Claire richardson · 2018. 2. 5. · FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact: Claire Richardson Director of Media Relations Tel: (636) 544) 544-5353 Email: [email protected]

Claire richardson

Final portfolio

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Resume 2

Client 1: Central College

1. Client Background 3 2. News Release 4 3. Policy and Memo Writing 6-7 4. Feature Story 9

Client 11: Mizzou

1. Client Background 10 2. Bio 11 3. Direct Mail Fundraising 13 4. Feature Story 15-16 5. Pitching 18

Presentation

1. Grammar/Style Presentation 20

RICHARDSON 1

[email protected], 636-544-5353

LinkedIn: clairejrichardson

Education

University of Missouri—Columbia Fall 2014—Present Bachelor of Journalism: Strategic Communication GPA: 3.8 Bachelor of Arts in French Minor in History, Multicultural Certificate, Honors Expected graduation date: May 2018

Work Experience Campus Dining Services, Graphic Design Intern May 2017—Present • Work within a team to design marketing materials for 29 Campus Dining Services operations. • Maintain strong knowledge of brand personalities and create materials that are on-brand. • Represent CDS at a conferences and events, utilizing sales skills and consumer outreach. Communications Research Center, Assistant Researcher Fall 2016 • Designed Internal Review Board approved survey and conducted the research using

Qualtrics; became certified researcher as part of this process. • Data was utilized as part of a fact sheet directed at Missouri lawmakers.

Involvement Center Stage Dance Mizzou, Public Relations Chair January 2015—Present • Direct social media presence, manage communication with parents and teachers and answer

press requests for a student-run organization that provides free dance lessons to children. • Develop marketing materials for recruitment and fundraising purposes. Marketing Fraternity, Director of Communications May 2016—January 2017 • Supported the VP of Public Relations with risk management duties and social media updates. • Collaborated with other members to conceive and design print promotions. Study Abroad Participant in Lyon, France Summer 2016 • Gained significant intercultural experience by living with a French family and taking classes

entirely in French. • Succeeded in improving language skills to near-fluency in two months.

Other Skills

• Strong knowledge, working proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite. Significant experience with content creation: page design, photography photo editing, illustration and video production.

RICHARDSON PORTFOLIO 2

Claire Richardson

mailto:[email protected]?subject=

Client Background:

Central College

Located in Columbia, Missouri, Central College is a private, non-denominational, liberal arts college. Founded in 1902, it was the first institution of higher learning in the region. Today, the college teaches more than 6,000 full-time, part-time, night and weekend students on two campuses.

Committed to bringing the full college experience to an intimate setting, the college has an IAA Athletics program, wellness center and a campus that consistently ranks among the region’s most beautiful. The college is also committed to its community, with 75 percent of students coming from the region and a community service program.

News Release Assignment

Prompt: The assignment was to write an hard news press release announcing participation in a new study. We were given information on the study. Then we had to synthesize it.

What I learned: I learned how to organize a hard- news style release. This requires thinking critically about what information is most important and structuring the news release accordingly.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact: Claire Richardson Director of Media Relations Tel: (636) 544) 544-5353 Email: [email protected]

New program hopes to prepare struggling students for college

COLUMBIA, Mo. (Sept. 12, 2017) This week the Missouri Educational Research Foundation announced that Central College is one of five institutions of higher education state-wide selected to participate in Early Support. The program is a four-year pilot study of long-distance remedial education.

Other participating institutions include Truman State University, in Kirksville, Webster University, in St. Louis, William Jewell College, in Liberty, and Drury University, in Springfield.

“We can’t wait to start collaborating on this program with all of these elite institutions,” said Leon C. DeWitt, Ph.D., president of Central CollegeDeWitt. “To have been chosen as part of the study is an honor. It really just shows how good we are at what we do.”

The study, funded by the Missouri Department of Education and the Missouri Educational Research Foundation, will bring high schools and higher education institutions together.

High school juniors and seniors will attend virtual classes taught by college professors for their final two years. Students will be instructed in core areas like reading, writing, math and computer skills.

-more- The goal of the program is to help students who are struggling academically become college ready. As an added incentive, Central College will offer admission and financial aid to students who pass the program.

“I’m convinced the collaboration between high schools and colleges will be so beneficial for the young people of our community,” said Dr. DeWitt. “We want to give our young people every possible tool to succeed, whether that’s in high school, at Central College or out in the world.” Located in Columbia, Missouri, Central College is a private, non-denominational, liberal arts college. Founded in 1902, it was the first institution of higher learning in the region. Today, the college teaches more than 6,000 full-time, part-time, night and weekend students on two campuses.

Committed to bringing the full college experience to an intimate setting, the college has an IAA Athletics program, wellness center and a campus that consistently ranks among the region’s most beautiful. The college is also committed to its community, with 75 percent of students coming from the region and a community service program.

For more information visit www.centralcollege.edu.

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http://www.centralcollege.edu

Policy & Memo Assignment

Prompt: For this assignment, the fictional president of Central College sent an email asking for a new dress code policy. We wrote a new policy for the employee handbook and then wrote a memo explaining the policy.

What I learned: I learned how to create a policy that is straightforward, since interoffice communication needs to be direct and easy to follow. I learned the how to write an effective memo with support for my ideas.


INTEROFFICE MEMO ON ADMINISTRATIVE DRESS POLICY

DATE: September 26, 2017 TO: Leon DeWitt, President FROM: Susan Anderson, Director of Human Resources SUBJECT: Dress standards for administrative staff

President DeWitt: I’ve drafted a dress code section for the policy manual and attached it to this memo. The policy includes several key parts. I’ve outlined these below, along with their rationale. 1. Acceptable clothing items are listed in the policy.

Rationale: This section clearly outlines what is expected in ‘corporate casual’ dress. The proper attire for formal events is outlined as well, per your request.

2. Unacceptable clothing items are also highlighted. Rationale: Inappropriate clothing is directly addressed in the policy. This is an effort to make the dress code as clear as possible. T-shirts and jeans were highlighted as examples of unacceptable dress, as you suggested.

3. Student workers are briefly mentioned. Rationale: The policy is addressed to “all administrative staff, student workers and interns in a campus department.” This should emphasize that ‘corporate casual’ dress is expected of students as well.

This policy is aimed at making this transition to a dress code as simple and clear as possible. The proposed policy, attached to this memo, gives expectations in a reasonable tone as to encourage compliance. If you have any feedback on this draft, please send me an email at [email protected]. Best, Susan Anderson


mailto:[email protected]

POLICY MANUAL

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF DRESS CODE

All administrative staff, student workers and interns in a campus department are expected to adhere to a ‘corporate casual’ dress code during the workweek.

Appropriate ‘corporate casual’ clothing includes: • Suit pants • Khaki dress pants • Business suit skirts • Formal button-down dress shirts • Dress polo shirts • Simple blouses • Dress shoes • Closed-toe flat shoes

Another way to think of ‘corporate casual’ is to imagine business professional (full, matching suit or skirt suit) without the suit jacket. All clothing should portray a neat, professional image.

Jeans and t-shirts will not be considered appropriate workweek attire. Ripped or dirty clothing; loud patterns or colors; and over-accessorizing should also be avoided.

For special occasions, ‘business professional’ dress may be required. Advanced notice will be given on expected dress for these events.

• For men, ‘business professional’ includes: o Full, matching suit o Neutral-colored button-down dress shirt o Tie or bowtie o Dress shoes

• For women, ‘business professional’ includes:

o Full, matching pant or skirt suit o Neutral-colored button-down dress shirt o Dress shoes or business heels

The head of each department will enforce this policy.


Feature Story Assignment

Prompt: For this assignment, I wrote a feature story to talk about the progression of the Early Support program. We started from scratch, creating characters and a plot.

What I learned: I learned the elements that make for a gripping soft news story. The story needs to have human interest and detail. I learned how to structure a story to create a need for resolution, which can help readers stay engaged.


An Unlikely Path to College

A pile of newly-purchase linens, a box of 60 packages of Ramen noodles and a mini fridge sit in a white SUV in the driveway. Along with thousands of other Missouri students, today is move-in day for college freshman Renee Brown. But for Renee’s mother Laura Smith, this is a day she never thought possible.

Brown suffers from dyslexia. It made completing high school an unthinkable challenge. Each day, Brown struggled to read the pages of To Kill A Mockingbird or other assigned books. The words would reverse themselves, jumble letters or just become non-sense.

Math was even harder. Instead of struggling to mathematically find the ‘x,’ Brown would struggle to make sense of jumbled formulas. When it came time to do math homework, Brown had Smith read the problems out loud to make sense of them.

All that changed last year when guidance counselor George Peters recommended Brown for the “Early Support” program. The Early Support program is a pilot study through the Missouri Department of Education. As part of the program, struggling high school juniors and seniors are able to complete their final years of school in interactive online classes taught by college professors.

On her first day of senior year, Brown found herself sitting in a computer lab at her high school. That’s where she virtually met Central College Professor Andy Sandburn.

“One of the first things Sandburn explained to us on the first day was that he was dyslexic,” said Brown. “I had never met anyone else with the same problem as me, and it was really inspiring to see him be so successful.”

That day changed everything for Brown, according to her mother. Smith said she saw the difference immediately. When Renee came home on the first day, she asked her daughter how it had gone.

“For the first time in as long as I can remember that she walked in with a huge smile and said, ‘It was awesome.’ She was inspired,” said Smith.

The positive start was just a hint of the success to come for Brown. When she took her second SAT in January, she raised her first score by 350 points. Overall, students in the program raised their score by an average of 200 points.

For the first time in her life, Brown said she felt motivated in school. In the computer lab at her high school, Brown says she got a glimpse of her real abilities.

“I think Early Support was so helpful because I got a lot of individual attention. I never had the feeling that I was constantly falling behind because of professors like Professor Sandburn, who were always there for me,” Brown said.

Early Support students were offered scholarships for successfully completing the program. In June at her high school graduation ceremony, Brown accepted her scholarship to Central College, where she will study psychology.

“I just want to help other kids who are struggling with school as much as I was. I want them to know that it’s possible to succeed,” said Brown.


Client Background:

MIZZOU

The University of Missouri, located in Columbia, Missouri, is the flagship school of the University of Missouri System. It was the first public university west of the Mississippi River. Today, Mizzou, as it is affectionately known, carries on that legacy with cutting-edge research and top-ranked programs.

Mizzou is home to over 300 degree programs for undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. Its professional programs include a law school, medical school and veterinary school. For more information, visit www.missouri.edu.

bio assignment

Prompt: For this assignment, I had to interview an MU professor. After, I had to write a new bio for them based on the information gathered.

What I learned: I learned how to gather information effectively using an interview. Then, I learned how to frame a person’s story in their bio to make it interesting to read.


Mary Jo Muratore

Dr. Mary Jo Muratore is a Professor of French in the Department of Romance Languages at Mizzou. Over the course of her 30-year teaching career, Muratore has taught French at various institutions including Virginia Tech, Purdue University and the University of Missouri.

Muratore’s academic interests in a French started from a language course that she took in college. During her undergraduate years, Muratore discovered that French was something she loved and was good at. She really enjoyed reading and analyzing French literature, and she hasn’t stopped since.

Her wide literary interests span from 17th century French theater to comparative studies of Post-World War II literature. Muratore’s favorite is her more recent work on the legacy of slavery and colonialism in the francophone world. She is the author of several books on literary analysis, including Exiles, Outcasts, Strangers: Icons of Marginalization in Post World War II Narrative; The evolution of the Cornelian heroine; and Expirer Au Feminin: Narratives of Female Dissolution in French Classical Texts.

Muratore takes her role as a teacher to heart. For her students that means making Medieval French poetry exciting by comparing it to modern music. She teaches an introductory French Literature course and a graduate seminar on francophone writers.

During her time at Mizzou, Muratore has been awarded two prestigious teaching awards: The Curators’ Teaching Professor in 2015 and the Kemper Award for Teaching Excellence in 1991. Muratore says she is always striving to be a better professor.

Muratore completed her undergraduate degree at Kent State University. She completed two Masters’ degrees, one at Kent State University and one at University of Florida. She later completed her Ph.D. at the University of California-Davis.

In her free-time, you will find Professor Muratore outside kayaking, gardening and swimming. Muratore also loves of knitting and crocheting, and reading.


Direct mail assignment

Prompt: We were given details on a new project that needed fund. The assignment was to write a direct mail letter to Journalism School alumni asking for a donation.

What I learned: I learned how to format a direct mail letter to convey a sense of need and urgency. I also learned how to make a direct mail letter targeted to a specific audience and to then speak to that audience.


Cherished J-School Alumni,

If you went to school from 1980 onward, you probably remember the scratchy brown chairs of Roy Fischer Auditorium or the tunnels that saved us all from Missouri winters. Although it was state-of-the-art when it was built, Gannett Hall is now over 30 years old.

Some changes desperately need to be made. The lecture hall is no longer suited to a digital era. The building itself is leaky, creaky and otherwise out-of-sorts. This outdated building is the first thing prospective students see on their tour.

Clearly, the time has come to renovate the building.

This new building will be more cohesive with the recently renovated Reynolds Journalism Institute and the rest of the Journalism School. This state-of-the-art building will include a space for just about everyone. To facilitate recruiting new students, there will be a conference area just for prospective student presentations. The new space will provide a dedicated Strategic Communication meeting area to build a sense of community in the program. It will provide expanded offices for professors to encourage professor-student interaction. To showcase our alumni’s work there will be an alumni gallery.

In short, the new space will make continuing the Missouri School of Journalism’s reputation of excellence much easier. In this envelope, I’ve included the projected designs for the space so that you can get an idea of what a game-changer this will be.

With state funding cuts, we’re calling on our alumni to help to ensure the quality of the Journalism School experience for future students with a new Gannett Hall.

This is where you come in. With only a $15 monthly contribution, you can help bring the facilities of the school to par with its reputation.

With this generous gift, you will be helping to train the next generation of journalists and strategic communications professionals. This renovation will be essential in providing the space to prepare these students for their futures.

To donate, simply check “yes, I want to build the future of the Journalism School” on the final sheet in this packet. Then, select how you would like to contribute: by monthly check or monthly account withdrawal. Then, place the envelope in the mailbox. Upon receiving your contribution, we will send you a specially designed J-School alumni polar fleece as a thank you.

If you believe in the mission of educating future journalism and strategic communications professionals, we hope you will be willing to help with this project.

Thank you for your consideration, David Kurpius Dean, Missouri School of Journalism

P.S. We need your help to build a better home for the Missouri School of Journalism. For just $15 a month, you can help us renovate Gannett Hall.


Feature story assignment

Prompt: For this assignment we had to come up with a story idea, conduct interviews and write a feature story. The story was supposed to be about an MU subject, but not overtly about the school.

What I learned: I learned how to craft a PR feature story with interesting characters, details and plot. I also improved my ability to conduct interviews with targeted questions.


A life lived for dance

When Kate Germain Kromann was 2 years old, she entered a small room with a mirror-covered wall. There were strange pieces of wood horizontally attached to the wall, something she had never seen before in her young life. Little did she know that that dance studio would set the course for the rest of her life.

A tall and lanky child, Kromann found that dance taught her grace and coordination, in addition to pirouettes. Her form was perfect for ballet, something she came to adore.

Kromann took as many classes as possible, and soon started competing her dance routines. The schedule was demanding, and most nights of the week were spent inside that small room with mirrors and bars.

When she was about 13, a teacher recommended that Kromann start taking pointe classes. In the dance world, this transformation from dancing ballet on soft slippers to dancing on the tips of your toes in a hard wood-spined shoe is a revelation. In no time, Kromann began twirling around the studio, her whole weight on the tips of her toes.

When recital came, she strutted onto the stage in a midnight blue tutu. Kromann looked more like a snowflake twisting and twirling its way to the ground than an actual dancer. As she finished the routine, the audience roared.

High school was a blur of dance classes, performances at Friday night football games with her dance team and dance competitions. In the process, Kromann racked up trophies bigger than her and brought enormous joy to those watching.

When she turned 18, she was met with heart-crushing news: Kromann’s scoliosis was worsening. She needed surgery to correct the curve in her spine. While the doctor was convinced he could fix the curve in her spine, he remained unsure if Kate would be able to dance again. In this tough time, Kate turned to God with thanks for the time she was able to spend dancing thus far.

A year later, Kromann astounded many when she began to dance again. Slowly but surely she eased back into her former dance routine. Now she was reminded of just how precious the gift of dance was, and she was determined to share this gift with others.

In 2003 when Kromann was studying at the University of Missouri –Columbia, or Mizzou, she knew the time was right to share dance with others. That year she founded Center Stage Dance, a student-run organization with the mission of providing free dance classes to those who cannot afford traditional classes.

Last spring, more than 50 tiny dancers took the stage at Jesse Hall auditorium. Filled with heart and pride, they twirled, leaped and sashayed across the stage. During the final bow, former Center Stage president President Brittany Hackmann made a poignant announcement: Kate, the woman who had founded the organization, had died unexpectedly a few months earlier.


Following Kromann’s death in 2015, her mother Susan Bartel started Kate’s Heart, a non-profit organization that aims to support organizations that involve empowering children. Next spring, Kate’s Heart will make a $1,000 donation to Center Stage.

The donation “is a reminder of how meaningful the organization was to [Kromann] and her vision for Center Stage,” said Wooldridge.

Next spring, this donation will allow the organization to fulfill Kate’s dream of making Center Stage as close to traditional dance classes as possible.

“I think parents and kids alike will find joy in their dance costumes,” said Wooldridge. “The recital will be a lot more professional and comparable to a dance studio's recital with the new dance costumes.”

For ballet, this will look like mini ballerinas in real tutus. For hip-hop, students will wear more than a decorated t-shirt for a costume. For jazz, this will surely include sequins, and for pom-pom class, this will include real, durable poms instead of the current ones made of plastic tablecloths.

Bartel told Wooldridge “[Kromann] loved the look on kid’s faces when they saw their costumes.”

Providing joy through special dance costumes is just one facet of Kate’s Heart. Since founding Kate’s Heart in 2016, the organization has donated more than $30,000 to various non-profits, according to Kate’s Heart page.

According to Wooldridge, Bartel hopes to create an ongoing partnership with Center Stage to help support the organization and to ensure that Kate’s legacy of service continues.


Pitching assignment

Prompt: This assignment consisted of writing a pitch email to an editor about a story idea. The email had to be concise, yet attention grabbing in order to make pick up your story.

What I learned: I learned how to clearly explain a story idea from an editorial point of view. I also learned ways to catch an editor’s interest while looking over the pitch.


Subject line: Follow-up on Kate’s dance story

Hi Surin,

Here is more information about our call yesterday regarding Kate’s Heart and Center Stage:

An organization called Kate’s Heart just donated $2,000 to a MU student organization. This is the organization’s largest ever single donation.

This would be a great time to tell Kate’s story of dance and service.

Since founding Center Stage in 2003, hundreds of children in the community have learned to dance through the organization.

The angle of the this story will be telling the story of Kate’s dance career and how she went against the odds to continue dancing. Then at the end, I will go into how Kate gave back to the community by founding a non-profit, Center Stage.

The audience will be parents in the community who have lost a child, parents with children who dance or parents who were dancers themselves. A secondary audience is people affiliated with MU, either alumni or current students, who will want to read this story of an alumnus who accomplished great things in life.

Center Stage President Allison Wooldrige said this donation will allow the organization to purchase recital costumes, something that has never happened.

“I think parents and kids alike will find joy in their dance costumes,” said Wooldridge. “The recital will be a lot more professional and comparable to a dance studio's recital with the new dance costumes.”

The human-interest angle of the story will be gripping to anyone who is called to give back.

Please let me know your thoughts on the story. I will give you a call back on Friday if I haven’t heard from you.

You can reach me by phone at (636) 544-5353 or by email at [email protected].

Best, Claire Richardson

P.S. I’ve attached a photo of Kate that could be included.


mailto:[email protected]

presentation assignment

Prompt: For this assignment, I was assigned an AP Style topic to ‘teach’ the class. We gathered information, designed the presentation and delivered it to the class.

What I learned: I learned how to present effectively. This includes how to create a well-designed, cohesive PowerPoint and how to present with confidence and ease.


presentation


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QUOTATIO

N MARKS

P R E S E N T E D B Y :

C L A I R E R I C H A R D S O N

WHEN ARE THEY USED?

DIRECT QUOTES

•  Around direct words of a speaker •  “I love cliché quotes about the mountains,” she said. •  John Muir described mountain air as, “sweet to the lungs.” •  Full quotes are preferred in AP Style

DIALOGUE

§  Brief dialogue: each speaker’s words placed in quotation marks and in separate paragraph

“When can we go to Colorado?” “Soon.” “How soon?” “Once ski season starts.”

§  However, Q-and-A do NOT require quotation marks if using Q: and A:.

FOREIGN PHRASES

•  Foreign words: put quotation marks around phrase and translation

•  When I am skiing, I feel “libre comme l’air,” a French phrase that directly translates to “free as air.”

QUOTES WITHIN QUOTES

•  Use double quotation marks (“or”) for the person’s direct words

•  Use single marks (‘or’) for the second person’s direct words

•  Alternate the two to differentiate quotes •  He said, “My dad once told me, ‘skiing is

one way that a human can fly.’”

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CITATION

Quotation marks: AP Stylebook, pg. 305-306 Foreign words: AP Stylebook, pg. 106 Contact info: Claire Richardson Pawprint: CJRN8B

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QUOTATIO

N MARKS



WHEN ARE THEY USED?

DIRECT QUOTES


DIALOGUE




FOREIGN PHRASES








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N MARKS



WHEN ARE THEY USED?

DIRECT QUOTES


DIALOGUE




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OTHER PLACES YOU MAY SEE THEM

•  Irony •  Composition titles •  Unfamiliar terms •  She loved “mogul runs,” which are steep runs with mounds that form due to skiiers’ turns.

PUNCTUATION

•  Commas and periods ALWAYS go inside the quotation marks •  Dashes, semicolons, question mark and exclamation point go •  Inside à if they apply only to the quoted material •  Outside à if they apply to the whole sentence

•  “Where do you want to go skiing this year?” he asked me in June. •  Does Nick always say to you, “Winter is coming”?

QUIZ

WHICH IS CORRECT?

A. He said, “She told me, “we can go skiing during break.” B. He said, “She told me, ‘we can go skiing during break.’”

WHICH IS CORRECT?

A. “When does ski season start?” “It starts November 10.”

B. “When does ski season start?” “It starts November 10.”

WHICH IS CORRECT?

A. My ski instructor described skiing as “controlled falling;” it’s much more fun than that sounds. B. My ski instructor described skiing as “controlled falling”; it’s much more fun than that sounds.

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PUNCTUATION



QUIZ

WHICH IS CORRECT?


WHICH IS CORRECT?



WHICH IS CORRECT?


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PUNCTUATION



QUIZ

WHICH IS CORRECT?


WHICH IS CORRECT?



WHICH IS CORRECT?


Documents

Claire richardson · 2018. 2. 5. · FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information, contact: Claire Richardson Director of Media Relations Tel: (636) 544) 544-5353 Email: [email protected]