Museum Professions Students and Alumni Present at the MAAM Annual Meeting
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
The Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) is a nonprofit organization representing the interests of museum professionals in the Northeast. Its mission is "to support and promote excellence, ethics, and accessibility in museum practices to make the museums of the Mid-Atlantic region better able to preserve and interpret our diverse cultural, scientific, and aesthetic heritage." To do so, MAAM hosts meetings, symposia and offers publications and other professional development resources.
One such symposium is the MAAM Annual Meeting, which was held virtually to allow more opportunities for speakers and guests from differing locations. Out of over 20 sessions, two presentations saw input from the College of Communication and the Arts' own Museum Professions students and alumni.
On Wednesday, October 6, Professor Gregory Stevens, Program Director of the MA in Museum Professions program moderated "Perspectives on Engaging Diverse Communities, Activism, and Social Issues". The panelists consisted of Devon Mancini, M.A. '21, Katharine Nelson, M.A. '21, and Elyse Gombas, M.A. '21. Each presenter shared their thesis projects, exploring issues of communication and public trust, activism in anthropology museums, and climate change, respectively.
Mancini, who currently serves as museum learning educator at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA, presented "Propaganda or Persuasion: A Multisite Case Study Analysis of the Impact of Museum Communications on American Public Trust", which may be found in the e-repository in the University libraries.
"What struck me the most was just how amazing it was to be presenting academic research at a professional conference like this one. It really made me feel like I had graduated and joined the museum community as a working professional," said Mancini. "During graduate orientation we were told that once we completed this degree, we would no longer be just consumers of information, but contributors to academic literature. To finally have that come true felt incredibly rewarding and affirming."
On Thursday, October 7, a panel on "Curating Connections: Building and Maintaining Relationships in the Field" was moderated by Hannah Gaston, M.A. '19. Current M.A. student Sophia Hudzik, along with alumni Monisha Bernard, M.A. '21 and Emily Burde, M.A. '14, presented on the challenges of inter- and intrapersonal relationships between museum professionals through personal experiences throughout the pandemic.
Burde ended her section of the presentation by offering advice for current students and museum professionals. "Always do your best. Your best is never the same as someone else's best. And when you're doing this, understand that each employee's capabilities are going to be different from your own." She followed this by adding, "Encourage their growth from there, and in the process take nothing personally."
Full programs and descriptions of the event and these sessions may be found on the MAAM website, and the theses presented at the "Perspectives on Engaging Diverse Communities" panel may be found through the thesis directory on the Seton Hall library website.
About the College of Communication and the Arts
The College currently offers graduate-level programs in Museum Professions and Communication, including the opportunity to pursue a unique area of study in Public Relations,
Digital Communication/Communication Technologies, or Communication in Organizations.
In addition, four dual-degree options, including three accelerated master's/B.A. programs
and a dual M.A. degree with the School of Diplomacy and International Relations are
offered. For more information about Graduate Studies within the College of Communication and the Arts, please contact Dr. Ryan Hudes.
