2019 Mass Media Messenger: 30th Edition

MASS MEDIA STUDENTS: TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO ADVANCE YOUR CAREER

GET YOUR MBA

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Letter from

r i a h C e h -T

from The Chair This is a special yearLetter for the Department of Mass Media. We are celebrating 253 years since the establishment of Mass Media as a department and 30 Faculty and Department 4 years since the first issue of our alumni magazine – the Messenger.

The fieldBack has changed in those 25 years, yet the Department in the dramatically Day 8 of Mass Media managed to keep up with the times. Placing students first, we revise Curtis Kitchen 10 our curriculum on a regular basis to ensureStory that we are offering relevant, hands-on experiences. in Broadcast 11 Mass media is still anWomen evolving field and in maintaining the department’s visionary beginnings, we remainStory active in the community and we continue to12 graduate competitive media practitioners who are prepared to make an indelible impact on today’s diverse and engaging media environment.

Josh Story 13 Our department grew by 6 percent. We added two faculty members, developed APintroduced a tailgating tradition, commenced 14 an alumni two new course offerings, newsletter, and brought a film festival to campus. We decided to dedicate this issue Michael 15 to our students since they are the Story biggest testament to our success as a department.

The wonderful alumni stories you will find show us that a degree in mass media can Through The Years 16 lead to many paths of success. We love our graduates, and they love us.

Thank you to all 54 donors who gave on our Day of Giving and those who continue to give to our 25th Anniversary campaign. Your support across our departments and Washburn’s is appreciated.

A special thanks to the Wherecampus are they now?

20 Washburn Alumni Association and Foundation for their invaluable help with the multiple initiatives we embarked on this year.

This is a special moment for the Department of Mass Media.

We are celebrating not just 25 years of existence but 25 years of accomplishments.

Sincerely,

Maria Stover

Mass Media Department Chair

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Contents

Editor-in-Chief: Sarah Miller Managing Editors: Taryn Reed & Hailey Mann Advertising: Jessi Williams Copy Editors: Dustin Wallace & Wesley Tabor Editorial Staff: Colton Allen, Kempton Redman, & Jera Richardson Cover Design: Hailey Mann & Taryn Reed Faculty Adviser: Regina Cassell

Departmental News

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Alumni Profiles Duane Williams ’89

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Mikki Burcher ’11

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Josh Mabry ’10

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Curtis Kitchen ’02

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Marissa Meis ’18

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Vanessa Nunez ’16

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Morgan Shandler ’10

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Michael Wilhoite ’11

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Keri Renner ’03

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Maria Rodriguez ’11

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Jamie Hornbaker, ’08

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Carney Cross ’17

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Kyle Wiggins ’16

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Kara Baden ’15

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John Burns, MM Minor

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Leah Coons ’18

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Gary Krohe ’76

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Class Notes

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Timeline

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Faculty News

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Vol 30 The Mass Media Messenger is created annually by students in Creative Media Practicum and is mailed to all department alumni and friends.

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#MeToo movement creates waves in media

by Sarah Miller In 2017 the phrase #MeToo exploded on social media and throughout society.

In a few short months the world became acutely aware of the sexism and sexual violence that was occurring in Hollywood and all around the world.

The movement that spurred these changes was coined #MeToo, which was inspired by activist Tarana Burke who first used the phrase in 2 6.

This movement has had an effect on public recourse and has had tangible repercussions on workplaces in every arena. One such arena that has been affected, maybe the most, is media.

Many of Washburn’s mass media alumni have felt the effects of this revolution. Media, especially broadcast media, have always been casually sexist.

Women have been expected to act, look, and dress a certain way. For women, their image on Michael air is everything, but they Wilhoite are held to higher, more unattainable standards than any man in the same position.

Jade Hernandez, a Washburn mass media alumna, who is currently a freelance reporter for ABC news in Los Angeles, has many years of experience in broadcast media. She has worked in the past as a reporter for different news stations in Topeka, Kansas City, San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago. She has had many different experiences through her more than 20 years of experience.

At her workplace it is a rule that women are not allowed to wear trousers if they are working anywhere on the production Jade Hernandez oor. This is an outdated rule set on the principles of how women should dress to look presentable As an ethnic woman, Hernandez has

faced adversity throughout her life. As a Latina she was never taught Spanish by her father because he feared it would hinder her future if she spoke with an accent. She has noticed some small, but promising changes in the way women are allowed to present themselves.

Whether it be their hair, skin, outfit or an accent, women are constantly being held to a higher standard than their male counterparts.

Carly (Stovall) Willis, another mass media graduate has worked since 2015 at several stations in Kansas as a reporter.

She is currently an anchor at KSAS Fox News in Wichita, Kansas. She has experienced violence at the hands of a man while reporting on the field. A security guard grabbed her by the lanyard and forcefully whipped her around to look at him.

“If I was a man, I know I would have been treated with Story more respect in that situation. Instead it was automatically assumed that I was not supposed to be Carly Willis there because I am a woman,” Willis said.

Both women have seen the ripple effects that the #MeToo movement has created in communication about the topic of sexual harassment in their workplaces.

Opening up channels of communication is an important step in this process.

“This topic is hard to talk about. It was concealed and swept under the rug for so long, so nobody would have to face it. Now that it is out in the open, we can begin to heal and change for the better,” Willis said.

Although some women have faced adversity and discrimination directly from their employers, others have seen the effects from viewers. Jordan (Shefte) Kinderknecht, who graduated from the mass media department in 2011, has

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recently left the media field to be a stayat-home mom. She left her last reporting job KHAS TV in Hastings, Nebraska, in early 2018. Before she left, she noticed that women on air would get much more criticism for how they were dressed or acted on air than men.

Kinderknecht did see how some men reacted to the movement and change to the climate of workplace dynamics.

“The guys were nervous; they were very on the edge feeling like everything thing they did could be taken out of context, but I do believe that this is a conversation that needs to be had,” Jordan Kinderknecht Kinderknecht said.

The #MeToo movement forced a conversation on the intersection of gender and power. The booming 15 collective of so many powerful, female voices simply could not be ignored or dismissed. People continue to share their stories of sexual harassment, assault, and casual sexism. The layers of pain have built a platform in which women feel empowered and safe to speak upon.

The entirety of the media world has been rocked with these new changes, and our alumni are part of these important conversations. As the movement continues to effect change, we are still listening, still changing and still hoping for a better day.

“If i was a man, i know i would have been treated with more respect in that situation,” said carly willis.

First fest draws big names

by Katie Larkin

Kansas moviegoers who are tired of seeing the same stale storyline and movies can explore a new film experience at one of Washburn’s upcoming events.

Coinciding with the 25th year of mass media, the department has been working to launch its inaugural film festival after Hollywood director Allan Holzman pitched the idea to Matt

y uist, assistant film and video professor of mass media.

Nyquist has worked with Holzman on several projects in the past and continues to partner with him on current projects.

Nyquist was named the founding executive director of WIFI, which stands for the Washburn International Film Institute.

“After Allan pitched the idea one day, I just ran with it from there,” Nyquist said.

Nyquist credits both department faculty Maria Stover and Kristen Grimmer with really helping him get the idea rolling.

“Overall, the whole department has been a huge help as well as supportive for the whole idea of a film festival, y uist said.

Nyquist is excited that Washburn can offer a place where filmmakers and audiences can gather to see films. want to share the joy of movies with others,” said Nyquist. “I just really love movies.” n its first year, the film festival saw lots of interest from filmmakers more than , entries from different countries, with filmmakers ranging from high school students to professionals. A few of these creators are traveling across the world to watch their film hit the silver screen at Washburn.

“The wide variety of content is pretty nuts, all the way from not showable to academy award winning,” Nyquist said. “We’re having Allan’s movie, as well as Shia a eouf’s new movie too, all together we have , 2 movies submitted for review in total.”

Stover is pleased that WIFI will debut Holzman’s new documentary on DACA, and also show projects like“Skin,” a movie which won an Oscar in 2 .

She also mentioned her gratitude for people on campus who have partnered with Mass Media to make the festival a reality.

“It has been a lot of hard work,” said Stover. “But I am amazed at how quickly the festival took off. We are getting support from all sorts of unexpected places. People are reaching out to me asking to be involved. It has just been an incredible experience.”

Department briefs

by Messenger Staff

E-newsletter created

Washburn Filmmakers Association

risten Grimmer’s Public elations class created an email newsletter during the fall, and her Public Relations 2 class continued the publication during the spring. The first four issues have been published with at least one more to come this semester. Alumni and friends can keep up with the department by emailing tracy.horacek@washburn.edu to sign up for the e-newsletter.

Meeting of the Majors

The department gathered students in the fall for the second mandatory majors meeting, which is designed to help students get to know the faculty and each other. Department announcements are made during the meeting along with quick presentations from leaders of various student organizations.

Adobe Spark pages

You may have noticed that the Messenger was printed several weeks earlier than normal. Students in MM4 will be turning their attention to creating an Adobe Spark page to capture the coverage of the W F Film Festival and 2 eynote Speaker event.

Students in the MM4 course created a new resource for alumni eager to relive their Washburn days. Along with creating the 2 Messenger, students were each assigned to comb through past issues to create an index. (Please make sure you’re getting the alumni e-newsletter, and you will receive a link to the index).

Mass Media tailgate

The mass media department kicked off its 25-year anniversary with a tailgate initiative spearheaded by Andrew Anglin, assistant professor of advertising. He welcomes students, friends and alumni to every home football game with the biggest gathering being during the homecoming game.

1919 SS

Students in this organization have been working on the pre-production and production phases of a short film called “Noises,” that will be released later this summer.

The Washburn Filmmakers Association has been working to promote the WIFI Film Festival, along with submitting its member’s own work.

“Seeing Scarlet,” a joint project by Filmmaking 2 and the association has been selected to appear at two film festivals.

Congratulations to Maddie Switzer, Sophia-Joelle Oswald, Annalee Lubeski, Darria Dennison, Avery Stratton and Bayli Milleson.

Alumni awards

It’s no surprise to us that our alumni are doing amazing things. To honor worthy alumni, the faculty decided to establish two awards that will honor mass media graduates. The first, created to honor those past the -year-graduation mark, is called the Non Nobis Solum Award, will be received by Michel’ ole, 5, and the second award, Mass Media Ad Astra Award, created for those graduates within years of graduation, will be awarded to Maria odriguez, 2 .

Student Media update

Student Media got an early start to the school year by heading to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in uly 2 for some specialized training from Associated Collegiate Press.

More than 5 students from across campus work creating the Washburn Review, the Kaw Yearbook, the Bod Magazine and content for the Washburn Review website. Alumni are encouraged to visit washburnreview.org.

Key student leaders from the Department of Mass Media include; Shayn Jones, chief copy editor, Josey Trimble, advertising manager and Rachel Ciummo, editor-in-chief of Bod Magazine.

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Past to Present: Williams advises students to network

Class of 1989

by Wesley Tabor Perhaps no one knows more about the ever-changing world of media possibilities than a career services professional.

“I love Washburn,” said Duane Williams, 1989, a career services specialist who completed a media concentration from the communication and media department.

“Social media didn’t exist; computers were just coming in and becoming the tool they are now,” said Williams. “I didn’t have a lot of training and when I got into the work world, I had to learn on my own a little bit.”

Following graduation, Williams spent three years with the Topeka Youth Project, a local non-profit that was lacking public relations professionals.

“My primary responsibility was helping high schoolers get jobs,” said Williams. “I established an extensive network of employers and businesses.”

Following his three-year tenure with the TYP, Williams found himself interviewing for a position with the Washburn Career Services department. “My networking paid off big time,” said Williams. “The [faculty] already knew me, so that didn’t hurt any, and this time it was a peer-to-peer relationship instead of a student-to-faculty relationship.”

For 24 years, Williams has been helping whip resumes into shape and preparing students to maneuver interviews.

“Duane ripped my resume apart and got it into great shape,” said Jessica Knieff, 2018, channel marketing specialist for

photo courtesy of Peggy Clark Duane Williams advises Mass Media grad Jessica Knieff. Non-profit work and networking has led Williams to his current position as a Career Services Specialist.

IntlePier. “He provides valuable insights and continues to be irreplaceable asset to WU students.”

Williams is currently in his 25th year at Washburn Career Services and has expressed his bias for mass media students.

“I would love to help any mass media students with their resume, cover letter or the mock interview process,” said Williams. He also doesn’t mind students who just want to chat and expand their network.

Student converts casual college job to full time career

by Dustin Wallace

knowledge of communities to create promotions that resonate with customers.

Class of In addition to her job at HyVee, Burcher 2011 has projects on the side. She has local political campaigns, including the one for Topeka’s current mayor, Michelle De La Isla , and runs an online blog call “The Sparkle Philosophy.”

Mass media chair Maria Stover holds Burcher in high regard as a self-motivated professional.

“Mikki is not only a great professional. She is a big champion of Topeka. She is a great example of a young professional who cares deeply about her town and contributes in so many different ways.”

Burcher’s experience at Washburn was fulfilling both academically and personally.

“The great thing about being a part of the public relations at Washburn is that a lot of great friends still keep in touch today,” Burcher said. “I was glad that I could take an extra opportunity for student PR and working magazines for the English department,” said Burcher.

Many students who work through college don’t think they’ll stay with the same business after graduation. One alumna found career successes when she returned to a former employer.

Mikki Burcher, 2010, is the director of marketing for Hy-Vee and runs promotional marketing for stores in Lawrence, Topeka and Manhattan.

One of Burcher’s favorite aspects of the marketing industry is the versatility it offers in clientele.

“I am currently working on four different campaigns and all of the campaigns are successful,” Burcher said. “Everybody needs help with marketing and advertising.”

Burcher is in charge of local loyalty marketing, planning events and managing community relations for Hy-Vee as the local PR professional. To better connect with local HyVee communities, Burcher has facilitated promotions through Topeka newspapers, Manhattan radio stations and Lawrence student-targeted publications. She brings her

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Capital City to the Big Apple

by Hailey Mann Working with and supporting local community networks from his New York office, Washburn graduate osh Mabry, 2010 works for one of the most in uential social media platforms-Facebook.

Mabry leads a local news partnership team that focuses on bettering how different companies can use Facebook to its full potential.

Mabry and his team work to help publishers use Facebook and Instagram tools to connect communities across the nation with local news for outreach purposes. For example, Mabry’s team helps out when a local news station uses Facebook Live to report a breaking story or when they want to use Facebook subscription tools to gain new followers.

When you find something that you enjoy… nothing is more satisfying,” said Mabry.

This past year Mabry brought a Community Boost Event to Topeka to help businesses understand how to get the most out of Facebook and create better connections with their customers.

“It was really fun coming back to Topeka to represent Facebook in my hometown,” said Mabry. “There’s so much the company [Facebook] is doing to support local communities across the country and sharing that work with people I know in a place I care so much about was really special.”

The media-related skills he learned while at Washburn continue to help him grow as a media professional. Flexibility has always been a part of Mabry’s life, and it started with the generosity of Washburn University educators.

Mabry is thankful for the understanding and exibility that teachers had with him. The mass media faculty worked with him so that he was able to complete school and continue his full-time job at WIBW. “We are always so proud of the successes of our alumni,” said Maria Stover, chair of the mass media department. “Josh’ s achievement is well deserved and will definitely serve as an

“It was really fun coming back to Topeka to represent Facebook in my hometown.”

- Josh Mabry inspiration for our current students.”

While a student and working at WIBW, Mabry quickly learned that it is not easy to work in local news. You must always be there, ready to do your job.

“There aren’t any snow days, you work because the responsibilities of the job demand it,” said Mabry.

Mabry finds it incredibly motivating that people rely on the stories they see as a key source of information in their lives.

When Mabry left WIBW and Topeka, he chose to make a big change that pushed him out of his comfort zone.

He lived in New York for over a year before a position at Facebook became a possibility.

Mabry worked for Gray Television and through his job, received the opportunity to partner with Facebook.

On a few different occasions he met with a Facebook representative who later told him about a job with the company that Mabry couldn’t pass up.

Mabry couldn’t believe that he had a position with Facebook. He was

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Class of 2010

photo courtesy of Josh Mabry Josh Mabry impacts his hometown city of Topeka from his New York office. Mabry works for Facebook, leading a local news partnership team that assists news outlets when they use Facebook live and other subscription tools to share content.

surprised to have the opportunity to work with a platform that in uences billions of users.

“I was -- and still am -- in awe of the tremendous impact Facebook has,” Mabry said. “From entertaining people to informing communities, the reach of our work is incredible. There are literally billions of people using Facebook to connect with the people and things they care about most.”

Mabry enjoys that Facebook provides day-to-day changes but the workforce and close working relations remain stable.

“I’m always inspired by the folks I work with,” Mabry said. “They are thoughtful, smart, and driven. All qualities that make it easy to come into work.”

Mabry’s life has changed in a lot of ways over the last few years, and it’s only been for the better. He chose to take a leap of faith by leaving Topeka and finding new ways to grow, and it shows in how he thinks about the world.

“My philosophy is when you don’t like your options, push to create something new,” Mabry said.

Class of 2002

Diverse resume uncovers new job position

by Wesley Tabor Matching a career passion with a readily-available job opening is a tricky dance that generally results in a unique pathway.

Curtis Kitchen, 2002, is working for a company that provides high-tech learning tools in a high-tech work environment.

He is the director of marketing for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, which organizes trainings and establishes a learning environment for those interested in the fields of nursing, MTrelated fields and other first responder training.

And the commute to work is the easiest Kitchen has ever had. veryone works from their house, said Kitchen. “We have a Washington D.C. address, but no one works there funny enough.

Advancements in simulation technology have made made high-tech training for medical fields a growing field.

The simulation dummies are extremely close to the real thing, said itchen. They breathe, they bleed, they blink. I mean, they are kind of graphic for kids… they might not be ready to see something like that.

Kitchen accepted the director position in the winter of 2018 and explains why he made the change to work from home.

The kids are here and to be able to balance work and life is easier when working from home, said itchen. t takes a little bit of getting used to, it’s a different kind of lifestyle.

Kitchen has worked in some diverse industries before ending up at his current job. He graduated from Washburn with concentrations in both public relations and media writing and publishing. He

photo courtesy of Curtis Kitchen Curtis Kitchen explores the lifestyle of working remotely from home after accepting his position as director of marketing at the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

started working in the public relations department at the Sports Car Club in Topeka, and he stayed on there for three years. After that, he landed a job in Kansas City for 810 WHB Sports Radio.

Five years later Kitchen got a job as an editor in the Kansas City magazine industry. Then shortly after he moved on on agian to a career with the National Auctioneers Association, where he discovered that he enjoyed both leadership development and association work.

What Kitchen enjoys most about this career field is that he is able to use his voice to communicate opinions in a professional manner. It has been a surprise for him to find so many different attitudes that he has to manage within the public in relation to social media.

He advises other practitioners to be prepared for the public’s feedback and to “learn how to let that roll off your skin and not fight back.

Kitchen’s biggest success has been his ability to leave his footprint in several industries and achieve the goals he

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had planned. He is proud of going into Kansas City with no support behind him and being able to develop a full brand covering Kansas State athletics, along with being a part of an initiative on Twitter to help spread block chain and cryptocurrency awareness around the world.

This new opportunity allows him to be on the frontline of a growing industry and help young professionals develop their own career paths.

Gene Cassell, director of sports information, is not at all surprised by the success that Kitchen has gained since his time in the mass media department. urtis was one of the first students I had working in the Washburn sports information office after started, said Gene Cassell. “His fanatical love of sports and his ability to write and his dedication to the sports information office made him a great fit for the department. I’m glad that the tools he learned in the Washburn mass media department and picked up in our office in athletics has benefited him in his professional life after graduation.

The skills itchen has gleaned from his experience in broadcast, print, radio and design make him a valuable asset in providing a wide variety of support for the members of the society.

“Communication skills continue to be some of the most relevant skills a graduate can possess, said senior lecturer Regina Cassell. “You add Curtis’ media experience, and I would trust his ability to adapt to any new format that might come his way.

“You’ve got to find your passion and go for it.”

- Curtis Kitchen with reporting by Aaron McKinney

Class of 2018

Following your instincts: alumna discovers better fit

by Sarah Miller After initially pursuing a career in sales for ibu, a marketing firm in Lawrence, Marissa Meis, 2018, moved into a position that allowed her more creativity. It took very little time in sales for Meis to realize that she wasn’t following her passion.

According to Meis, it was scary to switch career paths despite knowing that it felt right. After a thoughtful assessment of her situation, she felt it was best to follow her instincts and turn to a different career field within mass media.

She didn’t take an immediate leap. Instead she gave careful consideration to what she wanted in an employer, eventually finding that opportunity in Topeka Public Schools as a communications specialist. In her current position, Meis assists in the organization of volunteer and partnership opportunities. She helps

support the promotion of student and staff achievements for the school district and keep employees photo courtesy of Marissa Meis and the Topeka Marissa Meis found a community good fit in the Topeka 501 up-to-date communications office. with district happenings through an videos, websites, internal and external publications and social media.

Meis views the change in career as a good move.“I am proud of myself for listening to my gut and being brave enough to accept a new challenge, even with the impending possibility of failure, Meis said.

Meis looks back on her time as an Ichabod fondly. “I loved being at Washburn. It was some of the best years of my life.

ike many graduates who find it difficult to transition from school to career, she credits her time at Washburn and the mass media department for preparing her with the skills that she would rely on post-graduation.

They mass media faculty do such a superb job of preparing you for the job, so not only can you find the right opportunities following graduation, but be able to do them as well, said Meis.

In regards to advice for current students or recent alumni, Meis would suggest following your passion.

“I would encourage students to choose a major or a job based on the skills and talents that they love or want to develop. Don’t do what you think impresses others. At the end of the day, you have to be the one to look in the mirror and smile back. I challenge you to work hard, ask questions, and take some risks and you’ll be just fine. with reporting by Bayley Baker

Alumna finds home at Washburn

by Sarah Miller

Some college students can’t wait to cross the stage and receive a diploma of recognition and begin a career away from Topeka, but others are not in a hurry to leave. anessa unez, 2 6, is a senior administrative assistant in the chabod Service enter at Washburn niversity.

She entered into the position after earning her mass media degree with a film and video concentration.

Nunez says the best part of being an chabod is meeting amazing people and building connections.

Whether it was a lifelong friend or a trusted professor or mentor, unez credits the size of the department for allowing her to make deep connections with others.

Nunez attended a career fair hosted by career services in February, she was made aware that a position in the service center was open.

think my knowledge of Washburn helped a lot because I knew what it was like to be a student here and knew a lot of staff and faculty on campus, said unez.

She enjoys her daily responsibilities and loves being able to help students.

The biggest responsibility of the chabod Service enter is managing all aspects of the card. The office oversees all doors and services on campus that require students to swipe their Icards for entry.

Since graduating Nunez has discovered that being a student is much more hectic than settling into a career and she enjoys the job she has currently.

“I think learning what goes on behind the scenes of the university and being able to jump into being a part of that process is definitely one thing ’m proud of. unez is not the only W mass media graduate who works on campus. A few others include arli Davis, 2 6, who is the director of communications for the School of aw auren delman, 2 ,

Class of 2016

photo courtesy of Vanessa Nunez Vanesssa Nunez enjoys working for her alma mater and says connecting with current students is easy.

who is associate director and lecturer for the leadership institute, Wanda Hinton, 2 4, who is an administrative specialist for TW and nearby Sarah Towle, 2 5, works for the Washburn Alumni Association and Foundation as director of marketing and communications.

Shandler relates media and health care

by Anneleise McEvoy For the past four years, Morgan (Schaeffer) Shandler, 2010, has continued to focus her career in the healthcare field.

Shandler currently works as the senior public relations strategist for Advent ealth in ansas ity.

“I have always been interested in healthcare, and definitely found my niche in this field, said Shandler.

Working in the media field gives you so many opportunities to diversify your experience. work in media relations, internal communications, crisis communication, social media and event planning.

Shandler credits the mass media faculty for encouraging her to pursue a career in the media field. athy Menzie was a mentor and

photo courtesy of Morgan Shandler Morgan Shandler found her niche in the interrelated fields of media and health care.

an inspiration, said Shandler. She is the one who encouraged me to go into public relations. took an intro class with Menzie, and she helped refine my educational focus.

Shandler ourished into an awardwinning public relations professional under Menzie’s guidance. n 2 6,

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Shandler’s work was recognized at the Class of Kansas City Public 2010 elations Society.

She transformed the way we communicate with our , team members through a weekly e-newsletter, said Mallory Lau, Shandler’s supervisor at Advent ealth. She redesigned the website, which won Best in Show at the Kansas City Public Relations Society of America P SM Awards.

Shandler is working in her ideal environment and has continued her education by pursuing a master’s in integrated marketing communications from the niversity of ansas .

“Morgan is always willing to step up, whether that’s within our small team or the larger organization we support, said au.

NFL veteran explores coaching

by Messenger Staff Standing on a professional football field, Michael Wilhoite realized he was not only living his fantasy life, but he was also incredibly prepared for it.

“I realized that I should be here, and was there by my own ability and hard work, said Wilhoite, who must now rely on a bit of faith as he looks to his future.

Wilhoite, who recently began exploring a coaching path, is now part of the ew Orleans Saints special teams uality control. The seven-year veteran of the NFL had wanted to continue playing the game he has loved since he was a kid, but it’s simply not in his nature to let anything get him down for long.

“I have been working on not judging people, actions or situations, said Wilhoite. verything happens for a reason. God works on his time, and want to enjoy every part of life. wanted to play longer and felt like I could, but at the same time can’t wait to be in the Superdome and help the Saints.

In between his new gig and closing out his career in the F , Wilhoite did some podcasting and tried out talk radio.

“I have always wanted to talk about sports. love sports. loved to talk trash about sports to people, said Wilhoite.

He did a radio show in San Francisco and one in Topeka with former teammate and Washburn mass media alumnus, ake ebahn, 2 . ast year Mike called me up and asked if he could come on the show to talk F . said you bet, said ebahn. had a former player come on the show to talk F football. Mike is very well spoken on the phone. e breaks down the game easily for the fans and sheds light on the

“I realized that I should be here, and I was there by my own ability and hard work” - Michael Wilhoite

topics most people don’t know about.

Lebahn is no stranger to Wilhoite’s work ethic on and off the field.

“He was a very hard worker and never uit, never gave up on his dream, ebahn said. e had injuries, he played for the F for a year and was working at Finish Line while training; he was even gonna work for us as a part-time guy until he got a call from the 4 ers.

No stranger to hard work, Wilhoite was determined to do better on air each week. e asked another coach to listen to his shows and offer suggestions on how to improve. ow Wilhoite plans to put that same hard work to the entry-level coaching job.

Whether coaching football is the chosen path remains uncertain. want to see if like it first, Wilhoite said. need to know if really want to sacrifice the time with my family. also have to satisfy myself and consider my own happiness.

Waiting on clearer direction is actually what led Wilhoite to Washburn in the first place. e was more or less determined that he would go the junior college route. ut Washburn coach raig Schurig and his parents had other ideas.

They saw a great scholarship, an opportunity to play and to earn a degree, which also mattered to Wilhoite.

“I wasn’t going to put in all of that hard work and not earn a degree, he said.

Wilhoite enjoyed the variety of courses and skills he learned at Washburn. e was drawn to broadcasting and recalls long conversations about everything in professor emeritus Frank horba’s office.

Wilhoite recalls having the mass media department chair and professor, Maria Stover in class.

“Maria is a tough teacher, but she would work with you, said Wilhoite. always liked her for that. n media, was able to do so many different things, but think the people are what remember the most. The way they were good at helping

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Class of 2010

photo courtesy of Gene Cassell Former NFL player Michael Wilhoite is helping the next generation of NFL players for the New Orleans Saints.

was different. n all of my classes, there were only a few teachers like that.

As a graduate of both Washburn and Highland Park High School, Wilhoite has been thrilled to be able to give back. e’s met with Washburn players and hopes to get back to his summer camp for high schoolers next summer after he is married. Wilhoite’s daughter turns 2 at the end of March, and he plans to get married in uly.

My first football camp was one of the best days of my life, said Wilhoite. As a kid, would have given anything to meet a player from the F or hear them share about their experience. Words cannot describe what it has meant to me to be able to do that in my own community.

Wilhoite never let his success change the way he views hard work; he continually strives to further his career.

“I’ve never done anything to just be O at it, said Wilhoite. ’ve always wanted to climb, to go further and to push the limit.

Alumni intersect at the crossroads

by Wesley Tabor Media professionals play many key roles throughout an urban community.

An ongoing need in the Topeka community is transportation, and three Washburn mass media alumni find themselves with a common goal and misison as employees of the Topeka Metropolitian Transit Authority.

“Topeka Metro is a transportation solution provider,” said Keri Renner, 2003, director of marketing and communications for Topeka Metro.

Within her job, Renner works behind the scenes to make sure Topeka Metro’s general manager, Susan Duffy, can get her messages out to the general public in the most effective way.

On her team is Andrew Escandon, 2014, who works as a graphic designer.

Renner hired him three years ago.

The Metro’s 10-member leadership team also includes Karl Fundenberger, 2008, who is the director of bicycle operations.

Renner’s job involves making sure she knows the people and the business of the public transportation business.

Renner says not all jobs turn out as planned and being knowledgable helps considerably.

“We think that there’s something that we like and then we get into it and realize it’s not everything we imagined,” said Renner, director of marketing and communications at the Topeka Metro. “Job shadowing is the best thing someone can do… before you commit to a field financially.

While Renner brings her media expertise and experience to her current job, which she loves, she has learned a few things along the way.

“I feel like we’re really getting our name out there,” Renner said. “I have really learned how to do marketing on the job, and I love it.”

Renner has also been able to help

Topeka Metro secure grants for things that communicate volumes to its riders, whether it’s new bus shelters or standing pads or solar lights.

The role of a public relations professional is oftentimes compared to that of a circus performer juggling a couple of things at once while also expecting another item to be thrown into the mix at any time.

This inconsistency translates into dayto-day job expectations and tasks.

“I try to start my mornings by checking social media,” said Renner.

“I plan and coordinate ribbon cuttings and other special events, which includes writing scripts for other speakers outside of our agency and getting information to the media. It takes cooperation and teamwork with my co-workers and outside vendors to effectively get proper messaging disseminated.”

Renner and Fundenberger have crossed paths before Topeka Metro, and both Fundenberger and Escandon have a longtime passion for bicycling in the the city.

“I ran into Karl when I worked for Kansas Family Partnership since he was helping out there, too, during that time,” said Renner. “Then we had him come speak when I was doing some work with a state representative… he [Karl] came in and at that time he was with the Topeka Metro heading the bicycle operations. He was riding around and using the little bell on the bicycle.”

Fundenberger has experience in businessness startups and advertising agencies, which is important when he seeks funding for Topeka Metro’s bicycling program.

Because the bikes are all equipped with GPS, Fundenberger is able to gather and analyze data to help him guide the program.

While Renner and Escandon work with Karl to create some materials or partner on fundraising pitches,

14

Class of 2003

Fundenberger’s background allows him to create a lot of materials himself. think it’s terrific to see our graduates working to better Topeka community by helping meet a real community need,” said senior lecturer Regina Cassell. “I think the skills our grads leave with add value to such a wide variety of industries.”

photo courtesy of Keri Renner Keri Renner graduated from Washburn University in 2003 and went on to become director of marketing and communications for the Topeka Metro.

photo courtesy of Karl Fundenberger Karl Fundenberger works at the Topeka Metro.

Social media guru hits jackpot

by Wesley Tabor Current social media content runs on a continual clock and so does Maria (Sigala) Rodriguez, 2011. A 10 hour workday seems like the end of the world for most people, but for alumna Rodriguez, every day has the possibility of being a 16 to 17-hour marathon.

Rodriguez graduated with an concentration in public relations and a minor in Spanish.

Rodriguez’s love for social media began during her internship at the Library Foundation. She began as a communications and marketing development intern with the Topeka & Shawnee Public Library. durung this time she expanded her knowledge of social and digital advertising. She established her digital presence with a blog and several social media accounts when her current employer reached out to her. er first job after her internship was with Jones Huyett Partners as a administrative/client service specialist.

“Eventually an HR representative from Prairie Band Casino & Resort reached out to me to see if I would be interested in applying for a job,” Rodriguez said.

She began her career at the Prairie Band Casino as the social media coordinator in 2015. Rodriguez is Contact Us: 785.862.5400 Concrete Sawing Inc.

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photo courtesy of JD Melton Maria Rodriguez spends her days using and growing skills she acquired from Washburn university and on her own as a social media coordinator and consultant.

entering her fourth year as the primary supervisor over all of Prairie Band Casino’s social media.

“Our casino website has to be updated daily since we are constantly running different promotions and adding new entertainment,” said Rodriguez.

“After adding detailed information to the website, I then have to simplify the content and schedule it for social. I don’t only write the copy but create the ads or any promotional videos.”

Each day allows for about a two-hour break during her strenuous schedule.

Following her day job at the casino, Rodriguez heads home and takes a break from 5-7 p.m. Afterward, she helps manage a Facebook group called Nas

Class of 2011

Daily Global, which has over 600,000 members.

Maria sought these opportunities to gain experience on creating content that differed from her daily routine.

The day doesn’t end there, “from 11 p.m. to whenever is when I focus on my social media consulting,” said Rodriguez. “I also use the weekends to do my consulting.”

Currently, she is president of American Advertising Federation (AAF) Topeka, and recentyly earned her masters degree in communication from Purdue University in 2017.

“I think it’s important to do the things we love and to have passion projects...I respect her work ethic within her job, as well as the moves she’s made to pursue her passions through Nas Daily and her personal blog,” said Kendra Wicks, a junior creative advertising student.

In her presentation to the students, Rodriguez stressed the importance of careful planning in advance, and the benefits of in-the-moment interactions with guests of the casino, providing an authentic connection with those interacting with the organization’s social media pages.

“I refuse to give up, and I refuse to stop learning. It’s so easy to get frustrated when things aren’t going your way, but good things don’t come easy,” Rodriguez said.

‘Like a Good Neighbor’

Class of 2008

by Wesley Tabor Students seeking college scholarships often share their dreams of helping others or making the world a better place.

One mass media alumna has fought hard to make her dreams a reality and is truly dedicated to giving back to her local community.

Jamie (Kennedy) Hornbaker, 2008, has for the last six years been voted “Best in Topeka” by the community and has tripled the size of her staff at her State Farm agency while increasing her customer base and revenues.

A quick glance through her social media reveals numerous partnerships with locally-owned businesses, nonprofits and a consistent dedication to community service.

As a teen, Hornbaker struggled to make the best choices, and she ended up dropping out of high school. After finishing her GED, Hornbaker knew she wanted more opportunities for herself.

Despite many discouraging voices, the self-proclaimed nerd looked for every scholarship opportunity that a married mom of one daughter could find. Sometimes her daughter, Korrie, would attend class with her.

“This was before tablets,” Hornbaker said. “I had to make do with Blues Clues coloring books and her backpack.”

Now Korrie is a sophomore at Kansas State University pondering whether she wants to pursue medical school.

“Education has always been one of my mom’s top priorities,” said Korrie Kennedy. School comes first, which was something I didn’t want to agree with when I was 14. She always made sure I was on the best track possible, so she could give me opportunities that she never had.”

As Hornbaker was busy parenting 5-year-old orrie and seeing the finish line for her bachelor’s in the distance, she found herself facing some unexpected

news.

“I found out that I was pregnant on the first day of class senior year, said ornbaker. And my baby was due during finals week in May.” Quincy, daughter number two, arrived before finals, but ornbaker surprised her professor and classmates by showing up to class the day after Quincy was born.

Shortly after Washburn’s commencement, Hornbaker faced a new challenge.

“I had a 5-year-old and a brand-new baby, and my husband decided he didn’t want to be married anymore – he moved to Michigan, and I didn’t see him for quite some time,” said Hornbaker.

Fortunately, she had a job working at Jostens and the company was eager for her to return to work after her maternity leave.

The company [Jostens] called her to make sure she was returning and offered her a promotion.

Hornbaker found herself very suddenly a single mother of two young daughters.

She saw the value in getting her degree in order to have the financial security to take

16

photo courtesy of Jamie Hornbaker Jamie (Kennedy) Hornbaker finds ongoing satisfaction in working with people and finding new ways to serve her customers and the Topeka community

care of her daughters.

“Getting your degree, especially as a female, is so important because there’s just honestly no other way... I think I would’ve been stuck in that social service cycle as a single parent with two kids,” said Hornbaker.

After graduation Hornbaker worked on many different projects, one of which was launching a local magazine with her former classmate and good friend Kerrice Mapes.

“Jamie and I met via PR Society at WU,” said Mapes.“Her leadership skills, creativity and overall work ethic was invaluable to the organization.”

Mapes, owner of seveneightfive magazine, knew her concept for the magazine would only be born with the partnership of Hornbaker. amie’s foresight, ability to ex with any situation or person and core beliefs were fundamental in the magazines vision

and creation,” said Mapes.

Hornbaker worked on seveneightfive magazine for about two years while juggling her two kids and other work obligations.

“I would go sell ads at lunch and write articles while the kids were asleep and do magazine layouts when I could,” said Hornbaker. “I’d run over to take photos of stuff with the kids in the backseat.”

The demands of being a single mom made staying on the magazine past two years impossible. She married her husband Matt in 2009 and their son, Keaton, was born in 2010.

Looking back, Hornbaker credits Washburn for getting her through the tough times and opening the door to her future while shedding light on the potential to become something she’d never thought possible. She remembers a time when she would not even let herself give voice to her true dreams and passions.

Washburn helped me find myself, said Hornbaker. “The university gave me skills while also showing me that I didn’t have to let obstacles or other people define me. I could be someone I wanted to be, someone I didn’t even know I could be.”

Being a single parent made Hornbaker keenly aware of the need for resources.

Her career path highlights something even her Washburn professors recognized.

“She was very organized and knew what she wanted to accomplish,” said Kathy Menzie, Washburn associate professor emerita. “While at WU, she started a PR club and served as its first president. knew Jamie would be successful at everything she did, and she has certainly proven that.”

After graduation she also worked at a small local software company, Suntel, working in public relations. This public relations toe-dip experience transitioned to non-profit work at the YW A and United Way. She worked there for several years running every aspect of public relations.

Hornbaker said transitioning away from non-profit after so long was the right choice for her as the job requirements and expectations continued to pile up.

You go into a non-profit for public relations, and they think you can do event planning, layout and design, graphic design, Facebook, all social media, website editing and maybe you can’t,” said Hornbaker. “I did a market analysis when I was at the YW A for all fitness centers had never done that in PR before.”

There were other frustrations contributing to her decision to find a new path.

“Sometimes you feel like you’re not solving anything and that can be frustrating,” said Hornbaker. “Then somebody leaves and in a non-profit, everybody just rolls up their sleeves – it’s a cycle that wears on you.”

Still, Hornbaker’s next step was not incredibly clear. She looked into owning a sign company, working with non-profits for fundraising or buying a food franchise.

She knew she loved people and wanted to be her own boss. She was watching a basketball game when she saw an ad about becoming a State Farm agent.

One click on the website, a personality profile and several online trainings later boom, she had found the right glass slipper.

“I’m probably the only person in the history of State Farm to become an agent not because someone trained and mentored me but because I clicked on something on the website,” Hornbaker said. “I wanted to do it.”

After learning everything she could about State Farm and completing all of the training, she waited for an opening.

There are 18 agents in Topeka, and Hornbaker’s opportunity came when she took over the book for a local agent who was retiring after 33 years in the business.

For the past six years, Hornbaker has lead her territory in production. The

17

photo courtesy of Jamie Hornbaker Jamie Kennedy Hornbaker gathers with her family on her graduation day from Washburn. Pictured here are her sister, Leigh Miller, Hornbaker, Hormbaker holding Quincy (daughter), Terry Miller, Jessica Miller - Merrell, Korrie Kennedy and late Bert Miller.

communications skills she learned in her public relations classes at Washburn have certainly not gone to waste.

“I wish I took a business class, because at the end of the day no one will care more about your business than you do. Some formal business knowledge can help you avoid a lot of mistakes,” Hornbaker said.

Hornbaker has taken many different paths in life, overcoming many obstacles and she continues to achieve great success.

“My mom taught me to continue pushing yourself, even when all the odds are against you,” said Kennedy.

Local state farm agent Jamie Hornbaker Found a path where she could ‘control her own destiny.’

Designer turns internship into promotion

by Jordan Yoder It’s not unheard of for students to turn internships into full-time opportunties, and many alumni work at Advisors Excel in Topeka.

Carney (Ziegler) Cross, 2017, who works for the in-house advertising agency secured an internship at Advisors Excel during her junior year at Washburn.

“I interned at Adviors Excel for seven months on the web team, and then I was hired on full-time as a production artist,” said Cross. “I had adapted into my role with very minor bumps in the road, but it has mostly been a smooth transition. I enjoy where I’m at.”

Cross spends a lot of her time designing new content, attending meetings, coding and checking for brand consistency among print and web materials.

“I’m currently in training to become a designer,” said Cross. “My current role between production artist and designer... when I come in on an ordinary day it’s two hours of designing an email template, five hours of studio shoot and also designing websites and drafting emails.”

Cross’ desire to shift job responsibilities and departments relates to the environment that she’s placed herself in… the world of creative media design.

“Everything is constantly changing,” said Cross. “No matter what updates we make to our templates, there is always

photo courtesy of Carney Cross Carney (Ziegler) Cross married Noah Cross in September of 2018.

going to be steps that need to be taken to continue to make them more updated... we are the industry leaders, we can’t look at anyone else... we set the standard.”

Cross never imagined the route she would take to get to where she is today.

The line between production and digital work began to blur for the dual-emphasis major who studied creative advertising and public relations during her time at Washburn University.

“When I started, I told my boss I had no interest in becoming a designer until I started doing it and I discovered this is all I want to do,” said Cross. “When I

Class of 2016

first started, was not good, but now am proud of the stuff that I design.”

Her co-worker, Shannon Hayden, has noticed Cross’ drive to succeed in her new area of expertise for Advisors Excel.

“Carney has an amazing work ethic,” said Hayden. “She stays on track and keeps her cool even if everything is crazy.

She never complains and is always willing to help anyone even if her schedule is jam packed.”

Eventually the work ethic paid off as Cross was offered a promotion on the design team in November of 2018.

“She worked in her free time on practice designs to get a level experience that she couldn’t really get on a dayto-day basis in her previous role,” said David Franzke, digital art director at Advisors Excel. “Needless to say, she eventually got the designer position.”

For Cross, the world of creative design has shaped her career path and vision in ways she never thought possible.

“I can teach design skills or code skills or help you learn a process,” said Franzke.

“I can’t change someone’s character or give them a better attitude. Carney just won’t settle for work that’s ‘good enough’… she’s constantly improving herself both on and off the job.”

“Carney just won’t settle for work that’s ‘good enough’ … she’s constantly improving herself both on and off the job,” said David Franzke.

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Pro basketball MM grad makes a move

by Javion Blake Kyle Wiggins is passionate about two things, basketball and shoes.

After graduating from Washburn University in 2016 with an advertising emphasis, Wiggins had a brief stint as a professional basketball player in Canada.

“The best thing about playing professional basketball, for me, was the culture shock,” said Wiggins. “Getting away from the United States and getting paid to play the game I love gave me new perspectives.”

While he enjoyed his time playing professionally, Wiggins decided to switch his focus to his other passion, shoes.

Wiggins currently works as a distribution analyst for Payless ShoeSource.

“I knew I had an interest in shoes and retail footwear and I hope one day to

work for one of the biggest brands,” said Wiggins. “With such a great reputable company nearby I applied to an open position and was fortunate enough to be hired.”

When Wiggins applied to Payless he was living in Topeka, Kansas, however, the company’s relocation to Houston, Texas, forced Wiggins to make a decision about his future.

“It was a big opportunity I couldn’t pass up on,” said Wiggins. “The company did a good job of telling me in advance that I would be moving to Houston at some point. This move will not only put the company on a bigger platform but will allow me to make bigger and better connections as well.”

For those that knew Wiggins at Washburn, the move is unsurprising.

His former professor, Kristen Grimmer, remembers Wiggins as hard working and dedicated to making as many new

Class of 2016

opportunities for himself as possible.

While his days playing basketball might be over, Wiggins will continue to follow his second passion in the retail footwear industry.

photo courtesy of Gene Cassell Kyle Wiggins is now a distribution analyst for Payless ShoeSource. He discovered his passion for shoes while playing professional basketball in Canada.

Journalism alumna runs more than store

by Dustin Wallace

A good pair of running shoes helped one alumna find both a new career and a new life partner.

Kara (Protasio) Baden, 2015, works as social media and store manager for Garry Gribble’s Running Sports in Lawrence, Kansas, a subsidiary of JackRabbit Running Sports.

One day, her future husband, Josh Baden, came into the store to buy a pair of shoes. Both Badens are runners and enjoy connecting with other local runners. They were married in December 2018.

She coordinates events for the store, and her responsibilities include creating daily content for multiple social media accounts and newsletters.

After graduating, Baden worked as a multimedia journalist for WOW! 6 News in Lawrence. She was a reporter for a year and a half before shifting her career focus. While at Washburn, Baden

photo courtesy of Kara Baden Kara married Josh Baden Dec. 21, 2018. The morning following their wedding, the couple encouraged friends and family members to join them for a special 5K run.

developed journalism skills as both editor-in-chief of the Washburn Review and the creator of a student-run livestream newscast called KSWU News.

She brings her ability to write and create graphics and promotional materials.

In her new role, Baden has

19

transitioned from Class of the life of journalist to community 2015 management and enjoys supporting her local community.

Baden measures her greatest career successes by the proceeds that she has helped raise through community fundraising and event planning. She has helped raise nearly $15,000 in donations as a manager, and she is connected to a business that supports her running passion. One of her promotions for the Super Hero Run, raised more than $5,000 for local children’s initiatives.

Her love for exercise and growth as a person has helped her cultivate a community of runners, who are also good friends.

“It felt good to know that I was helping a lot of people by raising all of that money. One hundred percent of the proceeds go to helping the kids of Douglas County,” Baden said.

Film minor connects to field

by Dustin Wallace A backpack full of aspirations will only get you so far in the film industry. ohn urns’ major is history, but he has an affinity for his minor which is mass media film and video.

Since he was a child, urns has been a fan of all genres of film. is formative experience stems from one of his early favorites, Star Trek, directed by . .

Abrams. e observed character depths and use of imagery in the movie and has worked hard to refine his understanding and appreciation for the arts.

Perhaps one of the most impressive marks on urns’ resume came last year. n uly 2 , urns was hired by Gareth dwards, director of Star Wars ogue One, and contracted to work on a separate project as a concept artist. e could only refer to the rigidity of the film industry and he appreciation the opportunity, but a nondisclosure agree prevents

“I’ve always wanted to tell stories. Stories are what I love.

I thought for awhile my passion would be books and novels.”

- John Burns

photo courtesy of John Burns John Burns is currently working on a film with fellow mass media film student Ethan Jackson.

him from saying more. urns has also networked and received training in igh- es D modeling with makers of video game titles such as ioshock 2 and alo . The significance of these opportunities isn’t lost on the Washburn student, who sees the importance of building a strong network.

Along with his love for film, urns runs his own photography business between his busy school schedule and projects. e most enjoys portraits and still-shots like those which might be found on the cover of a magazine.

Burns hopes to use his growing portfolio and his photography business as a vehicle for greater projects. is original pieces feature a range of color and use of lighting to capture and inspire the viewer. urns, himself, finds inspiration in well-established role models. ’m trying to move towards like Annie eibovitz or Yousuf arsh, they are my biggest inspirations, said urns. That’s where want to go, but ’m also kind of figuring out my own voice through photography as go.

Matthew y uist, assistant professor of mass media, as an authority in the film industry who has worked in ollywood for major productions, is impressed by urns’

20

MM Minor

work as a student of film and as a freelance photographer. n Film making 2, ohn was constantly on set even though he wasn’t in the class, y uist said. is cinematography final project was really good. e studied all of the elements of cinematography for it and was able to bring them into play with his project. y uist is also a key organizer for the W F Film Festival event that will take place April - , and he has encouraged his students, including urns, to submit a film to the festival. y uist sees the upcoming film festival as an opportunity for film students, like urns, to gain exposure on a global platform, as well as receive recognition for their art. More information about the festival can be found at washburn.edu wifi.

On top of his busy schedule, urns plans on completing a project in the coming months that began a year ago. While enrolled in a screen writing course, he wrote a script that he plans to evolve into a graphic novel. lassmate and fellow film photography enthusiast, than ackson, also regards urns as a hard worker. e’s a professional and when you work with him, you can tell that he loves what he’s doing, ackson said. f you haven’t seen ohn’s work yet, you need to find him on nstagram. e’s a must-follow for fans of photography and art. ackson, a senior studying mass media film and video, is collaborating with urns on a feature-length documentary. urns is the art director, while ackson is directing the piece. This entails designing logos and original artwork, as well as photography. ohn is extremely passionate about what he does with photography and art, and it shows, said ackson. e’s also a perfectionist, so when he sends you a piece of art or a photograph he’s typically really happy with it and if he thinks it needs more work, he’ll tell you. Overall, ohn is a great guy to collaborate with and he’s going places.

Stand out student lands outstanding job

by Colin Truhe Anxiety begins to set in when you are a student who’s approaching graduation without a job lined up.

Self-doubt then settles as the time passes, but eah oons, 2 , wasn’t going to allow that to happen.

Once ended my internship in the beginning of August, was fearful of not getting a job because no agency was hiring coordinators, said oons. had my email sending me daily emails about coordinator positions that were open.

One day, oons found a coordinator position available at MMGY Global and she applied. During the interview, oons found out that her interviewer, Tara Schroeder-Yantis, 2 , was a fellow mass media graduate. She knew immediately she wanted this position. A few days later, she received a job offer.

My biggest career success is landing a job only one month after graduating,

Class of 2018

eah is incredibly hard-working she will have her plate full of several different duties and assignments, and she still manages to get it all done on time, said eatha raft, a former classmate. would get emails at 4 a.m. before she went to work at Starbucks, telling me about an assignment.

Schroeder-Yantis found oons to be extremely competitive among the rest of the candidates.. er resume and experience set were both outstanding, a true re ection of the type of young professionals that are being developed at Washburn, said Schroeder-Yantis photo courtesy of Leah Coons Leah Coons worked extremely hard to get a job that she truly enjoys just one month after graduation.

said oons. ’m hard-working and couldn’t stand waiting around.

Part of the reason why she was able to land a job so soon was her incredible work ethic.

“Leah is incredibly hard-working; she will have her plate full of several different duties... and still manages to get it all done on time.”

-Leatha Craft

Be Bold Be Heard Train for your future.

Build connections.

Strengthen skills.

Leave a legacy.

Alumnus spotlight from the class of 1976 Engineer, Entrepreneur, Innovator, Author

by Wesley Tabor In a media profession that has seen exponential change, creating a diverse skill set keeps professionals moving forward.

Gary Krohe, 1976, is a rare asset, having accumulated over 15 different job titles spanning the fields of technological engineering and broadcast media, everything from consulting and directing to vice president and CEO/presidential positions.

Krohe is a Washburn University graduate, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with emphases in broadcast and journalism. Krohe took additional courses in the electrical engineering program at Kansas State University to advance his skills.

The journey began in 1971 when Krohe graduated from Topeka High School and was hired at the Washburn Review before the first day of classes as a college freshman.

Among many of Krohe’s achievements as a Washburn student and employee (1971-76) included directing and producing a short recruitment film for W Public elations 4 , directing a two-day Students Organized for Library Development telethon on KTWU, raising $65,000 for Mabee Library construction, and working as a teaching assistant to Jim Richardson (WU Arts Department) in his basic and advanced photography courses.

Photography always attracted rohe whose young ambition was to become a photojournalist. The connection to the media matured and KTWU was a part of that progression.

“I have known all the people here since the 1970s when I was in college,” said Krohe. “We took college class together and had done student internships at KTWU. Since I lived in Topeka I have always supported KTWU.” His talent and dedication led to positions of seniority such as director and chief engineer at local news outlets TP -FM,

KSNT, KTKA, KTMJ-CA and Miller broadcasting. He has also consulted and designed for FM radio stations such as Rocking M Radio here in Kansas. Eventually this experience landed Krohe with opportunities across the country, many through his own broadcast consulting firm, rohe lectronic, which he established in 1989.

Krohe is currently director of engineering and technology for KTWU with studios here on the Washburn University campus. photo courtesy of Gary Krohe KTWU has been broadcasting in Gary Krohe has been a longtime asset northeast Kansas and portions of on the campus at KTWU. Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma since 1965.

“Washburn is truly blessed to have the talents of Gary Krohe on staff,” said Robert Stratton, a senior video engineer for the ASA aunch Services Program at the ennedy Space enter.

“He provided me so many opportunities to learn during my time at Washburn and beyond. Gary has been a wonderful mentor to me.”

His experience in technological engineering lead to new innovations and the start of caption technology, which produced equipment that read scripts from early paperless newsroom systems. These systems directly converted those scripts to real time captioning data fed to an EEG closed captioning box. This product helped make KTKA the 12th broadcasting station in the United States to provide closed captioning to their audiences in 1987.

“He is a do it all kind of guy.” said Janet Radziejeski, receptionist at KTWU. “He seems to know everything about anything.”

Where are they now? Alumni class notes Kate Arroyo, 2013, see page 24.

Kara (Protasio) Baden, 2015, is the community manager for Garry Gribble’s Running Sports, a subsidiary of JackRabbit Running Sports, where she coordinates events like the Super Hero Run, which raised more than $5,000.

See page 19 for the full story.

Cheri (Underwood) Bernard, 6, worked at Payless for 2 years in marketing including print media, manager creative services dealing with broadcast media & production. She married alumnus James Edward Bernard. She still attends most WU home football games.

Tiffany (Cowan) Bruce, 1997, has spent 19 years as

the P O Director of Marketing/Chief of Staff for Tri County Tech, which is a career tech school in Oklahoma.

Mikki Burcher, 2010, creates marketing content for local Hy-Vee locations.

See page 8 for a full story.

Leah Coons, 2018, is an advertising account coordinator at MMGY Global.

See page 21 for the full story.

22

Nicole Corcoran, 1993, was promoted to executive associate athletics director at Kansas Athletics for the University of Kansas in January 2019.

Carney (Ziegler) Cross, 2017, works for Advisors Excel, as a digital designer.

See page 18 for the full story.

Veronica Diaz, 2015, travels around the country working in experiential marketing. She is paid to represent different companies at various events and provide fun experiences.

Andrew Dunlap, 2009, is self employed as a marketing consultant in Portland, Oregon.

Lauren Edelman, 2011, the associate director for Washburn’s Leadership Institute, received an Achieving Excellence Award from The

Student ife office.

Sarah Farlee, 2008, is working as a P marketing specialist at FreeState lectric

tions at Topeka Metro. He has bought a home in College Hill and plans to marry a fellow WU graduate this fall.

Jennifer Funk, 2015, is a communication specialist for the Clara Barton Hospital in Hoisington, Kansas.

Tisha Graham, 1980,was honored by TV NewsCheck in April 2019. She will earned its annual Women in Technology Leadership Award. Graham is vice president of broadcast technology at ABC-owned TV stations. During her time at Washburn, she interned at TW , and she is the first woman to lead technology at a TV station group.

Kristen Grimmer, 2010, is finishing her third year of teaching in Washburn’s mass media department.

Cheryl Herman, 4, retired from Westar Energy, where she was a transmission engineering administrative clerk.

Jade Hernandez, 2000, is a general assignment reporter for ABC7 in Los Angeles, California. During her 20-year career in journalism she has reported in San Francisco, Atlanta, and Kansas City, Missouri. She began reporting in Topeka, Kansas, where she was born and raised.

See page 5 for the full story.

Cooperative.

Lyall Ford, 2002, is working as a media production specialist for Washburn University.

Karl Fundenberger, 2008, is director of bicycle opera-

RaShelle (Yost) Hindman, 1991, will celebrate 30 years of marriage to Mike Hindman BBA 1991 in 2019. She focuses on software instruction and social media marketing for Recreation & Golf Services and lives in Colorado near Rocky Mountain ational Park.

Jessica Herrera, 2 4, is the editor/communications coordinator at the Kansas Legislative Research Department.

Distinguished alumni award Michel’ Cole The Mass Media Non Nobis Solum Alumni Award will recognize those past the 10-year point who continue to make an impact in media and their communities. The award will be presented to Michel’ Cole, a 1985 graduate, who will be the keynote speaker for the event.

Cole started her career as the vice president of member services at the ansas Press Association. She went on to work as the senior director of communicaphoto courtesy of Michel’ Cole tions at Western Resources beMichel ’ Cole, 1985, earns mass media’s first fore taking the position of vice Non Nobis Solum Award. president at Security enefit.

Cole retired as vice president at Westar Energy. Her 35-year career in the communications field allowed ole to make a lasting impression in the Topeka and Washburn communities.

Cole attributes her career success in part to what Washburn did to set her up for a professional career. She enjoyed the professors who knew her on a first-name basis and gave her the ability to fail and learn from it, which built her self-esteem.

Jamie (Kennedy) Hornbaker, 2 , now owns a State Farm insurance agency in Topeka.

See page 16 for the full story.

Amy Horvath, 2011, graduated from Baker University in June 2018 with an MBA with a concentration in finance with Sigma Beta Delta honors.

She now works as a financial associate for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Julie Palma Ireland, 1980, worked at three TV stations and two newspapers, before going into freelance on her own in writing, photography and advertising.

Mike Johnson, 4, is a content writer/strategist at Cleveland University, Kansas City.

Josh Mabry, 2010, leads the local news partnership team at Facebook.

See page 9 for the full story.

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Brittany (Rhoades) Kelley, 2015, is a marketing director at Stevenson Company, a sheet metal manufacturer in Topeka.

She is also a member of Sales and Marketing Executives of Topeka.

Curtis Kitchen, 2002, started a new job in 2019 See page 10 for the full story.

Jessica Knieff, 2018, began working at ntelePeer loud Communications as channel marketing specialist. She was offered a full time position after completing her mass media internship in Denver.

Misty Kruger, 2007, is the director of communications for the Topeka 501 school

district. She was named to the 2 Top 2 under 4 , which is sponsored by the Jayhawk Area Council of Boy Scouts of America.

Mindy (Barks) Lee, 2013, is working at the Pittsburg State University Small Business Development Center, where she works as a business adviser specializing in social media, online marketing and web design.

Josh Lehman, 2011, is the outcomes program supervisor at Shawnee ounty Parks and Recreation. He has shared his job expertise at two Midwest conferences, hosted webinars and will present at a national conference in 2019.

Marissa Meis, 2018, works as a communications specialist for Topeka Public Schools. She manages the district’s Twitter and blog, which she recently revamped on a totally new platform.

See page 11 for the full story.

Chelsey Moran, 2013,

is the 10 p.m. producer for ews hannel5, the S affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee.

Mary Napier, 2 4, started Napier Communications in 2005. She is also the chief operations officer for the Kansas EMS Association.

Vanessa Nunez, 2016, is currently employed as a senior administrative assistant in the Ichabod Service Center at Washburn University.

See page 12 for the full story.

Keri Renner, 2003, is the director of marketing and communications for the Topeka Metro.

See page 14 for the full story.

Matthew Resnick , 2008, is the sports editor for Nevada

Daily Mail, where he received a first-place award in est ews Story or Package for his piece “Cameron’s Quest.” He traveled to 2017 Drive, Chip, and Putt ational Finals held in August National Golf Club in Georgia, site of the PGA Masters Tournament to cover the event.

Maria Rodriguez, 2011, is entering her fourth year as the primary supervisor of overall Prairie and asino’s social media.

See page 15 for the full story.

Josh Rouse, 2012, was awarded two awards from the ansas Press Association. e was awarded first place for headline writing and second place for best environmental story, as a writer at Topeka Capital-Journal.

Morgan (Schaeffer) Shandler, 2010, currently works as the senior public relations strategist for Shawnee Mission Health.

See page 12 for the full story.

Kate Arroyo, 2013, owns, KATE, which stands for Kid’s American Time English, an English training center she developed and runs in China with her own style of teaching and curricula. Here Arroyo is photographed wearing traditional princess clothing.

Thank for your support The Mass Media department is extremely grateful to the people who took time to donate to the WIFI Impact Campaign or to the 25th anniversary fund on Washburn’s Day of Giving in February. Your gifts are extremely valuable in helping us reach our goals and support our students.

Allan Davis Amanda & Mike Hughes Amy Chastain Andrew Anglin Angela Jackson Anna Walker Balin Schneider Bayley Baker Cathryne Scharton Cathy Fahey Charles Rankin Christopher & Alicia Mowder

Chuck & Dana Towle Dedra Clutz Derek Richardson Diana Middleswart John Mullican & Melanie Mullican Kathy Menzie & Don Jacobs Eric Haley Ethan Jackson Garrett & Caley Love Gene & Regina Cassell Heather Moore

James & Lori Mann James Gorman Jared Dechant Jessica Knieff Joshua Cannon JR Treto Kara Protasio Kelly Glaze Leonard Anglin Lyall Ford & Margaret Schrader-Ford Mark & Lisa Heitz Mary Cassell

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Matt Boland Melissa Sowers Mike & Jennifer Edwards Phillip Witzke Maria Stover & Mike Stover Ron & Mary Van Dalsem Sam Finch Sarah & Tony Towle Stacy Sparks Todd & Mary Ulsaker Tracy Horacek Whitney Baker

Eric Smith, 2009, is working in the communications department of the Kansas Department of Children and Families.

Ashley (Shepard) Spahn, 2011, was promoted to account supervisor at Brothers & Company in Wichita. This is her third promotion in five years.

Tracey (Gregg) Stratton, 1995, is the PR manager for Advisors Excel. Her oldest son, Jake Gregg, in his second year as a WU law student, got

married in March of 2019.

Lisa Taylor, 1998, is the public information director for the Kansas Supreme Court.

Eric Turner, 1992, graduated from Washburn Law School, where he was the editor-in-chief of the Washburn Law Journal in 2011. He is an associate attorney for Foulston Siefkin, LLP in its Overland Park, Kansas, office.

Jeff Wagaman, 1984, is the Kansas insurance commissioner. He worked in television early in his career and in com-

Seniors and Graduates December 2018 Allan Amado Alexandria Broockerd Stephanie Cannon Shaun Collins Leatha Craft Darria Dennison Andrea Echarte Anez Bryan Grabaskas Salvador Lopez Camilo Navarro Aguayo

Charles Rankin Terry Richardson Dillon Tyler Zane White Spring/Summer Candidates Samantha Abendroth Colton Allen Ally Burr Chase Coble

munications for several elected officials and several statewide political campaigns.

Ernie Webb, 1998, returned to Washburn as marketing and communications director, and he is also an adjunct instructor for Mass Media and is writing a true crime book.

Rachel Whitten, 2010, is a copywriter for Bajillion.

Kyle Wiggins, 2016, works as a distribution analyst for Payless ShoeSource in Dallas.

See page 19 for the full story.

Michael Wilhoite, 2010,

can be heard on Topeka’s airwaves.

See page 15 for the full story.

Duane Williams, 1989, is currently in his 25th year at Washburn Career Services.

See page 8 for a full story.

Mary (Hulse) Wolc, 1984, has worked at the VA Health Resource Center for 11 years.

She went back to school at KATS (now Washburn Tech) in 2002 and got a Horticulture Certificate. She still does landscaping and takes care of several yards as her side job.

photo by Matthew Nyquist

Seniors gather for photo outside of Henderson Room 100. front row: Drew Dickes, Andrea Escharte Anez, Charles Rankin, Camilo Navarro Aguayo, Mayuko Takoma, Ally Burr, Samantha Abendroth, Jessica Randel, Darria Dennison, Shayn Jones, Narumi Hishnuma and Bayli Mileson. back row: Ethan Jackson, Michael Soelter, Dustin Wallace, Dylan Tyler, Leatha Craft, Allan Amado, Colin Truhe, Dylan Warrington, Evan Dechant, and Isaach Murphy.

Shayla Conner Evan Dechant Jenna Glaze Myles Hibler Narumi Hishinuma Blake Hopper Shayn Jones Bayli Milleson Sophia-Joelle Oswald Jesica Randel Kempton Redman

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Jera Richardson Madeleine Switzer Avery Stratton Mayuko Takata Colin Truhe Bailey Turner Dustin Wallace Cameron Wiggins

Completed MM Minors Jessi Kennedy Jessi Williams

Issue #30 in the books Washburn’s Department of Mass Media has undergone a spectrum of transformation in the last 30 years. Students come and go and faculty leave behind their legacy, but some traditions live on. One of these staples is the Mass Media Messenger, and this issue celebrates 30 years.

Former chair of mass media and associate professor emerita Kathy Menzie wrote the column at the beginning of the magazine for eight years.

“I enjoyed that part because it was really fun to think back over the year and discuss what the department had accomplished, Menzie said. loved being able to say we’d hired a new faculty person or share if we had reached a goal, such as holding our first Mass Media Day for high school students.

Though the front cover and design of the publication may change over the years, the mission remains the same: to stay connected with alumni, deliver news about the department and showcase the skills and talents of students.

The magazine has consistently offered students an opportunity to work and gain experience in a professional, team-oriented environment.

“You could even say it’s an opportunity for alums to re ect and connect with students, said Mark Feuerborn, a mass media alumnus who worked on the 2018 issue of the Messenger.

Elements and themes may carry over, but in 1993 the Messenger underwent one of the greatest transitions it has ever seen.

Originally, the magazine was called the Communicator because the mass media concentrations were still part of the communications department. When the mass media department formed in 1993, the magazine was renamed the Mass Media Messenger.

Photos from previous Messengers

Throughout the years, the Messenger has captured mass media’s history on its pages.

From the annual banquet to graduation to class notes and outstanding students.

Regina Cassell, mass media senior lecturer and director of Student Media, oversees the creation and production of the Messenger in MM431, Creative Media Practicum. This year will mark the 16th edition of the magazine that Cassell has created with Washburn students.

Publishing over half of the Messengers to date is an impressive accomplishment, but Cassell remembers when things weren’t looking so promising for the publication.

The first two or three years we operated through funding provided by the president’s office, Cassell said. “Budget cuts across campus forced the department to find another way.

Cassell brought her expertise from Student Media, and the Messenger team started selling ads.

“I’ve always tried to keep my hands off the Messenger as much as possible, assell said. want students to take pride and work to

“The Messenger was one of my early forays into managing people to complete a project. You start to learn how to work with and direct folks toward a common goal. And there is the element of having fun while doing it because, after all, we were students enjoying the college experience and learning.”

- Corey Jones 26

“Writing for the Messenger gave me a foundation of writing skills and how to utilize them. The most rewarding part about the process is when the Messenger arrives in the mailbox and you get to see that your hard work paid off and hundreds of alumni are reading it; that was really gratifying.”

- Rachel Whitten improve the finished product.

Another big transformation for the Messenger was the introduction of color. Going from black and white to a spot-color scheme gave the publication an identity that was unmatched by any previous issue.

This change took place around the time Cassell took over the production. This brought life to the magazine and paved the way for more profitable changes to be made.

“When we made the switch to color, students were willing to sell more ads because of the opportunity to mail something in color, said assell.

Students found it easier to market the magazine to local businesses as a great place for advertisement. This became a great selling point for students attempting to sell ads to businesses. A new stream of revenue for the magazine allowed for more accelerated growth within the class.

Further technological advancements gave students more exibility with their creativity, which allowed astonishing design concepts to come to life.

“I am incredibly proud of the Messenger and take every opportunity to say our department produces its own magazine, written and designed by students, Menzie said. feel the Messenger really makes the department stand out, and I think the Messenger is one of the most amazing and consistently impressive things the department does.

Graphic by Sarah Miller

More than a legendary name The legacy of the department of mass media has been built by 30 years of students and Professor Thimios Zaharopoulos was one of the great contributors who helped set the stage.

When he arrived at Washburn University in the fall of 1997 to become the chair, the Department of Mass Media was in its infancy, and Washburn’s administration was worried it wouldn’t survive.

Zaharopoulos realized he was taking on a challenge with the department, but he went in with a vision for what mass media could become. He thought that the value of the department is the environment of learning and the relationships. He decided to raise the learning and teaching standards within the department and connected with the right people to make it happen.

In his eight years as the chair of the mass media department, Zaharopoulos was able to accomplish many that current students appreciate in their studies. He found the resources to finish the computer labs, allowed the department to take over student publications, and implemented an internship requirement within the degree.

Zaharopoulos also built a good relationship with the Kansas Association of roadcasters, finding opportunities for students to intern with local radio and television stations. His mass media legacy lives on through the initiatives he started and the people he hired, such as current chair Maria Stover, student media advisor and senior lecturer Regina Cassell, and associate professor emerita Kathy Menzie.

“I am very proud of the fact that I hired some good people there,” Zaharopoulos said. “Many of these people are still there, or are still connected to the department, and they’ve made a difference.”

Menzie remembers the former chair as an in uencer who put the students’ education before everything.

“Dr. Zaharopoulos was wonderful; I really loved having him as chair,” Menzie said. “He always, always asked, anytime we tried something new, ‘How will this impact our students?’

He fought hard for the department and for faculty all over the university, helping to start the Faculty Senate. He almost always taught MM 100 [Intro to Mass Media], as he thought that was one of our most important classes. He also worked tirelessly on whatever tasks he set for himself and for the department and he pushed us to do our best.”

Personal relationships have always been important to Zaharopoulos. He and professor emeritus Frank Chorba enjoyed their commute from Johnson County together. They created the Division of Radio and Audio Media, a division of the Broadcast Education Association, a national organization for educators and professionals in the broadcasting field.

Even though Zaharopoulos has been gone for over a decade from the department, he is still an inspiration to the faculty who worked with him.

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“We’ve stayed in touch since he left Washburn in 2005,” Stover said. “I look up to him as a mentor and a role model. He is an outstanding human being and an inspirational leader.”

Today, Zaharopoulos looks fondly on his experience at Washburn and on the impact he created. The mass media department continues to encourage the values and ideas that he started more than 20 years ago.

“I feel that I left Washburn better than when I found it,” said Zaharopoulos.

“It’s hard to believe we’ve reached 30 years of the Messenger, but I’m happy to have been a part of it,” - Derek Richardson.

Backstage cadre The key to maintaining a welcoming and successful department starts with those who keep the cogs turning.

Throughout the last 25 years that the mass media department has been in full operation at Washburn University, one thing remains the same. Executive administrators keep the department running smoothly much like an oiled machine, yet at the same time, they are the glue that keeps all pieces together. Over the 25 years, five women have taken on the administrative role: Ginny Falk, Tara Wallace, April Evans, Anna Walker and, currently, Tracy Horacek.

For the mass media department, executive administrators do more than your typical filing paperwork, making an appointment, etc. In this department, these women have played major roles in making the department what it is today.

Aside from the contributions they have made to the faculty members, the executive administrators took the role of being a friend to the students very seriously as well.

“My job was rewarding in many ways, but the most beneficial part of it was the people got to interact with every day,” said Walker. “I loved my time as the executive administrator for the mass media department.”

While there is a lot more going on behind-the-scenes of a successful department, what happens day-to-day in the mass media office has more of an impact on the future for successful students.

When first decided to become a mass media major, my freshman year, I was nervous about what was to come and if the major was right for me,” said Reilly Peuser, a senior Mass Media student. “I walked up to Anna’s desk and asked to declare my mass media major she immediately said, ‘this will be one of the best decisions you make in college,’ from then on, I knew that I had made the best choice.”

Photos from previous Messengers

Front (from left) Barbara Burgess, Frank Chorba and Ginny Falk. Back: Bambi Landholm, David Kamerer, Kathy Menzie, Chris Keeshan and Thimios Zaharopoulos.

Photos from previous Messengers

Anna Walker, former senior administrative assistant, celebrated at the 2018 banquet.

“I believe the legacy of the mass media department belongs to every student who has graduated from here,” Regina Cassell said. “The Messenger is a valuable undertaking that keeps us connected to our alumni. These lasting connections establish our department as more than work or school: it’s a family.”

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A nod to the next Inspired by those who came before; to those who have built from nothing; to those who have prepared for what’s to come, the Messenger owes its name to you.

The ambitions of the students who progress through Washburn’s Department of Mass Media breathes life into this work.

We hope you find a sense of pride in each publication, knowing that the Messenger is a unique bond that we share as a faction under Washburn University. Alumni and students have a platform of commonality in a few ways and the Messenger is one such rapport.

Compiled and Edited by: Dustin Wallace Reporters/Contributors Bayley Baker, Kempton Redman, Taryn Reed, Chase Coble, Rachel Ciummo, Nigel Burgess, Jordan Yoder, Aaron McKinney and Dwane Simmons.

Faculty news Support staff and adjuncts

Continuing faculty & staff Kristen Grimmer is an assistant professor in

mass media public relations who is also a 2010 mass media graduate. She’s now taken over the classes that Kathy Menzie previously taught, including the Public Relations 2 class that plans and executes the annual Keynote Speaker Event and mass media banquet. Grimmer is the faculty adviser for the Bods in PR student organization and is also the Director of Public Relations for the Washburn International Film Institute and helps plan the film festival each year.

Regina Cassell is a senior lecturer in mass

media and the director of Student Media.

She teaches the classes that fall within the contemporary journalism concentration and manages the Mass Media Messenger class.

Between teaching and keeping the Washburn Review newspaper going, Cassell makes sure mass media students have the practical skills to go along with what they learn in the classroom. Cassell also has accepted the position of Print Director for the Washburn International Film Institute.

2018 as the senior administrative assistant.

During this time, she has been instrumental in helping to orchestrate the tailgate, majors meeting, W F film festival, department meetings and the faculty retreat.

The Department of Mass Media is lucky to have access to many quality adjuncts. During fall 2019, we welcome back Sarah Towle, Eugene Williams and Barbara Shuck.

Department faculty have also partnered with Geoff Way, English, and Lindsey Moddelmog, Political Science. We appreciate the outside expertise that our adjuncts provide which adds depth to our cirriculum.

Patrick Early is the Director of Public Relations at Washburn University, but his passion for the camera has translated into an opportunity to teach mass media students all about the art of photography in a special topics class each semester. This year, Early also joined the Washburn International Film Institute as one of its founding trustees where he provides leadership in promoting WIFI Film Festival.

Maria Stover is a professor and the chair of

the Department of Mass Media. Among her administration duties for the department, Stover still teaches the senior portfolio class, which prepares students for the job market, and the visual communications class, which focuses on design skills and the professional use of the Adobe Creative Suite. In conjunction with Matthew Nyquist, Stover has been responsible for the creation of the Washburn International Film nstitute and is the Managing Director for the film festival.

Matthew Nyquist is an assistant professor

Tracy oracek joined the department in

of mass media in film and video and teaches students skills in film editing, sound production, and narrative film production. e is the faculty advisor for the Washburn Filmmakers Association and also the driving force behind the creation of the Washburn International Film Institute and is the Founding xecutive Director of the film festival.

Tim renchir, who began his college career as an chabod and studied here between 2 and 4. e will celebrate his 39th anniversary at the Topeka-Capital Journal. ow, renchir has been teaching MM2 2, reative Media Writing, and he also offers his special topics MM393, Murder, Mayhem and Media periodically.

Max Kautsch works as a lawyer in Lawrence, Kansas, practicing First Amendment rights and open government law.

Each semester, Kautsch teaches mass media students what it means to practically deal with First Amendment issues and ethical concerns as future communications practitioners.

Ernie Webb,1999, is the Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications for Washburn University.

Webb has brought his practical experience in the field back to the Intro to Mass Media class he has taught.

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The magic of Walt to the wonder of Washburn

by Sarah Miller Andrew Anglin is a new assistant professor within the mass media department and his area of concentration is advertising.

Maria Stover, chair of the mass media department, spoke of the interview process for this position, which was long and very competitive, and to her Anglin stood out immediately due to his passion for teaching and education.

Anglin grew up in ew ersey. e always loved school and learning, which was encouraged by his mother who is in education as a principal when he was a child. On his office walls hang several degrees that show how dedicated Anglin has been to his education.

Anglin received his undergraduate degree in advertising from Furman University, a small private school in Greenville, South Carolina.

After graduation, he went on to work at the Walt Disney ompany in Florida. e started working in hospitality at many of the Disney hotels including The Wilderness Lodge, the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Fort Wilderness.

During this time he went back to school to get his master’s in integrated marketing communications and business at the University of Mississippi. Then continued on to study in France and receive another degree in luxury brand marketing. e then went back to work at the Walt Disney ompany

for the marketing and sales management of the Disney Youth program, ESPN sports, and Rundisney. Then he got his doctorate at the University of Tennessee before finding his way to Washburn University. wanted to find a place like Washburn that had such a strong focus on students, their development and wellbeing, and photo courtesy of Andrew Anglin being able to reach their goals Assistant Professor Andrew Anglin will and being a catalyst for that,” take 15 students to Disney World, where Anglin said. he used to work.

Working as a professor at Washburn is Anglin’s first official job in academia since receiving his doctorate. e has already implemented a new class that also includes a travel experience. The class, which is being offered in the summer, teaches students about advertising by specifically looking at Walt Disney, then ends with a week long trip to Walt Disney so students can experience it first hand. e has also spearheaded a new mass media tradition of tailgating before each Washburn football game. This encourages school spirit and gives students time to network with peers, professors and alumni who attend the games.

Lecturer returns to States to pursue film degree

by Sarah Miller Sam Finch is a new lecturer within the film and video department. e has a broad range of knowledge gained through his unique experiences. Finch’s main interest was in production after graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in film and video. e moved to San Francisco, alifornia, where he worked at a small company that did special effects film processing for movies such as an elsing and Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace.”

After working there for about eight months Finch decided to move back to Michigan and began working as a videographer with a media group that filmed and edited wedding videos. “[It was] kind of an interesting experience learning to troubleshoot while under pressure and meeting deadlines because of the nature of the event,” Finch said.

Finch needed a change of pace after two years of working as a videographer. e wanted to see the world and explore a different career. Although Finch is new to Washburn University, it is far from his first rodeo when it comes to teaching. Finch began teaching English in South Korea, where his mother is from. Everything fell into place in South Korea when his temporary one year teaching job turned into 10 years.

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Finch loved teaching English, but he wanted to get back to his original passion of film. That’s when he decided to move back to Michigan to continue his education at Central Michigan University to become a film professor.

“Sam really stood out to us in the interview process photo courtesy of Sam Finch because of his broad range of Finch provides much needed experience knowledge and experience in in the field of film and video. Finch’s expertise is in special effects processing. film, said Maria Stover.

Finch has introduced a new class called Video Production.

This class provides a hands-on experience on the basics of broadcast journalism in a real studio environment. This curriculum has been missing from the department for many years. Finch had experience teaching a similar class as a graduate assistant at Central Michigan University.

“The class so far has been very different than any other course I have taken. It’s only been a few weeks and I have learned how to do so much,” said Vinyl Anderton, a junior mass media student.

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