College-bound
McConnellogue a busy veep at UNC
By Erin Quinn

Ken McConnellogue used his reporting experience to move into university administration.

For Ken McConnellogue (’90), vice president of university advancement for the University of Northern Colorado, balancing the demands of a hectic public relations career is a lot like juggling.

“I have a lot of balls in the air, and I’m trying to keep track of them,” said McConnellogue, who oversees UNC’s intercollegiate athletic program public relations and directs the Web communications, publications, marketing, public relations and media relations departments.

Lucky for UNC, McConnellogue knows the art of juggling very well – he learned the craft in high school, took a class at the Denver Free University and has had his own professional act off and on for years. He even met his wife of 18 years at a birthday party gig.

“It’s not only a great metaphor for life and work, but it’s also a great stress and tension reliever,” he said. “I used to do knives, but I don’t anymore. I do balls to music, rings, clubs and, you know, the old eat-the-apple trick.”

University of Northern Colorado President Kay Norton said his talent is particularly apropos for the role he plays in the school.

“His skills as both a juggler of words and people are much appreciated by me in his current position. His background brings a richness to his work that we all appreciate.”

On a cold February day in Greeley, with several inches of snow blanketing the town, McConnellogue, 47, sat at his computer with a picture of his “all-time favorite” musical group, The Band, keeping a watchful eye over his work. He recalled how he decided to pursue a degree in journalism at the University of Colorado after taking several years off from academia.

McConnellogue said he was working as a carpenter in Evergreen in freezing winter conditions when he asked himself, “What am I doing here?”

“I remember the exact moment when I said, ‘You know, you have to get back to college.’ ”

After graduating from high school, he said he attended Western State College in Gunnison for a year, but decided to drop out.

“No one told me they weren’t giving me credit for going up to Crested Butte and skiing every day,” McConnellogue joked.

By the time he went back to school, McConnellogue was a nontraditional student; he was raising a family and working his way through college. He said those challenges only made him more serious about his studies and appreciate his investment.

In his last semester at the School of Journalism, McConnellogue landed an internship with the Fort Collins Coloradoan and became a stringer at the Rocky Mountain News, setting in motion a career in print journalism.

At the News, he first encountered the writer’s paradox; journalists are to be short and succinct but are often paid by the word.

McConnellogue said the temptation to stretch stories, therefore, was great. “But I had just been through the experience of being taught by people such as Sam Archibald, Sue O’Brien and Don Ridgway, who all preached the gospel of conciseness.”

After his stint with the News, McConnellogue became an education reporter for the Greeley Tribune, covering kindergarten through 12th grade, UNC and Aims Community College for two years.

In 1992, McConnellogue became a senior writer and editor at the University of Northern Colorado, where he later earned a master’s degree in communication. The position gave him the opportunity to try new styles of writing that served a variety of purposes. “I wrote all manner of things, from press releases to op-eds and speeches for the university president to feature articles for the university magazine.”

Several years later, McConnellogue was promoted to director of communications and media relations. His new responsibilities included editing Spectrum, the university’s 80,000-circulation alumni magazine, and performing public relations duties.

“I was also the university spokesman, so whenever scandal, malfeasance, mayhem, disaster or stupidity struck, I got to explain it,” McConnellogue said.

Since being promoted to vice president for university advancement in August 2002, McConnellogue said his biggest challenge has been his role in helping UNC make the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I, a five-year process that UNC is two years into.

McConnellogue said working in education is rewarding. “The environment is stimulating, and the opportunity to work with students is refreshing.” He continues to use his journalism background even though much of his work revolves around public relations.

“At the end of the day, it’s still about telling stories. Being of Irish background – my parents are Irish immigrants – I like that. Those stories are about students, faculty, research or the institution, but they can be every bit as compelling as typical journalism stories.”

McConnellogue and his wife, Sheble, have three children: Maggie, 17, Madeline, 16, and John, 11. He was born in England, grew up in Chicago and moved to Denver in 1972.

He writes free-lance stories for publications including The Denver Post, Northwestern Magazine, Body Sense, Massage and Bodywork Magazine, Irish Voice and Irish America, and his free-lance radio commentaries can be heard on the National Public Radio affiliate KUNC 91.5. Ken.McConnellogue@unco.edu