Reed College of Media Summer 2015 by WVU Reed College of Media

ADMINISTRATION E. Gordon Gee President West Virginia University Joyce McConnell Provost Maryanne Reed Dean Diana Martinelli Associate Dean Tricia Petty Assistant Dean for Student and Enrollment Services Steve Urbanski Director of Graduate Studies Chad Mezera Director of Online Programs Photo Credit: David Smith

Message from the Dean ON THE HEELS OF OUR 75TH ANNIVERSARY, it has been quite a year for the Reed College of Media. This year, we paid tribute to our proud history and celebrated our evolution, growth and success. That success can best be measured by the achievement of our students and graduates, who work throughout the media industry using the skills and knowledge they gained here. This issue of the annual alumni magazine is dedicated to the student experience – from the relevant real-world courses we teach to the extracurricular opportunities we provide. In the classroom and through special projects, such as the hackathon on “wearables,” the Selma project and our Benedumfunded community branding initiative, our students are learning how to produce professional-level work, solve problems, think strategically, and adapt to a variety of situations. The ability to adapt and iterate quickly is becoming an increasingly valuable skill set, as our students enter a world in which communication forms and media practices are changing at an accelerated rate. The College of Media is able to provide relevant professional experiences in large part because of our creative and

dedicated faculty, who are reimagining the curriculum and updating their own skills. But our students also deserve credit for taking advantage of these opportunities and for crossing traditional boundaries into new territory. Students like Valerie Bennett, a Strategic Communications major with an emphasis in Advertising who also served as president of the College’s PRSSA chapter, was a member of the winning hackathon team and part of a group that won a national public relations campaign competition. As we celebrate the student experience, we give thanks to our dedicated friends and alumni who fund academic scholarships and student enhancement opportunities and who mentor our students and recommend them for internships and jobs. I am so proud of our College – our students, faculty and alumni – as we move beyond the first 75 years and embark on our next journey across the changing media landscape.

Maryanne Reed, Dean

EDITORIAL STAFF Kimberly Walker Executive Editor Christa Currey Managing Editor Briana Wilson

PHOTOGRAPHY David Smith WVU UR-News

DESIGN Little Fish Design Company

ADDRESS WVU Reed College of Media PO Box 6010 Morgantown, WV 26506-6010 CHANGE OF ADDRESS WVU Foundation PO Box 1650 Morgantown, WV 26507-1650 Fax: 304.284.4001 Email: info@wvuf.org reedcollegeofmedia.wvu.edu/stay_connected

ON THE COVER: WVU student Colleen Good, center, walks with Morgan State students Camille Harrison, left, and Asha Glover while reporting for the “Bridging Selma” project in Selma, Alabama. David Smith

Table of Contents 10

David Smith

LEADING INNOVATION The Future Is Here

Creating new forms of storytelling

Sophomore Leads Food Recovery Efforts at WVU

INTEGRATE Conference Finds Niche

Hackathon Empowers Young Women in Technology

Leading the Industry

Where Are All the Women?

PR and IMC grads drive a “campaign of the century”

Every Brand Has a Story

Interviewing the Data

Students learn new approach to election reporting

Wikipedia panel discusses gender gap

Global Learning

Students work to raise breast cancer awareness in South America

Student Launches Mobile Recording Studio

In Every Issue 33

Around the College

Class Notes

Faculty News

Donors & Scholars

Do You Know …

38 Awards

Jonathan Vickers

FOR THE SOCIAL GOOD

24 LEARNING BY DOING 22

New Class Launches First-Ever Morgantown “Foodie Tour”

Adventures in Learning

28 COVER STORY

Bridging Selma

Getting Social with ABC News

Strategic Know-How

Students intern with national network during 2014 midterm elections

Capstone students learn by informing others

%Associate Professor Joel Beeson and Morgan State University student Emily Pelland collect 360-degree photos at the Marion Cemetery for the “Bridging Selma” project. David Smith

LEADING INNOVATION

The Future Is Here Creating new forms of storytelling

Andrew Radcliffe experiments with a virtual reality game using Google Cardboard in Associate Professor Joel Beeson’s Visual Storytelling for Media class during the Spring 2015 semester. David Smith 2

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

VIRTUAL REALITY. 3-D. PROJECTION MAPPING. FORENSICS. Doesn’t sound like your typical journalism class, right? But that’s exactly what’s in the syllabus for Associate Professor Joel Beeson’s Visual Storytelling for Media course. This spring, a special version of the class focused on the emerging practice of visual storytelling through experimental forms in immersive journalism. The fundamental idea of immersive journalism is to allow participants to enter a virtually recreated scenario of a news event or story, with the goal of providing a first-person experience that elicits empathy and a connection to the story or event. To create such an experience, Beeson and his students explored the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to help reconstruct the story of a World War I helmet decorated by an African American veteran, Monroe Cox, who died in 1967. Cox was a “wagoner” who drove an ammunition truck in the 92nd Infantry Division – one of only two black combat divisions in World War I. He also was a part of the Great Migration northward in the early decades of the 20th century and became the first black Boy Scout commissioner in Wyandotte County, Kansas. “Cox’s helmet is an evocative object through which we can explore the intimate traces of a black veteran’s experience during a time of great turmoil in our country nearly a century ago,” said Beeson. “AR and VR provide ways to connect with the stories this helmet represents and helps to bring those stories, and Monroe, to life.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Students examined photos, personal documents and World War I-era artifacts to piece together a narrative about African American veteran Monroe Cox. David Smith Associate Professor Joel Beeson talks with Forensic Science students Renuta Devi Watalingam, right, and Madonna Nobel during a joint class session in the College’s Media Innovation Lab. David Smith A 19th century stereoscope provided one of the earliest forms of virtual reality technology. Megan Barnes Shelia Ingram uses an Epson Moverio augmented reality headset during class. David Smith

This spring, the class partnered with students and faculty in WVU’s Department of Forensic and Investigative Science to conduct and archive trace analysis of the paint, metal, leather and cordage from the helmet to generate additional clues as to what Cox experienced during the war. Beeson’s students also studied the history of African Americans during the World War I period so they could better understand how to curate the pieces of content previous classes collected and their own research during a field trip to the National Archives in April. There, they found Cox’s name on passenger lists of two ships: the Covington, which took him from Hoboken, New Jersey, to France, and the HMS Aquitania, which brought his unit back. They also explored how new technologies can be used in immersive experiences, experimenting with the latest devices in VR, such as Google Cardboard and Zeiss VR One, as well

as AR wearables such as Epson Moverio and Google Glass. The students used an iPadmounted 360-degree scanner, the Occipital Structure Sensor, to scan people and objects into virtual and augmented space. College of Media senior Andrew Radcliffe says he’s up for the challenge. “The most exciting thing about this class for me has been learning about the new capabilities these up-and-coming technologies offer journalists,” he said. “With the use of AR and VR, you can do more than just tell the story through words or show the story through visualization – you can, in a sense, immerse the viewer within the story.” Perhaps the most important work students did, however, was learn, discuss and envision both the promise and perils of using these new technologies in storytelling. “As journalists and educators, we must engage in these new forms to explore their ethical and social possibilities,” said Beeson. “We’re no longer just in a role of

Learn more about the project, the class and the students’ experience at: arvrstory.com

‘training’ students to produce reporting projects. Being able to navigate new forms of journalism is something our graduates will be expected to do.” Junior Kelsey Staggers says she feels lucky to get ahead of the game. “We’re venturing into a whole new form of journalism,” she said. “We are becoming the experts because we’re doing it first, and the surface is only being scratched. Not many students are able to say that. I have so much more knowledge on how technology is going to have an impact on our field in the coming years.” Radcliffe mirrors her enthusiasm. “The boundaries for storytelling through AR and VR are endless. It’s all coming soon. Get ready.”

REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

LEADING INNOVATION

@islandarcade

Going to miss this group! See you in another year! #integrate15

Rickie Rose Huffman, a 2015 graduate of the IMC program, gathers WVU President E. Gordon Gee and other conference attendees for a group selfie. David Smith

INTEGRATE Conference Finds Niche Expert marketing communications content delivered through a uniquely WVU experience

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

THIS YEAR, INTEGRATE CONFERENCE ATTENDEES EXPERIENCED first-hand what it means to be part of a national brand – West Virginia University. And what better way to experience that brand than to hear from the man who lives it every day. WVU President E. Gordon Gee, who is known for his jovial personality and strong social media presence, joined conference-goers to serve as a keynote speaker during the Saturday evening dinner. He shared his perspective on how a powerful brand and targeted messaging can help a large institution like WVU connect with people in a crowded information marketplace. “At its best, social media enhances a sense of community and reinforces the idea that people are part of something larger than themselves,” said Gee, who has more than 70,000 followers on Twitter. “Social media is a great way to let people know how you feel about them. Because individuals engage with social media in a very personal way, you can connect with them on a very personal level. Amid all the humor, I try to get across one basic @Lisasands1 message to our students: That I love them and want the best for them.” As usual, it’s hard to WVU Vice President for University Relations Sharon pick breakout sessions Martin touched on this same idea in her session about when they’re all so WVU’s recent rebranding efforts. “How do you market a hug? … Because WVU really hugs you,” she said. good! #integrate15

The College’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) graduate program uses this same “hug” appeal to create a unique national communications conference experience – one that integrates high-profile industry networking into the family atmosphere of WVU. Current IMC student Heather Ouimette says she felt a real sense of community while attending INTEGRATE 2015. “I have always been a proud Mountaineer, but after INTEGRATE I have a greater, more powerful sense of pride,” said Ouimette. “I left Morgantown feeling grateful to be a part of the WVU IMC program family … I felt welcome as soon as I walked in door and throughout the entire conference.” While in Morgantown for INTEGRATE, current students and program graduates have the chance to meet with faculty and classmates face-to-face, and attendees are able to network with fellow industry professionals and create lifelong connections. This year, they also took selfies with President Gee and the Mountaineer mascot, attended a networking reception at the WVU football stadium, and sampled West Virginia staples like pepperoni rolls “Flying WV” cookies. In addition to showcasing the WVU brand, INTEGRATE 2015 also highlighted the expertise and best practices of strategic communications experts from across the country. This year’s event attracted speakers from the recreation, music, beverage, insurance, education, and professional and business services industries. Paul Rhien, who traveled from Arizona to attend the conference, says he was impressed with the speaker lineup at INTEGRATE 2015. “The speakers at INTEGRATE were outstanding,” said Rhien. “Not only did they present on very relevant trends and current topics in the IMC field, but I really appreciated being able to network with them throughout the conference. The speakers offered great personal application and insight beyond their presentations.” In addition to Gee, Melanee Hannock, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s senior vice president of marketing, also spoke at the Saturday evening event,

Speaker Highlights

E. GORDON GEE President West Virginia University Keynote Speaker sharing insight on the “360-degree STORYgagement” techniques St. Jude uses to engage customers. Hannock described STORYgagement as the fivestep process used on every campaign to help St. Jude tell its story. They begin by (S)olidifying their purpose and then develop (T)ouchpoints, address an (O)mnichannel presence, build creative that will (R)esonate with the audience, and examine the (Y)ield or measurement of their efforts.

@amoreau2

Proud to be a part of the Mountaineer family. #integrate15 #hailwv @kaitlin_n

Today’s #integrate15 sessions have been great! Loved hearing from @scottcuppari @TheSalesLion @aflick @sradick

MELANEE HANNOCK Senior Vice President of Marketing St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Keynote Speaker

ROD BROOKS Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company

ANDY FLICK Director of Midwest Promotions RCA Records/Sony Music Entertainment

DIANE CENTENO Vice President of Marketing SeaWorld and Aquatica San Antonio

SCOTT CUPPARI Global Marketing Director Coca-Cola FreestyleTM

@ConceptualPR

@aflick awesome presentation about promotion, storytelling and the music industry #integrate15 @mattab80

Because what else would you expect during a conference snack break in West Virginia? #integrate15 #pepperoniroll #gotowv

@scottcuppari

My already awesome #integrate15 conference is now complete with a @gordongee #selfie

Watch the INTEGRATE 2015 presentations online: imc.wvu.edu/community/imc_knowledge_base

REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

LEADING INNOVATION

Leading the Industry PR and IMC grads drive a “campaign of the century”

Alumni Aaron Mushro and Sarah Shank pose with truth’s #FinishIt campaign logo. The #FinishIt campaign urges teens to be the generation that ends tobacco for good. Photo submitted by truth staff 6

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

YOU’VE PROBABLY SEEN THEIR TELEVISION ADS. A 2006 ad featured 1,200 body bags being placed outside of Phillip Morris headquarters to signify the number of deaths per day from cigarette smoke. That same year, another ad featured a cowboy in Times Square singing with an electrolarynx after having his voice box removed. This year, they premiered a music video and ad at the Grammys titled “Left Swipe Dat,” reminding millennials that posting a smoking photo on popular dating apps can quickly take you from a “10” to a “2.” “They” are the truth® campaign and are known for informative, provocative advertisements highlighting the consequences of tobacco use. Advertising Age magazine recently placed the truth campaign in their Top 15 Ad Campaigns of the 21st Century ranking. Behind this groundbreaking, national award-winning integrated marketing campaign are two College of Media alumni. Sarah Shank, a 2015 Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program alumna, has worked on the campaign for more than five years, and Aaron Mushro,

a 2002 Public Relations graduate, for more than 10 years. Together, they lead aspects of the truth campaign’s digital evolution to keep up with the changing media landscape. “Our target audience has evolved,” said Mushro, marketing director for truth who steers digital marketing campaign elements. “It has gone from Generation X to Millennials and now Centennials. And as our audience changes, so do media platforms they engage with, so we must be quick to adapt.” When the truth campaign launched in 2000, 23 percent of teens smoked. That number is now at 8 percent. Those statistics are achieved not just through the truth campaign but also tobacco control research, community initiatives and government outreach. Campaign employees, including Mushro and Shank, believe that the work they do is important and work harder because of it. Shank, senior communications manager for truth, said, “We’re super gritty and creative when rolling out campaigns. Our communications and marketing projects are up against a tobacco industry that spends more than $24 million per day, which is more money than we spend in a year. We do our best to beat them at every turn because we believe that the work we do with truth can change the world.”

23%

Rate of tobacco use among American teens when truth launched in 2000

Current rate of tobacco use among American teens

450,000

Estimated number of teens who didn’t use tobacco because of truth in its first four years alone

$1.9-5.4 billion

Medical care cost savings to society thanks to truth Both say that their College of Media education helped prepare them to be leaders in the field. Shank says that her

professional and IMC course projects would often unexpectedly collide when she was taking classes. “While enrolled in the IMC program’s Internal Brand Communications course, we were transitioning to our current CEO, and I was helping with a lot of internal communications surrounding her on-boarding,” said Shank. “Being in the course at that time allowed me to not only apply what I was learning at work the very next day, but also bring a real-world experience back to my classmates.” Mushro says that even more than a decade out of school, his education still applies. “At a time when the media landscape was admittedly different, I received a great, foundational PR and communications education,” he said. “Now, 10 years later, I couldn’t be happier with the work that I’m doing. I’m using communications and marketing to help save lives and help people live longer.” MORE INFORMATION: truth campaign – www.thetruth.com/ Advertising Age’s Top 15 Ad Campaigns of the 21st Century – http://adage.com/lp/top15/

OTHER

IMC PROGRAM LEADERS ACROSS THE INDUSTRY

MARISOL VARGAS Manager of International Digital Operations World Wrestling Entertainment Stamford, Connecticut

SCOTT CUPPARI

MELISSA BOATWRIGHT

Global Marketing Director Coca-Cola FreestyleTM

Chief of Staff, Technology Thomson Reuters

Atlanta, Georgia

San Francisco, California

DIANE CENTENO

KYLE SCRIVEN

Vice President of Marketing SeaWorld and Aquatica San Antonio

Senior Director of Digital Motion Picture Association of America

San Antonio, Texas

Washington, D.C.

REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

LEADING INNOVATION

Every Brand Has a Story CONTENT MARKETING, NATIVE ADVERTISING, BRAND JOURNALISM. Whatever the approach, brand storytelling has become big business for the media and strategic communications industries alike. Advertisers are spending billions of dollars on engaging content that pulls people to their brand through social media and other media platforms. And news outlets are building their own in-house advertising agencies to help generate revenue. On April 7, the Reed College of Media hosted a panel discussion, “Native Advertising or Brand Journalism? How Organizations Are Telling Their Own Stories,” to address the credibility of brand journalism and its impact on the media industry and society, as well as career opportunities in this fastgrowing field.

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

What’s the Difference?

Panelists were asked to explain the difference between traditional journalism and “brand journalism.” While the consensus among them was that “it’s all journalism,” Meagan Priselac, a multimedia journalist for Coca-Cola Journey, says she has a different bottom line than a journalist at a news organization. But there are similarities. “The fundamentals of storytelling should always be the same no matter what,” said Priselac. “The story should be fact-based and transparent. And in the end, whether you’re a news organization or a corporation, we’re all trying to get people to watch our story, read our story, share our story.” Luke Seile, whose full-service sports marketing company works with clients such as Red Bull, GoPro and Teva, says he always takes a journalistic approach to storytelling. “I go to brands, and I try to find a story from an editor’s standpoint,” said

5Luke Seile, co-founder of Become Co., talks with students after the panel event in April. David Smith

Seile. “I don’t look at it from a brand standpoint. Honestly, I don’t think consumers care about brands. They care about being educated or entertained.” But some students in the audience were troubled by the blurring of lines between brand storytelling and news content. Tammy Gordon, who’s charged with AARP’s social media content creation and distribution, says transparency is key to winning the hearts and minds of consumers. “You have to be clear and transparent about who is paying for the ad,” said Gordon. “Great content is great content, and if you are doing a good job, people will click on it and read it.” For Coca-Cola, Priselac says, “it’s not about pushing the ads.” “It’s about showing the human connection to a brand,” she said. “That’s why Coca-Cola decided to change its website into a media hub, so they could tell their story.”

Adapting to Change

In the past, news organizations relied heavily on ad revenue to pay the bills. But now that advertisers can easily reach consumers through the Internet and social media platforms, media organizations have had to rethink the way they operate. Today, native advertising represents an opportunity to reverse the tide of declining revenues. Two years ago, native advertising didn’t really exist at The Huffington Post, but then they launched their partner studio to help brands create and publish content. Now, 30 percent of their revenue stream comes from native advertising – with a goal of 50 percent by the end of the year. The Huffington Post’s Lauri Baker helps manage a team of 46 people – including writers, editors, videographers, project managers and brand strategists – that collaborate to connect brands to audiences and build brand loyalty. “We take what we know from a journalistic perspective as to what stories resonate with our audience and leverage the brand’s insight as to what they know best about who they are as a brand,” said Baker. “We blend the two together to create this ecosystem using our data and our massive publishing platform to tell their stories.” For example, Huffington Post’s work with Johnson & Johnson showcases the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives to provide original content that doesn’t look like advertising. “We have a section with Johnson & Johnson called Global Motherhood, and it’s a platform for their 200 nonprofits to tell what they are doing around the world to make maternal and infant health better,” said Baker. “It doesn’t mention a product, it just tells their stories. So to us, and for Johnson & Johnson, that’s a native story.”

Share and Share Alike

All of the panelists agreed that they look beyond the “likes” and number of followers to gauge success on social media – a philosophy that has recently changed for Gordon. “For five years I’ve been preaching reach, engagement and click-through rates, but now our number-one focus is shares,” said Gordon. “If the content that we’re creating isn’t worth people taking it and sharing it across their network of friends and family, then we’re never going to hit organic.” Seile, whose video projects have resulted in more than 67 million views, agrees. “For our content, I like to see how wide reaching it can get,” he said. “If my mom sees it, I know I did something right. That’s kind of a joke, but it’s not.” Priselac says for Coca-Cola, it’s all about engagement. “I could tweet ‘who likes Coca-Cola’ and get a lot of likes and tweets and retweets, but that doesn’t mean anything to us,” she said. “Ultimately we are trying to share our stories and start conversations.”

What Does the Future Hold?

The panelists said there are multiple opportunities for graduates to enter this growing field. While newsrooms may be downsizing their editorial staffs, companies and media organizations are hiring storytellers who can bridge content with strategic goals. “Don’t wait for opportunities to come to you,” said AARP Studios’ Gordon. “I have written my last four job descriptions and created the last three teams I worked on … When I’m looking to hire people, and I just hired 17 at AARP Studios, I’m Googling your name. I’m looking at your social footprint. I’m seeing what your library of work is, and I expect you to have one when you graduate.”

“The fundamentals of storytelling should always be the same no matter what. The story should be fact-based and transparent. And in the end … we’re all trying to get people to watch our story, read our story, share our story.” – Meagan Priselac

Meet the Panelists Moderated by Dean Maryanne Reed.

LAURI BAKER Vice President of Brand Strategy and Sales The Huffington Post

TAMMY GORDON Founder and Vice President AARP Studios

MEAGAN PRISELAC Multimedia Journalist and Social Media Specialist The Coca-Cola Company

LUKE SEILE Co-Founder Become Co. REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

LEADING INNOVATION

Interviewing the Data Students learn new approach to election reporting

New York Times reporter Derek Willis, the College’s Fall 2014 Innovator-in-Residence, leads a database reporting workshop for regional media professionals. David Smith 10

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

POLITICIANS HAVE BECOME very sophisticated in their use of data to target their campaign messages to specific audiences. As a result, journalists need to be equally savvy about using data to better understand voter behavior and other election trends. During the Fall 2014 semester, College of Media students had the opportunity to learn this highly marketable skill from New York Times interactive developer and data journalist Derek Willis. Willis, the College’s second Innovator-in-Residence, collaborated with students in Assistant Professor Alison Bass’ Investigative Reporting class and Assistant Professor Bob Britten’s Interactive Design and Data Visualization class to cover the 2014 West Virginia midterm elections. Students were grouped into teams to produce and publish news stories and data visualizations primarily focused on the West Virginia Senate race between Shelley Moore Capito and Natalie Tennant and on the declining percentage of Democratic voters in West Virginia. With Willis’ expert guidance, the students used voter registration and campaign finance data to address a wide variety of topics including who was donating money to each campaign and where it was coming from, where the candidates concentrated their financial resources, and the rise of registered Independent voters in West Virginia.

Technology Transfer: Sharing data reporting with area reporters As a follow-up to the Fall 2014 data-reporting project with Innovator-in-Residence Derek Willis of The New York Times, the College hosted a Database Reporting Workshop in early February to teach area reporters how to tell a more powerful story by using resources such as voter registration and campaign finance data. Presenters included Willis; Tim Marema, editor of the Daily Yonder, who received a Knight Prototype Fund for Automated Data Reporting for Small-Market Media; and Assistant Professor Alison Bass, who teaches public affairs reporting, writing courses and multimedia journalism at the College of Media. The one-day workshop, sponsored by the Ogden Newspapers Seminar Series, included hands-on training sessions in building data skills and locating resources as well as mapping and data visualization. Media professionals from the West Virginia Press Association, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Charleston Gazette were among the participants. Links and materials from the workshop are available online at dwillis.github.io/ data-driven-workshop/.

David Smith

Not only did they learn how to gather the data, but they also learned how to interpret and “interview” the data to determine trends and anomalies. Professor Bass says the original, databased content produced by the students made the stories attractive to several state newspapers. According to Bass, the students wrote data-driven stories that weren’t being covered by the news media in West Virginia, such as the role that campaign spending from outside industry groups and corporations was playing in key statewide races. “As a result, a number of their stories were picked up by newspapers

around the state, including The Journal in Martinsburg and The Herald-Dispatch in Huntington,” she said. “This netted the students professional clips that they can use to find jobs when they graduate.” Journalism junior Angelina DeWitt’s article, “Why West Virginia’s voter turnout was so low this November,” was picked up by a Clarksburg newspaper. She says having access to Willis and his expertise in data-driven reporting was invaluable. “Mr. Willis was so available to us, and he had a different insight than anyone else,” said DeWitt. “I had so many questions about the first story that I wrote and when I emailed him,

Knight Foundation funds future Innovator-in-Residence efforts This spring, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced a grant to help expand the College of Media’s Innovator-in-Residence program. The $200,000 grant will add to the College’s ongoing efforts to create a culture of experimentation and innovation and encourage change in journalism education. Over the next two years, the College will continue to embed innovators from national organizations into media classes and expand the program to add regional innovators. These Innovators-in-Residence will partner with College faculty to co-teach experimental courses, expose students to emerging media technology, and create new practices for the industry. The innovators will lead projects designed to solve a specific problem or emerging challenge in the industry — from beta testing new economic models and content monetization to experimenting with new tools and story forms. The program will share project results in real time and familiarize industry and faculty participants with rapid change and risk-taking. It also will help to cultivate a culture of innovation at the College, by driving change in academic programs and helping students develop highly relevant professional skills and a problem-solving mindset, says College of Media Dean Maryanne Reed. “The media industry needs graduates who are not just adept at a particular technical skill set but who are also able to innovate solutions that build audiences and revenue and engage communities,” – Maryanne Reed said Reed. “Through our Innovator-inResidence program, our students are learning firsthand from industry experts how to tackle a modern news challenge and create a real-world solution – and project – within the course of a single semester.” Associate Professor Dana Coester will oversee the Innovator-in-Residence program at the College. She also is the creative director for the College’s new Media Innovation Center, which will open later this year and house the Innovatorin-Residence program.

“… our students are learning firsthand from industry experts how to tackle a modern news challenge and create a real-world solution.”

REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

LEADING INNOVATION

he walked me through it.” Willis, who finds and produces stories for The Upshot, a politics and policy site by The New York Times, says exploring complex datasets is no easy task, but he was pleased with the outcome of the project. “I’ve been really impressed with the work that the students did in such a short amount of time,” said Willis. “It’s not easy to take the temperature of an entire electorate.”

UP NEXT…Online News Association funds water journalism project for 2015 Inspired by the desire for more transparent information about West Virginia’s water sources, the College of Media is undertaking a new journalism project supported by a grant from the Online News Association (ONA). The $35,000 micro-grant is part of ONA’s competitive Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education to encourage journalism programs to experiment with new ways of providing news and information and to seed collaborative news experiments in living labs — their communities. As part of this challenge next fall, the College of Media will launch “Stream Lab,” a community reporting project through which students and faculty will experiment with using sensors and proximity beacons to increase public engagement around contaminated water issues. Partnering with WVU water researchers, West Virginia Public Broadcasting, The Charleston Gazette and noted sensor expert John Keefe of the WNYC Data News Team, “Stream Lab” team members will test new practices in journalistic storytelling using collaboratively sourced water-quality data.

3Assistant Professor Bob Britten’s Interactive Design and Data Visualization class used public data to visually compare the candidates in West Virginia’s 2014 U.S. Senate race. The students based their work on data such as campaign spending, voting histories, and past and present voter turnout to show the differences in the two candidates. 12

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

FOR THE SOCIAL GOOD

Sophomore Leads Food Recovery Efforts at WVU EVERY YEAR, COLLEGES ACROSS THE COUNTRY waste 22 million pounds of food. Journalism sophomore Hilary Kinney found this statistic staggering, so she established WVU’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network (FRN), a national organization that aims to recover and transfer wasted food to communities and people in need. As a high school student, Kinney volunteered at her local food pantry in Moundsville, West Virginia. When she came to WVU, she wanted to expand those efforts and thought of working with food recovery. “My original idea was to start a student organization just to generate interest in the issue,” said Kinney. “I didn’t really know the FRN existed. I was just eager to find more students who cared and to get together to alleviate hunger. I found that it would be easier and more effective to start a chapter of something that already existed.” The summer after her freshman year, Kinney stayed in Morgantown to begin Honors College undergraduate research with geography professor Bradley Wilson and WV FoodLink, a database for researchers and volunteers to use when dealing with the problem of food insecurity. Kinney says her work with WV FoodLink sparked the idea for the FRN chapter. “I read a lot and got out into various parts of the state. Parts of West Virginia are rural, so we’re not going to drive food

from Charleston to the mountains,” said Kinney. “I was doing research, and I was learning how soup kitchens work and how food pantries work and how FRN would be able to work with them.” FRN unites students on college campuses to fight food waste and hunger by recovering perishable food that would otherwise go to waste and donating that surplus to people in need. Kinney’s vision was a progressive environment that was forward thinking in alleviating food waste in Morgantown. She developed a plan with WVU Dining Services and, between October and December of 2014, the FRN collected 1,000 pounds of food from Evansdale Café, the second-largest kitchen in the state of West Virginia, and delivered it to nearby communities in need. “In the grand scheme of how much food is wasted, it’s not that much. We generate so much food in the U.S. I read somewhere that 40 percent of the food we make is thrown away,” Kinney said. In fact, the FRN successfully collected so much food from the WVU Towers dining hall that the organization overcollected and volunteers ran out of places to take the recovered food. “There are food pantries that have way too much food but can’t have more people come to them,” Kinney explained. “Is it a good idea to involve more and more volunteers to save food from being thrown away? Why can’t we just stop making so much food in the first place?”

5Hilary Kinney picks up food from Café Evansdale, the dining hall at Towers, for the Food Recovery Network chapter she founded on campus. David Smith

This spring Kinney left the FRN in the trusted hands of two co-founders, Erica Staats and Melissa Hernandez, who managed the organization throughout the semester while Kinney studied abroad in Cochabamba, Bolivia. “There’s no feeling like unselfishly giving to others. I took out a student loan to travel to another country to volunteer. It was the idea of leaving everything behind,” she said. “One truly finds him or herself when they travel for a long time because they have to leave everything they know.” After spending months in a foreign country taking classes and volunteering to teach English to Bolivian children, Kinney plans to kick back into gear with expanding the food collection when she returns to WVU in the fall. “Regardless of whether we can physically recover more food this semester, I’m confident that this summer or fall we’ll be equipped with the materials we need and the knowledge we need to start another year hitting the ground running,” she said. “I want to see us recovering as much food as possible, but I also want to see us having strong relationships with agencies and volunteers and people in need in Morgantown.” Learn more at www.foodrecoverynetwork.org/. This article was written by Journalism freshman Jennifer Skinner. REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

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HACK - THON Empowers Young Women in Technology

TRANSFORMATIVE. LIFE-CHANGING. EYE-OPENING. These words describe the experience of young women who participated in a women-and-wearables hackathon co-hosted by the College of Media and PBS MediaShift last October. “Hack the Gender Gap: A Women’s Hackathon on Wearables” brought together more than 50 women from WVU and universities across the country to “hack” solutions and develop new uses for wearable technology and to learn how to overcome barriers in the growing media technology industry. In addition to students from a range of disciplines at WVU, the hackathon attracted participants from Penn State, Georgetown, Syracuse, Carnegie Melon and Howard universities.

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5The winning hackathon team from left: Faculty facilitator Ann Chester, assistant vice president for education partnerships and project director for the Health Sciences and Technology Academy; Alise Bundage, a Broadcast Journalism freshman at Howard University; Carlee Lammers, a Print Journalism senior at WVU; Valerie Bennett, a Strategic Communications senior at WVU; Alex Garip, a freshman Film student at Penn State University; and faculty facilitator Lindsay Emery, the former business development manager for the WVU Office of Research and Economic Development. David Smith

“The hackathon provided a national platform for the College’s growing efforts in media innovation,” said College of Media Dean Maryanne Reed. “And the newly dedicated Alexis and Jim Pugh Media Innovation Lab served as the perfect backdrop for the larger conversation about opportunities and challenges facing young women entering the media tech industry.” The three-day event kicked off Friday evening with a Women of Technology symposium hosted at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. Hackathon participants in the College’s Media Innovation Lab participated in a live broadcast and interactive discussion with the panelists at Google. Amy Webb – digital media futurist, CEO of Webbmedia Group, and cofounder of Spark Camp – moderated the panel in California, while Dean Reed served as the Morgantown host and opened the event. The discussion was lively and frank, covering a range of issues facing women in the technology industry.

SYMPOSIUM PANELISTS JANE SCHACHTEL – Facebook’s global head of mobile and tech strategy and Microsoft’s former social media director for Bing and MSN LAURA MICHELLE BERMAN – co-inventor of the highly-anticipated Melon, a headband with biometric sensors to help improve productivity and designed to change the way we think AMINATOU SOW – co-founder of Tech LadyMafia and product marketing manager at Google TASNEEM RAJA – interactive editor at Mother Jones VAL AURORA – co-founder of the Ada Initiative and a programmer, writer and feminist activist

Early the next morning, hackathon participants broke into eight teams and worked together for nearly 36 hours to develop a solution, product or service involving wearable technology and then pitch their device concept to a panel of tech-savvy judges. The event participants were purposefully given few details before they arrived on campus. “I had no idea what we were going to be doing! I knew it was about women in media, but I did not know that we were going to be competing,” said student participant Alex Garip. “And I had no idea how innovative it was going to be and all the creative freedom we were going to be able to have and how much work was going to be involved. But it was great work and fun, and now they’re some of my greatest friends – and hopefully business partners in the future.”   Team concepts included a hands-free system for journalists to streamline reporting in the field optimized for Google Glass, a bra that conducts regular breast examinations, a fashionable REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

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earpiece that sends scheduling reminders, and an application that reminds users to take a “timeout” from technology for periods of time. On Sunday, each team delivered an Ignite-style pitch to a panel of five judges including software engineers, entrepreneurs, angel investors and legal experts. “Doing something like this, win or lose, we felt so empowered all the way through,” said student participant Carlee Lammers. “There’s not enough of that. People always say, you can do whatever you put your mind to. But this showed me that.” The winning team developed the concept for an attachment to the popular fitness wearable, Fitbit. The attachment – called BioBit – measures and assesses biomarkers crucial to women’s health in real time. The team included Valerie Bennett, a Strategic Communications senior at WVU; Alise Bundage, a Broadcast Journalism freshman at Howard University; Garip, a freshman Film student at Penn State University; and Lammers, a Print Journalism senior at WVU. 16

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While teams worked hard to envision their prototype, creating a product wasn’t the ultimate goal of the hackathon. Associate Professor Dana Coester, who also serves as creative director for the College’s Media Innovation Center, says the event was about empowering women to be a voice in the emerging technology industry and to push beyond their borders. “We wanted this event to help shift young women from being consumers of technology to makers, and we wanted to launch a generation of women leaders in wearables,” said Coester. According to student participants, the event opened up new opportunities and possibilities. “This weekend made me feel like I can have more say in the technology industry,” said Bundage. “We just threw everything out there on the table. I’ve never done anything like that before. It changed the way I view technology. It made me feel like I have a voice.” “Participating in the hackathon was an experience like no other,” said Bennett. “I got to really challenge myself and was able to network with so many innovative women. I am beyond proud of our team

and couldn’t have asked for a better group of ladies to work with. We created a wearable [concept] that can truly benefit women’s health, and I am excited to see where the future will take us.” Garip says, for her, the event was more than developing the winning concept. She says spending the weekend developing the wearable solidified her decision to enter the media industry and empowered her to accomplish her goals. “My experience with these ladies has truly inspired me to always believe in myself and my ideas,” said Garip. “I will never be able to thank them enough for the confidence they’ve taught me.”

Read more about the hackathon at: bit.ly/1GoGJgs 4TOP Nikki Bowman, founder and owner of New South Media, Inc., gives a presentation on how to market a startup. David Smith 4BOTTOM Faculty facilitator and Teaching Assistant Professor Emily Corio leads her team in a brainstorming session. David Smith

Each team pitched their concept to a panel of five judges on the last day of the hackathon. David Smith

5Syracuse University students Dianna Bell, left, and Charlene Cooper chat before the start of the symposium on Friday night. David Smith

<title>

Hackathon Speakers & Mentors </title>

Umbreen Bhatti “Team Collaboration and Brainstorming”

Bhatti is a lawyer and journalism entrepreneur with a passion for making law easier to understand and our justice system easier to access. Most recently, she was a 2014 John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University, where she created Briefly.TV to connect television journalists with powerful, untold stories about our legal system.

Nikki Bowman “How to Market Your Startup”

Bowman is the founder and owner of New South Media, Inc., which publishes the critically acclaimed WV Living, WV Weddings, West Virginia Focus, Explore and Morgantown magazines. Bowman was recently given the Small Business Administration’s 2014 Women in Business Champion Award and selected by The State Journal as one of the Generation Next: 40 Under 40.

Hilary Topper “Challenges for Wearables in Media”

Topper is president and CEO of HJMT Public Relations Inc., a full-service public relations/social media agency. She also has three shows: “Wearable On Air,” a live Google Hangout where she interviews CEOs of top wearable companies; “Tech News Now,” where she reviews technology and wearable products; and “Hilary Topper On Air” on Blogtalk Radio, where she interviews CEOs and targets small business owners.

Mindy Walls “How to Pitch Your Startup”

Walls is the director of the WVU College of Business and Economics Entrepreneurship Center. Her entrepreneurial experience began in the late 1990s when she and a partner founded West Virginia Spice Works. In 2003, she joined the Entrepreneurship Center, which holds an annual business plan competition for students to develop business plans and learn about entrepreneurship.

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Where Are All the Women?

Wikipedia panel discusses gender gap

Watch a video of the panel at: bit.ly/1DUg1Ly

Students from the WVU chapter of Radio Television Digital News Association tweeted and blogged during the Wikipedia panel discussion and monitored Twitter for questions to ask the panelists. David Smith 18

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WIKIPEDIA, THE WORLD’S LARGEST GO-TO online encyclopedia, receives 450 million web visitors every month and has more than 70,000 volunteer editors who publish and edit articles. But with all the information and input, there is a serious gender gap in Wikipedia’s content. That is likely because the large majority of its volunteer editors are male, giving women a minority voice. According to a 2010 study by the Wikimedia Foundation, less than 13 percent of those 70,000 editors are women. The other 87 percent are mostly white males in their mid-20s. On March 4, the College of Media and WVU Libraries co-hosted a panel discussion to address this issue. “Where Are All the Women? Wikipedia’s Gender Gap” focused on the reasons for Wikipedia’s gender gap and what can be done to improve content on the site. The event was part of the College’s “Future of Media – Now! series,” which brings to campus professionals who are reinventing journalism, media and 21st century communications. With more than 40 percent of American adults using Wikipedia as a reference tool, the panelists agreed that something needs to be done to ensure the site’s users are getting complete and accurate information about a broad range of topics.

The lack of female – and diverse – editors tends to skew the type and amount of content on the site and can lead to gender bias in articles. In some cases, the sexist spin on female-related entries has stirred controversy among editors. For example, a college student wrote an article about gender inequality in El Salvador that received approximately 5,000 views a month. Despite its popularity, another male editor decided to change some of the content. “Another editor had come into that article and decided it would really benefit from an image, an illustration, something to do about the topic in the article … and added a picture of an El Salvadoran woman, and she was just in a bikini, posing,” said Jami Mathewson of the Wiki Education Foundation. “It had nothing to do with the topic, other than maybe illustrating gender inequality even more.” Mathewson says that the gender gap accounts for not only what is missing from Wikipedia but also what is included. She referenced an instance when an editor decided that the American Writers category had too many articles and chose to create a subcategory. “[His] first instinct was to remove all of the women from the category and call them American Women Writers,” said Mathewson. “So, the men were still American Writers, and then the women were gendered.”

But the problem isn’t just about gender bias. There’s also a significant content gap in other areas. Frank Schulenburg, also of the Wiki Education Foundation, points to what Wikipedia refers to as “Featured Articles” – or those entries of very high-quality content – and narrow range of topics they cover. He notes the high number of articles about warfare, sports and video games versus the fewer entries about business or geoscience. “If Wikipedia is the encyclopedia that supposedly provides access to the sum of all human knowledge, then it shouldn’t be 500 articles about warfare and 12 for language and linguistics,” said Schulenburg. It should be more balanced across the board to encompass a broader range of information, he says. Even with such obvious issues, the goal, Adeline Koh says, is to do more than just edit or revise problematic entries. “It’s not really about trying to replace existing content with different content,” said Koh, co-founder of The Rewriting Wikipedia Project. “It’s simply about having more content from different perspectives. And the only way to have more content from different perspectives is to have people who come from different walks of life editing Wikipedia.” Sydney Poore, a Wikipedian in Residence, agrees that the gap extends beyond gender and includes the absence of editors from certain regions, ages and cultures. Poore, who grew up in

West Virginia and now lives in Kentucky, says that she hopes to see more editors from Appalachia. “Population wise, through the middle part of the United States, we have less people editing,” she said. “We also have pockets of places where we have a lot of people editing. I’d be thrilled if we had more people from this region editing on things that are important to us, including our history. There are huge gaps representing local areas.” The event was dedicated to the late Adrianne Wadewitz, one of Wikipedia’s most lauded and prolific editors who also was instrumental in raising awareness of the website’s gender gap. Inspired by her dedication to making Wikipedia more inclusive, the panelists encouraged students to get involved. When a 20-something, white male in the audience asked what he could do to help, Koh was quick to remind everyone that the goal is to include more people and more perspectives – not to exclude anyone. “Gender inequality isn’t just women’s problem – it’s men’s problem as well,” Koh said. “If you identify as a man and you want to help improve the gender gap, the most important thing you can do is improve the content on Wikipedia about women. Add content. There’s so much you can do.” This article was written by Journalism freshman Jennifer Skinner.

Meet the Panelists College of Media Dean Maryanne Reed introduced the event. WVU Libraries Dean Jon Cawthorne moderated the panel.

FRANK SCHULENBURG

JAMI MATHEWSON

ADELINE KOH

SYDNEY POORE

Executive Director Wiki Education Foundation

Educational Partnerships Manager Wiki Education Foundation

Associate Professor Stockton University Co-founder of The Rewriting Wikipedia Project

Wikipedian in Residence Cochrane Collaboration

Photo credits: David Smith

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Global Learning

Students work to raise breast cancer awareness in South America ADRIANNA MCFADDEN HAD ALWAYS WANTED TO study abroad. She was nearing her last semester at WVU and still hadn’t taken the leap. Then, the perfect opportunity came along. She read about a special Strategic Communications course that incorporated a trip to visit an international client. McFadden applied to the course and was accepted. She was going to Brazil. “It seemed like fate,” she said. McFadden and her classmates were enrolled in Senior Lecturer Chuck Harman’s capstone experience that works with real-world health care clients. This spring, Harman lined up an international client, Femama – a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization focused on reducing breast cancer mortality rates in Brazil. Early in the semester, the class was divided into four “agencies,” each of which were charged with creating a fully integrated strategic communications campaign to help Femama re-engage the organization’s 57 non-government organization affiliates dispersed throughout Brazil. Each agency had an account manager, a research director and two to three

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5The group poses for a photo during their visit to the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Front Row: Ben Lobosco and Jena Gardner. Second Row: Adrianna McFadden, Emily Roach, Hope Adams, Rachel Blevins, Sara Griswold, Patty Harman and Charles Harman. Third Row: Cody Whisinnand, Max Bayer, Izzy Gilbert, Kate Kahler, and Justin Porco. Vinicius Costa TOP LEFT Ben Lobosco and Sara Griswold with Dr. Maira Caleffi after one of four surgeries she performed that day. Chuck Harman TOP RIGHT Students eat dinner at a churrascaria-style restaurant in Porto Alegre. Chuck Harman

creative directors. To prepare for their campaigns, students used Skype video conferencing to communicate with renowned breast cancer surgeon and founder of Femama, Dr. Maira Caleffi, and her staff. In late March, the group traveled to Femama’s headquarters in Porto Alegre to meet with Dr. Caleffi and her team to formally present their campaigns. Harman says the class is structured to reflect a true agency-client experience for the students. “We model this class very closely after the real world,” said Harman. “Students learn how a client would approach an agency and how to develop that official relationship. It opens their eyes to what they will experience very quickly in their careers.” While there, students met and interacted with health care professionals and breast cancer survivors. Two students joined Harman in presenting Grand Rounds at the top hospital in southern Brazil, and seven students had the rare opportunity to observe breast cancer surgery under Caleffi’s supervision. Student Ben Lobosco found great value in working as part of a global community.

“Not only did this trip present me with the chance to better hone my professional skills, but it also presented me with the chance to make a meaningful impact in helping a cause on an international scale that personally hits close to home,” said Lobosco. Throughout the semester, the student agencies received advice and mentoring from Chad Hyett of Porter Novelli, one of the world’s top public relations agencies. Hyett, senior vice president in the New York office, is one of Harman’s former students and a 2001 College of Media graduate who has worked with global clients throughout his career. In the end, Femama selected McFadden’s Above and Beyond agency campaign as the best of the four. Their “Positively Pink” campaign included a functioning website that offers patients coping methods and peer support throughout the various phases of a breast cancer diagnosis, and “Femama Friday,” a weekly communication from the national Femama office to the field. “It’s a great feeling knowing that your hard work and dedication to a project was actually able to help people in some way,” said McFadden.

Student Launches Mobile Recording Studio STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS SOPHOMORE ALEC NEU is using innovative strategies to give more West Virginians the opportunity to produce music. The Hurricane, West Virginia, native is the founder of PHD Records, an independent and groundbreaking record label that brings the recording studio to the artist while providing other services, such as marketing communications and music distribution. In addition to producing albums, singles and EPs, PHD Records also plans live shows; rents lighting, staging and audio systems for events; distributes music on major sites including iTunes and Spotify; and schedules professional singers and instrumentalists. “The issue we found was that people in West Virginia were spending too much money to sound decent. Our goal was for them to spend a lot less to sound a lot better,” he said. Artists don’t even have to leave the comfort of their homes, or wherever they typically perform their music, if they want the production help of PHD Records. Neu’s entire recording studio –

a microphone, studio monitors, stands, cables and his laptop – fits into a duffel bag and can be transported anywhere. “If you put [the artists] in a house with all their friends, they’re loose, it’s easier, it goes quicker and it’s always a better performance, every time,” said Neu. Once Neu’s team went to the home of a 72-year-old man who could not leave his house due to health reasons but wanted to record covers of some of his favorite songs. “It was cool that we came to him when that opportunity never would have been possible. It’s a more personal experience,” Neu said. Neu always had a love for music, but he only began producing five years ago when he met his first client, John-John “Phenomenon” Horn, a 26-year-old rap and hip-hop artist from Winfield, West Virginia. “He told me he had just fired his producer and was looking for a new one,” Neu said. “He asked if I had done anything in hip-hop, and I told him I wrote one song with my friend. I played it for him and he started free styling to it. He said, ‘I love the beat. Can I come over tonight and start recording?’”

5Neu uses recording software on his laptop to produce an audio recording. David Smith ABOVE LEFT Neu and his client McKinley Conrad collaborate during a recording session. David Smith

That night, Neu gathered the little equipment he had that could possibly record music – his stepbrother’s half-broken microphone and free audio production software downloaded off of the Internet. For the rest of the summer before Neu’s sophomore year of high school, he recorded Horn’s entire first album, burned it onto 300 blank CDs from WalMart and wrote on them with Sharpies. Now, Neu knows he’ll come out of college with more than an impressive résumé and a successful business venture. He says the freedom and confidence to create his own career path is the most valuable takeaway. “The College of Media has designed a program that anybody can use to succeed in the field of their choice and not have to worry about being bound to one job description,” Neu said. “The skills and lessons I have obtained up to this point have given me the insight that anyone can do whatever they want and make money doing it. It’s all about the happiness.” This article was written by Journalism freshman Jennifer Skinner.

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New Class Launches First-Ever Morgantown “Foodie Tour” A student’s perspective

From left: Jessica Li, Rebecca Dattola and Emily Gammon enjoy the Morgantown Eats Culinary Crawl at Iron Horse Tavern in Morgantown. David Smith 22

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AS A YOUNG GIRL I ALWAYS celebrated my October birthday with a Halloweenthemed party – complete with black and orange balloons and a “dirt pie” birthday cake decorated like a graveyard. As birthdays passed, I realized that I had an interest in planning events, and I took every opportunity to plan them for my friends. In Fall 2014, I had the opportunity to learn how to turn that interest into a profession. I enrolled in the College of Media’s new Strategic Event Planning class. I chose this hands-on class to gain professional experience that I could use on my résumé. The course description was appealing and piqued my curiosity, but it was clear on the first day that Dr. Geah Pressgrove’s class would demand more time and effort than planning a simple birthday party. The class objective was to learn how to plan, implement and evaluate special events with a service-learning approach. Dr. Pressgrove had already lined up the community partners – Main Street Morgantown, Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau, Monongalia Arts Center (MAC) and Morgantown Social NetworX (MSNX). The 20 students in the class were to collaborate with them to plan an event by the end of the semester that would raise money for the MAC, a nonprofit arts and culture center in Morgantown. Considering our target audience of early-to-mid-career professionals living in Morgantown, the idea for Morgantown Eats Culinary Crawl originated in mid-October. Dr. Pressgrove often referenced a “foodie tour” in her lectures, and I think the idea resonated with the class. An event highlighting new hot spots and old favorites

New Event Planning Minor

Courses in the Minor

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects event planner employment growth of 43.7 percent between 2010 and 2020 with the expectation that more than 30,000 new jobs will be added during that time frame. This growth leads U.S. News & World Report to rank the upward mobility of event planners as “Above Average” and Money Magazine to rank event planning at #8 in their list of the top 20 jobs for young people. With so many opportunities to enter this industry on the ground floor, the College of Media is providing a new course of study to students at WVU. In addition to the accelerated class for Journalism and Strategic Communications majors, the College also launched a new Event Planning minor last fall. The minor provides students from disciplines outside of the College an introduction to media and public relations, as well as event planning, promotion and execution.

The new Event Planning minor is available to students in the College’s new Multidisciplinary Studies major and WVU students outside of the College of Media.

5Participants enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres at the Morgantown Arts Center on High Street before the start of the Culinary Crawl. David Smith ABOVE RIGHT College of Media student Ashley Daniel, right, shares a laugh with Terina McDowell, center, and Tara Brooks during a stop at Tin 202 on High Street. David Smith

made the most sense for both our target audience and our time frame. After we decided on the event, we broke into teams: administration, design, marketing and operations. The administration team was in charge of finances, human resources and time management and served as the primary liaison with our community partners. The design team focused on theme development, such as venue environment, throughout the entire process and worked directly with the participating restaurants. The marketing communications team developed and distributed promotional materials and worked with local media. I was on the operations team, and we were in charge of the venues and event logistics, including emergency plans, volunteer communication and tackling the perceived lack of parking in downtown Morgantown.

After much hard work and planning, Morgantown Eats Culinary Crawl was held on Saturday, December 6, from 3 to 7 p.m. We sold 234 tickets – surpassing our goal of 200 – and raised more than $9,000 for the MAC. Event-goers sampled cuisine from a dozen restaurants in downtown Morgantown through a self-guided tour. They kicked off the evening at the MAC on High Street, sampling local beer, wine and food. Then, with a map and list of participating businesses in hand, they set off on their own culinary adventure, moving at their own pace through the list of restaurants, sampling an exclusive menu offered by each local business. Mary Lynn Ulch, founder of MSNX, says the event was a “win-win” for everyone. “Participants were able to familiarize themselves with wonderful places to dine downtown,” said Ulch. “Downtown restaurants were able to provide a sampling of what they serve along with sharing their menus to encourage participants to return at a later date.” I was excited about the success of the food tour itself but also found it

rewarding that we were able to dispel concerns about downtown parking. I created the map that marked both available parking and participating businesses. Of the 173 participants that returned the post-event evaluation, nearly 90 percent thought the map was useful. Additionally, restaurant owners requested to continue to use the map to further promote parking downtown. After taking Dr. Pressgrove’s class, I can say with confidence that I have come a long way since the days of considering plastic spider rings and candy corn “event schwag.” I designed tactical pieces to add to my portfolio; I learned how to approach musicians to secure a performance at no cost; I have gained significant professional experience through a hands-on approach to learning; and most importantly, I was a part of the first group to prove that WVU Reed College of Media students are capable of planning an innovative event worth repeating. This article was written by Public Relations senior Lucy Sutton.

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S E R U T E N V AD

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IN LE ARN I N G SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS STUDENT CARA JASKIEWICZ REMEMBERS DRIVING INTO Arches National Park and seeing the Colorado River for the first time – something she always dreamed of seeing. “Right then and there, with the windows down and the sun shining, I realized how lucky I was,” she said. Jasckiewicz was part of a group of WVU students enrolled in a new College of Media class called Adventure Travel Writing and Photography. The

collaboration between the College and WVU’s Adventure WV program offered students from all majors at WVU a unique semester-long course and a Spring Break experience in Moab, Utah. During the course, students gained practical skills in travel writing and photography through hands-on experiences. The Moab trip was designed so students would spend the first part of the week taking part in adventure activities and practicing photography using DSLR and GoPro cameras.

Teaching Assistant Professor Emily Corio taught the journalism curriculum and traveled west with the class while Adventure WV staff organized mountain biking, rock climbing, day hikes and adventure photography opportunities. The week began with a long, hot day hike through Arches National Park, where the students photographed the Windows Area at sunrise and the iconic Delicate Arch at sunset. They returned to Big Bend Campground on the Colorado River as the stars and moon lit up the night sky.

Merv Davis stretches his legs and enjoys the view of Mesa Arch. Photo by Birdie Hawkins

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Over the next two days, the group went rock climbing and mountain biking – some for the first time – on unique slick rock terrain that makes Moab, Utah, a top destination in the U.S. for mountain biking. Several students spent their last day in Moab riding dune buggies across the desert while others tried canyoneering, or rappelling into canyons. “The trip gave me a chance to do things that I probably otherwise wouldn’t ever have done,” said Timothy Waanders, an Exercise Physiology freshman. “I’ve never been rock climbing before, and honestly never had any plan to try it, until the opportunity came along on the trip.” During the last two days of the trip, students selected an activity to do in Moab and gathered content for a multimedia story they produced as a final project for the class. The pieces ranged from stories about canyoneering to local shops to community media. “Being in an area such as Moab allowed me to have the opportunity to practice photography and in-depth interviews,” said Journalism freshman Erica Claycomb. “It was important to me to improve these skills because I want a future involving travel journalism.”

Photo by Greg Corio

4FROM TOP Matt Shreve, marketing coordinator for Adventure WV, takes a video of students using a jib, a device that allows videographers to capture video using smooth camera movements. Birdie Hawkins takes in the view at Arches National Park. Susan Harper climbs the Ice Cream Parlor wall along Kane Creek Canyon in Moab. Group members climb up Owls Rock, a 120-foot sandstone tower in the Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah.

Photo by Colleen Good

6BELOW This article was written by Journalism freshman Jennifer Skinner, who also was enrolled in the course.

Photo by Colleen Good

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Photo by Mike Stearns

Photo by Cara Jaskiewicz

Photo by Jennifer Skinner

Photo by Susan Harper

Photo by Pat Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Dell

Photo by Ryan Dameron 5CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Arches National Park at sunrise. Merv Davis, a WVU student and Adventure WV program trip guide, helps Teaching Assistant Professor Emily Corio change a bike tire before riding the trail into Moab. A stack of rocks serves as a trail marker on Elephant Hill Trail in Canyonlands National Park. Delicate Arch in Arches National Park at sunset. Navajo Arch located in Arches National Park. Photo by Shishira Sreenivas

Photo by Kayla Sistilli

Lead climbing instructor, Matthew Shreve, reaches his way to the anchor on some sturdy slab rock at the Ice Cream Parlor. REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

LEARNING BY DOING

WVU student Colleen Good, left, and Morgan State student Asha Glover speak with Selma resident Bill Tomey while reporting for the “Bridging Selma” project in Selma, Alabama. Tomey has renovated the building that formerly housed the Harmony Club, a Jewish social club in Selma.

BRIDGING SELMA

FOR A WEEK IN LATE APRIL, STUDENTS AND FACULTY FROM the College of Media embarked on a special journey – a foray into bridge building and social justice reporting. They partnered with Morgan State University’s School of Global Journalism and Communication for an immersion reporting project in Selma, Alabama – one of the most significant landmarks of the Civil Rights Movement. The student reporting teams attempted to bridge historical divides of race by reporting on the status of Selma today – 50 years after the famous march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. 28

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1. Morgan State student Ahjahnae LaQuer, center, and WVU student Erin Erwin interview a local resident at a garden party. The party was hosted by Betty Miller, a community leader who works to bridge the divide between the black and white communities in the town. 2. WVU Associate Professor Joel Beeson, center, and Morgan State student Emily Pelland join Fayatoure Rose on the “Faya’s Fire” radio show on 105.3 in Selma, Alabama. Rose is an outspoken civil rights advocate and invited the pair to appear on the show while they were in town. 3. WVU Teaching Assistant Professor Mary Kay McFarland helps WVU student Doyle Maurer edit video at the St. James Hotel in Selma. 4. WVU student Kelsey Staggers, top, watches as Morgan State University student Maya Gilmore shoots video in the Arsenal Place Accelerator, a small-business incubator in Selma, Alabama. The two were working on a story about a local small-batch coffee roasting company for the “Bridging Selma” project.

3 4

Why Selma?

In 1965, Martin Luther King Jr.’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference was ramping up efforts to register black voters in the South – and Selma became the focal point of their campaign. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited voting discrimination based on race, it did not eliminate literacy tests, economic retaliation or physical violence against nonwhite voters. Protestors were met with violent resistance as they attempted to march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery. With the protection of federalized National Guard troops, protesters were eventually able to complete the march to the capital. The Selma march brought national attention to the voting rights issue and led to the 1965 passage of the Voting Rights Act. Fifty years later, the WVU-Morgan State reporting team traveled to Selma

to capture the story of the city’s status since the earlier promise of equal rights and equal opportunity. Through multimedia storytelling and individual narrative, the students documented life today in a city that has become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Civil Rights Movement. “We wanted our students to become empowered and own their unique perspectives on race as journalists by taking them out of their comfortable routines,” said Beeson. “There is a great need for dialogue on race relations in the U.S., and an immersive experiment like this was a way to accelerate both the conversation and the storytelling process.” But there was another story to tell, too. The one about students from a predominantly white program and students from a historically black college working together to learn about their diversity as well as their commonality.

A New Relationship

“Bridging Selma” was born out of a new collaboration with Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. The vision for the project came from DeWayne Wickham, dean of Morgan State’s School of Global Journalism and Communication. His goal was to bring students and faculty together from both schools to work on shared curricula and reporting projects that address issues of economic, educational and political inequality and social justice. “Both WVU and Morgan State are situated in regions of the country that continue to face major challenges,” said College of Media Dean Maryanne Reed. “Dean Wickham and I are hoping this relationship will provide students from both programs the opportunity to work together on meaningful journalism projects that stimulate dialogue and help drive solutions to the issues dividing our communities.” REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

LEARNING BY DOING

5. WVU Associate Professor Joel Beeson collects 360-degree photos at the Marion Cemetery for the “Bridging Selma” project.

6. Morgan State student Camille Harrison, left, speaks with Ethelstein Johnson during services at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. 7. WVU student Shaleah Ingram films in a grade school classroom while reporting for the “Bridging Selma” project. 8. WVU and Morgan State students and faculty work late into the night at the St. James Hotel in Selma. 9. WVU student Doyle Maurer speaks to Fran’Kiya York at the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. Photo Credits: David Smith

View the project at: bridgingselma.com 30

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FROM TOP Graduate student Tyler Channell creates graphics of election candidates for the ABC News Twitter account. Gina Dahlia 5From Left: Shishira Sreenivas, Teaching Associate Professor Gina Dahlia, Tiet Tran and Tyler Channell. David Smith

Getting Social with ABC News

Tiet Tran poses for a picture at the ABC Times Square Studio. Gina Dahlia Shishira Sreenivas assists the Google Trends team in the “Good Morning America” Social Square. Gina Dahlia

Students intern with national network during 2014 midterm elections IT’S AN ASSIGNMENT THAT even experienced journalists would jump at – covering election night for a national television network. Three College of Media students got that chance while still in school. Tyler Channell, a graduate student from Williamson, West Virginia; Tiet Tran, a senior from Sterling, Virginia; and Shishira Sreenivas, a graduate student from Bangalore, India, traveled to New York City to intern for ABC News’ social media department. After months of Skyping and conference calls with producers from “Good Morning America,” “ABC World News Tonight” and “Nightline,” the students, along with Teaching Associate Professor Gina Dahlia, flew to the Big Apple to work in the ABC Uptown and Times Square Studios. Each student had a specific role on election night. Channell assisted ABC News with the launch of their Snapchat account – an idea that he pitched to producers – and edited video of various campaign ads for social media. Channell says the internship opened his eyes to opportunities he never knew existed. “I didn’t think it was possible to work at the network level at my age, but so

many people at ABC News were in their mid-20s and early 30s,” said Channell. “I think it’s really important to show younger students that their first job could be at ABC News in New York City.” Prior to leaving for the internship, Tran was trained on how to search and retrieve data and trending topics from Twitter that were relevant to the election. His job was to provide social media support during election coverage at the ABC Times Square Studio. Tran says the experience surpassed his expectations. “Working in the Times Square Studio was an adrenaline rush,” said Tran. “There was a hashtag trending that night called #voterselfie. I had to comb through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to select the best pictures to be broadcast on air. There were three pictures, and two of mine were actually selected.” Sreenivas worked on set alongside the Google Trends team in the “Good Morning America” Social Square to provide realtime coverage of the election via Google. Social Square is a digital studio that engages viewers on a daily basis with the broadcast and social conversation. “Being given the opportunity to sit on a ‘live’ studio set in the same room

as George Stephanopoulos and David Muir and watch them cover midterm elections live for seven straight hours was not only inspiring, but a realization of how much hard work, dedication and team work goes into producing such a large broadcast on a network level,” said Sreenivas. “After spending three days working alongside seasoned journalists, I am more convinced than ever before that being a foreign correspondent is exactly what I want to do. This experience has given me the insight and confidence to move forward along that path.” Fairmont native Andrew Springer, senior editor for social media at ABC News, approached the College of Media about the partnership in the summer of 2014. He recognized the importance of engaging millennials with social media skills in the news-gathering process. Springer, who worked alongside the students, feels this engagement is crucial to informing the current generation about important issues affecting the country. Teaching Associate Professor Gina Dahlia provided faculty mentoring and support for the partnership and traveled with the students to ABC News.

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LEARNING BY DOING

From left: Lindsay Scarberry, Allison Pitchford, Alexandra Valdes, Alyson Bliss, Evan Scheiber, Colistra, Chris Jimenez, Kelsey Bignell, Megan Woods, Hannah Chenoweth, and Matt Saseen. Not pictured: Kelly Williams. David Smith

Strategic Know-How

Capstone students learn by informing others KRISTAFER ADKINS GREW UP IN Whitesville, West Virginia, a small rural community where young men are more likely to work in the coal mining industry than in the health care industry. Today, Adkins is an assistant professor at the WVU School of Dentistry. He credits much of his success to WVU’s Health Sciences Technology Academy (HSTA), a program designed to help minorities and underrepresented high school students in the Mountain State achieve careers in health sciences and science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This spring, a group of Strategic Communications capstone students shared Adkins’ story in a commercial they produced as part of a comprehensive public affairs campaign for HSTA. The commercial aired on three different television stations across the state. The effort marked the third time that College of Media students have collaborated with HSTA in an ongoing effort to increase public awareness of the program. Led by Associate Professor Rita Colistra, capstone students in the former Public Relations and now Strategic Communications programs have partnered with HSTA since 32

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2013 to develop integrated marketing communications campaigns and to execute new initiatives. “The continued partnership with HSTA has provided invaluable real-world opportunities for my students across four campaigns,” said Colistra. “The experience

3Members of the HSTA alumni relations campaign team pose with Associate Professor Rita Colistra after the inaugural Alumni Reunion event that they planned and staged in Charleston, West Virginia.

The other team launched a public affairs campaign aimed at minimizing budget cuts to the education program. Through written letters, social media and personal visits, the students communicated the value of the HSTA program to state lawmakers. The team also planned and executed a HSTA Day event at the State Capitol and produced a commercial that featured Adkins. HSTA Director Ann Chester says the program was spared budget cuts again this year due, in part, to the students’ work in creating awareness of the value of HSTA in the state. “I don’t know if the students know just how magnificent their work is,” said Chester. “But when their results are so far above and beyond their goals and they change the bottom line at the legislative level – that’s huge!” Ryan Van Buren was the account executive for the public affairs campaign. He says working with a real client has boosted his confidence as he prepares to enter the workforce. “Going into the class, I don’t know if I was ready to take on a job at a real company,” he said. “But thanks

“I don’t know if the students know just how magnificent their work is. But when their results are so far above and beyond their goals and they change the bottom line at the legislative level – that’s huge!” – Ann Chester mirrors what the students will face once they begin their professional careers.” This year’s real-world efforts involved two teams. One team worked toward establishing an alumni association for HSTA’s 2,000-plus alumni. Students made more than 1,000 phone calls to encourage alumni to attend the inaugural alumni event that students had planned and organized at the University of Charleston.

to everything that I learned from Dr. Colistra and the other students in the class, I feel that when I do get a job, I’ll be ready to begin.” “When students like Ryan take advantage of a real-world learning opportunity like this capstone, it can make all the difference when they enter the workforce,” said Colistra. “And we are dedicated to making sure students have those opportunities.”

AROUND THE COLLEGE

Around the College Photo Credits: David Smith

Watch King’s speech and the entire ceremony at: bit.ly/1DUg1Ly

ESPN executive delivers Commencement keynote address Students who participated in May Commencement received a special sendoff from ESPN executive Rob King. King, who is senior vice president for “Sports Center” and ESPN News, was this year’s keynote speaker. He addressed more than 200 College of Media graduates on May 16 at the WVU Creative Arts Center. King provided four pieces of advice to the graduating class of 2015 – one being to have empathy for others. “You must care about the people whose stories you seek to tell – the people who need the information you can provide,” said King. “These are fast-moving times. They’re exciting. They’re tumultuous. And people can get left behind, and nobody deserves to be left behind.”

King also told graduates that making mistakes is fine. You just need to learn from them. He shared the story of a mistake he once made while working at a local Illinois newspaper years ago. “The only time I ever heard anyone yell ‘stop the presses’ was when I made a mistake,” said King. “I was responsible for building the NCAA bracket, and I accidentally mismatched the regions. That’s right, I screwed up the newspaper’s NCAA bracket. And yet, now I run ‘SportsCenter’.” King also encouraged graduates to maintain a positive attitude and be flexible. In January 2014, King was named senior vice president of ESPN “Sports Center” and News, transitioning from the digital and print arena to oversee all of “SportsCenter” and ESPN’s newsgathering operations and to lead the future efforts of the company’s largest sub-brand. Just five months into his current position, Fast

“You must care about the people whose stories you seek to tell.” – Rob King Company named him among its “Most Creative People 2014.” King also has worked on ESPN’s broadcast side where he was responsible for its NBA studio programming; its award-winning “Outside the Lines” news magazine show; its on-location coverage of major golf events, such as the Masters and U.S. Open; and ESPN News, the nation’s only 24-hour television sports news. Prior to joining ESPN in 2004, King spent more than 17 years on the editorial side of print journalism, working at publications in Louisville and Philadelphia. REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

AROUND THE COLLEGE

Students give back through CreateAthon event On a Friday afternoon in April, CreateAthon@WVU kicked off its very first event on the WVU campus. The 24-hour, work-around-the-clock event consisted of 35 College of Media students and three professional mentors who worked free of charge to create strategic multimedia marketing materials for three Morgantown area nonprofit organizations. The creative blitz began at 3 p.m. on Friday and ended at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The selected nonprofits for the first-ever CreateAthon@WVU were Literacy Volunteers of Monongalia and Preston Counties, Mountaineer Area RobiticS (MARS) and Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center. These nonprofits provided the student teams with a list of materials they needed to advance their mission. Completed work ranged from print advertisements, logo rebranding, commercial development and digital media campaigns. The teams dedicated a total of 912 hours, and the value of the completed work was estimated at $45,000. The event was laid out in a competition format, with the three teams presenting their final products Saturday to a panel of judges. The MARS team was chosen as the winner; they gave their clients seven products instead of the expected three. Their campaign included three promotional videos, a new social media strategy, a modified logo for the company, a format for giveaway stickers, and a new website design. The event was planned and executed by a group of Strategic Communications students in Assistant Professor Geah Pressgrove’s capstone class.

Students and professional mentors worked together during CreateAthon@WVU, a 24-hour creative blitz benefiting community nonprofit organizations. David Smith

Benedum grant will support community branding efforts In January 2015, the College of Media received a grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to launch a new project aimed at revitalizing West Virginia communities. Through the $130,000 grant, the College will assemble strategic expertise to provide full-service, integrated branding efforts for West Virginia communities. The initiative will begin with three pilot projects, including one of the 2014 “Turn This Town Around” contest winners, Matewan. Students and faculty will work with community leaders to develop a brand identity and creative strategy, an integrated marketing communications campaign and a community branding tool-kit. 34

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Associate Professor Rita Colistra is serving as project director. “Turn This Town Around” is a joint effort between the West Virginia Community Development Hub, West Virginia Focus magazine and WV Public Broadcasting to help revitalize towns in the state through facilitated projects and planning. Dean Maryanne Reed says this project will give students valuable hands-on experience working with community members and regional leaders to help raise awareness of and promote each community’s unique story and marketable attributes. “This project builds on our College’s longstanding commitment to empowering rural communities through digital and media tools and strategies,” said Reed. “It will also be a key program housed in our new Media Innovation Center to open later this year.”

Martinelli selected for membership in the Arthur W. Page Society Widmeyer Professor in Public Relations and Associate Dean Dr. Diana Martinelli was selected this year for membership in the Arthur W. Page Society, a professional association for senior public relations and corporate communications executives who seek to enrich and strengthen their profession. The membership consists primarily of chief communications officers of Fortune 500 corporations, the CEOs of the world’s largest public relations agencies, and leading academics from the nation’s top business and communications schools who have distinguished themselves teaching corporate communications. Martinelli is a member of the national journalism honorary Kappa Tau Alpha and has held national committee and/or officer positions in the Public Relations Society of America and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). In 2011, she won the WVU Foundation Outstanding Teaching Award and the AEJMC Mass Communication and Society Distinguished Educator Award. Martinelli serves on the editorial boards of Public Relations Journal and Mass Communication and Society. She regularly gives public relations and communication seminars to government, professional and academic audiences and has secured or been part of grant projects totaling more than $1.1 million.

Samuels joins College as new development director This spring, the College of Media welcomed its new director of development, Tiffany Samuels, to manage all aspects of the College’s development program, including major gifts. Samuels works directly with the College’s Dean and the WVU Foundation to develop and implement plans for annual giving, major gifts solicitations, as well as donor relations and stewardship. The Fairmont, West Virginia, native received her bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from WVU. Samuels then went on to complete her master’s certificate at George Washington University in Project Management. Prior to joining WVU, Samuels served as executive director of the United Way of Marion County, where she led fundraising efforts for seven years.

NEW COURSES

New IMC course tackles Big Data

Coding for mobile apps

Big data presents one of the biggest challenges for strategic communicators today – how to use consumer data, whether in large sets or small, to drive media buying and marketing communications decisions. The IMC graduate program is helping to address this challenge with a new elective course in Marketing Communications Analytics. In this course, students learn how to combine multichannel metrics, baselines and benchmarks with thoughtful and actionable analysis. With these basic principles, students are able to better detect trends and indicators of good or bad performance for outbound, inbound, social and content marketing. The course is being taught by Cyndi Greenglass, a direct marketing expert and IMC program graduate. Greenglass is a founding partner and senior vice president of strategic solutions at Diamond Marketing Solutions, a multimillion dollar, full-service direct marketing company in Chicago, Illinois.

This fall, in conjunction with WVU’s LaunchLab, the College of Media will offer a new coding class for students across disciplines at WVU. Coding for Mobile Apps will teach students how to design, prototype and develop mobile apps for iOS and Android devices. Originally housed in WVU LaunchLab’s CodeLab, which hosts noncredit courses for both students and the public, the College’s coding course will be a three-credit course for WVU students, filling a knowledge and skill gap for those in the College of Media and other programs across campus. Course participants are not required to have prior technical or programming experience, as the class will focus on more than just developing an app. Students will examine code literacy and user behavior, as well as approaches to creating content for mobile platforms.

“Media Hound” joins Martin Hall

6 Omega, the College of Media’s therapy dog, gives a warm hello to student Katie Heller at the College’s Students in Martin Hall made a new furry friend this year as the College of Media 75th Anniversary celebration. welcomed its first therapy dog, Omega. David Smith Omega is a three-year-old standard poodle who received formal therapy dog training by

Hearts of Gold, a service dog program in West Virginia. Though different from service dogs that assist in helping people with special needs, Omega offers comfort and joy to anyone who approaches her. “Omega brings smiles. She provides a greater sense of family and community by having a pet around,” said Widmeyer Professor in Public Relations and Associate Dean Diana Martinelli. Martinelli brought Omega to the College and is her owner and handler. When she isn’t lying down next to Martinelli’s desk, Omega visits classrooms, attends events and meets new students every day. “Having Omega here helps ground students, faculty and staff because having an animal just helps put things in perspective,” Martinelli said. “Interacting with a dog for just a short amount of time helps alleviate stress and grounds you.” Students can stop by Martinelli’s office any time and snuggle with Omega, who loves being petted by students and giving them kisses. “A lot of students tell me that they miss their own dog so much and this is a way for them to get their ‘dog fix’ because it helps them to interact with another dog,” Martinelli said. “I can see her staying here for a long time.”

Follow Omega on Twitter: @WVUMediaHound REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

FACULTY NEWS

George, who made $40 million in two years selling the addictive narcotic oxycodone at their pain clinics in Florida. More than a dozen doctors worked for the clinics – many of whom had responded to ads on Craigslist and were obliged to supply powerful opioids to large numbers of patients. “Prescription narcotics have taken a huge toll on West Virginia, and that’s one reason I wanted to write this book,” Temple said. “Eighty percent of the customers at the main clinic came from states other than Florida, mostly Appalachian states.” Millions of pills purchased from the clinics were subsequently resold on the streets. From 2008-2010, the George brothers ran the nation’s largest illegal painkiller operation in the United States, until local and federal cops raided the clinics during Operation Oxy Alley. Named for one of the George brothers’ clinics, American Pain Clinic, Temple’s book and the recent movie deal were featured in Variety magazine in November 2014. Information about his previous books, “Deadhouse” and “The Last Lawyer,” which won the 2010 Scribes Award from the Society of Legal Writers, can be found on johntemplebooks.com.

Photo Credit: David Smith

Warner Bros. Developing Movie Script Based on Professor’s Book WHEN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN TEMPLE CAME ACROSS the story of America’s largest pill mill operation, he knew it had the potential to be a great book – or movie. His upcoming book, “American Pain: How a Young Felon and Five Doctors Helped Unleash the Deadliest Drug Epidemic in U.S. History,” chronicles illegal painkiller trafficking through a Florida-based chain of pain clinics. And now, Warner Bros. is developing a movie script based on the book. “Prescription narcotic use has exploded over the past two decades, and this particular pill mill’s rise and fall is a crazy crime story,” said Temple. “I wanted to tell both of those stories. At first, I was thinking of it as a screenplay, but I eventually decided to write a book about it.” 36

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Melisa Wallack, who co-wrote the Oscar-nominated movie “Dallas Buyers Club,” took an early interest in the book and has been hired to write the screenplay. Temple has met with Wallack and is serving as a consultant to the film. Slated for publication by Lyons Press in September 2015, Temple’s book, “American Pain,” is the true story of twin brothers, Christopher and Jeffrey

“Prescription narcotics have taken a huge toll on West Virginia, and that’s one reason I wanted to write this book.” – John Temple

“The disenfranchised and the marginalized in our society don’t have a voice. And that, to me, is part of the mission of journalism.” – Alison Bass

Photo Credit: Lois Raimondo

Sex Sells

Professor’s new book tackles controversial topic THROUGHOUT HER AWARDWINNING JOURNALISTIC CAREER, Assistant Professor Alison Bass has felt compelled to give a voice to people at the margins of society. One such group not covered widely by the media are sex workers. Expected to hit bookshelves in Fall 2015, “Getting Screwed: Sex Workers and the Law” is Bass’ latest book, which weaves the true stories of sex workers together with extensive research to make an argument for legalizing prostitution. “I wanted to use these stories to explore important policy issues that could make a difference in society. The disenfranchised and the marginalized in our society don’t have a voice. And that, to me, is part of the mission of journalism,” Bass said. When Bass was a professor at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, she met a smart, articulate woman from a

middle-class background who, as Bass discovered, was a sex worker. “I interviewed her, and she was very interesting and open about what she did. She opened my eyes to the issues behind sex work, and that’s why I decided to write the book. I felt this was an underexplored topic, and I wanted to expose things that haven’t been exposed before,” Bass said. “I knew that there was an important story to be told here, and that’s why I kept plugging away.” In the book, Bass explains that making prostitution legal makes sense from a public health and public safety perspective because it would reduce the rate of HIV and allow sex workers to receive proper health care. Legalizing prostitution also would allow sex workers to report violent clients and make the streets safer for all women. “In large part, sex workers can’t come forward because they’re afraid of being arrested, so these predators go free,” Bass said. “My upcoming book is going to be very controversial because it explodes common myths about sex workers and argues for decriminalization of prostitution. Sex workers shouldn’t

be arrested; they should be given social services and better access to health care.” Tackling another controversial issue, Bass’ first book, “Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial,” came out in 2008 and told the story of how the pharmaceutical industry hid negative effects of antidepressants and skewed scientific research to make such drugs look safer and more effective than they really were. She wrote both of her books with the idea of linking academic research to impactful stories of firsthand experiences that are more likely to grab – and maintain – the average reader’s attention. Bass previously wrote for the Boston Globe and The Miami Herald among other newspapers and magazines. She began her teaching career at Boston University, Brandeis University and Mount Holyoke College before coming to WVU in 2012. This article was written by Journalism freshman Jennifer Skinner.

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AWARDS

Members of the Jamberry campaign team – Sarah Yeager, Lacie Geary, Valerie Bennett, Alexandra Valdes, and Rashidah McCoy – talk with WVU students about the nail wraps in the Mountainlair. David Smith

Awards PRSSA members win national campaign competition Members of WVU’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter won first place in a national competition sponsored by Jamberry Nails. Focusing on Jamberry’s WVU-themed designs, students created a strategic plan surrounding Jamberry collegiate nail wraps to increase overall brand recognition and product line awareness and to raise money for the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center. The PRSSA group bested eight other teams in the competition, including second place University of Alabama and third place Ohio State University. In addition to the national recognition, the chapter was awarded $1,000 for their winning campaign. The team included five students from the College of Media: Valerie Bennett, Rashidah McCoy, Lacie Geary, Alexandra Valdez and Sara Yeager.

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

“WVU News” wins first-place national Emmy A special edition of the College of Media’s student-produced newscast, “WVU News,” earned national recognition this spring, including a first-place national Emmy. “All Things Social Media,” which aired during the Spring 2014 semester, was produced by Corey Sanchez of Sissonville, West Virginia, and focused on the Craigslist killer, cyber bullying, cyber stalking and Photo Credit: David Smith Snapchat advertising. The newscast won a national Emmy Award for best college newscast in the country from the Television Academy Foundation. Just as the Primetime Emmy Awards recognize excellence in professional television, the College Television Awards honor the talent and work of college students nationwide. Sanchez, who graduated in December 2014, won an all-expense-paid trip to the 36th Annual College Television Awards gala in Los Angeles, California, to accept the award on behalf of the College in April. The same episode earned second place in the category of Television Newscast (airing three days per week or less) in the Broadcast Education Association’s Festival of Media Arts.

MSJ student presents thesis locally and internationally Master of Science in Journalism candidate Britany Furbee was accepted as one of the 10 finalists for the WVU 3MT (3 minute) thesis competition. She presented her thesis, along with other WVU finalists, in the Mountainlair in April. Founded by the University of Queensland, Australia, several notable universities, such as Carnegie Mellon University, University of Maryland, and McGill University, participated in the competition.  Furbee also was selected to present at the International Communication Association’s (ICA) 65th annual conference in May in Puerto Rico. ICA is an international academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication.

Students create innovative solutions for Target Strategic Communications seniors Amber Ravenscroft and Megan Woods won the first-ever Target Case Study competition at WVU. The competition, which takes place at colleges and universities across the country, gives students a chance to win cash prizes by putting their marketing communications and social media skills to the test. Ravenscroft and Woods used Qualcomm’s augmented reality software, Vuforia, to create a digital marketing campaign for Megan Woods, left, and Amber Ravenscroft Target’s Threshold brand of won the first-ever Target Case Study home decor. As part of their competition at WVU. David Smith presentation, they recommended that Target use the augmented reality software to allow customers to see what products would look like in their own homes. They also suggested the software could be used by customers to create a “dream room,” which could then be uploaded into a social media sweepstakes to turn their digital dream room into a physical reality. Ravenscroft and Woods were awarded $1,250 for their winning idea. Another team of students from the College took third place in the competition. Freshmen Emma Wess, Erika Baxa and Melanie Smith created their campaign using street team marketing, display rooms and a new social media plan.

SPJ honors “West Virginia Uncovered” with national finalist award The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) recently recognized the College of Media’s digital journalism project, “West Virginia Uncovered,” as a 2014 Mark of Excellence National Finalist in the Best Digital-Only Student Publication category. The publication had been named winner in the same category of the regional competition, advancing it to the national level. In addition to the national award, five students were recognized as finalists in the Region 4 Mark of Excellence Awards this spring: Taylor Eaton – Television News and Feature Photography Taylor Eaton – Television General News Reporting Diane Jeanty – Online Feature Reporting Nicole Linder – Television Breaking News Reporting Tyler Mertins – Online Feature Reporting Brandon Vansickel – Television Sports Reporting SPJ’s Mark of Excellence Awards honor the best in student journalism. Region 4 comprises Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and parts of western Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh.

Senior Awards & Top Graduates 2015 May Commencement Top Graduates Top Overall Scholars  Hannah Force Nicole Ford Top Scholars by Major Ryan Hall – Advertising Nicole Ford – Journalism Emily Cotter – Public Relations Hannah Force – Strategic Communications

2015 Spring Honors Ceremony Outstanding Advertising Seniors Valerie Bennett Joon Hsin Chow Hannah Force Amber Ravenscroft Tanya Wasyluk Kelly Williams Outstanding Print Journalism Seniors John Baronner Carl Bojesson Lauren Caccamo Carlee Lammers David Statman Outstanding Public Relations Seniors Alexandria Beto Kelsey Bignell Emily Cotter Molly Kurtz Alexa Nagy Eleni Skezas Outstanding Television Journalism Seniors Emily Denman Nicole Ford Ryan Petrovich Kiley Putnam Outstanding Visual Journalism Seniors Erin Irwin Stephen Maurer

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CLASS NOTES

Class Notes 1970s

Michele Ash (BSJ, 1970) is a selfemployed graphic designer in Sun City Center, Florida.

1980s

John Smith (BSJ, 1986; MSJ, 1988) is the news editor at The Cumberland Times in Cumberland, Maryland.

1990s

Tara Hun-Dorris (BSJ, 1995) is the owner of and principal medical writer for THD Editorial, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Brant James (BSJ, 1991) is a motorsports writer for USA Today Sports in Largo, Florida.

2000s

Aubrey Buberniak (BSJ, 2009) is the manager of digital communications at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Natalie Committee (BSJ, 2009) is the communications manager at New West Technologies in Washington, D.C. Following her graduation from WVU, she worked at a rehabilitation center for former child soldiers in northern Uganda. Daniel Dudley (BSJ, 2008) is an on-air radio host and producer at Radio Disney Worldwide in Burbank, California. He is on Sirius/XM Radio Disney Channel 79 and the Radio Disney App on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

Karen Snyder Duke (BSJ, 2009) is a health editor at Redbook in New York, New York.

Samantha Fritz (IMC, 2012) is the director of communications at Commander’s Family of Restaurants in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tamar Frumkin (BSJ, 2004) is the head of inbound marketing at NanoRep in Herzliya, Israel. Kathryn Gattens (BSJ, 2008) is the coordinator of grants and external relations at the Western Maryland Health System Foundation in Cumberland, Maryland. Ashley (West) Hurst (BSJ, 2005) is the manager of meetings and membership services at the National Mining Association in Washington, D.C. In addition to planning meetings and events, she assists in planning the association’s quadrennial expo, MINExpo INTERNATIONAL. Diane Jeanty (BSJ, 2014) is an associate booking producer at HuffPost Live. Michael Kalany (BSJ, 2007) is a landman at EQT Production Company in Bridgeport, West Virginia. Shalane Koon (BSJ, 2007; IMC, 2009) is an executive director for ThirtyOne Gifts in Star City, West Virginia.

Sally McHugh (BSJ, 2012) is the account coordinator at SpeakerBox Communications in McLean, Virginia. Nicole Racadag (BSJ, 2008; MSJ, 2010) is the public and media relations manager at the American Chiropractic Association in Arlington, Virginia.

College alumni among “Generation Next” recipients For 10 years, The State Journal has been recognizing and honoring the young professionals who prove every day that success and happiness can be found without leaving the borders of the Mountain State. The annual “Generation Next: 40 Under 40” awards highlight 40 professionals under the age of 40 who are both native and adoptive West Virginians who are leaders in their communities. The College of Media is proud to identify four alumni who are recipients of the 2015 awards. Sean Fluharty (BSJ, 2006) West Virginia Delegate Lawyer, Harris Law Offices Wheeling, West Virginia W. Jesse Forbes (BSJ, 2002) Partner and co-owner, Forbes Law Offices Charleston, West Virginia Kristin Meeks (IMC, 2007) Owner, WV Social Media Consultants LLC Vienna/Parkersburg, West Virginia Candace Nelson (MSJ, 2003; BSJ, 2011) Senior Writer, WVU University Relations/News Morgantown, West Virginia

Alexander Sabol (BSJ, 2001) is the program manager at Micron Technology in Manassas, Virginia. Ashlie Walter (BSJ, 2013) is a night cops reporter at The News & Advance in Lynchburg, Virginia. Kelly Weikle (BSJ, 2009) is a senior communications specialist at Columbia Pipeline Group in Charleston, West Virginia. Katie White (BSJ, 2013) is the manager of group sales and outreach at the Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, Maine.

PR alumna earns lifetime achievement award

In late November 2014, the West Virginia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America presented its lifetime achievement award to 1976 alumna Linda Arnold. Arnold is the former chairwoman and CEO of The Arnold Agency, former director of communications under Gov. Jay Rockefeller, and a Sunday GazetteMail (W.Va.) and syndicated columnist. Arnold is the fifth person in the 34-year history of the chapter to be given its lifetime achievement award and was chosen for her “outstanding commitment and service to our profession, her clients and the West Virginia chapter,” said Sara Payne Scarbro, immediate past president of the chapter, who presented the award.

Stanmyre earns APSE honors

Alumnus Matt Stanmyre (BSJ, 2004) was honored this spring by the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE). Stanmyre, who covers high school athletics for The Star-Ledger/NJ.com, took first place in the APSE 2014 contest for Beat Writing in the over 175,000 circulation category. The Beat Writing category recognizes the most authoritative, newsy and innovative coverage of a beat during 2014. Earlier this spring, preliminary judges selected the top 10 lists, and Stanmyre was named in both the Beat Writing and Breaking News categories for his coverage of a sexual assault scandal in Sayreville, New Jersey. His coverage of the Sayreville scandal included exclusive first details of the football team’s locker room hazing ritual and several additional new layers as the saga unfolded. The APSE awards are voted on by sports editors from across the nation.

Stay Connected

Smith earns SPJ’s highest honor

Kevin Smith (BSJ, 1979) is the deputy director of the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism in Columbus, Ohio. In September 2014, Smith was awarded the Wells Key, the highest honor given by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), for his outstanding service to the organization. In 2014, Smith led a revision of SPJ’s ethics code for the second time in 18 years. Smith, a 35-year member of SPJ, was the organization’s national president from 2009-2010. In addition to the Kiplinger Program, Smith is a speaker specialist for the U.S. Department of State and has trained journalists in Sierra Leone and Uganda in media ethics.

Widmeyer named National Appalachian Hero

West Virginia native and 1974 alumnus Scott Widmeyer received the 2014 National Appalachian Hero Award in late 2014, recognizing his efforts to increase opportunities for West Virginia’s students. The Appalachian Community Fund (ACF) gives the award to an individual or organization who is based outside of the region and who has made a substantial contribution to social justice in Central Appalachia. ACF chose Widmeyer for the award for his support of the organization, his substantial contribution to social justice in Central Appalachia, and his commitment to educational development in his home state of West Virginia. Widmeyer has provided more than 30 educational opportunities for African American and first-generation West Virginians seeking a degree in journalism by establishing scholarships at WVU.

Alumnus to release book on legendary journalist Frank Kearns

In March 2016, WVU Press will release a book by alumnus Gerald Davis (MSJ, 2008; BSJ, 1975) based on the legendary CBS News correspondent and former WVU journalism professor Frank Kearns. Davis’ master’s-project-turned book, “Algerian Diary: Frank Kearns and the Impossible Assignment for CBS News,” will arrive first in hard copy, followed by a trade paperback and an e-book. Production is currently under way in Morgantown. In October 2012, West Virginia Public Broadcasting premiered the one-hour documentary, “Frank Kearns: American Correspondent,” a film written and directed by Davis and co-produced by Chip Hitchcock (MSJ, 1985; BSJ, 1976). The Emmy award-winning film has aired on nearly every PBS station in the United States and its territorial islands.

Transitions

The College of Media wishes to acknowledge our alumni who have passed away during the year. Helen D. Bond ..........................(BSJ, 1942) Lisa M. Colagrossi ....................(BSJ, 1987) Chester D. Cook .......................(BSJ, 1975) Donald A. Easterly ...................(BSJ, 1950) Frederick S. Eiland ...................(BSJ, 1948) Mary E. Ginestra ......................(BSJ, 1946) Nancy K. Gover ........................(BSJ, 1975) James M. Hildreth ....................(BSJ, 1967) David T. Kent ...........................(BSJ, 1958) Charles A. Kreinik ....................(BSJ, 2009) Helen M. Poindexter ................(BSJ, 1948) Cynthia B. Worrall-Timmons ...(BSJ, 1985)

REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

DONORS & SCHOLARS

Donor Honor Roll The College of Media would like to thank our donors who have given to the 2014-2015 annual fund. We especially want to recognize those supporters who give $1,000 or more on an annual basis. Those donors are part of the College’s Loyalty Club, established in 2010 and indicated by an asterisk. The annual giving list represents cash and pledge payments received through May 30, 2015.

$15,000 OR MORE

The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation* Ms. Rose Chrisley* Mrs. Elizabeth and Jim Dziedzic* Mr. James and Mrs. Barbara Gilkerson* John S. and James L. Knight Foundation* Online News Association* Ms. Gruine Robinson*

$5,000 - $14,999

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Ahrens* Col. Thomas J. Boyd* Brown Communications* Ms. Samme L. Gee* Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Kittle* Mrs. Jennifer A. Manton* Nikon, Inc.* Nutting Foundation* Mr. Stanley J. Reed* Mr. and Mrs. John M. Walls*

$1,000 - $4,999

Mr. Paul A. Atkins* Mr. Edward O. Buckbee* Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Davis* Mr. Beedeah and Mrs. Noel Hassen* Mr. James R. Hunkler* Mr. Stephen N. Hunsicker* Mr. Ralph S. and Mrs. Janet Izard* Mr. and Mrs. David G. Lied* Ms. Jane M. McNeer* Public Relations Society of America* Ms. Maryanne Reed* Mr. James J. Roop* Mr. Archie A. Sader* Mrs. Louise C. Seals* Ms. M. Anne Swanson*

$500 - $999

Ms. Bonnie J. Bolden

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Dowling Mrs. Nichole E. Gatto-Wild Global Impact Mr. and Mrs. Ronald D. Guziak Ms. Stephanie O’Keefe Ms. Paula I. Otto Dr. and Mrs. Guy H. Stewart TROY Group, Inc. West Virginia Press Association Foundation, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. David M. Wilkison

$100 - $499

Ms. Michele L. Ash Ms. Johnna G. Barto Mr. and Mrs. Raymond L. Betzner Ms. Merle Bishop Mrs. Amy N. Boaz Mr. Daniel W. Bosch Mrs. Charlotte A. Brown Bruceton Farm Service, Inc. Cardinal Health Mr. David F. Cline The Cremer Family Trust Mr. and Mrs. Gary L. Davis Mrs. Maureen D. Druga DeStefano Mr. Maurice R. Fliess Miss Jessica Frey Mrs. Kathryn and Mr. James F. Gattens Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan R. Hickey Mrs. Jane N. Hopkins Mrs. Tamra F. Joslyn Ms. Hillary K. Kane Ms. Monica L. Lockett Mr. and Mrs. Tom K. Martin, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen T. Marynowski Mr. and Mrs. Victor W. Mason III Ms. Mary M. McDaniel Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. McMullan Mr. and Mrs. Harry J. Mitchell Mr. Henry C. Nagel II Mr. and Mrs. William J. Nevin Nisource Corporate Services Company Mr. Lance A. Parry Mr. Kenneth P. Pennington Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Picarsic Mr. Christopher R. Pignoli Pitney Bowes Realtime Media LLC Mr. and Mrs. Glenn S. Richards

Why We Give …

Mr. Robert M. Rine Dr. David L. Rodgers Mr. Robert H. Rohrer Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen W. Saffel Ms. Janet Shaffron Mr. Martin B. Smith Mrs. Kristi P. Specker Mrs. Linda L. Spencer Ms. Tamara G. Telesko TIAA-CREF Community Affairs Mr. William S. Tiernan Mr. Michael J. Tomasky Mr. and Mrs. John B. Ullom Ms. Sandra Utt Verizon Foundation Mrs. Laura C. Walker Ms. Dawn E. Warfield Ms. Stephanie D. Taylor and Mr. Richard M. Weibley Ms. Jennifer R. Wood Cunningham Mr. David E. Wozniak Mrs. Marsha K. Wyatt

GIVING SOCIETIES

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

MARTIN HALL SOCIETY ($250,000 +)

The Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation

FRIENDS OF MARTIN HALL ($100,000 - $249,999)

Ms. Rose Chrisley Mr. James and Mrs. Barbara Gilkerson John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Ms. Gruine Robinson

P.I. REED CIRCLE OF FRIENDS ($25,000 - $99,999) Online News Association

P.I. REED SOCIETY ($10,000 - $24,999) Ms. Clara DeFrank Nikon, Inc.

“We appreciate that the communication skills learned at the School of Journalism (now College of Media) are transferable to unlimited careers and situations. Those skills always have served us well and helped us achieve personal satisfaction throughout our careers. As native West Virginians, we take great pleasure in giving scholarship funds for young West Virginians. By doing so, we are taking the career satisfaction we have gained and are paying it forward to future students who will recognize, as we have, the value of all they learn at the College of Media.” – James Gilkerson (BSJ, 1967) – Barbara Gilkerson (BSJ, 1968) The James and Barbara Gilkerson Journalism Scholarship How to Make a Gift 42

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

Scholarship Recipients (2014-2015) Arnold Agency Scholarship Brennon Elzy Cary Journalism Scholarship Jenna Britton Hannah Chenoweth Hannah Force Olivia Hill Tyler Le Madison Smith Catharine Patton Clark Presidential Scholarship Nicole Baron Robert Baronner Rachel Brosky Hannah Cebula Ryan Decker Jack Devault Courtney Gatto Emily Koehler Hayleigh Moore Lindsay Terlikowski Col. Thomas J. Boyd Scholarship Jordan Crammer Ashley Wall Cummings Scholarship Allison Heller David Matthew Hassen Journalism Book Scholarship Jillian Clemente Jordan Crammer Anney Mierski Don S. Marsh Scholarship Tessa Bonnstetter Madison Fleck Douglas and Ruth Ann Widmeyer Endowed Journalism Scholarship Olivia Hill Mary Kenderine Samantha Mangan Karly Shire Lindsay Terlikowski Edith Watson Sasser Scholarship John Baronner Madison Fleck

George Gianodis Journalism Scholarship Robert Baronner Jenna Britton Joshua Burns Brooke Chaplain Emily Fitzgerald Mary Kenderine Jacob Landon Tyler Le Jessica Litras Samantha Mangan Anney Mierski Kiley Putnam Ashley Wall Gilbert and Margaret Love Journalism Scholarship Joshua Burns Brooke Chaplain Courtney Gatto Karly Shire Madison Smith Hilda G. and James E. McNeer Journalism Scholarship Paige Klingensmith Irene Caplan Moksay Scholarship Leah Blaney James and Barbara Gilkerson Journalism Scholarship Jordan Jasper Bryanna McCullough Linda E. Yost Scholarship Lucy Sutton

Merideth Robb Memorial Scholarship Jessica Linton Nancy Henrichs Hodel Memorial Scholarship Jessica Foreman Ogden Newspapers and Nutting Family Journalism Scholarship John Baronner Lacey Palmer Andrew Spellman Orson and Spokes Foundation Journalism Endowment Nicole Baron Ashley Wall Paul A. Atkins Scholarship Jillian Clemente Ashley Gonzalez Hollie Greene Madeline Matthews Michala McCullough Adam Morris Paul S. and Theo S. Deem Book Scholarship Nicole Baron Peggy Preston Tierney Scholarship Ryan Glaspell Kayla Kesselman Cassandra Lang Lacey Palmer

Linda Jeanne Leckie Schulte Scholarship Emily Cotter

Perley Isaac Reed Scholarship Jillian Clemente Brennon Elzy Michala McCullough Adam Morris

Mark S. and Frances S. Grove Endowed Scholarship Kelsie Vanderwijst

Raymond and Susan Gillette Minority Scholarship Jennifer Skinner

Martha E. Shott Endowed Scholarship Eric Aluise Jordan Jasper Adelyn Nottingham Lindsay Terlikowski Kelsie Vanderwijst

School of Journalism Scholarship Leah Blaney Rachel Brosky Rachel Claypool Ryan Decker Jack Devault

Emily Fitzgerald Jessica Foreman Scarlett Forgrave Hollie Greene Bridget Hawkins Emily Koehler Jessica Linton Kaitlyn Lopez Madeline Matthews Bryanna McCullough Hayleigh Moore Jennifer Skinner

Student Enhancement & Professional Development Awards Frank M. Kearns Memorial Fund Hannah Cebula London Samantha Jenkins London

Scott D. Widmeyer African John and Cindy Walls Career Development Fund American Scholarship Allison Brandfass Jordan Jasper Washington, D.C. Scott D. Widmeyer First Generation Scholarship Sara Cottle Thomas Picarsic Scholarship in Journalism Michala McCullough Adam Morris Timothy J. Tewalt Journalism Scholarship Tyler Le Vargo-Otto Student Scholarship Hannah Cebula W.E. Chilton III Journalism Scholarship Sara Cottle Jack Devault Adelyn Nottingham Ryan Petrovich Sarah Sturba Kelsie Vanderwijst William F. Tolbert Journalism Scholarship Nicole Baron Rachel Brosky

Jennifer Gardner Washington, D.C. Sara Wells Pittsburgh Reed College of Media Student Enhancement Fund Jordan Crammer Los Angeles Shannon Cunningham London Brittany Furbee Puerto Rico Evan Green Alexandria, Virginia Andrew Sealy Germany Kassandra Taylor Charleston, West Virginia Rachel Yoke Missouri

How to Make a Gift To learn more about providing scholarship funding, visit our website at reedcollegeofmedia.wvu.edu/ contribute or contact: Tiffany Samuels, Director of Development WVU Reed College of Media tdsamuels@mail.wvu.edu | 304.293.6775

REEDCOLLEGEOFMEDIA.WVU.EDU

DO YOU KNOW …

Do You Know Valerie Bennett ?

YOU SHOULD!

NAME Valerie Bennett HOMETOWN Masontown, West Virginia Valerie’s Stats MAJOR Strategic Communications-Advertising GRADUATION DATE May 16, 2015 JOB TITLE Social Community Manager at Brunner

Professional Experience

ON MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES

President Public Relations Student Society of America

“I cannot stress how important the College of Media’s interactive courses are for helping students develop skills and methods which are needed in today’s industry. By taking part in these classes and internships, I have been able to prepare for my current career, and I feel right at home with my daily responsibilities.”

Brand Ambassador Amazon Student Campus Founder Cribspot Student Advertising Manager The Daily Athenaeum Account Executive The Daily Athenaeum Advertising Sales Intern New South Media, Inc. Development Intern WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Event Management and Planning Intern WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Student Researcher WVU Professional Sales Institute Public Relations Assistant WVU Dining Services

ON STARTING A NEW JOB “I had a flood of emotions as my first day approached. I was excited, anxious, nervous, eager and even a little scared. But with all of these feelings, I never once felt like I was not prepared to take on this new chapter of my life.”

Founder WVU Professional Sales Club Summer Orientation Trip Leader and Logistics Specialist WVU Adventure WV Treasurer Kappa Pi Honorary Art Fraternity, Eta Lambda Chapter

Awards Outstanding Advertising Senior WVU Reed College of Media

ADVICE FOR FUTURE STUDENTS

Campaign Competition Winner (team) PRSSA National Jamberry Campaign Competition Hackathon Team Winner Hack the Gender Gap: A Women’s Hackathon on Wearables WVU Reed College of Media and PBS MediaShift Conference Representative and Scholarship Recipient National Conference College Women Student Leaders WVU Student Affairs

“Remember to take time to enjoy the things around you. Be active on campus, and don’t shy away from new opportunities. Challenge yourself to climb higher and take risks, because even with failure come new possibilities.”

First-Place Winner 2013 Student Pitch-Off Contest College Newspaper Business and Advertising Managers Association’s Student Advertising Managers Workshop Third-Place Best Elevator Pitch World Collegiate Sales Open 44

WVU REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA • 2015

Photo Credit: University Relations News

FINAL THOUGHTS “I have met so many amazing people and made endless memories throughout my time here. WVU will forever hold a place in my heart.”

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Stay Connected @wvumediacollege WVU Reed College of Media MediaCollege@mail.wvu.edu reedcollegeofmedia.wvu.edu 304.293.3505 REED COLLEGE OF MEDIA magazine is produced once each year for the alumni, friends and other supporters of the WVU Reed College of Media. Copyright © 2015 by the WVU Reed College of Media. WVU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. The WVU Board of Governors is the governing body of WVU. The Higher Education Policy Commission in West Virginia is responsible for developing, establishing, and overseeing the implementation of a public policy agenda for the state’s four year colleges and universities. WVU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Many WVU programs hold specialized accreditation.