A series of two-credit workshops in strategic communication are being offered at the School of Journalism and Communication’s George S. Turnbull Portland Center this term. Students in “Crisis Communication,” the first of three workshops geared toward working professionals, are spending five weeks participating in role-playing exercises, meeting with other professionals, and learning to manage emergency and crisis situations in their organizations.

The first three-hour session of the workshop exposed participants vicariously through role-playing to a high-risk workplace environment—in this case, an unnamed company from instructor Tom Hagley’s own consulting experiences. This provoked a stimulating discussion about risk communication in an organization dealing with hazardous chemicals. Workshop participant Jennifer Werdel '93 of Kennedy Communications called it “invigorating.”

“The discussion was great! I’m looking forward to the rest of the sessions,” said Brad Canfield of Samaritan Health Services.

Participants in the workshop represent Adventist, Legacy, and Samaritan Health Services, Bonneville Power Administration, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, Epson Portland, Inc., Tektronix, Inc., Oregon Department of Transportation, Ronald McDonald House Charities and others.

Sessions include:

• a public high school crisis with Chief of Secondary Education Mike Stromme of Vancouver, Washington Public Schools;
• the Black Crater Fire, a first-priority national emergency, with guest Public Information Officer C.J. Norvell of the Southeastern Area Interagency Incident Command;
• the fatal shooting of employees at a TRW plant with a federal agent as a guest; and
• a contrast in emergency management of major oil spills by Exxon and Ashland Oil, with guest Jim Vitak, manager, public relations, Ashland Inc. with a discussion of crisis communication via teleconference with Assistant Administrator of Public Affairs David Mould or Press Secretary Dean Acosta of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

“It is very appropriate for the Turnbull Center to unite these participants to show off a model of extraordinary coordination, collaboration and cooperation,” said Hagley.

Other workshops to be offered this year include “Strategic Communications for Social Purposes Organizations,” taught by Jennifer Gilstrap Hearn, senior director at Portland’s Metropolitan Group in winter term; and “Creativity as a Professional Asset,” taught by the SOJC’s Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising, Deborah Morrison in spring term.

These workshops are applicable to the professional master’s in strategic communications planned for fall 2007. Classes run from 5 p.m. to 7:50 p.m. and are offered at the UO Turnbull Center at 2nd Ave. and Yamhill in the heart of downtown (right on the Max line, with ample parking available in several nearby garages). For more information, visit turnbullcenter.uoregon.edu or contact Seth Walker, Portland program coordinator at seth@uoregon.edu.