Jargon, Spring 2016

SPRING 2016

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VOLUME LXXVI

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ISSUE 2

IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

RESPECTED. RELEVANT. REAL.

From working on Capitol Hill to reporting on voter rights: JMC students are making an impact on a national scale.

CONTENTS SPRING 2016

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DIRECTOR’S NOTE

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YEAR IN REVIEW During the 2015-2016 academic year, JMC students earned national recognition, developed professionally and expanded their worldviews.

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WELCOME, NEW FACULTY

POYNTER, HOMECOMING, CAREEREXPO

KENT STATE AND BEYOND A collaboration that began in student media is going national, as for the first time, two Kent State JMC students participate in the prestigious News 21 reporting program.

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Hallmark JMC events bring students and professionals together to make a mark on the media and communication industries.

IN THE NATIONAL CONVERSATION From Election 2016 commentary to the link between television and childhood obesity, JMC faculty voices and research are in the spotlight.

NATIONAL IMPACT

Gretchen Dworznik, Ph.D., and Pulitzer Prize winner and alumna Connie Schultz join the JMC faculty.

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JMC students and professional panelists brought the Kent State campus together to discuss media and politics.

JMC NEWS 4

JMC CONVERSATION

ALUMNI PROFILES From coast to coast, JMC alumni are making a national impact.

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RETIREMENTS

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CLASS NOTES

PUTTING THE PR IN D.C. Over the past year, three Kent State public relations students completed internships in governmental offices and agencies in Washington, D.C.

ON THE COVER / LEFT TO RIGHT: GABRIELLE WOODARD, ’17;

KERI RICHMOND, ’17; JIMMY MILLER, ’17; EMILY MILLS, ’16; SARAH MATTHEWS, ’17 PHOTOGRAPHY BY: MATT BAKER, ’16 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 | E-mail: thor@kent.edu www.kent.edu/jmc

MANAGING EDITOR / CHRISTINA RUSS ART DIRECTOR / ANN KLEWER, ’16 PHOTOGRAPHERS / MATT BAKER, ’16, AND

ALEXANDER LEDET, ’17 PRODUCTION MANAGER / KATIE BARNES EVANS

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DIRECTOR’S NOTE

A NATIONAL IMPACT In the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC), we talk a lot about having a national impact. We realize that to be competitive with our peer and aspirational programs, we need to show potential and current students, their parents, and alumni and donors, that we compete on a national scale.

This issue of Jargon is dedicated to showing how Kent State JMC is becoming more respected and relevant across the country.

For the first time, two students from JMC are participating in the national News21 program (page 12). EMILY MILLS and JIMMY MILLER, both journalism majors and student leaders at The Kent Stater, were selected by Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication to join top journalism students from around the country to report on the 2016 election and voters’ rights.

Three students majoring in public relations interned in governmental offices and agencies in Washington, D.C., working with individuals and on issues that impact the nation (page 14). One even testified before a Congressional committee.

DANIELLE SARVER COOMBS, PH.D., associate professor in JMC and author of “Last Man Standing,” a look at the 2012 presidential election, has provided her expertise to media reporting on this year’s election and the important role Ohio will play (again) in electing the next President of the United States (page 16).

Six of our faculty are currently serving in administrative roles in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, our discipline’s most prestigious academic organization. A record.

And, you may have heard that Pulitzer Prize winner CONNIE SCHULTZ, ’79, has joined our faculty as professional-in-residence.

STEPHANIE DANES SMITH, ’79, another professional-in-residence, teaches in our program. Stephanie served our country as director of support at CIA.

A recent graduate of our digital media production program moved to San Francisco and is working for The Verge, a national Vox Media company From all accounts, faculty and students are that covers the intersection of technology, making a national impact. As director, I am science, art and culture (page 18). TYLER PINA, ’14, proud to serve your School. has continued to support his alma mater by contributing as an executive producer for our students’ latest full-length feature film, “Unlucky.”

THOR WASBOTTEN DIRECTOR, SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION

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JMC NEWS

JMC: YEAR IN REVIEW

National Recognition. Professional Development. Expanding Worldviews.

AWARDS The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Magazine Division recognized two Kent State student publications for excellence in magazine writing and design.

Of the more than 200 entries, The Burr Magazine and Fusion earned four awards: CHRISSY SUTTLES, ’15, Third Place, Investigation and Analysis: “Two Seconds in Cudell” (The Burr Magazine) BRITTANY REES, ’16, Third Place, Single Issue of an Ongoing Magazine: editor of Fusion DANA WOODS, ’15, Honorable Mention, People: “All About Andrew” (Fusion) CHRISSY SUTTLES, ’15, Honorable Mention, First Person: “Nightfall” (The Burr Magazine)

The Press Club of Cleveland awarded Kent State student media four first-place awards and one second-place award at the All-Ohio Excellence in Journalism Awards:

KentWired.com/The Kent Stater, First Place, Best Print News Story for “Three Hours of Fear: Campus Officials, Witnesses Detail Lockdown Events After Student Fires Shot” RICHIE MULHALL, ’16, First Place, Best Print Sports Story for “ESPN, MAC Contract Case Closer to Being Cracked, But Remains Unsolved” MICHAEL BRATTON, GRADUATE STUDENT, First Place, Best TV News Story for “Kent State Walkout” ZACH HARLEY, ’16, First Place, Best TV Sports Story for “Kent State Women’s Golf” KARA TAYLOR, ’16, AND JASON KOSTURA, ’14, Second Place, Best Online Report for “Students Rally to Challenge Westboro Protest Tweets”

Kent State’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA Kent) earned Star Chapter recognition at the national conference in Atlanta, Nov. 6-10, 2015.

Fourteen members attended and five members delivered a chapter development session titled “We Are Family: Becoming Part of Your University Community.” This was the fourth time in five years the PRSSA National Committee selected PRSSA Kent to deliver a chapter development session.

TV2 KSU earned the first place Pinnacle Award for Station of the Year at the College Media Association’s annual awards ceremony.

Additionally, the student media outlet took first place in best newscast and best sportscast, and second place in special event coverage in the November 2015 awards ceremony in Austin, Texas.

Judges for this competition included media professionals from The New York Times, CBS Television, National Public Radio, USA Today, Associated Press and Chicago Tribune.

Kent State University Independent Films earned a Gold Cinema in Industry (CINDY) Award for its 2014 production of Captain Kidd’s “Freaky Love” music video.

The video was selected for this honor among both student and professional submissions.

The Broadcast Education Association’s Festival of Media Arts recognized JMC students and alumni with second place nationally in the news magazine category for “Kent Connects.”

The series airs on TV2 KSU each spring and is produced by students in the Advanced Television News Producing course. The Festival of Media Arts also honored two JMC students in individual categories. IAN KLEIN, ’16, earned an honorable mention in the weathercaster category, and TYLER CAREY, ’17, earned an honorable mention in the sports anchor category. During the Spring 2016 semester, Klein was news director for TV2, and Carey was a sports anchor and producer.

TAKING FIRST PLACE / TV2 students show their Pinnacle Awards for Station of the Year.

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JMC NEWS

The Ohio Newspaper Association awarded The Kent Stater/KentWired.com top honors in several categories.

The Kent Stater earned first place in Division A (large universities) for headline writing and sports coverage. In addition, CHELSAE KETCHUM, ’15, earned first place for her multimedia package “Coming Home,” which tells the story of two brothers from Akron – the younger, who dreams of playing in the NBA, and the older, who returned home from college to mentor his brother and help him train.

Kent State finished fifth place nationwide for photojournalism in the William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program.

This is the fourth consecutive year the photojournalism program has ranked among the top 10 in the country. Three JMC students — JACOB BYK, ‘15, JENNA WATSON, ‘16, and ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, ‘16 — each earned top-20 individual recognition as well, contributing to the fifth place overall finish.

VISITING SPEAKERS MSNBC Correspondent Joy Ann Reid Talks Objectivity, Diversity

Before delivering the keynote address for Kent State’s 14th annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, MSNBC correspondent Joy-Ann Reid stopped by Franklin Hall to speak with JMC students.

Reid led a candid discussion about the role of diversity in a newsroom and how journalists can bring their own cultural competencies to stories while remaining objective and fair. They also discussed how national coverage surrounding the upcoming 2016 presidential election has, in large part, lacked important principles of journalism: telling the true narrative — not just what you want the story to be — and focusing on the why.

because it does represent a real thing that you can only understand if you, as a journalist, bother to read … what actual conservatives are saying,” Reid said.

Quiñones Calls for Students to Embrace Social Responsibility

“Sesame Street” actress SONIA MANZANO, and JOHN QUIÑONES, anchor of ABC’s “What Would You Do?”, talked to JMC students about media diversity and social responsibility as they visited Kent State as part of the State of the State conference in March.

Manzano, the daughter of two Puerto Rican immigrants, recalled her time playing Maria on “Sesame Street” and how important diversity was in getting kids to relate to the show.

She said it was rare to see any Latinos in the media as she was growing up. But in playing Maria, “Sesame Street” producers gave her creative control to develop her character.

“The producers and writers wanted my character to be as close to me as possible,” she said. “I wanted Latino kids to look at me and feel included.”

Quiñones spoke about growing up in a poor neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas, and how he was inspired by other Hispanic and Latino reporters. He spoke in detail about his Emmy-winning story in which he went undercover and crossed the Rio Grande as an illegal immigrant.

“Don’t do (this career) for the money; do it because you have a burning in your soul,” Quiñones said.

He encouraged future media professionals to embrace the importance of their roles by imagining the world as a dark room.

“Journalists are the ones with the little candle or flashlight,” he said. “They can shine it on the darkest corners of the room to illuminate injustice.”

“I wish we could cover Donald Trump from the standpoint of what his rise represents

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JMC NEWS

AARON SELF, ’17

MELANIE NESTERUK, ’16 AARON SELF, ’17

ANDREA NOALL, ’17

ANDREA NOALL, ’17

MELANIE NESTERUK, ’16

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, ’16

ANDREA NOALL, ’17 ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, ’16

CAPTURING COSTA RICA Associate Professor DAVE SMELTZER led JMC students on a study abroad course, “Science Photojournalism and Documentary Film,” in Costa Rica during the 2015-2016 winter break.

While producing stories at four tropical locations, students learned the logistics, research techniques, cinematography and recording skills needed to shoot and record stills and digital film for science documentaries in the tropics. Students from the Department of Biological Sciences joined JMC students on the trip.

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View photos and watch videos the students produced at: www.kent.edu/jmc/costa-rica

JMC NEWS

NEW FACES: JOURNALISM PROFESSOR HAS EMBRACED ‘BIG OPPORTUNITIES’ BY: JULIANNE CALAPA, ’16

PORTRAIT BY: ALEXANDER LEDET, ’17

There are a lot of driven students here at Kent. They’re really interested in doing this job, which is a really great situation to be in because you can just teach and talk to them, and they listen.”

The transition from a university with 6,000 students to one with more than 41,000 students might seem like a challenge. Assistant Professor GRETCHEN DWORZNIK, PH.D., saw it as an opportunity too good to pass up.

matter where I am. There are a lot of driven students here at Kent. They’re really interested in doing this job, which is a really great situation to be in because you can just teach and talk to them, and they listen.”

Dworznik joined the faculty in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) at the start of the 2015 fall semester. She brings 18 years of experience in both academics and broadcast reporting, most recently serving as associate professor, internship coordinator and chair of the Department of Journalism and Digital Media at Ashland University for eight years.

In addition to teaching Storytelling Across Platforms, Broadcast Reporting and Ethics and Issues in Mass Communication, Dworznik has gotten involved with student media operations.

She held a broadcast writing boot camp in the fall, where she helped students involved with TV2 improve and polish their writing and storytelling skills.

Her Broadcast Reporting class also creates content for TV2, connecting the independent student media outlet to the classroom.

“One of the things that attracted me to Kent was the feeling of opportunity you get when you’re here,” she said. “It’s a bigger school with bigger opportunities for research, more professional outreach, more minds and colleagues to bounce ideas off of, more students and even more funding to be able to do different lessons with students.”

The transition from a small university to one as big as Kent State has taken some getting used to, she admits, but while the location and faces have changed, students still all want the same thing: to have a career in media.

And during her first year on the job, she has been very impressed with the drive and engagement of Kent State JMC students.

“Students are a familiar thing to me,” Dworznik said. “All of the knowledge I have about teaching broadcast journalism and how to get jobs in the field, all of those skills still apply no

“Each time my students turn in stories, I give the best ones to the TV2 producers, and they decide which ones to air,” Dworznik said. “It’s an added incentive for my students to do well in class, plus it helps provide content for TV2, which is a great win-win for both sides.”

Dworznik received her Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Kent State in 2007. Before teaching at Ashland University, she spent time as a reporter and anchor in Youngstown, Toledo and Mansfield. Dworznik has two children, an eight-year-old and a four-year-old, who keep her busy during her time away from academics. She also enjoys running, exercising and “reading anything I can get my hands on.”

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JMC NEWS

NEW FACES: PULITZER PRIZE WINNER CONNIE SCHULTZ JOINS JMC FACULTY BY: ERIN ZARANEC, ’17 Pulitzer Prize winner CONNIE SCHULTZ has deep roots in the journalism profession – roots that were planted during her days as an undergraduate student in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC), and roots that have grown throughout Northeast Ohio, the country and the world. While she may be a new face to the JMC faculty, she has plenty of history with the program.

Schultz, who graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism, joined Kent State as the College of Communication and Information’s professional-in-residence in January 2016. Schultz has made a three-year commitment to teaching at Kent State, while maintaining her career as a syndicated columnist and journalist.

Framed in her Franklin Hall office are two photographs of the Daily Kent

Stater staff of the late seventies – a nod to her days as a student reporter and editor of the independent student newspaper. That staff, she said, worked to produce news in the wake of a national tragedy — the events of May 4, 1970 — through a period of deep denial by the university.

“When I worked as editor of the Stater, I cared a lot about national issues…

When I first came here, we were having national media swarm us every year on the (May 4) anniversary date,” Schultz said.

EDUCATING A NEW GENERATION While Schultz said she loves being back at her alma mater, her focus is really on the future of journalism and teaching the traditional values of the profession.

“I love Millennials,” Schultz said. “The

more I saw being written about Millennials that was negative, particularly from my generation of writers, the more irritated I became with that. I also care deeply about the future of journalism. I care about this profession, and (these students) are our stakeholders. The future is in your hands.”

Schultz brings her national and international experiences into the classroom and said her students show great interest in her work, from covering Agent Orange in Vietnam, lecturing students in Hong Kong and her syndicated column.

“I’ve been a bit taken aback by how interested they are,” Schultz said. “It’s exhilarating to be around so many young journalists who care this much about the profession and who want to learn. They are not shy about getting

It’s exhilarating to be around so many young journalists who care this much about the profession and who want to learn. They are not shy about getting as much as they can out of me, which I appreciate. That’s why I’m here.”

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JMC NEWS

as much as they can out of me, which I appreciate. That’s why I’m here.”

Not one to lecture, Schultz said her lessons are focused on discussions about current events and publications.

She strives to teach students the reallife lessons that come along with the journalism profession, such as breaking news and updating stories in real time.

In Spring 2016, she taught Feature Writing, an upper-division course in the journalism sequence, and Writing Across Platforms, an introductory course open to students of many majors.

BUILDING UPON THE PAST Schultz wants students to know their morals and values before embarking into the profession, and to realize that they are attending a university full of local and national history. “(Kent State) should own the discussion about First Amendment rights,” Schultz said. “We have learned the lessons – the hard lessons: first of all, of attempting to suppress that speech in the worst of ways, with violence. We have learned the lessons of pretending it never happened – that doesn’t work – and not fully acknowledging the impact it had on the community, the students, the students that were there, the reputation of the university. We have moved through that, and we are growing from that.”

PORTRAIT BY: ALEXANDER LEDET, ’17 GETTING INVOLVED / Schultz was a panelist for two JMC Conversations – on social media and society and on media and politics – and she attended the Homecoming awards ceremony. come new students ready to make their marks on the field of journalism.

“I love when students stop by and want to talk about breaking news or want to brainstorm something, and I don’t want them to be shy about that,” she said. “I could hang out with journalists anywhere, but I wanted to hang out with young journalists.”

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL / Connie Schultz shared a “first day on the job” selfie with fellow faculty members in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication with her 150,000 Facebook followers.

The campus, Schultz noticed, has changed a lot since its phase of denial following May 4, 1970. With new history

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JMC NEWS

JMC EVENTS

POYNTER MEDIA ETHICS WORKSHOP FOCUSED ON TRAUMA The 2015 Poynter-KSU Media Ethics Workshop, Enduring Trauma, delved into significant topics including re-victimization, extreme crisis communication, campus sexual assault and the impact of social media on trauma incidents and victims.

CAREEREXPO 2016 BREAKS RECORDS A record-breaking number of students and employers attended the fourth annual CareerExpo. CareerExpo is Kent State’s College of Communication and Information (CCI) job and internship fair that focuses solely on communication and media companies. Participating companies included thunder::tech, Cleveland news publications and

JOHANNA OROZCO, a Cleveland victim of extreme violence, and RACHEL DISSELL, ’01, who covered Orozco’s story for The Plain Dealer, taught students and professionals about the fine line between reporting a story and respecting a victim.

stations and Marcus Thomas LLC. KIMBERLEIGH ANDERSON, ’16, who last year found her “perfect internship” at ideastream through CareerExpo, came back this year to find a job.

“I am so glad that I get an opportunity like this to come to a career fair and speak to so many employers,” she said.

For others, being able to hone elevator pitches and interview on the fly was an invaluable experience.

PHOTO BY: ALEXANDER LEDET, ’17

“The fact that Kent can get 55 companies from Northeast Ohio shows how strong the journalism and communication programs are,” said SPENCER SMITH ’16. “Companies know the students are going to be prepared and experienced and have the knowledge that they need in their profession.”

FRANK OCHBERG, M.D., who helped define “Stockholm Syndrome” and was involved in the court case hearing for Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro, taught the audience about the intermixing of journalism and trauma.

BRUCE HENNES, of Hennes Communications, spoke about extreme crisis communication, including the Sandy Hook and Virginia Tech shootings, and the delicacy of trauma ethics.

The Poynter-KSU Media Ethics Workshop is presented by the Media Law Center for Ethics & Access.

ALUMNI HONORED DURING HOMECOMING WEEKEND Three distinguished alumni and a friend of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) were recognized during the annual alumni and friends award ceremony and reception during Homecoming weekend 2015.

CHRISTINE PLONSKY, ’79, was awarded the William D. Taylor Award. The highest distinction given by JMC, this award is presented to an alumna or alumnus who is nationally and/ or internationally recognized for preeminent contributions to their profession. Plonsky is the director of women’s athletics at the University of Texas.

DANIELLE WIGGINS, ’04, ’09, and DAVID LAWSON, ’11, were awarded the Fast Track Award for their early and significant contributions to their fields. Wiggins has served as the traffic reporter for WKYC-TV, the local NBC affiliate in Cleveland, since 2013. Lawson is an Insights Strategist at Miner & Co. Studio in New York City, specializing in qualitative research.

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PHOTO BY: PATRICK HOGAN, ’16 Left to right: Gary Harwood, Danielle Wiggins, Christine Plonsky, Thor Wasbotten (JMC Director) GARY HARWOOD, ’83, JMC lecturer and photographer, was awarded the Sharon Marquis Friend of JMC Award for the second time in his career. This award is presented

to an individual who has demonstrated remarkable support of JMC’s mission and students.

JMC NEWS

MEDIA AND POLITICS

Students and Faculty Discuss Election 2016 News Coverage, Discourse BY: JULIANNE CALAPA, ’16

As the 2016 presidential election cycle intensifies, examining and discussing the media coverage of the candidates becomes more prevalent than ever. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s (JMC) Student Voice Team hosted an open forum discussion, “Media and Politics: A JMC Conversation,” to do just that.

A panel of faculty and administrators led the conversation on March 31, 2016: DANIELLE SARVER COOMBS, PH.D., JMC associate professor; AMY REYNOLDS, PH.D., dean of the College of Communication and Information (CCI); CONNIE SCHULTZ, Pulitzer Prize winner and CCI professional-in-residence; and THOR WASBOTTEN, JMC director and professor.

The panelists drew from their wide range of experience in media and politics – from researching democracy and examining polling to covering candidates and elections – to engage students in a discussion about the discourse and media coverage that has unfolded over the past year.

Students — many of whom will be voting in their first presidential election this November – discussed how they have shaped their opinions and perceived politics among today’s constant — and sometimes heated — news coverage and political discourse.

Coombs, who first voted for president in 1996 when she was an undergraduate at Ohio

University, said students at the time didn’t have access to cable or radio in residence halls to keep up on elections.

“There wasn’t much news around us, which is a completely different environment than what you’re all in,” she said. “We didn’t have cell phones, and we weren’t looking at our newsfeeds. It was easy to check out of elections. It was easy to not be involved, and it was easy to miss stuff.”

Students and panelists alike stressed the importance of reading well-reported, well-sourced stories from credible news organizations. For those who are getting all of their news on social media, these pieces can be hard to find amidst the clutter.

“We know that on social media, there’s concern for those of us who really value news because people are self-selecting a lot of their sources,” Schultz said. “They’re reading things that have more opinion than driven reporting. . . . I moderate a public Facebook page, and I’ve been really making an effort to invite more Millennials, and they’ve really changed the nature of the discussion in very good ways. But I have found us having conversations sometimes about where they’re getting data and where they’re getting statistics.”

importance of taking a step back to identify what information is factually accurate.

“Sometimes I think we start with the opinion, and we don’t start with the facts,” Reynolds said. “I really think Stephen Colbert was onto something when he coined ‘truthiness.’ It has changed the way we discuss things. Facts shouldn’t be negotiable. Yet, often facts are negotiable in our political discourse today, and I think that’s part of the confusion.”

Many of Kent State’s student organizations, including College Democrats, College Republicans, Black United Students (BUS), Spanish and Latino Student Association (SALSA) and the Veterans Club sent representatives to the conversation to share their opinions on how they decipher politics.

Many of the representatives said they focus on educating their members about all aspects of candidates and policies so they can form their own opinions.

The panelists offered advice to the students about becoming informed citizens and smart consumers of news.

“The most important thing as consumer and voter is to not find yourself in an echo chamber,” Coombs said.

Reynolds followed up by discussing the

PHOTOS BY: MATT BAKER, ’16

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NATIONAL IMPACT

KENT STATE AND

Kent Stater Editor, Managing Editor Selected for Prestigious News21 Reporting Program

BY: ERIN ZARANEC, ‘17 Journalism majors EMILY MILLS, ’16, and JIMMY MILLER, ’17, have worked alongside each other as editor and managing editor of The Kent Stater for several semesters. This summer, the two students are taking their partnership beyond Kent State as they participate in the News21 reporting program.

News21, a program founded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the James L. Knight Foundation, is a national initiative aimed to train a new generation of journalists capable of reshaping the news industry. It is headquartered at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Mills and Miller will spend the summer in Phoenix working on journalism projects regarding voter access and participation in a national election year.

They are among 22 students from 16 universities accepted into the 2016 program. This marks the first time that the Kent State School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) has two students participating in the program – and they’ve already proven through their work in student media that they make a solid reporting team.

“We’re able to make up where the other lacks and hold each other accountable,” said Mills, who served as Stater editor during the spring 2016 semester. “Between the two of us, we’re able to make good decisions for student media.”

Mills is a data-driven journalist, while Miller focuses on long-form features – skill sets that the selection committee thought complemented each other well. “(Emily) can focus on the data better than I ever possibly could, but in the same breath, I

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think that I can hold my own with her in terms of writing style and storytelling,” said Miller, who served as Mills’ managing editor and will serve as editor this fall.

THOR WASBOTTEN, JMC director and professor, recommended Mills and Miller for News21.

“I knew one of them came from a content background and one came from a technology

background,” Wasbotten said. “I thought that with this being an election year and having students based in Ohio (an important battleground state), that maybe we could nominate two, and I would find the money to support them.”

Wasbotten’s recommendation came to fruition with generous support from donors Diane Laney Fitzpatrick and David Dix.

NATIONAL IMPACT

BEYOND VOTER RIGHTS AND ACCESS: ‘FILLING A NICHE’ Mills and Miller began reporting for the projects during the spring semester. Through webinars and Skype sessions, they’ve also begun collaborating with other student journalists across the country. Each student is reporting for one or more teams, based around voter rights and access. Both JMC students are assigned to the Ohio team.

Other students in the program are exploring additional topics and populations related to voting rights and the election.

“The interesting thing is that we’re looking at voting access and participation in an election year,” Mills said. “So, it’s been interesting and difficult because we’re not supposed to focus on the political candidates themselves.”

Miller has reported on voter access in specific cities, gathering interviews and insights on March 15, 2016, Ohio’s primary election. Mills has focused on data behind voting access and protests and covered several candidates on the campaign trail. As candidates have publicly clashed, Mills and Miller have stepped up to the challenge of remaining focused on the issue of voting, rather than the candidates themselves.

They will continue to do so this summer as they work in Phoenix under the direction of leading news veterans. Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of The Washington Post and Jacqueline Petchel, former investigative editor at major newspapers and television stations in Houston, Miami and Minneapolis, are two leading figures who work with News21 students.

there,” said Miller, who will be a senior this fall. “There are going to be some really great journalists there. I’m excited to come out of it a better journalist myself. Being around people who know so much more than I know will be a great experience.”

Mills will be participating in the program as a new graduate, and after, she hopes to work as a data-driven journalist in Washington, D.C. She previously interned with the Smithsonian Institution at the Museum of Natural History.

part of the team. But whether or not awards or recognition come from their participation in this year’s News21 investigation, Mills and Miller have a desire to make a difference through their reporting.

“We’re looking past the partisan aspect of the election and focusing on voter rights and access,” Mills said. “We’re filling a niche that isn’t being filled.”

In 2014, participants in the News21 program won an Online News Association award for their investigation into gun rights and regulation. JMC alumnus JACOB BYK, ’15, was

We’re able to make up where the other lacks and hold each other accountable. Between the two of us, we’re able to make good decisions for student media.”

“I’m excited about coming back with the knowledge I’m about to pick up while I’m

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NATIONAL IMPACT

PUTTING THE Public Relations Students Practice Advocacy, Develop Professionalism

BY: KATE SCHWANKE, ’17 Three Kent State University public relations majors from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) recently interned in governmental agencies and offices in Washington, D.C., putting their classroom lessons to the test and coming back with even more valuable real-world experience.

Though their time in D.C. was brief, they learned important lessons about how public relations professionals can make a national impact and be a driving force for change and advocacy.

ADVOCATING FOR POSITIVE CHANGE KERI RICHMOND, ’17, a child of the foster care system, interned at a place close to her heart during the summer of 2015: the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI).

During her time at CCAI, she worked with a group of foster care alumni to advocate for the foster care system.

She networked with leaders who cared about finding solutions to the problems the foster care system faces. At the end of the internship, she proposed her policy suggestions to the Domestic Policy Council at the White House and to a number of senators and representatives in the U.S. Capitol.

importance of advocating for others through her chosen profession.

“I learned that in PR, our voices can be a driving force for positive change,” Richmond said. “Public relations is advocacy, and I can’t think of a better major to prepare me to spend a summer doing just that.”

Richmond said she sees a future for herself in the non-profit sector of public relations.

“My time in D.C. taught and revealed to me that you can also improve foster children’s lives by drafting legislation that will go on to change the foster system as a whole,” Richmond said. “It opened my eyes to the power we have to make positive changes from using our voices and our stories.”

I learned that in PR, our voices can be a driving force for positive change.”

“I was proud of myself and felt determined to go out there and change the world one foster child at a time, one piece of legislation at a time,” Richmond said.

In her Principles of Public Relations course, Assistant Professor STEPHANIE SMITH first instilled in Richmond the

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LEFT TO RIGHT: GABRIELLE WOODARD, ’17, SARAH MATTHEWS, ’17, KERI RICHMOND, ’17

NATIONAL IMPACT

PR IN D.C. ‘WHEN I AM IN D.C., I KNOW I AM EXACTLY WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO BE’ GABRIELLE WOODARD, ’17, worked in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and quickly “fell in love” with legislative affairs.

Thanks to her JMC courses, Matthews said she felt prepared to take on the tasks expected of her at her internships.

“JMC has stressed how important strong writing skills are, and this holds true,” Matthews said. “I was asked many times to draft up reports and social media posts.”

Though she was a sophomore when she completed her internship during the spring of 2015, Woodard still had plenty of experience to draw from. At the time, she was vice president of public relations for PRSSA Kent and in charge of writing bi-weekly newsletters for the chapter.

That hands-on experience through Public Relations Student Society of America prepared her for her daily duties and professional interactions.

She worked closely with directors in the FCC office and within each house of Congress. She also had the opportunity to attend hearings about net neutrality, data breach and privacy.

In terms of government, Woodard learned firsthand how an independent agency like the FCC balances the executive branch and Congress.

Now, this summer, she is completing a communications internship at a defense contractor in the D.C. area.

With a breadth of experience under her belt, Woodard feels more prepared for a career in public affairs.

“Being in D.C. just energizes me in a way that I can truly not explain,” Woodard said “When I am in D.C., I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be.”

She worked on similar projects at both internships, which she completed consecutively during summer 2015. “(These projects included) attending hearings and writing up reports, compiling news clips, conducting private tours of the United States Capitol Building and completing any task that the offices needed me to accomplish,” Matthews said.

NETWORKING IN D.C. / SARAH MATTHEWS, ’17, while interning in Washington, D.C., met U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and U.S. Rep. and current Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, among other politicians and legislators.

She hopes to one day call Washington, D.C. home.

“Adjusting to D.C. was like adjusting to any city, you just have to go with the flow,” Woodard said. “Sometimes you get lost or turned around, but it is all part of the adventure.”

PREPARED TO TAKE ON NEW ROLES SARAH MATTHEWS, ’17, completed two internships in D.C., in the offices of both U.S. Sen. Rob Portman and former U.S. Rep. and Speaker of the House John Boehner.

She also took full advantage of networking opportunities by meeting with several press secretaries and communications directors to learn about potential career paths. These conversations, she said, will help her stand out in the job application process.

“My time in D.C. changed my life more than I would’ve thought.

Before my internships, I was terrified of the real world and being an adult,” Matthews said. “These internships showed me that I can do more than I know, and I’m ready to start my career.”

JARGON | SPRING 2016 | ISSUE 1 15

NATIONAL IMPACT

MEDIA AND FRAMING Associate Professor Danielle Sarver Coombs Analyzes 2016 Presidential Primaries, Drawing Insight from 2012 Research the conversations and stories he would tell,” she said.

As a former director of election research for Edison Media Research, Coombs has extensive professional experience with election-related research. At Edison, she was brought on board in early 2003 as part of the team responsible for rebuilding exit polling for use by major national news organizations, including the Associated Press, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. She developed her research skills at Insight Research Group (now Insight Strategy Group) in New York City. After earning her Ph.D. in mass communication and public affairs from Louisiana State University in 2007, she joined the JMC faculty later that year.

BY: MARK NYLANDER, ’74 The 2016 primary races have captured the attention of American voters like none in recent memory, fueling a divisiveness characterized by candidates clashing with words and their supporters engaging in physical confrontations. DANIELLE SARVER COOMBS, PH.D., associate professor and graduate studies coordinator in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC), is particularly interested in the primary races and how the media is covering the candidates.

A native of Northeast Ohio, Coombs is an authoritative voice and author, media commentator and consultant on areas related to politics, sports and the politics of sport.

She developed her interest in politics at an early age, and her academic and professional career followed a path that included both research and politics.

“My godfather, Dave Troutman, was the Summit County Sheriff in the 80s and 90s, so I was exposed to politics and fascinated by

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During the 2012 primary season, Coombs combined her passion for politics with her research skills to examine the mainstream media coverage of the 2012 Republican primaries. The results of her exhaustive analysis of candidate-related coverage from six major media outlets (The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC) are shared in her book, “Last Man Standing: Media, Framing, and the 2012 Republican Primaries” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014).

“Looking back on 2012, it was a fascinating primary period for the Republican party,” Coombs said. “We had outsized candidates and constantly changing frontrunners, making for some fantastic coverage. That coverage is what I researched. My research focuses on media frames – the manner in which the media visually presented the candidates – and how this framing informed the perceptions, and ultimately the voting decisions, of the media-consuming public.”

During the 2016 election season, Coombs has drawn comparisons between her analysis from 2012 and what is currently unfolding.

“The 2012 Republican field, much like 2016, initially was populated with a large number of candidates facing off in numerous debates. In terms of media framing, this was entertainment. This was reality TV,” Coombs said. “In contrast to that idea of spectacle and excitement and drama, media coverage throughout the entire 2012 primary period characterized Mitt Romney as plodding along, staying the course, while a series of shooting star candidates burst to the forefront before flaming out.

“Unlike 2012, 2016 has seen these unestablishment candidates maintain their appeal, rather than crashing and burning.

And I’m not just talking about Donald Trump.

The same phenomenon applies to both Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders, both sitting Senators.”

Election 2016 has taught us that there’s no template to follow, she said.

“What is happening in 2016 is unlike any primary season in recent memory, and that makes any sort of forecasting extremely difficult,” Coombs said. “What we do know, however, is that this election’s candidates, campaigns and media coverage will be studied and scrutinized for years to come.”

With the 2016 primary season wrapping up and the general election just months away, we can all become armchair quarterbacks and perhaps look back to 2012 for lessons for what may transpire this year.

NATIONAL IMPACT

FACULTY NEWS Faculty members in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) have an impact and influence that extends far beyond Franklin Hall.

RESEARCH ESTABLISHES HEAVY TELEVISION USE AS A HABIT, LINKED TO HIGH BMI CHANCE YORK, PH.D., assistant professor, will present his soloauthor research paper, “Heavy Childhood Television Use Persists into Young Adulthood and is Associated with Increased BMI” at the 2016 International Communication Association convention in Fukuoka, Japan, June 9-13. The paper has also been accepted for publication in the health journal Obesity.

York’s research establishes heavy television use as a childhood habit that continues into adulthood and is thus linked to a higher BMI. ONLINE LONGFORM JOURNALISM RESEARCH COLLABORATION CONTINUES Associate Professor JACQUELINE MARINO is continuing a yearlong research collaboration with the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute of the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. Marino, partnering with Robert Gutsche Jr. and Susan Jacobson of Florida International University, is studying the effectiveness and sustainability of long-form digital journalism.

Marino engaged several JMC students in her research by having them perform an eye-tracking study at IdeaBase, a studentpowered design agency in downtown Kent.

She and her colleagues will present the research at the International Conference for Literary Journalism Studies in Brazil.

AEJMC LEADERS Five JMC faculty members served in Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) leadership positions for the 2015-16 academic year. AEJMC is a nonprofit association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals.

By serving in leadership positions, JMC faculty have the opportunity to play a prominent role – nationally and internationally – in promoting high standards for journalism education, cultivating research, encouraging multiculturalism and defending the freedom of communication. Kent State currently has more faculty members serving as heads of AEJMC divisions than any college or university nationwide.

MEASURING INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS MICHELE EWING, APR, associate professor, presented a research study entitled “Emerging standards for measuring internal communications,” at the 19th International Public Relations Conference in Miami. She was joined by members of an international task force who together, sought to create definitive standards of measurement that internal communications professionals can use to develop more effective plans. The conference took place in March 2016.

HISTORY AND ONLINE STORYTELLING Assistant Professor SUSAN ZAKE is working on the web documentary jewsoftetiev.com, which tells the personal histories and stories of Jews who left Tetiev, Russia, in the midst of hardship and terror of the early 1900s and settled in Cleveland. Zake will be traveling to Tetiev, now part of Ukraine, this summer to work on her research.

AEJMC LEADERS

DANIELLE SARVER COOMBS, PH.D.

Associate Professor, Chair of the Sports Communication Interest Group

MICHELE EWING

Associate Professor, Co-Chair of the PRSA Liaison Committee of the AEJMC Public Relations Division

JAN LEACH

Associate Professor, Chair of the AEJMC Media Ethics Division

MITCH MCKENNEY

Associate Professor, Chair of the AEJMC Newspaper and Online News Division

SUSAN ZAKE

EYE-TRACKING / Associate Professor Jacqueline Marino involved her students in an eye-tracking study as part of her research.

Assistant Professor, Teaching Chair for the AEJMC Communication Technology Division

JARGON | SPRING 2016 | ISSUE 1 17

NATIONAL IMPACT

TWO NATIONAL VOICES 2014 GRAD PRODUCES INNOVATIVE VIDEOS ON TECHNOLOGY AND ARTS As a student, TYLER PINA ’14, left a permanent mark on the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC). He was director of Kent State University Independent Films’ (KSUIF) “Hell at Heathridge” during a formative time, when the organization was growing from six members to nearly 100. And he was part of the student team that helped shape the new digital media production major, which replaced electronic media production in 2014.

Now, he is making a national mark as video director of The Verge, a Vox Media company that covers technology and lifestyle news.

From covering Consumer Electronics Week in New York City to producing a video series about women in technology, Pina credits his JMC education for preparing him to jump into large-scale projects, just a few years removed from his own days in Franklin Hall.

“It’s pretty awesome to do projects that actually have an impact,” he said. “A lot of the videos I’ve made will get anywhere from 100,000 to a couple million views, which is pretty amazing. It’s really cool to be able to put out a message for something that will make a difference to a lot of people and have some sort of impact – large or small – on their lives.”

Pina took a leap of faith and moved to San Francisco to pursue these opportunities a year after graduation. But he almost didn’t pursue his passion for film. As a college freshman, he enrolled in Kent State’s architecture program, what he believed at the time to be a more “realistic” career option.

It wasn’t long before he decided to change course and follow his heart.

“I decided that if I’m going to put so much effort into something, it has to be something I love,” he said. “I was going to try to transfer to a film school until I saw the (electronic media production major in JMC).”

The JMC professors, the student media experience through KSUIF and TV2, and the chance to be involved in building a new major offered Pina the opportunity to become a more well-rounded professional.

“It wasn’t just a film school,” he said. “I got a wide set of knowledge thrown at me. I dabbled in the advertising sequence. I studied abroad in London. … These things have helped me (in my career).”

He hasn’t lost sight of that. KSUIF premiered its fourth feature film, “Unlucky,” on April 28, 2016, and Pina contributed financially to the film’s production.

“I don’t want to lose track of everything that I was able to take advantage of,” he said.

“The feature film (“Hell at Heathridge”) kickstarted my career, in a sense, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I wanted to make sure other students would get that opportunity and do whatever I could to help.”

For The Verge (and re/code before the news outlet was bought by his current employer), Pina has produced videos on the Aston Martin DB10, as featured in the James Bond movie “Spectre”; NASA satellites; classic Volkswagens’ restoration and refurbishment into electric cars; and an Audi-and-NASA partnership to create a moon rover. He also freelances and has produced commercials for Spectra, a health app, and Phil, a prescription refill company.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TYLER PINA, ’14

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NATIONAL IMPACT

ALUMNA PUTS A FACE ON FOSTER PARENTING FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES AND BEYOND The storytelling skills MEGHAN MORAVCIK WALBERT, ’04, learned as a journalism major at Kent State University propelled her to become a voice for foster parenting nationwide.

While she was a reporter for The Arizona Republic – and later a public relations manager in the education sector – Walbert began writing a personal blog. Like many women, as she experienced her first pregnancy and began raising her son, she found comfort and insight by connecting with other moms and moms-to-be in the blogosphere. Yet, when she and her husband began to consider becoming foster parents in 2014, she found there were few to no personal stories for her family to read.

Walbert has since filled that void.

For the past year, she has written “Foster Parent Diary,” a blog for The New York Times Well Family (formerly Motherlode, the publication’s source for parenting, child health and relationship news). She took a leap of faith when she pitched her story to the editor and has since written more than 25 pieces, sharing the hardships, joys, laughable moments and emotional highs and lows, as she, her husband, her biological son and their extended family welcomed, cared for and eventually said goodbye to their foster son.

“My goal when writing my story was to put a face on foster parenthood and open the conversation in ways that it wasn’t happening,” she said. “I’ve had so many emails and messages and comments from other foster parents. They understand how I’m feeling. It’s created so many wonderful connections for me, and that’s one of the reasons it’s been so rewarding.”

In addition to The New York Times blog, Walbert continues to maintain her personal blog, www.phasethreeoflife.com, and pitches creative nonfiction pieces to other publications.

Though her ultimate goal is to increase conversation about foster care, she has experienced many personal points of pride while sharing her story, including recognition

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGHAN MORAVCIK WALBERT, ’04 as one of BlogHer’s 2015 Voices of the Year. She earned the honor for “My Sam,” a piece she wrote for Mamalode about her anticipation and preparation for becoming a foster mom.

Also last year, she performed in Listen to Your Mother’s Lehigh Valley (Pennsylvania) performance. Listen to Your Mother is a national organization that produces shows about motherhood in more than 40 cities across the United States around Mother’s Day. Walbert delivered a personal monologue she wrote, “Two Car Seats,” about preparing her biological son for a foster sibling.

It’s been more than three years since Walbert traded a traditional nine-to-five job for freelance gigs and her communications firm, Magna Writing & Editing, where she is a communications strategist and writer for clients including SunGuard K-12, Abrazo Community Health Network and more. But she still uses the skills she learned as a journalism student every day.

“When I was at Kent State, … there wasn’t a lot of blogging going on,” she acknowledged.

“What I learned, which can be translated a million different ways, is how to become a good storyteller. That, at its core, is what

creative nonfiction is, what journalism is: how to show versus tell, how to hone in on details that can make a story come alive.”

She plans to continue her quest to be a voice for foster parents in 2016 and beyond. In May 2016, she was an opening speaker at the New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children’s annual foster care and adoption conference.

She will soon have her work published in the HerStories Project anthology “So Glad They Told Me: Women On Getting Real About Motherhood.” And someday, she hopes to write a children’s book for foster children.

“I hope I can continue to write more national pieces about the need for foster care reform – about what changes can be made nationally to get these kids permanency quicker, to support biological families better and to support foster families better,” Walbert said.

“There’s a lot more that needs to be done. I hope that by starting The New York Times series, I can try to raise the conversation about foster care. I hope I can springboard off of it and write more for the Times and other national publications and get the conversation going a little louder.”

JARGON | SPRING 2016 | ISSUE 1 19

RETIREMENTS

18 YEARS OF ‘LIGHT BULB MOMENTS’

Broadcast Journalism Professor, Longtime TV2 Adviser Gary Hanson Celebrates Retirement

BY: MEGHAN CAPREZ, ’15, M.A. ’17 One of Professor GARY HANSON’S favorite memories of his time at Kent State came when a group of TV2 students showed up on his doorstep to sing him a special Christmas carol. “(They) sang a special version of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas,’ all with references to me,” Hanson said. “The last line ‘…a partridge in a pear tree’ became ‘…a small cup of Starbucks Coff—ee.’”

Students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) have seen Hanson with a small cup of coffee in his hand since he was a master’s student in 1998, following his 25-year career in broadcast journalism. Now, 18 years after he started at Kent State, Hanson is retiring from instructing.

“I will miss working with very bright and motivated students,” Hanson said. “I still get an adrenaline rush watching the light go on when a student ‘get’s it.’ This is why I got into teaching.”

“It was quality time for me, and I hope it was quality time for them,” Hanson said.

Five years ago, Hanson worked with Associate Professor MITCH MCKENNEY and College of Communication and Information Associate Dean LUETT HANSON (his wife) to create the International Storytelling course, which takes students to different locations throughout the world to report on stories outside the United States. The course was named the Global Partnership division winner in the 2014 Best Practices in International Higher Education Awards of the NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) International Education Knowledge Community.

“In the previous five years, we’ve visited China, India, Brazil, Estonia and South Korea,”

Hanson is perhaps best known for helping broadcast students find that “light bulb moment” in the course Broadcast Beat Reporting.

“It’s a difficult and time-consuming class for the students and one that seemed like a right-of-passage test,” Hanson said. “Once you got through it, you felt as if you had really accomplished what you came to Kent State to study. … I used to start each semester by telling the students that Broadcast Beat Reporting was the class that you came to Kent State to take.”

He has enjoyed seeing students flourish as young journalists in that course, both inside and outside the classroom, and he recalls many late nights working with them in computer labs on editing suites.

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PORTRAIT BY: ALEXANDER LEDET, ’17

Hanson said. “In 2016, we’re in Cyprus. Study abroad can be a life-changing experience for students. Mitch, LuEtt and I are very proud of the fact that we have provided this opportunity for more than 100 CCI students.”

Once he retires, Hanson plans to continue to travel. He also has “some hobbies that need some attention, including my woodworking shop in the basement.”

Hanson said he will miss working with both the students and the faculty at Kent State, but he is sure of JMC’s bright future.

“JMC will be in great hands as a new team of faculty leaders steps up,” Hanson said. “I’ll take great joy in watching them from the sidelines.”

RETIREMENTS

TRANSFORMATIVE TEACHING, COMPASSIONATE STORYTELLING Practice your craft. Realize you have been blessed with a language that will allow you to speak to people across the globe if you will use it, so consider how you might.”

PORTRAIT BY: ALEXANDER LEDET, ’17 BY: GABRIELLE WOODARD, ’17 “I can build bridges. And I can listen. And I can help connect suffering souls with those able to bring relief.”

It’s with that compassionate philosophy that Lecturer DAVID LABELLE has taught hundreds of Kent State students – those in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (JMC) and those from across the entire campus – not only the fundamentals of photojournalism and general photography, but also the passion for storytelling through photos.

After his 40-year career, 20 of which were spent in the classroom, LaBelle is now retiring.

“But a teacher never retires,” he said. “Once a teacher, always a teacher.”

In retirement, LaBelle said he plans to conduct at least six seminars or workshops per year. The author of four photography-related books, he also hopes to complete a novel that he’s “been working on for years” and publish it next year.

“I will also start on some interpretive photographic projects (not journalistic) I have dreamed of doing since I first picked up a camera,” LaBelle said.

It’s with that drive, he said, that he has taught students to cover life-changing, meaningful stories that may or may not be on the Kent State campus.

“I’ve enjoyed hearing stories from students about the off-campus experiences that David has organized and the rich learning they have had during their journey,” said GARY HARWOOD, a photojournalism lecturer who himself is a renowned visual storyteller.

Examples of these experiential learning opportunities include an annual trip to Shanksville, Penn., to capture riveting photographs at the Flight 93 National Memorial, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet White House photographer Pete Souza.

with students, LaBelle feels comfortable with “handing the shovel to someone else.”

“I’m proud that Gary Harwood and I were able to teach and shepherd DAVID FOSTER, ’09, M.A. ’14 (assistant professor), and usher him into JMC,” LaBelle said. “He is an intelligent, thoughtful and entertaining teacher. I feel I can leave knowing he will stand guard over our photojournalism garden.”

LaBelle said he loves the inclusive atmosphere surrounding Kent State, and as he retires, hopes students will treat their talents as gifts.

“Keep learning,” he said. “Practice your craft. Realize you have been blessed with a language that will allow you to speak to people across the globe if you will use it, so consider how you might. Use your gifts to contribute to our world. And remember, it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

And while he’ll miss the day-to-day contact

JARGON | SPRING 2016 | ISSUE 1 21

ALUMNI NEWS

ALUMNI NEWS ELIZABETH BARTZ, ’80, was honored by the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN) with a PLEN Mentor Award on March 16, 2016, in Washington, D.C. Bartz is the President and CEO of State and Federal Communications, Inc., and is a member of the JMC Professional Advisory Board.

BETHANY EARLY, ’07, was named to the prestigious PR News 2015 list of “Rising PR Stars 30 & Under.” Early is an account executive at Jaffe, a full-service legal industry marketing and public relations agency. Early is based in Charlotte, N.C., where she also serves as director-at-large for the Charlotte chapter of Public Relations Society of America. Early and other rising PR stars were honored at a luncheon and awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., in December 2015.

ASHLEY SEPANSKI, ’11, is a web producer at O, The Oprah Magazine/Oprah.com. Her responsibilities include pitching story ideas, building and posting stories for the web, writing original content and updating social media channels.

STEPHANIE DUFFY, ’11, joined True Digital Communications (Solon, Ohio) in January 2016 as a content marketing/public relations associate.

LINDSAY MCCOY, ’08, was promoted to WFJM Weekend Today anchor at WFMJ-TV 21 News, the NBC affiliate in Youngstown, Ohio.

She has been at WFMJ since 2012.

MARY KAY CABOT, ’84, Cleveland Browns beat writer for Cleveland.com, was named Ohio Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

SHANNON LARIMER, ’00, was elected Chairman of the Board by the City of Orlando’s Downtown Arts District. Larimer will serve in this role through 2017 and will oversee the executive director, senior leadership team and governance of a 22-member board. Larimer will guide the overall vision and strategic direction of the organization, champion public/private partnerships, support fiscal stewardship and oversee operations of two 20,000 square-foot historic visual and performing arts centers.

Larimer is the principal of brand strategy and communications at Baker Barrios Architects, a $17.5 million commercial design firm in Orlando, Fla.

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KYLE MICHAEL MILLER, ’09, delivered the opening keynote at the ninth YouToo Social Media Conference on April 8, 2016. The conference is held each year at Kent State University.

Miller is a digital reporter, producer and social media editor at The Today Show.

JAMES STARKS, M.A., ’11, is a sports anchor/ reporter for KPRC Local 2, the NBC affiliate in Houston, Texas. He writes, “There’s no way I’d be where I am now, 29 years old in a top 10 market, without Kent State and JMC.” BILL BURGESS, M.A., ’12, is the new communications coordinator of Kent State University at Trumbull.

KAREN MARTSOLF, M.A., ’14, was named the 2015 Member of the Year of the Mesa County Communications Officers Association.

She was selected from among the nearly 50 marketing and communications professionals who belong to the organization.

Martsolf is the director of marketing and communications for Community Hospital in Grand Junction, Colo.

KYLE MICHAEL MILLER, ‘09

ALUMNI NEWS

JACOB BYK, ’15, was among 29 students from 16 universities who won the Online News Association Award in the student projects pro-am category for a 2014 investigation into gun rights and regulation in America. Byk participated in the project as part of News21, a Carnegie-Knight program that brings together the country’s top student journalists to produce in-depth, multimedia project for major national media.

MARIAM MAKATSARIA, ’15, is an assistant editor at Arkansas Life Magazine in Little Rock, Ark. She writes, “It’s safe to say that my experiences at Kent State really helped me hit the ground running. JMC taught me more than just correcting spelling and grammar.

I learned how to pitch good story ideas, interview difficult sources, code and edit videos and audio — all skills that really came in handy.”

RECONNECT WITH JMC Join us for our Fall 2016 events

POYNTER-KSU MEDIA ETHICS WORKSHOP SEPT. 22, 2016 Each September, the Poynter Institute and the Media Law Center for Ethics and Access at Kent State University host an annual ethics workshop. The workshop is designed for professionals, educators and students. This year’s theme is “Social Justice?” Speakers and registration information will be announced on www.kent.edu/mlc/ethics-workshop.

HOMECOMING WEEKEND SEPT. 30-OCT. 1, 2016

Making your way back to campus for the 2016 Homecoming game versus Akron? Plan to join us for JMC events:

SEPT. 30 ROBERT G. MCGRUDER AWARD FOR DIVERSITY - LECTURE AND LUNCHEON SEPT. 29, 2016

Alumni Awards Presentation (William D. Taylor Award, Fast Track Award, Sharon Marquis Friend of JMC Award)

OCT. 1

College of Communication and Information Homecoming Parade Hospitality Tent

MIRIAM MAKATSARIA, ’15

OCT. 1

JMC Homecoming Luncheon and PRSSA Auction More details about these events will be announced via email and at www.kent.edu/jmc.

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.

The Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity honors the late ROBERT G. MCGRUDER, ’63, who was the first black editor of the Daily Kent Stater and the first black reporter at The Plain Dealer. Now in its 13th year, the event has become one of Kent State’s most successful diversity events. More information will be announced at www. kent.edu/jmc. The lecture is free and open to the public.

JARGON | SPRING 2016 | ISSUE 1 23

U S Postage

PAID

Permit No. 2 Kent, OH

P.O. Box 5190 Kent, OH 44242-0001 100164 School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Each spring, students in the Advanced Television News Producing course visit national and local media outlets in New York City. They paid JMC alumna Carol Costello a visit at CNN’s NYC headquarters and filmed a segment for CNN’s Newsroom.

Read about the trip at: www.kent.edu/jmc/nyc-2016