The president and chief executive officer of National Public Radio will visit Iowa State this week to launch WOI Radio Group’s fourth station, KWOI 90.7 FM, and share his experiences in radio through three open forums.

Kevin Klose will present “Contemporary Changes in Journalism — NPR Style,” “Public Radio in a Changing World” and “The Reorganization of U.S.-Funded International Broadcasting Organization” on campus Tuesday and Wednesday.

John Eighmey, professor and chair of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, said Klose’s visit will benefit students from any college or major.

“National Public Radio is really an important information resource for all Americans,” he said. “This is an opportunity for [Klose] to interact with students and faculty.”

Bill McGinley, WOI Radio Group, agreed.

“I think information today is more important than ever,” he said. “We often hear the American attention span is short and I hope that our collegiate settings are working hard to reverse that if it is a trend. We are no longer the isolationist U.S. — we are a global society.”

Eighmey said students should take advantage of a chance to learn from Klose’s experience.

“[NPR] is an important voice and here’s an opportunity to interact directly with a person who’s in charge of that organization,” he said. “This is a tremendous opportunity.”

Eighmey said Klose will interact with students and faculty during his sessions.

“This is a time of tremendous change in news gathering and dissemination,” he said. “[Participants in the forums] will be able to ask questions personally of a person who’s really right in the fray in terms of changes and challenges.”

Kim Schroeder, program coordinator for the business college, said Klose will share his expertise in coordinating a large corporation with business students and others.

“Klose is coming to speak about how he consolidated U.S.-Funded International Broadcasting Operations to save the U.S. money and to modernize the operations of these groups,” she said.

Schroeder said Klose will discuss the effects of “reorganizing a large organization that has different cultural issues and different audiences.”

Schroeder said students planning on working for large or small businesses can apply the information Klose provides to their future careers.

“[The session] will link theory with practice. Klose will tie classroom theory and real-world practice together, which will really make a connection for our students,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what size organization you’re in; the way business is, organizations change so frequently. Any insight on how to better manage that would be helpful to anyone.”

McGinley said the information Klose will provide will help students become more informed citizens after graduating from college.

“These sessions will be helpful to students looking to round themselves out and get a sense of how to play an appropriate role as a citizen once formal education is done,” he said.