About

Manitou Heights is the personal blog of Ruth Marie Sylte. The views expressed on this blog website are my own and do not reflect the views of any of my employers or clients - past, present or future.

One one level, I like to consider the theoretical implications of using strategic communications, public relations, marketing, social media and technology in intercultural communication and international settings -- because we live in a world where cross-cultural understanding is critical to success in our increasingly diverse, international business and social environments.

On another level, I may be simply a "net.goddess" who enjoys finding both practical and fun ways of using technology and social media/networking to help people connect and learn more about each other.

Sometimes I invite other professionals to join the conversation by submitting Guest Posts under their own names. If you would like to contribute to the discussion in that way, or if you have an issue you'd like to see addressed or a question you'd like answered, contact me.

Sometimes I recommend products or tools. When you see a recommendation or link on this blog, it is because I think other people should know about it -- and often comes from my own experience or interest. I am not paid to review products, although some links may be affiliate links. It should go without saying that your mileage may vary.

About Me

That picture to the right? That's not really me. It's one of my great-grandmothers from Norway, who is generously representing me on the Internet. Not surprisingly, if I dressed in the typical garb of Norwegian peasant farmers from the late 1800s, we two would look very much alike.

I am a recognized internationally for her expertise in strategic communications and using technology for international educational exchange and intercultural communication -- especially in international, cross-cultural and/or diverse settings -- and a frequent and popular presenter at conferences and workshops in the USA and abroad.

I've worked in marketing, public/media relations and communications for most of my career. My higher education experience includes a broad range of institutions: public and private, two-year and four-year, liberal arts colleges and state university systems as well as proprietary schools, nonprofit organizations and third-party providers. I have worked in areas such as undergraduate and graduate school admissions, financial aid, student advising, marketing and public relations and program administration, including a field study center in Jerusalem. I have also worked for a number of years in corporate marketing.

I became one of the early leaders in the use of technology and the beginnings of social media within the field of international education by creating, developing and maintaining both the the Internet's first general education abroad web site as well as the first e-mail newsletter on abroad opportunities that quickly grew to more than 6,000+ community members / subscribers.

For more than six years, I was the first female chair of NAFSA: Association of International Educator's TechMig (Technology Member Interest Group), serving on the MIG's steering committee. I was awarded an OSEAS Partnership Grant from NAFSA and USIA to work with academic advising offices/advisers in South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand) on technology and advising issues. Along with two colleagues, I was awarded the NAFSA: Association of International Educators Region XII Regional Service Award for our work in encouraging the use of technology within the field of international education.

I have been an invited or accepted speaker and/or trainer at more than 50 professional conferences (including AACRAO, NAFSA, CIEE, EAIE, BUTEX, CCIS, among others), delivering more than 100 presentations about using technology and social media tools for strategic communications, public/media relations, marketing and building communities in international, cross-cultural and diverse environments.

My paternal grandfather, an immigrant to the USA from Norway, was one of the very first farmers in Minnesota to buy a mechanized farm implement. He and two of his brothers sent money back to their home village of Elnesvågen to build a school, which the town named Sylte Skule. So I  believe my interests in technology, education and intercultural communication are family traditions, if not genetic dispositions.

I have a B.A. from St. Olaf College with majors in Political Science and Religion and a minor in History. I am  currently in progress in an M.A. program in Strategic Communication Management.

To contact me, send me an email through the Manitou Heights Contact Form or reach out to me through one of my social media profiles.

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About Manitou Heights Group Inc

Manitou Heights is a consulting firm that uses strategic communications, public relations, marketing, social media and technology tools that to empower clients to improve their relationships with their communities. The firm was founded in 1999.

The firm takes its name from "Manitou Heights", a densely wooded hill located on the west side of the small town of Northfield, Minnesota USA. The acreage was purchased in 1876 by a small group of far-sighted Norwegian Lutheran immigrant farmers and pastors in order to build an institution of higher education, St. Olaf College, for the young men and women of their emigrant community. The college was the first among the Norwegian Lutheran schools in America to grant a B. A. degree to a woman. Today, St. Olaf is renowned for its international educational exchange programs and is the number-one baccalaureate institution in the United States in the number of students who have studied abroad.

At Manitou Heights, we prefer to try to see both the forest and the trees.