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By Bill Beggs
Jr.
One was running the show for the Show-Me State as the governor of
Missouri. Another retired after 20 years with one of the world’s
most influential global communications firms. A third rose through
the administrative ranks in the Parkway School District and is now
superintendent at Rockwood.
Former Gov. Bob Holden, Alan Akerson and Craig Larson, Ph.D., are
but three of the top-level decision-makers who’ve gone on to make
their marks by moving on from practicing what they preached, to
preaching what they practiced at three of the region’s universities.
The personal rewards for all three have been immeasurable—and they
all have high hopes that their influence on a new generation of
young people seeking a higher education will prove useful to them,
and to the segments of society they wish to influence, upon graduation.
Akerson had left Fleishman-Hillard Inc. as an executive vice president
and senior partner when he decided to share his experience and knowledge
as a lecturer at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. Akerson
has taught courses in communications at the micro and micro levels,
from interpersonal communication to public relations, communications
theory and mass media. The choice of campus made perfect sense,
because his mentor was already there, he says with a chuckle: His
wife, Dottye Akerson, Ph.D., a clinical associate professor of nursing.
Holden, upon leaving the statehouse in Jefferson City in 2004, had
been looking for new ways to serve outside the political arena when
he and Richard Meyers, Webster University president, began chatting
more seriously about how he might fit in on the main campus in Webster
Groves. A lifelong public servant and politician, Holden found his
niche by developing and teaching Lessons in Leadership, a course
offering from the School of Business and Technology.
Larson has been in education his entire career, so it wasn’t much
of a stretch for him to join the staff at Maryville University.
He’s helped design curriculum at schools including Clayton High.
One of his favorite positions has been as a secondary school principal,
and he feels privileged to teach students in the education sequence
some of the skills he learned and has been able to hone over a few
decades.
And everybody wins. Students learn concepts, indeed, but take much
more out of the classroom than theory. They benefit from dialogue,
from anecdotes, from real-world experience. The men at the front
of the room wouldn’t trade their experiences for anything. There’s
nothing like the moments when a life is changed, when a student
gets it, truly values what’s been shared.
Alan Akerson
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI ST. LOUIS
For Alan Akerson, who spent 30 years as a reporter and editor for
the St. Louis Globe-Democrat and as a PR practitioner, being able
to pass along what he’s learned in and about communications has
brought a sense of closure—he’s wanted to teach for ages.
“I thought about it for 30 years,” Akerson exclaims.
Communication theory is anything but, and Akerson has observed first-hand
how words and ideas can change opinions and the course of companies—or
countries—from his time heading up the St. Louis office and during
a stint in Latin America with F-H.
“It’s research-driven, and a great basis from which to teach PR,”
he says. Communication theory examines “why, when and how we communicate,”
Akerson says of a course that is geared to first- and second-year
UMSL students. He took the class for his master’s, worked as a teaching
assistant, then taught it as an adjunct professor.
Regardless of where his students end up in their careers, or they
take the course as an elective or core requirement of a communications
major, writing is critical. For many, the most important thing they’ll
ever write is a resume, and Akerson is happy to help. For many in
the hiring process, trying to select candidates from a stack of
paper is an onerous task.
As Akerson emphasizes, “The person reading your resume is looking
for a reason to set it aside, so you need to provide a compelling
reason to keep it.”
Gov. Bob Holden
WEBSTER UNIVERSITY
By bringing legislators into his classroom, Bob Holden hopes that
his students will begin to appreciate them for the dedicated public
servants they are, not see them as two-dimensional campaign flyers
or as “the other guy” in a 30-second attack ad on TV.
A
lifelong public servant and politician, Bob Holden
found his niche with Lessons in Leadership, a course
offering at Webster University’s School of Business
and Technology. |
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On a recent Thursday, when State Sen. Mike Gibbons left after a
visit with his group of 20 or so, Holden was confident that the
group had a better understanding of Gibbons as a conscientious member
of the state legislature, working hard for the greater good, not
simply for the Republicans or the Democrats.
For those keeping score, Gibbons is a Republican; Holden is a Democrat.
“Only by raising the quality of the conversation can we change the
dialogue,” Holden says. “We may fight over issues, but still respect
each other. We have to see where we can find common ground, but
if our only goal is your political demise...” He shook his head
as his voice trailed off.
“Decision-making is not a quick and easy process,” says Holden—adding,
with a grin, “That’s frustrating to people like me, because change
does occur so slowly.”
Mentoring, an important concept in any enterprise, usually cuts
both ways. Some students may take what Holden shares to heart and
delve deep into the science of politics as a career. Holden credits
his choice of career in large part to David Heinlein, one of his
political science professors in college. In fact, Holden and his
bride of 22 years, Lori, named their now 11-year-old son after Heinlein:
The “D” in John D. Holden is for David, in honor of his mentor at
Southwest Missouri State University. His older son, Robert, is 16,
so the Holdens have their hands full with a teenager and preadolescent.
But working hard on education issues during his years in state government,
from his time with Sen. Tom Eagleton and U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt
to his tenure as state treasurer, have taught him much about the
next generation—so the former governor feels he’s prepared. He only
hopes that education remains at the top of the priority list at
the local, state and national levels.
“We’ve got to work on how to get to our kids, not how they get to
us.”
Craig Larson,
Ph.D.
MARYVILLE UNIVERSITY
Craig Larson kind of morphed into his teaching job at Maryville
University. Frequently invited to the campus for guest lectures
on issues germane to secondary education, Larson eventually was
formally asked to teach courses in educational leadership and change.
Larson began as a teacher, continued for nearly 30 years in various
district administrative jobs at Parkway and elsewhere, and is presently
superintendent of Rockwood, one of the area’s most vibrant school
districts. In one of the region’s more rapidly growing communities,
one of the constants is change.
Ultimately, says Larson, being able to teach enables him to do what
many others talk about but might not actually be able to do—continue
to learn for a lifetime.
“It’s good role modeling. I’m able to meet a lot of developing administrators
and help them find positions,” Larson says. “I take a lot of satisfaction
from getting to know people better, helping them to gain a much
deeper insight. Working with them on projects, it’s helpful to have
them reflect on what they’re doing.
“Teaching keeps you reading, studying, talking about ideas.” |
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