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On
Being an Adjunct Professor….
By
Melissa Wall
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I’ve been an adjunct professor for five years. I teach Introduction to Marketing and Communications to students in the accelerated undergraduate degree program at Mercy College in White Plains, New York. It’s a private college in an urban setting and has both full–time and part–time students, many of whom are older adults looking to complete or enhance their education.
There are lots of reasons to be an adjunct – although money isn’t one of them. You could probably earn more per hour creating grande lattes at Starbucks. But nothing compares to the rush of seeing the light go on in a student’s eyes, or knowing that you influenced someone’s opinion about a subject that is close to your heart.
Personally, I like the challenge of trying to cram 12 weeks of learning into eight and making the classes interesting enough to keep everyone awake for four straight hours. It’s also a refresher for me. I get to revisit the principles of marketing once a year and remind myself of what I need to do better.
Certainly some cohorts are better than others in terms of interest level, and there’s always a broad spectrum of capability just as there is in any group. After only a couple of classes I can usually tell who will be an A, B or C student. And, of course, there’s no shortage of excuses as to why the homework hasn’t been done, so you can’t be soft touch! All things considered, teaching at the college level is a great way to give back to the community, and to the next generation, while enhancing your professional credibility. I encourage everyone to give it a try.
For more information about how you can improve your marketing efforts, contact Melissa Wall, Marketing With Distinction, LLC,
melissa@distinctmarketing.com
or 203–888–9995.
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What They Don’t Teach You in School
By
Tori Brown
What’s the main difference between taking a class on public relations and actually practicing it? Well, there are quite a few differences. For instance, how often do you have to take a mid-term in real life? However, the biggest difference comes down to clients. Face it, in school, you just don’t have them.
Granted, some schools have programs where students will run a PR or advertising firm, but those programs are few and far between. The majority of students’ “clients” are in fact, their professors. Without learning some basics of client service, students then enter the job world basically unprepared to deal with “real-life” clients.
So we’ve compiled a list of important rules to remember, whether you are new to your industry or just need a brush-up on continuing to provide your clients/customers with the best service possible.
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The customer is always right. We’ve all heard this one before. However, sometimes it is hard for a client to look at a decision objectively since they are so far immersed in the business. Try suggesting they take some time to think about an idea you propose to or try to bring it up another time. While this may help some clients realize your idea is brilliant, others will not budge. Don’t push them.
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Be accessible.
I’m not saying your clients have to have your email, home phone and your significant other’s cell phone. However, DO check regularly whatever avenues you have given people to contact you, be it your cell phone or e-mail address. If you plan to be unavailable for a sizeable amount of time, then incorporate this into your answering machine or set up an automatic e-mail response. Leaving the name of someone else who can help or when you’ll be back is helpful too.
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Admit if you’ve made an error. There is nothing
worse that trying to cover up an error, whether it’s something major or not. If your client finds out from someone other than you that there is a problem, you’ll no longer have their trust, and perhaps their business. If you fess up, you have the chance to right any errors, and that’s much more admirable.
Tori Brown is an Account Executive with Marx Communications, a public relations and marketing communications firm that helps B2B companies and individuals build their brands. For more information, please contact Tori
tori@marxcommunications.com
or 203-445-2851. To boost your business and learn more about our coaching service, email
wendy@marxcommunications.com.
College Teaching is Rewarding but Beware of Seat-fillers
By Martin Arnold
Teaching the workforce of tomorrow at the college level can be an educational and rewarding experience for those who take the time to do it. Adjunct professors comprise upwards of half the teaching staff at many colleges. If you are qualified, most schools would be interested in speaking with you about working as an adjunct. However, there are perils to consider though before committing to this route.
The pay is low, the work load can be daunting and some students are problematic. Outweighing these negatives are the rewards of actually changing someone’s life and career to a more positive direction. Over the past 10 years we have instructed hundreds of college students in marketing, PR, communications and public speaking. Many still keep in touch and have gone on to outstanding careers utilizing these skills.
In every class of 20-25 though there are always one or two “clunkers,” we call them seat-fillers, with attitude issues that make one take pause. After all, university courses are expensive and voluntary so it is a mystery why a few attitude-challenged students even bother.
In that vein, there are sound reasons why some can’t attend class or fulfill their assignments. We understand work-related travel and outright illness can interfere. But beyond those reasons we have compiled the more “creative” excuses. For example, every semester we lose one or two grandfathers. What makes it interesting is that over the years we have never lost a grandmother (too sad). Grandfathers seem to be expendable.
Others include:
“I fell off the roof.”
“I had a serious infection from a ferret bite.”
“My aunt gave birth and I had to attend.”
“My friend had a traffic mishap and I had to be with her in the hospital.”
“My parents wouldn’t let me drive in the rain.”
“I have scheduled electroshock therapy.”
Despite some frustrations, helping tomorrow’s professionals achieve their goals is worthwhile. So if you ever have a chance to teach a class or present at one, grab the opportunity.
To boost your business and learn more about our coaching service
and ebook for entrepreneurs, email
Martin Arnold mharnold@sbcglobal.net.
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