July 14, 2026 (Volume 49, Number 19)
Article by
Michele Coffill
GVSU CommCon attendees listen to a fireside chat with President Philomena V. Mantella and Stacie Behler, vice president and chief public affairs and communications officer.
More than 135 campus communicators attended the first GVSU CommCon, presented by the University Communicator Network, in mid-June at the DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health.
Imran Mazid, associate professor of advertising and public relations, gave the keynote presentation and centered on challenges and ethical considerations of artificial intelligence in communications.
Mazid said AI has made communication faster and automation easier. Yet, he said, communication generated with AI often misses the mark because audiences perceive a lack of trust, authentic voice and belonging.
"The question is not simply how do we make more content," Mazid said. "The question is how do we communicate in ways that people can trust, understand, use and feel included by it. That is a much harder question and it is exactly why the work in this room matters.
"Universities do not build trust only through strategy plans, mission statements or formal announcements. They build trust through repeated communication encounters. A student opens an email and decides whether the university sees them as a student or a category."
President Philomena V. Mantella participated in a fireside chat during the lunch hour with Stacie Behler, vice president and chief public affairs and communications officer. One question focused on leadership communication, which Mantella said is continuous and relies on a campus network carrying a message forward.
"Communication involves trust," Mantella said. "The fact that you hear a message from university leadership and also hear it reinforced in your unit or in your office is key to that message resonating and creating community alignment."
Twelve CommCon breakout sessions focused on practical and strategic ways to tell Grand Valley's story.
The sessions and remarks from Mazid and Mantella are posted on the University Communicator Network website (login needed to access information). Learn more about UCN by signing up for monthly newsletters.
This article was last edited on July 10, 2026 at 2:46 p.m.
Participants spent 10 weeks in an accelerator program offered by the DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, in partnership with GVSU's Northern Michigan Region.
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