By Glen Nowak
On February 27, my adventure as the first Mizzou Advantage Distinguished Professional began in earnest when I arrived for my first week in Columbia. While working from afar (e.g., Atlanta) has become more commonplace, it’s also important to meet and talk with people in person. In my first week at MU, I talked with graduates students, met faculty from across the campus, and had an opportunity to spend time with many of the university’s top communication and public affairs professionals. I even had the opportunity to take in two films at the True/False film festival. In the spirit and intent of the Mizzou Advantage program, I connected with a wide range of people from across the university.
In the coming year, I expect my Mizzou Advantage adventure will build on my initial experience. The plans call for meeting, collaborating, and working with students, faculty and professionals from across the campus and community. Thanks to my experiences at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and before that, the University of Georgia, I bring knowledge and expertise in health communication, social marketing, risk communication, media relations, strategic communication and new media. At the CDC, many efforts to improve health and well-being revolve around integrating these communication disciplines, usually in concert in science and medicine. Often, a project or program’s success depends on how well, and how quickly, different people with different expertise can work together. That’s the case whether the challenge is reducing tobacco use, achieving high immunization rates, or preventing diabetes, strokes and heart disease.
Being able to foster collaboration across university programs and departments is one of the things that most attracts me when it comes to the Mizzou Advantage. I expect this adventure is going to take me in multiple directions. I plan to be spending time in classrooms across the MU campus talking about communication-related topics to students in journalism, strategic communication, public health, medicine, nursing, and life sciences—and hopefully programs I haven’t yet thought about. I’m expecting those discussions to delve in practical realities, ponder pressing challenges and explore theoretical possibilities. Similarly, I’m expecting to have meet and collaborate with faculty and professionals from across on the university, with those interactions giving me different perspectives and insights on communication issues and approaches.
It’s also important to note this adventure will be a two-way street. Along with providing contributions where I can, I’m looking forward to learning from MU students, faculty and professionals. I’m looking forward to learning about students’ interests and aspirations, about student and faculty projects and efforts to expand our communication knowledge and/or use communication strategies and tools, and about what MU communication professionals are doing to reach alumni, media, the public and others in their efforts to communicate about the university. And I’m very excited about being able to bring new ideas, new approaches, ways to use new communication tools and technologies back to the CDC.
If you’re reading this posting, chances are you have an interest in communication, particularly health communication. Hopefully, if you’re in Columbia or at MU, I will have a chance to meet you during my 12-month Mizzou Advantage adventure.