Top Executives, Communication Experts Gather to Discuss Future of Interactive Communications
Event Featuring University of Missouri President Gary Forsee Free and Open to the Public
Columbia, Mo. (Sept. 8, 2008) — Top corporate leaders, journalists and strategic communicators will gather with citizens Sept. 12 for a spirited, free-flowing roundtable discussion about the future of communications during the centennial celebration of the Missouri School of Journalism and the dedication of the Reynolds Journalism Institute.
“The President’s Roundtable: Communication for a Digital Globe” will look at the challenges – and identify winning strategies – when it comes to dealing with constant technological changes in communication. The discussion will feature viewpoints from people as diverse as a chief executive officer of a major company to an average citizen who is learning to live in a digital world. This free event will be from 1-2:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 12, in Jesse Auditorium. It is open to the public, and registration is not required.
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Top row, from left: Gary D. Forsee; Russ Mitchell, BJ ’82; Susan L. Bostrom; David W. Dorman; Mark Hoffman. Second row: Carol J. Loomis, BJ ’51; Amy McCombs, BJ ’68, BA ’69, MA ’72; Dave Senay; Ralph de la Vega.
KETC/Channel 9 in St. Louis, the nation’s most watched public television station, will tape the President’s Roundtable for an upcoming one-hour broadcast on Channel 9 and other public television stations. A live stream of the event will be available at mms:streaming.more.netUMCJSchool. A photo-enhanced blog of this and other events will be maintained on the KETC and Missouri School of Journalism websites.
“There is no road map to lead us into the 21st century,” said Gary Forsee, president of the University of Missouri System. “It will take all of us, thinking and working together, to maximize the benefits technology offers.” Forsee, who will host the 90-minute session, was appointed president of the four-campus University of Missouri in 2007. He previously served as chairman and CEO of Sprint Nextel.
The distinguished discussion leaders have been struggling with – and at times, triumphing over – some of the most pressing communications issues of our time, including credibility and trust, social media, mobile content, the emergence of video and environmental sustainability. Knowing that these issues affect regular citizens as well as top executives, the discussion leaders will engage the audience in order to have a well-rounded dialogue about communicating in the 21st century.
Russ Mitchell, BJ ’82, anchor and correspondent for CBS News, will moderate the session. Participating in the President’s Roundtable will be:
- Sue Bostrom, chief marketing officer, Cisco
- David Dorman, chairman of the board, Motorola Inc.
- Mark Hoffman, MA ’80, president, CNBC
- Carol J. Loomis, BJ ’51, senior editor at large, Fortune Magazine
- Amy McCombs, BJ ’68, BA ’69, MA ’72, former president and CEO of Chronicle Broadcasting
- Dave Senay, president and CEO, Fleishman-Hillard International Communications
- Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility
“Our discussion leaders think about the future every day and where we might be headed,” said Forsee. “Their insights, combined with those of the attendees, promise to make this a conversation worth participating in.”
The President’s Roundtable is one of the many activities planned for the Sept. 10-12 centennial/dedication celebration. Alumni, students, citizens, journalists, communicators and academic leaders from all over the world have registered to attend. The three-day event will feature more than 35 Futures Forum sessions, 27 Technology Summits, 11 exhibits and displays, four musical and theatrical performances, two dinner events, book signings, tours and numerous networking opportunities with journalists, business professionals and public relations and advertising practitioners worldwide.
About the Missouri School of Journalism and Reynolds Journalism Institute:
Since publishing the student-staffed University Missourian on Sept. 14, 1908, the Missouri School of Journalism has been the international leader in hands-on journalism education, also known as the “Missouri Method.” The first to offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the field, the School is also the distinguished home of several national journalism organizations, mid-career professional programs and a thriving research agenda. Its advanced curriculum takes advantage of new technologies and practices, a tradition of innovation that will be intensified with the opening of the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI). This 50,000 square-foot facility, created with an initial $31 million gift from the Las Vegas-based Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, will house state-of-the-art resources to test and demonstrate new technologies, experiment with convergence news production and delivery systems, and conduct real-time and virtual seminars and conferences.
Updated: April 29, 2020