Welcome to the Spartan Podcast. We seek out interesting people and talk about fascinating stuff. The focus is communications, new media and technology, but we also cover popular culture, history and just about anything else that tweaks our curiosity. Hear a show, click a link and send us your feedback on how we can make The Spartan Podcast better.
Scott Westerman – the father of Spartan Podcast – talks with Dave about a variety of MSU technology issues from the bandwidth MSU consumes each month, to the future of broadcasting and the growing popularity of MSU’s library system.
“Our library foot traffic at Michigan State is increasing year over year and has been for the last 15 years,” Gift says. “For a while we were bucking a national trend as people were going to the library less and less.
“Now nationally visits to libraries are beginning to increase.”
Cole says the worlds of advertising and public relations are changing rapidly.
“We tell our students that what they are learning today is probably not what they’ll be doing in their careers five years from now,” Cole says. “We want them to understand the importance of big picture learning.
“We try to give our students a passion for learning and help them understand that if they’re going in to advertising or PR they not only have to accept change but they have to embrace it.”
Students who want to go into advertising or public relations have to be ready for anything and be anxious to experiment, Cole says.
“People always say you can’t manage what you can’t measure,” says Cole. “I think what’s more accurate is that you can’t manage what you can’t message.
“Clear expression of an honest intention is probably the single most significant element of anyone’s success.”
Gonyea has been reporting for NPR since 1986 and has been White House Correspondent since 2001.
“In my new role as national political correspondent, I’ll be covering the same stories I’ve covered for 10 years at the White House,” Gonyea says. “Now I’ll be covering those stories from somewhere other than inside the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Gonyea talks about NPR’s Web presence and strategy for the future, too.
“It used to be that our Website was there simply to give you a place to find what was on the air,” Gonyea says. “That is no longer the case.
“We want to create something that is every bit the NPR brand – looks and feels like NPR – but that is branded NPR News. NPR News is the brand because NPR is becoming much more than just what is heard on the radio.”
MSU, expanding its role in educating the next generation of Michigan doctors, recently celebrated the opening of its new campus at Macomb Community College’s University Center in Clinton Township.
The event, held at MSU’s new facility at the university center, marked the culmination of several years of planning for the college’s expansion into Macomb County, where osteopathic students began classes for the first time late last summer.
Strampel says the college has been overwhelmingly impressed with the support from leaders throughout the Macomb County community.
“We are located at a state-of-the-art educational institution situated among a high concentration of osteopathic physicians and partner hospitals,” he says. “The faculty, staff and students of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine wish to extend their appreciation to all persons whose efforts contributed to the establishment of the college at the Macomb University Center.”
“BEACON will conduct research on fundamental evolutionary dynamics in both natural and artificial systems,” says Erik Goodman, MSU professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the center. “In addition, we will educate a generation of multidisciplinary scientists, and improve public understanding of evolution at all levels.”
MSU has been awarded one of five highly coveted NSF Science and Technology Centers, officially titled “BEACON, an NSF Science and Technology Center for the Study of Evolution in Action.” It will serve as a resource for academics and industry, performing basic research while helping create new technologies to solve real-world problems, ranging from the development of safer, more efficient cars to systems that detect computer intrusions.
“We haven’t yet figured out yet what newspapers or journalism will look like a year from now or five years from now,” he says. “At the Free Press where we’ve reduced home delivery and raised prices in the interest of protecting the resources we have for journalism, we’re going to continue to look for ways to reduce our expenses for delivering the ink on paper product so that we can increase and enhance our ability to gather news.”
January 26, 2010 @ 4:52 pm
· Filed under MSU Today
From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Scott Monty is Ford Motor Company’s Global Digital and Multimedia Communications Manager. Scott is a marketing and communications professional focused on the digital industry — specifically on social media.
“Social media is really just people talking to each other online,” Monty says. “It’s happening more and more these days and brands have an opportunity to gently and respectfully take part in that conversation – not to market at people, but to really become another party to the conversation.”
He is a strategic advisor on all social media activities across the company, from blogger relations to marketing support, customer service to internal communications and more, as social media is being integrated into many facets of Ford business.
“Ultimately we want people to understand that there are real people just like them working at Ford,” says Monty. “We strive to humanize the Ford Motor Company as we talk about our strong business plan and great products. And we need to do that from a position of humanity not from a position a corporate top-down message.”
“A relationship that began with WJR becoming the voice of MSU football and basketball has transformed into a great partnership that encompasses athletics, academics and everything in between,” said WJR President and General Manager Mike Fezzey. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with President Lou Anna Simon, Athletics Director Mark Hollis and MSU on and off the field.”
WJR and MSU began their current contract in 2006. Since then, their partnership has evolved to include athletics, academic programs, alumni relations and more. They have even joined forces to advance environmental awareness through the weekly show “Greening of the Great Lakes,” heard Fridays from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
“Today’s MSU Alumni Association is the perfect way to stay connected to the Spartan magic that helped get you where you are today,” Westerman says. “Every MSU Spartan’s life has been fundamentally changed based upon his or her relationship with MSU.
“That relationship doesn’t have to end at graduation.”
Westerman is the father of Spartan Podcast; thanks, Scott!
“I wanted to have a PASS IT FORWARD party (P.I.F) to DO SOMETHING that makes a difference,” Hoffman says. “The idea is to come together and create an energy of excitement; enthusiasm that creates continuous momentum! This isn’t a fundraiser, a religion or political in nature. It’s just you and me helping someone else who then, hopefully, will do the same.”
Hoffman gives all the details on how those interested can help him pass it forward on January 23.
As the 2010 North American International Auto Show gets ready to open in Detroit, Howes talks about the state of the automotive industry around the world, but particularly in North America. And he discusses what automakers hope show attendees will take away from their visit to this year’s show.
“The situation for automakers is certainly more optimistic than it was a year ago at this time,” Howes says. “They want consumers to know that they’re building world-class automobiles despite their recent troubles on the business side.”
Howes also talks about the overall Michigan economy and where he sees it going in 2010 and the challenges and opportunities facing the newspaper journalism industry. And he weighs in on the higher education funding issue.
“The less that Michigan finds its way clear to support higher education, the more other people are going to prey upon Michigan’s lack of direction in this regard,” Howes says.
“As one of the nation’s premier institutions of higher learning, MSU is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its curriculum and for the noteworthy contributions Spartan alumni have made in so many important fields of endeavor,” Brinker said.
Brinker founded the nonprofit group in 1982 after her sister, Susan G. Komen, died from breast cancer. It is now the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, operating in 125 American cities and several foreign countries.
The organization’s trademark fundraising event is the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, a series of 5K runs and walks around the world. Each year, more than 1.5 million people participate in 130 races around the world. Thanks to such races, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has generated more than $1.3 billion, the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer.
“Whatever you do, follow your own path,” Brinker advised the graduates. “And you must live your passion. If you are not passionate about what you do, don’t do it. Life is too short to waste on pursuits that don’t inspire you.
“When you wake up every morning, have a reason to swing your legs over the side of the bed and be excited to get to work. Listen to your heart, find your passion, and then pursue it with reckless abandon.”
Brad Sherrill is Chief Scientist for the FRIB project.
“This is a new window on the universe,” Sherrill says. “It’s a new research tool that no one has had before, and it will be the centerpiece of a research enterprise for the nation.”
Construction of FRIB is scheduled to begin in late 2013. The project is expected to bring $1 billion in economic development to the region and is expected to be completed in 2017.
“FRIB will be a place where scientists from all over the world will come to do forefront research that isn’t possible anywhere else in the world,” says Sherrill. “We’re going to learn exciting things here about how nature behaves and about how the universe has changed over time, and we’ll learn new ways to diagnose and treat diseases.
“Great scientific discoveries are going to take place on the MSU campus because of FRIB.”
From MSU Today on Impact Radio: Programs that offer film students a blend of theory and production technique, such as MSU’s new film studies major, could help budding filmmakers take advantage of Michigan’s burgeoning film industry, says Emmy Award-winning documentarian Ken Burns.
In April 2008, Michigan enacted a law to provide tax credits for film production companies that shoot their movies in Michigan.
“In tough economic times, it is even more critical to have a rigorous film studies program to prepare the legions of young people who will have to be conversant in the language of our new visual culture,” Burns says, “and be able to reflect the values and ethics so these new forms of communication do not control us, but rather continue to reflect our highest ideals.”
The group was started in the Spring of 2007 by a group of MSU business students who wanted to start an organization that would promote entrepreneurship throughout MSU.
“We’re there for anyone who has considered entrepreneurship or who wants to learn more about it,” Allen says. “We help people feel more comfortable about becoming an entrepreneur, and we offer connections to resources for existing entrepreneurs who want to expand their businesses.
“We work to educate, aide, and inspire students of any age to create, nurture, and follow through with their entrepreneurial ideas and to take advantage of opportunities.”
Allen also candidly discusses her recent bipolar disorder diagnosis.
MSU Today on Impact Radio: The job market for college graduates has bottomed out – falling some 40 percent in the past year– as the market undergoes a colossal shift that demands graduates be flexible and entrepreneurial in the rapidly evolving global economy, according to Michigan State University’s latest Recruiting Trends survey.
Job growth in electronic commerce illustrates this shift. Employers are hiring critical-thinking graduates with the skills to capture more Internet business and help the company continually redefine its operation, says Phil Gardner, director of MSU’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute, which conducts the annual study.
“Employers want to be much more flexible; they want to be agile,” Gardner says. “They’re bringing in employees who can slide in multiple directions depending on what transpires over the next year. And that opens the door for students from a variety of academic backgrounds.”
Ultimately, while many employers tell Gardner they hope to see the economy rebound, he says folks need to understand things will not return to “normal” – that is, a labor market in which college graduates have their pick of high-paying jobs. The recession, combined with increasing global competition, means graduates will continue competing for fewer jobs with lower salaries and benefits.
Kelley Bishop, MSU’s career services director, says it’s imperative that students get aggressive about their futures early in their college careers by networking with prospective employers, landing internships and developing critical thinking skills. He said this cuts across all majors – from engineering to liberal arts – because employers are worrying less about a student’s major and more about whether they can solve problems and think outside the box.
“The premium is being placed on flexibility and adaptability,” Bishop says, “because this change in the labor market looks like it’s permanent. And those who can quickly adapt are the ones who are going to survive through this and prosper through this.”
“The URC is helping to bring NIH representatives to Michigan to spend time with university faculty and entrepreneurs to help them understand how to access NIH funding,” Mason says.
Cotter discusses the profile of the 2009 class at MSU.
“Despite the challenges we’re facing as a state and a nation, things are good at MSU right now in terms of enrollment,” Cotter says. “We’re larger than we’ve ever been before in terms of the aggregate population, which is somewhere just slightly north of 47,000.
“Our freshmen target was 7,200, which was intentionally a little smaller than a year ago,” Cotter adds. “This year we came in at 7,208 with about 21 percent out-of-state students, and students of color are very well represented in this very diverse class that includes about 685 international students.”
He analyzes overall trends in university admissions, and he talks about the office’s Detroit outreach efforts. He talks about how the college admissions process has changed over the years. And Cotter gives his vision for MSU’s Office of Admissions.
Matt invites all Spartans to Midnight Madness at Breslin Center on Friday October 16. Admission is free, and doors open at 9:30 p.m.
Larson reflects on the Spartans’ electric drive to the 2009 Final Four in Detroit and on the positive green and white vibes that permeated the State of Michigan last spring. And he analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the 2009/2010 Spartans. And he describes technology’s impact on the field of sports communication.
From MSU Today on Impact Radio and TalkLansing.net: David Gift is MSU’s chief technology officer; his official title is vice provost for libraries, computing and technology. 
Hear the Conversation 16:47 – 15.3 mb mp3
MSU Today
