WVU Reed College of Media Fall 2014 Magazine by WVU Reed College of Media

REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA 2014

YEARS in the

MAKING

WE’VE COME A LONG WAY IN THE PAST 75 YEARS In 1939, led by journalism professor Dr. Perley Isaac Reed, the School of Journalism was created as an independent school at West Virginia University. We started with just a handful of students in a small undergraduate program emphasizing print journalism. Today, the WVU Reed College of Media has 1,200plus students enrolled in diverse undergraduate programs in journalism and strategic communications and two master’s degree programs, including one offered entirely online. More than 500 students also are enrolled in one of the College’s eight academic minors. Technology has come a long way, too — from manual typewriters, to personal computers, to smartphones, tablets and wearable technology. Our students are redefining what it means to be multimedia communicators and are engaged with audiences across platforms, channels and devices. They are experimenting with new forms of storytelling and inventing new industry practice. It is a far different world than the one Dr. Reed faced 75 years ago when newspapers were dominant and television was still an experimental medium. But while so much has changed, our values have remained the same. In addition to teaching emerging media skills, we remain committed to excellence in writing, reporting, critical thinking and ethical decisionmaking. And we will always be deeply engaged in Maryanne Reed creative scholarship and transformative outreach that Dean of WVU Reed College of Media benefits local communities in our state and region. The same scrappy, entrepreneurial spirit that fueled Dr. Reed’s original quest continues to guide and inspire our faculty to create new programs and new opportunities for our students. There has never been a better time to honor that spirit and “ The same scrappy, entrepreneurial spirit further that quest. that fueled Dr. Reed’s original quest Please enjoy our 75th anniversary continues to guide and inspire our faculty.” publication that pays — Dean Maryanne Reed homage to the past and highlights recent changes we’ve made to our curriculum and facilities — all designed to provide students with a high-caliber and highly relevant media education. I hope you feel the same pride that I do when you see our progress and the strides we’re making to position the WVU Reed College of Media for an even brighter future.

ADMINISTRATION E. Gordon Gee

President West Virginia University

Maryanne Reed Dean

Diana Martinelli Associate Dean

CONTENTS 2

Becoming the WVU Reed College of Media

Celebrating 75 Years

10 New Journalism Major Launches in Fall 2014

Tricia Petty

12 Innovating Solutions to Industry Problems

Steve Urbanski

14 Media Innovation Lab Opens in Martin Hall

Assistant Dean for Student and Enrollment Services Director of Graduate Studies

Chad Mezera

Director of Online Programs

16 Media Innovation: Phase II

EDITORIAL STAFF Kimberly Walker

18 Exploring Glass

Executive Editor

Christa Vincent Managing Editor

Angela Lindley Briana Wilson PHOTOGRAPHY David Smith WVU UR—News DESIGN WVU UR—Design SPECIAL THANKS TO: Jake Stump, Graham Curry, Forrest Conroy, Sheree Wentz and Tricia Dunn

20 College Kicks Off 75th Anniversary with StudentCentered Event 22 Curriculum Extending Across Campus 24 Adapting to Student Needs 27 Online Programs Continue to Expand

28 Our Reach and Impact 30 From Beats to Tweets: Media Coverage of the Elk River Chemical Spill 34 Students Gain Global, Professional Experience in China 36 A Tradition of Change: An Alumnus’ Perspective 40 About Our Donors

42 About Our Scholarships 43 Class Notes 44 Transitions

WVU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing, and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four-year colleges and universities. WVU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Many WVU programs hold specialized accreditation.

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30 75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

BECOMING THE

WVU REED COLLEGE OF

MEDIA

Representing a new era, the WVU Perley Isaac Reed School The College also has made major upgrades to its of Journalism officially became the WVU Reed College of facilities, equipment and technology in Martin Hall — the Media on July 1, 2014. University’s oldest and most historic building — and will be Dean Maryanne Reed (no relation) says the new name constructing a 10,000-square-foot Media Innovation Center better reflects the diversity of the College’s academic in the new Evansdale Crossing building. This summer, programs and its focus on the future. additional renovations were made in Martin Hall, including “This was a very serious decision, but in the end, we the Alexis and Jim Pugh Media Innovation Lab on the felt that our former name didn’t communicate the various second floor. Both locations will provide modern teaching ways we are preparing and learning space to students for careers in facilitate innovative modern media,” said Reed. curricula, applied research @whirschsports “Our students are learning and project development how to write, produce in emerging media Great name change for @WVUJournalism! and share news and applications. Media is a better term for careers that strategic content using According to Reed, surround journalism... the latest digital tools and the new name also strategies, and they’re better represents the engaging audiences on breadth of the College’s both traditional and emerging media platforms.” offerings, as all of its programs in Journalism and Strategic A portion of the founder’s name was retained to create a Communications (Advertising, Public Relations and bridge between the College’s proud past and its promising future. Integrated Marketing Communications) directly intersect “Many people may not be familiar with the story with mass, targeted and social media. of Perley Isaac Reed,” said Reed. “He was a journalism But Reed says, while the name creates a larger umbrella professor and pioneer who had the vision to create an for current and future academic programs, the College remains independent school of journalism. His spirit and drive are committed to providing students with the fundamentals. the legacy that will help to propel our new College forward “While we’re preparing our students to be modern during the next 75 years.” media communicators, we will always teach the core Changing from a principles of reporting, school to a “college” writing, ethics and critical represented another big thinking — skills that will @kbasham1 leap. The college moniker stand the test of time,” recognizes the increasing said Reed. I’m not going to deny it. I’m actually really loving the size and complexity of the The renaming is @WVUJournalism name change! Excited to earn my academic environment. the result of a two-year MSJ from the Reed College of Media! More than 1,200 process designed to help students are currently the College redefine enrolled in the College’s its mission, image and undergraduate and graduate programs. All benefit from the recruitment strategies during a time of unprecedented change. significant changes to academic programs made over the As part of that effort, more than 700 students, alumni and years, including the Strategic Communications major; courses media professionals were interviewed or surveyed. After in blogging, interactive journalism and content curation; new the College’s faculty and Visiting Committee and WVU minors in Strategic Social Media and Interactive Media Design; administration gave approval, the new name was presented to and innovative projects with high-level media professionals. the WVU Board of Governors in February 2014.

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

@ardathrebecca @WVUJournalism changes name to Reed College of Media. The end of an era. My diploma will be part of last round with P.I. Reed SOJ #history

@wvumediacollege

@emjdnews @WVUJournalism Changes name to Reed College of Media...great move! Do I have to graduate now? Renderings of new facilities look AMAZING

@bryanbumgardner As a member of the last graduating class of the P.I. Reed School of Journalism, I am honored to bear the name on my diploma. @WVUJournalism

@emilydenman22 I love the name change for the @WVUJournalism school! Very fitting for all the changes that have happened the last couple years.

@realwilldean @WVUJournalism With the name change for the school coming, is there any chance of a Multimedia Journalism degree?

@sarahbolen14 @WVUJournalism: Great article in @wvgazette about our name change goo.gl/wuJk31 itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be strange for a bit but a good change too

@dvorpe So excited for the new changes and exciting name of the @WVUJournalism School #ReedCollegeofMedia

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS Since it was founded in 1939, the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism has grown from a handful of students and courses to a complex academic unit at WVU. Today — as the Reed College of Media — we are home to more than 1,200 students, multiple undergraduate curricular offerings and two master’s degree programs. This timeline provides a visual representation of our growth and evolution over the past 75 years.

Martin Hall - circa 1870.

WVU LIBRARIES

STUDENT ENROLLMENT

Reed operated the school based on his vision of “small classes, one-on-one instruction, and a regional, grass-roots journalism philosophy.” Enrollment in the fall of 1939 was 38. The school offered a Bachelor of Science in Journalism degree with sequences in News-Editorial, Advertising Management and General Journalism.

Students at typewriters - circa 1940-1950.

1940s 4

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

WVU LIBRARIES

1915-1939 In the early 1900s, there was a lone journalism course available at WVU — a two-hour elective in agricultural journalism tucked inside the English department’s course offerings. By the 1920s, however, Dr. Perley Isaac Reed was teaching four journalism courses and supervising the new student Press Club and production of the Athenaeum. A decade later, journalism became an independent department and was relocated to three rooms on the third floor of Woodburn Hall.

1939 – Dr. Perley Isaac Reed establishes the School of Journalism at WVU and serves as the first director until 1958.

1944 – Reed helped found the American Society of Journalism School Administrators (ASJSA), which later merged with the Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC). Today, ASJMC has some 190 programs and continues to support the accreditation process of journalism and mass communication units in the United States and Canada.

1962 – American Council of Education for Journalism (ACEJ) accredits the News-Editorial and AdvertisingManagement sequences.

Daily Athenaeum press room - circa 1950-1953.

WVU LIBRARIES

1953 – The school moves to Martin Hall after the building undergoes a $16,000 renovation.

1961 – Master of Science in Journalism program launches under the direction of Dr. Guy Stewart.

1961 – Dr. Quintus C. Wilson succeeds Agee as Dean.

Martin Hall - circa 1950-1960.

WVU LIBRARIES

1964 – The School of Journalism celebrates 25-year anniversary. 1953 – Professor Paul Atkins becomes the faculty advisor of The Daily Athenaeum, holding the position longer than anyone else — 12 years.

1950s

1958 – Dr. Warren K. Agee succeeds Reed as Dean.

1960s 75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

Martin Hall room 201 - circa 1970s.

1969 – Dr. Guy H. Stewart succeeds Wilson as Dean.

Woodcut mural on first floor of Martin Hall - circa 1980s.

1971 – Veteran CBS correspondent Frank Kearns joins the school as one of WVU’s Claude Worthington Benedum Professors.

123

STUDENT ENROLLMENT 1970 – The Daily Athenaeum becomes an independent publication.

1980 – ACEJ accredits the Advertising, Broadcast News, News-Editorial, Public Relations and graduate professional programs.

321 1977 – Martin Hall undergoes a million-dollar-plus renovation, significantly upgrading or creating photography labs, a video editing lab, lecture halls, writing labs, a television studio and control room and a large library. The building is air-conditioned, and an elevator runs from the basement to the third floor. 1977 – Following a resolution by the school’s alumni association, the Board of Regents approves adding Perley Isaac Reed to the school’s name.

1960s 6

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

1970s

1980s

Ancella Livers wrote in the Fourth Estatesman: “On the first day of the summer session, most of the J.15 students in the class were impressed with the sleek new computers. As usual, there were a few computer buffs in the class, but more than a few students expressed doubt that they would ever master these machines.”

Students in computer lab - circa 1990s.

1985 – P.I. Reed School of

Journalism celebrates 50 years.

1990 – The school trades its electronic typewriters for new Macintosh PCs.

1989 – Dr. Emery L. “Pete” Sasser succeeds Stewart as Dean.

1995 – First studentproduced television news program, “WVU News,” airs on WNPB, Morgantown’s public television station.

395 1986 – The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) accredits both the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree programs.

1994 – Dr. William T. Slater succeeds Sasser as Dean.

1990s 75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

2001 – The school launches the project, “Cancer Stories: Lessons in Love, Loss and Hope,” an Emmy Awardwinning documentary and book published by the WVU Press in 2004.

2006 – Maryanne Reed is named Dean after serving two years as interim. 2000 – Dr. Terry Wimmer is named the Shott Chair of Journalism. The position was established in 1989 by the Hugh I. Shott, Jr., Foundation. 2000 – The Nutting Foundation establishes the Ogden Newspapers Visiting Professorship in Journalism. Retired Associated Press Special Correspondent George Esper becomes the first to hold the professorship.

547

893

2005 – From 2005-2009, Martin Hall undergoes a series of renovations to improve the aging infrastructure and create a more modern instructional environment.

STUDENT ENROLLMENT

2003 – The school launches the nation’s first exclusively online graduate program in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) with 17 students. 2003 – The school takes the lead on the “West Virginia Veterans History Project,” a statewide effort to collect the oral histories of West Virginia’s veterans for the Library of Congress.

1999 – Christine Martin succeeds Slater as Dean.

2000s 8

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

2010 – Lois Raimondo is named the school’s Shott Chair of Journalism. 2010 – ACEJMC votes unanimously to reaccredit the school’s undergraduate programs, citing the following strengths: • Vision and leadership of the Dean • Entrepreneurial, revenue-generating programs • High faculty and student morale • Commitment to change • Public-service orientation 2008 – Widmeyer Communications, Scott Widmeyer and Douglas and Ruth Ann Widmeyer establish The Widmeyer Professorship in Public Relations. Dr. Diana Knott Martinelli becomes the first to hold the professorship.

KENDAL MONTGOMERY

Students practice recording audio and video for the “West Virginia Uncovered” project.

2008 – The school launches “West Virginia Uncovered,” a multimedia training and reporting project to help rural newspapers transition to the digital age, attract new audiences and ensure their relevance in a digital economy.

2013 – The school’s Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program celebrates its 10-year anniversary. IMC program enrollment tops 400 students from 41 states and five foreign countries. 2013 – The school launches major in Strategic Communications with areas of emphasis in Advertising and Public Relations. Advertising and PR are eliminated as standalone majors.

2012 – The school launches “Mobile Main Street,” a technology-transfer project aimed at creating new economic models for media through a networked, hyper-local, mobile-based publishing system.

2009 – The school launches its new Journalism major. Students who would have previously selected Broadcast News or News-Editorial as their majors instead select an area of emphasis in Print, Television or Visual Journalism.

2011 – James Ebel is named as the school’s the Harrison/Omnicom Professor in Integrated Marketing Communications, which was established in 2007 by Thomas L. Harrison, LH.D.

1,247 2014 – The school announces

official name change to Reed College of Media in recognition of its growth and future-focused orientation. During this year, the College celebrates its 75th anniversary as an independent academic unit on WVU’s campus.

2011 – The school establishes a partnership with the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in Guangzhou, China.

2010s 75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

DAVID SMITH

NEW JOURNALISM MAJOR LAUNCHES IN FALL 2014 Students in Dr. Bob Britten’s Media Design class work on a magazine layout.

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

areas” of writing, media creation and audience engagement, as well as a converged capstone course and at least one elective in their major. The College’s in-house advising team is guiding students toward coursework based on suggested professional tracks, such as Reporting and Editing, Television Journalism, Media Design and more. Students also are able to design a professional track of their own making based on their career goals and interests. In all cases, students will gain the knowledge and skills to be professional communicators across a variety of modern media platforms. In addition, a new Media Applications and Tools course was added to the core curriculum required of all students in the College. In this course, students learn the fundamentals of digital storytelling and production, using inexpensive and accessible mobile tools and software.

Student Andrew Spellman conducts an interview for a class project.

DAVID SMITH

The field of journalism has changed dramatically since the early days when the school was founded. In today’s multimedia environment, we are no longer preparing students for a single job or to work in a specific medium. Our graduates must be able to report, produce and share stories across media platforms and devices, using the latest digital tools and strategies to engage a modern audience. This fall, in response to the changing media industry, the WVU Reed College of Media has launched a revamped Journalism major. The new major replaces the current areas of emphasis (AOEs) in print, television and visual journalism with a more flexible and adaptive course of study that empowers each student to design an individualized career path. Rather than taking a prescribed list of courses in a single AOE, Journalism students have a wider selection of courses to take among the three “skill

COLLEGE OF MEDIA CORE (12 HRS) Introduction to Media & Society (3 HRS)

Media Tools & Applications

Media Writing (3 HRS)

(3 HRS)

Media Ethics & Law (3 HRS)

SKILLS AREAS (18 HRS) Writing

Creating

Engaging

Elective

Sample Courses

(6 HRS)

Beat Reporting Investigative Reporting Advanced Reporting Feature Writing Opinion Writing Video & Audio News Writing

(6 HRS)

(3 HRS)

Beginning Video Reporting

Editing & Curation Social Media/ Journalism

Advanced Video Reporting/ Producing

Interactive Media/ Audience Building

Introduction to Photojournalism Advanced Photojournalism Media Design

(3 HRS)

Introduction to Visual Communications Advanced Photography Data Journalism

Visual Storytelling & Curation

Interactive Media Graphics

Gamification of Media

Magazine Production Science Journalism Adventure Journalism

Multimedia Reporting

IMC for Sport

CAPSTONE COURSE (3 HRS)

Multimedia News Publication

West Virginia Uncovered

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

INNOVATING SOLUTIONS TO INDUSTRY PROBLEMS New Innovator-in-Residence program serves as an experiment in teaching and learning

Pictured from left: Graduate student Whitney Godwin, Innovator-in-Residence Sarah Slobin and documentary producer Elaine McMillion Sheldon (BSJ, 2009) discuss “The Drug Next Door” project.

DAVID SMITH

When you develop courses that prepare students to redefine and reinvent media, you want to surround yourself with highly skilled professionals who are leading experimental change in their own newsrooms. That’s the goal behind the Reed College of Media’s new Innovator-inResidence program. Launched earlier this year, the program is designed to bring “change agents” to campus to iterate real-world journalism experiments in a single semester or academic year. Using newer distance technology tools, such as Google Hangout, the College is able to recruit professionals @sarahslo currently working in the industry published finals week: the culture behind academic doping: without requiring them to relocate to http://drugnextdoor.com Data-driven, mobile-first, experiment @WVUJournalism Morgantown. (Sarah Slobin of The Wall Street Journal) In Spring 2014, Sarah Slobin, senior graphics editor at The Wall Street Journal, served as the smartphones. The story incorporates a lets students become a part of that College’s first Innovator-in-Residence, mix of data visualization, audio, video, process,” said Coester. sponsored by the Ogden Newspapers social media and traditional boots-onIn this case, students were Professorship in Journalism, to cothe-ground reporting. responding to the current challenge teach a new experimental storytelling Associate Professor John Temple of how to design and develop a news course. Throughout the semester, and Assistant Professor Dana Coester project for mobile delivery. A story students investigated the nationwide co-taught the course with Slobin. experienced on a mobile device trend of requires the process of Attention Deficit “ That’s how it should always be if journalism “atomization” (or breaking it Hyperactivity down into smaller parts) that is going to survive. A writer should never Disorder (ADHD) make the story more userdrug abuse among have to ask a developer, ‘Can we do that?’” friendly for a mobile audience. college students, Beyond taking a mobile — Bryan Bumgardner (BSJ, 2014) focusing in first approach, students also particular on their were challenged to work classmates at WVU. Coester says the program is designed outside their areas of expertise and But what makes this project to connect students with media traditional silos. unique — beyond the subject matter innovators who are tackling new Throughout the spring semester, — is the way it was created. The challenges in the industry. journalism students worked as a in-depth reporting project, “The “Industry experts, like Sarah, are trans-disciplinary team with students Drug Next Door,” was designed at the forefront of coming up with from WVU’s creative arts and to be experienced primarily on new solutions for storytelling, and this engineering colleges to produce the

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

DAVID SMITH

data-driven, device-centric project from conceptualization to published product. “We worked across disciplines in this project — from polling to data to multimedia to social media — so there was always a chance to learn something and always a chance to make mistakes,” said Slobin. “It’s not an easy way to work, but given how fluid the digital storytelling landscape is in journalism, learning how to fail fast and fail gracefully is an excellent skill set.” Journalism senior Bryan Bumgardner says the class was unlike any other journalism course he has taken. “By forcing us to do multiple things — and not just the thing we’re really good at — that pushed us outside our comfort zone,” said Bumgardner. “That’s how it should always be if journalism is going to survive. A writer should never have to ask a developer, ‘Can we do that?’ You should already have a sense of whether it’s doable or not.” Mentorship within the class from industry professionals enabled an immersive experience for students that cannot be matched in traditional curriculum. In addition to working closely with Slobin, students interacted weekly with other journalists through Google Hangouts, including Megan Thee, editor for news surveys at The New York Times; Mark Scheffler, deputy editor for video at The Wall Street Journal; Brian Boyer, news applications editor at NPR; and Greg Pliska, music composer for film, theater and television. In addition, Elaine McMillion Sheldon, a 2009 alumna and producer/ director of the Peabody award-winning “Hollow” documentary, worked with the students on content strategy and curation, editing and outreach. Using her experience in self-distribution and marketing of “Hollow,” Sheldon also helped the team develop a plan to market and promote the story to multiple audiences. Derek Willis, interactive developer at The New York Times, is serving as the Innovator-in-Residence for Fall 2014. He is working with faculty and students on a data-driven election reporting project.

Students used guerilla marketing tactics to help promote “The Drug Next Door” project. Tim Saar and Kristen Basham post fliers designed to look like pill bottles around campus.

@raju Congrats! Great @wsj’s @sarahslo & @WVUJournalism students’ mobile-first project on “Study” Drugs http://drugnextdoor.com r/t @mareedy (Raju Narisetti of News Corp)

@brianboyer Awesome project from @wvujournalism students. http://drugnextdoor.com/ #thedrugnextdoor

Screenshots of the “The Drug Next Door” mobile-first reporting project.

(Brian Boyer of NPR)

@zseward Great student project on Adderall use at West Virginia University http://drugnextdoor.com (Zach Seward of Quartz)

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

MEDIA INNOVATION LAB OPENS IN MARTIN HALL

This summer, a new, modern teaching and learning space was created in Martin Hall. Thanks to a generous gift from Alexis Costanzo Pugh (BSJ, 1973) and her husband James H. “Jim” Pugh Jr., the Media Innovation Lab opened at the beginning of the fall semester. The lab serves as both a high-tech classroom and an incubator for emerging media products and applications. The new space is an open, flexible learning environment that offers students access to the latest media technology and fosters creativity, ideation and product development. The Alexis and Jim Pugh Media Innovation Lab houses a customized teaching wall, collaboration tables

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

and a digital media bridge. The multiscreen system features streaming data, multimedia and social media content that faculty can integrate into their teaching. The lab serves as a testing ground for faculty to experiment with new teaching and learning models — further proof that the College is helping to drive innovation on WVU’s campus. “This gift from Alexis and Jim Pugh is truly transformational,” said Dean Maryanne Reed. “It provides our students with the latest media tools and technology and helps them develop the creative problem-solving skills and entrepreneurial mindset they need to be successful in the changing media industry.”

By helping future generations of media communicators get their start, Alexis Pugh says she is honoring the school that launched her own professional career. “It’s very important to me to be able to repay in a small way what I received from my WVU School of Journalism education,” said Pugh. “I was well prepared for what became a long career in advertising and PR when I left Morgantown, and I never forgot what I learned from Professor Atkins, Dr. McCartney, Dean Stewart and other great instructors. They gave me a foundation to stand upon for my entire life. I also felt strongly that the lab should be in Martin Hall, part of the historical center of the main campus and the site

DAVID SMITH

Dr. Rita Colistra’s PR Campaigns class meets in the Alexis and Jim Pugh Media Innovation Lab.

DAVID SMITH

A media-inspired word collage canvasses the second floor stairwell leading into the Media Innovation Lab.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

— Alexis Costanzo Pugh (BSJ, 1973)

DAVID SMITH

of many memorable experiences for me.” The new space allows the College to launch its innovation mission right away, in advance of the larger Media Innovation Center that will be located on the Evansdale campus. Overall, the lab is designed to be a collaborative, multi-use space that looks more like a digital workplace than a classroom. The collaborative plug-and-play work stations, mobile laptop tables with integrated power, flexible seating areas, and multi-screen media wall help to enable the kind of project-based, trans-disciplinary innovation for which the College has become known.

Student Lucy Sutton visits the Media Innovation Lab. DAVID SMITH

Alexis Costanzo Pugh and Jim Pugh

“ It’s very important to me to be able to repay in a small way what I received from my WVU School of Journalism education.”

Pictured from left: Students Olivia Mastromonaco, Sara Cottle and Brittney Smith attend class with Dr. Rita Colistra in the Media Innovation Lab.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

MEDIA INNOVATION: PHASE II

The second phase of the WVU Reed College of Media’s innovation efforts will be a 10,000-square-foot Media Innovation Center at the heart of the newly configured WVU Evansdale campus. The Center will be housed in the new Evansdale Crossing building — strategically located near the Arts, Engineering and Health Sciences campuses — allowing for crosscollaboration with disciplines that complement the College’s focus on media and technology innovation. It will serve as a trans-disciplinary hub where students and faculty can experiment in new storytelling practices and develop and test emerging digital and mobile media applications, platforms and products to benefit users and the media industry. In addition to the College’s Media Innovation Center, the Evansdale Crossing building also will host a variety of retail and food vendors, classrooms and student services. The building is expected to have traffic of up to an estimated 9,000 students a day, creating significant visibility for the College’s innovative projects and premier research space. The Center will be an open, Google-like space and include hightech classrooms, hands-on learning labs, a multimedia studio and augmented reality lab, and a media innovation “incubator.” Construction of the Evansdale Crossing building is currently under way. The Media Innovation Center is slated for completion in late 2015.

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

1 Main Entry

This high-impact entrance includes a viewing lounge, a “blue sky” ideation room, Studio B and catering bar. It is a large open space that will be used for hosting receptions and other gatherings of up to 100 people. The corridor also serves as a gallery of student work.

2 Studio B & Viewing Lounge

This highly adaptive presentation space enables students to conduct interviews, report and produce news programs. It also can be used to host speakers, presentations and panels that are streamed to the Web.

3 Multimedia / Augmented Reality Studio

The Multimedia Studio will be an advanced space with controlled lighting and sound for strategic communications and journalism work in multimedia and interactive production, including experiments in augmented reality and 3-D photography.

4 Digital Storytelling Hub

This space integrates journalistic practice, audience-building, distribution and entrepreneurial strategies into its core activities and serves as “command central” for a new digital publishing enterprise. Part digital-first newsroom and part brand publishing center, this multi-faceted hub houses the talent, technology and infrastructure to produce highprofile digital media projects.

5 “Maker Co-Lab” & “Hacker Co-Lab”

These “analog-meets-digital” spaces foster experiments at the emerging intersection between the digital and the physical world, such as sensor journalism, 3-D printing and working with drones. The maker and hacker spaces are highly collaborative, welcoming students from the arts, engineering and other disciplines to create hands-on, experimental media projects.

6 Incubator

This central, hands-on technology corridor features flexible seating, docking for laptops, rolling whiteboards and a Google Hangout conferencing zone. It is a highly dynamic multiuse space for workshops, community training, cross-disciplinary collaboration and events, such as hackathons and industry ideation sessions.

8 6

2 DESIGN OBJECTIVES The Media Innovation Lab and Media Innovation Center should:

7 Device Lab

The Device Lab is a critical part of the College’s interactive production work to test and pilot experiences, content and behavior across a host of devices — from mobile and tablet to wearable technology and virtual reality. Access to devices and device prototypes is important to all of our students and enables experimenting with devicebased storytelling, mobile-first reporting and interactive design. The Device Lab also enables Strategic Communications students and faculty to test interactive campaigns and consumer behavior across new technology.

8 Strategic Communications Hub

Closely modeled after the Alexis and Jim Pugh Media Innovation Lab in Martin Hall, this hub represents a cutting-edge, IMC digital agency and teaching space. It is flanked with a think-tank space, media effects lab and observation room, and a social media and datamining bridge to expand client work, industry collaboration and experiential student learning.

• Invite content creation, discussion and experimentation. • Encourage local and global cross-disciplinary interaction and gathering. • Support singular and collective engagement and idea incubation activities. • Showcase the inventive work occurring within the College. • Be highly adaptable and flexible. • Integrate low-tech and high-tech elements that symbolize the past and future of media.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

EXPLORING GLASS

Defining future uses of wearable technology Ten years ago, the idea that we’d be wearing our computers and controlling them with our eye movement was still just an experiment, but “wearables” are taking off as the next step in mobile technology. And the students and faculty in the College of Media are already testing the technology to determine its uses for journalism. For the past year, students and faculty have been experimenting with Google Glass as “Glass Explorers” — well before the public or higher education and industry professionals. Depending on the class or project, faculty have taken different approaches to analyzing Glass as an emerging platform and navigating the disruption it poses to the media industry. Teaching Assistant Professor Mary Kay McFarland’s students are experimenting with new ways of creating multimedia content using Glass. Assistant Professor Dana Coester and her students are developing Glass-based products and applications. And Associate Professor Joel Beeson is tackling privacy issues and ethical guidelines for journalists using Glass or other wearables. Journalism senior Diane Jeanty used Glass for her West Virginia Uncovered piece, “Milton Maze Getting People Lost for 13 Years.” The

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

story showed a family exploring a corn maze in Mason County, West Virginia, from their point of view. The father was wearing Glass. “It’s so different than just sitting down to do an on-camera interview. Seeing the experience from someone else’s perspective totally changes the game,” said Jeanty. “You could really see how narrow the passages were and how tall the corn stalks were. Just taking a

formats and styles of video and learn to blend them seamlessly.” Coester is taking a development approach to her work with Glass in her Interactive Media and Audience Building class. The entrepreneurshipbased course focuses on disruption models in media, and wearable devices have been the perfect opportunity for students to hone their skills imagining new products and story forms for a “ It’s so different than just sitting down new industry. For their to do an on-camera interview. Seeing final projects, the experience from someone else’s students worked in perspective totally changes the game.” teams to — Diane Jeanty develop a prototype and photo wouldn’t show all those things.” start-up pitch for a product or app McFarland says students in her specific to the wearable technology class were given one week with the platform. device and asked to either tweet Coester says it is essential for photos daily or shoot first-person journalists — and journalism students — video, which they used in their blog to participate early in shaping emerging posts at the end of the week. She says technology. that the lessons learned during this “We can’t influence the trajectory time were invaluable. of wearables unless we co-develop “Because Glass is relatively its uses,” Coester said. “Right now, new technology, my students had Glass is limited — but wearables pose to become problem solvers,” said a new universe of apps, storytelling McFarland. “They had to mix different and economic potential. Journalists

DAVID SMITH

Self-described “tech geek” Tim Saar conducted interviews using Glass for a journalism class.

can help define that universe by rapidly experimenting with lots and lots of ideas. Our students have as much to bring to that process as professionals do.” Beeson and his students also are using Glass to experiment with new reporting practices and to explore some of the critical new privacy and ethics issues emerging with the device.

“We live in an increased state of surveillance,” Beeson says, “As journalists experiment with boundary-pushing technology like Glass, or drones or sensor data, we have to decide if we’re going to be part of the privacy problem or part of the solution.” Beeson asked the students in his Visual Storytelling for the Media class to help draft new guidelines for ethical practice using Glass. Students each spent a week wearing the device and conducting “man-on-the-street” interviews, field reporting and ethnographic interviews. In addition to learning how to use Glass as a wearable reporting tool, students were asked to wear the device at all times and to document their use, interactions and other’s reactions in a weekly journal of their experiences. Journalism student Andrew

Spellman is enthusiastic about Glass as a reporting tool. He explains that because Glass is above your line of sight, you can forget about it and have direct conversations with people as you document or record. “When journalists are equipped with Google Glass, the game will change drastically,” said Spellman. “It has a feature that no DSLR or recording equipment has: personal, human-to-human interaction.” Spellman feels that with the right approach, Glass can build trust in the reporter-subject interaction. But it also raises questions about personal expectations of privacy, ethics and social behaviors for journalists. “Students are defining the future of journalism practice,” Beeson said, “Using Glass allows them to envision how wearable technology might be used well and how it might be misused. This is distinct from just learning new technology — they have the opportunity to shape it.”

As a Journalism senior, Diane Jeanty produced a story using Glass for “West Virginia Uncovered.” The project was a finalist in the “Online Feature-Reporting Category” in the Society of Professional Journalists Region 4 Mark of Excellence Awards.

DAVID SMITH

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

COLLEGE KICKS OFF 75TH ANNIVERSARY WITH STUDENT-CENTERED EVENT On September 30, the WVU Reed College of Media kicked off a year-long celebration honoring its 75th anniversary on the WVU campus with a student-centered event. President E. Gordon Gee provided opening remarks, congratulating the College on staying ahead of the evolving media industry.

Pictured from left: Student Victoria Licata, WVU President E. Gordon Gee and student Natalie Price share a laugh during the College’s 75th Anniversary event.

DAVID SMITH

Students participated in a number of hands-on activities — including Google Glass demonstrations and TV stand-ups — and took selfies with President Gee and Omega, the College’s new therapy dog. College of Media faculty and staff also were available to provide information about the College’s academic programs and careers in today’s media marketplace. Guests ranged from WVU administrators and alumni to current Reed College of Media students and WVU students who haven’t yet declared a major.

22 20

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

DAVID SMITH

Student Caroline Peters meets the College’s new therapy dog Omega.

DAVID SMITH

Student Hilary Kinney tries Google Glass at one of several interactive stations.

Attendees wait in line for a commemorative t-shirt and a chance to win an iPad mini. More than 200 people attended the event.

DAVID SMITH

Teaching Associate Professor Gina Dahlia helps guest David Robinson prepare for a television stand-up at an interactive station.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION FALL| 2014

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CURRICULUM EXTENDING ACROSS CAMPUS College continues collaborative efforts

The excellent faculty and innovative curriculum at the WVU Reed College of Media are no longer reserved only for students in the College’s majors and graduate programs. Through our trans-disciplinary initiatives, the College is becoming a central part of WVU’s academic offerings and a vital player in many more students’ educational and career opportunities. In addition to these academic offerings, the College is continually partnering with other units on campus through innovative projects and student-centered activities.

INTERACTIVE MEDIA DESIGN MINOR This fall, the College is launching a new minor in Interactive Media Design. The blended minor is a collaborative effort between the College of Media and the College of Creative Arts and aims to prepare students from both fields to become interactive storytellers across a range of digital platforms and devices. This on-campus program allows students to take courses, such as Designing for Multimedia, Game Design and Digital Narrative and Media Tools and Applications. Many of the classes will be developed and taught by a new teaching assistant professor with a dual appointment in both colleges.

EVANSDALE CAMPUS

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

SPORT COMMUNICATION MINOR In Summer 2009, the College of Media launched a minor in Sport Communication in conjunction with the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences. Students gain practical skills in media writing, public relations and strategic communications for the sports industry.

DOWNTOWN CAMPUS

HEALTH PROMOTION MINOR

RIV LA NG AH E NO M

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

CITY OF MORGANTOWN

The online Health Promotion minor was launched in Summer 2010 to prepare students for communication careers in the growing fields of health promotion and disease prevention. The minor is open to students across campus and is taught by professionals working in the industry.

LEARNING NCIS-STYLE

MBA-LEVEL STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS COURSE As part of an initiative launched with the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the College of Media’s online Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program teamed up with the College of Business and Economics to provide a new Strategic Communications course for business students beginning in Summer 2014. The course serves as an elective for the Master of Business Administration and EMBA programs. Taught by College of Media faculty as part of PRSA’s MBA Initiative, the course covers topics such as communication strategy, branding, media relations, crisis communication and social media.

HOUR OF CODE In December 2013, Assistant Professor Dana Coester teamed up with computer science professor Frances Van Scoy, an associate professor in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, to host a one-hour coding event for Reed College of Media students and faculty. “Programming in Processing in 50 Minutes” provided an introduction to computer science aimed at demystifying “code” and building code literacy among non-computer scientists. More than 20 students and faculty attended the lecture and workshop.

Assistant Professor Changmin Yan DAVID SMITH

Associate Professor Joel Beeson and a group of students worked with the forensics faculty in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences to scan a World War I helmet under different wavelengths of light. Through this process, the students were able to see information written on the soldier’s helmet during the war. Inscriptions included the soldier’s unit number and the names of towns where the soldier had been. The helmet is part of the veteran’s collection in Beeson’s interactive exhibit at the Kimball Memorial in McDowell County, West Virginia.

MOUNTAINS OF EXCELLENCE: Yan to join Strategic Communications faculty

As part of the WVU 2020 Strategic Plan emphasizing research and innovation, the University adopted five areas of strength and opportunity upon which to focus its efforts and direct its resources. These multidisciplinary areas become known as the Mountains of Excellence: 1. ADDRESSING HEALTH DISPARITIES IN APPALACHIA 2. IMPROVING STEM EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC LITERACY 3. UTILIZING SHALE GAS RESPONSIBLY 4. PROMOTING STEWARDSHIP OF WATER RESOURCES 5. ACHIEVING INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN RADIO ASTRONOMY In 2012, the WVU Reed College of Media was asked to participate in the “Health Disparities” Mountain along with five other colleges and was provided funding to hire a health communications professional. This fall, Dr. Changmin Yan, a well-established health communications scholar and teacher, will join the College of Media faculty as an assistant professor in Strategic Communications. He will also join a cohort of four other University faculty to tackle issues of health disparity impacting the region and nation, with an initial focus on alleviating obesity. Yan will teach courses in the Strategic Communications program, develop a graduate-level public health communications course for students in health sciences, and collaborate with faculty across campus on grant-funded research projects in this area. Most recently, Yan served as an assistant professor of advertising at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. He also has taught courses at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Pennsylvania State University and University of Maine. Yan’s research and teaching areas include strategic health communications, advertising and integrated marketing communications. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Colorado at Denver, his master’s degree in communication studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his doctorate in mass communications from Pennsylvania State University.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

IMC program stays relevant in the changing industry The WVU Reed College of Media’s online master’s degree program in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is known for its relevant curriculum and flexible format designed for today’s professional communicator. It also stands out for its ability to adapt its curriculum to the changing industry and the changing needs of its students. MS-IMC program requirements

IMC students, like Jamelle Price, enjoy opportunities to network and learn from professionals during the IMC program’s annual INTEGRATE conference.

Current Electives Include:

ALEX WILSON

ADAPTING TO STUDENT NEEDS

Just three years into the program, in 2006, students requested Mobile Marketing elective options to supplement the (33 hours) Web Metrics & SEO core courses, allowing for a more Introduction to IMC (3 hours) Social Media Marketing specialized degree program. Program Four core courses (12 hours) Digital Storytelling administrators listened. Two electives - Marketing Research & Analysis Multicultural Marketing were added in 2006, one more in 2007 - Audience Insight Internal Brand Communication and many more throughout the years. Today, the IMC graduate program - Brand Equity Management Sports Marketing has more than 20 elective options, Entrepreneurship in IMC - Emerging Media & the Market making it one of the most customizable Crisis Communication Two specialty courses (6 hours) marketing communications degree Choose two: programs in the nation. Possible Future Electives: - Creative Strategy & Execution In 2009, students asked for more Data Visualization - Direct Marketing course options in the growing area Audience Segmentation & Analysis - PR Concepts & Strategy of digital communications. Again, Database Marketing Communications administrators responded, launching a Three electives (9 hours) Choose from 20+ courses five-course online graduate certificate program in Digital Marketing IMC capstone course Communications. Students in the (3 hours) IMC graduate program could enroll in 1 Introduction Course those new courses as well. Throughout the years, additional Students gain practical and experiential knowledge electives in specific topic areas have 4 Core Courses 1 Capstone Course of every aspect of IMC from advertising to social been added, including sports marketing, media to PR to creative strategy and beyond. At the environmental marketing, mobile center of the curriculum are core courses, which 3 Elective Courses marketing and many more based on TOTAL CREDIT provide all students with a common base of student demand. The program prides HOURS information. The core is enhanced by a wide variety itself in its ability to quickly develop 2 Specialty Courses of specialty courses and electives that allow students high-quality courses that respond to the to focus on individual areas of interest. newest trends in the industry.

Our Curriculum

WVU REED COLLEGE Courses OF MEDIA ®

in this section can be taken in any order

Elliott Nix

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Now, the IMC program has streamlined its curriculum to ensure students receive a highly relevant graduate education in a more concentrated amount of time. Effective Summer 2014, the modification reduced the number of required credit hours from 39 to 33, while still allowing for the quality, flexibility and personalization students enjoy in the program. IMC student Carisa Collins-Ziems believes the recent change in course requirements will help her better balance the program, her job and her personal life. “As a grad student juggling a full-time job, school, volunteering and some semblance of a personal life, maximizing my time is essential,” she said. “The new degree requirements for the IMC program will allow me to take the classes that will help me the most, while providing the opportunity to graduate in a reasonable time frame.” In addition, the program will become more relevant to professional students by placing three of the seven core courses in a “specialty course” list. Students select two courses from those three options, allowing them to opt out of the core course that is most closely aligned with their professional experience. This requirement encourages professional students to round out their IMC skillset by focusing on the areas with which they are less familiar. Ensuring a relevant curriculum and academic experience has always been Program Director Chad Mezera’s top priority. He says administrators and faculty are continually looking for ways to adapt and ensure the program is meeting students’ needs. “We are constantly monitoring the industry and evaluating new practices,” said Mezera. “But we’re also listening to our students. The IMC program curriculum offers more than just the latest trends. It reflects industry research, innovations and best practices — and the types of coursework our expert faculty and professional students recommend. That’s how we’ve operated for 10 years, and we’ll continue to do so.”

“ The IMC program makes sure that its students are changing and evolving with the industry, acquiring skills that help them lead discussions at the conference table rather than just be a part of them.” — Elliott Nix, Google

Mobile Marketing Expert Sees Value in IMC Program Elliott Nix, Head of Media Solutions — Tech at Google and Mobile Marketing instructor for the IMC program, recently spoke about the value of the program’s curriculum. “We are in an industry that constantly changes and evolves. Communications practitioners must have a passion for lifelong learning and appreciation for keeping up with the latest trends,” said Nix. “The IMC program makes sure that its students are changing and evolving with the industry, acquiring skills that help them lead discussions at the conference table rather than just be a part of them.” Nix also addressed how he keeps his own class up-to-date. “In the online classroom, the discussion board becomes a real-time view of industry change that can make weekly discussions thought-provoking and relatable. This translates into participating in a healthy dialogue versus absorbing a static curriculum.” In May 2014, Nix delivered the keynote address at the IMC program’s annual professional conference, INTEGRATE. He spoke about marketing strategies that span mobile, video, display, search and social platforms, and the importance of embracing technology and innovation as part of the overall integrated marketing communications mix. Watch Nix’s video and others online at

imc.wvu.edu/community/imc_knowledge_base.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA

NOW 11 COURSES Complete in 18 months Apply now for Fall

Entirely Online M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications There are many online communications degrees. Here’s what makes our program unique.

Our People

Our Curriculum Elliott Nix

Cyndi Greenglass

WVU IMC FACULTY

WVU IMC GRADUATE

Head of Media Solutions — Technology, Google New York, NY

Sr. Vice President, Diamond Marketing Solutions Chicago, IL

“ My hope is that students will be engaged and excited and walk away knowing exactly what they can do within their larger marketing strategy.”

Our Flexibility

“ The WVU IMC program combines insightful instruction with practical application that allows me to implement the ideas I learned every single day.”

Our Reputation Rukiya Campbell, APR

Tom Harrison

WVU IMC STUDENT

WVU IMC ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Director, communications21 Atlanta, GA

“I knew an online program would allow me to continue to work full time while being a wife and a mother.”

Chairman Emeritus, Omnicom’s Diversified Agency Services New York, NY

“The WVU IMC program understands where the industry is headed and is there to help communications professionals be leaders in that space.”

Learn more at imc.wvu.edu Request Information. Attend an Online Info Session. Apply. 26

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

ONLINE PROGRAMS

CONTINUE TO E X P A N D New MDS major created The WVU Reed College of Media continues to expand upon its offerings and reputation for excellence in online education through several new minors and the creation of a new Multidisciplinary Studies (MDS) major. These additional offerings demonstrate the College’s commitment to providing greater access to its academic programs. The College has offered online minors in Advertising, Public Relations, Health Promotion and Sport Communication for several years. An online minor in Strategic Social Media was launched in 2013 and three more minors launched this fall — Event Planning, Entertainment Media and Interactive Media Design. Students across campus enroll in these minors, supplementing degrees in areas such as business, fashion design, the creative arts and nursing. New minors are created based on industry trends, student demand and an analysis of topics not formally offered throughout the University.

College of Media Minors The WVU Reed College of Media currently offers minors in: Advertising Entertainment Media Event Planning Health Promotion Interactive Media Design* Public Relations Sport Communication** Strategic Social Media * An on-campus minor offered in conjunction with the WVU College of Creative Arts ** A blended minor offered in conjunction with the WVU College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences

College of Media students benefit as well. While some of the minors are only available to students outside the College, specialized courses in these subject areas are being designed specifically for Journalism and Strategic Communications majors. The increasing number of minors led the College to create an MDS major as a way to offer a degree program for students who want to customize their course of study across multiple disciplines. The MDS major allows the College to offer a competitive option for students across campus who don’t necessarily want a pre-determined track but see the value in the College’s experienced faculty and relevant curriculum. Reed College of Media MDS majors interested in pursuing a career as a Congressional press secretary, for instance, could take minors in Public Relations, Strategic Social Media and Political Science. Or a student interested in managing a rural health clinic could take Health Promotion, Public Relations and Rural Community Development. “Our new MDS degree and minors serve students’ varied interests and reflect the many nuanced professional media and communications opportunities available today,” said Dr. Diana Martinelli, associate dean of the Reed College of Media. “Whether students want to enhance their degree with just one of our minors, or want to customize a degree within the College’s MDS program, they will find exciting offerings relevant to their interests.” Given the online delivery of many of the minors, the College is able to attract expert faculty to help create the new curriculum and teach the courses. Online delivery also benefits students

MDS Major MDS majors must complete: 1 MDS orientation course 2 College of Media minors (either online or on-campus) 1 Non-College of Media minor or shared College minor 1 MDS capstone course Like all WVU Reed College of Media majors, MDS students also must complete Media Ethics and Law and other College of Media core courses, as well as non-Media requirements and general elective courses.

who have atypical schedules due to work or family. “The option to complete so many of these courses online offers additional flexibility for students who may have difficulty attending traditional campus classroom courses or want to take courses in the summer,” said Martinelli. Sue Day-Perroots, associate vice president of academic innovation at WVU, recognizes the College’s efforts to remain relevant to today’s 21st century students. “The Reed College of Media has been a leader in online education at WVU, providing options for accessible and quality curriculum in the discipline,” said Day-Perroots. “The College is to be congratulated on its continued responsiveness to students and market needs through flexible online delivery.” Students can expect to see additional new online programs in the years to come. By 2019, the College plans to offer more than 12 minors — all in areas related to current and future media careers not being offered by other WVU programs.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

OUR REACH AND IMPACT As a land-grant institution, WVU is committed to providing access to higher education and improving the lives of people in the Mountain State. So is the Reed College of Media. For 75 years, the College has upheld Dr. Reed’s commitment to regional “grassroots” journalism and serving the people of West Virginia. In recent years, the College has expanded its impact and reach through training initiatives, journalism projects and public awareness campaigns. That impact is measured not just by numbers and pinpoints but also by the difference we are making in those communities. HANCOCK

BROOKE

OHIO

MARSHALL MORGAN MONONGALIA

WETZEL

PRESTON

BERKELEY

MARION TYLER PLEASANTS

MINERAL

HARRISON

HAMPSHIRE

TAYLOR RITCHIE

WOOD

DODDRIDGE

UPSHUR

ROANE

RANDOLPH

BRAXTON

PUTNAM

PENDLETON WEBSTER

CLAY

CABELL

JEFFERSON

HARDY GRANT

GILMER

CALHOUN JACKSON

TUCKER

LEWIS

WIRT

MASON

BARBOUR

KANAWHA POCAHONTAS LINCOLN

NICHOLAS

WAYNE BOONE

FAYETTE GREENBRIER

MINGO

LOGAN RALEIGH WYOMING

KY 28

SUMMERS MONROE

MCDOWELL

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

MERCER

MOBILE MAIN STREET

VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT

mobilemainstreet.info A technology-transfer project aimed at creating new economic models for media through a networked, hyper-local, mobilebased publishing system. Students and faculty partner with local businesses and news organizations to develop content and targeted messages to help promote their communities using newly created mobile platforms.

An effort to collect West Virginia veterans’ stories for the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project. Students, faculty and community volunteers trained through the project have collected more than 200 oral histories and other archival materials for submission to the national archive. Students also have participated in the Take a Veteran to School Day program, visiting high schools around the state and leading efforts to interview participating veterans.

MONROE COUNTY RADIO PROJECT

FORGOTTEN LEGACY: SOLDIERS OF THE COALFIELDS

A partnership with Monroe County Schools to create regular news programming at WHFIFM, a radio station licensed to the Monroe County School Board. Students and faculty provided training to Monroe County students and adult volunteers on reporting and producing local news stories.

forgottenlegacywwi.org An exhibit and interactive website that examine the story of African Americans who migrated to McDowell County from the rural South in the early 1900s to work in the coal mines and who served in the U.S. military during wartime. The permanent exhibit is housed in the Kimball Memorial Building in McDowell County.

BUY LOCAL INITIATIVES

WEST VIRGINIA UNCOVERED

Community-based initiatives to educate residents about the importance of sustaining local economies by shopping at locally owned and operated businesses. Students and faculty work directly with community business owners to develop and implement integrated marketing communications campaigns.

wvuncovered.org A multimedia training effort to help rural community newspapers transition to the digital age. Students and faculty provide multimedia content and train newspaper staff to produce content for their websites to attract new audiences and remain relevant in the digital space.

PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS Awareness campaigns produced by students to support community organizations, companies and industries in West Virginia. Clients have included the Health Sciences and Technology Academy, West Virginia Manufacturer’s Association, Southern West Virginia Lifestyles Project, EcoCAR Challenge, Habitat for Humanity and Mon County Child Advocacy.

STARTING OVER: LOSS AND RENEWAL IN KATRINA’S AFTERMATH katrinaproject.journalism.wvu.edu A Web-based, multimedia project that captured the stories of Hurricane Katrina evacuees who were temporarily relocated from New Orleans to West Virginia.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

FROM BEATS TO TWEETS Media Coverage of the Elk River Chemical Spill

January’s devastating chemical leak that contaminated the water supply in Charleston, West Virginia, made national — and even international — news. But it also was a local story covered by journalists in the Charleston area. The size and scope of the story was unprecedented — with an estimated 300,000 residents (one-sixth of the state’s population) — unable to access clean water. And it was unprecedented to the degree in which these journalists used social media as a reporting and citizen engagement tool. On March 24, the WVU Reed College of Media hosted the panel discussion, “From Beats to Tweets: Media Coverage of the Elk River Chemical Spill.” Sponsored by the Ogden Newspapers Seminar Series, the conversation demonstrated the continued importance of strong local reporting while examining the growing

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

DAVID SMITH

A standing-room only crowd gathers in the Mountainlair Ballrooms on March 24, 2014, for a panel discussion about media coverage of the Elk River chemical spill in Charleston, West Virginia.

@GovTomblin • Jan 9

EMERGENCY: Do NOT use tap water for drinking, cooking, washing or bathing in Boone, Lincoln, Kanawha, Jackson, Putnam counties. role social media plays in covering these types of disasters. On January 9, 2014, after Charleston residents reported a “licorice-like” smell in the area, inspectors for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection discovered the source. The chemical crude MCHM, used for washing coal, was leaking from a storage tank at Freedom Industries into the Elk River water supply for Charleston and the surrounding area. Later that day, residents in eight counties and part of a ninth were told not to drink, cook with or wash with water supplied by West Virginia American Water. The announcement

sent residents scrambling for information and West Virginia journalists searching for answers. Journalists quickly found social media to be a fast and effective way to learn about and communicate what was happening in real time. WOWK-TV anchor April Kaull says she was live on the air when she learned of the spill and the “do-notuse” order through Twitter. “I always have my phone with me,” she said. “Always, always, always.” Kaull said she checked her Twitter feed during a brief break and saw Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s ominous warning that residents should not use their water.

A sampling crew collects water along the Elk River after the January 9 chemical spill. DAVID SMITH

David Boucher, statehouse reporter for the Charleston Daily Mail, recounts how his coverage of the Elk River chemical spill unfolded.

DAVID SMITH

As Kaull went on with the broadcast, reporters followed up with phone calls to the Governor’s office, asking for clarification and context about the message, because as Kaull said, “That isn’t the sort of tweet you see all the time.” Although reporter David Boucher was not initially assigned to cover the story, he knew he had to get involved. “I couldn’t just go home,” Boucher said. So, he jumped in and started making calls to local officials. Throughout the weekend, Daily Mail reporters continued to update the paper’s website with breaking information and used tools like Twitter and Facebook to drive traffic to the site. Like Boucher, David Gutman of The Charleston Gazette says he was not assigned to cover a specific aspect of the spill. His reporting instinct kicked in, however, and he drove to the Capitol anyway, “to see what was going on.” He found himself in the Governor’s reception room, waiting, on the off chance he would get a quick interview with Gov. Tomblin. His persistence resulted in a 10-minute, unscripted interview with the Governor. While reporters used these traditional methods to gather and confirm vital information, they often turned to social media to disseminate it. Photographer Roger May covered the aftermath of the spill in images for The Guardian, using its Instagram account to provide an ongoing visual account of the story. English professor Eric Waggoner wrote a blog post about the spill, “Elemental,” that went viral and was

WVU UR—NEWS

Ashton Marra, statehouse reporter for West Virginia Public Broadcasting, responds to a question from panel moderator and Teaching Assistant Professor Emily Corio.

PANELISTS ASHTON MARRA Statehouse reporter West Virginia Public Broadcasting APRIL KAULL News anchor WOWK-TV DAVID BOUCHER Statehouse reporter Charleston Daily Mail DAVID GUTMAN Reporter The Charleston Gazette ROGER MAY Documentary photographer DR. ERIC WAGGONER Blogger and professor West Virginia Wesleyan College

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

Researchers traveled to Charleston following the spill to collect samples from the Elk and Kanawha rivers as well as the homes of local residents.

WVU UR—NEWS

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

Panelists pictured from right: Dr. Eric Waggoner, Roger May, David Gutman, April Kaull, David Boucher and Ashton Marra.

DAVID SMITH

Audience members tweeted questions to panelists using the hashtag #wvchmleak.

DAVID SMITH

featured on The Huffington Post and CNN websites, among others. He initially thought only a few friends would see the post, but it quickly gained traction through Facebook. “My biggest hope was that for as long as it was live and in the world, that it would continue the conversation on a national level,” Waggoner said. “Conversation” turned out to be a common theme, as the panelists noted the increased interaction and audience engagement through social media platforms. Kaull says social media was, “a game changer” for WOWK-TV, forever changing the way it engages with its audience. “It really did start an online conversation through social media,” Kaull said. She noticed “tremendous interaction” between viewers on Facebook, who shared information, photos and tips. Reporters then used this information to ask questions and get updates from local agencies. West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s

DAVID SMITH

Marra talks about the role that social media played in covering the chemical spill.

W NA

RIVE

ELK

POINT OF SPILL

GRAPHIC BY GRAHAM CURRY

The chemical spill affected residents in nine West Virginia counties.

An audience member asks the panelists a question.

Ashton Marra says the water crisis was the first time she noticed her followers truly engage with a story. “I decided to take on the role of live-tweeting all of these press conferences,” she said. She noticed that people were responding to her tweets and asking her to find out answers to their questions. “That became a way for us to get information compiled quickly and on to the Web as fast as possible.” For all that social media did to enhance coverage of the water crisis, Gutman cautions that it amplifies rather than replaces traditional reporting. “Although Twitter is excellent for distributing facts such as numbers, it falls short of providing the level of detailed information that a traditional news story can,” he said. It also can’t replace aggressive, hard-nosed reporting that doesn’t take “no” for an answer. Gutman provided one notable example where persistence paid off. Frustrated by his failure to get a response from the Centers for Disease

DAVID SMITH

“ I decided to take on the role of live-tweeting all of these press conferences. That became a way for us to get information compiled quickly and on to the Web as fast as possible.” — Ashton Marra, West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Control and Prevention (CDC) about their special advisory warning for pregnant women, he tracked down CDC Director Tom Frieden’s home number and called him late that night. The CDC then made available a scientist to talk with Gutman the next morning. The Elk River story demonstrated both the power of old-fashioned reporting and the strength of local coverage. May says the coverage of the chemical leak reinforced for him “the relatively short attention span of national media.” “We can’t rely on the national media to cover events and to talk about important events that matter here locally,” said May. What it takes, he says, is the ability to find and tell the personal stories that help viewers and readers identify with an issue on a human level. “If you can find a way to tell a personal story in your community rather than relying on national media to do it,” he said, “it’s going to have more impact.” 75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

STUDENTS GAIN GLOBAL,

PROFESSIONAL EXPER

Last summer, a group of students from the WVU Reed College of Media stepped outside their comfort and time zone. Seventeen of the College’s Strategic Communications students traveled to China for a month-long learning experience that has forever changed how they see their place in the world. This was the second year for the trip, which is part of a partnership between the College and Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) in Guangzhou, China. Harrison/ Omnicom Visiting Professor in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Jim Ebel organized the trip, which included an IMC course and a two-week internship. Dean Maryanne Reed says the summer trip is part of the College’s ongoing effort to provide global

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

SUBMITTED PHOTO

WVU Reed College of Media students pose with students from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in the Electronic/Technology District in Guangdong, China.

experiences for students. “These students are learning about their subject matter in an international context,” said Reed. “To be able to pair that with a handson, professional experience in China will make them even more marketable to future employers.” Students started their adventure at GDUFS. The first order of business: an intensive, five-day IMC course, taught by Ebel. WVU and Chinese students studied together for four hours each morning and then spent the evenings in Chinese retail markets completing specific IMC assignments. For example, student teams visited electronics and herbal health markets, chose products at each market, and completed a five-step IMC process to determine how to properly market those products.

Students James McHale, Amber Ravenscroft, Jessica Mazelon, Claire Viehman and Stephanie Randall posed with a “dumpling” mascot after competing in the Guangzhou Restaurant Wrapping Rice Dumpling Contest for Foreigners.

At the end of the week, the teams developed an extended IMC campaign for one of their selected products. Each group was then given 24 hours to complete their campaign and present it in class the next day. Ebel says the cross-cultural mix of students is a good blend for learning. “The advertising field is older and more established in the U.S., and our students typically put more focus on brand strategy,” he said. “The Chinese students, coming from a younger advertising market, place value on creativity.” After the course and a day of sightseeing, students began their internships in organizations and companies in and around Guangdong province. Grouped in teams based on their skill sets, students worked in one

2014 INTERNSHIPS City of Guangzhou

IENCE IN CHINA

Jess Mazelon James McHale Stephanie Randall Amber Ravenscroft Claire Viehman

MsShe

Alaina Bartos Courtney Bartsch Greg Gomperts Allison Wallace

Shunde Creative Park Lindsay Betz Hannah Force Julia Ober Carlyn Stefanelli

CharmClick

Michael Bove Stephanie Leon Rashidah McCoy Gwen Wygal SUBMITTED PHOTO

Bawell Healthcare Jihyung Lee Lauren Nickle Jordan O’Brian Kelsey Purcell Julia Swindells

Writing & Reading of four internships. The first helped develop international branding and positioning for Guangzhou, one of China’s largest cities. Another assisted a women’s clothing brand, MsShe, by creating branding in response to its newest competitor. The third group worked with CharmClick, a Chinese advertising agency that specializes in television and Internet advertising. The final group assisted with positioning Shunde Creative Park, a multi-industry center for business research and development in Foshan, a city in central Guangdong province. After the internships, students had more time to sightsee. They took a bullet train to Beijing to tour the city and visit the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall. Then they traveled to Shanghai for six days before returning home.

Jenna Britton Josh Bryant-Gainer Scott Claggett Lindsey Lambert Chelsea Sams

Rashidah McCoy, an MSJ graduate student from Pittsburgh, plans to work internationally after graduation. She says the trip gave her a unique perspective. “Interning at CharmClick, China’s leading advertising and media agency, allowed me to strengthen my advertising “ The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime and public opportunity for me to set myself relations skills,” said McCoy. from other job seekers.” “The trip — Rashidah McCoy was a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity for me to set myself apart from other job seekers and to build valuable new intercultural skills and competencies.”

apart

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

A TRADITION OF CHANGE:

An Alumnus’ Perspective WRITTEN BY JAKE STUMP A 2004 ALUMNUS AND SENIOR WRITER AT WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

In 2004, the P.I. Reed School of Journalism afforded me a global opportunity. They sent a rural Preston County boy who had never ventured outside the continental United States to a country 9,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean.

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

Professor Emeritus Paul Atkins

DAVID SMITH

“ The school has had to change to keep up with the times and, indeed, lead by educating students to cope and prosper in the new environment.” — Paul Atkins, Professor Emeritus

ALEX WILSON

As a Journalism senior, I got to travel communications, video storytelling, to Vietnam thanks to the Frank Kearns just to name a few. Fellowship. Under the tutelage of Paul Atkins knows. His connection the late, great George Esper, I wrote to what is now the WVU Reed College several articles about my experience of Media spans more than half of a for the Charleston Daily Mail, including century. a reaction piece on the U.S. invasion A 1949 graduate, Atkins of Iraq from the perspective of embarked on a 33-year teaching Vietnamese veterans and a recap of career at WVU through 1986. He the 50th anniversary celebration of the taught and influenced hundreds of Battle of Dien Bien Phu. journalism students, many of whom Unfortunately, I could not tweet credit him for instilling in them the about it 10 years ago. importance of “getting it right.” Mobile journalism hadn’t taken off yet. My rubbery cell phone that resembled a walkietalkie could not take photos, anyway. And forget videos. Barely anyone working in a newsroom possessed any skills outside of writing, editing and photography. Fast-forward a decade, and I imagine the depth of storytelling I could execute there now. A Vine of riding in a rickshaw. An Instagram of a bowl of blood pudding. Alumna Paige Lavender A YouTube video exploring Hanoi’s French Quarter. Journalists must now excel in various fields — social media, marketing

As faculty supervisor of The Daily Athenaeum from 1953-1965, Atkins recalls helping students produce a special edition of the paper following President Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. As the paper was only published on weekdays, the students quickly adapted and produced a Saturday edition. Had Atkins’ students had access to today’s tools, they would’ve been able to publish the news immediately on social media and other digital platforms.

“ I can say with certainty that class [West Virginia Uncovered] got me a job out of school. In that program, I had the privilege of working on projects I was passionate about while also exploring new ways of storytelling.” — Paige Lavender (BSJ, 2011)

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

— Michael Tomasky (BSJ, 1982)

direction by adapting to the needs of students and the evolving industry. The new name exemplifies that. “I think the name change is terrific,” said Tomasky, currently a special correspondent for The Daily Beast. “I hope it will signal to young people around the country that the WVU Reed College of Media is a forwardthinking place.” Tomasky and others are excited for more changes in the future, particularly construction of the Media Innovation

Center on the Evansdale campus. “It’s a major undertaking that will pay tremendous dividends for the students, faculty and staff,” said Sean Robertson (BSJ, 1999), an account executive at Dish Network. “I believe our school is on par with institutions like Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Public Communications and the Missouri School of Journalism, and that the rest of academia and the media industry will see what we already know.”

Alumnus Sean Robertson

ALEX WILSON

It’s a changing world but, Atkins says, the College is keeping pace. “The school has had to change to keep up with the times and, indeed, lead by educating students to cope and prosper in the new environment,” he said. Today the College offers a world-class graduate program online in Integrated Marketing Communications; innovative crossplatform projects that engage students and enhance communities like “West Virginia Uncovered” and “Mobile Main Street;” and recalibrated majors that reflect the diverse opportunities in the media communications industry. Paige Lavender (BSJ, 2011) has benefited from some of the College’s more modern offerings. She credits participating in the West Virginia Uncovered project as one of her proudest moments as a journalism student. “I can say with certainty that class got me a job out of school,” Lavender said. “In that program, I had the privilege of working on projects I was passionate about while also exploring new ways of storytelling, and I loved every second.” Lavender is now senior politics editor at The Huffington Post. Another prominent alumnus, Michael Tomasky (BSJ, 1982), believes the College is moving in the right

ANDY SMITH

Alumnus Michael Tomasky

“ I hope it [the name change] will signal to young people around the country that the WVU Reed College of Media is a forwardthinking place.”

“ It’s a major undertaking that will pay tremendous dividends for the students, faculty and staff.” — Sean Robertson (BSJ, 1999)

Alumna Jane Schachtel

ALEX WILSON

Scott Widmeyer (BSJ, 1974) says he believes the College is better equipped to adapt to the media revolution than some of its larger, more “storied” counterparts. Widmeyer — founder of Widmeyer Communications, whose clients include Nestle, Pfizer and Coca Cola — serves on the College’s Visiting Committee and can attest to the institution’s forward-thinking approach. “I am excited because we are quick, nimble, and unlike the Titanic,

“ The winners will be those that reach people with technology and personally relevant stories.” — Jane Schachtel (BSJ, 1998)

we keep turning and evolving,” said Widmeyer. “That is how we will keep current and not fall behind. We don’t get weighed down in indecisiveness or bureaucracy. We respond, and we respond with smart and bold steps.” And while the game has certainly changed, some rules still apply — like the importance of telling stories that matter, regardless of platform. Jane Schachtel (BSJ, 1998), global head of technology and vertical marketing at Facebook, says that

“ We don’t get weighed down in indecisiveness or bureaucracy. We respond, and we respond with smart and bold steps.” — Scott Widmeyer (BSJ, 1974)

WVU UR—NEWS

Alumnus Scott Widmeyer

the College is on the right track by continuing to emphasize powerful storytelling. “Oftentimes, brands get so caught up in the technology, they forget about their customers. They forget they are people with lives and connections,” she said. “The winners will be those that reach people with technology and personally relevant stories.” Regardless of tools and platforms, the heart of media remains in the storytelling. The School of Journalism taught me those fundamentals, which I still apply today not just through print stories, but videos, scripts, speeches and social media. My opportunities as a student 10 years ago — traveling to Vietnam, gaining internships, leaning on mentors — is not unlike students’ opportunities today. They have an open door to new and exciting worlds, ones that challenge them and force them to navigate the evolving media landscape. Because of this, I can’t be prouder of my alma mater, what it has taught me and how it’s shaping future media and communications experts.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

ABOUT OUR DONORS DONOR HONOR ROLL The WVU Reed College of Media would like to thank our donors who have given to the 2013-2014 annual fund. We especially want to recognize those supporters who give $1,000 or more on an annual basis. Those donors are part of the College’s Loyalty Club, established in 2010 and indicated by an asterisk. The annual giving list represents cash and pledge payments received through June 30, 2014.

$15,000 OR MORE

• Clara DeFrank Revocable Trust* • Orson & Spokes Foundation* • Mrs. Alexis Pugh and Mr. James Pugh*

$5,000 - $14,999

• Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ahrens* • Col. Thomas J. Boyd* • Mr. and Mrs. John H. Brown, Jr.* • Ms. Samme L. Gee* • Mr. and Mrs. Raymond G. Gillette* • Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Kittle* • Mrs. Jennifer A. Manton* • The Nutting Foundation* • Mr. Stanley J. Reed* • Mr. and Mrs. John M. Walls* • West Virginia Broadcasters Educational Foundation* • West Virginia Manufacturers Association*

$1,000 - $4,999

• AT&T* • Mr. Paul A. Atkins* • Casey Living Trust* • Mr. Beedeah Hassen and Mr. William Hassen* • Mrs. Noel Hassen* • Mr. Ralph S. Izard and Mrs. Janet Izard* • Dr. Diana L. Martinelli* • Ms. Jane M. McNeer* • Mr. and Mrs. Chad Mezera* • Mr. Alan and Mrs. Ingegerd Parker* •P ublic Relations Society of America* • Public Relations Society of America Richmond*

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

• Mr. James J. Roop* • Mr. Archie A. Sader* • Mrs. Margaret C. Seals* • Ms. Jennifer Shaffron* • Ms. M. Anne Swanson* • Mr. Michael J. Tomasky • United Way of the Midlands*

$500 - $999

• Ms. Bonnie J. Bolden • Mr. and Mrs. Wendell Cochran • Ms. Linda M. Formella • Dr. Stephen C. Fortier • Mrs. Pamela Larrick • Ms. Stephanie O’Keefe • Racom Communications, Inc. • Ms. Stephanie D. Taylor and Mr. Richard M. Weibley • Mr. Douglas Widmeyer • William Randolph Hearst Foundation

$100 - $499

• Asayo Creative, Inc. • Associated Architects, Inc. • Ms. Johnna G. Barto • Big River Advertising • Mr. Paul A. Binkowski • Mr. and Mrs. Walter C. Bird • Mr. Daniel W. Bosch • Ms. J.A. Bower • Mrs. Jacqueline K. Breeden • Mr. Edward O. Buckbee • Mrs. Robyn M. Buckley • City of Charleston • Ms. Kimberly K. Corbin • The Cremer Family Trust • Mrs. Janice S. Crile • Ron and Jayne Cutright • Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Davis • Direct Online Marketing • Eclectic Technical Systems, Inc. • Ernst & Young Foundation • Mr. Maurice R. Fliess • Flint Construction Co., Inc. • Mr. and Mrs. David M. Foreman • Ms. Ann H. Garcelon • Mrs. Martha B. Hodel • Mrs. Jane N. Hopkins • Mr. and Mrs. R. Douglas Huff • Mr. Michael C. Judge • Mrs. Virginia G. Kavage

• Ms. Paige L. Lavender • Dr. Brenda J. Logue • Mr. Michael Madia • Mr. Lawrence J. Malone • Petty Officer Matthew S. Masaschi • Mr. and Mrs. William S. Mease • Mr. and Mrs. Harry J. Mitchell • Mr. Gary Mondello • Mr. Henry C. Nagel II • Mr. and Mrs. William J. Nevin • Mr. James A. Pahl • Mrs. Anna M. Palmer • Mr. and Mrs. George N. Panos • Pass Fire Protection, Inc. • Mr. and Mrs. Glenn S. Richards • Mr. Robert M. Rine • Mrs. Karen P. Robbins • Dr. David L. Rodgers •M r. George P. Russell and Ms. Jane E. Duffy • Mr. and Mrs. Preston L. Shimer • Mr. Albert M. Skinner • Mr. and Mrs. Bennett B. Smith • Ms. Martha G. Smith • Mr. Martin B. Smith • Mrs. Linda Spencer • Ms. Sally L. Steel • Stick, LLC • Ms. Tamara G. Telesko • Mr. and Mrs. David M. Thompson • Mr. William S. Tiernan • Ms. Loretta M. Ucelli • Mr. and Mrs. John B. Ullom • Mrs. Jill Vaughan • Verizon Foundation • Mr. David M. Wilkison • Mr. and Mrs. Roger B. Wilson • Mrs. Karen K. Wohl • Mr. William A. Yahner

GIVING SOCIETIES

WHY I GIVE…

In recognition of the growing importance of private giving, the WVU Reed College of Media honors its friends and supporters through a tiered system of giving levels and inducts new members each fall. Below is a list of new donors or donors who have moved into new giving societies during the past year.

Martin Hall Society ($250,000 +)

• Mrs. Alexis Pugh and Mr. James Pugh SUBMITTED PHOTO

Friends of Martin Hall ($100,000 - $249,999) • The Cary Foundation

P.I. Reed Circle of Friends ($25,000 - $99,999)

• Mrs. Elizabeth K. and Mr. Jim Dziedzic • Orson & Spokes Foundation • Ms. Paula I. Otto • Mr. Stanley Reed

P.I. Reed Society ($10,000 - $24,999)

• Verizon Foundation • Verizon Wireless

Irvin Stewart Society

• Clara DeFrank Revocable Trust • Ms. Jane McNeer

“ Education was very important to my mother, Irene Vargo Otto. She and my father always had the expectation that all four of their children would go to college. We all were expected to earn good grades and to apply for scholarships. I was fortunate to receive several scholarships while at WVU, and it’s rewarding to give back to the University and my alma mater.” — Paula Otto (BSJ, 1983) The Vargo-Otto Student Scholarship

HOW TO MAKE A GIFT To learn more about providing scholarship funding, visit our website at reedcollegeofmedia.wvu.edu/contribute or contact: Luella Gunter Director of Development WVU Reed College of Media Luella.Gunter@mail.wvu.edu 304.293.6775

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

ABOUT OUR SCHOLARSHIPS NEW SCHOLARSHIPS ESTABLISHED THE VARGO-OTTO STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP

Paula Otto (BSJ, 1983) and Irene Vargo Otto

THE WILLIAM AND JEAN REED SCHOLARSHIP

Stanley Reed and Maryanne Reed

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS (2013-2014) ARNOLD AGENCY SCHOLARSHIP

• Victoria E. Cooper • Nicholas Gordon

CARY JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Lindsey Beall • Jenna Britton • Hannah Chenoweth • Hannah Force • Tyler Le • Carly Smith

CATHARINE PATTON CLARK PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARSHIP

• Robert Baronner III • Mariah Elliot • Zachary King • Brittany Lavenski • Stephen Maurer • Jake Newman

COL. THOMAS J. BOYD SCHOLARSHIP

• Thomas Crawford • Nicole Curtin

CUMMINGS SCHOLARSHIP

• Lucy Sutton

DAVID MATTHEW HASSEN JOURNALISM BOOK SCHOLARSHIP

• Jessica Rangel

GILBERT AND MARGARET LOVE JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Lauren Davis • Brittany Lavenski • Jessica Litras • Evelyn Merithew • Jake Newman • Alyssa Pluchino • Nicole Ryder • Karly Shire • Kylie Zonin

IRENE CAPLAN MOKSAY SCHOLARSHIP

• Victoria E. Cooper

LINDA E. YOST SCHOLARSHIP

• Alexis Cunningham • Lucy Sutton

LINDA JEANNE LECKIE SCHULTE SCHOLARSHIP

• Brittany Lavenski

MARK S. AND FRANCES S. GROVE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP

• Kelsie Vanderwijst

MARTHA E. SHOTT ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP

• Devin Dye • Stephen Maurer • Adelyn Nottingham • Catrina Sedgwick • Kelsie Vanderwijst

DON S. MARSH SCHOLARSHIP

NANCY HENRICHS HODEL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

DOUGLAS AND RUTH ANN WIDMEYER ENDOWED JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

OGDEN NEWSPAPERS AND NUTTING FAMILY JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Bryan Bumgardner

• Emily Denman • Karly Shire • Kassandra Taylor

EDITH WATSON SASSER SCHOLARSHIP

• Brittany Furbee

FRANK M. KEARNS MEMORIAL FUND

• Jenna Britton • Sara Cottle • Jessica Rangel • Brandi Underwood

GEORGE GIANODIS JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Jenna Britton • Ashley Collins • Lauren Davis • Austyn Galmarini • Allison Heller • Tyler Le

• Jihyung Lee • Jessica Litras • Evelyn Merithew • Jake Newman • Alyssa Pluchino • Jessica Rangel • Nicole Ryder • Lucy Sutton • Charles Young • Kylie Zonin

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

• Catrina Sedgwick

• Brittany Furbee • Claudia Palmer • Lacey Palmer • Andrew Spellman • Merrill Tebay

PAUL A. ATKINS SCHOLARSHIP

• Bryan Bumgardner • Devin Dye • Austyn Galmarini • Branford Marks • Kassandra Taylor

PAUL S. AND THEO S. DEEM BOOK SCHOLARSHIP

• Ashley Collins

PEGGY PRESTON TIERNEY SCHOLARSHIP

• Alexis Bramer • Bryan Bumgardner • Shannon Cunningham

• Rachel Duryea • Kayla Kesselman • Cassandra Lang • Lacey Palmer • Allyson Parrish PERLEY ISAAC REED SCHOLARSHIP

• Emily Denman

RAYMOND AND SUSAN GILLETTE MINORITY SCHOLARSHIP

• Branford Marks

SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Nicholas Wesdack

SCOTT D. WIDMEYER AFRICAN AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP

• Branford Marks

SCOTT D. WIDMEYER FIRST GENERATION SCHOLARSHIP

• Mariah Elliot

TIMOTHY J. TEWALT JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Tyler Le

W.E. CHILTON III JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Thomas Crawford • Rachel Duryea • Devin Dye • Adelyn Nottingham • Kelsie Vanderwijst

WILLIAM F. TOLBERT JOURNALISM SCHOLARSHIP

• Alexis Cunningham • Nicole Curtin

STUDENT ENHANCEMENT & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS (2013-2014) FRANK M. KEARNS MEMORIAL FUND

• Kiley Putnam, London

GEORGE ESPER INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENHANCEMENT FUND

• Rashidah McCoy, China • Allie Beto, London

JOHN AND CINDY WALLS CAREER DEVELOPMENT FUND

• Tiet Tran, Washington, D.C.

PERLEY ISAAC REED SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM ENHANCEMENT FUND

• Tessa Bonnstetter, New York • Jenna Britton, Columbus • Emily Cotter, Jamaica • Hannah Force, China • Brittany Furbee, Hawaii • Bridget Hawkins, New Zealand • Jessica Mazelon, China • Whitney Norris, Jamaica • Ryan Petrovich, Pittsburgh • Brittney Smith, London

CLASS NOTES 1950s

John Olesky (BSJ, 1954) is retired from the Akron Beacon Journal. Olesky has traveled to 52 countries, including China, Turkey, Morocco, Australia and most countries in Europe.

1970s

Alisa Bailey (BSJ, 1979) won the West Virginia Tourism Professional of the Year Award, which recognizes individuals who have made an outstanding and significant contribution that enriches West Virginia’s tourism industry, through excellent job performance, leadership in the tourism industry or development and improvement of tourism facilities and activities. The West Virginia Tourism Commission determines the annual award. Mike Fulton (BSJ, 1979) received The John F. Nicholas Jr. Chapter Leadership Award from the WVU Alumni Association for his service and contributions to the National Capital Area Alumni Chapter.

1980s

Jeffrey Fanto (BSJ, 1983) is a community planner for the 96th Civil Engineer Group of the United States Air Force on Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

1990s

Marc Davis (BSJ, 1999) won a New York Emmy Award for producing “SportsNite: LeBron James.” Davis is a senior producer for SportsNet New York in New York City.

Kelly Carr (BSJ, 2003) received a special citation from the Goldsmith Awards in Political Journalism for the Reuters series she co-wrote. “Unaccountable” exposed widespread accounting malpractice at the U.S. Department of Defense and explained the human and economic costs. Joel Danoy (BSJ, 2009) is a communications specialist for the Tracy Unified School District in Tracy, California. Morgan Farr (BSJ, 2014) is a media sales and marketing assistant at Clear Channel Communications in New York City.

Christina Myer (BSJ, 1999) is the executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Nicole Fernandes (BSJ, 2008; MSJ, 2010) is a public relations specialist at the American Industrial Hygiene Association in Falls Church, Virginia.

Rita Primo (BSJ, 1994) is a reference librarian at the School of Dentistry at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans.

Leslie Riccio (IMC, 2013) works at strategic communications manager at PAE in Arlington, Virginia.

Daniel P. Pulka (BSJ, 1996) is the chief marketing officer at Pepper Hamilton LLP in Philadelphia, a multi-practice law firm with over 500 lawyers.

2000s

Stephanie Ackerman (BSJ, 2005) is the manager of stakeholder communications for NASCAR in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Leah Bogdan (BSJ, 2002) is a publications specialist at CLG in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Heather Richardson (BSJ, 2004) is a corporate communications specialist at CONSOL Energy in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. Frances Silva (BSJ, 2013) won the Capital One Academic All-America of the Year award for NCAA Division I women’s soccer, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America. She also was named to the Capital One Academic All-America first team. Amanda Spangler (BSJ, 2008) is a program manager for the Strategic + Creative Guild at Edelman PR in New York City. Tori Stambaugh (BSJ, 2013) is an associate media planner at Digitas Health in Philadelphia.

75th ANNIVERSARY EDITION | 2014

TRANSITIONS

The Reed College of Media wishes to acknowledge our alumni who have passed away during the year. Daniel J. Coffee ................................ (BSJ, 1951)

Ronald G. Montgomery................... (BSJ, 1977)

Kenneth G. Cole ............................... (BSJ, 1977)

Margo P. Neal ................................... (BSJ, 1967)

Ida Frances (Ward) Coleman .......... (BSJ, 1958)

Nicholas S. Pfohl .............................. (BSJ, 2006)

James E. Day...................................... (BSJ, 1951)

Joseph C. Pilegge, Jr......................... (BSJ, 1955)

Michael L. Fluharty .......................... (MSJ, 1979; BSJ, 1974)

Allison E. Ploeger ............................. (BSJ, 1982)

Donald K. Hubbard........................... (BSJ, 1952

Daniel M. Terrizzi ............................. (BSJ, 1984)

Taylor N. Jones.................................. (BSJ, 2009)

Lois K. Wade ..................................... (BSJ, 1944)

Dorothy H. MacQueen ................... (BSJ, 1943)

IN MEMORY OF… Elizabeth “Betty” Atwater Alexander,

101, formerly of Rye Beach, and North Hampton, New Hampshire, passed away at Webster at Rye, an assisted living community. She was born September 6, 1912, in McKeesport, Pa., the daughter of the late Asaph Sherwood and Margaret (McGettigan) Atwater. Atwater was considered a trailblazer. In a time when many women did not dare to imagine the prospect of higher education, she did and succeeded attaining a Masters of Arts and Classics in 1936 from the University of Pittsburgh and later a Doctor of Philosophy in 1938. This opened the doors of academia as she continued to work as a professor for many years at several institutions throughout her life. Dr. Atwater — as she was known to her former students and colleagues — joined the faculty at Potomac State College in 1939 and served as professor and coordinator of the journalism department, as well as speech instructor, before she retired 39 years later in 1978. While teaching at the College, Atwater inspired many young students who later earned their bachelor’s degree at the WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism.

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA ®

C. Gregory Van Camp (MSJ, 1965)

had a 40-year professional career in television broadcasting and media. He worked at WWVA and WTRF-TV in Wheeling, West Virginia, and WTAETV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Van Camp also founded and managed WWVU-TV, Morgantown (now WNPB-TV), served as director of Radio and Television Services for West Virginia University and was an associate professor of journalism. In addition, he received several awards and recognitions including the Order of Vandalia from West Virginia University, Distinguished West Virginian from Governor Joe Manchin, Earl L. Core Award from the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce, WVU Student Affairs Outstanding Achievement Award, West Virginia Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame, outstanding West Virginian from the West Virginia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and the P.I. Reed Achievement Award from the P.I. Reed School of Journalism Alumni Association. He passed away June 4 at his home in Charleston. Mr. Van Camp was 86.

Dr. Robert M. ‘Bob’ Ours (BSJ, 1958)

of Morgantown, passed away on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at his home. He was born September 15, 1936, in Parkersburg, West Virginia, son to the late Henry and Grace Simon Ours. Ours attended West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1954-55, serving as sports information director, and later graduated from WVU in 1958. Working for the Associated Press in Richmond, he became supervisor of Virginia AP Radio-TV News Report. Ours pursued graduate studies in history and received his M.A. from the University of Virginia in 1966 and his Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary in 1974. He taught history at UVA’s Eastern Shore Branch from 1966-68 and joined WVU’s journalism faculty in 1972, reaching the ranks of Professor and Professor Emeritus. Ours headed the News-Editorial sequence in the 1990s and advised students in the WVU Honors Program from 19831996. He served on nearly 100 master’s and Ph.D. committees and delighted in working with students from around the world.

YELLOW RIBBON PROGRAM The Reed College of Media is proud to be one of WVUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newest graduatelevel participants in the Yellow Ribbon program. Students accepted to both the online Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications program and the on-campus Master of Science in Journalism program are eligible. The Yellow Ribbon program, which funds the education of out-of-state student military veterans, is an extension of the 9/11 GI Bill that pays all instate tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for eligible students. WVU has taken part in the Yellow Ribbon program for undergraduate outof-state students for years, but 2012 was the first year the University offered it to graduate students. Veterans enrolled in the selected graduate programs will automatically receive benefits from the program without having to fill out an application. More than 800 veterans, military personnel or their dependents are currently studying at WVU.

Learn more about WVUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yellow Ribbon program online at wvuveterans.wvu.edu/yellow-ribbon.

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