Business and Communication
Ken Andersen
University Writing Program
Prior to his return to academia, Ken worked as a writer, producer, and DJ at a Wenatchee, Washington radio station; he served as hotel manager and medical officer aboard cruise ships sailing out of Seattle; he was a public relations practitioner in Spokane, Washington; and he was the restaurant manager at Roche Harbor Resort on San Juan Island.
After completing his graduate work at Washington State University in 2003, Ken accepted a position at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At MSOE he taught a wide variety of writing and communication courses, including Business Writing, Technical Writing, Composition, Public Speaking, Mass Communication, and Interpersonal Communication. In Milwaukee, Ken also served as the curriculum developer and instructor for the RiCH Company’s Vocational Services program, where he created and taught basic and advanced business-skills courses for people with disabilities.
After his family’s move to Davis in 2009, Ken accepted the senior writer position at the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC), where he worked with engineers, designers, and outreach personnel to write and edit a wide range of publications. While working in that position, Ken also occasionally taught courses in the UWP.
Today, Ken is a continuing lecturer in the University Writing Program where he teaches a variety of upper-division courses while also serving as the program's assistant director for Business Writing. He also developed and teaches the Business and Communication Summer Internships Abroad courses, which take students to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Prague, and to cities across New Zealand. He is the chairperson of the Association for Business Communication Undergraduate Studies Committee and a member of both the Society of Professional Journalists and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
In his spare time, Ken enjoys biking, boating, and traveling with his wife, daughter, and son. He’s an avid SCUBA diver, fly fisherperson, birder, and photographer; a burrito connoisseur; and an accomplished writer of third-person personal biographies. He is also hilarious.
A Message to Students and Parents
"Before graduate school, I spent years working in the travel and tourism industry, which opened my eyes to the value of travel. And I can say from experience that international travel makes a person more complete. When we step out of our own culture and immerse ourselves in another, we learn to think and behave in ways that are meaningful and worthwhile on a global level, and we’re able to better understand the perspectives of others.
I seized the opportunity to develop and teach the international Business and Communication Internships courses for a number of reasons. For one, I believe the combination of professional and cultural experiences students can have overseas have the potential to positively impact all aspects of their professional futures. In addition, such international internships will inevitably look terrific on students’ résumés. And lastly, the intercultural experiences students have there will last a lifetime, and they’ll be able to draw on those experiences in a wide range of professional and personal situations throughout that lifetime."