Risk and Crisis Communication class includes alumni as guest speakers
CHADRON – When the world turned into a real-time laboratory for the Risk and Crisis Communication class, Chadron State College professor Dr. Shaunda French-Collins acted quickly. She invited a series of speakers, including CSC alumnae Emma Stokely and Alyssa Sanders, to appear via video conference and discuss how they are handling communications in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the uniqueness of this semester, I felt the interviews with the CSC Communication alumni were a great addition to the course. It was important for the CA 425 students to see how prevalent crisis communication is even if they don’t plan to directly work in that area,” French-Collins said.
Stokely, the Communications Coordinator for Franciscan Care Services in West Point, has been working hard to make sure the community receives accurate information consistently.
“Crisis communication is severely undervalued until there is an actual crisis,” Stokely said. “We’ve created a video series with our providers where they discuss the most important topics of the day and inform our community on the steps our facility is taking to ensure that our patients and employees stay safe and healthy.”
Stokely said her two CSC internships have been valuable for her career.
“My internship at Box Butte General Hospital helped me learn how to come up with creative solutions for different marketing problems. I was given the opportunity to pitch my ideas to the CEO weekly, which helped me grow in confidence and develop professionally. The Big Event helped me develop the skills to manage a variety of different parts of a project while keeping the end product in mind. The relationships I built with my professors while I was at CSC has been one of the best things for my professional career. It’s nice to know I have resources to go back to,” she said.
Stokely, who was elected to West Point City Council in 2018 and is a coach for one act and speech at Guardian Angels Central Catholic High School, said she was thrilled to speak to the class.
Devin Fulton of Glenrock, Wyoming, said he appreciated the chance to hear from alumni.
“This gives us a better perspective in what we're studying and what possible roles lie ahead in our careers," Fulton said.
Emily Hansen of Hemingford, Nebraska, said Stokely’s comments about internships were helpful.
“Internships are a good way to get your feet wet. They can open up jobs and they also give you good real world experience. Both Stokely and Sanders shared a lot of good information with us,” Hansen said.
Sanders is a Type 3 Public Information Officer with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. Her certification qualifies her to respond to a Type 3 or Type 4 incident as a single resource or part of a Type 3 Incident Management Team.
Sanders said she appreciates the pride French-Collins has for graduates of the Communication Department.
“Shaunda sets high expectations for her students and anyone who participates in the program comes out ahead of the curve. For her to respect my professional experience and trust my knowledge enough to allow me the opportunity to share it with her students is truly an honor,” Sanders said.
During the activation of the State Emergency Operations Center for the spring 2019 bomb cyclone, Sanders was the state’s public information officer and manager of the Joint Information Center. She led a team of around 25 public relations professionals from multiple state agencies and the National Guard who managed public information, news media, a call center, and social media. Because COVID-19 is a public health crisis, Sanders said communications about it are being managed by the Department of Health and Human Services and results in less of her involvement than a natural disaster would.
Category: Campus News