Introducing "Mr. Bonnie"

At Oklahoma State University, faculty leading a study abroad course have the option to bring a “support companion.” They must pay for their airfare, any hotel differential, food, any activities they plan to join, and OSU’s approved travel insurance for the trip. For our course in Milan, we had three official faculty leaders each with their companion, our on the ground liaison and 23 students. 

Not only is it great to be able to share these experiences with someone you care about but also they really do provide valuable support. While a fun experience for everyone, these are work trips for the faculty. We are managing a large group made up of many first-time travelers, navigating a foreign city and teaching a university course along the way. 

It’s nice to decompress with your person and have someone to keep you company during the students’ free time. It’s also great to have a few extra chaperones, even if they are serving in an unofficial capacity. With a group of 23 students, we tended to keep one couple in front leading the way, a second couple midway to keep the group together, and the last couple at the back to ensure no one got separated. We were navigating busy streets, hopping metros and making train changes. We needed all hands on deck. 

This was John’s second time to join me on a study abroad, and he really found his groove and enjoyed his role. I describe his job as being open to chats and an occasional question and standing by being vaguely dad-shaped when needed. With 23 young women in a foreign country, it is surprisingly handy to simply have a couple large men stand with you. 

Around the second day, we were breaking up into groups and some of the students announced, “We’re going with Bonnie and… um… Mr. Bonnie.” We had a chuckle, I introduced John to the group, but the nickname stuck and honestly it seemed to be a term of endearment. Even students who knew him called him Mr. Bonnie and by the end of the day he was answering to it without even thinking.

It’s Tuesday, it must be Switzerland: Epic views and life-changing fondue in Lugano

While Milan is an amazing and beautiful city, and there are still lots of things we hope to see the next time we visit, it’s also a great hub. Throughout this visit we took three day trips. For our first, we hopped a train to Switzerland and spent the day in Lugano. 

The town of Lugano sits on a lake nestled in the mountainside of the Alps. We stepped out of the train station to some stunning views. We began the trek downhill to the Old Town, which was filled with boutiques and vintage luxury shops. After a quick orientation, we set the students loose for the morning and began our own stroll through the cobblestone streets. 

The timing was perfect for us to grab an hour-long ferry ride of the lake. If we thought the views from the hillside were awesome, the views from the center of the lake were stupendous. Snowcapped mountains stretched in every direction and adorable villages dotted the shores. It was just a commuter ferry, no tour or guide, but we were wowed. It was definitely a great way to spend the morning. 

Upon our return, we stopped at a nice cafe that touted a fondue menu on their sidewalk chalkboard. This was another great spur of the moment decision. It’s no exaggeration to say this fondue is in the running for one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had. My co-faculty, Lori, and I split a fondue pot and by the end of the meal, we were only half joking as we planned our next study abroad to Switzerland so we could eat fondue this good for a solid week. 

We sent the husbands off to explore the casino while we did some window shopping. Lori was seriously tempted by some vintage handbags, and I was pulled in by some handmade pieces at the local boutiques. 

After a guided walking tour, the group began the trek back to the train station. Half took the funicular, and I took the brave cohort that decided to walk. It was much, much further than I had remembered from the way down. We turned a corner that I thought was nearly the end only to discover we were less than halfway. After 6-8 blocks of steep stairs, we reached the station a bit winded but proud of our efforts. Our guide was astounded by how quickly we made the walk. He said he’d planned an hour to get us back; we’d made it in less than 20 minutes. 

One thing that surprises and tickles me on these trips is how tired the students get in comparison to the faculty. This day was a perfect example as nearly every student passed out on the train ride back to Milan. 

To guide learning, I gave the student a few framing questions each morning. On this day, I asked: 

• Lugano blends Italian language and lifestyle with Swiss order and affluence. How could influencers use that duality to position Lugano as a distinct kind of luxury lifestyle, different from both Milan and classic Switzerland?
• Unlike Venice or Lake Como, Lugano’s luxury shows up in more subtle ways like the lakeside promenades, arcades on Via Nassa, parks like Parco Ciani, and café culture. As you walk, consider what small, everyday moments here could be framed as “quiet luxury” in influencer content?

The Duomo welcomes us to Milan

We landed in Milan two days late and 46 miles from our original destination (a story for a later post). Somehow, we sped to the hotel just in time to drop our bags, smear on some sunscreen and run to catch my students as they embarked on the first major activity of the trip, a climb to the roof of the Duomo. 

If you are looking for pictures of Milan, chances are good that the Duomo will dominate the results. The Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary is the largest church in Italy and one of the largest in the world. It took about 600 years to complete and features 135 spires, more than 3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles and 700 figures.

What a welcome to Milan. The cathedral is nothing short of breathtaking. The view from the plaza is impressive, but the climb to the roof brings you face-to-face with the intricate architecture. 

A short elevator ride brought us halfway, then the series of staircases began. I quickly found an opening the students overlooked in a narrow passageway. No gates, ropes or signs indicated it was closed to the public and with that we found ourselves standing on the literal roof. Needless to say we were all immediately thrilled with the detour. 

We took our time climbing the stairs and exploring every nook and cranny we could fit ourselves into. From the roof, we had panoramic views of Milan. The day was so clear, we could see the Alps from our perch on top of the city. 

John and I have an inside joke that we have to visit the tallest structure in any city we visit, so that trip requirement was checked off quickly this time. The Duomo did not disappoint, and it was clear why this is a must-see stop for any trip to Milan. 

To guide learning, I gave the student a few framing questions each morning. On this day, I asked: 

• After walking the fashion district and standing on the Duomo terraces, how has your sense of where luxury influence comes from in Milan shifted? Do you see it more in specific brands, in the city’s overall atmosphere, or in the way visitors and locals express style in these spaces?
• If you were guiding an influencer through this same day, what three content moments would you insist they capture to tell a richer story about Milanese luxury?
• How does moving between commercial/luxury space (Quadrilatero della Moda) and sacred/historic space (the Duomo) affect your thinking about the line between cultural experience and branded experience in influencer communication?

More than a field trip, less than a semester abroad: Faculty-led study abroad, the Goldilocks of education travel

Rooftop stop on the Duomo.

When I was a college student, “study abroad” meant you spent one to two semesters living and taking courses in another country. It was a big, costly undertaking and honestly something that never seemed accessible to me. Today, Oklahoma State University (and many more I’m sure) have added another option that has opened global experiential learning to a wider audience. Enter the faculty-led study abroad course.

I recently returned from leading my second such class where two fellow professors and I took 23 students on a week-long spring break trip to Milan, Italy. The trip, of course, is the foundation of the course, which also includes both pre- and post-departure class meetings, presentations by the students, on-the-ground assignments throughout the week, and a final paper. Our students are earning three credit hours for “Influencer Communications in Luxury Spaces.”

Students enroll in the course, pay the associated tuition and fees, and purchase their own airfare. The fees are naturally higher than your average college course because they include the hotel, some meals and all the activities the faculty have planned around the learning objectives of the course.

These study abroad experiences have two big appeals for both students and their parents. First, I’ve found both the students and their parents feel much safer knowing students will be accompanied by professors who serve as instructors, guides and support throughout the week. For many of our students, this class is their first time leaving the country. Having access to faculty, especially ones you have a relationship with from prior courses, feels like a safety net (and it is).

The second draw is the financial support. Students can apply their existing financial aid, and OSU offers a number of scholarships designated specifically to study abroad. The Provost, College, OSU Global and our home department all have scholarships, and I’ve seen students awarded over $2,000 specifically toward their study abroad.

I’ve been incredibly lucky to have great student groups and wonderful faculty collaborators. So far, teaching these courses has been fun and enriching. I’m already making mental plans for the next learning adventure.

A quick street lecture before we begin our day's adventure. 

Happy Valentine's Day from Edmon Low

It's been a while since I've shared one of the Library's videos here, but our latest offering is getting a lot of attention. Our spring featurette is a spoof on "The Bachelor," and it's hilarious. The feedback we're getting is that this is one of our best efforts so far.

I'm particularly proud of the consistently great acting our intern team provides. They really put themselves out there and get silly for us.

Enjoy!

Textbooks vs. Zombies, a Public Service Announcement

My team at the OSU Library has been busy at work creating video content for a new initiative at the University. They are churning out some great stuff, and I am super proud. Here's the latest PSA, Textbooks vs. Zombies.

Watch on YouTube

Dance Dares! A Finals Week Gift

Finals week on a college campus can be a stressful time for everyone. So each semester, we try to come up with something fun we can offer the students. Something that says, "Here, take a quick break and laugh at us being stupid. And, maybe if you feel like it, take a moment to be stupid with us."

This fall we decided to use our new video initiative and give the gift of dance dares. I think the funniest part is the fact that many of the employees who are getting dance dared are talking about this project as it happens to them.

This is what I do for a living. While shooting, a student from another department stopped me and asked, "Um, what's your job here?" It's awesome that's what it is.

View on Youtube

Effective SM Presence in Higher Ed

3:30 pm, Friday, March 9, 2012
#highedsoc

SxSW has several styles of presentations. This session was the first "Core Conversation" I attended. A core conversation is just what it sounds like. The moderators pick a topic, give some set up and lead a discussion with whomever shows up.

This session was a little short on set up and the questions were a bit basic for a really exciting discussion. The one question I thought had real potential, no one tackled. I was really cool to get in the same room with so many higher ed folks, though. I actually sat down and had some great talks with several of them afterward.

Questions posed:

• What are the unique challenges of creating an integrated social media presence in a higher education institution?
  The biggest challenge (in my opinion) for OSU seemed echoed by others there. Higher Ed is set up to work in silos. It's very departmentalized and it's easy to get tunnel vision.
  
• How do you get senior leadership as well as members of your department on board?
  I've had no problem getting my leadership on board. Maybe I'm lucky in that way. I think it helps that OSU puts such a focus on creativity and innovation. If I want to try a new way of doing things, it's pretty easy to get approval as long as I can justify why I want to try it. Being at a university, "It's an experiment and I want to learn X..." is often a valid justification.
  
• How do you get colleges and divisions and departments working together?
  It's funny, but those who answered this question (and it's true for OSU, too) said the best SM collaboration happens off line. Getting people in a room and talking out strategy, tactics and timelines is the best way to get it together.
  
• What are the best social media tactics to reach prospective students?
  No one touched this, and I think it is unanswerable on the scale we were discussing. I think the answer is, "It depends." It depends on who your prospective students are, where they are, how old they are (are they prospective at age 10? 15? 17?), and when it is (next year's answer will be different than last year's answer. It's a moving target.)
  
• What are the innovative things universities are doing with social media?
  This is where things could have gotten really interesting, but no one touched this question. In a way I feel like I'm too close to the issue to answer it. What I'm doing myself never seems all that innovative until someone points out I'm doing something no one else is doing yet. What do you think? What have you seen that innovative in higher ed social media?
  

Biggest User 8-Week Challenge Begins

I've blogged about OSU's Healthy Campus Initiative before. Well, they are back with another fun PR stunt. This time the goal seems to be to increase use of the various campus recreation services. The project is called Biggest User and registrants have 8 weeks to sample a number of services (most typically have a cost) for free.

Here's what we get:

• 2 Fitness assessments ($30 value)
• Goal-Planning Session ($20 value)
• 3 Personal Training Sessions ($115 value)
• Nutritional Counseling ($30 value)
• Monthly Seminars
• Outdoor Adventure Challenge Course ($23 value)
• T-shirt
• 10% discount on follow up personal training or massage therapy appointments
• Support from fellow participants
• Encouragement from the staff

The catch? You must participate in both fitness assessments, a minimum of 2 fitness classes per week and at least 12 more activities during the 8-week period or you will be charge $50. I'm fine with that. I'm most interested in the goal-planning, personal training, nutritionist and fitness assessments. If I only do those activities and nothing else, $50 is a deal! (Of course, my competitive streak will force me to do my best to "win")

You might have noticed, I called this a "stunt." You know I love a good (i.e. strategic) PR stunt, and I think this qualifies. Why? Because I'm pretty sure there are a few goals at play here:

• Educate the campus about the variety of services offered (I didn't know we had all this and I've been on campus 17 years)
• Increase use of services (increased use=job security & funding security)
• Gather data on the impact of services (remember those required fitness assessments? they are going to have a nice little study on our beginning fitness levels, the level of participation for 8 weeks, and the results)

The best part: all three of these directly tie in to our goal of being the Healthiest Campus in America. Good on you Campus Recreation.

Professor Bonnie, Doesn't Get Nerdier Than That

No blog posts in two and a half months? Yeah, that's what happens when you take a second job and get cast in a theater production at the same time.

Beginning this fall, I am an adjunct lecturer in OSU's School of Media and Strategic Communications. So in addition to my normal job, I'm teaching two lectures and one writing lab each week.

It's kind of awesome and kind of terrifying a the same time. My co-teacher and I didn't have a lot of time before the semester to prep (hence the terrifying), but it is all kinds of nerdy fun to teach a college class.

Here are just a few of the totally awesome things about my new job:

• Even though I told them they could call me Bonnie, some of the students call me Professor Cain-Wood. It's all I can do to not laugh at them.
• I'm going to be a complete prezi.com pro by the end of the semester.
• I wrote a syllabus. It was so much fun, nerdy, nerdy fun.
• They are actually paying me to do this. (I would have done it for free. Shh, don't tell)
• They are letting me do it again. I'm already scheduled to teach the class again next semester, and it's going to be so much easier the second time.

Pig Personality Test

I've been going to a series of training for the Leadership Development Program at OSU. Sounds pretty fancy, but basically it is How to Be a Supervisor at OSU. I've learned all kinds of great stuff, mainly about how to not get sued by my employees.

I went to a session last semester on communication skills. Our presenter started out with a strange little personality test. I'd never taken this particular one before. So, I'm going to invite you to take it along with me, and I'll use my test as the example.

Start by taking out a blank piece of paper. Now, draw a pig. Yeah, weird, I know, but that is all the instructions you get. No peeking ahead! You go draw; I'll wait here.











Ready? Ok.

Here's my piggy.

1. Where is the pig in proportion to the page? Mine's in the top left corner.
   Toward the top of the paper, you are positive and optimistic. That's me!
   Toward the middle, you are a realist.
   Toward the bottom, you are pessimistic, and have a tendency to behave negatively.
2. Which direction does your pig face? Mine is facing straight ahead.
   Facing left, you believe in tradition, are friendly, and remember dates (birthdays, etc.)
   Facing right, you are innovative and active, but don't have a strong sense of family, nor do you remember dates.
   Facing front (looking at you), you are direct, enjoy playing devil's advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions. Yeah, that sounds about right.
3. How detailed is your drawing? I guess mine is fairly detailed. He has a little house and a sun.
   With many details, you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful. Yea, probably so, although this one doesn't sound so nice.
   With few details, you are emotional and naive, you care little for details and are a risk-taker.
4. How many legs does your pig have? I tried really hard to draw my pig with just 3 legs, you know, perspective and all, but in the end it bothered me and I quickly added in the fourth leg. Because, pigs have four legs!
   With less than 4 legs showing, you are insecure or are living through a period of major change.
   With 4 legs showing, you are secure, stubborn, and stick to your ideals. Um, yeah, me again.
5. How big are the ears? Ugh, another relative question. I think my pig's ear are just the right size. Not big, not small, just average.
   The size of the ears indicates how good a listener you are. The bigger the better. I guess that means I'm average.
6. How long is the pig's tail (if there even is one)? Seriously? it's long enough! Our presenter said if it has 3 or more curls, then it's a long tail. Ok, fine, my pig has a long tail.
   The length of the tail indicates the quality of your sex life. Again more is better. Um, no comment.
   

Healthy Campus Initative Just Got Awesomer

On and off for the last decade plus I have worked at OSU, I have shelled out for a membership at either the Colvin Center (our massive student gym) or the Wellness Center (our small employee gym). I hate choosing between the two. Both are great in different ways.

The Colvin has greater quantity and more kinds of equipment, but much bigger crowds. The Wellness is small, but very clean and rarely crowded. The Colvin has better hours, but lately the Wellness has won out because exercising with the 50+ crowd makes me feel better than exercising with all 18-year-olds.

Now, thanks to OSU's healthy campus initiative I don't have choose and even better I don't have to shell out! The Colvin and Wellness are consolidating and employees get free membership. That's two kinds of awesome.

I appreciate that OSU publicly states a mission to be the healthiest campus in the nation. More than that, I appreciate all the things they do to make that happen: being tobacco-free (well, mostly), healthy(-er) food options, free health screenings, supplemented health insurance, group exercise events. But this, free gym access, has been a long time coming.

Thanks, OSU! My tush and my wallet thank you too.

I'm the Weiner!

This is me and Sheila, who has been my boss for the last 10 years. Because Sheila also happens to be the the Dean of Libraries, she was the one who presented me with the Outstanding Library Staff of the Year Award. Go me!

Really, go Jackie, for being so awesome and supportive and actually nominating me. (as Dean, Sheila isn't allowed to nominate). Jackie is a great friend and mentor, so it means a lot that the nomination came from her.

It was a super awards day for the Bonnie-pire too! Marissa was one of our Wise Outstanding Students Assistants, the highest honor given to a Library student employee.

And Darron received the first Wise Graduate Fellowship. For now, this is the only graduate fellowship at the Library. I may not be Darron's direct supervisor, but I want to count him as part of the Bonnie-pire just the same. He has worked in my department for 4 years and has come to me for help on school, work and extra-curricular projects. He's a super amazing talent who is totally going to change the world changing the world.

Laser Cats From Outer Spaaaaaace!

This entry is falling under a new category I am calling "You Can't Make this Stuff Up." One of my friends suggested I start a file. I decide to go one better and blog them. Some will come from my personal life, but I think there will be quite a few blog-appropriate items from work as well.

About a year back, we got a request to design a retirement party invitation. Valerie took the request and passed it on to me. After I stopped laughing, I told her to stop pulling my leg. She insisted she was not. Then I had to laugh all over again. Laughter in the work place is good, right?

The instructions: an e-invite (sure ok), using green if possible (no problem), with cats (hum, ok it's for a librarian), cats with green eyes (do, what?), incorporating these 3 phrases (oh. come. on) and can it look kind of like the cats are saying the phrases (sorry, I don't even know what to do with that).


After a long search for creative commons images of cats with green eyes, I put together what I thought was a nice tasteful invite that met the specs. But, I always like to give more than one option, and I have to admit this request brought out the stinker in me. So I decided to give them just what they asked for: a tacky cat card.

They freaking LOVED it. It was a unanimous vote to use Space Cats as the invite. And then we laughed some more. Space Cats, you will always be a fond memory. You can't make this stuff up.

You Need to Cross the Road with Urgency...

I work on a college campus. Every day I want to pull a oblivious student aside and have this discussion. Check that, on a good day I want to have this discussion. On a bad day, I want to put them in an "unenviable position."

College students don't do anything with urgency.

Side note, I love this commercial series. They will make you laugh: possum, crab, hamster, lobster, pig, unicorn, mole, penguin, platypus, burro, fish, rat, pigeon, rabbit, parrot, turtle, kangaroo, goat, blue-footed booby and pointer

This Week I Heart: OSU Foundation's OSUccess.com

My friends over that the OSU Foundation are full of interesting ways to secure donations and then pass those dollars on to students. This newest project is so fun, I'm kind of a little obsessed with it.

OSUccess.com (see already how clever it's title is?) began last week and runs until Feb 20. Students enter for 10 chances to win a $1,000 scholarship. Students answer a question "How do you define success at OSU?" with a 300 word blog entry, a 30 second video or a high-resolution photo.

Easy, right? Where were these kind of scholarship applications when I was in school?

Winners will be announced on Feb. 26 (more about this special orange-letter day, later), and they receive the scholarship that day. So, even graduating seniors can enter. The best-of for each category will be selected (3), then one randomly drawn entry from each campus (4), then the remainder are drawn randomly from all entries (3).

Here where the obsession comes in. You can watch the entries as they are submitted via a live feed. Too fun.

Photo Feed

Video Feed

Go to Bed, Annual Report

Once again, the OSU Library's fiscal year 2009 annual report reared its head and ate a small portion of my day.

This report is a project that refuses to be put to bed. I've tucked it in, sung it a lullaby, brought it a cookie, and read it a story. The dern thing won't hush up and leave me alone.

Today, I prepped a report of all the ways we are telling people to go read our awesome annual report about how awesome we've been in the last year. You should go read, skim, at least click on the link too, because my team and I spent 100s of hours on it. When you see it, you'll know why it took so long.

The Time I Met Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson of NOVA/Origins fame was our 2009 speaker for the Cobb dinner. One of the perks of my job is when we bring in these "super famous" people, I get to act as the media escort. When they are nice and fun and motivated to fulfill their contracts, this is a really fun job. When they are rude, stuck up and generally don't seem to care if they get the other half of the speaking fee I'm holding onto until after the event, this can make for a miserable evening.

In case you're wondering, Neil probably falls somewhere in the middle for me. Not the best (I love you Ken Burns!), but certainly no where near the worst.

Emily and Dad got to come this year! I was so excited for my family to get to see one of the biggest events I coordinate each year.

I like when the authors come prepared for the book signing. I always have backup pens ready for them, but I'm impressed when they bring their own. Neil had an arsenal of various colors and inks.

Here I'm trying to explain to Neil why he needs to follow people on Twitter. I don't think he was impressed with my explaination of two-way commincation tools.

Here's my awesome team that worked hundreds of hours (yes, really) to make sure this was a great night for our 232 guests.

At the end of the night, Neil took us outside for a private tour of the night sky. There was a very impressive laser involved, but it's hard to explain without sounding dirty.

How Quickly I Become One of Them

So yesterday I complained about OSU sports, and today I get to put on my Posse hat. John and I are starting the weekend with the Cowboy Wrestling opener.

We've been season ticket holders for three years now, which officially makes us Posse members. But we are nowhere near the level that we would get to kick someone out of their parking space. Moot point anyway since they would never rearrange campus for a wrestling match.

Which is completely backwards! Because our wrestling team is awesome, and our football team is, well, you know.

So cross your fingers for the Cowboys! They take on Arizona State at 7 pm tonight!

OSU Wants You to Know They Care...

...about football, and posse members, and television schedules, and donors who support our mission, students, research, academics, football.

If you work or go to school at OSU then today you lost your parking spot (which you paid for) to Posse Parking and were relocated to overflow lots along the perimeter of campus. I was "lucky." As a staff member I was able to park in a new parking garage on the north edge of campus and only had to walk 5 blocks to get to my building. One of my interns parked over a mile away and will still need to be out of the lot by 3:30 pm.