Message from the Dean

A MESSAGE From the Dean

DAVID SMITH

“What will you do with your one wild and precious life?” Quoting from the poet Mary Oliver, I ask our graduating seniors this question at May commencement, challenging them to live a life of purpose.

In his State of the Campus address this spring, President Gordon Gee called for WVU to become a 21st century land-grant institution with a unique sense of purpose to lead our state to greater prosperity and well-being.

In the College of Media, we too are fueled by a sense of purpose. We are committed to using our media communication skills and expertise to strengthen and empower local communities.

We have always been a school that combines the passion to create and communicate with a strong sense of purpose and mission. But now more than ever, our faculty, students, alumni and staff are driven to use their talents to benefit society and make a positive impact. That drive has also resulted in excellent work that wins awards and launches careers.

Our 2018 alumni magazine offers examples that demonstrate how passion plus purpose can equal excellence.

In her Academy Award-nominated documentary “Heroin(e),” West Virginia filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon (BSJ, 2009) shines the spotlight on the opioid epidemic from the perspective of three women fighting it on their own terms. In our annual college Create-a-thon, our advertising and public relations students produce portfolio-worthy work by helping community nonprofits advance their mission to serve the citizens of the state. Visual Journalism Professor Joel Beeson is now sharing the untold stories of African American WWI veterans for a global audience via Google Cultural Institute and Google Expedition.

And for 25 years, our broadcast journalism students have produced “WVU News,” a national Emmy-award winning newscast that tells important stories that impact the community.

Our passion and sense of purpose is part of our DNA. It is authentic to who we are, what we do and what we strive to be. It is also what makes us strong in the face of challenges and opportunities.

As always, we thank you — our dedicated and successful alumni — for supporting our efforts to help students find success in their careers and make a difference in the world.

On the Cover This year marks the 25th Anniversary of “WVU News,” the College of Media’s student-produced newscast. Experience a day on the set and see how the production has evolved on page 16.

Maryanne Reed, Dean