DJ Schiers (left) and Spencer Morgan
Two SUNY Fredonia alumni will present “Pathways to Finding Your Passion and Voice through Writing” in the Writers@Work series.
Spencer Morgan and DJ Schier will give numerous presentations, jointly and separately, in the Alumni Writers-in-Residence series at various campus locations on Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 23 and 24.
Mr. Morgan is executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. Mr. Schier is Dean of Students at Villa Maria College.
“They are invested in sharing their skills and experiences with students and helping students find their path and voice,” Department of English Professor Natalie Gerber said of Morgan and Schier.
Sessions on Oct. 23 include:
• “Writing an Elevator Pitch,” with Schier, at McEwen Hall Room 209, from 10 to 10:50 a.m., open to students in COMM 302: Rhetoric & Criticism, and for invited students in Leadership Studies and the Honors Program, as well as other students and community members.
• “Thinking as a Workplace Writer,” with Morgan, Schier and Professor Gerber in the Fenton Hall Writing Lab 2162/4, from 11 to 11:50 a.m., for students in WRTG 375: Writing for the Professions. The session is limited to 18 students and open to community members. The focus is on writing for the workplace – with a purpose in mind. Examples of writing for a purpose and for a specific audience will be shared.
• “Career Opportunities for History Majors,” with Morgan and Department of History Professor Mary Beth Sievens, in Thompson Hall Room E120, from 2 to 2:50 p.m., for students in HIST 222: Survey of Early U.S. History. Subjects of the session include nonprofits, museums and history for a majors-only class interested in learning about various career paths they could follow with a degree in history.
• “Raising Money for Creative Projects,” with Morgan and Schier, in McEwen Hall Room G26, from 3 to 4:20 p.m., for students in COMM 361: Screenwriting, open to invited students from other courses and community members. Topics of the session include the study of pitching and writing as well as fundraising and grant writing for projects.
• An informal mingle and dine, open to students and community members will be held in the Williams Center Horizon Room at 5:30 p.m.
• “Pathway to Finding Your Passion & Voice through Writing,” in the Williams Center Horizon Room, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., for students in COMM 155: Rhetoric of Sound & Vision, other students and community members.
Sessions on Oct. 24 include:
• “Advice from an Honors Alum,” with Schier, in Fenton Hall Room 2148 (Honors Lounge). The conversation will focus on how to make the most of college years and career planning. The Faculty Student Association will provide food and refreshments.
• “Business Communication,” with Department of Communication Associate Professor Tracy Marafiote and Schier, in McEwen Hall Room G26, for students in COMM 366: Business Communication and COMM 454: Fiction Capstone (Digital Film), and community members. The focus of the session will be on writing and verbal communication in business settings. How writing and verbal skills can benefit students and how meaningful they are in an organization for employee development and mobility will also be covered.
• “Historical Storytelling,” with Morgan, in Thompson Hall Room E329, from 2 to 3:20 p.m., reserved for History majors. The focus will be on the craft of writing and historical storytelling.
“Their specific skill sets – in professional writing, fundraising and grant writing, event planning and more – speak to a range of fields and environments, from cultural nonprofit to educational institutions,” remarked Dr. Gerber, one of the driving forces behind Writers@Work since the series began in 2016.
About the two alumni presenters:
Morgan earned a B.A. in History at SUNY Fredonia in 2008 and a M.A. in History, with a concentration in Museum Studies, in 2011 from SUNY Buffalo State University. He previously served as director of Development at the Buffalo Zoo and an associate director of Development at the Fredonia College Foundation. He holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive designation through CFRE International.
Schier earned a B.S. in Communication: Public Relations at SUNY Fredonia in 2011 and a M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration in 2013 at SUNY Buffalo State University. For the last 12 years, he has worked in higher education at Buffalo area colleges that also include Niagara Community College and Medaille University. Schier is a member of the Fredonia Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Writers@Work sponsors include the Carnahan Jackson Fund for the Humanities of the Fredonia College Foundation, Faculty Student Association, Fredonia Alumni Association and the Department of History.
Series partners include Alumni Affairs, Career Development Office, Center for Innovation and Economic Development, Department of English, Fredonia Honors Program, School of Business and Undergraduate Admissions.
Residency partners are the Department of Communication, Department of History, the International Pathway Program and Leadership Studies.
