I had a great day today speaking to a number of students at the University of Georgia - Grady College. I made appearances in a number of classes for Kaye Trammell and Karen Russell. I think I probably spoke to over 400 students in all. As I have found in many of my college appearances there is a huge interest in the topic since many of the traditional classes/programs don't teach social media.
After one of the sessions one of the students asked Kaye, "Do you think we'll get to have an actual class on this subject before I graduate?" As luck would have it Kaye will be teaching a course on the subject of social media next semester.
At the end of one of the large sessions with the students I thanked them for their time and told them the real reason I was speaking to them today...."You are the next generation of PR practitioners, and in five to ten years you'll be my boss, so I just wanted to introduce myself."
Visitor Comments
A class on social media sounds interesting. What would the syllabus be?
What competency would a student have to master to pass?
Posted by: Holly | November 14, 2006 1:12 PM
I think I speak for all Auburn students this week when I say "boooooo Georgia." Hard feelings aside, it's great to see another large school taking on the responsibility of educating students about social media. It has definitely changed how we do things here.
The slow adoption rate in higher education isn't really a bias toward social media. It is simply a failure of many teachers to keep up with new information and changes in the marketplace. Also, some are afraid to tackle the topic with a hands-on approach, because their classes are too large.
To reach large amounts of students, bloggers must first reach the teachers. When you reach the teachers, students have no choice but to follow.
Meanwhile, Auburn and Georgia will learn to play nicely.
Posted by: Courtney | November 14, 2006 9:20 PM
Man, I would love to sit in on a class with this subject. I can remember the first time I even heard the term 'social media'. The closest thing I could compare it to was my fraternity (Theta Chi, baby!). I am thrilled to know that respectable college campuses are now realizing the impact social media plays on the lives of their students; personally, socially, and academically. Thanks for taking out the message, Josh!
Posted by: drew | November 15, 2006 12:20 AM