Daniel Cobb believes his resumè got a real boost when he presented his research at a conference in May 2014. He and other Missouri Western students were some of the few undergraduate groups who were selected to present at an international conference in Athens, Greece.
They were part of a group of six convergent media majors and 16 public relations majors who traveled throughout Europe last May, and Missouri Western students presented at conferences in Athens, Malta, and Dubrovnik, Croatia. Dr. Robert Bergland, professor of journalism, accompanied the convergent media students and Dr. Christopher Bond, associate professor of communication, accompanied the public relations students. Several of the students received funds from the Foundation’s Student Excellence Fund, which supports student presentations at conferences.
The two groups of students traveled together to Athens and London until the convergent media students headed to their conference in Dubrovnik and the public relations students headed to Malta for theirs. Other destinations along the way included Venice, Rome, Dublin and Mendrisio, Switzerland, depending on the group.
“The highlight for me was seeing my students present at conferences, seeing the fruition of their work,” Dr. Bergland said. “The quality of their presentations and the quality of their research were on par with the other presentations at the conferences.”
“The entire process – from planning, traveling, sightseeing and presenting at conferences –was an outstanding experience. The program provided a unique opportunity to see far-away places that we have only heard about while connecting and building relationships with fellow students and faculty,” said Dr. Christopher Bond, associate professor of communication. “One student summed-it up best by calling our study abroad an ‘European Extravaganza.’”
Cobb, a convergent media major, said highlights for him were probably London and Rome. “I think everyone should travel outside their own country for the cultural experience. It was a great experience and I’d love to do it again.”
Stephen Solomon, a public relations major, said London was the highlight of the trip for him, also. “We got to see the most famous ‘tourist’ sites and had a little time to relax,” he said.
Dr. Bergland said he was happy that his students embraced the foreign travel and got as much out of the trip as they could. “I was really proud of my students every step of the way: researching, presenting and embracing the opportunities. They really wanted to experience the different cultures and history.”
“Being able to present there was fantastic,” Cobb said of the Athens conference. “It’s a wonderful thing to put on my resumè that I presented overseas.”
“I loved it,” Solomon said. “It was a great opportunity to see several countries, and I want to study abroad again.”