Jacksonites Professional Development Series

Communication and media play very key roles in the development of any society, and they are indispensable in solving many of the world’s problems. At JPDS, we are committed to facilitating the creation and facilitation of knowledge sharing between town and gown and across all sectors.

The JPDS Story

The Jacksonites Professional Development Series initiative is best described as a child of destiny. It is the crystallization of the passion Jacksonites have for social responsibility and continuous personal and professional growth. Jacksonites are graduates of the foremost Department of Mass Communication in Sub-Saharan Africa, The Jackson College as it was known then was founded in 1961.

Over the years, Jacksonites have supported the professional development of the department’s undergraduate and post-graduate students by donating books and guest lecturing on the invitation of the Department’s lecturers. Early in 2018, Jacksonites led by Mr. Jerry Agada (a 2013 graduate) and Dr. Chidiebere Nwachukwu (a 2011 graduate) decided to up the ante by organizing periodic seminars for Jacksonites. Prof. Pat. Utomi (a 1977 graduate), the President of Jacksonites Worldwide &– the Alumni Association of Jacksonites – was the speaker at the first seminar. These seminars did not have a formal structure and were pretty irregular as a result. After a couple of poorly attended sessions, the initiative went into hibernation. It was not sustainable. 

Chinedu Mba (Afigbo), a 1987 graduate saddened by the waning interest and participation in the seminars reached out to Mr. Jerry Agada and Dr. Chidiebere Nwachukwu and mooted the idea of giving the initiative a formal structure and a chance at sustainability. After a couple of meetings, it was agreed that a setting up steering committee would be the first step. The trio drew up a list of potential steering Committee members and Chinedu was charged with the responsibility of selling the idea to them and convening the first meeting. As is her practice, Chinedu went about this task with dedicated passion and conviction and “recruited” 8 Jacksonites to steer the initiative with her as the Chair. This committee held several meetings lasting into the wee hours of the morning. At these meetings they crafted the name, mission, and vision as well as a strategic plan. With these in place, they presented the idea to the Jacksonites Worldwide late in 2020. Three working groups (Logistics, Publicity & Mobilization, and Sponsorship) were set up in line with the strategic plan. Since its set up, Jacksonites Professional Development Seminar series has held 4 well -received and attended virtual seminars. It has added a new brand Knowledge Hub to its stable. Knowledge Hub is dedicated to the creation and exchange of interdisciplinary research-based knowledge and processes that advance scholarship, solve societal problems and accelerate development. Under the leadership of Chinedu Mba (Afigbo J87), JPDS has raised over a million naira thanks to the generosity of Jacksonites.

our three-fold strategy

we facilitate knowledge creation & sharing between the town and grown through this 3-fold strategy.

Quarterly Seminar

Over the years, we ran a couple of small-scale intellectually stimulating seminars. Now we are stepping it up several notches by offering structured inter-disciplinary seminars focussed on personal and professional development.

MediaUp Conversations

With advancements in technology and the world at large come massive changes in the the operation of the media and communication. Therefore, only the professionals and organizations that adapt to this reality that able to get ahead and stay ahead. MediaUp Workshop is our channel for equipping professionals, teams, and organizations with cutting edge media strategies, trends and tools.

Knowledge Hub

Knowledge Hub is a place dedicated to creating and exchanging interdisciplinary research-based knowledge and processes that advance scholarship, solve societal problems , and accelerate development . It supports learning and learners. Our goal is to use this platform to build top scholars through periodic seminars, mentoring and valuable resources.

Meet our Core Team

chair

Chinedu
Mba (J87)

College Professor & Program Coordinator, Algonquin College, Ottawa, Canada.

Vice Chair

Ugo
Onuoha (J85 )

Print Journalism, Magazines & Newspapers, Project Management, Trading

Secretary

Chuks
Enwerem (J90)

Journalism & New Media, Public Relations & Advertising Consulting & Education

Publicity & Communications Liaison

Jerry
Agada (J13 )

Public Relations, Journalism,& Marketing

Treasurer

Chidiebere Nwachukwu (J11)

Health Communication & Education

Advisor

Bel-Molokwu (J73)

Print media, Advertising, Education, Editing, Management, Consulting & Book Production

Advisor

Chidorum
Nwakanma (J85)

Print Journalism, Public Relations & Advertising, Consulting, & Education

Advisor

Pat
Utomi (J77)

President, Jacksonites Worldwide

Advisor

Marcel
Mbamalu (J98)

Print & Multimedia Journalism, Research, Capacity Building/Teaching

Journey So Far

From July 2021 when we launched with our first seminar, we have made some strides.

Seminars
0
Speakers
0
Participants
0

four ways to partner with us

Activities of the Jacksonites Professional Development Series (JPDS)  have been the result of the skills, expertise and hard work of Jacksonites who volunteer their resources and time. As we forge ahead in pursuit of our vision, we even need more resources and partners. We welcome you to partner with us in any of these five ways.

Be a Speaker

You can speak at our quarterly seminar, workshop or be a guest on our podcast.

Write for Us

For a rich and up to date blog, we welcome original, insightful articles in line with our mission.

Promote our Event

You can promote our event by sharing the flyer, sharing our social media posts, giving us free press, and sharing publicity ideas with us.

Donate

Our seminars are virtual and we pay for digital tools and talents to ensure effective sessions. Your donation makes that possible and the more you give, the more we can do.