Mary Beth Earnheardt Assistant Professor, Journalism Executive Director, Society for Collegiate Journalists Mary Beth Earnheardt has a news flash – journalism is not dead! Changing? Yes. Dead? Absolutely not. “It’s actually a very dynamic time to be involved in the study of journalism,” said the YSU assistant professor of journalism. “There’s a paradigm shift for the entire industry and the entire academic discipline. The students we are working with today will be the ones to redefine journalism and shape the way we think about what journalism is and can be. That, to me, is exciting.” Earnheardt was recently elected national executive director of the Society for Collegiate Journalists. SCJ, with 800 members in 80 active chapters across the country, is the nation’s oldest organization designed solely to serve college journalists. With Earnheardt’s appointment, SCJ’s national headquarters is now located on the YSU campus. “It’s really an opportunity for people in journalism programs from all around the country to see the YSU name and to learn about what we are doing here to preserve and enhance the role of the student journalist,” she said. Earnhardt should know all about that role. As a student at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, she was a member of the staff and later the faculty adviser of the The Clarion Call student newspaper. At YSU, she is the faculty adviser to The Jambar student newspaper, as well as thejambar.com, the newspaper’s website, and Yo* Magazine. Student journalists today must be more prepared than ever to meet the diversified demands of the media market, she said. That means having strong writing, editing and interviewing skills. But it also means being adept in multi-media, from photo and video to web and social media. Earnhardt earned undergraduate degrees in communication and political science, and a master’s degree in communication from Clarion and a Ph.D. in communication studies from Kent State University. She was an instructor at Clarion for six years before joining the YSU faculty in 2006. Her husband, Adam, whom she met while at Clarion, is an assistant professor of communication at YSU. They have three daughters, ages 5, 4 and 1. The best part of her job? “Interacting with students,” she said. “I can’t get enough of it. They’re smart. They’re hungry to be good at what they do and to learn. It’s so exhilarating. It just feeds your soul.” Profile by Ron Cole
SUMMER 2011
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