Message from the Chair Dear JMC Colleagues and Team Members,
Dr. Serajul Bhuiyan, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Savannah State University.
As we wrap up the fall semester, I wanted to capture just a few minutes of your time to tell you about a handful of initiatives, and some challenges, that we, as a department, will face in the coming months. The faculty and staffs' commitment to being a great department and university – to reach an enduring level of excellence – is what defines JMC. First, the JMC faculty and staff are working very hard on our ACEJMC Reaccreditation report and I commend them for that. Second, our JMC is consistently striving to build a truly diverse, inclusive and equitable department and to prepare students to be citizens of the world. In this aspect, we have been working with SSU's International Education Program to establish collaborations with universities overseas. We look forward to more student and faculty exchange programs and collaborative research opportunities. Further, we hope to establish a chapter of Business and Applied Sciences Academy of North America (BAASANA) and to also produce joint journal publications with universities in India, Australia, Japan and Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. Our Brown Bag Luncheon began in December, and a Distinguished Lecture Series will take place next semester. These are just a few of the initiatives planned for JMC. Third, our JMC Advisory Board meeting successfully took place in November with a highly ambitious strategic plan accomplished. The 67th annual Southern Press Institute is scheduled to take place Feb. 22-23, 2018. These achievements are just a few of the planned initiatives for JMC. Fourth, I would like to underscore my steadfast commitment to maintaining an open and welcoming environment for students, faculty, and staff of our department. We hope to host two town hall meetings each semester in an effort to create an atmosphere of open conversations between students and faculty; we want to listen to JMC majors and address their concerns appropriately. The ultimate goal is to have an effective collegial environment in the department consistent with our status as a Center of Excellence. Fifth, we will have an effective and efficient advising system in order to achieve higher graduation rates. JMC must be the supreme example of effective advising at SSU in the future. This is highly ambitious, of course, but we can achieve that status. We will continue to use the Setmore online appointment scheduling software to help our students schedule appointments and manage appointments online. It is an easy to use Web application. This process also provides us with the ability to track advising and raise students’ satisfaction, thus reducing complaints. Sixth, JMC now has its labs and we’re waiting for computers and equipment approval at the college and university levels. We will have Tiger’s Roar-TV working again soon. All credits go to all of our JMC faculty and staff members. Congratulations. I value all of your many contributions as well as your dedicated hard work. Definitely, without Dean Scipio’s active support and help, we could not have done all of these things that we have done. Another individual, Dr. Charles J. Elmore, is an asset and inspiration to all of us to get things done on time. Professor Novella Cross Holmes has been a great help in three areas—the JMC Advisory Board meeting, SRPI, and the ACEJMC ReAccreditation process achieving success with her active and diligent contributions. Thank you and welcome back.
67th Southern Regional Press Institute takes on Sports Journalism in a time of protest The 67th annual Southern Regional Press Institute will focus on Sports Journalism in the Era of Politics and Protest. The coming workshop will take place February 22 and 23 at Savannah State University. The job and internship fair will take place Feb. 21. Students are encouraged to register for the event as soon as possible. Actress Daphne Maxwell Reid will host a "wind down" event at 4 p.m. on the Friday of the event. Reid played Aunt Viv in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Keep up with SRPI news and register at SSUSRPI.com
Student groups host JMC Town Hall About 60 students attended "JMC All In," the end-of-the-semester Town Hall Meeting on Nov. 28. The event was co-sponsored by the Mass Communications Student Association, Tiger's Roar, and the National Association of Black Journalists student chapter. During the meeting, students learned about the accreditation process, were introduced to the leaders of all of the student organizations in the department (and the radio station), and asked questions. Chairman Serajul Bhuiyan said he hopes students will plan to have at least two town hall sessions each semester to encourage more open discussion about the state of the department.
Stephen B. Morton Shares Insights into Announcements Going Global Prof. Jessica Sparks is the Life of a Freelance Photographer offering JMC students COMM Award-winning photographer and photojournalist Stephen B. Morton spoke to professor Jason Miccolo Johnson’s photojournalism class in November, sharing valuable tips on how to become a reliable working freelancer. Most importantly, Morton said, “is never missing deadlines,” or you will never get called for another assignment by that publication. Morton showed over 150 of his favorite images to the class, ranging from major sporting events to spot news and a day on a cargo ship on the Savannah River to environmental portraits. He emphasized the need to arrive early for assignments, know your equipment well, apply the rule of thirds in your composition, and exceed the expectations of every client. His photographs capture the moments of news and events throughout the region along with the lifestyles of Southern culture. In addition to shooting sports assignments for Savannah State University, his regular editorial clients include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, Bloomberg Financial News, Getty Images, and USA Today. Morton also shared a brief history as to how he got started into photography. Even after 35 years in the business, he said that it really wasn’t a job to him because “everyday he gets to do what he truly loves.”
credits while studying in Panama during the first summer semester. Send students to Sparks for more information.
Art in the Community Prof. Jason Miccolo Johnson's work is being featured in an art exhibit in the Jepson Center. The exhibit ran from Oct. 5 through Nov. 26.
Founders Day
Savannah State University celebrated its 127th year on Nov. 16, with its Founders Day presentation. This year's speaker was Carolyn V. Jordan, a descendent of the first university president Richard R. Wright and a professor in the College of Business Administration.
Lecture Series begins Dr. Serajul Bhuiyan conducted a Brown Bag Luncheon for faculty on Dec. 1 in his discussion of engagement in the classroom. Several members of the JMC faculty and staff attended Bhuiyan's speech, "The Faculty Role in Engaging Students in the Active Learning Process," which was sponsored by the Quality Enhancement Plan.
JMC forms an advisory board to help move the department forward The Department of Journalism and Mass Communications welcomed our JMC Advisory Board in November 2017. The purpose of the advisory board is to use their expertise to aid the department with assessment and achieving other goals related to ACEJMC. “Effective teaching and learning cannot be done without the active involvement of distinguished, experienced professionals like you. Your professional advice, including career and curriculum guidance, is essential for us to meet industry demands”, said Dr. Serajul Bhuiyan, chair of JMC.
Photo by Jason Miccolo Johnson
Wilson elected to National Comm. Association Legislative Assembly Angela Wilson, assistant professor of communication at Savannah State University, has been elected to the National Communication Association, NCA Legislative Assembly for the period of Jan. 1, 2017 to Dec. 31, 2019. The NCA Legislative Assembly governing body of the National Communication Association maintains the governance of NCA’s Constitution, bylaws, strategic plan, and other association business practices and procedures. As part of the Legislative Assembly elected membership, Wilson participated in the national assembly meeting in November 2017 in Dallas, Texas.
Sparks participates in Scholarly Comm Institute Joining a selective group of about 40 participants, Assistant Professor Jessica Sparks attended the Triangle Scholarly Communication Institute in Chapel Hill, N.C., Nov. 5-9. The 2017 workshop theme was "Scholarly Storytelling." The SCI conference aims to bring together interdisciplinary scholars and practicians to address needs in the scholarly community. Unlike other conferences, the institute provides a forum for working groups to devote concentrated time to solve a problem. Sparks was part of a group from all over the United States including the University of Oregon, the University of Nevada- Reno, and Butler University. Sparks' team proposal focused on combatting mistrust in academic research.
Learn more about the institute and read Sparks' group proposal by clicking here.
The institute is fully funded by the Andrew Mellon Foundation to Duke University, hosted at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill.
Sparks, student honored for summer campaign On Dec. 13, Assistant Professor Jessica Sparks and alumna Crystal Bridges were honored at the Bluffton Rotary Club for their work with the Friends of Bluffton Dog Parks, a non-profit in South Carolina whose mission is to build and maintain public dog parks in the growing area about 30 minutes from Savannah. From May through August, Sparks and Bridges produced a content-driven social media campaign for the group to bring awareness to the first public dog park and to re-build a damaged reputation in a small community. Their campaign increased engagement on social media by more than 300 percent, after they produced 15 one-minute video vignettes of local business owners who held shop dogs (dogs that stay in the shop with the owner or play a big role for the business). They also helped plan one public meeting, one question-andanswer session on site, and two booths at the weekly Farmers Market where children tie-dyed bandanas for their own pups. Another part of the project was to connect with well-known regional artist Murray Sease, who helped create the poster for the dog park. The Friends of Bluffton Dog Parks gifted Bridges and Sparks with the original paintings that were used as the base for the poster for their hard work.
Through this internship, Bridges made the connections for a paid internship with real estate company Engel & Volkers, where she is currently working. The ground-breaking for the dog park took place the morning of Dec. 13, immediately following the Rotary Club meeting.
Practicum Defenses Seniors defended their senior projects in November 2017.
Typhani Gray
Ceres Hitchcock
Chelsea Houston
Naketris Jackson
Shanetrice Leonard
Quantedra Rice
Julia Lopez
Antranice Armstrong
Dontrell Mapp
Practicum Defenses Seniors defended their senior projects in November 2017.
John Barron
Lawrence Moore
Ishmael Marshall
Malcolm Moore
Trei Smiley
Marissa Washington
Jonathan Thompson
Aquila Collins
Shakira Weary
Practicum Defenses Seniors defended their senior projects in November 2017.
Danielle Jones
Asia Wilkerson
Taylor-Ashley Shaw
Sandy Lochu
DeAydria McNair
Byron Childs
Kya Epps
ShaDasha Poe
Demaree Toland Arlicia Reynolds
CONGRATULATIONS!
DECEMBER COMMENCEMENT December 9, 2017
Bhuiyan hosts JMC event Journalism and Mass Communications faculty and staff gathered at the home of Chairman Serajul Bhuiyan the evening of commencement to celebrate the achievements of the semester. The event also was an opportunity to network with several people from other parts of the university, including the International Education Center.
Photo by Jason Miccolo Johnson