McMaster University MCM - Master of Communications Management

05/29/2026

If you work in municipal or public sector communications, this one is for you.

On June 16, the McMaster University Master of Communications Management program and the Canadian Association of Municipal Communicators (CAMC) are hosting an online panel discussion on strategic leadership in municipal communications.

The conversation will explore how municipal communicators can lead through complexity, build public trust, connect communications strategy to organizational priorities, and take a seat at the table on AI governance in local government.

Joining the discussion:
- Benjamin Proulx, APR, Executive Director, Canadian Association of Municipal Communicators
- Melissa Westover, MCM (c), Manager of Strategic Communications and Initiatives, Municipality of Clarington
- Rob Trewartha, MA, MCM, Director of Strategic Communications and Initiatives, City of Mississauga

Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 5:30 to 7:00 PM ET, online via Zoom. Free to attend. Registration is required.

Register (free) here: https://luma.com/o3day4pm

This is the kind of strategic conversation the MCM program was built around. If you are a municipal communicator ready to move into a leadership role, we invite you to explore what the MCM program can do for your career. Applications for Cohort 20 are open until July 31, 2026. DM us to learn more!

05/23/2026

Are you ready to move from managing the message to leading the business?

McMaster's Master of Communications Management is built for communications professionals who are ready to step into strategic leadership. Join Program Director Dr. Terry Flynn, APR, FCPRS on June 12 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM ET for a live online information session to learn how the MCM program can advance your career.

MCM students complete the program while working full-time, with an on-campus residency at the beginning of each term and virtual learning through the rest. Cohort 20 begins October 2026. Application deadline: July 31, 2026.

Register here: https://luma.com/5hbh9o45

05/22/2026

The McMaster University Master of Communications Management program is proud to certify the P-World Certified AI in Communications Boot Camp for the Public Sector, taking place September 16 and 17, 2026, in Ottawa.

This two-day event is designed specifically for communications professionals working in government departments, public agencies, municipalities, and publicly funded organizations. It is the first practical, implementation-focused training of its kind in Canada, built around one central question: how do you make AI work responsibly inside government communications?

The MCM community is well represented in the speaker lineup. Dr. Alex Sévigny, APR, FCPRS will lead the full-day hands-on workshop on Day 2, guiding participants through structured prompting, AI-ready communications workflows, governance frameworks, and practical implementation planning tailored to the public sector context. MCM alumnus Rob Trewartha, MA, MCM, Director of Strategic Communications and Initiatives at the City of Mississauga, presents on Day 1, sharing his framework for translating AI governance principles into operational practice. They are joined by communications leaders from the Parliament of Canada, the City of Toronto, Indigenous Services Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, and Seneca Polytechnic.

All attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance from the MCM Executive Education program upon completion.

Learn more and register here: https://www.thepworld.com/event/certified-ai-in-communications-boot-camp-for-the-public-sector

If this kind of applied, governance-focused AI education speaks to where you want to take your career, the MCM program goes deeper. MCM students build these skills over two years while working full-time, with on-campus residencies at the beginning of each term and virtual learning through the rest. Applications for Cohort 20 are open until July 31, 2026. DM us to learn more!

05/12/2026

The MCM community will be well represented at Elevate 2026, the CPRS National Conference, taking place later this month in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.

MCM alumnus Kevin Floether, MCM, APR, CM will present his international award-winning MCM capstone research at the Research Round Table on Tuesday, May 26, alongside Dr. Terry Flynn, APR, FCPRS, Dr. Alex Sévigny, APR, FCPRS, and Rashpal Rai, MCM, APR. On Sunday, May 24, Kevin also joins Dr. Alex Sévigny and Martin Waxman, MCM, APR for a three-hour leadership intensive covering AI integration, advanced prompting, and governance for communicators.

If you are attending Elevate 2026, we would love to connect. And if the calibre of MCM's presence at the national stage has you thinking about your next step, applications for Cohort 20 are open until July 31, 2026. DM us or visit the link below to learn more!

Register for Elevate 2026 here: https://lnkd.in/egmarFib

05/11/2026

As a communicator or marketer, you know how to manage the message.

But when the CFO asks you to defend your budget, the CEO wants you in the room to contribute to strategic plan development, and the board needs someone who understands both the business and the brand, are you ready?

McMaster's Master of Communications Management is built for communications professionals who are ready to step up from ex*****on to leadership. Join Program Director Dr. Terry Flynn, APR, FCPRS, on May 14 for a live information session at 12 PM ET.

Register below.

MCM Cohort 20 begins October 2026. Application deadline: July 31, 2026.

https://luma.com/d0s8phmh

05/11/2026

The McMaster University Master of Communications Management program congratulates Claire Ryan, MCM, APR, MCPRS, on receiving the 2026 CPRS Outstanding Achievement Award.

Claire is Director of Public Relations at Cooke Inc., a past National President of CPRS, and current Secretary to the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management. As CPRS President, Claire provided steady and credible leadership through a critical period of organizational transition, strengthening alignment across the federation and fostering a more collaborative and inclusive Board. Her contributions extend beyond Canada through her work with the Global Alliance, leaving the profession better positioned on an international stage.

It is a well-earned distinction and a reflection of how the MCM program provides education and training to the leaders of the highest calibre in our professional community.
Claire will be honoured at the CPRS National Conference on May 25, in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.

The MCM program is sponsoring the conference, and many of our students, alumni and faculty will be in attendance. If you are joining us at Elevate 2026, take a moment to connect -- we would love to meet you and discuss how the MCM can enhance your leadership!

If you want to follow Claire Ryan’s successful example and gain the essential AI, business and strategic communication skills you need to lead, apply to the MCM Program. MCM students complete the program while working full-time, with an on-campus residency at the beginning of each term, and virtual learning for the rest of term. DM us to learn more about how the MCM program can change your life!

05/06/2026

The McMaster University Master of Communications Management program congratulates Victor Vrsnik, MCM, APR, FCPRS on being named the recipient of the 2026 CPRS Award of Attainment.

Victor is Director of Corporate Affairs and Business Development at 7-Eleven Canada, and a distinguished member of the MCM community whose contributions to the public relations profession span decades. From local volunteering to serving as National President of CPRS, Victor has demonstrated an exceptional and sustained commitment to advancing the profession, mentoring emerging practitioners, and supporting professional development at every level.

The CPRS Award of Attainment recognizes outstanding achievement and service to the public relations profession, and it is a fitting recognition for someone who has given so much to it.

Victor will be honoured at the CPRS National Conference, May 24 to 26, in St. Andrews, New Brunswick.

The MCM program is sponsoring the conference, and many of our students, alumni and faculty will be in attendance. If you are joining us at Elevate 2026, take a moment to connect -- we would love to meet you and discuss how the MCM can enhance your leadership!

If you are inspired by Victor Vrsnik’s success and want to succeed like him, by gaining the essential AI, business and strategic communication skills you need to lead, apply to the MCM Program. MCM students complete the program while working full-time, with an on-campus residency at the beginning of each term, and virtual learning through the rest of the course. DM us to learn more about how the MCM program can change your professional trajectory!

05/05/2026

Artificial intelligence is a generational opportunity for communicators and marketers to elevate their careers. For those with professional experience and strategic instincts, AI can be a force multiplier if deployed well. Indeed, AI may be the most significant opportunity our field has ever seen.

In a recent McMaster News feature by Sara Laux, MCM faculty member Dr. Alex Sévigny, APR, FCPRS, makes the case that the communicators best positioned to lead in this new landscape are those who have learned how to use AI to enhance their human skills that machines cannot replicate: strategy, judgment, taste, empathy, reputation management, and ethical governance.

Professor Sévigny emphasizes "The potential relational impact of AI creates organization-level risk, elevating it to a board-level risk. That's an opportunity for communicators to elevate their practice as a strategic function."

It’s this kind of thinking that sits at the heart of the MCM curriculum and the type of thoughtful and contextual insight that McMaster's Humanities contributes to our rapidly changing world. If you want to go deeper with experts like Professor Sévigny and gain the essential AI, business, and strategic communication skills you need to lead, apply to the MCM program. MCM students complete the program while working full-time, with an on-campus residency at the beginning of each term, and virtual learning through the rest of term. DM us to learn more about how the MCM program will change your life!

Read the full article here:

Q&A with Alex Sévigny on the evolution of communications work – and how today's communicators can adapt to tomorrow's technology.

05/01/2026

This week, the McMaster University Master of Communications Management program was proud to serve as the presenting sponsor of the Summers Direct 2nd Annual AI in Communications Conference, and to see three members of the MCM community bring research, practice, and applied instruction to the conversations our profession is navigating right now.

MCM alumnus Kevin Floether, MCM, APR, CM, Director of Marketing and Communications at CBV Institute, presented findings from 13 pre-registered experiments demonstrating that AI disclosure consistently reduces trust, alongside a practical governance-based framework for rebuilding it. This research originated as Kevin's MCM capstone project.

MCM alumnus Rob Trewartha, MA, MCM, Director of Strategic Communications and Initiatives at the City of Mississauga, drew on a national survey to make the case that AI is a governance choice, not a productivity tool, and that communicators must claim a strategic seat at the AI decision-making table. Rob completed his MCM capstone with a focus on AI and public sector communications.

MCM faculty member Dr. Alex Sévigny, APR, FCPRS, Associate Professor at McMaster University, led a practical post-conference workshop on April 29, guiding participants through generative AI fundamentals, risk management, structured prompting, and hands-on design of a custom AI agent.

The depth of MCM's involvement in this conference reflects what the program teaches. Applied AI, governance, ethics, and strategic communications leadership are core components of the MCM curriculum, and we are proud to see that work making an impact on the profession.

We are grateful to Summers Direct for the partnership and look forward to continued collaboration in the years ahead.

04/30/2026

The McMaster University Master of Communications Management program congratulates Josie Cassano Rizzuti, MCM, APR, CMP®, MCPRS on being named the 2026 CPRS Mentor of the Year.

Josie is a communications and inclusion leader at ArcelorMittal Dofasco, a sessional instructor in the MCM program, and Vice-President of CPRS Hamilton’s board of directors. The CPRS Mentor of the Year Award recognizes an accredited practitioner who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to mentoring post-secondary students, and there are few in our community who embody that commitment more genuinely than Josie. Through her teaching and her ongoing support of students, newcomers to Canada, and emerging professionals, she has made a lasting contribution to this profession and to the people who are building careers within it.

Josie will be honoured at the CPRS National Conference, May 24 to 26, in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. The MCM program will also be in attendance. If you are joining us at Elevate 2026, we look forward to celebrating with you there!