Communicator, Spring 2013

INSIDE: Timely topics in classroom ... Support for internship program ... Hayden named Alumni Fellow

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CONTENTS 4

38

CARNEGIE NEWS

Feature: Timely topics taught in classroom Cultures connect l Scholar enjoys opportunity

16 FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Faculty member finds way to measure ads Award winners l Research on “digital divide”

26 DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Gift from alumnus supports internships AT&T provides $200K l Honor Roll

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38 STUDENT NEWS

Busy student selected Homecoming queen A big BCS opportunity l Grad student profiles

48 ALUMNI NEWS

Hayden named Alumni Fellow l Our Olympian Awards for documentaries l Board additions

DEPARTMENTS

From the Dean, 3 Alumni Notes, 56 College Calendar, 59 Contact the College, 59

ON THE COVER

As the Clairton (Pa.) High School football team marched to a fourth consecutive state championship, David Cole was one of several students who chronicled the team’s success and what it meant. (Photo by Will Yurman)

THE COMMUNICATOR The Communicator is published twice a year by the College of Communications at Penn State.

Dean: Douglas Anderson Editor: Steve Sampsell Publication Policies: All items relating to the College and its faculty, staff, students and alumni will be considered for publication.

Correspondence: The Communicator Penn State College of Communications 302 James Building University Park, PA 16801-3867 Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity and the diversity of its workforce. U.Ed. COM 13-41

FROM THE DEAN

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he College heads into the spring semester with momentum. We feel good about our upward trajectory— and our strategies for continuing our ascent.

We had the opportunity during the past year to take stock in our program as we prepared a multi-volume selfstudy for our every-six-years national accreditation review.

Scores of faculty and staff members collectively poured thousands of hours into gathering, compiling and synthesizing information for each of the nine standards examined by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications: mission, governance and administration; curriculum and instruction; diversity and inclusiveness; full-time and part-time faculty; scholarship: research, creative and professional activity; student services; resources, facilities and equipment; professional and public service; and assessment of learning outcomes.

The Council will review the College at its May meeting in Phoenix.

Our overarching goal is straightforward: “To be recognized as the largest, most comprehensive, best-balanced, student-centered, ACEJMC-accredited program in the country—one that emphasizes professional preparation of undergraduates; one that provides a blend of technique and conceptual courses; one that operates an academically rigorous graduate program; one that pushes internship experiences for its students; and one that insists upon scholarly, professional and creative productivity from its faculty.”

The College covers the communications spectrum: advertising/public relations; film-video; journalism; media studies; and telecommunications. This broad base positions us well as all forms of communications stretch their wingspans in the 21st century.

Since the two previous accreditation reviews, we’ve made significant strides in virtually all aspects of our program.

Here are some examples of our measurable progress, based on numbers in 1999-2000, 2005-2006, and 20112012: l Full-time permanent faculty: 44, 60, and 69. l Undergraduate majors: 1,339, 1,869, and 1,745. l University Park pre-majors: 725, 894, and 899. l University Park minority students: 292, 365, and 479. l For-credit internships facilitated: 275, 452, and 650. l Baccalaureate degrees conferred: 606, 924, and 945. l Scholarships awarded: $192,000, $350,000, and $636,000.

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l Permanent endowment value: $8.9 million, $16 million, and $26 million.

Factor in our overall national championship in the 20112012 William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s Journalism Awards Program, which often is called “the Pulitzers of college journalism,” and it is clear that the College is continuing its momentum.

Our self-study helped us identify the College’s strengths, including: a substantial and well-organized professional advising operation; an expansive and well-organized internship and placement program; strong industry ties and excellent relationships with professional constituents; a comprehensive set of research centers and institutes; a strategic and comprehensive emphasis on ethics through the Don Davis Program in Ethical Leadership, which is broadly and systematically reflected in instruction, programming and research; a strong collection of special programs, including the Communications and Democracy Semester in Washington, D.C.; excellent laboratories, with stateof-the-art hardware and software, and a superb television studio and multimedia newsroom; a large, well-qualified staff; and a strong full-time faculty that possesses a healthy balance of academic and professional credentials.

The list continues: extraordinary and consistent success of students in regional and national contests; a comprehensive Office of Multicultural Affairs that has propelled substantial diversity achievements; exceptionally high graduation rates (consistently hovering around 80 percent four-year rates and 88 percent five-year rates); strong online courses and programs that serve the University’s “World Campus” students (adult learners from around the globe) and, increasingly, resident-instruction students during the summer months; and a vast array of general-education courses that serve thousands of non-majors from throughout the university.

Without doubt, we’ve made excellent progress this century. We’re proud of our faculty, staff and students. And we’re grateful for the loyalty and support of our alumni, friends and professional constituents.

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CARNEGIE CLOSEUP Senior lecturer Curt Chandler points out to students how a news site treats a story. (Photo by Vince Chandler)

Timely Topics

Courses offer insights on technology, opportunities to grow

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wo courses launched this academic year by the College of Communications focus on the increasingly important relationship between new technology and communications—helping prepare Penn State students for ever-changing professional opportunities.

One course, COMM 271 Principles of Multimedia Journalism, was offered for the first time during the fall semester and drew a maximum enrollment of 100 students.

The course was designed to help aspiring journalists work with an array of multimedia tools.

Senior lecturer Curt Chandler helped students understand how to best harness the Internet and the seemingly daily technological advances and tools that have reshaped the field of journalism.

Chandler, who has more than 25 years of professional journalism experience, has for six years provided seminar-style instructional efforts about multimedia and technology as part of upper-level reporting classes. With

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COMM 271, those segments logically have been extended to an entire introductory course offered by the Department of Journalism.

While he was teaching students how to adapt, Chandler himself was adapting.

“We spent more than a year designing this class, starting with a list of topics and expanding that into a preliminary syllabus that was reviewed by other faculty members. I took their suggestions and spent a week making the final version of the syllabus over the summer,” Chandler said. “I had never taught a large lecture class before. I usually teach production classes.

“So, my daughter Madeline, who is a senior media studies/women’s studies/global studies major, helped me design a strategy for crafting effective tests and quizzes.”

During the spring semester, COMM 498B Wireless Devices and Global Markets, made its debut. The course, created by the Department of Telecommunications, examines the global market for wireless handheld devices—from 4

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CARNEGIE CLOSEUP Android smartphones to iPhones and iPads. Students learn about next generation smartphones and have the opportunity to develop a product design concept. This is the College’s second course addressing how the wireless industry has developed in recent years. The wireless industry is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors. Its revenues are well over $1.5 trillion dollars.

“Technology changes how we communicate, and influences what we do every day,” said Matt Jackson, head of the Department of Telecommunications. “We’re committed to helping prepare out students in the best possible manner, and that means creating courses and trying things to make sure they have the latest information—and the opportunity to understand what it means and utilize it.”

COMM 271 helps students better understand how technology has changed journalism, and what that means for their career paths. During each lecture Chandler engages students by providing real-life examples and practical applications. Students discuss everything from how information is gathered to how it is presented—specifically how news organizations build their websites to allow ease of use for consumers. That includes many aspects, such as encouraging online readers to share stories on social media, or simply ensuring that a site reproduces as well on a desktop computer as it does on a mobile device.

Chandler said the course has gone well, in part because he ties current events closely to the curriculum.

“It’s off to a strong start. The discussion A student examines notes and interacts online as part of a class exercise was particularly animated at times, and espe- in COMM 271 Principles of Multimedia Journalism. cially so when we were examining the impact presidential election.” of data visualization, audio, photo and video coverage Chandler’s enthusiasm for the course and the material of both Hurricane Sandy and the presidential election,” was infectious with his students.

Chandler said. “One of the highlights was being able to “With the hurricane and election coverage, it was really pick the brain of AccuWeather multimedia producer, and amazing to see all the multimedia that went into both of Penn State alum, Grace Muller during class the day before these huge news events,” said Ryan McManus (junior-jourHurricane Sandy came ashore. Grace was able to provide nalism). “It was an enjoyable class and it helped us think an insider’s view of how coverage would develop as the about what we see in a different manner. It’s helpful to storm made landfall.” know all that, and see what happens when it comes togethChandler’s passion for the course was reflected in the er.” long hours he put into preparation.

Chandler said the relevance of the course to real-world “It isn’t unusual for me to spend four hours or more application lies in the fact that multimedia approaches have prepping for each class. I spend a lot of time looking at become a significant part of how journalists tell stories. how different reporters and media organizations are cover“This class is very much rooted in today’s best practices ing the news so I can show and deconstruct those stories in in multimedia reporting,” said Chandler. “The students class,” said Chandler. “There were a lot of good examples understand how relevant our conversations are and they this semester with Hurricane Sandy followed by a close

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CARNEGIE CLOSEUP

Curt Chandler consistently uses timely examples and familiar technologies to keep students like freshman Asharae Jones engaged and informed. (Photos by Vince Chandler)

are eager to learn everything they can about how modern journalists work.”

Because the course relies heavily on timely topics, Chandler knows some parts of what happens in the classroom will change significantly every semester. That might mean a little more work for him, but he knows that’s the best thing for students.

“Different stories will be in the news next semester and the class will adjust accordingly,” he said. “Still, the essence of journalism remains the same. We will always examine the evolution of objective reporting, as well as the roots of photojournalism, video reporting and audio storytelling.

That core part of the class will probably stay the same.”

Because of Chandler’s commitment, students have responded to the class well.

“I initially signed up because one of my courses was dropped and I needed to find another three credits. I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I enrolled,” said Danae Blasso (junior-journalism). “I learned that Curt was a great teacher with vast experience. I learned a lot about journalism, too.”

As the semester wore on even Chandler was not exempt from learning in this classroom environment. Because students were familiar with the everyday technology through which they got their information and news, they were engaged. “They ask good questions and aren’t afraid to speak up,” said Chandler.

Familiarity and interest help such engagement in the classroom. And, expertise matters greatly, too.

As COMM 498B launches, lecturer David Norloff—with more than a decade of wireless industry experience working for Sprint, Nextel, and Neustar—brings valuable credentials to the classroom. He views the wireless and global markets course as a complement to COMM 483 Wireless Commu

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“Given the prominence of mobile devices, their rapidly increasing capabilities and the potential to impact consumers globally, I believe it’s important for students to understand the leading device manufacturers and how these devices are being used within a global context.”

— David Norloff, lecturer

nications Industry, which offers a broad examination of the wireless industry. With the course that launches this spring, Norloff plans a tighter focus.

“The course will specifically analyze leading global device manufacturers, international wireless carriers and next-generation wireless devices,” said Norloff. “Students will have the opportunity to develop a unique product design concept for a new wireless device. This product concept will consider the competitive landscape, device specifications, pricing and market segmentation.”

Because of society’s daily dependence on such devices, Norloff thinks it’s necessary for students to understand the industry.

“We are living in a world where mobile devices have 6

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CARNEGIE CLOSEUP become just as essential as carrying your car keys or wallet. Ask yourself: When was the last time I left the house without my cell phone?

The introduction of the iPhone in 2007 transformed the wireless industry and extended the capabilities of the mobile device well beyond making phone calls,” said Norloff.

“Given the prominence of mobile devices, their rapidly increasing capa- Both new courses focus on practical applications and the bilities and the potential impact of mobile technoloto impact consumers gies—something Ryan McMaglobally, I believe it’s im- nus examines during COMM 271. (Photo by Vince Chandler) portant for students to understand the leading device manufacturers and how these devices are being used within a global context.”

Jackson said Norloff’s courses represent one part of his department’s effort, and the efforts of the College of Communications overall, to keep pace in the classroom with what’s happening in the real world. He’s happy the courses continually find a way from conception to reality, complementing core competencies to best serve communications students.

In addition, Norloff sees impact and meaning for COMM 498B across all majors in the College of Communications.

“Advertising/public relations firms view the mobile device as an integral third screen for content delivery. The advancements in camera and display capabilities make mobile devices more appealing for film-video professionals.

Journalists increasingly rely on mobile devices for capturing breaking news and distributing content while on location,” said Norloff. “I acknowledge my bias, but I believe all majors within the College of Communications would benefit from learning about the wireless industry and mobile devices.”

Like Chandler, Norloff’s classroom relies on interaction.

Students are challenged to lead classroom discussions, post and comment on articles and incorporate classroom concepts in group projects. He strives to ensure that what he teaches has a direct correlation to the real-world challenges facing the wireless industry.

It’s a fast-moving industry, though.

“Not to sound like Yogi Berra but change is the one constant in the wireless industry,” said Norloff. “That’s part of what makes bringing things to the classroom so interesting, and useful.”

— Caroline Nelson

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Online degree focuses on strategic communications The communications profession is increasingly focused on helping organizations build relationships with their publics and drive behavior through targeted communications. To design these strategic communications, professionals need a broad range of problem-solving, communication, research and analytical skills.

For career advancement, they need a college degree.

Penn State’s new bachelor of arts in advertising/public relations with an option in strategic communications offers a convenient way to gain the education they need. The option is available only online.

“The new online strategic communications option builds on the College’s long established and well-regarded programs in advertising and public relations,” said Bob Baukus, associate professor and head of the Department of Advertising/Public Relations. “The option will provide students with the opportunity to explore problems and issues in the corporate, non-profit and government sectors, with an emphasis on global communication management.”

The College of Communications has developed its first online degree program for delivery through Penn State’s World Campus.

“It was a natural fit for us to offer the new option online,” said Shannon Kennan, senior lecturer and the College’s director of outreach and instructional design. The College currently offers resident bachelor’s degrees in advertising and public relations.

Strategic communicators handle a variety of responsibilities, including writing press releases, analyzing advertising and marketing, developing and maintaining relationships, nurturing an organization’s image, setting goals and conducting other activities.

The B.A. in advertising/public relations with an option in strategic communications emphasizes complex problem solving; oral, visual and written communication; research and analytical techniques; creativity; and cultural and social sensitivity and awareness. Courses cover advertising, marketing, public relations, communications, technology, law, research and social media topics. Graduates will be capable of designing comprehensive communication strategies for all types of organizations.

Applications are being accepted for spring 2013 for the advertising/public relations with an option in strategic communications degree. For information, visit the program’s website online.

Penn State World Campus specializes in adult online education, delivering more than 80 of Penn State’s most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs through convenient online formats. World Campus is part of Penn State Outreach, which serves more than 5 million people each year, in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and more than 100 countries worldwide.

— Deborah Benedetti 7

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CARNEGIE NEWS

Students from Penn State and Shanghai International Studies University meet during a reception. (Photo by John Beale)

Communications cultures connect on campus

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wenty students from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) came to the University Park campus in November to learn about the election process and how U.S. media cover an election.

As part of an ongoing relationship between the universities, SISU will play host to a group of Penn State international reporting students who travel to China this spring. The partnership provides both groups with the chance to learn about international communications.

The Chinese students started preparing for their trip to the United States months before their arrival.

To cover the election and the many influencing factors, the students split into subgroups and created a core topic of focus for each of those groups.

Zheng Li, one of the Chinese students, said her group concentrated on the high unemployment rate.

“When students graduate what do they do?” she asked. “It’s even harder for some students who have interest in fields such as history, literature and philosophy.”

Schichao Weng, an SISU junior interested in marketing, recognized that political issues are not the only important components of the

election. Social media again played a prominent role this year. Especially in China, Weng sees social media as “a window to the United States and public opinion.” Because of China’s ban on Facebook and Twitter, he was especially interested in focusing on those sites and their role in the campaign.

Along with election coverage, the students’ schedule included trips to Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, as well as tours of The Daily Collegian and the digital television studio and related classrooms for “Centre County Report,” the College’s weekly 30-minute TV newscast.

Senior lecturer Russ Eshleman and Foster Professor Tony Barbieri briefed the students on important election components such as swing states and the Electoral College.

“You could tell they did their homework before they got here,” said Eshleman. “They had read up on the candidates, they knew about the crucial states and they were very informed.”

The students had an exhaustive list of research topics and interview questions. They also visited Eshleman’s section of COMM 460W Reporting Methods, where his students were also working on election pieces.

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Some SISU and Penn State students might get to know each other even better when Barbieri takes an international reporting class of 17 students to SISU during spring break.

Barbieri sees the 10-day trip as a great opportunity for students who can’t afford, financially or time-wise, to take a full semester abroad.

“I’m a huge believer in education abroad,” he said. “But it’s just not practical for a lot of students.”

He also noted that being accepted into the program is no easy feat. The program has grown significantly since Barbieri took his first class to Mexico City four years ago. He typically receives around 70 applications for a program that can only offer around 15 spots.

“It makes my job harder because the kids applying know they have to prepare for it,” he said. “These students are dedicated and serious about making a career out of journalism. It’s not a place to learn your skill set; it’s a place to perfect it.”

The students visiting SISU in the spring are preparing by learning about the country, hearing guest speakers, and also completing foundational research.

In Barbieri’s experience, finish-

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CARNEGIE NEWS

Ford Risley, head of the Department of Journalism, extends a welcome during a reception as part of a weeklong visit to Penn State by faculty and students from Shanghai International Studies University. (Photo by John Beale)

ing the appropriate research and preparation before traveling abroad is challenging when students also have other classes to balance.

That was one reason he and Eshleman were so impressed with the incredible preparation and knowledge of the SISU students on American politics.

The group of undergraduate students from China reported for various news organizations, and saw their work broadcast and published on their return home. The Penn State students in COMM 402 International Reporting will have the same opportunity.

One of the program’s media partners, McClatchy Newspapers, takes some student stories and posts and publishes them.

While the SISU students focused on politics, Barbieri asks his students to look at what’s happening in the country and find different types of stories that coincide with those issues. Articles produced from the class that went to China in 2011 covered issues such as the rise of consumerism, the emergence of private

schools and underground SHANGHAI SELECTIONS music.

This trip, Barbieri considers Penn State students selected for COMM 402 InternaChina’s growing economy, tional Reporting, who will spend a week working in jobs and the country’s oneShanghai under the direction of Foster Professor Tony child policy as examples of Barbieri as part of the class. All of the students are journalism majors. topics students could address.

In addition, for the first time Name Year ever, the 17-member class will Fernando Calderon................................................Junior include a student who will David Cole.............................................................Senior focus exclusively on social Adrienne DiPiazza..................................................Senior media—junior Julia Kern.

Christina Gallagher.................................................Junior The opportunity for Kern, Vera Greene..........................................................Senior her classmates and the stuBrittany Horn..........................................................Junior dents from SISU who visited Michael Hricik........................................................Junior Lauren Ingeno.......................................................Senior Penn State has grown out of Jeremy Kahn..........................................................Senior the schools’ relationship. SevEmily Kaplan..........................................................Junior eral Penn State students also Julia Kern................................................................Junior complete internships at China Anita Oh................................................................Senior Daily each summer.

Anastasia Orso........................................................Junior It’s all an outgrowth from Katherine Rodriguez..............................................Senior the foundation laid in an Michael Still..........................................................Senior initial visit to China by Dean Jessica Tully............................................................Junior Doug Anderson and associate Joan Vasiliadis.......................................................Senior professor Bu Zhong in 2008.

“Certainly the way they do ant role in both societies. We want journalism in China is different from our students to meet and be exposed the way we do it here,” said Ford to students from all over the world.”

Risley, head of the Department of Journalism. “But it plays an import—Alissa Felt

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CARNEGIE NEWS

Alumni (left to right) Gerald Abrams, James Jimirro and Carmen Finestra share a light moment during their on-campus session titled “Happy Valley to Hollywood” at the Playhouse Theatre. (Photo by John Beale)

Alumni offer advice, insight during campus visit Three Penn State alumni returned to campus to talk to students, faculty, fellow graduates and the public about the experiences, lessons and decisions that affected their paths to Hollywood during a well-attended session at the Playhouse Theatre during the fall semester.

The 75-minute session in late October featured a trio of TV legends who played leading roles in the creation of some of television’s most popular shows, as well as an iconic cable network and several Emmy Award-winning television movies.

All are generous benefactors of the College of Communications, funding centers of study, a production laboratory and endowing scholarships.

Gerald Abrams, Carmen Finestra and James P. Jimirro— each of whom has been honored among the Distingushed Alumni of Penn State, the highest honor given by the University—drew a large audience and produced some Hollywood-style entertainment during their session, too.

Throughout the session, members of the trio addressed the transition from rural Pennsylvania to big cities and big companies, the process of creating and producing shows, making

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contacts in the field and the ways they’ve seen the industry change and grow.

“I think everyone needs to be honest about what they want to do,” Abrams said. “If you’re not passionate, I don’t think you have a chance to be successful.”

Abrams, a 1961 Penn State graduate, and founder of Cypress Productions, has been a television producer for more than four decades, winning Emmy Awards for such productions as “Nuremberg” and “The Defection of Simas Kudirka.” His “Family of Spies” was also nominated for an Emmy Award. He executive produced “44 Minutes,” the FX Network’s highest-rated show during its first nine years as well ESPN’s acclaimed “Four Minutes.”

Abrams’ late wife Carol graduated from Penn State with honors and was a National Peabody Award winner. His son, J.J. Abrams, has followed in his father’s footsteps, as director of “Mission Impossible” and “Star Trek,” and creator of the TV series “Lost.”

Writer and producer Finestra agreed with Abrams’ sentiments, adding that attitude is a key component of success as well.

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CARNEGIE NEWS

“Get in there, do your job and people will notice.

People can tell a lot about you by how you work and treat others.”

Public lecture addresses media influence, impact on children’s eating habits

— Carmen Finestra (’71), Emmy Award winner

“Get in there, do your job and people will notice,” he said.

“People can tell a lot about you by how you work and treat others.”

Finestra, a 1971 Penn State graduate, moved to TV after a stint as an Off-Broadway actor and began writing for “The Cosby Show” in 1984, where he would remain until 1990, leaving the show as supervising producer. Finestra received three Emmy nominations for that series. From 1991-99, he was a writer and coexecutive producer for “Home Improvement,” earning three Emmys and two Golden Globe nominations.

He currently is a partner in Wind Dancer Productions, a firm Finestra co-owns and cofounded with actor Tim Allen.

His financial support built the College’s Carmen Finestra editing lab.

Jimirro, who earned his degree from the University in 1958, was the creator and founding president of The Disney Channel and Walt Disney Home Video, and is currently chairman of the board of National Lampoon. At The Disney Channel, Jimirro was responsible for the conception, development and launching of the fastest-growing pay service in history.

Under his guidance, The Disney Channel introduced many innovations, such as interactive programming and The Disney Channel Magazine. In 2003, he provided funding for Penn State’s Jimirro Center for the Study of Media Influence, which explores the role of the media in influencing such behaviors as public opinion and buying habits.

He reminded students of the importance of believing in and promoting their own ideas. He was turned down multiple times before the idea for Disney Channel was accepted.

“That’s the benefit of persistence,” he told the audience. “Stay at it. Be persistent.”

The moderator of the event, Amanda Gifford, graduated from Penn State in 2004 with degrees in journalism and elementary education. She works for ESPN Radio as program director for national afternoon and evening programming. She previously had moderated an event for the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism featuring Bob Costas of NBC Sports.

The Hollywood event was sponsored by the College of Communications and the College of Arts and Architecture.

— Alissa Felt

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A leading media scholar addressed the media’s influence on eating habits among children during a free public lecture on campus during the fall semester.

Kristen Harrison, a professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan, presented the fall Robert M. Pockrass Memorial Lecture, titled “Media and Preschoolers’ Perceptions of Healthy Eating: Findings from the Michigan STRONG Kids Project.” The lecture was co-sponsored by the College of Communications, the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences, and University Libraries.

Kristen Harrison’s research focuses on the Harrison relationship between child media exposure and health outcomes related to body image, disordered eating, food, nutrition and obesity. Her work has been funded by the William T. Grant Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, among others. She has published in top-tier outlets such as Journal of Communication, American Journal of Public Health and Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

She was co-founder of the University of Illinois STRONG Kids Program, a transdisciplinary research initiative engaged with media, marketing and family predictors of early childhood obesity within home, community and cultural contexts. Since 2011, she has been director of the media psychology group at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, where she is extending her STRONG Kids work with Michigan preschoolers.

The Pockrass Lecture was named after the late Professor Robert M. Pockrass, a member of Penn State’s journalism faculty from 1948 to 1977. Pockrass, who specialized in public opinion and popular culture, served as the graduate officer and taught radio news writing.

Under the direction of Matt McAllister, a professor in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, the Pockrass Lecture has grown in recent years. With one featured lecture each semester (spring and fall), the series regularly attracts some of the nation’s leading media studies experts. Those well-attended events provide insights and perspectives about the media and its impact in a variety of disciplines. l SPRING 2013

CARNEGIE NEWS

Panelists discuss future of NCAA in fall session Two former NCAA presidents were part of a five-member panel that addressed “The Future of the NCAA and its Membership” during the fall semester.

With the NCAA sanctions against Penn State as the backdrop, several issues were discussed before a capacity audience of nearly 500 at the State Theatre in State College. In addition, more watched online as part of a live video stream during the session sponsored by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.

Along with former NCAA presidents Gene Corrigan and Cedric Dempsey, the panel included R. Scott Kretchmar, the former Penn State faculty representative to the NCAA, Amy Perko of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics and Tom O’Toole of USA Today.

Current NCAA president Mark Emmert was invited to participate, but declined. Malcolm Moran, the inaugural Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society and director of the Curley Center, served as the moderator.

Corrigan expressed compassion for Penn State when he initially addressed the audience.

“I was upset for you. I felt you were hit pretty hard on the head,” the 84-year-old said. “You all have been caught in one of the darndest things I have ever heard of and witnessed, and I wish you well to get out of it.”

While the session focused on the future of the NCAA and its membership—especially what might come next for the governing body as the makeup of its membership changes—its authority was never far from the forefront of conversation.

Kretchmar addressed the Penn State situation with passion.

“Penn State is being used and abused by the NCAA,” he said. “A child-sex abuse scandal was never on the radar, the NCAA is about money.

“If Penn State were going to be saddled with unprecedented levels

of penalties one would expect it to measure up to the list of evidence.

Someday that may be available, but it is not at hand now.”

For most of the evening, a what’snext tone regarding the NCAA dominated conversation. After his opening statement, Kretchmar got a standing ovation from the audience for addressing the sanctioning process and how it specifically applied to Penn State.

Still, the bigger picture, what the changing landscape of conference expansion, television contracts and related issues meant to the NCAA was the primary focus.

Dempsey predicted there would be a growing separation between the “haves” and the “have nots,” which could lead to the creation of a separate division for universities who field football and basketball teams at the highest level of Division I intercollegiate athletics. Many of those schools, like Penn State, which have $100 million-plus budgets, face challenges and day-to-day operational methods that differ greatly from schools that field athletic teams at the Division II or Division III level.

In addition, the difference between the high-powered schools at the Division I level and schools at the lower level of that same division are striking.

As a result, the panelists agreed they would not be surprised by a radical landscape change where the power conference schools might break free from the NCAA entirely.

O’Toole and others clarified that if

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not for the revenue generated by the NCAA men’s basketball championship such a split of programs from the NCAA might already have happened.

Because of the necessary monetary focus of intercollegiate athletics across the country, panelists discussed the resulting changes in individual athletic departments. One of the primary changes has been in the role of athletic directors, who have primarily become budget balancers and fundraisers.

The panel said the NCAA has been putting an emphasis on gaining funds and Kretchmar noted that the NCAA is all about money. Kretchmar and O’Toole described it as a culture change. They believe that athletic directors have become primarily fundraisers and budget-balancers.

Perko also criticized the current direction of the NCAA, saying that there is not enough of an emphasis on academics in athletics. She also said that there are challenges with the governance and the credibility of the NCAA. And she does not see the landscape changing back toward what it was.

As the panelists addressed numerous changes that have already happened and seemed relegated to the fact that more would come—in the form of changing conference affiliations, higher salaries for coaches and the potential for problems—they also fully understood that it was not a problem created by someone else.

From administrators and advocates to alumni and fans and the media, the likely future of the NCAA has been impacted by actions and reactions by all parties.

Reform will not be easy, because it will require significant changes. And it might even require some people to act in what is not in their best interest, which Corrigan noted by criticizing all involved.

“We have met the enemy, and it is us,” he said. l

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CARNEGIE NEWS

POSNANSKI ON PATERNO Author Joe Posnanski (right), who wrote “Paterno,” talks about the book with Malcolm Moran, the inaugural Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society, during a standing-room-only session at Alumni Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center.

(Photo by John Beale)

Pair of election-related sessions provide important perspective Two panel discussions on campus before and after the presidential election in November provided information and insight about what could happen on Election Day, what did happen and why it happened—in terms of the results and the media coverage.

Before the election, Russ Eshleman, associate head of the Department of Journalism, was part of a session that included former U.S. congressman John Peterson and Chip Minemyer, executive editor of the Centre Daily Times, as they discussed the direction of the election and its coverage.

After the election, Eshleman organized and moderated a panel that examined what happened and why, with a focus on media coverage of the election for an audience of students and community members.

“Having the opportunity to review what happened and why provides an important and valuable opportunity for students, and for anyone interested in the media and politics,” said Eshleman, who previously served as Harrisburg bureau chief and state political writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He has covered political races throughout his career and is a frequent contributor on Pennsylvania government and politics for radio and television public affairs programs.

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“Sometimes how and why things happen are not as simple as they might seem. Plus, in order for people to do their jobs well, it’s good to hear from people with different views.”

Panelists for the post-election session were John Baer of the Philadelphia Daily News; Jim Brown, chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Bob Casey; Nikole Killion of Hearst Television; and Lisa Lerer of Bloomberg News.

Baer has covered government and politics for the Daily News since 1987. He is regarded as a top political journalist because of his ability to make the subject area simple and straightforward for readers.

Brown, who also served as chief of staff for Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey from 1989 to 1994, worked on Capitol Hill for five years as staff director and general counsel for the Subcommittee on Oversight of what is now the Committee on Financial Services.

Killion, an award-winning journalist, works in the Washington bureau as a national correspondent for Hearst Television.

Lerer covers the president and Congress for the Washington bureau of Bloomberg News. She traveled with the Mitt Romney campaign this year. l 13

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CARNEGIE NEWS

Foster Conference features award-winning alumna A Pulitzer Prize-winning Penn State alumna and an award-winning correspondent for NPR visited the University Park campus for the Foster-Foreman Sara Ganim Conference of Distinguished Writers during the fall semester.

The two-day event featured Pulitzer Prize winner Sara Ganim of CNN and David Greene of NPR. Both sessions, which were free and open to the public, attracted capacity crowds as the guests addressed a variety of topics, ranging from strategies for specific assignments to how-to approaches for students to timely news matters.

Ganim became, at 24, one of the youngest winners in the 95-year history of the Pulitzer Prize when she and The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, Pa., were recognized for local reporting

in 2012. In March 2011, Ganim was the first to report that a grand jury was investigating Jerry Sandusky for child sex abuse.

Ganim continued to work on the David Greene story, and on Nov. 4, 2011, she reported that the former Penn State assistant football coach had been indicted.

Ganim, who earned her journalism degree from Penn State in 2008, also won a George Polk Award for Journalism, a Distinguished Writing Award from the American Society of News Editors, and a Scripps Howard Award for Community Journalism. In March 2012, she was named by Newsweek magazine as one of “150 Fearless Women in the World.”

She moved from the Patriot-News to CNN in mid-November.

Greene is a host/correspondent for

the NPR programs “Morning Edition” and “Weekend Edition.”

Before beginning that assignment in 2012, he worked two years as a Moscow-based correspondent for NPR, covering the vast region from Ukraine to Siberia. He also reported from the Middle East, and in 2011 he earned the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize for his coverage of the Arab Spring. Earlier he was NPR’s White House correspondent for four years.

On that beat he spent three months in 2009 driving across America to learn how the recession was affecting the lives of ordinary Americans. He had an integral role in NPR’s 2008 election coverage and was honored by the White House Correspondents Association for deadline coverage of the presidency.

Before joining NPR in 2005, Greene, a graduate of McCaskey High School in Lancaster and Harvard University, spent nearly seven years as a reporter for The Baltimore Sun. l

Maymester course focuses on documentaries, offers travel to London For the first time ever this spring, Penn State students will have an opportunity to complete an “embedded course” during Maymester.

Those who sign up for COMM 497B International Documentary Production can spend 10 days at the Hampton Court Palace in London, exploring the city and England while creating a short documentary film.

The course is traditionally a 400-level offering for film-video majors, but students with intermediate level video production experience can apply.

Students who participate will learn in the classroom for the first week of Maymester then go abroad for the travel component of the trip.

The remainder of the time will be used for post-production work until classes finish. The session runs from May 6 to June 5.

Barbara Bird, an associate professor in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, typically teaches advanced documentary production as a regular semester course without the embedded component. She thinks students will find the Maymester option appealing in several ways.

“The students will be getting international experience, completing a 400-level course and still have time for a summer internship or still have time for a job,” said Bird,

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who also serves as director of international programs in the College of Communications. “It creates some flexibility going into the following year.”

Students also have the option to pursue any interest they desire for the topic of their documentary. If cultural aspects, religion or architecture impassions them, for example, they can make that the focus of their work.

“It’s all about creating flexible options for our communications students to have a great international experience,” said Bird.

The program’s development began when Bird showed her film students a documentary from the embedded international reporting class, which travels over spring break instead of during the early summer session.

Film-video students expressed interest in a similar option, and Bird helped make that happen.

“There was a need,” she said. “The students showed an interest in having something like that. So that’s the first step.”

Bird said it was a great opportunity simply because it would help grow the number of international options for communications and film production students.

Debora Cheney, the Foster Communications Librarian, will also accompany students to help with historical research during the time abroad. l 14

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CARNEGIE NEWS

International scholar finds opportunity at Penn State Studying at Penn State for an entire year has proven to be the right call for an international scholar studying the U.S. cell phone system.

Miao Miao, from the School of Economics and Management at Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China, has been examining the structure of mobile telecommunications and what makes the system work in the United States. She has also Miao extensively studied China’s cell phone system.

She has focused on bundling plans and mobile Miao portability in the United States.

She said cell phones are used only locally in her home country. In part because of government control, heavy roaming fees apply for taking a phone out of the region where it was purchased.

Conversely, roaming fees have been mostly eliminated in the United States. Cell phones can be used across the country—as long as a provider offers service where customers travel. And if customers are not happy with their carrier, they have the flexibility to try another provider.

“People don’t change carriers in China,” Miao said.

Mobile phone companies in China do offer different discounts, features, packages and rates, Miao said. Subscribers have the opportunity to choose the option that best suits their requirements, but different mobile phone companies serve specific geographic areas. As a result, options remain available, but limited.

Some in China seem to prefer that system to the U.S. approach with countless carriers, choices and packages. Regional attempts to implement the U.S. cell phone system in China have not worked well. One of the more prominent attempts took place in the province of Hainan.

“It was a failure,” Miao said. “I’m researching why this plan is successful in other countries, but not China. We tried it and people don’t want to switch.”

Miao has a lot to accomplish during her time in the United States, and she hopes to discover some new research topics.

“I have no exact plan for the rest of the year,” said Miao.

“Writing a paper takes a long time, and I still need to revise my work and papers. My plan is to write several papers and from that maybe we will find new ideas.”

Miao, with the help of faculty host Krishna Jayakar, an associate professor in the Department of Telecommunications, has already been examining one new idea—how the Internet will help disabled persons. They are working to expand on the concept, and Miao is excited about where it could lead.

As her official host, Jayakar’s role is to work with Miao to push her hypotheses and enhance her research. Trying to publish her first paper in English, Miao admits it’s hard work and Jayakar’s contributions are crucial.

“Every step of the way we discuss what type of things I should do. He has lots of suggestions and gives lots of useful feedback,” she said.

Miao is not only researching, but also learning, while at Penn State. She sits in on graduate classes offered by the University and by the College of Communications. And she has noted different teaching models between China and the United States that make classes challenging for her.

“Here, students have a lot of pressure to prepare for class, lots of research, lots of assignments. In China, nothing,” she said. “In China nobody will raise their hand to ask a question or interrupt. Here students are very active.

Teachers are kind to help the students, stop, and answer questions, too.”

And, while she has been primarily focused on her research and classroom work, Miao also appreciates how much people in the United States, and especially so on a thriving college campus, take time to focus on their physical well being.

“In China we have some gyms for the students, but the population is so big that we have no place to stand in the class,” said Miao, who regularly attends a Zumba class.

“Here there is so much space!”

— Alissa Felt

News, events and more online. http://comm.psu.edu

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FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Measuring how advertisements add up ethically

A

new approach to the ethical evaluation of advertising has been developed by a College of Communications faculty member.

The advertising ethicality evaluative map (AEEM), conceived by Lee Ahern, an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising/Public Relations, separates individual advertisements on a four-quadrant map to enable people to see which ads may be problematic.

The AEEM employs a map with a horizontal “x” axis representing the extent to which an issue is public or nonpublic. The vertical “y” axis charts the extent to which an ad uses informational appeals or values appeals. Using this approach, ads can be placed into one of four AEEM quadrants: “most ethically problematic” at the upper right, “potentially problematic” at the lower right, “potentially problematic” at the upper left and “least ethically problematic” at the lower left.

“This analysis provides regulators, critics, audiences and advertisers with a useful tool for morally classifying approaches to persuasion that have heretofore avoided systematic scrutiny,” said Ahern, a Page Legacy Scholar in the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication at Penn State.

Previous research has identified a hierarchy of advertising appeals along a continuum from concrete to abstract.

Often called the “product benefits ladder,” this continuum places product attributes at the bottom. Higher up come product benefits or features, consumer benefits and finally values.

Ads on the lower rungs of the ladder tend to be more informational in tone.

Messages about abstract consumer benefits and values—higher on the ladder—are about emotion, and often rely on image advertising rather than information.

Ads touting products at the bottom of the product benefits ladder are the easiest to fact-check because they contain verifiable claims. Sophisticated “image” ads with few—or no—facts to check can be more problematic.

“These appeals,” Ahern said, “often drop the delivery of linguistic information altogether. There is no truth or falsity to evaluate. Consumers have few, if any, cognitive defenses for them.”

“There is mounting empirical evidence that indirect image ads influence consumer attitudes and behaviors more strongly than consciously mediated persuasive information,” writes Ahern in a chapter of a new book titled “Talking Green: Exploring Contemporary Issues in Environmental Communications.”

Ahern believes that individual ads can be evaluated subjectively as to the nature and level of nonconscious techniques and image/value appeals they use. He also says that ads can be assessed on the degree to which they represent a public issue. His premise is that issues of public concern “should be presented in a way that allows audiences to engage in rational debate and evaluation of the explicit and implicit

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claims being made.”

By considering how public an issue is, and how much an ad message operates indirectly, Ahern believes it is possible to see when the use of Lee Ahern nonconscious ad techniques is ethically problematic.

Ahern cites as examples two ads: one

by BP (pre-oil spill) and one by Nissan.

The BP ad featured a carload of animated children driving through a green landscape forested with gently spinning turbines. When the gas gauge gets low they shun a number of dingy gray gas stations and pull in to the green sunburst BP logo where their car is filled by a smiling green gas pump.

After they drive off into the BP-logo sunset, the firm’s “Beyond Petroleum” tagline appears.

A more recent Nissan Leaf ad features a polar bear departing the Arctic for a hazardous trip to suburbia. With difficulty, the bear finds the driveway he has been looking for. A man leaves his house for work and is about to get

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FACULTY/STAFF NEWS into his Leaf when the bear comes around the back of the car, rises up on its rear legs—and gives the man a hug.

As environmentalism is a highly visible public issue, Ahern would place both the BP and Nissan ads near the right end point on the nonpublic/public axis of the AEEM. The messages of the ads, however, differ in their levels of nonconscious appeal “The BP ad evokes a ‘green world’ and associates its brand with this value. But it provides no information as to how the brand is instrumental in achieving it. Does BP use wind turbines to power its gas stations? Is BP gas produced and marketed using more sustainable practices compared to the competition? No such claims or connections are presented. This ad, therefore, would be placed near the top end-point in terms of the nonconscious/values appeals employed.”

And that lands the BP ad high in the upper right quadrant of the AEEM, marking it as “most ethically problematic.”

The Nissan ad also uses nonconscious persuasive techniques and values imagery. The ad, however, does make a clear claim that the audience can rationally evaluate. The degree to which lower emissions from an electric car reduces greenhouse gases can be empirically verified.

“Subjectively placing the ad near the mid-point on the nonconscious/appeal graph seems appropriate,” Ahern said.

That puts the Nissan ad in the “potentially problematic” quadrant.

Ahern says that as the AEEM evolves, specific guidelines can be developed for “grading” the levels of nonconscious appeals.

Ahern’s chapter is titled, “Evaluating the Ethicality of Green Advertising: Toward an Extended Analytical Framework.” It is chapter nine in “Talking Green,” an anthology of which he is co-editor, just published by Peter Lang International Publishing Group. His work was supported by a grant from the Page Center. l

Book illustrates many challenges facing environmental communicators Two faculty members from the College of Communications have edited a new book, “Talking Green: Exploring Current Issues in Lee Environmental Ahern Communication,” that has been published by Peter Lang International Publishing Group.

The editors—Denise Bortree and Lee Ahern—are assistant professors in the Department of Advertising/Public Relations and Arthur W. Page Center Legacy Scholars. The Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication is a research unit housed in the College of Communications.

The book is an anthology with nine articles contributed by 15 authors, including several leading environmental communications researchers and one leading practitioner. The goal, according to Bortree and Ahern, is to identify and explore some of the common questions and challenges that confront environmental communicators.

“Talking Green” was inspired by a 2008 essay titled “Weathercocks & Signposts: The Environmental Movement at a Crossroads by Tom Crompton,” a change strategist with the World Wildlife Federation-UK. The executive summary of Crompton’s essay is the first chapter in “Talking Green” and Crompton contributes an afterword.

The other chapters and their authors include: l “Winning the Conversation: Framing and Moral Messaging in Environmental Campaigns,” by Matthew C. Nisbet, Ezra M. Markowitz and John E. Kotcher, all from the School of Communication at American University l “Biofuels and the Law of Unintended Consequences,” by Charles T. Salmon of Nanyang Technological

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University and Leleah Fernandez of Michigan State University l “Greenwashing to Green Advocacy: The Environmental Imperative Denise in Organizational Bortree Rhetoric,” by Brant Short of Northern Arizona University l “Environmental Risk Communication: Right to Know as a Core Value for Behavioral Change,” by Michael J. Palenchar of the University of Tennessee and Bernardo H. Motta of Bridgewater (Virginia) College l “Public Response Before and After a Crisis: Appeals to Value and Outcomes for Environmental Attitudes,”

by Janas Sinclair of the University of North Carolina and Barbara Miller of Elon University l “Individual Factors and Green Message Reception: Framing, Lifestyles and Environmental Choices,” by Harsha Gangadharbatla and Kim B. Sheehan of the University of Oregon l “Pro-Environmental Behaviors Through Social Media: An Analysis of Twitter Communication Strategies,”

by Penn State’s Bortree.

The final chapter seeks to create a framework for the ethical evaluation of advertising in environmental communication. It is titled “Evaluating the Ethicality of Green Advertising: Toward an Extended Analytical Framework” and written by Ahern.

“As much as science has to offer, designing successful message strategies still involves a great deal of art,” the editors write in their preface to the book. “We believe the reflections and insights gathered here will stiffen the resolve of researchers and strategic planners to move forward with the next generation of environmental communications campaigning.” l

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Civil War press helped shape current media landscape Just as the Civil War helped reshape the U.S. militarily, new technologies and a growing demand for information during the war influenced the nation’s press, according to a Penn State researcher.

“It was absolutely an important moment in the history of the press,” said Ford Risley, professor and head of the Department of Journalism. “The practices, technological development you begin to see during the war—the importance of the telegraph, the use of illustrations, for example—and the growth in demand for newspapers, so many of these things came together during this remarkable and tragic event.”

The demand for newspapers in both the North and South soared during the Civil War, said Ris- Ford ley, whose book, “Civil War Journalism” (Praeger, Risley 2012), was published this fall.

“The people were clamoring for news about the war,” Risley said. “Almost everyone knew someone who was fighting, whether it was a family member, or a friend, or a neighbor.”

While the Southern press was not as prepared to face the rising demand for war reporting as the North, the need for that information in the Confederacy was perhaps even more vital, Risley said. As Union troops invaded the South, editors and journalists strained to provide information to readers on troop movements and possible targets.

“Besides Gettysburg and Antietam, the war was largely fought in the South,” said Risley. “So the people in the South obviously had a real stake in the war.”

This demand for information continued after the war and pushed more newspapers to broaden their readership by offering more objective reporting, Risley said.

“America really became a nation of newspaper readers during the war,” he said.

Risley said photographs and illustrations were another media innovation that grew in prominence during the Civil War. Photographers, such as Alexander Gardner, and illustrators, such as Alfred Waud, gave the public a more visual and often more graphic portrayal of war.

College presence strong at event A dozen faculty members, 25 graduate students and 20 alumni from the College of Communications provided a powerful Penn State presence at the 98th annual National Communication Association Convention in Orlando, Fla.

The telegraph, which was used heavily by the press during the Civil War, had a long-lasting effect on journalism. Since telegraph operators charged by the word to transmit stories over the wire, reporters tried to prioritize facts and write more succinctly.

“While I think that the idea that the use of the telegraph created the inverted pyramid style of news writing is often overstated, you do begin to see that reporters are beginning to write more concisely during the war,” Risley said. “They paid telegraph rates, so, the fewer words, the less expensive.”

This is the first book on Civil War journalism that offers insights into both the Northern and the Southern press in one volume, Risley said, which helps to show the similarities and the differences between the two presses.

“Obviously, the Northern press was far ahead of the Southern press in terms of technology and experience,” said Risley.

Reporters from both sides of the war had somewhat similar experiences dealing with censorship. With a lack of guidelines on how the military would work with the press, both Union and Confederate governments and armies restricted reporting and closed newspapers, causing tension with the press.

“Sometimes the government had a point because military secrets were revealed by reporters,” said Risley. “But at the same time, the censorship often was arbitrary and uneven.”

The Civil War also showed officials how powerful the press could be in shaping public opinion. The government officials often struggled with finding an even-handed approach in their handling of the press.

“Abraham Lincoln recognized that the press played a role in public opinion and he used the press effectively,” said Risley. “But, he wasn’t afraid to shut down newspapers, something that would not have been acceptable today.”

—Matthew Swayne

The NCA convention—conducted in mid-November with a “Celebrate COMMunity” theme—provides an annual forum for communications researchers nationwide to share their expertise. Penn State faculty, students and alumni were active making presentations and participating in discussions and panels at the convention.

In addition, the Penn State contingent included an Article of the Year winner, and

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faculty, graduate students and alumni who produced five different papers selected among the best in their respective divisions.

A paper by Michelle Rodino-Colocino, an assistant professor, garnered Article of the Year honors in NCA’s Critical and Cultural Studies Division. The article, ”Geek Jeremiads: Speaking the Crisis of Job Loss by Opposing Offshored and H-1B Labor,” was published in the journal Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies. l

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FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Colleen Connolly-Ahern addresses undergraduate students at Shanghai International Studies University.

Maymester experience offers lessons for faculty as well Maymester—the University’s fourweek summer course program—provides a popular study option for students looking to catch up on credits and still leave time for summer vacation or work.

It’s also a great opportunity for faculty members, which Colleen Connolly-Ahern and Lee Ahern discovered while teaching classes at Shanghai International Studies University in Songjiang, China.

Connolly-Ahern, an associate professor in the Department of Advertising/ Public Relations, taught research methods and international advertising while Ahern, an assistant professor in the same department, taught introduction to strategic communications and media planning to undergraduate advertising students at SISU over a four-week period. The two professors also used the opportunity to conduct research on cross-cultural attitudes and message effects.

“The classroom culture was quite a bit different than what we expected,” said Ahern. “While the American system of education expects more feedback from students, Chinese students are accustomed to lecture.”

The students were incredibly responsive, but in different ways.

“We would sit there and wait for an

answer and nothing would happen,” said Connolly-Ahern. “Sometimes I’d ask a question in class and when I’d get home I’d find emails with the answers.”

The professors quickly recognized that some of thier classroom plans were not going to work. So, they adapted.

For example, they found that the students preferred working in pairs or groups versus having to present as individuals.

“It changed our perspective,” said Ahern. “Having the opportunity to teach Chinese students in China has given me a new point of view when it comes to teaching Chinese students in the U.S.” The teaching process required a learning curve for both professors, but they were not the only two making adjustments. Their daughters Ellie and Abbey accompanied them and had to adapt as well.

“Especially in cultures that differ greatly from our own, you’re probably going to screw up and call someone the wrong title, or tip a server when you’re not supposed to,” said Abbey, a freshman at Fordham University. “But if you don’t screw it up then you can’t learn.”

The intangibles they discovered

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played a major role in their experiences abroad and in their plans for the future.

Abbey has begun studying Mandarin as a minor, and Connolly-Ahern even considered the benefits of doing a similar trip again.

“I would be able to anticipate new ways of teaching. It was great for me,” she said. “I teach international and even though I know a lot of this, actually having to live through it brought new insights.”

Fortunately, this isn’t a one-time trip for the College of Communications.

Another group will be going to SISU for spring break as part of an international reporting class, and SISU students were at Penn State in November to cover the presidential election.

The partnership between the College of Communications and SISU is one that continues to grow by exploring ways universities can collaborate and cooperate.

“It really gave me an understanding of how beneficial academic exchanges can be,” said Connolly-Ahern. “There are so many misconceptions and the only way you clear them up is by actually meeting people that are different.”

— Alissa Felt

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DiStaso honored for teaching, named associate editor A College of Communications faculty member was among the top finishers in the 2012 Promising Professor competition that focused on classroom instruction and was conducted by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Marcia DiStaso, an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising/Public Relations, was honored by members of AEJMC’s Mass Communication and Society Division during the group’s annual convention.

DiStaso was cited for the attention to detail and quality of her submission, which included a supporting letter from Marie Hardin, associate dean for undergraduate and graduate education.

During the award presentation, DiStaso and other honorees shared some of the approaches that have helped them find success in the classroom.

DiStaso joined the Penn State faculty in 2007. She began teaching in 2002 and has more than 10 years of professional experience, including positions in corporate nonprofit and agency public relations.

DiStaso’s research focuses on social media, investor relations and financial communication.

She has written peer-reviewed journal articles, which have been published in the Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, Public Relations Journal and Journalism Studies. She has written 14 book chapters, has publications available through the Institute for Public Relations, and has presented more than 25 conference papers at national and international conferences.

DiStaso was also named an associate editor for an innovative social media research center that will maintain an online database of high-quality, newsworthy studies that pertain to social media and

related topics.

She will help maintain the interactive database for the Social Science of Social Media Research Center, created by the Institute for Marcia Public Relations. DiStaso The website begins with summaries of more than 30 articles or books about social media from public relations research literature.

Plans are under way to add information about social media research from practitioners and academic disciplines, including journalism, mass communication, business and the social sciences.

Each article summary includes an extended abstract, comments about the research methodology, key findings and implications for the practice.

The site also provides opportunities for public relations practitioners, business leaders and academics to comment on the research, explain how they will use it and suggest additional research.

“Organizations cannot ignore social media anymore,” DiStaso said, “but learning how to best handle this rapidly changing environment can be tricky.

“By accessing the research center, public relations professionals and academics can learn what is happening in social media research that affects companies. To make it easy, the studies are briefly described in terms of what it means to the profession.”

DiStaso is also a senior research fellow in the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication, which is housed in the College of Communications, and chairwoman of the Financial Communications Section of the Public Relations Society of America.

Her research focuses on the topics of social media and financial

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services. She is currently working on research that highlights what needs to be done to obtain a mutually beneficial relationship between Wikipedia and public relations professionals.

She is active in the Public Relations Society of America, serving as co-chair of the National Research Committee, research chair of the Educators Academy and a member of the Speakers Bureau.

She sits on the editorial board for Public Relations Journal and is a board member of the International Public Relations Research Conference.

DiStaso has judged PRSA Silver Anvils, PR News Platinum PR Awards and other competitions.

She consults companies on social media and provides pro bono work for local and national non-profit agencies.

The research team for the social media center also includes Donald K. Wright, the Harold Burson Professor and chairman in public relations at Boston University, who serves as editor, and Tina McCorkindale, an assistant professor of communication at Appalachian State University, who serves as associate editor.

For more information, visit www. instituteforpr.org/scienceofsocialmedia/. The steering committee for the center consists of APCO Worldwide, Hormel, Johnson & Johnson, Rockwell Automation and Southern Co. The Institute for Public Relations is an independent foundation dedicated to the science beneath the art of public relations and focused on research that is applicable in communications practice.

Its research is available free at www.instituteforpr.org and provides the basis for the organization’s professional conferences and events. l

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Award-winning paper focuses on ‘digital divide’ A College of Communications faculty member is this year’s winner of the Meharoo Jussawala Prize awarded to the top research paper at the annual convention of the Pacific Telecommunications Council.

The paper, titled “A Broadband Bridge for the Disability Divide,” was authored by Krishna Jayakar, an associate professor in the Krishna Department of Jayakar Telecommunications. Along with Jayakar, other authors on the paper were Gary Madden of Curtin University in Australia, Chun Liu of Southwest Jiaotong University in China and Eun-A Park of the University of New Haven.

The award will be presented at the annual winter convention in Hawaii. The prize includes an honorarium and an all-expenses-paid trip to the convention.

“I feel particularly touched to receive this award named after Dr. Jussawala, a pioneering telecommunications scholar who passed away in 2012 after a career spanning more than 50 years,” Jayakar said.

Jayakar has published extensively on universal telecommunications access for disadvantaged communities such as minorities and the poor, most recently focusing on broadband access for persons with disabilities.

An award winning teacher, Jayakar teaches telecommunications management and media economics in the College of Communications. In 2004, he earned the Deans’ Excellence Award for Integrated Scholarship and in 2002 he received the Deans’ Excellence Award for Teaching. l

Researcher: Technology only a tool in search for solutions for poverty Technology can serve as a tool failed. to bridge the digital divide, but it is Rodino-Colocino said that even if unlikely to be a complete solution in the free WiFi service had been rolled helping people find jobs and escape out, she doubted the technology would poverty, according to a College of have solved the problems of the projCommunications researcher. ect’s participants.

“People really want to believe that “It’s a classic pick-yourself-up-bythe latest technology will help your-bootstraps—or Internet us do all these great things connections, in this case—type and liberate us,” said Michelle of program,” she said. “But Rodino-Colocino, an assistant it doesn’t address these big professor in the Department problems.” of Film-Video and Media The researcher said there Studies. “But it’s also a way of are few online jobs that pay putting off the big problems a living wage. Without a car and saying, ‘Let’s not touch or childcare, the participants these big problems because would still find it difficult to Michelle Internet access will turn it all Rodino-Colocino find a job. around for us.’ ” “In fact, the participants The researcher examined a plan in may have found themselves even more Walnut Hills, a diverse low-income isolated,” the researcher added. community in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Rodino-Colocino said that political provide a wireless Internet connecaction, rather than an overreliance on tion—WiFi—service and computer technology, would help low-income training to poor, mainly female people solve problems associated with residents who do not own cars to help poverty, such as low wages and limited them become more employable and access to childcare. escape poverty.

To study the project, Rodino-CoThe organizers of the Neighborlocino attended community meetings hoodworks.net project named the ideal on the plan and reviewed the Neighrecipient of the program Vanessa, who borhoodworks.net grant application, was both a real person, as well as a as well as monitored media coverage representative of the demographic that of the plan. She conducted a series of the group wanted to serve. Vanessa was interviews of 10 participants of the proa low-income mother of four, who did gram, both during the planning phase not have a car or access to childcare. of the project and after the failure to “It’s really a digital divide argucreate the WiFi network. ment,” said Rodino-Colocino, who Rodino-Colocino was surprised that presented her findings at the National even after the failure to implement the Communication Association conferfree WiFi system, participants still had ence. “But it’s also a typical post-welhope that technology would create new fare argument that tries to avoid the employment opportunities for them. political and larger structural problems The project seemed to raise self-esteem and accepts the attacks on welfare as a and hope, she added. given.”

“The hearts and minds of all those The project, conceived in 1999, was involved were really in the right place expected to become operational in with this,” Rodino-Colocino said.

2007. While the computer training did “When I returned for follow-up interreceive funding and was provided by a views, participants were still hopeful local human services agency, the plan even though these larger issues were to provide free WiFi to the community never addressed.” l

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SPRING 2013

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Comments, traffic statistics help empower bloggers Whether bloggers are writing to change the world, or just discussing a bad break-up, they may get an extra boost of motivation from traffic-measuring and interactive tools that help them feel more connected to and more influential in their communities, according to researchers from the College of Communications.

In a series of studies, female bloggers showed that they enjoyed blogging because it made them feel empowered and part of a community, said Carmen Stavrositu, who recently completed doctoral work in mass communications at Penn State. The studies also indicated that the sheer number of visits to their blog and comments predicted their continued interest in blogging.

“Women who received a high number of site visitors felt a deeper sense of agency about blogging compared to those who received fewer visitors, ultimately leading to a greater sense of influence,” said Stavrositu, who is currently an assistant professor of communications at the University of Colorado. “Also, women who received many comments felt more empowered than those who received very few comments, due to a strong perceived sense of community.”

The number of comments is an indicator of connection, and traffic statistics are indicators of influence, according to Distinguished Professor S. Shyam Sundar, co-director of the College’s Media Effects Research Laboratory, who worked with Stavrositu.

The researchers, who report their findings in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, initially asked 340 female bloggers about their blogging activities and their feelings of empowerment. The survey of bloggers, who were drawn at random from a web directory of blogs written predominantly by women, showed that those who blogged for personal

reasons felt a greater sense of community in the blogosphere, whereas bloggers who wrote about external subjects believed that blogging made them competent, assertive and confident.

In a follow-up experiment, researchers asked 106 female college students

“Those women who write mostly about their personal lives and daily experiences become more empowered by developing a strong sense of community,” Stavrositu said. “That is, they connect with others who share similar experiences and feel like they are a part of the community.”

She added that when women blog about issues that are not as personal, they feel more empowered because they believe they can change issues, especially when they have a lot of readers.

According to Sundar, these feelings of connection and empowerment may explain why blogging is still popular, despite a lack of financial rewards for bloggers.

“Bloggers are usually not paid and, except for a few A-list bloggers, most of them are unknown,” said Sundar.

— S. Shyam Sundar, Developers of social media Distinguished Professor sites and tools may want to make site statistics easily accessible and more understandto create a blog and write over two able for bloggers, Sundar said. days about a personal topic—for “We are often overwhelmed with instance, personal relationships or information and we all crave for simtheir health. Another group of 108 pler indicators of complex data,” said participants were asked to write about Sundar. “Presenting this information external issues that were important to in a simple way allows the users to them, such as racism, science, social derive meaning from it and this is issues and politics. especially critical in social media, The researchers then manipulated which depend heavily on interaction site metrics indicating the number with others and feedback provided by of visitors to the blog to test how them.” they affected the bloggers’ sense of The researchers selected female agency. The site metrics were tweaked subjects because women tend to create to indicate that some blogs received more blogs than men and abandon 50 visitors each day, while others them less frequently than males. received just 20.

However, Sundar said he would To test how a sense of community expect a similar reaction from male affected the attitudes of bloggers, the bloggers. researchers added more comments to “In general, it seems that, unlike in some blogs, while leaving only a few a lot of technology areas, women have comments on others. Even though widely adopted blogging and social the content of the comments did not networks,” said Sundar. “However, differ, bloggers who received a greater there’s no reason to think that these number of comments felt a higher results would be restricted just to sense of community. women.” l

“In general, it seems that, unlike a lot of technology areas, women have widely adopted blogging and social networks. However, there’s no reason to think that these results would be restricted just to women.”

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SPRING 2013

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Patients have no patience for retweets from doctors People are more likely to trust health messages tweeted by doctors who have a lot of followers, but not the messages they retweet, according to researchers.

A study of the credibility of health messages on Twitter showed that credibility dips when doctors who have a large number of Twitter followers passed on messages, instead of composing their own tweets, said Ji Young Lee, a 2008 Penn State master’s degree graduate in media studies.

When non-medical professionals with a lot of Twitter followers forward messages about health on Twitter, however, their followers tend to find those messages more credible.

“Our study results imply that people may perceive tweets and retweets differently depending on the source of the content,” said Lee, who is now a doctoral student in communication at Ohio State. “They do care about whether a message is originally created by someone or retweeted by someone, as well as whether the source is a professional and popular.”

A tweet is a message that is 140 characters or less that a user posts on Twitter, the popular microblogging site.

When a Twitter user forwards a post from another person, it is called a retweet.

The study, which appears online ahead of its publication in the journal Health Communication, shows how people infer credibility and trust based on certain cues, said S. Shyam Sundar, distinguished professor of communications and co-director of Penn State’s Media Effects Research Laboratory, who worked with Lee on the study.

“It does show that people are aware of all of these cues,” said Sundar. “And they are likely to use all three cues—bandwagon, authority and proximity—when they’re reviewing online health communications.”

The authority cue indicates the source’s reputation for expertise and bandwagon is a cue that suggests how popular the source is. Proximity refers to whether the content is original—a tweet—or forwarded information—a retweet.

A total of 63 undergraduate college students took part in the study and were asked to follow the Twitter accounts of either a doctor with many followers, the same doctor with a few followers, a layperson with many followers or a layperson with a few followers.

The researchers added information to the Twitter

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accounts of these four fictitious sources to suggest the cues. For instance, they added “MD” on account names to indicate that the sources were doctors. To signal that the source was popular, the researchers increased the number of followers on those accounts from 21 to 983.

Subjects found original tweets from the doctor with a large Twitter following to be the most credible. However, the perceived credibility decreased when that doctor retweeted a message from another doctor, according to the researchers.

The credibility increased when the popular layperson retweeted the same message from a doctor.

“In the social media universe, the number of followers that a layperson has seems to translate into trustworthiness,” said Sundar. “While tweets are judged based on the expertise of the person tweeting them, retweets depend on the trustworthiness of the person forwarding the health messages.”

Sundar said subjects received Twitter messages that were controversial statements about weight loss that were tweeted to them over a one-week period. For example, one tweet read, “Exercising less than one hour per day can help one lose weight. Exercising more than one hour increases appetite and results in weight gain.”

The researchers used controversial statements to make sure subjects would challenge the credibility of the message.

“We selected controversial messages because one of the major outcome variables in our study was perceived credibility of the content,” said Sundar. “The question of judging credibility of a particular message will be moot if the message is a well known truism.”

The research could help health communications professionals and doctors determine how best to spread the word about health and medicine, as well as help raise awareness on how web users process online information, said Sundar.

“With many laypeople posting health information, there is a greater need for online users to assess the credibility of what they read,” said Sundar. “And, as more and more people go online for health information, we want to learn how they use the unique cues present in online media, so that we can find the best ways to communicate health information.” l 23

SPRING 2013

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

Former University VP joins College, moves to classroom Penn State’s longtime vice president for university relations, Bill Mahon, has stepped down from his position and accepted a teaching position in the College of Communications beginning spring semester 2013.

Mahon has worked in Penn State’s Office of University Relations for the past 28 years.

“After almost three decades at Penn State and 10 years before that in the newspaper business, I plan to share my experiences with students preparing to enter journalism and public relations,” Mahon said. “Penn State’s College of Communications is by any measure one of the best in the nation.

It’s an honor to join the distinguished group of faculty who are teaching and conducting research there.”

Mahon began his career in newspapers, then in 1984 came to Penn State, first as an assistant manager, and then as director of the Department of Public Information. In 2001, he was named assistant vice president for university relations and in 2007, was appointed vice president.

“We are delighted that Bill will be joining our faculty,” said Douglas Anderson, dean of the College of

Communications.

“His decades of experience in public relations and journalism prepare him perfectly to teach several of our courses. Bill’s experience with Bill Mahon and expertise in new media also will be a big bonus for our program and students.”

He will teach courses in advertising/public relations and journalism.

The University put together a search committee and is in the midst of a national search to identify a new person to lead marketing and communications efforts for the University.

The Office of University Relations is composed of the departments of marketing, public information, Internet communications, campus and community affairs and research communications.

In his role as vice president, Mahon was responsible for internal and external communications. During his tenure with Penn State, University Relations earned a reputation among its peer institutions for its creative use

of technology and of market research to inform decision-making and messaging.

Penn State was one of the first schools in American higher education to create a marketing department and has been a pioneer in the use of marketing research.

It also was one of the first universities to establish branded Facebook and YouTube sites, and one of the first to embrace the use of Twitter. In addition, 15 years ago under Mahon’s direction, Penn State launched a digital news service, Penn State Newswire. Today, the Newswire system has more than a half-million subscribers from more than 100 countries and the Penn State Facebook page has 280,000 subscribers.

“Bill has achieved success over many years in leading Penn State’s University Relations operations.

We have benefitted greatly from his creativity, his knowledge of the media, and his never-ending curiosity about the ways people communicate. These qualities will serve him well in his new faculty role, and be of tremendous value to our students,” said Penn State President Rodney Erickson. l

As Fulbright Scholar, Frank teaches journalism in Ukraine A faculty member from the College of Communications received a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture in Ukraine during the 2012-13 academic year.

Associate professor Russell Frank spent the fall semester teaching a class titled “Best Practices in American Journalism” at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in western Ukraine. He is one of approximately 1,100 U.S. faculty and Russell Frank professionals who will travel abroad through the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in 2012-13.

Frank teaches news writing, feature writing, news media ethics and the literature of journalism at Penn State. He worked for newspapers in California and Pennsylvania as a reporter and editor for 12 years before joining the University faculty in 1998.

He is the education chair on the board of directors of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and a member of the American Folklore Society, the Internation

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al Association for Literary Journalism Studies, the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 310,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. l

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SPRING 2013

FACULTY/STAFF NEWS

SEASON-ENDING SMILES Faculty member Steve Kraycik, the director of television and online operations, snaps a photo of students who produced the weekly “Centre County Report” news program after their final show of the fall semester.

(Photo by Curt Chandler)

NEWS, NOTES

Three earn Deans’ Excellence Awards Three staff members from the College of Communications were recognized with annual Deans’ Excellence Awards for their work.

Those honored were: Betsy Hall, coordinator of graduate educaBetsy Hall tion; Darlene Sidwell, human resources assistant; and Michael Zelazny, equipment/laboratory coordinator.

The annual awards recognize customer service and excellence in units across the College, and the trio represent Penn State in the best possible manner on a daily basis with a variety of audiences.

Specifically, Hall works most often with prospective and current graduate students on everything from the application process to job placement.

Darlene Sidwell

Michael Zelazny

Sidwell helps manage ever-changing human resrouces functions and focuses specifically on employees— full-time, adjunct and work-student students.

Zelazny manages the equipment room, keeping the cameras, recorders, tripods and more that students need in working order and managing the check-out process so it moves smoothly to best serve studen ts. l

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l College Media Matters, with a list crafted

by Dan Reimold, included the Penn State Department of Journalism among the nation’s best. While Reimold writes that the list is not all-inclusive or objective, he does offer these criteria for his selections: “As someone who monitors and covers college media and journalism education daily, it is based on nothing more than my personal knowledge of various schools’ and departments’ reputations, faculty, affiliated student media, classes, internship and study abroad connections, and feedback I’ve received in spurts from students and (mostly younger) alums. “ l Matthew Jordan, an assistant professor in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, presented “Wiring Ourselves for Sound: Quietness, White Noise and the Metamorphosis of Mediated Subjectivity” in October as part of a lecture series coordinated by the Department of Comparitive Literature.

SPRING 2013

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Support for internship programs assists students

T

wo alumni who know the importance of hands-on experience for career preparation have made important gifts to support internship programs in the College of Communications.

Bob Barbarowicz (’68 Journ), a partner at Michelman & Robinson LLP, created the Robert P. Barbarowicz Internship Award.

Brian Healy (’67 Journ/Brdcst), a retired producer for CBS News, created the Brian M. Healy Washington, D.C., Program Internship Award.

Both endowments will enable more students to complete internships—an integral part of preparing for a career in communications—by helping alleviate some financial concerns because many internships are unpaid.

More than 600 students in the College complete for-credit internships each year, with that number rising steadily during the past decade. The Washington Program receives more than 70 applications each year, with 40 to 50 students accepted for the program that combines academic requirements and hands-on professional work.

“That combination makes the program especially valuable in my eyes,” said Healy, who considers Washington, D.C., the strongest communications and journalism city in the nation. He said an internship in any major city provides a valuable experience, but stressed the difference in the nation’s capital.

“There are distinctive ways about how Washington works. It’s different from Dallas and Houston, Los Angeles and even New York. It’s more about power and influence and, of course, it’s the seat of government,” Healy said. “Combining the academics and the internship experience is important because at heart we’re an academic institution.

“It’s an important opportunity for students to learn about what really happens, especially in a city like Washington, D.C., and it’s important as it relates to the University—because

Students who complete internships will have support from two recently created funds earmarked for interns in general and for those who complete internships as part of the College’s successful Washington D.C. Program.

it’s about competition. Everyone is here in Washington. Every school of any nature has a presence here. We’re the largest communications program in the nation, so we have to be here for competitive reasons. Best of all, it’s a solid program and we live up to our size and reputation.”

Led by Robert Richards, the John and Ann Curley Professor of First Amendment Studies, and program coordinator Scott Colburn, the Washington Program consistently finds solid and timely internship options for students. The program, established in 1995, also provides the mix of academics that Healy cited as vital (and that parents and students appreciate because students remain on track to graduate on time) as well as a secure housing option, programs and special events.

The latest gifts to the internship programs increase the total endowment value of funds in the College dedicated to internship support to more than $1 million.

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Internship endowments can be funded outright or paid over a five-year period. The minimum endowment level is $20,000. Scores of students are supported.

Donors know the value of such support, too.

“Nothing beats hands-on, real-life experience to help prepare students for a career. Or, to help them adjust their plans,” Barbarowicz said.“Having that understanding beyond the classroom makes them more valuable as they enter the job market.” l

SPRING 2013

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

AT&T Foundation gift supports Page Center The AT&T Foundation has awarded a grant of $200,000 to the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication to support its ongoing research and professional education efforts.

“We are grateful to the AT&T Foundation for its gift, which will enhance our ability to identify and fund the best research on topics related to communication ethics,” said Marie Hardin, director of the Page Center, a research enterprise housed in the College of Communications.

The Page Center has awarded more than $396,000 to scholars and educators from all over the world. “The work of the Page Center is unique,” added Hardin. “We are building a body of knowledge that is important and not duplicated elsewhere. Recognition of this by the AT&T Foundation is extremely gratifying.”

The Page Center is named for Arthur W. Page, the longtime vice president for public relations at AT&T, who is often regarded as the founder of the modern practice of corporate public relations. He also was a noted educator, publisher and adviser to U.S. presidents. Page was the first person in a public relations position to serve as an officer and director of a major corporation and, in that capacity, was widely known for management according to the “Page Principles,” his guidelines for ethical and effective communication with the public and for responsible corporate behavior.

Grants awarded by the Page Center encourage a modern understanding and application of the Page Principles by supporting investigation into issues in 21st century communication challenges and also by supporting the development of classroom materials for educators. In addition, the Center maintains a growing oral history archive used by scholars, communications professionals, educators and students.

The Page Center was created in 2004 through a leadership gift by Lawrence G. Foster, a distinguished Penn State alumnus and retired corporate vice president for public relations at Johnson & Johnson. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson 1962 Charitable Trust also have provided significant support.

For more information about the Center, visit http://thepagecenter.comm.psu.edu

online.

Four separate gifts help IIP Researchers in the Institute for Information Policy (IIP) rank as some of the world’s most respected in terms of information policy and information technology, and they have earned support for some of their work from funding groups in recent months.

Support for their work came from the Ford Foundation ($80,000), Pacific Telecommunications Council ($41,200), the Media Democracy Fund ($20,000) and Google ($20,000).

Richard Taylor, the Palmer Chair in Telecommunications Studies and Law, and Amit Schejter, an associate professor in the Department of Telecommunications, serve as co-directors of the institute, which also includes Rob Frieden, the Pioneers Chair in Telecommunications Studies, and Krishna Jayakar, an associate professor

in the Department of Telecommunications, among its team of research fellows.

Those communications faculty members are regularly sought by government officials around the globe for their expertise and timely research.

The IIP conducts sponsored research and self-funded programs on the social implications of information technology, with an emphasis on the potential of information technologies for improving democratic discourse, social responsibility and quality of life. The IIP is co-housed in the College of Communications and the College of Information Sciences and Technology.

The IIP also publishes the Journal of Information Policy, a peer-reviewed professional journal dedicated to timely policy research that addresses contemporary challenges and connects researchers to policy makers. l

Diamond named associate director nect with Penn State.”

Joel Diamond, a Penn Diamond (’76 Bus) State alumnus, former played baseball at Penn University studentState. After college, athlete and staff memhe worked in the steel ber for nearly seven forging industry and his years, has joined the entrepreneurial spirit College of Communilater prompted him to cations as associate direcstart his own office suptor of development.

Joel Diamond ply business. After eight His work with comyears, he became an assistant munications students drew him ticket and sales manager at Penn to the position.

State. He serves as co-chair for the “In my prior job with Intercollegiate Athletics, I had the chance Pink Zone effort coordinated by the women’s basketball team to to work with many students from raise money to fight breast cancer the College,” he said. “I saw the type of people they were, how at Penn State. He also serves on hard they worked, how well they several community and volunteer did things, and I was impressed. groups.

Plus, the position gives me the His wife, Rachel, also works opportunity to meet so many of at the University. They have two our alumni. I hope to help them grown daughters and two grandconnect, stay connected or reconchildren. l

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SPRING 2013

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Aronoff, Schultz, Wheeler bolster existing endowments A gift, especially one that provides scholarship support for students, makes a daily impact at Penn State and in the lives of many people—from the recipients and their families to classmates and faculty members who benefit from the presence of the recipients on campus.

Many supporters of the College of Communications and Penn State believe one gift represents just a starting point, though. Three individuals and families recently made additions to existing endowments to ensure an even greater impact for generations to come.

Each of the gifts bolstered an existing Trustee Scholarship.

Marty Aronoff made two additional gifts during the fiscal year to the Marty and John Aronoff Trustee Scholarship; Andrew and Beatrice Schultz made another gift to the Andrew and Beatrice Schultz Trustee Scholarship; and Chris Wheeler made another gift to the Christoper C. Wheeler Trustee Scholarship.

Along with the additional gifts, two more Trustee Scholarships were endowed. One was an anonymous gift, and the other, thanks to the support of John and Ann Curley, created the John and Ann Curley Trustee Scholarship in Honor of Douglas Anderson.

The College has 33 Trustee Scholarship funds, and 138 students received support from those funds during the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The total market endowment value of the 33 Trustee Scholarships is $3,620,000, which with the University’s match on the annual payout for this special scholarship fund, has the impact of a $7,240,000 endowment.

Trustee Scholarships must be funded at a minimum $50,000 level. The largest in the College is the Donald P. Bellisario Trustee Scholarship, valued at more than $1 million.

The College also has 77 other endowed scholarships, with a total market value of $6,208,000.

“We sincerely appreciate the support

Alumnus Andrew Schultz (right) talks with scholarship recipient Morgan Delaware during the annual Donor and Scholarship Recognition Dinner at the Penn Stater. (Photo by Katherine Rodriguez)

of all of our donors,” said Kevin Musick, director of development for the College of Communications. “Their support makes a tremendous impact on a daily basis.

“And it’s especially appreciated and

gratifying when those supporters decide to add to an existing endowment or make another gift. Many of them do so because they have seen the impact of their donations and know what that means to our students.” l

TRUSTEE SCHOLARSHIPS IN COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS z AT&T Trustee Scholarship z Douglas and Claudia Anderson Trustee Scholarship z Douglas and Claudia Anderson Trustee Scholarship in Journalism z Laura and Mary Anderson Trustee Scholarship z Marty and John Aronoff Trustee Scholarship z Donald P. Bellisario Trustee Scholarship z Marc A. Brownstein Trustee Scholarship z Nile D. Coon Trustee Scholarship z John and Ann Curley Trustee Scholarship z John and Ann Curley Trustee Scholarship in Honor of Douglas Anderson z Fetter Family Trustee Scholarship z Gene Foreman Trustee Scholarship z Lawrence G. and Ellen M. Foster Trustee Scholarship z Marjorie Mousely French Class of ‘48 Trustee Scholarship z Friend of the College of Communications Trustee Scholarship z Tom Gibb Memorial Trustee Scholarship z Hayden Family Trustee Scholarship

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z Freda Azen Jaffe Memorial Trustee Scholarship z Kasselman Kohn Family Trustee Scholarship z Warren L. and Carole L. Maurer Trustee Scholarship z Christopher J. and Patricia S. Martin Trustee Scholarship z Maralyn Davis Mazza Trustee Scholarship z John S. Nichols Trustee Scholarship z Robert J. O’Leary Trustee Scholarship z Penn State Alumni Association Trustee Scholarship z Eric W. Rabe Trustee Scholarship z William Y.E. and Ethel Rambo Trustee Scholarship z Robert L. and Mary Lee Schneider Trustee Scholarship z Andrew and Beatrice Schultz Trustee Scholarship z Steinman Foundations Trustee Scholarship z Trustee Scholarship Fund in the College of Communications z Yaccarino-Madrazo Family Trustee Scholarship z Christopher C. Wheeler Trustee Scholarship

SPRING 2013

DEVELOPMENT NEWS HEARD ON CAMPUS “It’s as gratifying to me as anything I’ve done in my life. I could not have honored my son, or done anything for myself, that would ever have made me feel as good. ... You’re getting an education from the best communications program in the nation, and you’re going to be a Penn Stater for decades after your college career is over.”

— Marty Aronoff (’60), addressing students at the annual Donor and Scholarship Recognition Dinner and talking about funding a Trustee Scholarship

Family members’ gift honors mother, supports diversity A father, his two sons who are College of Communications graduates and his daugher have establishd a scholarship fund in their wife and mother’s memory.

The Vijaya L. Balaji Memorial Scholarship is open to all students at the University Park campus who have a demonstrated financial need and whose cultural, ethnic and/or national background would contribute to the diversity of the student body. First preference will be given to students who are the first generation in their families to attend a college or university.

The fund was created by Kodumudi Balaji, Murali Balaji (’09 PhD Mass Comm), Arvind Balaji (’10 Journ) and Lakshmi Balaji in honor of Vijaya, who strongly believed in making the most of educational opportunities. She was married just before her 21st birthday and came to the United States from India, where such opportunities were not as readily available.

“She intilled the importance of getting an education in all of us,” said Murali, an assistant professor at Temple University who was honored with a graduate teaching award while he was at Penn State earning his doctoral degree. “When I got my Ph.D. my mom was already terminal but she came to graduation. She didn’t have much energy but she was overjoyed.”

A journalist who worked for The Washington Post, St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press and Wilmington (Del.) News Journal, Murali earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and amassed more than a decade of professional journalism experience before coming to Penn State. He previously taught communications classes at Temple, the University of Minnesota and Delaware State University.

Lakshmi earned her bacheor’s degree from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and her master’s from

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Vijaya Balaji (left) with her family (left to right) Murali, Kodumudi, Lakshmi and Arvind.

Villanova Univesity.

“Arvind will probably get a graduate degree, too,” Murali said. “That’s just what mom expected. She even went back to get her degree in computer arts from a local community college. She put so much effort into those classes.”

An engaging teacher, Murali has authored several books, including “Desi Rap: South Asian Americans in Hip Hop.” His forthcoming publications include “Culturing Manhood and Masculinities,” an anthology exploring the meaning and construct of masculinity around the world.

He rates himeslf as a tough teacher and credits his mother as his guiding influence—despite not taking her advice to go a little easier on students.

“My entire pedagological approach, my outlook on life as an academic, comes from her,” Murali said. “It’s about investing in others. That’s mom’s legacy, and the scholarship is just a down payment on an investment in a Penn State student’s future.” l

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SPRING 2013

Covering Seniors Katherine Rodriguez (above) and David Cole were part of the team working on the multimedia effort.

(Photos by Curt Chandler)

Photo by David Cole

A half dozen communications students spent part of the fall semester following the Clairton (Pa.) High School football team as it marched to a fourth consecutive state championship and extended its winning streak to 63 consecutive games.

That success for one of the smaller high schools in Pennsylvania is in contrast to the struggles the city of Clairton itself has faced, including a depressed economy and a high crime rate.

Students used state-of-the-art equipment, including Nikon DSLRs, to tell the story. Beyond the games themselves, the students talked to a cross section of community leaders, residents, school officials and others to get a sense of what the high school football team and its success means to the community.

Penn State communications students have tackled major team projects in the past, including a multimedia effort examining the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that impacted Shanksville, Pa.

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SPRING 2013

g Clairton Photo by David Cole

Photo by Katherine Rodriguez

Photo by David Cole

Photo by Will Yurman

Photo by David Cole

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SPRING 2013

HONOR ROLL

The College of Communications received 1,555 gifts (not counting pledges and bequests) during the period between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012. Of those, 1,478 were from individuals; 36 were from corporations; 34 were from foundations; and seven were from organizations. The contributions totaled $1,381,639.

The Honor Roll recognizes alumni and friends who made gifts of $100 or more to the College during the fiscal year. The information has been provided by the Office of University Development.

DEAN’S CIRCLE (Greater than $2,500)

DEAN’S ASSOCIATES ($1,000 to $2,499)

Richard and Antoinette Bange Richard and Mary Boland Robert Boulware Martin and Maxine Brian Suzanne Butcher Jeanne and Kevin Chapkovich Walter Cherepinsky and Walter Football, Inc. Kenneth and Anne Simmons Chubb James and Susan Clifton Charles Curley Philip and Joan Currie Judith Friedman and Lenny Davidson Friends of Patrick S. Boland Jay Grossman and Dorothy Daub Bridget Hughes Gilbert and Patricia Kindelan and Garner Anderson, LLC Lucille Leach Janice and Steven Livingston Robert and Marylou Martin Christy McElhaney and Mark Sunshine Sanford Padwe Patrick Parsons and Susan Strohm Brad Robinson and Two Pints Production, LLC Molly Rodriguez Michael and Robin Savage Stewart and Ann Miller Snoddy Barry and Marylouise Uhlig Andrew Walker

Gerald and Carol Abrams LaVonne Althouse Douglas and Claudia Anderson Robert Barbarowicz Donald and Vivienne Bellisario Anthony Barbieri Benjamin Bronstein Marc and Amy Brownstein and Brownstein Group Warren Carmichael Collegian Alumni Interest Group Kathleen and John Collins John and Ann Curley Stanley Degler and Ann Hope Joseph and Shirley Eberly Helene Eckstein Elizabeth Fetter Carmen and Tonia Finestra Lawrence and Ellen Foster Marie Hardin Daniel Hartman Bill and Honey Jaffe David and Mary Lee Jones Stevens and Diane Kasselman Michael and Patti Marcus Frederick and Ann Martelli Christopher Martin Mary and Joseph Meder Michael Missanelli Eric and Luisa Rabe Lawrence Raiman Bob Richards Rochelle Roth Alisia Salters Alison Schaefer Thomas and Kirsten Verducci Christopher Wheeler James Wiggins and Christine Fleming Linda Yaccarino-Madrazo and Claude Madrazo THE COMMUNICATOR

COMMUNICATIONS PARTNERS ($500 to $999)

John Beauge James and Amy Blew Lisa Burgess William and Lois Clark Robert Cook and Teresa Villa Cook Robin Deacle William Hackett James and Kristin Hall 32

SPRING 2013

HONOR ROLL

Students talk with alumnus Bob O’Leary during a reception as part of the annual Donor Dinner.

(Photo by Katherine Rodriguez)

Matthew Herb and Lori Shontz Wayne Hilinski Anne Hoag Jeffrey and Nancy Hunt Amy Johns Richard and Ann Jones and Dick Jones Communications Anne Lusk and Kenneth Berkenstock Christopher and Lisa Lydon Ann Major and Erwin Atwood Lorraine A. Ryan Stewart and Karen Stabley A. Philip and Mary Ann Zimmer

CARNEGIE CLUB ($250 to $499)

Mark Ashenfelter Katherine Androutsopoulos Balouris and Christ Balouris Thomas and Paulette Berner Michael and Joyce Bussler Jane and David Conley Richard and Lyn Culver Cynthia Epley Carole Feldman

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Gene and JoAnn Foreman Jennifer Gottlieb Todd Gray Catherine and Paul Greenland Stephen Heiser John and Cheryl Hirokawa Richard and Dorothea Hyk Rebecca Jones Robert Junas W. R. Keyes Laura and Christopher Kinder Jeffrey and Kimberly Klein Denise Williams Kunhardt and Kenneth Kunhardt Cheryl Dunlap Levkoff and James Levkoff Ashley and David Luke Scott Martin and Ann Rittenhouse Martin Abby Mayer Deborah Meder and Larry Gohn Jennifer Meeks Norman and Mollie Miller Barbara Morgan Norman and Betsy Murray Ellen and Louis Pagano Scott Pellis Stephanie Podey SPRING 2013

HONOR ROLL Michael Poorman Pamela Reasner and Mark Cutkosky Benjamin and Karla Rupp Kathleen Ryan and Harry Burkhart Stacy and Jeffrey Schwartz Fuyuan and Robyn Shen Kathleen Kirsch Smith and Ralph Smith Steven Snyder Loretta Stempinski Michael and Gwendolen Barnett White Kyle and Amanda Wintersteen S. Charles and Patrice Bradley Zdeb Bu Zhong

CENTURY CLUB ($100 to $249)

Jane Agnelly Marc and Stephanie Albero Erin and David Alderver and Erin Alderfer Communications Ian and Lee Alexander Mark and Bernedette Andersen Diane Ash Kendra and Andrew Aucker Ali Audi Melvin and Joan Hartman Axilbund Christine and Henry Baer John and Janis Beale Tracy Baron Beckerman and Joel Beckerman Michael Bello Karen Bende Karen Bernardo Charles Bierbauer and Susanne Schafer Kelly Boyles Lisa Pierce Breunig and John Breunig John and Wilella Daniels Burgess Conrad and Candice Busch Michael and Stephanie Carlino Elizabeth and Joseph Carroll Alexandra and Michael Cavaliere Nathan Cecco Stuart Chamberlain Patricia Cherundolo Carla Cheuvront and Ten Thousand Villages Michael Chobot Mary Kay Gordon Cicchitti and Alexander Gordon Albert and Mary Ann Cmar Cipicchio Clifton Colmon David and Dorothy Colton Benjamin and Antoinette Conroy Nancy Coopersmith David and Amanda Coppola

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Byron and Kendra Corman Marissa Frankel Coslov John and Vicki Cousley Lynn and Terry Craker Christopher and Stephanie Crider Carlyn Crout Diane Cwik Scott De Angioletti and Mark Bartkiewicz Alice O’Donnell de Rouin Mark and Lynn DeFabio Sarah and Brian DelliGatti Michael and Hillary Delone Judith Blackwell Detwiler and Jonathan Detwiler William and Sandra Dillon Daniel and Sandra Fischione Donovan Colleen and Jens Duerr Terrence Duffy Kathryn and Dale Duncan James Duratz Jackie and Fran Edelman Nadine Eissler Lori and Ronald Falcone Joseph and Margaret Ference Anne and Richard Ferrera Mary Anne Fleming Kevin and Jillian Flintosh Vito Forlenza Lauren and Daniel Forman William Geiger Charles Gero Reed and Eileen Gidez Julie and Peter Gilbertson Asher and Maura Gray Bridget Gray Gary Gray and Kathleen O’Toole Anthony Greco Richard Greco Kimberly Wilson Greehan and David Greehan Mark and Beverly Greenwald Robert and Joan Groff Lucille Guinta-Bates Gregory Guise Lynne Gullo James and Kiran Hahn Kelly and Norman Hainer Mark and Denise Hakowski Kevin and Tracy Hales Traci Levy Hammond and Robert Hammond Michael Hanusin Curtis and Inez Hare Samuel Hartman Michael Hayes SPRING 2013

HONOR ROLL

Assistant Dean Jamey Perry provides direction as students sing the alma mater at the end of the Donor Dinner.

(Photo by Katherine Rodriguez)

Dennis and Vonda Lee Hedges Sally Heffentreyer Carl and Phyllis Hamilton Heller David and Tami Henderson Chad Hershberger and Sarah Voorhees Jeffrey and Elizabeth Hershey Pamela and Todd Hervey Jane Herzberg L. Frederick Herzog Karen Perillo Hockstein and Steven Hockstein Joshua Howard Rosemary Hulsman Warren and Cheryl Hunter Joseph Huxta Anderson Isaacs Seth Isaacs Matt Jackson and Amber Walker Jackson Tyler Jackson Dana Dechristofaro Jallad Marilyn Rinker Jennerjohn and Frederick Jennerjohn Lynn Johnson-Porter Virginia and Robert Jones Mary and Robert Joyce Elizabeth Kahn Richard and Sally Kalin

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Joseph and Ann Kasenchak Glenn Kaup Timothy and Linda Kearns Roy and Michele Kegerize Jacqueline Kehoe Brenda Kelly Sanford and Marsha Church King Christian Kiser Joseph and Karen Klein Daniel Klink Holly and Christin Knecht Derek Koffel Gia Kornet Peter Kowalski and Sandra Miller Brian and Stacy Toy Kweder Carl and Lisa Lahr William Langan Douglas Le Bow Robert and Brenda LeVine Janice Levy Suzanne Clement Libby and Reed Libby Wendy Lichtenstein Sabrina Landis Liller and Christopher Liller Amy Takehara Lilly and James Lilly Vincent and Heather Loss Cari and Jon Lynch 35

SPRING 2013

HONOR ROLL Laura Mahoney and Joel Schwartz Michael Maneilly Helia and Patrick Maritato Jodie Hough Martinson and David Martinson Robert and Vicki McAllister Judith McDuff Joyce McKeever Thomas and Andrea McNulty Kimberly Mehle Richard Mellett and Martha Harris Richard and Lois Meyer Diane Miller Mezzanotte and Louis Mezzanotte Laura Michalski Arthur and Marjorie Miller Stephen and Enid Milner Brian Morrison William and Josefa Agosto Murillo Kevin and Leeshaun Musick Marian Myers Jerry and Jamie Needel Jon and Gwen Nese Randall and Janet Newnham My Linh Nguyen Nancy Ory and John Adams Michael and Monica O’Sullivan Krystle Padilla Steven and Lezlie Patterson George and Sara Carson Peck Thomas and Rebecca Peeling David and Elizabeth Pellnitz Robert and Jean Allen Petersen Kimberly Peterson

Gayle Bodin Petty and Sean Petty John and Beverly Phillips Kara Kurpeikis Pierre Kerry and Lynn Pisano George and Susan Podhor Matthew Poletto Seymour Printz Michele Procino-Wells Patrick Raring Patrick and Renee Craig Reeder Kimberlie Reisch John and Mona Rice Andrew Richards Herman and Jane Richey Ronald and Susan Rickens Peter and Ellen Rigby J. Ford and Mary Risley Sarah Roach and Seth Hernandez Richard and Mary Murray Roda Jennifer Ryan Maureen Quinn Salamon and Joseph Salamon Brian Schiff David and Alice Schiff Jerald Schiff Heidi Vancura Schumacher and William Schumacher Ralph and Nancy Schumack Noreen Stock Schwartz and Kevin Schwartz Lauren Selman Natalie Sheehan David and Marsha Silverberg Skidmore Donald and Mary Smith

PUSHUP PROWESS With the Nittany Lion unable to attend for his traditional Donor Dinner-ending set of pushups, Assistant Dean Jamey Perry tried to find someone in the audience to substitute, and donor Ruth Coon, a retired—but clearly fit—teacher, lobbied to fill the role. Coon then challenged Perry, and promptly pumped out her pushups faster and with better form than the much younger assistant dean—much to the delight of the nearly 400 in attendance at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. (Photos by Katherine Rodriguez)

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SPRING 2013

HONOR ROLL Lisa Novajosky Smith and Christopher Smith Stephen and Deborah Solomon Mary Spohn-Meyers and John Meyers Helane and Richard Staller Kelly Stazi Brian Stone Barbara and John Sturgeon Matthew Sullivan Penny Suwak Lewis and Ann Thompson Jonathan and Debra Thurley Michael and Donita Art Todd Michael and Linda Trobich Richard and Esther Van O’Linda Cynthia Viadella James and Nancy Vincler Thomas Waring Robert Wechsler April and Matthew Wilbert Bruce and Mary Ellen Wood Mona Signorino Wunderlich and William Wunderlich Jeffrey and Shelley Davies Wygant Bradley and Kate Young Sean Zam Ralph and Lou Ann Zeigler

CELEBRATING CINDA College of Communications human resources director Chris Fivek (left) honors Cinda Kostyak, director of research administration and associate director of the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication, as part of a retirement celebration for Kostyak in December. (Photo by John Beale)

CORPORATE, FOUNDATION GIFTS

Jack Buncher Foundation Jim Murray Memorial Foundation Media Democracy Fund National Academic Advising Assoc.

National Press Photographers Assoc. Inc. Paula Ruth & Company Public Relations RGA Model Management Robert Wood Johnson 1962 Charitable Trust TechConnectWV William Randolph Hearst Foundation

AT&T Mobility Broadband Cable Association of Pennsylvania Dow Chemical Company Foundation Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Inc. Ford Foundation Galliker Dairy Co. Harmelin Media Interstate Advertising Mgrs. Assoc.

Gift provides additional support for graduate student teaching award A gift from the family of a former graduate student has doubled the impact of the memorial award named for their late daugther.

The Djung Yune Tchoi Memorial Excellence in Teaching Award was created after the tragic death of three graduate students in a car accident along Interstate 80 in 2005.

Djung Yune Tchoi, a doctoral student in mass communications from Pussan, South

Korea, was a strong teacher who was both liked and respected by faculty members and fellow graduate students.

After her death, family members, friends and many from the College of Communications community created the teaching award in her name. It has annually provided support for graduate students who teach communications courses.

An additional gift from the family will

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allow the fund to double its impact moving forward—providing larger grants and supporting more students each year.

The fund, the only one of its kind in the College, helps support two educational missions at the same time. It assists a graduate student, who can contribute to the diversity and vibrancy of the community, and it enables that student to teach classes that benefit undergraduate students. l

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STUDENT NEWS Tracey Edouard, a public relations major, was honored as Penn State’s 2012 Homecoming queen.

Driven student honored as Homecoming queen

S

enior Tracey Edouard typically wears many hats—as a resident assistant in East Halls, as a marketing assistant for Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics, as someone highly involved in the Penn State Dance Marathon and more—and she often works behind the scenes.

On Homecoming weekend, though, she was the focus of attention with a crown on her head. She was voted Homecoming queen by her fellow Penn State students.

“I was shocked. First my body went numb, but then all the pressure that seemed to just sit on my chest all week vanished,” she said. “I was so overwhelmed from the whole week trying to juggle Homecoming events, extracurricular activities and school work that I was mentally and physically completely exhausted. I just broke down.

“Campaigning in itself was a new experience for me. I’ve never had to put myself in the public eye like that before, which was scary, and there were so many well-deserving candidates.”

Penn State students clearly thought Edouard, from Huntington, N.Y., was deserving as well. Her many experiences on campus had exposed her to numerous students and, because she plans a career in social media marketing, it was

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not surprising that she was able to let others know about her candidacy. Students responded to Edouard’s message of selflessness and service in large part because what she had done was more often about others, and Penn State.

“I have been bleeding blue and white from the moment I stepped foot on campus,” she said. “I worked hard throughout the week to make students aware of my message, but I never thought I would come out on top.”

Just participating in Homecoming activities was a thrill for Edouard. She especially enjoyed the parade across campus and down College Avenue.

“Having the honor and privilege to be in the parade is such a unique experience. To see the faces of my friends, teachers and mentors who have helped me grow over these past four years was so special,” she said. “It meant the world to me.”

Once she completes her degree in public relations, Edouard plans to get to work right away, with companies such as Apple and Google atop her list of targets. Not surprisingly for someone who rarely slows down, she also plans to continue her education—most likely through a mini-MBA program at Rutgers University. l 38

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STUDENT NEWS

‘Smart and kind’ Winiarski selected as student marshal A public relations student with two majors, three minors and significant progress toward her master’s degree represented the College of Communications as student marshal for the fall semester.

Kristin Winiarski accepted a diploma on behalf of the College during University-wide commencement exercises in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Winiarski graduated with bachelor’s degrees in public relations and economics, and minors in international studies, Italian and psychology. She is also working on completing a master’s degree in media studies this spring.

Winiarski, the daughter of Phil and Mary Beth Winiarski, of Newtown, Pa., excelled academically, compiling a 3.86 grade-point average, and made significant contributions beyond the classroom.

She completed two internships: for Homegrown Happy Valley and at the International Center for the Study of Terrorism; and studied abroad for a semester in Italy.

She founded Paws of Friendship, an organization that raises money to donate stuffed animals to children in orphanages and foster care, and co-founded KICKS, Kristin Winiarski an organization that promotes the understanding of local issues through team building via the game of soccer. Both groups have been successful. Paws of Friendship raised more than $4,000 for its cause in its first year.

Winiarski also served as president of the peer mentor program in the College of Communications. In an effort to enhance member involvement, she restructured the organization to provide members with more opportunities to assist incoming students. She was also active with the Penn State Dance Marathon, the LaVie yearbook and Circle K. “Kristie gets her energy from being

busy. She’s like a shark, she has to keep moving,” said Lori Shontz, the instructor Winiarski selected to be her faculty escort at commencement. “I believe hard workers and good people should be rewarded, and Kristie is both. How many people do you know who would not only stay up late to finish critiquing a classmate’s story, but also bake cookies for the class to eat while we were doing our smallgroup critiques? That’s the kind of stuff she does. She’s smart and kind. I can’t think of a better combination.”

Winiarski plans to work on the University Park campus during the spring while she completes her master’s degree. After that, she has several options but has not selected a specific path.

“I am extremely interested in how the media impact perceptions of culture and how that perception can in turn impact international relations,” Winiarski said. “I am also very interested in crisis management.” l

Daily Collegian, reporter honored with top national awards The Daily Collegian earned the Pacemaker Award, the highest honor for a college newspaper, and Anna Orso was honored as Reporter of the Year as the paper garnered top annual honors from the Associated Collegiate Press.

The Pacemaker Award is based on coverage and content, quality of writing and reporting, leadership on the opinion page, evidence of in-depth reporting, design, photography, art and graphics. This is the second time The Collegian has won the award. The other came in 1985.

“Any success The Daily Collegian achieved during the 2011-12 year was the result of a daily, collaborative effort from a large number of student editors, reporters, photographers and designers,” said Jim Rodenbush, the paper’s news adviser. “From my end, to see that work and that effort recognized on a national level, particularly from a group of industry peers, is especially satisfying.”

Orso was honored for her coverage of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, and the paper’s significant and standout work with the ongoing story that brought international attention to Penn State.

According to the judges: “Orso was not just caught up in the coverage of a huge national story that happened to take place at her college, she led the coverage and broke news.

Orso’s stories about the Jerry Sandusky sexual assault case

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and the cover up by school officials were clear when the subject was confusing and emotional. Orso’s coverage was in-depth and through.

“Her coverage was comprehensive and included the trial, school board meetings and legislation that resulted. In other words, we were hard-pressed to say where a professional daily newspaper staff’s coverage would have differed from Orso’s.”

ACP also honored the Collegian with a Best in Show Award (the paper bested 370 other schools for that honor) while Mike Still placed fifth in the sports story category and Chloe Elmer earned an honorable mention in spot news photography.

Editor-in-chief Casey McDermott said the ACP awards and other accolades earned by the paper have been well-deserved, the work of dedicated students who receive help from capable advisers and strive to uphold the publication’s tradition of excellence.

“As managing editor last year and, since last spring, as editor-in-chief, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside a relentlessly dedicated group of students, many of whom have sacrificed social lives, sleep and occasionally schoolwork, in order to make sure the Collegian didn’t miss a beat in keeping its readers informed,” McDermott said. l

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STUDENT NEWS

Sports journalism student selected as Murray Scholar A Penn State sports journalism student authored the best essay in a national scholarship competition conducted by the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation and earned a $5,000 scholarship.

Emily Kaplan, a junior from Montclair, N.J., won the foundation’s Judges Award for 2012. Her essay about Penn State football coach Bill O’Brien was considered the best among nominees from 30 colleges and universities. Kaplan was one of four students from across the nation to receive a scholarship this year, and the fourth Murray Scholar from Penn State in the past six years.

Kaplan covers Penn State as an intern with The Philadelphia Inquirer.

She covered the Olympic Games in London for the U.S. Olympic Committee as part of an exclusive opportunity for students in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, which is housed in the College of Communications. In her first three years at Penn State, Kaplan covered women’s volleyball and men’s basketball for The Daily Collegian. She covered Penn State football and other sports for the Associated Press in 2011.

“It is an absolute honor to win this award,” said Kaplan, who has completed internships at NHL.com and MLB Network. “Considering what Jim Murray means to journalism in this country, I am extremely humbled.

I’ve been so fortunate to be taught by wonderful teachers and mentors at Penn State and the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.”

Josh Moyer, who became Penn State’s first Murray Scholar in 2007, works for ESPN’s Recruiting Nation.

Mark Viera, a 2008 selection who has worked at The Washington Post and The New York Times, is a law student at the University of Michigan. Shane Emily McGregor, a 2011 winner, is a reserve Kaplan quarterback on the football team and will graduate with degrees in journalism and English.

“Emily has earned the privilege to have the name Jim Murray on her resume,” said Malcolm Moran, the Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society and director of the Curley Center. “The high level of competition the foundation has created has made this one of the greatest honors an aspiring sports journalist can receive.”

Moran cited the help of O’Brien, Jeff Nelson, assistant athletic director for communications, and John S. Nichols, professor emeritus of communications, a member of the search committee that selected O’Brien.

“Their cooperation was essential,” Moran said.

Kaplan learned of her scholarship while standing in Leicester Square in London, after her first day of sightseeing three weeks into the Olympic trip.

A national panel of judges reviewed the numerous scholarship submissions. Those judges were foundation board members Neil Everett of ESPN; Erin Gilhuly, president of CV Strategies; Bill McCoy, president of the foundation; Linda McCoy-Murray, the foundation’s inaugural president and CEO; Arash Markazi of ESPN (a

2002 Murray Scholar); Steve Brener, president of BZA Associates; and Michael Palmer, managing partner, Palmer Hospitality Group.

The foundation was established in 1999 to perpetuate the legacy of Murray, the sports columnist for The Los Angeles Times from 1961 until his death in 1998. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1990.

Murray received the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing in 1987. He was named “America’s Best Sportswriter” by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association 14 times, and went into the association’s Hall of Fame in 1978.

Murray graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., in 1943.

He worked for several newspapers and was one of the founders of Sports Illustrated.

Penn State was added to the foundation’s scholarship program in 2006.

The Curley Center—established in 2003 as the first academic endeavor of its kind in U.S. higher education— explores issues and trends in sports journalism through instruction, outreach, programming and research.

The Center was named in 2006 for John Curley, the retired president, CEO and chairman of the Gannett Co. Inc. and the first editor of USA Today. Curley also served as a founding co-director of the Center.

Kaplan’s scholarship increases the total the foundation has awarded to Penn State students to $25,000 since 2007. For more information about the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation, visit www.jimmurrayfoundation.org online. l

News, events, student work, all online.

http://comm.psu.edu

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SPRING 2013

STUDENT NEWS THIS I BELIEVE An ongoing project by WPSU-TV and WPSU Radio encourages community members to share essays with the prompt, “This I believe ...” and below is one

by College of Communications student Sadie Smiles that was part of the project.

By Sadie Smiles I believe in silent films, in talkies, in grainy foreign documentaries. I believe in the Marx brothers, Doris Day, John Wayne, even Tom Cruise.

When I entered Penn State three years ago, I was pursuing a major in journalism. To fulfill an international credit, I took a class in French cinema. What began as a string of mandatory viewings quickly became an obsession.

I’d watch our weekly film and do a quick write-up.

For most students in the introductory-level class, the work stopped there. For me, I’d hit the tip of an academic iceberg. I ventured to the library and took out five books at a time on every cinematic topic I could imagine.

I read about silent film stars, Chilean cinema and aesthetic theory.

The following semester, I was no longer a journalism student. I became a student of cinema.

I took classes on any topic I could, from Hitchcock to film production. Writing 12-page midterms on the color palette of a single scene was not a chore, but a pleasure. I was consumed by the excitement of finding my passion. I dedicated my academic career to the incredible and ever-expanding field of cinema study.

Whenever I tell people that I’m a student of film, I get bombarded with questions about my future: Will you be the next Spielberg? Are you moving to California to write a blockbuster?

My answer seems foreign to many. I have no interest in forging a career in filmmaking.

Instead, I want to pursue an academic degree in the theory behind films. I want to study films and their relationship to society, economics, culture and self-identity. I want to study why certain visual cues, like bright lights or cold colors, mean something significant when you place them on a silver screen.

I believe in the movies and the academic study of them because I believe that cinema has a power that no other art form can utilize.

Films entertain an audience while simultaneously showing them a representation of the world around them.

“I believe in the movies and the academic study of them because I believe that cinema has a power that no other art form can utilize.”

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In this situation, a filmmaker becomes a master manipulator. He can change visuals or narrative peaks to teach an audience something about themselves.

Many people imagine films as little more than an entertaining hour or two, but I find that there is a broad world of philosophy involved in the movies, one that I am constantly drawn to.

One of my favorite films is “The Truman Show” by Peter Weir. In it, the title character’s entire life is filmed for a reality-TV show, and he has no idea.

I imagine that our experiences are similar, but less directly so. Movies imitate the world of the viewer. Studying cinema is like studying humanity.

I believe in film as a meticulous representation of a worldview that can delight and inform anyone, from a seasoned viewer to someone trying to fill a general education credit.

I believe in the movies.

Sadie Smiles is a senior from Wyoming, Pa., majoring in media studies with a concentration in film and television. She plans to attend graduate school in the fall of 2013.

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STUDENT NEWS GRADUATE STUDENTS: INCOMING CLASS 2012-13

Joshua Auriemma

Kelly Chernin

Tanner Cooke

Jeffrey Masko

Earned J.D. from Penn State, and served as executive editor of Penn State Law Review ... Bachelor’s from UMass ... Among “50 most interesting, provocative and courageous leaders in the world of law, scholarship and legal technology,” according to Fastcase ... Maintains legalgeekery.com blog.

Master’s from Penn State ... Bachelor’s from American University ...

Taught English for three years in China ... Focus of thesis on role of technology in Chinese revolutions and how technology changes social movements ... Also interested in protest music in China and underground media.

Master’s from LSU in mass communications with focus on media effects and American perceptions of other countries. ... Has traveled to 35 states and 11 countries to examine media portrayals vs. reality ... Bachelor’s from Cal State-Fullerton ... Also interested in entertainment media effects.

Master’s in cinema studies from San Francisco State, focusing on issues of class in the “bromance” ... Incoming co-chair for the Caucus on Class in the Society for Cinema and Media Studies. ... Has worked with formerly incarcerated students in the Second Chance Program in San Francisco.

Azadeh Nazer Fassihi

Frank Waddell

Lauren Alwine

Brittany Brown

Master’s from Northern Illinois University ... Master’s and bachelor’s from the University of Tehran ... Areas of interest include international and global communication, cultural and critical studies in communication, political economy of global media, gender and communication technologies.

Earned master’s and bachelor’s from Virginia Tech ... Recent research focuses on the psychological and physiological effects of new communication technology with a focus on avatar-mediated communication ... Hopes research can inform the design of new online environments.

Bachelor’s from the University of Virginia ... Completed internship with UVa sports marketing and promotions office ... Also completed internship with U.S. Golf Association ... Four-year member of women’s soccer team at UVa ...

Plans to focus on advertising/public relations in sports industry.

Bachelor’s from Claflin University, graduated summa cum laude ... Has conducted research on stereotypes and the representation of African-American matriarchs in various films ... Research interests include the cultural impact of media and how it influences gender and cultural identity.

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Ph.D. Student

Ph.D. Student

Ph.D. Student

Ph.D. Student

Ph.D. Student

Master’s Student

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Ph.D. Student

Master’s Student

STUDENT NEWS GRADUATE STUDENTS: INCOMING CLASS 2012-13

Yan Huang

Ariel Johnson

Siobhan McGroarty

Bachelor’s from Peking University ... Previous work has focused on the interaction between cultural texts and real life, and exploring its meaning in the larger map of social transformation and history ...

Has also studied the construction of identity through participation in online gaming.

Bachelor’s from Xavier University in Louisiana, graduated magna cum laude ... Has conducted content analysis and served on peer-review board for online student research at Xavier ... Abundant experience in non-profit sector ... Plans to study media effects as they pertain to children and their development.

Bachelor’s from Penn State, completing triple major in public relations, political science and international studies ... Works as an admissions counselor for the University while working on her graduate studies.

Master’s Student

Master’s Student

Master’s Student

Zhiyao Ye

Master’s Student

Bachelor’s from Shanghai International Studies University ... Worked as an assistant and interpreter for a multinational corporation in Shanghai for one year ... Plans to focus on media effects and strategic communications, especially the psychological and social effects of new media devices.

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SPRING 2013

Cari Tindall

Master’s Student

Bachelor’s from Claflin University ... Research interests include digital media, social media and instructional communication ... Senior thesis examined how educators create positive learning environments using Twitter and other types of social media.

STUDENT NEWS

Senior Jon Blauvelt made the most of an opportunity provided by the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism.

Senior appreciates chance to cover championship game For the second consecutive year a student from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism covered the BCS National Championship Game as part of an agreement between the BCS and the Curley Center.

Jon Blauvelt, a senior broadcast journalism and political science major from Murrysville, Pa., was on site in South Florida beginning Jan. 3 for the college football national championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame on Jan. 7. He stayed until Jan. 8 and wrote stories about the game—and all that surrounds it.

His work was featured on the BCS website and on a Curley Center site dedicated exclusively to Blauvelt’s work.

Blauvelt is an avid sports fan who said he is “constantly moved by the role that sports plays in the lives of people around the globe.”

Blauvelt, who is also completing a minor in Spanish, works as a sports reporter for Penn State Network TV and as the executive producer of “Penn State Sports Night.”

He’s also actively involved with ComRadio, the Internet-based radio station housed in the College of Communications, and works for ESPN Radio 1450 in State College. In addition, Blauvelt works for the Penn State Center for Sustainability as a public relations and social media intern.

“I have worked extremely hard to make an opportunity like this become a reality,” Blauvelt said. “Getting the opportunity to cover the national championship and network with highly respected professionals in the business is a

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complete honor and dream come true.”

He added that he is happy and thankful for the opportunity and is “so excited for what is to come in the next few weeks.”

After his freshman year at Penn State, Blauvelt completed an internship with Clear Channel Radio in Pittsburgh.

He worked with 105.9 The X and 970 ESPN as a production assistant. In addition, he covered the Pittsburgh Pirates and contributed content from the clubhouse and post-game news conferences to both stations.

Blauvelt attended Franklin Regional High School and was involved with the school’s media department beginning in his sophomore year. He created, implemented and produced a sports segment for the school’s news show called “Friday Sports Report,” which aired live Friday mornings. During his senior year, Blauvelt worked as a high school sideline reporter for WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, covering high school football and contributing content to the WTAE’s highschoolplaybook.com page.

The Curley Center—established in 2003 as the first academic endeavor of its kind in U.S. higher education— explores issues and trends in sports journalism through instruction, outreach, programming and research. The Center was named in 2006 for John Curley, the retired president, CEO and chairman of the Gannett Co. Inc., and the first editor of USA Today. Curley also served as a founding co-director of the Center.

— Dani Sampsell 44

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STUDENT NEWS

Telecommunications student crafts fledgling career as racecar driver Many Penn State students fill their free time with extracurricular activities, part-time jobs or volunteer work. Relatively few spend that free time on a racetrack. That’s exactly where you would find senior telecommunications major Alison Cumens, though.

After a year of watching her brother learn to drive years ago, Cumens, then just 8, decided it was her turn. She began to learn the basics of the sport she would grow to love on the small go-cart track at her family home in Downingtown, Pa. It didn’t take long before she was ready to take the first step and begin racing competitively in quarter-midget cars.

Now, when she can find time away from her studies, she travels all over the East Coast to compete on some of the best tracks in the country.

Each racing season she drives in as many as two dozen races, depending on the weather.

These days, Cumens races a much larger Senior Alison Cumens, of Downingtown, Pa., spends her time away from campus racing cars at speedways on the East Coast. three-quarter-midget car in the American Three Quarter Midget Association (ATQMA). During a She appreciates the opportunity and was enthusiastic typical race, she completes about 25 laps traveling at an after a recent test session. “I wouldn’t say it was hard,” she average speed of 120 mph. said, “just very, very different.”

Cumens has built a reputation as one of the most conThe adrenaline-infused sport certainly doesn’t come sistent drivers in the business as she routinely earns points in nearly all of her races. That consistency helped Cumens without its risks. Cumens and her brother learned that earclaim a championship three years ago despite not placing ly in their careers when they had several engines explode first in a single race that year. during races.

“Going into the very last race of the year I was in fifth “It’s really scary,” Cumens said. “If there’s a fire you place in the standings. Somehow on the last lap everyone pretty much have to climb out of the car over top of the got jumbled around and I finished fourth in the race,” she engine.” Since then the Cumens family has put quick said. Immediately after the race, her mom came running releases on the wing that sits above the driver’s head in the down from the scorer’s tower to share the good news—Alison had won the championship. three-quarter-midget cars so, in the event of a fire, Cumens Last September, all of Cumens hard work and patience and her brother can exit quickly and safely. paid off. She earned her first feature win, becoming only Cumens had originally planned to take a break from the second female in history to get a victory at Oswego racing for the entire fall season so she could focus on classSpeedway in Oswego, N. Y. work during the week and attend every Penn State football The victory came with a cash prize of $1,000. The real game during her senior year last autumn. But, with the payoff came when she received a phone call from the owner of Oswego Speedway offering her the opportunity added supermodified opportunity, she did race at Oswego to drive for his company. The offer came with a significant Speedway and missed the first football game. That was the upgrade in size and power in the car she will drive—moving only one she missed, though. up to the supermodified division.

Of course, she’ll be proudly supporting Penn State even Those larger cars are powered by a 900-horsepower from afar. She has a Nittany Lion head on her neck safety engine and are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 165 mph. She’ll compete on bigger tracks in longer races, some device when racing and her racing helmet looks like a Penn State football helmet. l as many as 200 laps.

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STUDENT NEWS

THON PREVIEW PHOTOS, STORY

THON TRAINING Just as students practice the line dance for the annual Penn State Dance Marathon, students from the College of Communications prepare each year for the webcast of the 46-hour event. This year’s THON runs Feb. 15-17 in the Bryce Jordan Center, and the live webstream will be available at www.thon.org online. In addition, communications students will provide regularly updated coverage of the event at http://commedia.psu.edu onlne.

Quarterback with journalism degree earns national award Penn State senior quarterback Matt McGloin was honored by the Springdale (Ark.) Rotary Club as the winner of the third annual Burlsworth Trophy, presented to the nation's outstanding college football player who began his career as a walk-on.

The signal-caller broke nine school passing records and tied another during the 2012 season.

The Burlsworth Trophy was first presented in 2010 in honor of Brandon Burlsworth, a former All-American and walk-on offensive lineman at the University of Arkansas. Burlsworth died in an automobile accident 11 days after being selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the 63rd overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.

The previous winners of the trophy were Austin Davis of Southern Miss

in 2011 and Sean Bedford of Georgia Tech in 2010.

“It is great for the University,” McGloin said. “To be honored as the top walk-on for this Matt year’s graduating McGloin class is a great honor. I wouldn’t have been able to be here without the support of my family, teammates, coaches and fans.

It’s really because of those people that I am where I am today and am able to win such a prestigious award.”

McGloin earned his degree in journalism in May 2012, and worked toward a second degree during the fall semester.

He said the award provided addi-

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tional perspective about his career.

“I looked back at what I have gone through and the journey that I have taken at Penn State and to be recognized for my accomplishments and the way that I got to Penn State is a true blessing,” McGloin said. “I am fortunate to be in the company of such great people that are involved with this award and to win such an amazing award is just indescribable.”

McGloin joined the Nittany Lions in 2008 and emerged as one of Penn State's most prolific signal-callers in its 126-year history. A starter in 10 games prior to the 2012 season, McGloin was named the starting quarterback in June 2012 and flourished in coach Bill O'Brien's offense, starting every game as the Nittany Lions finished 8-4. l

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STUDENT NEWS

LOOKING FINE AT THE SHRINE Introductory photojournalism students in COMM 269 captured a cross-section of activity as they chronicled 24 hours at the Nittany Lion Shrine during Homecoming weekend. The shrine is the most-photographed spot on campus and promoted as the second-most-photographed shrine in Pennsylvania (behind the Liberty Bell).

During the time students photographed action at the shrine, they saw extended families, proud graduates, first-time visitors to campus and even a marriage proposal.

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ALUMNI NEWS Alumni Fellow Tom Hayden (second from left) was honored by many people during his campus visit, including (left to right) President Rodney Erickson, Alumni Association president Kathleen Arnold Smarilli and Dean Douglas Anderson.

Showtime’s Hayden honored as Alumni Fellow Tom Hayden, executive vice president of Showtime Networks and general manager of Smithsonian Networks, has been honored as an Alumni Fellow by the University.

Alumni are selected for the award based on outstanding professional accomplishments, and are given the lifelong title of Alumni Fellow—the highest award given by the Penn State Alumni Association.

Since the award was established in 1973, more than 700 alumni have been honored with the title of Alumni Fellow, designated a permanent and lifelong title by the Penn State Board of Trustees. This represents one-eighth of one percent of all 560,000 living Penn State alumni.

“The Alumni Fellow program show

cases the significant contributions Penn Staters make to our nation and the world every day,” said Roger Williams, executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association. “At the same time, it provides these shining stars a chance to share their expertise with students, faculty and staff while on campus.”

Hayden (’77) was instrumental in developing and launching the Smithsonian Networks, a Showtime joint venture with the Smithsonian Institution. The network launched an HD channel in September 2007, and a year later the channel became the youngest network to earn an Emmy Award.

Since joining Showtime Networks in 1989, Hayden has served in various

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executive capacities, including senior vice president of strategy and development, senior vice president of business planning and analysis, executive vice president in the Direct-To-Home division, vice president of financial services, and director of national accounts. Prior to joining Showtime, Hayden spent 12 years at Kraft Foods Inc., where he held a variety of sales and marketing positions.

Since 2010, Hayden has been chairman of the board of the T. Howard Foundation, which provides internship opportunities to young minority men and women in the multimedia and entertainment industries.

As part of a busy return to campus for the award, Hayden toured broadcast facilities in the College of Com-

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ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni elected to board Two winners of a University-wide award are among the three latest alumni to join the College of Communications’ Alumni Society Board of Directors.

Jared Romesburg (’98 Telecom) and Dan Victor (’06 Journ)—both previous recipients of the Alumni Achievement Award, presented by the Penn State Alumni Association to successful alumni under the age of 35—were selected for the board along with Lauren Sujkowski (’10 PR).

All three will serve three-year terms. Sujkowski started her service with the board’s fall meeting while Romesburg and Victor will begin during the spring meeting.

Nearly three dozen communications alumni expressed an interest in the three open spots on the board.

“All the interest is a testament to our people and programs. So many have had good experiences that they want to give back and support our students and faculty by serving as board members,” said Mike Poorman, director of alumni relations. “It’s always exciting to add new members to the board, too. They bring great enthusiasm and a mix of experiences that make our programs even stronger.”

Two student representatives to the board were selected as well—junior

munications, lunched with broadcast journalism and telecommunications students and conducted guest lectures in two separate classes.

He was the featured speaker in COMM 498B Diversity Communications and COMM 384 Telecommuncations Promotions and Sales.

Hayden serves on the College of Communications’ Board of Visitors, as well as on the College’s development committee. He has been an active part of the College’s alumni panel and mentoring programs in New York City. Hayden, along with his brothers Michael and Matthew—both Penn State graduates—began the “Hayden Family Trustee Scholarship” in the College of Communications.

Hayden earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Penn State and his MBA from Rockhurst

Patrick Woo and sophomore Marielena Balouris. They will each serve two-year terms.

Romesburg is the president of Romesburg Media Group, and focuses on television programming development and production, advertising and sponsorship sales and broadcast and cable management. He has extensive experience in entrepreneurial and small-business matters.

Victor, a social media manager for The New York Times and State College native, has regularly returned to campus to participate in student-related panels or visit classes as a guest speaker. He has also participated in the mentoring program. Before joining the Times, he worked for ProPublica, Philly.com, Allbritton Communications and the Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., giving him a mix of digital and traditional news experience—along with a record of innovation.

Sujkowski works as a marketing coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. She brings experience with social media, live event production and strategic marketing to the board. She previously worked for a event and marketing company in New York City and for Penn State football as a marketing and promotions coordinator. l College in Kansas City, Mo. A life member of the Penn State Alumni Association, he and his wife, Nancy, live in Wyckoff, N.J. They have two children.

The Alumni Fellow program is administered by the Alumni Association in cooperation with the University’s academic colleges, campuses and the Office of the President. Alumni are nominated by a college or campus as leaders in their professional fields and accept an invitation from the president of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty and administrators.

Each Alumni Fellow receives a commemorative award, designed and hand-cast by Jeanne Stevens-Sollman (’72) an acclaimed sculptor and medalist, and an Alumni Fellow. l

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ALUMNI FELLOWS Chronological list of College of Communications alumni who have been honored as Alumni Fellows.

Donald W. Davis (1973) John Troan (1974) Charles J. Bierbauer (1980) Gerald W. Abrams (1981) Sam Vaughan (1981) Stanley B. Lathan (1982) William Ulerich (1985) David R. Jones (1987) Norman C. Miller (1987) Brian Healy (1988) Ronald S. Bonn (1989) Marvin L. Krasnansky (1989) Linda Salzberg (1989) Arthur M. Cooper (1990) Rodney L. Nordlund (1990) Annette Capone Wright (1990) Carmen J. Finestra (1991) Lawrence G. Foster (1992) Elliot S. Schreiber (1992) Jayne E. Miller (1993) Alan M. Pottasch (1993) Jane Perry Shoemaker (1994) James R. Wiggins (1994) Warren L. Maurer (1995) William A. Jaffe (1996) Robert K. Zimmerman (1996) Marian U. Coppersmith Fredman (1997) Theodore A. Serrill (1997) Elizabeth Fetter (1998) Jayne Jamison (1999) Donald Blair (2000) Robert O’Leary (2000) Donald King (2001) Richard Mallary (2001) Geri Warren-Merrick (2002) Jon Saraceno (2003) Peter Shih (2004) Eric Rabe (2005) Mary Lee Schneider (2006) Lisa Salters (2007) Jimmy Cefalo (2007) David Lipson (2008) Marc Brownstein (2009) Rob Boulware (2010) Linda Yaccarino (2011) Tom Hayden (2012)

ALUMNI NEWS

Awards recognize achievement, excellence, teaching Three College of Communications alumni and one faculty member were honored with annual awards while another honor was presented for the first time and promptly renamed as the Alumni Society Board conducted its annual awards program.

Award winners were: l Sara Ganim (’08 Journ) of CNN, Emerging Professional Award; l Lara Spencer (’91 Brdcst Journ) of “Good Morning America,” Outstanding Alumni Award; l Alex Ward (’66 Journ) of The New York Times, Alumni Achievement Award; l Maria Cabrera-Baukus, a senior lecturer in the Department of Telecommunications, Excellence in Teaching Award; and l Douglas Anderson, dean of the College, Communications Contributor.

Ganim, one of the youngest recipients of a Pulitzer Prize, added the accolades from the Alumni to her trove of honors and successes during the past year, as her reporting about the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State continually merited recognition.

Spencer, who became lifestyle anchor for “Good Morning America” in March 2011, also hosts the syndicated entertainment news magazine show “The Insider.” During seven seasons, she has interviewed many of the top personalities in show business, including Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep. She has also hosted popular

Senior lecturer Maria Cabrera-Baukus (left) and alumnus Alex Ward earned the Excellence in Teaching and Alumni Achievement awards, respectively.

shows such as “Super Bowl’s Greatest Commercials.”

Ward leads the book division for The New York Times and has been with the company for 35 years. Before taking his current position, he was editor of the special sections desk and served as both deputy editor and story editor for The New York Times Magazine.

Cabrera-Baukus, a member of the faculty since 1988, was recognized for her ability to link community organizations and student projects in a meaningful manner—consistently providing hands-on, real-world experience for students.

Since 2003, she has been involved with the Library of Congress Veterans

History Project. In addition, she has been a driving force in making annual webcasts of the Penn State Dance Marathon and Homecoming parade possible.

The inaugural Communications Contributor was intended for someone who makes an important contribution to the College. Members of the awards committee and board were unwavering in their support of Anderson for the award because of his transformational impact on the College and its programs since he took over as dean in 1999. Awards committee chair Abe Amoros said Anderson’s impact was so important that the contributor award would be renamed in his honor. l

Ad/PR Alumni Network adds four, expands to 12 members The Ad/PR Alumni Network expanded to 12 members, adding four alumni with varied experiences to the active group.

Those elected to the board were: l Adam LaMarca (’08 Journ), an account executive for online advertising sales at 24/7 Real Media. He lives in Hoboken, N.J. l Alyssa Miller (’08 Adv), a senior account manager for Merkle Inc. She lives in Thornton, Colo. l Richard Rapp (’79 Adv), president of Altamira Communications. He lives in Weston, Conn. l Jill Schnitt (’09 PR), an account executive for Outdoor Media

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Group. She lives in New York.

BJ Ramos (’94 MA MassComm), a specialist leader for Deloitte Consulting LLP, serves as president of the group, which was chartered by the College of Communications’ Alumni Society Board and focuses on the networking of alumni and professionals in the fields of advertising, public relations, community relations and marketing.

The group serves as a resource for the College of Communications with the Department of Advertising/Public Relations having input and final approval of all activities and programs of the APG. l 50

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ALUMNI NEWS

Olympic medalist appreciates return to campus, plans future After proving herself on a world stage with a bronze medal in rowing at the London Olympics—the culmination of eight years of dedicated training and thousands of hours of sacrifice—Natalie Dell (’07 Adv/PR) finally got to do something many other Penn Staters take for granted.

She watched the Homecoming parade and a football game. Actually, she was a featured guest at both events, after never watching a game or the parade as an undergraduate.

“When we had football tickets, we sold them to make money for the crew club, and most Saturdays we were on the water somewhere,” Dell said. “It was the same for the parade. We were usually packing up getting ready to go row.”

Dell, who crafted her career thanks to determination and hard work—she was a rarity as an elite-level rower who did not grow up on the water but impressed coaches and earned a spot on the national team—rested only briefly after her medal-winning performance.

Instead, she focused on another goal, a successful career in communications. She had worked for years for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs while training. Thanks to that experience and public speaking opportunities as a result of her bronze medal, she moved from the East Coast to San Francisco last fall to pursue opportunities with either health care or technology companies. l

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Since earning an Olympic medal as a rower in London, Natalie Dell has put her communications skills and her notoriety together to chart a career path.

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ALUMNI NEWS

SCREENING ‘SHENANDOAH’ Dave McKeown (’08 Journ) stands with Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist David Turnley at the opening of Turnley’s film “Shenandoah.” The documentary explores the aftermath of a racially-motivated attack by four high school football players in Shenandoah, Pa., that resulted in the beating death of immigrant Luis Ramirez. McKeown (right) covered the resulting legal proceedings and contributed video to the project. Turnley directed the film and did the principal cinematography. “Shenandoah” received pre-release buzz in The New York Times and premiered at the DOC NYC documentary film festival. “Shenandoah” was screened at the Independent Film Center in Greenwich Village. McKeown is a staff photographer at the Republican-Herald newspaper in Pottsville, Pa.

Q&A: ‘Army Wives’ author, award winner stays grounded Editor’s Note: Alumna Tanya Biank (’93 Journ) is an author, journalist and syndicated columnist whose book “Army Wives: The Unwritten Code of Military Marriage” was the basis for Lifetime Network’s hit TV series “Army Wives.” Biank, who received the College of Communications’ Outstanding Alumni Award in 2009, serves as a consultant to the show.

She recently moved from Pennsylvania to Williamsburg, Va., where her husband is stationed at nearby Fort Eustis. The seventh season of “Army Wives” begins in March on Lifetime.

Did you ever imagine working in television?

It’s not something I really ever thought of. I just wanted to write a book and get it published. It’s been a total surprise.

What’s your involvement with the show?

I work with the writers and the producers. The show is written in Hollywood and they film it in Charleston, S.C., near an old military base. When the scripts are coming out

or in development, we’re in weekly contact—or sometimes daily. I have a very good, close-knit relationship with the producers. I feel very blessed.

I try to make sure that there is a sense of realism, because we’re covering a very important topic—the military—and you can’t screw it up or there will be some serious repercussions. There were issues the first season—uniforms screwed up, salutes.

I knew right away and so did every military person and military wife watching. There’s definitely less of that now. You had military members screaming at the screen, “That ribbon is not right!”

before. Life really hasn’t changed. I do travel more, and I’ve been able to reach out to more people.

I’m very thankful that it’s been well received. I hear from people all over the world who watch the show.

Just this past week I heard from some Australian wives whose husbands are in the military. A woman told me how her husband came back with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from Afghanistan. They share their lives and what the show means to them. I try to email back if people have taken the time to write. It’s more than just entertainment—it’s a piece of their lives.

How do you feel about working in show business?

I’m grounded about the whole thing. I haven’t let any of it go to my head. I was always very cautious because I knew that the chances it would be made into a show, or that the pilot would take off, were very, very slim. Here we are six seasons later and it’s the top women’s drama on cable. I’m the same person that I was

Your new book is due out in February 2013. What’s it about?

The book is called “Undaunted: The Real Story of America’s Servicewomen in Today’s Military.”

It’s about four women from the junior enlisted ranks to the senior ranks—a very personal, intimate look.

It’s about much more than just serving in combat.

—Hilary Appelman

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ALUMNI NEWS

Social media push helps ‘Derby Girls’ documentary earn strong festival finish A Penn State alumna had her documentary selected as one of the top films at the Arclight Documentary Film Festival in Hollywood, and an online vote propeled the film into the Top 5 in its category.

Jennifer Crandell, who graduated in May 2011 with degrees in film-video and integrative arts, produced “The Derby Girls” about roller derby competitors. The documentary focuses on the competitors’ passion for the sport and how roller derby has affected their lives.

The film was shortlisted as one of the Top 20 entries in the “short documentary” category at the second annual festival.

After that, the quality of the film drew strong response from online voters who visited the festival’s Facebook

page. That support helped the film earn a spot among the festival’s overall finalists.

Crandell, who lives in the Los Angeles area and works as a production assistant, was thrilled with the performance. She is a U.S. Marine who started her Penn State education after she ended her service. She traveled all over the world with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, including trips to Australia, Djibouti, Dubai, Kuwait, Singapore and Tasmania.

During her time at Penn State, Crandell was consistently on the

dean’s list. She received a Creative Achievement Award from the College of Arts and Architecture and was accepted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Crandell also completed an internship at Nickelodeon Animation Studio, earning one of 30 spots from an applicant pool of 3,000.

The Archlight Documentary Film Festival strives to “offer a top-notch screening opportunity, allowing filmmakers to display their works in the strongest possible environment and to the broadest possible audience.” l

Author’s sixth book examines world of competitive duck painting Martin J. Smith (’78 Journ) has written his sixth book, “The Wild Duck Chase,” which is about the strange and wonderful world of competitive duck painting.

“The Wild Duck Chase” follows the world of competitive duck painting, specifically during the annual art contest. The annual contest is held to come up with a design for the federal duck stamp—which has raised more than $750 million since it was originally introduced in 1934. Revenue from the contest is used to conserve waterfowl habitats. The duck stamp money is widely considered one of the most successful conservation initiatives.

The annual contest attracts between 200 and 250 wildlife artists. And, in the words of Smith, the contest is just as colorful as anything any of the artists produce.

“Each year, the competitors, fans and collectors disappear down an obscure and uniquely American rabbit hole into a wonderland of talent, ego, art, controversy, scandal, big money and migratory waterfowl,” Smith said.

Smith had many reasons for writing a book about such an obscure and unique topic. “I wanted to tell the story of

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that vitally important, hopelessly obscure and undeniably peculiar contest in a way that both entertained readers and underscored the success and critical nature of this off-the-radar program that has done so much for conservation in this country,” said Smith. “If the number of hunters continues to decrease, and unless nature lovers support the duck stamp program, this landmark conservation effort faces possible extinction.”

He also believes the annual art contest is “a ray of hope and living reminder of what the American federal government once was.”

This is Smith’s sixth book; his other books include two pop-culture history books, which were co-authored with fellow Penn State Journalism alumnus Patrick J. Kiger, “Oops” and “Poplorica.” Smith published three crime novels set in Pittsburgh titled “Straw Men,” “Shadow Image,” and “Time Release.”

Smith lives in Orange County, Calif. He is the editor-in-chief of Orange Coast, a monthly city magazine. He was also the senior editor at The Los Angeles Times Magazine. Smith has won more than 50 newspaper and magazine writing awards. l 53

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ALUMNI NEWS

Alumna invests hard work as she builds career in film-video A busy day? That’s every day for Erica Sperber, and she loves every minute of it.

Whether it’s one of the 10 production companies that enlist her talents as a freelance producer for everything from commercials to corporate videos or one of the numerous film projects she has scheduled for the coming year, she’s always happy at work. And it seems she’s always at work.

“This is a business for people who love hard work, and it’s always better to be busy than not,” said Sperber (’10 Film), a New Jersey native who moved to the Pittsburgh area in 2012 after working in New York City.

“Every time you do something you get a chance to show people your best, to share your work. In this business the best way to get known and get more opportunities is to show your work.”

Sperber—as part of a collaboration with classmates Ryan Kroboth (’10 Film) and Ryan Quinn (’10 Film)—hits the film festival circuit this month with the documentary “Invincible Pep,” billed as the legend of Pittsburgh’s most epic ironworker.

The trio has also collaborated on three other award-winning films that were invited to festivals around the world, a Doritos commercial and numerous corporate videos.

“We’ve been working together since we were undergrads on a variety of things, and we just know each other so well that things go smoothly,” Sperber said. “We all know our roles, but we’re also not afraid to try things and push each other creatively. Because we know each other so well, it’s easy to be creative and offer honest feedback.”

The trio will begin filming “Anniversary,” a feature-length production, in June.

Still, those projects are just a small

part of Sperber’s professional schedule.

The freelance work in the Pittsburgh area—a hotspot for everything from big-budget Hollywood films to numerous production companies—provides regular opportunities and she supplements even those with other jobs.

For the coming year, projects she already has booked include:

thing away from everything I do.

“The hardest part of it is the lack of sleep. When you’re on a set 18 hours a day, it is a long day. I just try to see the best in everything.

“There’s nothing I would do differently. Some film folks might turn their noses up at corporate videos, but if you have a good script and can work with good people, that’s a positive and something you can learn from.”

She also had the opportunity to learn while working on the set of a Hollywood blockbuster—“The Dark Knight Rises”— which was shot in Pittsburgh.

“I absolutely love the opportunities to work on Hollywood productions,” she said. “‘The Dark Knight Rises’ was an amazing experience. When you’re in a movie theater and can remember all of those shots being done and the set, it’s the greatest feeling in the world.”

In addition, Sperber has Film) given of her time and talent to serve as a consultant for the Center for Organ Recovery and Education and its “A Pledge for Life” Film Festival, when student filmmakers have been invited to create a five-minute film presenting organ donation in a positive light. The festival is scheduled for March in Pittsburgh.

“It’s just an exciting and meaningful opportunity,” Sperber said.

With all her work, that search for meaning drives Sperber most.

Someday she hopes to run her own production company.

“I am always looking for new ventures and to learn new things. I want to be a well-rounded filmmaker,” she said. “I want to make powerful films with great meaning. I want to give back and show people to follow their dreams, because I did.” l

“The easiest part is I love what I do every day. It doesn’t seem like a job. Whether you’re casting videos, working on a big set or working on a smaller job, I try to take something away from everything I do.”

— Erica Sperber (’10

l working as a line producer on “The Jogger” with Twiin Tone Entertainment, filming in May; l working as a line producer and unit production manager on “One” with Wanted: Films, filming in August; and l working as a line producer and unit production manager for an untitled work, filming in October.

The mix of jobs allows her to work both with small crews and on larger film sets, a diversity of experiences that enables her to continually hone her skills.

“The easiest part is I love what I do every day. It doesn’t seem like a job,” she said. “Whether you’re casting videos, working on a big set or working on a smaller job, I try to take some-

Submit your Alumni Note online ... http://comm.psu.edu/alumni

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ALUMNI NEWS

Busy alumna authors pair of books, creates smartphone app Katy Koontz (’81 Journ) has been busy as ever this past year.

She has written a family travel guide book, written a children’s picture book, co-authored a memoir and created a smartphone app for travelers who visit the Great Smoky Mountains.

The family travel guide book, titled “Family Fun in the Smokies,” focuses on the most-visited national park in the United States, Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

“Researching and writing ‘Family Fun in the Smokies’ was an Katy Koontz has enjoyed a productive incredibly fun year. I checked out year, completing several projects. every single place I wrote about in (Photo by Colby McLemore/Colby’s the book, including taking every Photography) step of every hike and nature walk children, the profiled, often with my daughter Sam,” said Koontz. “The book does book covers every family-friendly activity the park offers, teach them so I did a lot of hiking and explored all over. I love sharing cooperation my favorite places, like a waterfall you can walk behind.” with people Koontz lives only about an hour from the Great Smoky who are difMountains and can even see the mountains from her ferent. It also neighborhood. “Family Fun in the Smokies” is available in helps readers the park and at www.familyfuninthesmokies.com online. realize that Along with “Family Fun in the Smokies,” Koontz everything has stepped into the smartphone age with her new app called a purpose, Smoky Mountain Travel Guide. With the app travelers get whether an insider’s scoop on what to see and do in the Smokies, or not you notice it right away. “The Banana Police” is including accommodations, activities, attractions, restauavailable at http://thebananapolice.com/ and Amazon. rants and shopping. Users may sort entries they want to com online. read by category, by geographic area or by price.

Another project for Koontz during the year was co-auThe app includes more than 2,400 images, along with thoring a memoir titled “Yes, the Bee Can Fly” about Sid hours of operation, prices and rates for every entry. It also Mittra, Ph.D., a former professor of finance at Oakland links to each entry’s webpage and provides turn-by-turn University in Michigan. directions as well as maps.

“He’s a fascinating man and he contacted me several The smartphone app is available for the iPhone and years ago asking me to help him with his memoir,” she Android-powered devices. said.

“It was the story of how a man from India overcame Koontz’s children’s picture book, “The Banana Police,” seemingly insurmountable odds to come to this country is about a little town in a jungle that finds their elephants and how he eventually succeeded once he got here. to be too obnoxious to live with anymore. As a result, “His story fascinated me, not only because of the hope it the mayor calls on the elephant police to get rid of the promised to give readers, but also because Sid has a terrific elephants. sense of humor.”

The book is self-published by Mittra.

Not long after, another problem arises—a surplus of Koontz, an award-winning freelance writer who specialbananas—and residents realized they do need the pesky izes in health, lifestyles and travel, lives in Knoxville, Tenn. pachyderms.

She has been published in a wide variety of publications, “I wrote ‘The Banana Police’ for my daughter Sam when including Reader’s Digest, Child, Family Fun, Glamour, she was a newborn, just for fun,” said Koontz. “I honestly Health, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Traveler, Natural didn’t set out to write a book with any sort of message at Health, Parenting, Redbook, Self, Travel & Leisure, Vacations all. I was just trying to come up with a fun story.”

Even without the intention of conveying a message for and Woman’s Day, among others. l

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SPRING 2013

ALUMNI NOTES

1960s

Ken Hershberger (’65 Brdcst) has retired following more than 35 years as a successful fund-raiser for nonprofit organizations across the country. Before that, he spent some 20 years in broadcasting, including work as a producer/host for WPSXTV. He recently married high school classmate Becky Hindman from Butler, Pa. They reunited at their 50th high school reunion and will reside in Grand Rapids, Mich., taking every opportunity to enjoy ballroom dancing.

David Lane (’67 Journ) is president of LevLane, an advertising, public relations, brand management and digital media company in Philadelphia. LevLane was recently recognized by the American Association of Advertising Agencies for its 25 years of membership in the organization.

Bob Barbarowicz (’68 Journ) was named as a partner at Michelman & Robinson, LLP. Paul Levine (’69 Journ) is the author, most recently, of legal thrillers “Lassiter” and “Last Chance Lassiter.”

1970s Sheila McCauley Young (’77 Journ) is the director of development for special projects and clinical programs at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine.

Mark Harmon (’79 Journ) is a professor of journalism and electronic media at the University of Tennessee, and has authored “Crashing the Commission: Confessions of a University Twit” (Tellico Books). He lives in Knoxville, Tenn.

1980s Rich Hyle (’81 Journ) recently retired after 30 years as a sales executive and personal estate/wealth management professional. He and his wife Nancy live in Wayne, N.J. Rich Scarcella (’81 Journ) received three 2012 Keystone Press Awards: first place for column writing, second place for sports event coverage

Alumna lands recurring role on soap, ‘Days of our Lives’

Karah Donovan (’06 Adv) landed a recur- soap opera TV staple on NBC for more ring role as a nurse on the longest-running than four decades—she has her first scripted television program, “Days of our recurring role, and she’s excited about the Lives.” opportunity.

Donovan worked for three “Working on ‘Days of our years as a broadcaster for Lives’ is a fun and exciting AccuWeather after graduation. experience. Shooting is fastShe was not only on Accupaced because there can be Weather for those three years, close to 100 pages of dialog per but also “ABC World News,” episode and there is often only “Good Morning America,” one rehearsal and then one and Bloomberg Television. take,” said Donovan. “This is Karah After three years as a weather why it is so important to always be Donovan broadcaster Donovan decided prepared.” to move to Los Angeles to pursue her acting The opportunity has challenged her and career. enabled her to think about her future as “It was scary to leave my steady job at well.

AccuWeather and uproot my life and move “I would love to continue to work in to Los Angeles, but I told myself that you soaps.

The fans are so loyal and I would only live once and I had to try. If not, I love to continue to build a relationship would risk asking myself for the rest of my with my audience,” said Donovan. “So far, life, what if?,” said Donovan. “Thankfully, I have been afforded the opportunity to I had the loving support of my husband, work in drama, however, I would love to Bryan, who is also a Penn State alum, and work in comedy, as well. My DVR at home my dog, Nittany.” is filled with comedies from ‘Modern Since moving west she has had roles Family’ to ‘The Office.’ Working in film is on a few well-known shows. Her resume also something I would love to do.” in Los Angeles includes, “Rizzoli & Isles,” Donovan and her family live in Los An“90210” and “CSI: Miami,” among others. geles. She has booked a second recurring On “Days of our Lives”—which first aired on Nov. 8, 1965, and has been a role that will begin airing in February. l and honorable mention for sports beat reporting. He’s covered Penn State football for the Reading Eagle since 1989.

Art Dangel (’83 Adv, ’87 MBA Bus) was named vice president, wealth management, for First National Bank of Pennsylvania. He lives in State College with his wife Tina Doriguzzi (84 Bus) and his son A.J., who is currently an undergraduate student. Contact info: dangela@fnb-corp.com.

Kathy DeGrandi Heasley (’83 Adv), founder and president of Heasley & Partners Inc., was named one of the top 25 women in business in Phoenix by Phoenix Business Journal. She lives in Fountain Hills, Ariz.

THE COMMUNICATOR

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Mike Reuther (’87 Journ) has published his third book, “Write the Darn Book.” The book helps aspiring authors realize their writing dreams.

It is available through Amazon.

His previous books are a mystery, “Return to Dead City,” and a novel, “Nothing Down.”

Katherine Fox (’89 Telecom) has taken a new position with Comcast as senior director of planning and project management.

1990s Jeannine M. Luby (’93 Journ) recently published her second book, a children’s book titled “Wartz And All,” available at WartzAndAll.com online. Jeannine published her first

SPRING 2013

ALUMNI NOTES

News to share?

Engaged?

Married?

Honored?

Promoted?

Proud Parents?

Documentary about non-profit group garners significant award

A connection with a fellow Penn Stater and a project about a non-profit group in Mexico City that installs rainwater harvesting systems has led to an award-winning documentary film.

Whatever the news, just Greg Harriott (’09 Film) met let us know and we’ll Dave Vargas (’06 Eng, ’09 MS spread the word with Eng) in 2008 while working on a other College of documentary about the Peruvian Amazon.

Communications alumni.

“We became friends and kept in touch. In 2010 Dave was living in Submit Alumni Notes online Mexico City as the chief operating http://comm.psu.edu/alumni officer at Isla Urbana, and I started getting phone calls from him telling me about what Isla Urbana was book, a humor book on dating titled doing,” said Harriott. “I was busy “He’s Not Prince Charming When...” working in New York City at the in 2010. It’s available at NotPrincetime, but he kept calling me and Charming.com and Amazon.com Greg Harriott’s passion and success keep telling me that I needed to come online. him focused on making documentaries. down to Mexico and film some of wishing he had more of a background in Anthony Pisco (’97 Film) and his what was happening.”

Spanish as he tried to get his work done. wife Emily welcomed son Leo on Isla Urbana is a non-profit group in “I was directing, shooting and recordJune 17, 2012. Leo joins big brother Mexico City that installs rainwater harEvan, 2. Anthony is the art direcing sound mostly in Spanish, which was vesting systems for people in low-income tor for the newspaper division of tough,” he said. “I had people translating areas who don’t have consistent access Innovative Designs and Publishing some of the time, but I had to take some to water. in Palmer Township, Pa. The family educated guesses about the content that Curious and motivated, Harriott evenresides in Northampton, Pa. I was getting during a lot of the intertually made the trip to Mexico City. He worked on a limited budget, and came views.”

Laurie Roth Gavin (’99 Journ) and away impressed by the group’s efforts. her husband Michael welcomed When filming was complete, he son Ryan Carter on April 6, 2012.

“I filmed with practically no budget returned home to Brooklyn and his Ryan joins big brother, Sean Riley, 4. and my brother, Mark Harriott, did a brother in Los Angeles spent the next Laurie is the assistant to the admin- great job editing it all together,” Harriott few months editing the footage. They istrator/human resource manager said. “I was really impressed with the then found an outlet for the film, and for the Eatontown (N.J.) Borough. difference that Isla Urbana makes in peo- some important success.

The family resides in Allentown, N.J. ple’s lives. Water is such a basic necessity Isla Urbana won the Grand Jury and in the U.S. we are fortunate enough Josh Rehrer (’99 Media) and MerAward and $10,000 at the Intelligent to not have to think about it on a daily edith Gorka Rehrer (’98 HHD) are Use of Water Film Competition in basis.” celebrating their 10-year wedding Beverly Hills.

The common-sense simplicity of anniversary. Josh is a vice president The project and the film’s success have for Business Wire and Meredith approaching the problem impressed is a physical therapist. They live in Harriott as well. Because it rains so much fueled Harriott’s passion for filmmaking—especially documentaries.

Worcester, Mass. in Mexico City for much of the year, “As a director, I like working with docand then remains dry for long periods as 2000s umentary and experimental films more well, Vargas and his group work to capLaura Burgos ’ (00 Telecom) was than narrative projects. Narrative films ture the water when its raining and save appointed as principal of Inspire are a lot of fun to shoot, but I don’t plan Charter Academy on June 11, 2012. it for the dry season. It’s truly a rainy-day on directing any.” approach.

She relocated to Baton Rouge, La., Harriott spent 10 days filming, often — Caroline Nelson

THE COMMUNICATOR

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SPRING 2013

ALUMNI NOTES from Brooklyn, N.Y., to assume the role. This is her 12th year in education.

Joel Molinsky (’03 Telecom) was recently promoted to Director I in the studio directing department at ESPN. Emily Stamm (’03 Film) is an assistant electrician for Cal Performances at UC Berkeley.

Nichole Dobo (’04 Journ) is a staff writer at The News Journal in New Castle, Del. Darren E. Miller (’05 Journ) swam the Strait of Gibralter in May and the Tsugaru Channel in July, completing the fourth and fifth parts of “Oceans Seven”—the world’s seven most difficult channel swims. He’s also completed the English Channel, Catalina Channel and Molokai Channel. He lives in Delmont, Pa. Steve Strange (’06 Journ) recently published “Fantasy is Reality,” his first book, a reference guide for fantasy sports commissioners. For more information visit, www.strangeonsports.com online.

Dan Victor (’06 Journ) is a social media producer at The New York Times.

Taylor Baker Rogan (’08 Journ) married Chase Rogan (’07 Ag) in August 2011. Chase proposed while Taylor was teaching English in South Korea in 2010.

Travis Talbot (’08 Journ, Lib) is a staff attorney with a public defender agency in New York, N.Y.

2010s Rich Coleman (’10 Journ) is a writer and editor at Progressive Business Publications.

Elle Cristo (’10 Adv/PR) was named social media manager at Nadine Johnson & Associates, a full-service agency catering to a select international clientele.

Lindsey Epley (’10 Adv/PR) has worked as a coordinator of store communications at Ahold USA, the parent company of Giant and Stop & Shop grocery stores since 2010. She is engaged to Eric Lindblade.

Alex Knodel (’10 Adv/PR) celebrated the NBA world championship with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and their teammates with the Miami Heat in June 2012. She works for the Heat Group as their database marketing coordinator out of offices in Miami.

Matthew Vine (‘11 Journ) is a reporter at the Wyoming County Press Examiner in Tunkhannock.

Aubrey Whelan (’11 Journ) is a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Jocelyn Brumbaugh (‘12 Journ) is a reporter at the Tribune & Georgian in St. Mary’s, Fla. Matt Morgan (’12 Journ) is a reporter for the Centre Daily Times.

Dan Hamilton (’12 Journ) is a photographer at WNEP-TV in Scranton, Pa.

Diana Rodriguez (’10 Journ) is a middle school teacher with Teach for America in East Point, Ga.

Rachel Polansky (’12 Journ) is a multimedia journalist at WUTR-TV in Utica, N.Y.

Elista Burneisen (’11 Journ) is the evening personality/ assistant music director on 100.7 Star at CBS Radio in Pittsburgh. She previously worked as evening personality/promotions director at Results Radio in Parkersburg, W.Va.

Katlyn Slagel (’12 Telecom) recently accepted a job in Grand Cayman Islands as an on-air personality for Top 40s station, Z99. She is co-hosting a morning show, solo afternoon show and weekend show.

Brittany Boyer (’11 Journ) is a reporter for WJAC-TV in Johnstown, Pa. Kevin Cirilli (’11 Journ) is a reporter at Politico.

Sara Nathan (‘09 Journ) is a multimedia reporter at the Jersey Journal in Hudson County, N.Y.

Allison Hedges (’11 Journ) is a production assistant with the “Fox and Friends” show.

Eric Scarcella (’09 Adv/PR) works as the director of public relations and media relations for the Reading Phillies.

Steve Hennessey (’11 Journ) is an assistant editor at Golf Digest. He was promoted after 11 months at the magazine. He is also a contributing writer for Golf World magazine and GolfDigest.com online.

Nora Snoddy (’11 Adv/PR) left her position as director of public relations and social media at Fastlane Communications. She is the engagement manager at AGAIN Interactive, a social media agency located in Northern New Jersey.

Kylie Nellis (‘10 Journ) is a production coordinator at the “Today Show.”

Alexa Keely (’09 Journ) is a mobile content editor at ESPN.

Mark Viera (’09 Journ) is a student at the University of Michigan Law School.

Andrew McGill (’11 Journ) is a producer and designer for Post-gazette. com and Pipeline, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette site dedicated to Marcellus Shale coverage.

THE COMMUNICATOR

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Stephanie Tabor (’12 Journ) is a producer at DailyCandy, an entertainment and fashion website.

SPRING 2013

COLLEGE CALENDAR JAN 21

Martin Luther King Jr. Day No Classes

Area code is (814)

HOW TO REACH US

Addresses are University Park, PA 16802 OFFICE OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS 301 James Building.................................... 865-8801

FEB Penn State Dance Marathon (Bryce Jordan Center) 15-17 MAR 4-8

Spring Break

MAR 22

JobExpo.Comm

No Classes

(HUB Alumni Hall)

MAR Ad/PR Board Event, Meeting (Various Locations) 22 MAR Grad Studies Celebration (Various Locations) 22-24 APR 2-3

Foster Conference

APR 12

Success in the City

APR 12

Films and Friends

(HUB-Robeson Center)

Kevin Musick, Director of Development Joel Diamond, Associate Director of Development Mike Poorman, Director of Alumni Relations Steve Sampsell, Director of College Relations Janet Klinefelter, Development Assistant Sue Beals, Administrative Assistant DEAN’S OFFICE 201 Carnegie Building............................... 863-1484 Douglas Anderson, Dean Marie Hardin, Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Education ACADEMIC SERVICES 204 Carnegie Building............................... 865-1503 Jamey Perry, Assistant Dean for Academic Services INTERNSHIPS AND CAREER PLACEMENT 208 Carnegie Building............................... 863-4674 Bob Martin, Assistant Dean for Internships and Career Placement

(New York City)

(New York City)

MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS 208 Carnegie Building............................... 863-6081 Joseph Selden, Assistant Dean for Multicultural Affairs WEB SITE http://comm.psu.edu

Award for Excellence APR 18 in Coverage of Youth Sports APR 19-21

Blue-White Weekend

Connect with the College Join us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn

APR Spring Semester Classes End 26 APR 27-28 MAY 4

Study Days Commencement

(Bryce Jordan Center)

http://comm.psu.edu/about/social-media

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