Writer/communicator virtuoso Randy Cronk will return to his alma mater to share his expertise in writing — touting the added value it brings to a college education as well its relevance in the business world — at Fredonia’s new alumni writers-in-residence series, Writers@Work.
Mr. Cronk will bring his 30-plus years of experience in writing and public relations for technology-based businesses to the three-day residency that begins Wednesday, Feb. 3. The former Hill and Knowlton Vice President-turned-entrepreneur will speak in undergraduate and graduate classes, participate in a panel discussion, lead a workshop and engage in conversations at Professional Development Day information sessions.
The Class of 1972 alumnus was an ideal choice to launch Writers@Work, a joint initiative of Fredonia’s departments of English and History and School of Business, in partnership with the offices of Alumni Affairs and Career Development. The program will bring well-established and emerging writers, editors and publishers to campus to showcase numerous ways that students majoring in the humanities have achieved successful careers.
Since founding his own Boston-based marketing firm, greatwriting, LLC, in 1990, Cronk has worked with more than 270 technology and innovation organizations. Through white papers, websites, brochures, case studies, articles and blogs, Cronk helps clients convey the value of their products and services.
“He’s an English major who has made a great career out of marketing, using new media and blog posts to help clients tell their stories,” said English Department Chairperson Bruce Simon. “He’s also employed a lot of our students in internships, giving them a ‘boot-camp experience’ that provides them with a real taste of the expectations of the outside world.”
Students from a range of majors, minors and backgrounds – business, marketing, communications, public relations, creative writing, professional writing, computer science, humanities, leadership studies and the sciences — will all take away real-world advice about how to use great writing to achieve professional success and advance their careers, added English Department Associate Chairperson Natalie Gerber.
“In every conversation I have with him, he shares ideas and strategies for how our students can advance their careers through applied-learning experiences,” Dr. Gerber said. “He has shown through his paid internship experiences with past students that he is a rigorous and demanding professional who insists on — and helps — students achieve a high professional standard.”
Cronk attributes his success to his Fredonia education and the English department, emphasizing that Fredonia’s open door between the STEM disciplines (he also studied physics) and the liberal arts was “like a light coming on — it provided the premise for my whole career.”
Learning why and how great literary writers are able to move an audience ranks as probably the most durable part of Cronk’s college education.
“Fredonia has been and always will be one of the most important parts of my life,” he said.
Cronk’s passion for his alma mater has grown over the years. He’s hired eight interns from campus as professional writers and mentored at a distance over Skype.
“Working with Fredonia student interns has enabled me to publish more blog articles, explore more topics, and to address these topics from fresh perspectives that I might not have otherwise considered,” Cronk explained.
Gerber says Cronk is a passionate advocate for the value of the humanities, but he also speaks for students across disciplines.
“Business students should be interested in his tremendous success in launching a small business that is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. Science students have to write clearly and effectively, and Randy has built a career by helping thought leaders communicate their ideas to others in their own fields and in different fields,” Gerber explained.
After earning an English degree at Fredonia, Cronk worked as a public relations director at two hospitals before becoming a tech writer at Digital Equipment Corporation. From there, he became a vice president at Hill and Knowlton, one of the world’s largest public relations firms, and then a vice president at Regis McKenna, Inc., a renowned Silicon Valley tech marketing firm.
Writers@Work gets underway with “Making Good Writing Great: A Student Writing Workshop,” on Wednesday, 7 to 8:30 p.m., at Fenton Hall Room 127. In this session, Cronk will explain how to translate information into compelling, moving prose and reach specific audiences. Instead of critiquing individual works, Cronk will use previously submitted student writing as a guide to provide feedback and advice.
Cronk will be immersed in the classroom on Thursday, meeting with students in ENGL 400: Senior Seminar; ENGL 375: Writing for the Professions; ENGL 271: Rhetoric for Writers; and ENGL 522: Writing for Digital Media.
An informal reception, open to student leaders and community organization representatives, will be held on Thursday, 4:30 p.m., in the Fenton Hall faculty lounge. Comments will be offered by Cronk, President Virginia Horvath, Interim Vice President for University Advancement Betty Gossett and English professor Jan McVicker. Information on Fredonia's new Certificate of Advanced Study in Professional Writing will also be offered.
Cronk will also participate in Professional Development Day events on Friday that include the following:
• “Getting Started with a Long-Distance Student Internship,” at 10 a.m. in the Williams Center. Cronk will join Career Development Office Director Tracy Collingwood, English professor Ann Siegle Drege and graduate student W. Dean Furness in a panel discussion devoted to learning outcomes, logistics and lessons learned from internships offered by Cronk’s firm.
• “Why Great Writing Matters,” at 1 p.m. in the Williams Center. Joining a conversation that will explore the distinctiveness, value and meaning of the Fredonia experience as depicted by Cronk’s life and career will be President Horvath, Vice President for Engagement and Economic Development Kevin Kearns and Ms. Collingwood.
In an off-campus session for invited community members, business leaders, faculty, staff and student leaders, Cronk will address, “Why Great Writing Matters for Everyone, Including Your Business,” on Friday, 2:30 p.m., at the Fredonia Technology Incubator, 214 Central Ave., Dunkirk.
Writers@Work is sponsored by the Carnahan Jackson Humanities Fund, Fredonia Alumni Association, Fredonia College Foundation, Department of History and the Mary Louise White Fund.
To learn more about this and future Writers@Work events, see www.fredonia.edu/writersatwork or call 716-673-3125.
