:

• Use Media United to generate a specific task list to help alums (example “two workshops with Angie Lindsey a year…”)

Summary of major points of discussion:

• How many alums are there currently? 
  • Roughly 700
  • Estimate that number will be increasing by 50 every year at current enrollment levels
• What can a fledgling alumni group do to help the school? 
  • Everything that everyone, students, alumni, faculty, staff can do to get the word out about MCDM increases the health of the program and the value of the degree.
• How can MCDM keep alums informed as classes and information evolve? 
  • It’s really a communications platform issue
  • MCDM can have better email communication segmentation, targeting messages based on alumni status/cohort number/or other individual information
• When efforts have been made to include alums in workshops and events, turnout has been low to non-existent. Why have alums not responded or stayed more involved with MDCDM? 
  • Four Peaks has had good alum volunteer support
  • Despite email targeted at alums, it appears none attended Seattle Arts and Lectures event
• Why isn’t there a place to track what students do after graduation? 
  • LinkedIn has a lot of that information, but there isn’t a consistent name for MCDM, so it’s hard to identify everyone with a LinkedIn profile who’s been through the program.
  • The MCDM site has student and alumni profiles, but it’s not clear how to maintain them, and it’s yet another profile location that is hard to remember to keep up to date.
  • We could look into using LinkedIn’s API to pull info to the MCDM site
• What is going on with rebranding MCDM web properties? 
  • It’s been recognized that the MCDM site, Flip the Media, Media Space, Four Peaks, etc. are disjointed experiences with competing branding
  • If Media United turns out to be primarily an MCDM alumni group, then it is adding to the brand proliferation problem
• How can students be promoted so they benefit from the visibility of the program? 
  • There may be a meeting in June where students can present work to other MCDMers and the Advisory Board
  • Not all student work lends itself to the sort of presentation being discussed for the June event
  • MCDM receives a lot of specific job opportunities that might be good for a subset of alums/students, but it’s not clear how to identify those students and share the information
  • The hiring of Associate Directors has been part of trying to focus on what’s better for students
  • Every aspect of the public work is for the program
  • There is interest in getting more alum/student access to Four Peaks speakers
  • Alums/students in attendence agree that it would be good to have a better mechanism for connecting employers to MCDMers
  • Possibly more focus on capstones, but are there enough resources to support capstones?
  • There are students that are passionate about certain topics, and they could benefit from more exposure
  • One problem is people need what they need when they need it, not when it fits the program’s timetable
  • Have smaller scale networking events. It’s hard to network with 300 people. Encourage cohort social/networking events

Attendees:

• Beth Koemans
• Brook Ellingwood
• Harry Hayward
• Amy Rainey
• John Stang
• Amy Rolph
• Terry Short
• Peter Luyckx
• Corey Christianson (Skype)
• Brain Johnson (Skype)

Before the meeting, the written agenda will be posted to the Media United blog.

1. Ask MCDM to describe the program’s interest in having an alumni group, and how it sees the relationship between the program and a group.
2. Discuss MU’s emerging mission statement: “Provide ongoing resources to alums that are beyond MCDM’s scope, and work with MCDM to increase its value to current and future alums.” (I drafted this out of one of the topics that was discussed.)
3. Discuss two “low-hanging fruit” ways to act on this mission:
   • Organize MU networking events and salons, focusing on areas that will complement MCDM events and salons without overlapping in subject (i.e. more skills and practices oriented)
   • Organize volunteer support for MCDM events, Four Peaks events, and other events of interest to the broader MCDM community
4. Quick review the “laundry list” of ideas that have been captured by MU so far (see below)
5. Open discussion of the ideas from both MCDM and MU, looking for common points of interest
6. Agree on next steps

The Laundry List

I’ve sorted this into things that seems like they could be handled by MU alone, and things that are asks for support from, or partnering opportunities with, MCDM or the Communication Department.

MU:

1. Networking Events
   • Ideas and Eggs salons
2. Ongoing Learning
   • Annual or SemiAnnual retreats/bootcamps/workshops
3. If MU at some point becomes a fee-based membership organization, it could provide financial support to outstanding students, for MCDM equipment, etc. (I’m injecting this one because I think we need to look at longer/loftier goals)

MCDM Support:

1. Career Networking and Counseling
   • Access to MCDM assets like Angee Linsey workshops
   • Professional Dev Month events with Comm Department
2. Ongoing Learning
   • Class Audits, video of speakers
   • Alumni access to Communication Dept. equipment and other physical resources
3. Comm Department support
   • Access to complete alumni list
   • MCDM specific satellite events during Comm events – Hall of Fame, Graduation
   • Maintenance of listservs and web/wiki products for alumni connections

MCDM Partnering:

1. Networking Events
   • Monthly Happy Hour w/ current students, faculty
   • Four Peaks Events
   • Career Events/Fairs – partner with B’School Alumni group?
2. Four Peaks
   • How is “membership” envisioned? Priority, free member benefits for alum?
   • Continued input and opportunity to work events or access to speakers

Whiteboard notes 1

Whiteboard notes 2

• Career Networking and Counseling
  • Access to MCDM assets like Angee Linsey workshops
  • Professional Dev Month events with Comm Department
• Networking Events
  • Ideas and Eggs salons
  • Monthly Happy Hour w/ current students, faculty
  • Four Peaks Events
  • Career Events/Fairs – partner with B’School Alumni group?
• Ongoing Learning
  • Class Audits, video of speakers
  • Annual or SemiAnnual retreats/bootcamps/workshops
• Four Peaks
  • How is “membership” envisioned? Priority, free member benefits for alum?
  • Continued input and opportunity to work events or access to speakers
• Comm Department support
  • Access to complete alumni list
  • MCDM specific satellite events during Comm events – Hall of Fame, Graduation
  • Maintenance of listservs and web/wiki products for alumni connections

If you have additional suggestions, please share them. Big thanks to Harry for pulling more than his fair share of the weight in keeping this moving the past couple of weeks.

Eventbrite RSVP isn’t required, but it’s helpful to figure out who’s coming.

Speakers include Dr. Mary Czerwinski of Microsoft Research, Dr. TJ Larkin of Larkin Communication Consulting, Eric Weaver of Ant’s Eye View, and a panel moderated by Jeff Hason, CMO of Hipcrick that includes panelists Melissa Tizon of Swedish Medial Center, Paul McElroy of Alaska Airlines and Margot Savell of Weber Shandwick.

Speakers will explore the topic of information overload, how it affects us and the ways that we can overcome its effects to break through the noise and be heard. The event starts with a networking breakfast with hosted table topics starting at 7:30 a.m. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. and finishes at 1:30 p.m. with the panel over lunch. More details: http://bit.ly/flj2nH

Nine people attended.

Discussion

There was considerable discussion of what value might be added by a Media United site that isn’t already available through a combination of Facebook and LinkedIn.

Several attendees expressed the opinion that the current student and alumni profiles on the official MCDM site (ref: http://mcdm.washington.edu/students.shtml) are not just inadequate, but are perhaps a disservice as there is no clear path for maintaining them and — echoing concerns about the Media United site — it’s unclear what value they add that can’t be obtained elsewhere. (I was surprised to find I no longer have a profile on the MCDM site, either as a student or graduate…)

The job listings on the MCDM site were not discussed, but looking at them while writing this report, they seem to be unmaintained.

There was general agreement that organizing groups of MCDMers with common interest areas to go to relevant meetings hosted by other organizations would be valuable in raising awareness of the program and the skills of its graduates. Having a shared elevator pitch on the relevance of MCDM to the particular meeting being attended was seen as valuable. (What do MCDMers bring to the Social Media Club? To the Content Strategy Meetups?) Understanding the purpose and schedule of these groups would help.

The Foster School of Business provides students and alumni with business cards showing their affiliation: Would it make sense for MCDM to make this service available? Perhaps at a cost to the student?

Tasks

Amy agreed to ask about having the LinkedIn group for MCDM (ref: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=3545) updated. Status: Done. (Although, unlike other student/alumni groups I belong to on LinkedIn, MCDM membership has to be approved by the managers.)

Harry will reach out to Victoria Sprang of the UW Communications Alumni group as well as Anita Verna Crofts and Heather Werckle, to coordinate efforts and clarify relationships.

I will handle communication.

Another meeting will be scheduled, with a target of two weeks out. (Harry and Brook)

On hold is the idea of finding out what the commitment for sponsoring a social media breakfast would be.

For Next Meeting

It was generally felt that a certain amount of feeling around in the dark makes sense for a new group at this stage. We agreed on the following two points to make the next meeting more clearly productive.

1. Solicit agenda items in advance via email
2. Define and prioritize the agenda as the first item of business