Jargon - Fall 2016

FALL 2016

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VOLUME LXXVII

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ISSUE 1

SOLUTIONS THROUGH STORYTELLING PREPARING A NEW GENERATION OF CHANGEMAKERS

CONTENTS FALL 2016

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DIRECTOR’S NOTE

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FROM FRANKLIN HALL JMC students representing each major placed nationally in competitions.

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SPOTLIGHT ON CLEVELAND As the 2016 Republican National Convention convened in Cleveland, JMC students were in the mix as reporters, researchers and digital media interns.

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FALL 2016 EVENTS This year’s media ethics workshop will explore social justice, and the annual McGruder lecture will honor a former NBC executive.

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FACULTY HIRES & RETIREMENTS JMC welcomes new full-time faculty members in journalism, public relations and digital media production and bids farewell to practitioner-in-residence, TV2 adviser and career services coordinator John Butte.

DOCUMENTING REFUGEES

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One senior photojournalism major hopes to see more acceptance for refugees around the world.

A VISUAL IMPACT See the impact of the Wallace J. Hagedorn Photojournalism Scholarship – Kent State’s largest scholarship fund – in its first year.

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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Assistant Professor Chance York explores media socialization and heads assessment efforts for JMC.

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REIMAGINING NEWS

REMEMBERING A PR LEGEND Alumnus and Professional Advisory Board member David Meeker left a lasting legacy in JMC and in the Northeast Ohio public relations community.

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HOMECOMING & ALUMNI NEWS View a schedule of events for Homecoming 2016 (Sept. 30–Oct. 1), and meet this year’s JMC alumni award winners.

Kent JMC joins a handful of journalism schools nationwide in teaching Solutions Journalism.

ON THE COVER / ESLAH ATTAR, ’17, traveled to Cyprus as part of the International Storytelling course in Spring 2016 to document the lives of refugees.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: RACHEL RANKIN, ’17

Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication 204 Franklin Hall, P.O. BOX 5190, Kent, OH 44242 Phone: 330-672-2572 | Fax: 330-672-4064 | Email: thor@kent.edu www.kent.edu/jmc

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MANAGING EDITOR / CHRISTINA RUSS ART DIRECTOR / ANN KLEWER, ’16 PRODUCTION MANAGER / KATIE BARNES EVANS

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

FINDING SOLUTIONS It is our obligation to give voice to the voiceless, to hold the powerful and privileged accountable, to help better our society.

Back in 1998, when I first became a television news director, much of the discussion in both journalism education and in the journalism industry revolved around how to maintain relevancy. In particular, how could we engage and inform an audience in the “new” digital age, where the internet and cable television were taking attention away from broadcast television, radio, newspapers and magazines?

Although much has changed during the past 18 years, that question remains as important as ever.

This issue of Jargon places a spotlight on our commitment to finding an answer to that question. For many in our school, the answer is in finding solutions to help our communities try to solve their most pressing problems: health care, education, poverty and displacement, to name a few.

Whether it is through investigative journalism, public relations and advertising campaigns, work with NGOs, non-profits, internships or films, it is critically important that we understand our role in the communication process. It is our obligation to give voice to the voiceless, to hold the powerful and privileged accountable, to help better our society. It is not so much about being advocates as it is about being human.

ESLAH ATTAR, a senior who is studying photojournalism, is one example of how our students are doing just that. Eslah produced a multimedia story looking at the lives of Syrian refugees in the Kofinou refugee camp in Cyprus (http://internationalstorytelling.org/ cyprus/kofinou-camp/) and continued her quest to tell the stories of refugees on a recent trip to Ireland. After speaking with Eslah, it was clear that she not only wanted to document the lives of the refugees, but that she was passionate about providing faces to the women, men and children who are risking their lives, and in many cases, giving their lives to find a better life.

This fall, students in JMC will begin their quest to create positive change through our new Solutions Journalism course. Students will continue to find solutions to innovate the media through many courses: Big Data; Longform Storytelling; Documentary; and courses in analytics, data journalism, advertising and public relations campaigns.

Finding solutions can be daunting when we consider all of the issues that are facing our society, but as we serve and inform our communities, we must remember that we are a part of them as well.

THOR WASBOTTEN DIRECTOR, SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION

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JMC NEWS

NEWS FROM FRANKLIN HALL Advertising Students Earn Second Place for V8® Integrated Marketing Campaign

A team of advertising students finished second place in the country in the 2016 Collegiate Effie competition.

“With developing this campaign and presenting it to the brand team, it’s given me confidence,” she said. “After completing something this big, I believe that I can tackle anything now.”

Lecturer WENDY WARDELL advised the team.

KSUIF Premieres Fourth FullLength Feature to Sold-Out Crowd

Kent State University Independent Films (KSUIF) concluded the 2016 spring semester by premiering its fourth full-length feature film, “Unlucky” to more than 800 guests.

This national honor takes the Kent State advertising program to new heights. JMC students have earned semi-finalist status in the competition each year since they began participating in 2013, but this was the first year a JMC team achieved finalist status. In being named finalists, the team of students – ELLIE SCHERING, ’17, MATT VARGA, ’16, AND EMILY WAHL, ’16 – had a chance to present their integrated marketing campaign for V8®+Energy to brand executives at the Campbell Soup Company’s headquarters in Camden, N.J. The Collegiate Effie competition mimics the professional competition of the same name, focusing heavily on campaign effectiveness.

It called upon college students to develop a multi-channel campaign for either V8®+Energy or Kleenex.

“It was an incredible experience to develop … an entire (integrated marketing campaign) for a national brand,” said Varga, “but it was also the most nerve-wracking experience to present our ideas in front of the brand’s marketing people. … It was great to be able to get the experience of presenting my ideas, since I will likely be doing something similar in the future.”

KSUIF is a student-run production company, which produces web series, short films, music videos, documentaries and a full-length feature film every other year. The student media organization has grown substantially, from six members to more than 100 (many in the digital media production major), in recent years.

Senior Lecturer TRACI EASLEY WILLIAMS, KSUIF’s faculty advisor, offered guidance and expertise during each phase of production, challenging students to uphold professional standards.

“It prepares us a lot for careers,” said JMC alumnus BUDDY CANDELA, ’14, M.A. ’16, of the experience producing a feature film from start to finish. “In classes, you’re going to learn the basics: how to frame a shot, how to edit and what all of this stuff means. But until you go out and do it, you’re not prepared.”

Candela and fellow alumnus KEEGAN LARWIN, ’15, co-directed the film.

“Unlucky” is a romantic comedy, telling a story of love at first sight that isn’t quite as magical as the average fairytale. Without even learning her name, the main character, Sam, faces the unluckiest of situations in order to reunite with his love before it’s too late.

Journalism Students Earn Top Honors from Hearst, SPJ

Kent State earned two top-10 overall finishes in the William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards program for 2015–2016: fifth place in photojournalism and ninth place in broadcast news.

The Hearst Journalism Awards are often called the “Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism.” The Hearst program holds yearlong competitions in writing, photojournalism, broadcast news and multimedia for journalism undergraduates. Journalism schools accumulating the most points earned by their students in each category are designated the winners of the Intercollegiate Competitions.

In addition to the two top-10 finishes, Kent State finished 15th place for writing and 18th place for multimedia. When combining all categories, Kent State finished 12th place nationally. Individually, JMC students were

Schering said the competition allowed her to apply tactics she learned in class, like developing surveys and analyzing data.

“UNLUCKY” / (Above) Behind the scenes of “Unlucky” film production, summer 2015.

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JMC NEWS

well-represented among the nation’s top 20 in several categories: BROADCAST NEWS: ALEXA MASLOWSKI, ’16 MULTIMEDIA NEWS: EMILY MILLS, ’16 SPORTS WRITING: STEPHEN MEANS, ’16, and RICHIE MULHALL, ’16 PHOTOJOURNALISM: JACOB BYK, ’15, JENNA WATSON, ’16, and ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, ’16 “The William Randolph Hearst Foundation Awards represent the best student work in the country,” said JMC Director and Professor THOR WASBOTTEN. “It is wonderful to see the national recognition for the hard work of our students.”

In addition to placing high in the Hearst competition, JMC students earned two top honors in the Society of Professional Journalists’ Mark of Excellence Awards competition.

PHOTO BY: JACOB BYK, ’15 / National Mark of Excellence winning photo, Society of Professional Journalists JACOB BYK, ’15, was named the national winner in the general news photography category (large school division) for “The Last Shot.” The photo depicts Erica Garner, daughter of Eric Garner, who was killed by a police chokehold in a scuffle with four officers on July 17, 2014.

Byk shot the photo during a Staten Island protest Erica had organized. It was published in the spring 2015 issue of The Burr Magazine.

ALEXA MASLOWSKI, ’16, was named the national winner in the television breaking news reporting category for her story on the November 2015 Akron plane crash that killed nine. The story aired on TV2 and was published on KentWired.com.

Bateman Team Earns Honorable Mention for Student Veterans of America Awareness Campaign

JMC Awards $270,000 in Scholarships for 2016–2017

It’s been another year for the record books for JMC scholarships.

The School awarded more than $270,000 to more than 100 students at the annual scholarship dinner and awards ceremony on April 28, 2016, a new record.

LEFT TO RIGHT / BRENNA PARKER, ’17, TAYLOR MEADE, ’17, GABRIELLE WOODARD, ’17, DANIE MINOR, ’16, NICHOLAS SEWELL, ’16 For the third time in the past four years, a team of public relations students placed in the Public Relations Student Society of America’s (PRSSA) national Bateman Case Study Competition.

The team —TAYLOR MEADE, ’17, DANIE MINOR, ’16, BRENNA PARKER, ’17, NICHOLAS SEWELL, ’16, and GABRIELLE WOODARD, ’17 — earned an honorable mention. Kent State students previously won an honorable mention in 2014 and second place in 2013.

Each year, the Bateman competition calls for PRSSA college chapter teams to research, develop, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign. This year’s competition challenge called for increasing awareness and understanding of Student Veterans of America (SVA), a non-profit that supports student veterans in their transition from the military to college life.

Among the scholarships recognized were 16 Promising Scholar awards and 23 Hagedorn photojournalism scholarships. Promising Scholar awards were established in 2014 to attract and retain the strongest journalism and mass communication students in the nation.

They provide $2,000– $3,000 a year, renewable for up to four years, for the highest-achieving freshmen. The Hagedorn photojournalism scholarships were also established in 2014, with a historic $4.2 million bequest from the estate of Wallace Hagedorn, who took one photojournalism class at Kent State in 1941 and went on to become an amateur photographer. The scholarship money offsets tuition costs and funds experiential learning opportunities for photojournalism students.

(See page 8.)

“A strong endowment and spendable scholarship funds help JMC attract and retain some of the strongest students in the nation,” said JMC Director and Professor THOR WASBOTTEN. “These awards are affirmation to our students that their diligence in the classroom, student media, student professional organizations and the community is recognized, valued and rewarded.”

TIM ROBERTS, JMC’s undergraduate studies coordinator and Bateman faculty advisor, noted the team’s depth of research and creative strategies and tactics.

“Their research drove their campaign and, obviously, impressed the judges,” he said.

“They also reached outside campus with an impressive community awareness campaign in Kent and Portage County.”

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS / 2015–2016 Darrow Scholarship recipients with the Darrow family

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JMC NEWS

FRONT-ROW SEAT TO HISTORY

JMC Students Experience Historic RNC in Cleveland as Interns, Reporters As media and communications professionals from across the country descended upon Cleveland for the 2016 Republican National Convention, July 18–21, 2016, so too did students from Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC).

Public relations major SARAH MATTHEWS, ’17, spent the summer as an intern in the digital department for the Republican National Convention’s Committee on Arrangements.

She helped maintain the Convention’s online presence by creating Snapchat stories, writing blog posts, filming and editing videos, drafting Tweets and more – all tasks she was well-prepared to take on, thanks to her public relations courses.

Based in Cleveland — at Media Row for the week of the Convention — she had a front-row seat view to the committee’s preparation for and execution of the historic event.

“I started my internship two-and-a-half months prior to the Convention, but people had

been planning this for more than a year,” Matthews said. “I didn’t realize coming into this internship just how much work goes into planning a Convention and how many moving parts there are.”

Meanwhile, journalism majors spent the weeks leading up to and during the convention reporting for KentWired.com and assisting professional reporters from across the country covering the event.

Three students — PORTIA BOOKER, ’17, MEGAN DEIERLING, ’17, and CLINT DATCHUK, ’17 — worked with PBS NewsHour field reporters at Convention events, proceedings and delegate meetings all over Cleveland.

Five others — PATRICK SHADE, ’17, CAMERON GORMAN, ’19, MATT POE, ’18, TAYLOR KERNS, ’17, and ANNA HUNTSMAN, ’18 — contributed to news coverage for TEGNA, Inc. stations across the country for both the Republican and Democratic conventions. Based in WKYC Channel 3’s downtown Cleveland newsroom

for both conventions, the students assisted TEGNA’s team of convention reporters with fact checking, researching and data mining. TEGNA, formerly Gannett Co., owns 42 television stations, including WKYC, Cleveland’s NBC affiliate.

ALEXANDRA DELANEY-GESING, ’17, summer editor for KentWired.com, led student media’s convention coverage. She and five other students reported from Cleveland throughout the week, many with media credentials and access to speakers and official events at Quicken Loans Arena. Others covered protests and happenings outside the convention’s official perimeter.

Kent State’s College of Communication and Information (CCI) partnered with Purple America, a national initiative aimed at refocusing the American conversation to a civil, productive and respectful dialogue on common values, during the convention. CCI students, faculty and administrators — many from JMC — participated in and attended speaker sessions, panel discussions and roundtables at the organization’s 2,500-square-foot Purple Tent. Topics included “Polling and Media,” “Is Civility Dead?,” “Engaging Millennials” and more.

Several public relations students volunteered as live bloggers for the organization.

Students agreed that the Convention offered an unparalleled chance to witness history for the region and gain professional experience.

CONVENTION ATTENDEE / SARAH MATTHEWS, ’17, was a digital intern for the Republican National Convention’s Committee on Arrangements.

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PHOTO BY: BOB CHRISTY

“I am happy to have been a part of this once-ina-lifetime opportunity,” Booker, one of the PBS NewsHour interns, said. “Working with the professionals was (sometimes) a challenge, but rewarding at the same time. They are busy people who know what they want and how they want it. Observing the studio set-up, live broadcasts and programs used to prepare each on-camera segment allowed me to take note on things I want and don’t want for my future in television.”

JMC NEWS

Igniting Conversation, Effecting Change Register Now for the 2016 Ethics Workshop The 2016 Poynter Kent State Media Ethics Workshop, now in its 13th year, will examine ethical issues related to covering social justice.

The past year — from the Flint, Mich., water crisis, to the Orlando nightclub shooting, and from polarizing conversations about topics like immigration and police/community relations — has brought social justice issues to the forefront of conversation across the country.

Professionals, educators and activists will lead panels and discussions on these topics and more as part of the annual workshop.

The workshop is a one-day training program that examines critical issues and perspectives in media ethics. Moderated by distinguished

ethics faculty from The Poynter Institute, the Media Ethics Workshop provides a unique forum for professionals and students alike to confront and discuss significant issues crucial to understanding media ethics and its effect on our world. Previous workshops have addressed trauma, political media ethics, entertainment media ethics and the ethics of data mining.

Opening Panel: The Flint Water Crisis

LINDSEY SMITH of Michigan Radio, the state’s leading public radio service, will headline a panel discussion about covering the Flint water crisis. Michigan Radio and its reporters earned recognition from the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Edward R. Murrow Awards for its coverage of the crisis.

in 2011 through an essay in the New York Times Magazine. A year later, he appeared on the cover of TIME magazine with fellow undocumented immigrants. Vargas is the founder of Define American, a non-profit media and culture organization that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in America; and he is the founder and editor of #EmergingUS, a digital platform that covers race, immigration and identity in a multicultural America.

Register Now!

9 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016 FirstEnergy Auditorium, Franklin Hall, Kent State University www.kent.edu/mlc

Keynote Speaker: Pulitzer Prize Winner Jose Antonio Vargas

Journalist and filmmaker JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS came out as an undocumented immigrant

Celebrating Trailblazers in Media Diversity NBC’s Paula Madison is the 2016 McGruder Award Recipient Former NBC journalist and executive PAULA MADISON has built bridges and blazed new trails in media diversity. Her career highlights include serving as the first African-American female general manager of a top news network (KNBC in Los Angeles) and as NBCUniversal’s vice president and chief diversity officer.

Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) and the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will present Madison with the 2016 Robert G. McGruder Distinguished Award for her accomplishments in media diversity. She will visit campus to present a lecture on media diversity and accept the award on Sept. 29, 2016.

and the fact that she was the first AfricanAmerican woman to be general manager at one of the top five network-owned television stations, she helped me solidify my beliefs that diversity in journalism was paramount to serving our audience,” Wasbotten said. “I can think of no one who is more deserving of the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity.”

The McGruder Distinguished Lecture and Award Program, now in its 13th year, is presented in honor of the late Robert G. “Bob” McGruder, the first black editor of the Daily Kent Stater who went on to become the first black reporter at The Plain Dealer, the first black president of the Associated Press Managing Editors group and first black executive editor at the Detroit Free Press.

JMC Director and Professor THOR WASBOTTEN said he is honored to present this distinguished award to Madison, one of his professional mentors circling back to his days as a television news director.

Before moving up the ranks at NBCUniversal, Madison was a newspaper reporter and television news manager. After retiring from NBC in 2011, Madison set out on a personal journey: She and her brothers, who were raised in Harlem, N.Y., sought to uncover their Chinese and Jamaican roots. The journey is depicted through the book (2015) and documentary (2014), “Finding Samuel Lowe” — a story about familial love and devotion and the American dream. Learn more at: www.findingsamuellowe.com.

“As someone who believed so strongly in community journalism and diversity issues,

McGruder Lecture and Award Presentation

Sept. 29, 2016, 12:30 p.m.

Kent State University, KIVA Auditorium

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JMC NEWS

INSPIRING EXPERIENCES A Look at the $4.2M Hagedorn Gift’s First Year Two years ago, in the fall of 2014, a $ 4.2 million gift began to transform the Kent State School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s (JMC) photojournalism program.

The gift came from Wallace J. Hagedorn, who took just one photography course at Kent State in 1941. But the money bequeathed to the photojournalism program when he died – The Wallace J. Hagedorn Photojournalism Scholarship – became the largest single scholarship gift ever made to Kent State University and will continue to make a great impact on future photojournalists for years to come.

“The Hagedorn funds have alleviated not only the cost of tuition, but also the ability for students to take on what’s most essential for photo students: the student experience, the travel, workshops, working on special projects,” said Assistant Professor DAVID FOSTER. “It’s really helped elevate the work that our students are doing.”

Discover more about the impact of the Hagedorn Scholarship at: www.kent.edu/jmc/hagedorn

PHOTO BY: ESLAH ATTAR, ’17 Photojournalism students traveled to Kentucky and throughout the Appalachian region in November 2015 to document the Santa Train.

Each year on the weekend before Thanksgiving, the train visits children at 14 stops in eastern Kentucky, western Virginia and Tennessee, spreading holiday cheer.

Three students received $ 10,000 scholarships.

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More than $34,000 was awarded to support enriching class trips, student internships and participation in prestigious photojournalism workshops.

Kent photojournalism ranked fifth nationally in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program (“the Pulitzer Prize of collegiate journalism”)

JMC NEWS

A CHAMPION OF MEDIA CAREERS

TV2 Adviser, Career Services Coordinator John Butte Retires BY: TAYLOR MEADE, ‘17 JOHN BUTTE has many fond memories of his time as a practitioner-in-residence and coordinator for career services in the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC).

One such experience centered on his work with the College of Communication and Information’s (CCI) CareerExpo, a job and internship fair held exclusively for CCI students. When the College hosted the first event four years ago, 20 media companies met with 60 students. Under Butte’s direction and guidance, the event grew to 55 companies — representing industries such as traditional and new media, corporate and integrated marketing communication, public relations and advertising — and 270 CCI students in 2016.

“The impact this event has for career development, internships and jobs is wonderfully rewarding,” said Butte, who retired in August after seven years at Kent State.

Butte came to Kent State as director of TeleProductions in 2009 after four decades in the broadcast news industry. He also advised TV2. Then in 2012, he transitioned into a new role, internship coordinator and career advisor for JMC. Butte was the first person to hold such a role in JMC, and School Director THOR WASBOTTEN said he was the perfect person to build the job from the ground up.

“John’s depth and breadth of experience in television and strategic communication was critically important,” Wasbotten said.

“He had contacts in the industry and was able to enhance the opportunities for our students to secure internships and jobs.”

In between helping students develop their passions and their brands as young professionals, Butte also taught Broadcast Performance and Producing Television News.

A year before coming to Kent State, Butte founded John Butte & Associates, a talent representation agency for those working in news, weather and sports.

IN CELEBRATION / JMC honored John Butte’s years of service at a retirement reception in Franklin Hall in April 2016.

BY: ESLAH ATTAR, ’17

“My years in television news, at many levels, including teaching broadcast journalism here, have positioned me well to guide and support careers.”

“My years in television news, at many levels, including teaching broadcast journalism here, have positioned me well to guide and support careers,” Butte said.

With more than 50 years of experience, Butte has been able to represent 35 clients through his agency (including many JMC alumni who have completed their first contract) and hundreds of JMC students through career counseling.

Butte said in retirement, he will continue teaching journalism and digital media

students part-time while focusing on the growth of his agency.

“I have really been thankful that CCI has supported my agency work,” Butte said. “It keeps me plugged into mainstream media today and, of course, actively involved with employment patterns.”

Butte said working in the media business has always been rewarding to him, and he’s satisfied that he can remain engaged.

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JMC NEWS

SHAPING MINDS AND CREATING DISTINCTION Three New Faculty Members Join School of Journalism and Mass Communication

her fellowship, KSJ hired her to establish a digital media training program for other fellows. It was during that time when Finch realized how much she enjoyed teaching.

Dianne Finch, Journalism BY: MAGGIE WACHTEL, ’17 Seasoned journalist DIANNE FINCH has joined the JMC faculty as an assistant professor.

This semester, she is teaching Storytelling Across Platforms and Business of Publishing.

Finch first entered the field of journalism in 2000 when she joined the Associated Press as a news data editor, assigned to find trends in census data. Her next stop was Columbia University where she earned a master’s degree in journalism and discovered a passion for audio and its role in storytelling.

Following her time at Columbia, Finch’s reporting focused on science, health, business and finance for Bloomberg News, public radio and other organizations.

Her writings on the health and science beat earned her a fellowship at MIT’s Knight Science Journalism (KSJ) program. Following

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“Since students are tomorrow’s communicators, I think it’s important to prepare them to cover issues that affect the average person and the planet they inhabit,” Finch said. “I enjoy teaching and look forward to getting to know students at Kent State.”

While teaching at Kent State, Finch will continue her research on data journalism, focusing on the environment.

Finch previously taught journalism at Elon University in North Carolina. Her focus of study while there was on data journalism, but she also taught courses about media writing, broadcast writing, business reporting and website development.

Finch said she had heard great things about Kent State and JMC from her colleagues, but the courses offered on big data were what sparked her interest in the university.

“I have been focusing on data journalism and wanted to find a position that allowed me to focus my research around it,” Finch said. “I’m pleased to join a university that understands the need for students to embrace the latest journalism trends and demands.”

Finch sees the benefits in preparing the next generation for the field and maintains she will always be dedicated to the profession of journalism.

“I believe that strong journalism is vital to a functional democracy and that an uninformed public is fertile ground for corruption,” Finch said. “Thus, I must always be engaged in the field.”

Since students are tomorrow’s communicators,

I think it’s important to prepare them to cover

issues that affect the average person and the planet they inhabit. I enjoy teaching and look forward to getting to know students at Kent State.

— Dianne Finch, Assistant Professor

JMC NEWS

while researching and preparing for the courses, he found “a very weak point in media education” that he felt could benefit from his experience.

Scott Hallgren, Digital Media Production BY: ELLINE CONCEPCION, ’17 With skills in audio production, post-production, film scoring, music performance and teaching, Assistant Professor SCOTT HALLGREN has brought a diverse skillset to JMC. He joined the faculty in Fall 2016 as an assistant professor of digital media production and said that his breadth of talents has helped him keep a good balance between theory and real-world practices in the classroom.

Hallgren was the 2010 recipient of both a Silver Telly Award (the premier award honoring the finest film and video productions, groundbreaking web commercials, videos and film and outstanding local, regional and cable TV commercials and programs), and the Golden Eagle Award, an honor given to creators of exceptional media content by the Council on International Non-Theatrical Events.

Hallgren is grateful to be a part of the JMC family and is looking forward to contributing not only to digital media production, but also to the television, radio and journalism programs. His son is also joining the Kent State family as a freshman Golden Flash.

“Kent has a long-standing and well-deserved reputation for scholarly and creative work in many disciplines,” Hallgren said.

After working at Sears for several years, Lambert took on a more traditional public relations role in the company that involved interacting with the media and developing and distributing press releases.

But she wasn’t completely satisfied with her career, realizing she wanted to further her education. So while she worked at Sears during the day, Lambert attended classes part-time at Robert Morris College (now Robert Morris University Illinois) at night. It was there that she fell in love with teaching.

She enrolled at the University of Tennessee with a primary emphasis on public relations and a secondary focus on health communication, earning her Ph.D. in 2008.

Lambert said she was attracted to Kent State because of the way JMC values faculty members, specifically in supporting participation in conferences.

This semester he is teaching Audio Set-up and Mixing and Location Sound Recording.

Hallgren holds degrees from the University of Miami (Florida) and the Seattle Film Institute. Most recently he was an adjunct professor of film at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film in Nashville. There, he created and taught courses for film, sound and music for visual arts. He has also served as an instructor at the Art Institute of Tennessee, Tennessee State University and the Nashville Film Institute.

BY: MAGGIE WACHTEL, ’17

While at Watkins, Hallgren worked with Robert Gordon, a former Los Angeles film editor whose credits include “The Return of the Living Dead” and “Toy Story.” Hallgren credits Gordon with being an influential part of his career; he helped him understand workflow and how to integrate education and work into student experiences.

A public relations scholar joined the JMC faculty as an assistant professor at the start of Fall 2016. CHERYL ANN LAMBERT, PH.D., is already teaching two classes: a graduatelevel course called Strategic Writing and Messaging in Public Relations and an undergraduate course called Public Relations Case Studies.

When Hallgren was first asked in 2009 to teach classes on audio, he protested. But,

“It was the perfect fit because the skill set I had in journalism was quite similar to the work responsibilities in corporate public relations,” she said.

Lambert decided to earn a doctorate degree to learn more about the foundation of the field.

“A good teacher is always a student,” Hallgren said.

“Being open to new experiences and opportunities that make me a better creator and collaborator helps me as an educator as well,” Hallgren said.

Lambert made the transition from journalism to public relations. She decided to seek work back in the Midwest, where she was raised.

She took a corporate public relations job at Sears’ headquarters in Chicago, where she wrote for internal audiences and planned events for Sears’ employee network groups.

Cheryl Ann Lambert, Public Relations

Lambert came to Kent State from Boston University, where she was an assistant professor in the College of Communication from 2008–2016.

She earned a Master of Journalism degree from Temple University in 1996. From there,

“These (academic) conferences are especially important for those in the public relations discipline,” she said. “It is exciting JMC recognizes the distinct advantages of faculty whose expertise covers a range of experience and education.”

Lambert has presented at various academic conferences over the years, including the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Public Relations Society of America and the International Public Relations Research Conference.

Lambert’s research interests include media representations and social constructions of public relations, journalism and health. Her published research includes journal articles about campus health messages and health care opinion leaders, as well as book chapters about war-era propaganda and television representations of public relations.

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SOLUTIONS

ILLUSTRATING HUMANITY

PHOTO BY: ESLAH ATTAR, ’17 / A boy sits on a scooter as he fixes his shoe in the Kofinou camp in Cyprus on Monday, March 21, 2016.

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SOLUTIONS

Senior Photojournalism Student Documents Life of Refugees Abroad and at Home As the Syrian Civil War was beginning in 2011, half a world away ESLAH ATTAR — then a high school junior in Massillon, Ohio — was beginning to discover her passion for photojournalism.

The daughter of Syrian immigrants, Attar immediately was struck by the unraveling of violence and the displacement of Syrians.

The events overseas and her Syrian heritage at home became her inspiration as she built her first portfolio of work centered on cultural scenes and portraits. Now a senior photojournalism major in Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC), she has built upon those interests and spent much of the past year documenting and telling the stories of refugees and displaced persons around the world.

“Why am I not covering this?” Attar, ’17, said she asked herself as she read news coverage about displaced Syrians. “I felt like I had a connection with the Syrian refugees personally. It was tragic to watch, and reading comments about what (some Americans) think we should do with Syrian refugees, that really got to me. We’re all humans. Why aren’t we focusing on that issue?”

Recognizing that the refugee crisis extends beyond Syria — that all over the world, refugees and displaced persons struggle to

find acceptance and rebuild their lives — Attar decided there was no better time than now to begin telling their stories.

“I felt like I had a connection with the Syrian refugees personally. It was tragic to watch, and reading comments about what (some Americans) think we should do with Syrian refugees, that really got to me.

We’re all humans. Why aren’t we focusing on that issue?”

Providing opportunities for students to conduct real work on relevant issues has long been a strength of JMC and Kent State’s College of Communication and Information (CCI). Thanks to an abundance of resources — the Wallace J. Hagedorn Scholarship in Photojournalism (Kent State’s largest scholarship fund, which provides tuition and travel assistance for photojournalism students) and several short study abroad courses offered at the College level — Attar traveled to both Cyprus and Ireland over a course of two months to produce stories about refugees.

Continued on pages 14–15

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Two Transformative Journeys In Cyprus, Attar saw firsthand the internal and external struggles refugees face. She traveled to the island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea as part of CCI’s annual International Storytelling course, now in its sixth year, from March 13–26, 2016.

Over the years, International Storytelling students have tackled challenging stories about poverty, education and social issues in each destination (Shanghai, China; Delhi, India; Seoul, South Korea; and more). Attar’s story about the Kofinou refugee camp, which serves refugees from Africa and the Middle East, is among the weightier of topics, particularly because the issue transcends Cyprus, said Associate Professor MITCH MCKENNEY, one of the course instructors.

“This provided an ‘in’ to a story that’s going on globally,” he said, “to see individual people in a refugee camp, deciding what to do and where to go next.”

Attar diligently arranged travel logistics to the camp, but faced obstacles upon arrival. She quickly learned that many of the refugees did not want to talk — and if they did, they did not want their names or photos attached to their statements — in fear of retribution.

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She quelled many of their fears by reiterating the importance of their stories.

“I always told them that it’s important that the world sees this,” Attar said, “but I also had to put myself in their shoes and realize that it could be risking their life, that it could be putting their life in danger. … I asked myself, ‘Will it change anything? How will it affect the rest of the world? Will it affect the rest of the world?’”

Amid lessons in ethics and access, Attar uncovered stories of hope and humanity.

Sahar, a refugee and teacher from Syria, had set up a makeshift classroom in the camp for children. Mohammed, a refugee from Lebanon, expressed nothing but joy for being able to escape oppression in Lebanon in return for a life of respect and dignity in the camp. Attar interviewed him on March 22, 2016, the day of the Brussels, Belgium, terrorist attacks, and he intently expressed his desire for the world to see Muslims as humans and not terrorists.

“I am Muslim, but I am not a terrorist,” he repeated three times during her interview. “(In Cyprus and Ireland), there’s a lot of mixed feelings about refugees,” Attar said. “There’s

mixed feelings here in America, too. Everyone that I talked to just wanted everyone else in their countries to understand and to give them rights.”

In Ireland, where she traveled as part of JMC’s Mobile Journalism course from May 19–29, 2016, Attar explored direct provision, Ireland’s system of providing for the welfare of asylum seekers and their families as they await decisions on their asylum applications. Direct provision provides essential services, medical care and accommodations, with three meals provided at set times each day.

“It’s a strict way of controlling the refugees,” said Attar, who spent time with a woman (Ellie) who is currently in direct provision and a man (Trevor) who was in direct provision and has since been granted asylum. Both came from South Africa. “They don’t let them work, and it’s rare for them to get to volunteer.

They can’t cook for themselves, and they have to sign in and out of the (accommodations) every time they leave.”

Both of her subjects, Attar said, agreed that it was an unfortunate way of dealing with refugees, but it was better than what

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they left behind. Trevor is now a film student at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, one of the institutions JMC partnered with for the coursework.

“For them, it’s the future they’re looking forward to,” Attar said. “They might be thinking, ‘This isn’t the life I came for, but I have the opportunity to get out of direct provision and do something I’ve always wanted to do’ — like Trevor, going to film school.”

Compassion and Understanding Attar’s stories from Ireland and Cyprus have been published online. She is still working on additional story components from each trip, and throughout her senior year, she plans to work with organizations like the International Institute in Akron and Viva La Casa in Buffalo, N.Y., to document refugees in America. She would like to produce a website to tie all of her work on refugees together.

“I want to see more refugees taken in,” Attar said. “I want to see more people being accepting of them. People act like it’s (the refugees’) fault that they’re leaving (their home country). Yes, they do have a choice to leave,

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but it’s not like they’re leaving a great life.

They’re struggling, and they’re living a terrible life. They deserve the opportunity to live a comfortable life, just like every one of us.”

McKenney, who has advised Attar and taught her in several classes, said she has excelled in telling stories about people — in this case, refugees — overcoming adversity.

“She loves that kind of story — (stories) about people for whom life is harder and how they confront that,” he said. “Her eyes are always open to things that are visually interesting.”

After graduation, Attar said she hopes to continue to work with refugees while using her talents as a photojournalist – first at home in the United States, and eventually abroad.

Knowing that she has the opportunity to change just one person’s mind through her craft is rewarding, she said.

“When you see a photo, you’re instantly thinking about it and taking in all of the information,” she said. “You’re immediately looking at someone’s story. You’re looking in their eyes and trying to understand what they’re going through, and you’re trying to connect with them.”

View Attar’s work on refugees at: internationalstorytelling.org/ cyprus/kofinou-camp/

PHOTO REFERENCE 1 A Syrian refugee pushes the curtain that acts as a door to her living space at the Kofinou refugee camp in Cyprus.

2 Ellie Kisyombe takes a break from a busy day at the Irish Refugee Center, May 23, 2016.

3 The Irish Refugee Council (IRC) sets up “vox pops” (voice of the people) outside of its building. Passersby can stop to write short phrases about immigration and refugees in Ireland.

4 A child rides their bike in the early hours of the day in the Kofinou refugee camp on Tuesday, March 22, 2016.

5 Photograph of Eslah Attar taken by associate professor Mitch McKenney.

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adults ages 18–25, these newspaper readers are more likely to vote than their peers. In a separate study (now in the peer review process), he is looking at how one’s exposure to cable and internet news is related to saying volatile and uncivil things about President Barack Obama.

As scientists uncover new insight through research, York said that journalists and communication professionals have the responsibility to help the world make sense of the information.

UNCOVERING INNOVATION JMC Professor Finds Solutions, Insight Through Research on Media Socialization Media consumption habits — like other habits developed in childhood — tend to stick with an individual into adulthood.

Assistant Professor CHANCE YORK, PH.D., now starting his third year in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC), is interested in how lifelong media consumption habits affect other parts of one’s lifestyle — an individual’s weight or voting habits, for example.

“We know (media habits) have real and serious implications as to whether you vote, your political attitude, your health and behaviors,” he said. “I’m looking at the back end of how we first get interested in media and how that has lifelong impacts upon how we think and behave and the attitudes we hold.”

Most recently, York presented his paper “Heavy Childhood Television Use Persists

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into Young Adulthood and is Associated with Increased BMI” at the 2016 International Communication Association conference in Fukuoka, Japan. His research establishes heavy television use as a childhood habit that continues into adulthood and is linked to a higher BMI. Conference attendees from all over the world were impressed with the longitudinal nature of York’s study, as the data he used spanned 14 years.

“I think my research really says, ‘Look at kids.’ A lot of people think about children’s media usage as a passing phase. To a large extent, that’s right. We won’t have the same media habits (as adults, as we do as kids).

But my research shows that the trends, the basic patterns that kids exhibit will continue for a very long time,” York said. “If you’re comfortable with your child having a TV in their bedroom, get used to the idea that this child will likely become a heavy TV user.”

York has also researched how news consumption affects voter participation and online civility. He found that children whose parents read newspapers tend to become newspaper readers as well, and as young

“Research can make the world a better place,” he said. “We, as citizens, have to do a better job at paying attention to research and knowing what it can and can’t do. … Journalism students have a huge responsibility going into the field, in getting it right. But actually digging into research is tough — there’s a lot of jargon, it’s technical, it can be dry — but it’s so necessary to get right.”

York, originally from Kansas, earned his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. In JMC, he has taught Advertising Writing and Storytelling and Audience Analysis and Research, along with several graduate-level courses. This fall, he is teaching Political Advertising, and he plans to challenge students to look beyond the 2016 presidential election to state and local campaigns that will be happening in 2018.

“Every campaign season, you have more money being dumped into political advertisements,” York said. “There’s always a market for Kent students to go out and work on campaigns.”

York also recently took on responsibilities related to assessment within JMC. “We get reaccredited from ACEJMC (Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication) because we can show that we’re meeting different goals,” he said. “For faculty, what are we doing right, and how can we improve? For graduating seniors, what kind of skillsets and competencies do they have leaving JMC?” Within the next year, York would like to survey alumni about job placement and income level to add yet another component to the School’s assessment efforts.

“I’m excited to be here and really excited to see where the next few years go,” York said.

“I think we have an opportunity to grow the School and the College (of Communication and Information).”

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REIMAGINING NEWS

New Journalism Class Teaches Students to

Report on Social Problems Through ‘Solutions Lens’ Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) recently became one of five journalism schools in the country to offer a course in Solutions Journalism.

The capstone-level course, taught for the first time in Fall 2016, has challenged students to report on solutions to the community’s problems.

“It’s the step beyond advocacy. It’s the step beyond investigative,” said Associate Professor JAN LEACH, who is team-teaching the course alongside alumna and Plain Dealer reporter RACHEL DISSELL, ’01.

Broadly speaking, solutions journalism is “telling stories about how problems get solved,” according to the Solutions Journalism Network (SJN), a non-profit organization founded in 2013. More specifically, it involves reporting on a community’s problem on several levels: about what has and has not been done to solve it, how similar problems are being solved in other communities (and how and if this method could work at home), and the unsung heroes who have made strides to solve the problem in some capacity along the way.

SJN has partnered with and held training workshops in more than 30 newsrooms across the country, including The Plain Dealer/cleveland.com’s. Dissell has reported on several topics from a “solutions lens”— housing, sexual assault and lead paint, to name a few.

“It kind of takes away from the excuses with (solving) big social problems,” she said.

“People may say that you can’t fix this. So you find something that shows progress: What are they doing that’s different? What are we doing? Is what they’re doing do-able (under our circumstances)?”

“I think it offers our students a combination of relevant advocacy journalism, investigative journalism and data journalism that can have an impact.”

— Jan Leach, Associate Professor

In doing so, journalists should apply the same standards of objectivity and fairness as they would with any story. It’s possible to be an advocate for a solution (like sexual assault), without advocating for a particular solution, she said.

“You look at evidence and measurements, and you write fairly and accurately about it,” Dissell said. “You don’t want to pretend that what someone is doing is perfect.”

Students in the course will examine the Tampa Bay Times’ 2016 Pulitzer Prize winning series “Failure Factories” on segregation in Pinellas County (Florida) schools, and other solutions-oriented stories. They are also working in teams to report on local and regional problems.

“It’s a capstone class, so (the students) already know how to report,” Leach said.

“We’re teaching them how to collect data, how to process data, how to look for public records. (The students) will be able to take that and say, ‘Here’s why it’s important to this community, and here’s what could solve that problem.’”

As a member of SJN, Dissell will work with faculty members from the four other journalism programs offering the course to tweak the content and share ideas,

to best educate the next generation in reporting on solutions.

“Young journalists tend to like this kind of story because it isn’t just pointing out the problems,” she said. “It has an element of hope to it. … I think this is a generation that has an action-oriented agenda. (Solutions journalism) is telling people what can be done — not, ‘Here’s this awful problem; figure it out yourself.’”

Solutions stories also illustrate how important and relevant the journalism profession continues to be.

“I’m excited about it because I think it offers our students a combination of relevant advocacy journalism, investigative journalism and data journalism that can have an impact,” Leach said.

To learn more about solutions journalism, visit www.solutionsjournalism.org.

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‘GOOD PERFORMANCE, WELL COMMUNICATED’ Alumnus David Meeker Left Lasting Legacy on School and PR Profession BY: ERICA BATYKO, ’16, M.A. ’18 and JENNIFER L. KRAMER, APR, ’00 Generous. Positive. Authentic. Trusted.

Committed. Approachable.

These are just a few of the adjectives those who knew DAVID ANTHONY MEEKER, ’61, use to describe their colleague, mentor and friend.

Surrounded by family after having suffered a heart attack at an Akron golf course, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) alumnus and Professional Advisory Board (PAB) member died May 26, 2016.

Meeker spent most of his professional career working in a blend of politics, activism, journalism and public relations.

“I got to know Dave back in the 1980s when he was active in Akron politics and civic issues, and I was chief editorial writer for the Akron Beacon Journal,” said RON KIRKSEY, M.A. ’98, a board member of the Akron Area Chapter of Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

“Dave loved his community and contributed much toward making it better.”

In the field of public relations, Meeker was an industry leader who specialized in environmental issues, health, community relations and public affairs. He was partner at Meeker-Mayer Public Relations, president of David A. Meeker and Associates and executive vice president of Edward Howard & Company (now part of Fahlgren Mortine).

“Dave had a very varied background, and he brought all of those experiences to his practice,” said longtime colleague WENDY SCHWEIGER, vice president of Fahlgren Mortine. “He felt practitioners had to have certain qualities: be a great reader and writer, know how to question and probe deeper and understand what it means to act in the public interest, to name a few. Dave always defined public relations as ‘good performance, well

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communicated.’ I always felt that only he could have found such a simple adage to shine a light on a too-often maligned profession.”

He didn’t hesitate to say yes. Not even for a second. He worked in the background with no expectation of credit or accolades.”

She added that Meeker taught her to position herself as a strategist, not an order taker.

And he never hesitated to help students. From hiring interns to guest lecturing to developing and teaching JMC courses, Meeker always agreed to share his experience and knowledge with others.

“A client may want something, but it may not be what they need,” she said. “They’re paying us for our counsel. We must strive to give it. And of course, always, always be ethical.”

His was not just a belief in ethical behavior.

He led by example.

“He once said to me, ‘Ethics is simple. Just do the right thing.’ It was a profound statement that has stayed with me for the past decade of my career,” said public relations professional and JMC alumna CARRIE MASSUCCI KANDES, ’97.

That conviction naturally led to helping shape the future of the profession.

“One of his greatest contributions — sometimes an underestimated gift — is in the people he hired, coached and supported,” Kirksey said.

“Many of those people are now leaders in the public relations profession. Like Dave, they are committed to making a positive difference every day for individuals and communities, especially in Northeast Ohio. Dave’s legacy is secure, and he lives on through them.”

Meeker’s ongoing work with JMC, PRSA and a host of other professional and nonprofit organizations aided these current leaders in learning his ideals.

“As a young pro, I had the opportunity to work with Dave in PRSA,” Kandes said. “When our board asked him to serve as our Ethics Officer, we expected that someone of his stature – who had already more than ‘paid his dues’ – would need some convincing.

“He was my go-to guy to take over a class when I was out of town or to simply come in and speak to one of my classes,” said DAVIS YOUNG, Meeker’s longtime friend and colleague. Both taught as adjuncts in JMC throughout the 2000s. “He was generous with his time and generous with his ever-positive spirit, best expressed in what he said so many times: ‘Another day of golden opportunity!’”

Kandes said she often looks to Meeker’s example when mentoring young public relations professionals.

“I have many times reflected on how Dave influenced me as a fledgling professional,” she said. “He genuinely cared about the profession and the people shaping it. That’s who I’ve tried to be in my interactions with young people making their way in this industry.

I can only hope that when the end of my time here comes, I can be remembered with the admiration and fondness I will always have for Dave.”

JMC Director THOR WASBOTTEN said he will miss all Meeker gave to the school and its students.

“I will miss his guidance, his leadership and his laugh,” Wasbotten said. “We will especially miss the pride he felt in all of the students he and Anita have supported through their scholarship in his name.”

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Young concluded, “I miss him every day and will continue to do so. Simply put, David Meeker was the best. He touched a lot of lives in good ways. And, nobody was more committed to Kent State.”

The David A. Meeker Endowed Scholarship

After David Meeker retired from Edward Howard in 2001, the public relations firm set up the David A. Meeker Endowed Scholarship at Kent State to honor him. Meeker and his wife matched the firm’s contribution to double the endowment. Each year since, the scholarship has supported a public relations student who demonstrates academic performance, financial need and leadership.

If you would like to donate to the David A. Meeker Endowed Scholarship, visit givetokent.org and designate the scholarship by name. You may also make a gift by sending a check, payable to: Kent State University Foundation, 350 S. Lincoln Street, P.O. Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242

ABOVE / David Meeker and his wife Anita were married for nearly 56 years. They have four children.

LEFT / David Meeker ran for mayor of Akron in 1987, telling the Akron Beacon Journal that he wore out three pairs of shoes with all of the walking he did while campaigning door-to-door. He lost the election, but remained active in environmental, governmental and health affairs through public relations.

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FAST TRACK TO SUCCESS Two Alumni to Receive Fast-Track Award for Early Career Achievements

Natalie Pasquarella, Anchor/Reporter for NBC 4 News, New York City NATALIE PASQUARELLA, ’04, vividly remembers the minute broadcast journalism “clicked” for her.

“I can remember editing that first package (for Broadcast Beat Reporting) in the Music and Speech Building,” she said. “Oh my goodness, just the feeling when that was done and watching it over and thinking about what it could do for viewers — I was hooked. This was my major.”

Pasquarella’s passion for journalism has always been rooted in serving her viewers — first in Kent, while working for student media; then at her first job in her hometown of Steubenville, Ohio; next in Charlotte, where for seven years she moved up the ranks and honed her skills; and now in New York City, the country’s largest media market. She is one of Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s (JMC) Fast-Track Winners for 2016 and will be honored during Homecoming weekend. (See page 23.)

“My approach has always been: You have to tackle every single day by making a commitment to the people you serve…that you will work as hard as you can during that 8, 10 or 16-hour work day to tell the stories that matter most to the community,” she said. “You have to always remember why we do this job.

We work for the people.”

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That was her mantra when she had a rare opportunity to interview President Barack Obama one-on-one in 2011. The President had invited reporters from several news markets throughout the country to conduct

seven-minute interviews in an effort to reach Americans through their local stations, and WSOC Charlotte selected Pasquarella for the job.

“A lot of (local reporters) asked him national questions,” Pasquarella remembered, “but we were very clear that we wanted to make this about North Carolina.”

Coinciding with the President’s upcoming trip to Latin America, they discussed how a local company saw sales success through new relationships with companies in Brazil. They also discussed the 2012 Democratic National Convention, which took place in Charlotte.

She was part of the team that planned and executed the station’s coverage for the convention in the fall of 2012.

But for her, “big stories” don’t necessarily mean a major party convention or a conversation with the president. She asserts that volunteering and getting involved in the community has made her a better journalist, and she’s carried a passion for giving back through each of her professional jobs.

“Big stories to me are when you’re making a difference with your viewers, when you see what your community is capable of, when you see people rally around others,” Pasquarella said.

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Last fall, Pasquarella made the move from Charlotte to New York’s NBC 4. So far, it’s been a thrill, she said. She was hired as a weekend anchor, but has quickly transitioned to anchoring the station’s new 4 p.m. newscast with Stefan Holt, while also co-anchoring the 6 p.m. news with Chuck Scarborough. She also recently co-hosted the station’s nightly Olympics special, “The Olympic Zone.”

Working in New York City had been her goal since she interned at New York One during her senior year. Now, Pasquarella hopes to continue to grow in the NBC 4 New York family and get to the heart of the New York City community.

“We’re at a time when people want their voices heard. In the world of politics and the stories we’ve seen recently, how do I, as a journalist, get to the heart of the communities and share their stories?”

the stories we’ve seen recently (regarding police/community relations), how do I, as a journalist, get to the heart of the communities and share their stories?”

Pasquarella remains very proud of her Kent State roots and grateful to all who have shaped her career and passion for broadcast journalism — especially Emeritus Professor GARY HANSON. “I think back on my time at Kent State, and it was just phenomenal. That’s where the basis of my career in journalism began,” she said.

“Gary inspired a lot of that. He brought out that passion in so many of us through helping us understand how to craft a story.”

“We’re at a time when people want their voices heard,” she said. “In the world of politics and

Tyler Pina, Video Director for The Verge, San Francisco Editor’s Note: Tyler Pina was featured in the Spring 2016 issue of Jargon. To read the article, please visit: www.kent.edu/jmc/jargon-magazine When it came time for TYLER PINA, ’14, to apply for jobs after graduation, he was ready, thanks to his education from Kent State and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC).

“It looked like I had been in the work force for years, based on my portfolio,” he said.

“In a sense, I was, because I was doing so much in school.”

Pina, who majored in electronic media production (now known as digital media production) at Kent State, is now a video director with The Verge, a Vox Media company that covers technology and lifestyle news, in San Francisco. He is one of JMC’s 2016 Fast- Track Award recipients.

“I’m ecstatic about the honor,” he said. “It’s one of my greatest accomplishments, to be recognized for everything I learned from Kent and how I’ve been able to apply it in the real world.”

For The Verge, Pina has worked on several high-profile videos related to technology, including projects with NASA, Aston Martin and Volkswagen. Currently, he is working on a series called “Climate Hackers,” which will explore ways researchers and scientists are trying to “cool down the planet.”

“It’s a controversial topic,” Pina said. “We’re putting together a series explaining all of the different options that scientists are exploring right now to raise awareness and get the public’s input.”

impacted service industries, from fast food, to retail, to hospitality management.

“The Verge has been growing so fast. Every couple weeks, I’m somewhere,” he said, noting recent travels to Hong Kong, Seattle, Los Angeles and more.

Pina credits his versatile education, his extracurricular involvement (TV2, Kent State University Independent Films, Undergraduate Student Government and study abroad) and most of all, his professors (Associate Professor and College of Communication and Information Associate Dean DANIELLE SARVER COOMBS, Associate Professor DAVID SMELTZER and Senior Lecturer TRACI WILLIAMS) for his early career success.

The climate series will launch this fall or winter.

Looking ahead, Pina said he would also like to explore how advances in robotics have

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SUPPORTING A BRIGHT FUTURE Author, 2016 Taylor Award Winner Backs JMC Through Time, Talents and Treasure DIANE LANEY FITZPATRICK, ’81, had been writing a blog for a couple of years when one day, her husband said to her: “Since when are you funny?”

She didn’t set out to write a humor blog, but in between several “really terrible” entries, her voice started to emerge. Years of writing later – about moving, raising kids and other everyday happenings in life – she is now the author of two humorous books, “Home Sweet Home: How Bundt Cakes, Bubble Wrap, and My Accent Helped Me Survive Nine Moves” and “Great-Grandma is on Twitter and Other Signs the Rapture is Near.”

“I really think I just stumbled upon humor,” she said. “But that’s how you know it’s your voice.

You don’t create it; you don’t model it after someone; it’s not contrived. It just emerged on its own.”

Fitzpatrick is the 2016 William D. Taylor Award recipient, the highest honor Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) bestows upon its alumni. She will be honored at the alumni and friends awards reception and ceremony on Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, as part of Homecoming weekend festivities.

(See page 23.)

Fitzpatrick worked at several Northeast Ohio newspapers throughout the 1980s after graduating with a degree in journalism. After about a decade in the business, she became a stay-at-home mom. In between raising her children and moving all across the country for her husband’s corporate communications career (the inspiration behind her first book), she began trying her hand at different types of writing – search engine optimization, content marketing, blogging, guest blogging and more.

“I can say that I’ve always had a strong work ethic,” she said. “I was able to do a lot of volunteer work as a stay-at-home mom. I was able to look around to see who could benefit from my work and my talents. I feel lucky to be able to give back in that way.”

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In addition to clients and organizations she has supported through writing, Fitzpatrick has given back to Kent State – specifically JMC – in many ways. Over the summer, she helped financially support journalism senior Jimmy Miller’s participation in the News21 reporting program, a national initiative aimed to train a new generation of journalists capable of reshaping the news industry.

“It’s important for those of us in the field to see to it that we’re turning out conscientious reporters and writers, and News21 does that,” said Fitzpatrick, whose son participated in the program while studying journalism at Arizona State University.

In addition, since moving to San Francisco in 2013, she and her husband have hosted several Kent State alumni receptions in their home, in partnership with the university’s Office of Institutional Advancement. The first event started as a JMC-only alumni reunion, but expanded to include all Golden Flash alumni in the Bay Area.

“When we bought this house, my husband and I decided that it was our obligation to open it up to visitors,” she said. “It’s one of only a few single family homes in the neighborhood, and we love to show it off. It’s nice to be able to host events here.”

Fitzpatrick is also involved in the establishment of a soon-to-be official Kent State alumni chapter for Bay Area residents.

She hopes the chapter will become a support Millergraduates is the EIC jmill231@kent.edu 330groupJimmy for new moving to the area 672-3665 (Stater) cell 330-620-4852 as they start their careers.

MitchofMcKenney is thenature adviser of mmckenne@kent.

“Because the unique employment edu 330-244-3364 (Stark) 330-672-3665 (Stater) here, we have a lot of young people coming after hours cell 330-475-2287 to the Bay Area for work,” she said. “Our chapter has this unique opportunity to help recent Kent State grads who are relocating here, not just with networking and planning events, but in being a support system for hem and providing mentorship for them so they have a bit of home.”

Fitzpatrick said she is honored to receive recognition from Kent State and JMC through the Taylor Award honor, and she remains thankful for the type of education she received in JMC. “My time at Kent prepared me not just for that first reporting job, but for the next one and the next one — through all of the changes of internet writing, social media, multimedia and whatever comes next,” Fitzpatrick said.

Read Diane Laney Fitzpatrick’s blogs, and learn more about her books, at: www.dianelaneyfitzpatrick.com

GATHERED TOGETHER / Diane Laney Fitzpatrick (middle row, right) hosted a reception for Kent State Bay Area alumni in her San Francisco home. She is involved in the establishment of a soon-to-be-official alumni chapter in the area.

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Hansons to be Honored as Friends of JMC GARY and LUETT HANSON served the Kent State School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) for a combined nearly 50 years. To honor their dedication, service and generosity, the couple will be honored with the Sharon Marquis Friends of JMC Award during Homecoming weekend, 2016.

Both Gary, emeritus professor of journalism, and LuEtt, emerita associate dean of the College of Communication and Information (CCI), retired in June 2016.

“JMC has been such an important part of our lives,” Gary said. “It’s really nice to be recognized as someone who supports the school. I think this is an outstanding institution, it is an outstanding program, and it is headed in the right direction. I really believe in this, and for us to be recognized for that, together, it is quite an honor. We’ve come as a team.”

As individuals, Gary and LuEtt have each made significant impacts upon students, the university and the fields of journalism and mass communication. But they’ve also been able to work together, often by sharing their mutual love of travel with JMC students through the International Storytelling class.

Formed in 2011, the course has taken students to destinations like Shanghai, China; Delhi, India; and Cyprus, to report on international stories and issues. Both say it’s been a privilege to share their love of travel and to watch as students’ worldviews expand.

“International Storytelling is really an experience that students can come out of and say, ‘I lived and worked in another country.

Maybe it was only 10 days, but I was there as something other than a tourist,’” LuEtt said.

“That sense of purpose, that sense of being a part of the community and working there is really what makes it special.”

ALUMNI NEWS CYNTHIA VRSANSKY SCHULZ, ’74, has been named director of community affairs and strategic initiatives of Calfee Strategic Solutions, a public relations and government affairs subsidiary of Calfee, Halter & Griswold.

In her role, Schulz will offer strategic consultation and communication services to the law firm’s clients in its Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati offices. Schulz is a member and former chair of the JMC Professional Advisory Board.

CHRIS BOROS, ’98, was named Metro Radio Newscaster of the Year from the New Mexico Broadcasters Association. He also produced a Genesis Award-winning show for Coast to Coast Radio. The Humane Society of America honors excellence in reporting on animal protection issues with the Genesis Awards.

Boros is a radio host and producer at KUNM, an NPR affiliate in Albuquerque, N.M. TOM NADER, ’04, was recently named Division 3 Sportswriter of the Year runner-up by the Ohio Prep Sportswriter’s Association. The Record-Courier’s sports department, for which he serves as editor, was named the best daily sports section in Ohio for Division 3 at the Associated Press Media Editors Awards.

LAURA FONG, ’11, M.A. ’13, co-produced the film “No Greater Love,” which has received honors from some of the nation’s top film festivals: Best Documentary and Mass Impact Award (Boston Film Festival), Best Military Film (San Diego Film Festival), Best Documentary and Best of Show (Lake Charles Film Festival). Fong is a faculty member at Mercer University in Georgia.

KATE MURPHY, ’13, is the social media manager at Geben Communication, a public relations firm in Columbus. She previously served as the social media producer of “Good Day Columbus” for WSYX ABC 6 and WTTE FOX 28.

MALANA JOSEPH MITCHELL, M.A. ’15, has been elected the 2016 President of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter. She is director of public relations at the Spears Group, a New Orleans strategic communications firm.

Stay Connected!

Please send us news about your career, professional and personal achievements, family and more. Email jmc@kent.edu to include your updates and photos in the next issue of Jargon.

In 2008, the couple established the Lloyd W. Hanson and Harvey E. Rahn Scholarship in honor of their fathers and their strong work ethic. They have committed to donating additional money to JMC in the future.

PHOTO BY MAGGIE MORGANS, ’17 / JMC honored GARY and LUETT HANSON with a retirement celebration and reception, April 2016.

Please join us for our Homecoming celebration: Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2016 Friday, Sept. 30

JMC Alumni and Friends Awards Ceremony and Reception 4:30–6:30 p.m.

FirstEnergy Auditorium, Franklin Hall Alumni and friends to be honored: Gary and LuEtt Hanson, Sharon Marquis Friends of JMC Award Tyler Pina, ’14, Natalie Pasquarella, ’04, Fast Track Award Diane Laney Fitzpatrick, ’81, William D. Taylor Award

Saturday, Oct. 1

College of Communication and Information Homecoming Parade Hospitality Tent 9:30 a.m.

Corner of Lincoln and Main Streets JMC Homecoming Luncheon and Auction Immediately following the Parade First Floor Lobby, Franklin Hall Homecoming Football Game 3:30 p.m.

Dix Stadium (Kent State Golden Flashes versus The University of Akron Zips)

JARGON | FALL 2016 | ISSUE 1 23

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Emeritus Professor Gary Hanson accepted the Edward L. Bliss Award for Distinguished Broadcast Journalism Education in Minneapolis, on Aug. 5, 2016. JMC and CCI professors and administrators joined the celebration.

View more photos and watch a video at: www.kent.edu/jmc/hanson-bliss