Murphy Reporter Fall 2011

Murphy Reporter Fall 2011

Reporting Without Limits Recent grads explore different media to tell great stories

Star Tribune multimedia producer McKenna Ewen shoots online videos during the Minnesota Vikings’ training camp in Mankato.

Murphy Reporter Fall 2011 DIRECTOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Albert Tims EDITOR

Sarah Howard DESIGN

Margaret VanEchaute, Megan Love Warner CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Chris Ison, Emily Johns, Ada Walton PHOTOGRAPHY

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Somer Davidson, Sarah Howard, Chelsea Jackson, Nicholas Khow, Tim Rummelhoff, Wally Swanson, Megan Love Warner, Mike Zerby ALUMNI RECORDS

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Mary Achartz, Julie Golias PRINTING

Bolger Printing 2011-2012 SJMC Alumni Society Board Members Daniel Gore, president Sarah Bauer, vice president Chad Haldeman, secretary Nina Bouphasavahn Demian Brink Ray Faust Sarah Howard John Lutter Brad Madson Amy Nelson Mary Tan

The Murphy Reporter is published semiannually by the University of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication for alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the school.

FEATURES

06 Taking the Lead

Alums prove good journalism prevails, even during turbulent economic times.

11 Voices for Justice

Félix Gutiérrez speaks about the history

of Latino media and shares his exhibit.

12 The Future of Magazines

Panel answers the question you’re afraid to ask: What is the future of magazines?

02 HEADLINES Flatline 2

Faculty Debuts Book 2

Professor Travels the Globe 3

Meet Our New Faculty Members 4

Alum Named Dean of NU Program 4

Dona Schwartz Awarded Photo Prize 4

Scott Meyer Wins Award of Excellence 5

22 FACULTY NEWS Gordon Leighton Retires 22

24 STUDENT NEWS

Inaugural event focuses on how technology changes communication.

13 Premack Awards Public-affairs journalism is celebrated.

Linda Lindholm Retires 23

New Faces in Murphy 24

Strategic Communication M.A. Cohort 25

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MN DAILY UPDATE

MN Daily Alumni Association Column 26 SJMC says goodbye to a faculty member

14 Ron Faber Retires

The University of Minnesota shall provide equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

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14 18 DEPARTMENTS

12 Beardsley Lecture

Send questions or comments to murphrep@umn.edu or to the Murphy Reporter, 111 Murphy Hall, 206 SE Church St., Minneapolis, MN 55455

This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Direct requests to Sarah Howard at 612-625-8095 or showard@umn.edu.

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of more than 20 years.

16 See Change

This annual conference explores how design and communication intersect.

18 Spring Celebration

The annual party celebrates the triumphs of SJMC students throughout the year.

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Silha Lecture The annual lecture featured lawyer and

counsel Mark Stephens.

COVER PHOTO BY BRIAN PETERSON/STAR TRIBUNE

27 VOICES A donor and scholarship recipient share

their stories.

29 DONOR REPORT 31 ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES

SJMC Alumni Society Board update 32

Change Is All Around Us

The immersion is evident in our classes: students work at the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune and hear from publishers about running a media business, the Brovald-Sim Practicum gets students working in community newspapers and our arts writing courses take students to the Guthrie and Jungle theaters.

And this year, a handful of our students literally got out in the field. Adjunct Jerry Broeckert worked with Gopher Sports to get our students involved in covering Gopher athletic events.

A group of six broadcasting students capture the excitement of game day — from videos of tailgating to photos from the sidelines — and their work is published on GopherSports.com.

Plus, a new initiative, dubbed the Murphy News Service, aims to get our students reporting in the community. Led by Senior Fellow J. Keith Moyer and Chris Ison and in partnership with the Minnesota Newspaper Association, the program enlists a select group of students enrolled in the Intermediate News Reporting class to act as reporters for community papers around the state. Working on assignment or pitching their own stories, students’ work is added to the news service, which participating papers may publish. It’s an innovative idea that gives our students a one-of-a-kind experience.

In “Taking the Lead,” which starts on page 8, Ison explores how student experiences can lead to out-of-the-box thinking within the journalistic field. His story follows a handful of our recent graduates as they use writing and reporting skills to forge unconventional career paths within the journalism field.

From social media to multimedia-enhanced content, these recent graduates are leading the field.

I’m also pleased to welcome two new faculty members to SJMC. Jennifer Ball is a direct-to-consumer advertising expert

TOM FOLEY

As Eric Kaler gets comfortable in his role as the 16th University president, change is felt across the University community. Kaler has many new ideas and plans, and I’m pleased to hear that he is focusing on the student experience and community involvement. Kaler involved our students in both initiatives during his inauguration: a group of SJMC undergraduates helped telecast his inaugural speech and our majors were among those selected to Tweet for @prezkaler.

SJMC combines both goals as we enhance the student experience by immersing students in the Twin Cities media community. By giving our students exposure to the professional world, they gain skills and insights to help them become talented professionals in the job market and network within our great community. from University of Texas-Austin and Jolie Martin is a technology and communications guru with degrees from Northwestern and Harvard. Both are enriching and adding new perspectives to our strategic communication curriculum.

At SJMC, new communication efforts are in place, aimed at keeping our friends, alums and community members up-to-date on exciting changes within our School. Our website, sjmc.umn.edu, is undergoing a remodel and aims to showcase student work and SJMC news in a more enhanced way. Check back often for updated student work, enriched stories and more video content. In 2012, keep an eye out for an alum e-newsletter — aimed at keeping you up-to-date and connected to Murphy Hall.

Lastly, you’ll notice that the Murphy Reporter has undergone a complete redesign. Our new design has a fresh feel and enhanced content. You’ll notice new colors, fonts and a frontof-book newsy section, aptly titled Headlines. We’d love to hear what you think about it at sjmcblog@umn.edu. And we’ll be in touch.

Best,

Director, School of Journalism & Mass Communication

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HEADLINES

‘Flatline’ Explores the Unknown Student magazine about death creates buzz Creating a magazine about death seems a little morbid, right?

Not to the students in the Spring 2011 Magazine Editing and Production class. To them, the topic offered something buzzworthy, controversial and interesting. “The idea came up on the first day,” said class adviser Jeanne Schacht. “We were talking about the idea that the world was ending in 2012, and someone brought up the idea of death,” said Editor Patrick Berner (B.A., ’11).

“By the end of class, we had two white boards filled with story ideas,” said fellow class adviser Elizabeth Larsen, who has taught the class for eight years with Schacht. “We were a little worried about the topic becoming depressing, but it became curiously uplifting.”

The main feature about the mortuary-science program and misconceptions students in the program face was a bit hard to come by.

“The mortuary-science program was a bit hesitant to participate, but the story really shows them in a positive light,” said Larsen. “I’m glad we were able to tell that story,” said Berner.

And the response has been lively (pun intended). The mortuaryscience program was delighted, the magazine was sent to mortuaryscience programs around the region, and Gail Rosenblum called Flatline “wise and brave” in her Star Tribune column.

“I think everyone was pleasantly surprised,” said Berner.

Read Flatline on your smartphone

On your smartphone, search the app store for a QR code scanner such as NeoReader or RedLaser.

Scan the image with your phone and you’ll be transported to the magazine. No smartphone? No worries. The magazine is available on our site at sjmc.umn.edu/ people/studentwork.php.

New Faculty Book Explores the Science of Persuasive Messages “The Psychology of Persuasion,” co-edited by SJMC Professor John Eighmey and Osei Appiah, an associate professor in the School of Communication at Ohio State University, features a collection of journal articles illustrating how concepts and theories in psychology can assist in the mental processes of persuasion.

Published by Cognella Press, the book is intended to be used in psychology of advertising, persuasion, consumer behavior or advertising theory courses.

Eighmey holds the Raymond O. Mithun Chair in Advertising at SJMC.

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HEADLINES

Where in the World is Professor Kirtley?

The Silha professor travels the world for the U.S. Department of State on the heels of her new “Media Law Handbook”

BAKU, AZERBAIJAN: May 15–22, 2011 On the Itinerary: Visit to the Azerbaijan Press Council, stop at Baku State University to meet with the head of the journalism department, dinner with English-speaking local journalists, meeting with faculty at Baku Slavic Journalism school, media law and new media presentation at Azad Fikir University, visit to ANS Media Academy and presentation at the Media Rights Institute

KIGALI, RWANDA: July 26–Aug. 2, 2011 On the Itinerary: Meeting with members of Journalism and Communication Students Association, visit to the Press House, meeting with Media High Council to discuss media regulation under current law, discussion about media ethics at Syfia Grands Lacs News Agency, stop at Radio Flash FM, and lecture at Catholic Institute of Kabgayi (one of two journalism schools in Rwanda)

YEREVAN, ARMENIA: May 23–28, 2011 On the Itinerary: Trip to U.S. Embassy, roundtable with journalism students at Caucasus Institute, TV interview for Yerkir Media, coffee with President Serzh Sargsian’s staff, meeting with National Committee on Television and Radio, get-together with Armenian judges, lunch with law and journalism professors at La Cucina, media law and democracy public lecture at American University of Armenia, meeting with Asbarez Press Club in Gyumri

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Oct. 14–22, 2011 On the Itinerary: Lecture at Taylor’s University School of Communication, public lecture at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, media training at the Malaysian Press Institute, lunch with team from INTI International University, radio interview at BFM 89.9, public talk at the Bar Council Malaysia, visit to Universiti Malaysia and Universiti Selangor, dinner at the National Press Club, meeting with Malaysian bloggers

ABOUT THE BOOK: In “Media Law Handbook,” commissioned by the U.S. Department of State and published in 2010, Professor Jane Kirtley explores the privileges and responsibilities of the free press. An initial press run of 30,000 copies was distributed by U.S. embassies throughout the world to foreign government and media. The 65-page, six-chapter book draws on real-life case studies to explore free press.

The handbook has been translated into Chinese, Arabic, Azeri, Spanish and Portuguese.

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HEADLINES

SJMC Welcomes Two New Faculty Direct-to-Consumer Advertising Expert Jennifer Ball Name: Jennifer Gerard Ball Education: M.A. & Ph.D. from University of Texas-Austin Dissertation: “Developing Trust in Directto-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising: The Effects of Benefit Type and Balance of Risk and Benefit Information.”

Professor Ball’s area of interest lies with direct-to-consumer health marketing and pharmaceutical advertising. “It’s an interesting, intricate area of marketing,” she said. In coming to Minnesota, Ball was excited by the idea of researching and working among many departments.

“I love that you can do interdisciplinary research here,” she said. And a new interest area she’s recently begun to explore: the idea of trust. “The concept of trust within social media fascinates me.” In the fall, Ball taught Strategic Communication Research. She lives in Maple Grove with her husband and two children.

Jolie Martin Explores Technology Communication Name: Jolie Martin Education: B.A., Northwestern University; M.B.A. & Ph.D., Harvard University, post-doctoral research at Carnegie Mellon Dissertation: “Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Information Aggregation in Online Decision-Making.”

Minneapolis native Jolie Martin’s research career began by thinking about the way people use technology to communicate. “Technology can also cause a lot of problems,” she said. “There’s an information overload problem.” While at Harvard, she taught negotiation at the Kennedy School and then worked at the Dynamic Decision Making Lab at Carnegie Mellon. At the University of Minnesota, Martin hopes to collaborate with other departments to explore her research further, especially the ways people share and use information. At SJMC, she’s teaching Mass Media Effects and Psychology of Advertising. Plus, she’s happy to be home. “The Twin Cities are much better than I remembered!”

Alum Dr. Everette E. Dennis Becomes Dean of Northwestern University in Qatar Taking office in June 2011, Dr. Everette E. Dennis (Ph.D., ’74) is now dean and CEO of Northwestern University in Qatar.

Under his guidance, the university hopes to focus its curriculum on the evolving digital-media landscape. Former NU-Q dean John Margolis retired in 2011.

Previously, Dennis was the Felix E. Larkin Distinguished Professor at Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business; chair of the communication and media management department and director of the Center for Communications.

“Northwestern University, in partnership with the Qatar Foundation, represents an exciting educational collaboration,” Dennis said in a news release. He stated that the school is “one of the most important educational collaborations in the world today” and said that the school has a great opportunity to

continue momentum and enhance media studies. “We are able to draw on the best expertise the region and the world have to offer in order to create a truly new educational experience in communication and journalism that is solidly anchored in settled knowledge and experience,” he said.

Dennis is an experienced educator and the author of more than 40 books, including his most recent, “Understanding Media in the Digital Age.” He has held advanced fellowships at Harvard Law School, Harvard Business School, Harvard’s Institute of Politics and Stanford University.

At SJMC, Dennis earned his Ph.D. in mass communication, constitutional law and history and was a faculty member from 1974 to 1981.

Dona Schwartz Awarded Third Place for Photography Prize Associate Professor Dona Schwartz was named one of five finalists for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery in London. She was awarded the third place prize.

The competition presents the very best in contemporary portrait photography, showcasing work from young photographers to gifted professionals. More than 2,500 photographers submitted their work for consideration.

Schwartz’s photograph is part of a series

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of portraits, titled On the Nest, that focus on moments of change in parents’ lives. The photograph she submitted centers on Christina and Mark Bigelow standing in their son’s empty bedroom after he’s left home.

Schwartz’s photograph will be on display at the National Portrait Gallery, along with 60 other works selected for the exhibit, through February 12, 2012.

In 2010, Schwartz’s photo of expectant parents was also nominated for the prize.

HEADLINES Scott Meyer Receives Award of Excellence As part of Spring Celebration, the SJMC Alumni Society Board gives its Award of Excellence to an alum with a distinguished career, either locally or nationally. In 2011, communications guru Scott Meyer received that accolade. “I know how important this award is, and it is very humbling,” he said.

Meyer entered SJMC wanting to become a high-school journalism teacher, but a journalism professor saw potential and encouraged him to explore the strategic communication world.

For a publicity project, he put together a proposal for an employee magazine for Piper Jaffray, who he worked for part-time while in school. This proposal eventually led to an offer for a full-time job offer there.

Meyer left the University four credits shy of graduating (he later returned to finish his degree and graduated in 2004) and joined the corporate sector, serving as a senior communications officer at such national corporations as International Multifoods and U.S. Bancorp.

In 1984, he branched out into the agency side and established Doran Swenson Meyer. Later, he paired with friend and fellow SJMC alum Dave Mona, who also had an agency of his own, to create Mona Meyer McGrath (later Mona Meyer McGrath & Gavin). Meyer helped build the agency into Minnesota’s largest public-relations firm and in 1988 it became part of the worldwide network of Weber Shandwick, the world’s largest independent public-relations firm. Following the acquisition, Meyer served as chief executive officer of Weber Shandwick International and, later, chief strategy officer. Meyer left the firm in 2003 for a role as chief marketing officer at Lawson Software.

Since February 2011, Meyer has a new role at the University. He started as a consultant working with University Relations and then eventually started to work on University President Eric Kaler’s inauguration in September 2011. Meyer now serves as senior counselor to the office of the president.

And it all came full circle when Meyer was presented the Award of Excellence by former coworkers Dennis McGrath, Sara Gavin and Dave Mona (who received the award in 1992). “It’s been four years since we were together, so to be on the same stage with them was fantastic,” Meyer said. “And to receive the award with my friends and family there was great.”

“View your career as a chess game and have a vision of what you want to accomplish. You’re not going to achieve that vision in one move.

This is a four- or five-move strategy. Look at how you can get closer to your vision. If you have that longer term vision, you’ll get there.”

–Scott Meyer’s career advice for recent graduates

Scott Meyer accepts his Award of Excellence on May 2, 2011 at McNamara Alumni Center.

Dennis McGrath, Sara Gavin, Scott Meyer and Dave Mona, founders of Mona Meyer McGrath & Gavin, which became part of Weber Shandwick International in 1988.

We sat down with Scott Meyer to talk shop and career advice.

Watch the video.

On your smartphone, search the app store for a QR code scanner such as NeoReader or RedLaser. Scan the image with your phone and you’ll be transported to the video. No smartphone? No worries.

The video is available at http://z.umn.edu/scottmeyer.

2011-2012 Mentorship Program Kicks Off

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MEGAN LOVE WARNER

More than 50 SJMC juniors and seniors and their mentors took part in the Mentorship Program kick-off on Nov. 19, 2011 at the McNamara Alumni Center.

The program, now in its 28th year, pairs students with a Twin Cities professional who has a career of interest to the student. Mentors teach students about their line of work and offer up not only information and job shadowing, but networking tools as well.

The mentorship program is organized by the SJMC Alumni Society Board. “It’s easily our biggest undertaking all year,” said President Daniel Gore.

But the work is worth the effort. Board Secretary Left to right: Heidi Raschke of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine and Ashley Aram exchange contact information; Aaron Chad Haldeman said, “Seeing the relationship between students and mentors is rewarding. These Smith of Olson chats with Sara Wunderlich; Freelance writer Greg Breining and Megan Gosch. students really get to experience the real world through this program.”

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Taking the Lead Across the media landscape, SJMC grads are finding jobs in what once were considered the unlikeliest of places.

The lesson? Good journalism is good journalism. Only the medium changes.

By Chris Ison 6 Murphy Reporter FALL 2011

One ran a tiny public-radio newsroom and just parlayed it into a job with Minnesota Public Radio. One wrote for a journalism technology website and recently got hired by Facebook. Another turned his sports blog into a job with NBCsports.com.

Others are shooting video for mainstream news sites.

The common thread is that they are all former SJMC students who learned great stories never go out of style.

They are stories of success in an era of bankruptcies, layoffs and general handwringing in the so-called traditional media industry. Introduce yourself as a journalism professor, and the first question is inevitable: How do you explain to students that there are no jobs out there?

The answer is best told through people like Conrad Wilson, an SJMC student who graduated in 2007, when job prospects were as gloomy as ever. He found a way to do great journalism and have a ball — in a job he didn’t even know he was preparing for.

A JOURNEY FROM PRINT TO RADIO Wilson was a pure print guy. He spent his time at the University preparing to be a newspaper man, excelling in all of the reporting courses, getting internships and earning his way to the SJMC’s Star Tribune Practicum, where he managed to get eight stories published in the country’s 14th largest daily newspaper. He wrote for the Minnesota Daily’s projects team doing what he loved — long-form enterprise and investigative stories.

With internships at the Star Tribune’s Washington, D.C., bureau and Business Week in New York, Wilson’s résumé sparkled with print credentials that would get many journalism grads salivating. The problem, of course, was there weren’t many print jobs out there. But like the best of today’s young journalists, Wilson had learned to define his craft without the constraints of a particular medium, not as a print reporter or broadcaster or social-media expert, but as a journalist.

That realization came from a Minnesota farmer. Wilson was interviewing

SAMANTHA PICKARD

“I consider myself a journalist, whatever that means. What you’ve got to ask yourself is, ‘What’s the best way to tell the story?’ And that’s kind of the aha! moment.” –Conrad Wilson

MARK MILAN/CNN

Conrad Wilson covering a massive fossil discovery just outside Snowmass Village, Colo.

Vadim Lavrusik, Facebook’s journalist program manager, lives and breathes mobile networking as he updates his Facebook status from his phone in New York City.

“Because anybody can publish, and that creates a lot of noise, you have to distinguish yourself. It’s part of the journalist’s obligation. It’s important the real journalism gets out there and separates itself.” –Vadim Lavrusik

him by telephone for an agriculture-policy story during his Star Tribune internship in Washington, D.C. “He was in the field on his tractor . . . and you just couldn’t say that he chuckled softly, or he cursed under his breath. And I just thought it was a waste of an interview . . . I thought there was no way to work this great voice into my story. And that was frustrating.

“The idea of radio kind of came into my mind. I wouldn’t have to say he was riding in his combine. You could just picture him on the tractor.” The story ran as a print piece, but Wilson didn’t forget how the medium had defined the story, rather than the other way around.

So Wilson took a chance. Back in the Twin Cities, he pitched a story to Minnesota Public Radio about the U.S. State Department putting a hold on the visas of Somalian refugees. “It just created a nightmare for these families who were trying to be reunited,” Wilson said. “It was a subject that was really great, but I wrote it for radio, and it really wasn’t very good.” And MPR didn’t run it, either.

Undaunted, Wilson applied for a job with a small, public-radio station in Carbondale, Colo., just outside Aspen. He didn’t have a real radio clip to offer, but they were desperate, and so was he.

Wilson, 27, spent his next three years as the news director at tiny KDNK radio in Carbondale, managing four employees and an intern, and, as it turns out, breaking the kinds of hard news stories that became his passion as a student at SJMC. Wilson’s staff generated pieces on government policy, energy, the environment and crime. And they let the story define the medium they used, whether it was on the radio, in print on the website, through Twitter or partnering with a local television station.

“I consider myself a journalist, whatever that means,” Wilson said. “What you’ve got to ask yourself is, ‘What’s the best way to tell the story?’ And that’s kind of the aha! moment.”

Wilson’s experience in Colorado got him back home, too. In November, he was hired to report for MPR from its bureau in Collegeville, Minn., covering central Minnesota and middle America.

He’ll have an SJMC classmate nearby in Anna Weggel, who works for MPR parent company American Public Media. In one of her journalism classes, Weggel learned about APM’s Public Insight Network, a database of more than 100,000 sources that MPR and other stations use to develop stories. She was intrigued enough to cold call an editor to learn more, even though there was no job. After continuing to hone her news chops at several internships, she interviewed and landed with APM in 2008.

Today, Weggel produces video for MPR news and the Public Insight Network website.

She spends much of her time training other newsrooms that partner with the network.

“When the slide came up in the journalism class I had, it put the words to the problems I’d been struggling with: How do you find people . . . the sources for stories?

For the [story] I’m working on now, I have 345 sources answering all of the questions I have. I get to cherry pick the best ones and go out and interview them . . . It’s a dream come true, and I never thought it would become a career for me.”

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OPPORTUNITIES IN SOCIAL MEDIA While Wilson’s break came by way of desperation, Vadim Lavrusik began narrowing his sights early in his academic career.

As a student and in his work at the Minnesota Daily, Lavrusik began to recognize that news organizations could leverage social media to not only attract readers, but also to gather news.

He led efforts at the Daily to create a group on Facebook and use Twitter to learn about and inform people of voting lines on election day. “I had an epiphany . . . The entire web is becoming social. Not only can anybody publish, but you can have a dialogue with the people who publish. This is an extension of when people would share news through word of mouth. Now they do it on the Internet.”

Lavrusik was hooked on the possibilities of social media. After graduating in 2009, he went on to receive his Master of Science in digital media from Columbia University and won an internship on the social-media team at The New York Times. He also freelanced for Mashable, an online news site that covers digital culture, social media and technology.

When his internship was up, Lavrusik found himself in a position few young journalists can relate to: weighing offers from the Times and Mashable.

As conventional wisdom has it, graduating journalism students are lucky just to land somewhere — at the smallest newspapers or television stations, or stringing together freelance jobs until the economy turns in their favor. Newspaper jobs, for instance, continue to decline. The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism estimates that newspaper newsrooms shed 1,000 to 1,500 jobs last year and downsized 30 percent since 2000.

grad Emily Banks.) “I never dreamed I’d turn down a job at The New York Times,” Lavrusik said. “But in this world [of the web], there are more opportunities out there.”

itself.” But he adds quickly, “It’s ultimately about the content. You still have to do journalism.”

But the Web has created a plethora of successful niche sites, and jobs to go with them. “As news surges on the Web, giant ocean liners like AOL and Yahoo are being outmaneuvered by the speedboats zipping around them, relatively small sites that have passionate audiences and sharply focused information,” David Carr, the SJMC grad who now writes “The Media Equation” for The New York Times, noted in a recent column. “Many of the news sites that are now having success on the Web — Business Insider, Gawker and Mashable, to name a few — are built on sensibility, which is generally a product of a small group of like minds.”

Another opportunity arose in April, when Lavrusik was hired by Facebook to build relationships between the social-media giant and journalists and news organizations. “It’s creating resources for journalists — how do you use Facebook to find sources and to [enhance] your content? And internal stuff, taking feedback from journalists and developing better Facebook features.”

As a journalism student, Aaron Gleeman was one of those guys who wasn’t sure he had the fire in the belly. He sat in the back row of his reporting class. He didn’t like calling up strangers for interviews.

Being one of the like-minded, Lavrusik declined the Times job and hooked up with Mashable. “I was employee number 16, and now they have 52.” (One of those 52 is Associate Managing Editor and 2008 SJMC

“Because anybody can publish, and that creates a lot of noise, you have to distinguish yourself,” he said. “It’s part of the journalist’s obligation. It’s important the real journalism gets out there and separates

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Lavrusik’s work may be less about producing news and more about managing, delivering and promoting it. But it serves journalism’s ultimate goal of getting quality information to the public.

FROM MOM’S BASEMENT TO NBC

Most of his free time was spent blogging from his dorm room. It was 2003, a time when traditional journalists snickered about bloggers in pajamas writing all night. Gleeman was one of them, literally sitting on his bed writing for hours about baseball. Except he wasn’t typical. He could really write, and he knew his subject well.

He spent hours each day mining newspaper sites and niche publications for nuggets of sports news. He knew most teams’ starting rotations, the best minor league prospects, the teams with the best farm club systems. One of his first pieces, in August

“It takes a lot of very critical reporting skills to filter out what you can use and what you can’t.” –McKenna Ewen

PHOTO COURTESY AARON GLEEMAN

The Star Tribune’s McKenna Ewen captured a moment between Brett Favre and Donald Driver on the field after the Packers defeated the Vikings in 2010 at Mall of America Field.

A typical day at work for Aaron Gleeman. At home in front of his big-screen TV filled with stats and scores.

JERRY HOLT/STAR TRIBUNE

“Things have changed, but the thing that gets someone to read you is the same — knowing what you’re talking about.” –Aaron Gleeman

2002, was a 1,043-word analysis of the Anaheim Angels’ contract extension for Darin Erstad, with batting averages per season, on-base percentage, differences in hitting depending on whether he was playing first base or center field and his contribution to the Angels’ No. 1 ranking in Baseball Prospectus’ Defensive Efficiency. The piece included links to eight other web sites so readers could go deeper.

Mundane stuff for the average fan. But the hardcore fanatics and fantasy baseball addicts live on such minutiae. And Gleeman could pull it all together into coherent analyses. He wrote every day—opining on the American League MVP and Cy Young Award races, why the Twins would end the A’s 20-game win streak and a personal piece about how talk of a baseball strike was breaking his heart.

His early core readers numbered two: his mom and his uncle Jon, also a big baseball fan. A few others would check in occasional-

ly. But one day he emailed a blogger named David Pinto, a former researcher for ESPN whose blog is called baseballmusings.com.

“I e-mailed him and said, ‘Here’s my site.

Whaddya think of it?’ And he linked to my site. He must have been the first one. I don’t even know if he read it. But he linked to it.”

Gleeman’s hits jumped from about five readers a day to about 60. Soon it was 80, then 100. He installed a site meter to count readers. “I’d wake up and look at it and see 300 people and think, ‘That can’t be.’ But then you’d see that some newspaper linked to you or something.” One day he received an email from an assistant to the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. Gleeman had just written an article previewing the Jays. “To me, it was a big deal. It was a thrill.” More importantly, it was a sign that aarongleeman.com had cache in the world of sports journalism. Gleeman’s content stood out. A career was about to fall in his lap.

One of Gleeman’s readers was a writer

for the fantasy sports publication rotoworld.com.

He offered Gleeman some freelance work, and it soon turned into a full-time job, with benefits.

“Way more money than I thought I’d be getting — ever,” he recalls. When Rotoworld was bought

by NBC, Gleeman got a bump in salary and an invitation to 30 Rockefeller Plaza. NBCsports. com wanted him to produce a video blog from New York.

Gleeman didn’t want to move from the Twin Cities, so they sent him home with armloads of video equipment. From his mom’s basement, he started producing video pieces, covering Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, discussing trades and trends and baseball gossip.

Today, Gleeman still writes for NBCsports.com. He manages the baseball magazine for Rotoworld and is a frequent guest on radio sports shows. His little secret is that he still needs some classes to get his degree. But aarongleeman.com, the original Twins blog that he started in Murphy Reporter

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MILLION AMERICANS

BLOGGED BY

2006 his dorm room, is still going. It gets more than 5,000 readers a day and is published by Minnpost.com in the Twin Cities.

“I’m making double what I ever thought I would make when I was 17 and signing up to go to the U,” he said. “Things have changed, but the thing that gets someone to read you is the same — knowing what you’re talking about.”

NEW TOOLS IN NEWSROOMS You hear the same story from SJMC grads around the country, whether they’re working for a mainstream newspaper, a website, radio or magazines. It’s about content and platform.

Because she understands both, Emma Carew Grovum, who graduated in 2009, has little fear about her future. Last year, after several internships and a job at the Chronicle of Philanthropy in Washington, D.C., she landed at the Star Tribune as a reporter in the newspaper’s two-year apprenticeship program. The social-media skills she brought to the job were vital. Last December, the paper created a new, socialmedia position for startribune.com. Though she was still considered an “apprentice,” editors recognized Carew Grovum’s ability to lead the newsroom’s social media effort, and moved her into the position. She took over the main Star Tribune Twitter account, training the newsroom and eventually taking over the paper’s Facebook page.

“We’re inviting our readers to discuss the news on our Facebook page, whereas before, our strategy was just kind of pushing them back to startribune.com,” she said.

“In six months we’ve raised our reader

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Emma Carew Grovum at the Star Tribune working on the paper’s Twitter newsfeed.

interaction on Facebook by 900 percent.

And we interact with readers when they ask us questions . . . and we encourage our reporters to do the same.”

Carew Grovum’s apprenticeship ends in about nine months, but she believes the experience will keep her employed at the Star Tribune or somewhere else. “I feel I’m marketable as a reporter, but I’m much better versed in the production side now. I’ve run social media for a top media organization. I think that every news organization right now is struggling with this on some level . . . They need people who are early adopters.”

People like Carew Grovum’s Star Tribune colleague, McKenna Ewen, a 2009 grad who was hired at the paper for a job that didn’t really exist. Five months out of school, Ewen pitched a multimedia job to Editor Nancy Barnes, boldly suggesting he was the only person for the job. His letter of application was a website that included a portfolio showing off his web design, photo, print and video skills. He already had newsroom contacts from his SJMC Star Tribune practicum, which had turned into an internship. His pitch to Barnes worked, and he got a temporary job that soon became permanent, shooting photos and producing video.

“I thought, the easiest way to present my multimedia skills is to send them a URL,” Ewen recalled. “There’s also a little bit of a wow factor . . . I think Nancy has an appreciation for people who will try new things.”

Ewen had been combining his news reporting, multimedia and design skills for years. For his final project in the SJMC’s

advanced broadcast class, he produced a series of video stories documenting the effects of the recession on Minnesotans.

He used his web-design class to create a website for the series, called timesofrecession.com. He freelanced and self-published much of his other work on the web while he was a student.

“I didn’t really think of myself as a student, and I think that was helpful. I thought of myself as a freelance journalist who was taking journalism classes.”

In September, the Star Tribune won a regional Emmy for a story that Ewen helped produce. It was his fourth regional Emmy in two years.

Ewen notes that his success isn’t just about technical skills. “Sometimes I’ll have a deadline of two hours, and it takes a lot of very critical reporting skills to filter out what you can use and what you can’t,” he said.

In other words, it’s still about the story.

Chris Ison became an SJMC faculty member in 2007 after years of being a teaching specialist and visiting associate professor. He teaches Intermediate News Reporting, the Star Tribune Practicum and Mass Media Ethics: Moral Reasoning and Case Studies. Before coming to SJMC, Ison was a journalist for more than 20 years, mostly with the Star Tribune, where he won a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting, as well as awards from the National Press Club, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and the Associated Press, among others.

SARAH HOWARD

*ACCORDING TO THE PEW INTERNET & AMERICAN LIFE PROJECT

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More photos on Facebook

On your smartphone, search the app store for a QR code scanner such as NeoReader or RedLaser. Scan the image with your phone and you’ll be transported to the photo album. No smartphone? No worries.

The photos are available at facebook.com/umnsjmc.

Latino Media Expert Brings Traveling Exhibit “Voices for Justice” gives a chronological history of the Latino press Félix Gutiérrez, a nationally acclaimed expert in media and racial diversity and professor of journalism and communication at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism at the University of Southern California, visited the University of Minnesota on Sept. 22, 2011 and brought his exhibit, “Voices for Justice: 200 Years of Latino Newspapers in the United States.”

First debuted in 2009 at USC, the 24-panel exhibit tells the chronological history of Latino newspapers, advocates, journalists and media figures throughout the two centuries of Latino media.

To complement the exhibit, Gutiérrez also screened the in-progress documentary “Voices for Justice,” which is being made in partnership with Berkeley, Calif., filmmaker Ray Telles.

The event, sponsored by the Minnesota Journalism Center, the School of Journalism & Mass Communication and the Department of Chicano Studies, was attended by nearly 100 people from across the University. “This event really started an important dialogue in our community,” said Assistant Professor Giovanna Dell’Orto, who conceived and organized the event after seeing Gutiérrez’s exhibit.

The following day, Gutiérrez met over lunch with local journalists and media experts, all of whom cover and interact with Latino communities, to discuss their experiences, frustrations and best practices for covering these communities. Many agreed that Latino communities need to be covered in a more positive manner and that coverage shouldn’t just be saved for drug and violence stories.

PHOTOS BY MEGAN LOVE WARNER; HEADSHOT COURTESY OF USC

“It was such a pleasure to talk with local journalists and hear their perspective,” Gutiérrez said.

For 30 years, Gutiérrez’s research and academic focus has been on racial diversity. And in 2011, Gutiérrez was awarded the Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Top to bottom: Félix Gutiérrez; Nora Paul, director of the Minnesota Journalism Center, Assistant Professor Giovanna Dell’Orto, Gutiérrez, Albert Tims, director of SJMC and Kathleen Hansen, director of undergraduate studies at SJMC; Gutiérrez explains the exhibit to CLA dean James Parente Jr.; local journalists and Latino media experts gather to discuss issues and best practices with Gutiérrez and one another.

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There’s no question about it: the world of magazine publishing is changing. E-readers, mobile applications and technology have changed what magazine readers expect and what magazine companies are producing to keep up with the competition.

Three forward-thinking media professionals gathered in Murphy Hall on Oct. 5, 2011 to discuss what, exactly, the future is for magazines in this economic climate.

Deborah Hopp, publisher of Mpls.

St.Paul Magazine, Vice President of MSP Communications and an SJMC/Minnesota Daily alum, started the conversation. She emphasized that magazines have a future and that readership is up. She noted long-form journalism still has a place. “But, we’re risking a generation of skimmers,” she said. “And shallow readers are shallow thinkers.”

David Schimke, editor-in-chief of the Utne Reader talked about the importance of niche publications and how reaching specialized audiences allows for more exploration of technological capabilities.

Plus, he said, writers must do more to stay competitive — blogging, podcastsing, taking video and collaborating with editors are musts.

Media guru Kate Byrne, who previously worked for a group of tech magazines and created an award-winning app for Mac Life, said that social media helps journalists tell their story in so many ways. “Digital media is an enhancer, not a threat, so long as you make it work for you instead of you working for it,” she said.

In a question-and-answer section, the speakers emphasized that adapting content for the web and e-readers means making additional, enhanced content, not just posting articles online.

“I believe that this move to electronic communication is our generation’s printing press,” said Schimke. “We’re still learning what it means and how it will change everything.”

The event was co-sponsored by American Society of Journalists and Authors and moderated by its president John Rosengren.

43 average number of minutes

a reader spends with a magazine 2 average number of minutes a reader spends with a website

SARAH HOWARD

Panel Discussion Focuses on the Future of Magazines

Panelists Deborah Hopp, David Schimke and Kate Byrne

Watch video of the panel

On your smartphone, search the app store for a QR code scanner such as NeoReader or RedLaser. Scan the image with your phone and you’ll be transported to the video.

No smartphone? No worries.

The video is available at http://z.umn.edu/futuremags.

Beardsley Lecture Draws Forward Thinkers

PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS KHOW; HEADSHOT BY ANNE KELLEY LOONEY

Keynote highlights ways computers can change communication

Top to bottom: Dr. Michael Chorost; registration signs featuring Chorost’s book cover; more than 200 guests gathered in Cowles Auditorium at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs

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After the death of John Beardsley in 2010, friends and colleagues established a lecture to honor his passion of continued learning.

The former CEO of Padilla Speer Beardsley was a forward-thinking and fierce advocate for SJMC. He was instrumental in forging and securing connections to the outside professional community for the school.

For the first annual Beardsley Lecture on Oct. 6, 2011, Dr. Michael Chorost visited the University of Minnesota’s Cowles Auditorium at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs to talk about how technology changes the way people communicate.

Chorost is a technology theorist exploring the fact this his body is the future.

After going completely deaf in 2001, Chorost literally had a computer implanted in his head to regain his hearing.

This experience got him thinking about how humanity can incorporate

computers in a way that enhances communication and creativity.

These experiences have led him to write two books. The first, published in 2006, is “Rebuilt: My Journey Back to the Hearing World,” which won the PEN/USA Book Award for Creative Nonfiction. His latest book, “World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines, and the Internet,” was published in 2011.

Chorost spoke about how technology has influenced his life and how the implants have changed how he experiences the world.

He said that the implants have impacted how he sees and hears the world and have made him realize that these computer-enhanced tools influence how humans communicate.

Sponsored by the Public Relations Society of America, Padilla Speer Beardsley and SJMC, the lecture drew more than 200 attendees.

For more information about Chorost, visit michaelchorost.com.

Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Awards TEXT by Ada Walton, PHOTOS by Somer Davidson For the past 34 years, the School of Journalism & Mass Communication has hosted the Frank Premack Public Affairs Journalism Awards.

Although much has changed over the years, the importance of well-written, hard-hitting stories that inform and inspire remains constant.

Held at the McNamara Alumni Center on April 18, 2011, SJMC and the Minnesota Journalism Center honored winners in three categories broken down into small and large news organizations: Breaking News, Investigative or Analytical Reporting and Opinion.

The diverse panel of judges, ranging from artists to lawyers, narrowed the entries of exemplary public-affairs journalism down to one winner per category.

In addition to these awards, the Premack Board presented the Graven Award for Journalistic

2010 Winners

Excellence to Gary Eichten of Minnesota Public Radio. He was chosen for his many contributions to public-affairs journalism.

The Farr Award for Exceptional Contributions to Public Affairs Reporting was presented to Laura Waterman Wittstock of Wittstock and Associates. As the former president of Migizi Communications, she advocated for Native American children and communities to tell their own stories and she was honored with a drum circle by the Little Earth Singers.

But the program isn’t all about the winners.

For the first time, local journalists were invited to a pre-ceremony workshop showcasing the work of the runners-up in each category. All were given the opportunity to share their experiences and answer questions about their reporting process.

Excellence in Coverage of Breaking News (Large Organization) Staff Reporters, Star Tribune, Series on Apartment Fire (Smaller Organization) Molly Priesmeyer and Mary Turck,Twin Cities Daily Planet, Series on ‘Troubled Waters’ documentary Excellence in Investigative or Analytical Reporting about Public Affairs (Larger Organization) Jim Spencer and Tom Meersman, Star Tribune, “Losing Our Lakes” (Smaller Organization) Britt Johnsen and Kirsti Marohn, St. Cloud Times, “Gambling on Growth” Excellence in Opinion Journalism (Larger Organization) Randy Krebs, St. Cloud Times, “Words Matter Over Opinion” (Smaller Organization) Brad Swenson, Bemidji Pioneer, “Election Issues - Rural Health Care”

MPR

SAVE THE DATE! 2011 Premack Awards Ceremony: April 19, 2012 at McNamara Alumni Center For more information, visit mjc.umn.edu/events/ premack.html.

Top to bottom, left to right: Little Earth Singers; Gary Eichten; workshop panel: Emily Gurnon, Matt Russel, Mark Albert and Glenn Howatt; guests at the Premack Awards Ceremony

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Ron Faber

Retires?

“What are you going to do with all your free time?”

It’s a common question.

One those who are retiring hear endlessly as they plan the next phase of post-work life.

But Ron Faber answers a bit differently than most.

Because, instead of retiring, he’s becoming a visiting professor.

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TIM RUMMELHOFF

Some people just won’t quit.

By Sarah Howard

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After putting in his “two weeks notice” at SJMC, Faber almost immediately accepted a position as a visiting professor in advertising at the University of Illinois.

“The job allows me to stay in Minnesota and just occasionally visit Illinois, so I figured, Well why not?” the New Jersey native said with a shrug.

The move will be a big one for Faber. Not only is it prolonging his journey into full-time retirement, but it will be his first time teaching away from the University of Minnesota in nearly 25 years.

After receiving both a B.S. in business and M.S. in education from the University of Pennsylvania, he received his Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then headed south to the University of TexasAustin to teach advertising for nearly seven years.

But it was while talking with fellow Professor Dan Wackman that Faber was persuaded to look into a faculty position at the University of Minnesota. “Dan is part of the reason I came here,” he said. “There was a lot of talk about building the advertising program at the time, and I saw a lot of opportunity for growth and change.”

In 1987 Faber joined the faculty at SJMC and has never looked back. “I loved doing research here,” he said. “I worked with amazing grad students.”

One of whom is Jisu Huh, SJMC’s director of graduate studies. “I first met Ron while I was a graduate student at Georgia,” she recalled. “He was always so kind and always gave his best advice,” she said of his guidance early in her career. “Ron provided invaluable advice for me as I got adjusted at the University.”

Faber also thrived in an interdisciplinary research atmosphere. “At most universities you do research alone; I was lucky enough to work with great people throughout the University of Minnesota and really be able to explore topics among many disciplines.”

Known for studying compulsive buying, Faber’s research started to make a shift when he came to Minnesota. “We wanted to look at the dark side of consumption,” he said. So he took his research to meetings for addicts and drew important ties between consumerism and addiction. “It was fascinating to explore their similar behaviors and mindsets,” he said. “We really reinvented how people looked at compulsive buying.”

In his career, Faber also served as editor of the Journal of Advertising at the turn of the millennium. “I wanted to make a contribution to the field,” he said.

At SJMC, Faber taught numerous courses, including the popular Psychology of Advertising. “My students have just been wonderful and have really kept me rejuvenated throughout the years.” Plus, he was deeply involved with graduate students as director of graduate studies. “Working with graduate students is a true joy,” he said. “I will miss it.”

And now, off to Illinois.

Faber chats with Dan Wackman, who was instrumental in bringing him to the University of Minnesota in 1987.

As editor of the Journal of Advertising, Faber accepts the 2002 Emerald Golden Pages Award for best research implications among journals in marketing in 2002.

Faber’s wife, Pat; Faber; Director of Graduate Studies Jisu Huh and SJMC Director Al Tims in June 2011 at Faber’s retirement party at International Market Square.

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6/22/11

A likeness of Ron created by children’s book author Michael Hall

Research associate at the Marketing Science Institute in Boston Obtains Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin-Madison in mass communication Professor of advertising at University of Texas-Austin Visits University of Minnesota and accepts associate professor position Co-director of SJMC’s Communication Research Division Becomes professor at SJMC Editor of the Journal of Advertising Publishes book with Maria R. Stafford, Advertising, Promotion and the New Media Director of graduate studies at SJMC Becomes associate director of SJMC’s Communication Research Division Colleagues and friends gather at International Market Square to celebrate Faber’s career

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Professor emeritus, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

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Tony Petullo visiting professor in the department of advertising at the University of Illinois

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RETIREMENT?

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see change

Ian Adelman sets the ton for his presentation.

Karin Fong, Doug Menuez and Jeff Johnson

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Keynote speaker Charles Melcher of Melcher Media

Presenter Doug Menuez

Nance Longley and Arlene West

media and design converge

ne

See Change: The Power of Visual Communication, entered its second year with a bang, or more appropriately, the swipe of an iPad. The two-day conference celebrating design and communication held its opening reception on May 19, 2011 at the McNamara Alumni Center and its following full-day workshop at the Coffman Memorial Student Union Theater.

Attendees put Melcher’s waterproof “Beach Book” to the test.

Right to Left: Will Hopkins, Pat Schuneman, Mary K. Baumann, Smitty Schuneman and Brent Stickels

The goal of See Change is to bring visual artists like graphic designers, photographers and illustrators together with communicators, journalists and publishers to share work and discuss the future of our changing media landscape.

Charles Melcher, the 2011 keynote speaker, is the founder and president of Melcher Media, an independent book packager and publisher. Melcher showcased his work, from largescale, popup books for Neiman Marcus department stores, to customized editions of the Nike Human Race marathon book, in which participants can find photos of themselves among the thousands who participated around the world.

Lively discussions kick off the See Change conference opening reception.

Keynote speaker Charles Melcher and Will Hopkins

Photos by CHELSEA JACKSON & MIKE ZERBY Text by ADA WALTON

Melcher also brought with him the first ever full-length, interactive book for the iPad and iPhone. “Our Choice,” based on Al Gore’s book of the same name, takes the text and illuminates it by bringing examples to life with just a swipe of a finger. To create the book, Melcher worked with Gore to ensure readers could interact with the concepts Gore wanted to illustrate.

The spirit of innovation carried through to the next day with featured speakers Ian Adelman, former director of design at The New York Times; Matthew Atkatz, interactive creative director at CP+B; Karin Fong, director and designer at Imaginary Forces; Jon Forss, creative director at Non-Format; Jeff Johnson of Spunk Design Machine; photographers Doug Menuez and Paul Nelson sharing their work and design philosophies. To kick the program off, Phillip Brunelle, artistic director of VocalEssence, warmed up the group by helping everyone find their voice.

Although presenters and attendees shared their struggles of keeping up in an evolving marketplace, attendees were excited for what the future will bring.

The inspiration for the See Change conference began with an endowment from former SJMC faculty member Smitty Schuneman and his wife, Pat. Mary K. Baumann and Brent Stickels were recruited to act as program directors along with the help of Steve Bickel, Joe Duffy, Michael Hart, Will Hopkins, Daniel Jasper and Steve Niedorf. The 2011 See Change would not have been possible without their guidance and the vital support of Best Buy, SJMC, Minnesota Journalism Center, AIGA Minnesota and the College of Design.

Visit seechangeconference.org for 2012 registration information.

Mark your calendars for SEE CHANGE 2012 on May 14–15, 2012

2011 Spring Celebration

MARK YOUR CALENDAR This year’s Spring Celebration will be May 2 at TCF Bank Stadium. Watch our website for more information!

Photos by TIM RUMMELHOFF, Text by ADA WALTON

What follows 158 days of course work at SJMC? Spring Celebration, the annual gathering of students, parents, faculty, scholarship donors, scholarship recipients, staff and alumni. For decades, the school has invited all those included in the SJMC community to share an evening of fellowship, honoring the accomplishments of the year and those who made them possible.

In the 2010-2011 school year, 68 undergraduates received scholarships along with 32 M.A. and Ph.D. students. SJMC is very proud of these achievements and recognizes that they would not happen without donor assistance. Honoring donors and scholarship recipients remains one of the most important parts of the program because of the phenomenal support the school receives. For example, by the end of the 2011-2012 school year, the Elliston Fund will have given its millionth dollar to deserving SJMC students.

The SJMC Alumni Board presented its annual Award of Excellence, which is given to an alum with a distinguished career. In 2011 the honor went to marketing and executive leadership consultant, Scott Meyer. He was one of the founding members of the Minneapolis-based public-relations firm Mona, Meyer, McGrath & Gavin, which eventually became part of Weber Shandwick in 1988. He has taught as an adjunct at SJMC and is currently a management consultant for the University.

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In addition to the awards, Professor Jane Kirtley gave an update about the Silha Center, Professor Jisu Huh announced the graduate fellows, the Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society accepted six inductees and the school acknowledged external award winners, student-group leaders and, most importantly, the year’s graduating seniors.

All are welcome at the upcoming 2012 Spring Celebration, which is set for Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at TCF Bank Stadium. Join us as we celebrate student work, look back at achievements and honor our donors.

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SJMC faculty members: Chris Ison, David Therkelson, Shayla Thiel-Stern, Jane Kirtley, Nora Paul, Kathy Hansen and Jennifer Johnson

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Al Tims, Mary Lou and Mark Bartikoski

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Dennis McGrath, Sara Gavin, 2011 Award of Excellence recipient Scott Meyer and Dave Mona

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SJMC Alumni Society Board Members John Lutter, Mary Tan and Brad Madson

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Ben Garbe, Leah McLean and Dana Benson

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Howard Liszt, Andrea Styczinski and Tausha Taylor

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Gary Hays, Jessica Bies, Ann Allison and Kristin Hays

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AAJA Minnesota Journalism Spotlight Award winners Frank Bi and Raghav Mehta

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Matt Albrecht, Cali Owings and Kathy Albrecht

10 Lacey Braun, Bette Hammel and Stacy Amstadt Murphy Reporter

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Free Speech and the Digital Age

British media lawyer Mark Stephens, best known for representing WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange, delivered the 26th annual Silha Lecture

By Emily Johns Photos by Scott Theisen British media lawyer Mark Stephens said a healthy debate about freedom of expression and the First Amendment eventually led notorious WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange to seek him out as his attorney. The two met while participating in a debate: Stephens was at a London debate club and Assange participated via Skype.

Because of Stephens’ First Amendment affinity, he said he and Assange found themselves agreeing on freedom of expression issues that may seem alien to some but are a daily reality to someone like Assange.

A few weeks after their debate, Assange traveled to London and called Stephens. “One Sunday, he rang me up and said, ‘Mark, I’ve got a bit of a problem. I wonder if you’d pop round.’ So, I said, ‘Sure! What’s the problem?’ ” The phone call resulted in Assange retaining Stephens as his lawyer to try to keep him from being extradited to Sweden.

“One of the things that is really

20 Murphy Reporter FALL 2011

interesting is that Julian Assange had a flash of genius,” said Stephens, head of the international and media department at the London-based law firm Finers Stephens Innocent, during the 26th annual Silha Lecture on Oct. 4, 2011. “He identified that if you go back in time to any newspaper here in Minneapolis or anywhere in the world, they have got a brown paper envelope drop box where you can take an anonymous piece of information [and] drop it in the letterbox, and the newspaper can deal with it.

Julian realized that no longer do journalists get a few dog-eared photocopies; what they get is data.”

During the lecture, titled Free Speech and the Digital Challenge Around the Globe, Stephens shared stories of working with Assange, his personal experience as a victim of the British media’s phone-hacking scandal and his thoughts about how data is changing journalism. The lecture, presented as an “observed conversa-

tion” with Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law Jane Kirtley, drew an audience of nearly 400 people to Coffman Theater.

Stephens “is ubiquitous in Britain as being the expert on everything pertaining to freedom of the press and freedom of expression,” Kirtley later said. “This isn’t a media scholar looking at [these issues] from afar … This is a guy who has been in the trenches.”

Kirtley introduced Stephens, noting that the Law Society Gazette, a trade magazine for English lawyers, described him as the “patron solicitor of previously lost causes.” His work focuses on international comparative media law and regulation, and he is also the chairman of the board of governors at the University of East London.

Stephens spent time demystifying the work of Assange and WikiLeaks, which describes itself as a not-for-

profit media organization with the goal of bringing “important news and information to the public,” according to its website. Led by Assange, the organization has made headlines in recent years for publishing classified data, some allegedly leaked by U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning. Contrary to public belief, Stephens said he does not believe Assange thinks that governments should have no secrets. “[H]e understands that there is no real desire to get people killed.”

Rather, Stephens said, Assange is driven by “a belief that you should receive all shades and colors of opinion and information to be able to make up your mind on issues of moment of the day,” a view that he said could be a “threatening model” for people in the traditional media.

Stephens also spoke about the phone-hacking scandal that engulfed the United Kingdom last summer, which revealed that reporters and investigators for British tabloid News of the World had been hacking into the voicemail accounts of politicians, celebrities and private citizens to get scoops for their stories — an illegal activity punishable under the law of England and Wales. Several days before the lecture, Stephens said, he found out that his own phone had been hacked, probably because he

has many high-profile clients. He described how intrusive this practice is, giving the example of one of his clients, a well-known singer, who had been affected. According to Stephens, she was pregnant and on tour, and wanted to wait until she was back home to tell her parents about the pregnancy in person. British journalists published a story about the pregnancy with information gathered from hacking into her voicemail and her doctor’s voicemail, he noted. The story “denied the ability to say to her parents face-to-face … that she was pregnant with her first child. That’s a deeply human desire and wish, and [the hacking] is grossly intrusive and highly inappropriate behavior,” he said. Kirtley asked Stephens if he believes privacy is dead; he responded that although he believes it is not dead, the concept of privacy has changed dramatically in the digital age. “Everything is now discoverable or available online or in some other way. I think that is something that we have to understand: that there is a greater degree of exposure, a greater degree of scrutiny.”

Silha Center activities, including the annual lecture, are made possible by a generous endowment from the late Otto Silha and his wife, Helen.

Full audio and video of the lecture is available on the Silha center website at silha.umn.edu.

Mark Stephens

Opposite page, clockwise: Helen Silha chats with SJMC director of undergraduate studies Kathy Hansen and SJMC director Albert Tims; Prof. Jane Kirtley with Mark Stephens on stage at the Coffman Memorial Theater; Kirtley, Stephens, Professor Stephen Cribari and Alice Reimann; This page: Supporters of the Silha lecture: John Reimann, David Reimann, Alice Reimann, Stephens, Helen Silha, Steven Silha, Kirtley, Kristin Reimann and Johnny Reimann.

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FACULTY NEWS RETIREMENT NEWS GORDON LEIGHTON

Longtime strategist and crisiscommunication expert Gordon Leighton retires in January 2012.

Leighton came to SJMC in 1994 as an adjunct instructor and joined the teaching staff full time when the school started adding non-tenure-track teaching specialists to its roster. Leighton took the reins as the on-staff strategiccommunication specialist and jumped at the chance to teach fulltime. “I never thought I’d teach, but it has been an interesting and appropriate way to end my career,” he said.

A career that is sparkled with numerous achievements. Leighton began in newspapers in Ontario but quickly moved to public relations at several firms in the Canadian province. In 1975, he served as the resident consultant to Honeywell and was transferred to Minneapolis in 1977 to become the manager of corporate public relations at the Fortune 100 company. Leighton held many positions within the company, eventually becoming director of corporate communications.

In 1991, Leighton took a position as the manager of public communications and issues at Northern States Power, now Xcel Energy. After nearly 10 years there, Leighton moved to Padilla Speer Beardsley, where he served as vice president and led the agency’s crisis response team.

He came to the University full time in 2004 when the Strategic Communication M.A. program was being implemented. Leighton became the program coordinator and teaches the course, Factors Affecting Communication Strategy. “It’s a changing field,” he said of communications. “I want to inform students of the business orientation of communciations.”

Leighton also serves as the adviser to undergraduate public relations students.

Leighton also owns a freelance crisis-communications business, Foghorn Communication Solutions, where he is a consultant to Fortune 500 clients in various industries.

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GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO was awarded a grant

from the Center for German and European Studies to develop a research seminar with Professor Vicki Birchfield, a politicalscience professor at the Sam Nunn School for International Affairs at Georgia Tech. The seminar focuses on the role of the media in immigration policy debates at the southern borders of the United States and the European Union. In the fall semester, the two classes (of 11 M.A. and Ph.D. students in Minneapolis and 10 students in Atlanta) “met” through ITV technology.

The goal of the seminar is to bring mass communication, international relations and comparative politics together to study the urgent issue of immigration in an interdisciplinary way.

Dell’Orto also presented her paper, “A New Country, a New Profession: America and Its Foreign Correspondents Get Ready to Take on the World” at the American Journalism History Association conference in October 2011.

An article about KATHLEEN HANSEN and NORA PAUL’s Minnesota Job Skills Partnership grant for work with the staff at the St. Paul Pioneer Press was published in the summer 2011 issue of the Newspaper Research Journal. Ruth DeFoster and Jennifer E. Moore also contributed to the report.

“Embracing 21st Century Media: A New Model for Retraining Ad Sales and Editorial Personnel to Negotiate the New Economic, Social and Technological Reality of the Newspaper Business” was presented at the February 2010 AEJMC midwinter conference.

in retaliation for the alternative newspaper running “adult” ads that the mayor claims facilitate child prostitution.

Kirtley was a guest on the Legal Talk Network in the wake of media giant Rupert Murdoch’s phone-hacking scandal. She spoke with “Lawyer2Lawyer” co-host Bob Ambrogi about the legal issues including privacy rights and the impact the scandal had on the fate of the Murdoch news empire.

She was a guest on the “Good Question” segment on WCCO-TV with Jason DeRusha on Oct. 6, 2011 to help answer the question, “how free is speech?”

Kirtley was quoted in the August 2011 issue of Wired magazine about a person’s rights within social media and Twitter accounts.

She spoke with The Independent of London about TV news host Nancy Grace in an Oct. 8, 2011 article.

HEATHER LAMARRE was quoted in multiple

articles about the use of social media and politics, including articles in the St. Cloud Times and The Washington Times.

The Poynter Institute quoted LaMarre in an article titled “Hacking the conversation, opposition uses #attackwatch against Obama.” She also was interviewed on “The John Gambling Show” on Sept. 29, 2011.

SETH LEWIS presented two papers on journalism

JANE E. KIRTLEY, Silha professor of media ethics

and law, was honored at the 2011 Society of Professional Journalists Page One Awards with the Peter S. Popovich Award. The Minnesota SPJ board presents the award to a person who exemplifies the fight for First Amendment rights.

Kirtley is a long-time First Amendment and public access advocate.

Kirtley was interviewed across the country on various topics relating to media and ethics.

She was a guest on KUOW (Seattle Public Radio) “Weekday” show on July 21, 2011, discussing the law and ethics issues raised by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn’s decision to pull government advertising from Village Voice Media’s Seattle Weekly

innovation at the biennial Future of Journalism Conference in Cardiff, Wales. The first, co-authored with journalist and Ph.D. student Tanja Aitamurto, looks at how the concept of innovation can be applied to research and development challenges in the news industry.

The second paper examines the relationship between the professional idea of journalism and open-source software.

Lewis published an article titled “Journalism Innovation and Participation: An Analysis of the Knight News Challenge” in Volume 5 of the International Journal of Communication and co-authored the article “Journalists, Social Media and the Use of Humor on Twitter” in

FACULTY NEWS The Electronic Journal of Communication.

Lewis won Top Faculty Paper twice in 2011. In May, he won Top Faculty Paper for the Journalism Studies Division of the International Communication Association for the paper “The Sociology of Professions, Boundary Work, and Participation in Journalism: A Review of the Literature.” Then, at AEJMC in September 2011, Lewis won Top Faculty Paper for the Civic & Citizen Journalism Interest Group for his paper titled “News Innovation and the Negotiation of Participation: A Study of the Knight News Challenge.”

Lewis also received a major grant-in-aid award starting in July 2011 to study the computational journalism phenomenon, as journalists and technologists/programmers increasingly collaborate through informal networks to build innovative solutions for news.This research involves studying emerging groups such as Hacks/Hackers.

Judicial Conference and the First Amendment Center, at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 25-26. The program, which brings together 30 federal judges and journalism professors, was designed to help improve the media’s coverage of the judicial system. This year’s group focused on developing strategies and projects that could be implemented in journalism schools to better prepare graduates to report on legal affairs.

DONA SCHWARTZ was nominated for the Santa Fe Prize for photography for the body of work, “On the Nest.” Nominations are only accepted if the work has been exhibited at a major metropolitan museum or published by a major photographic publishing house, university or museum press.

The series of photographs shows couples before the birth of a child. Schwartz said, “‘On the Nest’ explores the transitional moment and seeks to discover the range of approaches expectant parents bring to the act of nurturing a new generation.”

This series sparked her latest set of photographs, which features parents as empty nesters.

about Journalism: Being Outrageous in Your Passion for the Work of Journalism at TEDx in October 2011.

Cowles Professor of Journalism, Equity and Diversity CATHERINE SQUIRES presented a lecture titled Revisiting bell hooks in the University of Minnesota Department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies.

AMY KRISTIN SANDERS spoke at Marquette

SHAYLA THIEL-STERN was used as a source nu-

University as part of their Violence, Vulgarity and the First Amendment event, which was cosponsored by the Marquette University Law School and Deiderich College of Communication. The event was held to celebrate Constitution Day. Sanders also participated in Media Law in the Digital Age, a conference for journalists and attorneys sponsored by Harvard’s Berkman Center for the Internet and Society and Kennesaw State University’s Center for Sustainable Journalism. It featured a combination of policymakers, attorneys and scholars to address current legal issues related to First Amendment law and the Internet. Sanders’ panel, titled Social Media and Its Legal Implications: Where Your Personal Life Meets Journalism, featured CNN reporter Josh Levs as well as other scholars.

Sanders participated in the 2011 Justice and Journalism program, co-sponsored by the

merous times about social media and its effect on today’s culture, including an article in the Star Tribune titled “Walking the Walk on Cyberbullying” and a radio interview on WJON-St. Cloud about social media and youth.

Thiel-Stern also appeared on “Almanac” on Twin Cities Public Television in both August and October 2011 on a media panel about interactive media in the Twin Cities and beyond.

She also co-authored a journal article for the fall 2011 issue of Women’s Studies in Communication. The article, titled “Growing up White and Female during the American Great Depression: Popular Communication, Media, and Memory,” was written with Rebecca Hains of Salem State University and Sharon Mazarella of James Madison University.

Thiel-Stern was also featured as the University of Minnesota’s Moment to talk about parental controls and social media.

NORA PAUL presented Getting Whipped Up

MIKE ZERBY was invited to be a judge for the 2011

Pictures of the Year International contest run by the University of Missouri at Columbia, Miss.

RETIREMENT NEWS LINDA LINDHOLM

“I came to the University as a student in 1966 and have never wanted to leave,” said student-services guru Linda Lindholm, who retires in January 2012 after nearly 45 years of service.

Lindholm began her studentservices career in CLA’s registration office as a student worker. She recalls days when every student had a card for registering and lines would run out the door. “My job a lot of days was just to corral the line!” she said.

Lindholm took a full-time job in student services and finished her degree in 1974. In 1978, she moved to a position in CLA doing upper-level advising, and in 1989 when a position opened in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Lindholm jumped at the opportunity.

“The journalism students were always my favorite,” Lindholm said of advising CLA students. “They were smart and resourceful, and the discipline was fascinating to me.”

Lindholm says her most fond memories of her more than 20 years at SJMC are moments when she’s worked with multiple groups throughout the School. “The Star Tribune Scholars Program was a real highlight for me as is the Alumni Board’s mentoring program. Moments when I get to work with students and the professional community, as well as the faculty, are the best,” she said.

“I’ve been very fortunate to work with incredible students who then become incredible alumni and industry leaders.”

Now as Lindholm looks to the next phase, she looks north. “I plan to spend a lot more time at my lake cabin in Aitkin, Minn.,” she said. “I love the city, but our cabin is just such a delightful place to be.”

She also plans to spend more time with her four grandchildren (two of whom she calls “future Gophers”) and her husband of 40 years, Bobby.

But, she says, leaving SJMC is going to be a challenge. “It’s going to be very hard to say goodbye.”

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ROBERT DOWNS traveled to Finland in August

2011 to participate in the Foreign Correspondents’ Program, a scholarship program organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. The program included 20 young journalists from around the world who spend a month becoming acquainted with Finland’s culture, society, politics and history. As part of the experience, Downs interviewed the president of Finland, Tarja Halonen, and many other top-level administrators in the Finnish government.

ANDREW JOHNSON interned at the “Late Show

with David Letterman” in New York City in summer 2011. As the human interest talent intern, it was his job to find interesting individuals for the show, including people who could do unusual tricks or had a quirky hobby.

judged by a panel of sportswriters. The applicants were asked to write a story in the style of Los Angeles Times Pulitzer–Prize winning sports columnist Jim Murray. The foundation was established in his honor in 1999 by Linda McCoy-Murray.

DANA THAYER (B.A., ‘11) won a 2011 Student

Television Award for Excellence, presented by the Upper Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Thayer’s entry was an inspiring profile of University of Minnesota swimmer Mallory Weggemann, who became a paraplegic after an epidural injection for back pain, and how she continued to swim. The awards were presented Aug. 20, 2011 in Minneapolis.

and edited the video segments for the program.

Radio K had a heavy presence at the College Radio Awards at College Music Journalists in New York City in October 2011. Radio K was up for numerous awards, including Station of the Year and Biggest Champion of the Local Scene. SJMC majors MARK SHEELEY and JOE HINZ made the trip to New York University for the awards show.

SJMC has partnered with Gopher Sports to create a new internship program. Students shoot video and take photos for Gopher sporting events to be used for publicity purposes. Students involved in the pilot program are ANNIE FAVREAU, SARAH GRAY, KENDALL MARK, EDWINA RECKEL, REID STRAIT, CALVIN SWANSON and JOHN TIPTON. Adviser

Jerry Broeckert was instrumental in planning and executing the program for students.

JESSICA VANBERKEL (B.A., ‘11) was selected for From top: Sarah Gray shoots and produces the live stream for Gopher basketball media day; Calvin Swanson captures Homecoming tailgating

an internship at the Seattle Times for the summer 2011 session. The paid internship allows students to report, edit, fact-check and have a staff mentor during the 10-week program.

PHAA-DER (SUNNY) THAO was awarded the

2011 Jim Murray Memorial Foundation Scholarship. Along with four other scholarship recipients, Thao will receive $5,000. The scholars were selected through a national writing competition

SJMC broadcast students assisted in live and pretaped segments for University President Eric Kaler’s inauguration in September 2011. EMILY BRADY, BREANNA FUSS, SARAH GRAY, KEVIN SALO and SOPHIA WALDVOGEL shot, wrote

NEW FACES IN MURPHY HALL SARA CANNON

OK, we lied. Sara isn’t a new face around Murphy; she worked in the Silha Center for six years. But she joined the SJMC staff as the new graduate-student personnel coordinator in May 2011.

“I love working in an academic environment with people who commit themselves to a lifetime of learning,” she said. Prior to the Silha Center, Cannon worked at the Center for School Change, a grant-funded research center in the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She is an SJMC alum and lives in Northeast Minneapolis with her husband, daughter and new baby boy they welcomed in summer 2011.

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SARAH HOWARD

Howard began her role as SJMC’s communications manager in June 2011. A 2006 graduate of SJMC, Howard was an associate editor at Mpls.

St.Paul Magazine for more than five years. There she was in charge of the annual Top Doctors, Volunteer Hall of Fame and Top Dentists features, and also contributed to features and the front-of-book Scene + Heard section. She also freelances frequently and has been published in Delta Sky Magazine, Compass Magazine and other titles. Howard is a member of the SJMC Alumni Society Board and is currently enrolled in the Strategic Communication M.A. Program at SJMC. She lives in Minneapolis.

ANGIE REHN

Rehn joins SJMC as the student personnel coordinator in undergraduate-student services.

She’s the first face students see when they have a question.

“Seeing the students succeed and reach their goals is very rewarding,” she said. She comes to us from Century College in White Bear Lake where she worked for three years as an admissions adviser. She graduated from University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2005 and worked as account coordinator at Beehive PR in St. Paul following graduation. She recently completed her master’s in educational leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. She lives in St. Paul with her husband, Scott and dog, Luke.

TIM RUMMELHOFF

UNDERGRADUATE

STUDENT NEWS

GRADUATE

STUDENT NEWS RUTH DEFOSTER had her paper, “American gun

culture, school shootings, and a ‘frontier mentality’: An ideological analysis of British editorial pages in the decade after Columbine,” published in the December 2010 issue of the journal Communication, Culture and Critique.

DeFoster presented a paper based on her master’s thesis, titled “Domestic Terrorism on the Nightly News,” at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication national convention in Denver, Colo. in August 2010. This paper also won the award for Top Student Paper in the Radio and Television Journalism Division.

ism in Frank Leslie’s Campaign Against Swill Milk.”

NAHID KHAN gave a presentation about editing and

the Century Council in Washington, D.C., as part of National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Week. The event showcased new research and initiatives that are in place to combat high-risk drinking among college students. Gilkerson attended on behalf of National Student Advertising Competition’s awardwinning The Other Hangover campaign, which the Century Council sponsored.

writing in the 21st century for the Newspaper Guild Diversity Dialogue at the Star Tribune in July 2011.

Khan also led a workshop in October 2011 titled News Coverage of 9/11 Anniversaries as part of programming sponsored by Mizna, a Twin Cities–based Arab-American arts organization, in conjunction with the play “Zafira: The Olive Oil Warrior,” produced by Pangea World Theater, which took place at Avalon Theater in Minneapolis.

Khan presented “American Newspaper Coverage of American Muslims: Coverage of the first Muslim holiday postage stamp (the Eid stamp) issued by the USPS, 1996-2011” at the Sociologists of Minnesota annual conference, held at the Hindu Temple in Maple Grove, Minn.

She was also involved with the 2010-2011 National Endowment for the Humanities grant from its Bridging Culture: The Muslim World and the Humanities program, entitled Shared Cultural Spaces: Island and the West in the Arts and Sciences. She was the graduate assistant for the project through the Religious Studies program and helped write the grant with a coalition of faculty members, including Kathy Hansen. The project involved community workshops, an academic conference geared toward the community and a television program produced by TPT titled “Bridging Cultures: Island and the West,” which aired in November 2011. As part of the television program, Khan was interviewed about the historical influence of Islamic art and culture.

DEBRA KELLEY presented a paper at the Inter-

LISA PETERSON-DE LA CUEVA is the project manag-

national Communication Association conference in Boston in May 2011 titled “Media Usage by Tibetan Immigrants in Minnesota.” The paper was co-authored with SJMC cohorts STEPHANIE BREHE, TSERING NANGYAL and SADA REED.

er for the Twin Cities Daily Planet’s New Normal Project. The project, which began in March 2011, was a series of news stories and community conversations devoted to different public-policy issues as the community faces economic challenges. “The project focuses on the economy and how demographic shifts are impacting our community,” Peterson-de la Cueva said. As part of the project, four community conversations were held every month and covered different themes — from neighborhood topics to the state budget. Community members and local journalists alike participated in the conversations.

Peterson-de la Cueva was responsible for hosting the events and writing articles for the Daily Planet (tcdailyplanet.net) every month. The project culminated in a public event at the Twin Cities Fall Media Forum in November 2011 that reflected on the events and issues discussed.

ELIZABETH GESKE was awarded the administra-

tive fellowship with the Center for the Study of Political Psychology for the 2011-2012 school year.

The fellowship entails communicating with those interested in the work done by the center as well as publicizing center events. The Center for the Study of Political Psychology is an interdisciplinary endeavor supported by the Department of Psychology, the Department of Political Science and the School of Journalism & Mass Communication.

NATHAN GILKERSON attended an event hosted by

HOLLY MILLER is the first student to attempt the

dual degree between the School of Journalism & Mass Communication and the University of Minnesota Law School. She will have an M.A. in mass communication and a J.D. in law upon completion of the five-year program.

JENNIFER MOORE won a Best Student Paper

Award at the Symposium on the 19th Century Press, Civil War and Freedom of Expression in Chattanooga, Tenn. in November 2011 for her paper “Ours Has Been No Pleasing Task: Sensational-

Strategic Communication M.A. Program Gets Its Seventh Cohort

The Strategic Communication Master’s program began its seventh year with a cohort of 14 students in fall 2011.

The program sets students up to be communications leaders in various industries. Many local agencies, including Campbell Mithun, Colle + McVoy and Fallon, as well as local companies such as Target and Ameriprise Financial Inc., employ graduates of the program. “Our alums are a fairly robust group of people who keep in touch with us,” said Program Coordinator Gordon Leighton.

The program is unique in that all students enrolled also have full-time professional occupations. Dr. John Eighmey, program director, said he hears from many students that they often apply what they learn in class to their work the next day.

The 2011-2012 cohort features a wide array of professional backgrounds, including students who currently work at General Mills and Blue Cross Blue Shield as well as many employees of the University of Minnesota, including two from the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Because of the high percentage of University employees, “many of the discussions in class revolve around the University,” said Leighton.

This cohort marks the last for Leighton, who retires in January. Leighton and Eighmey created the program in 2004.

APPLY TO JOIN NEXT YEAR’S COHORT! Visit sjmc.umn.edu/grad/ stratcomm.html.

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The news at...

MINNESOTA DAILY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION UPDATE

( )

The Minnesota Daily leadership team: Taryn Wobbema, Jacob Piekarski and Aaron Riippa

(

Editorial: Taryn Wobbema

In editorial, our strength is best seen in our youngest journalists. They have more energy and more good ideas than any new group I’ve seen at the Daily. Each of our sections has produced impressive stories and columns this semester, maintaining our reputation as a unique, in-depth source for news of and around the University. No reporters know this area’s news, sports and culture cravings like ours. Keep an eye on the paper and mndaily.com to see how we’re finding ways to inform readers of everything they need to know.

Business: Aaron Riippa

)

The business department has been hard at work discovering new ways to add value back to our business community through strategic partnerships, revenue generation resources and quality sales representatives. As we all know, the economy and industry have been struggling lately; however the Minnesota Daily views these as opportunities to strengthen our brand and our value to the community.

Recently, our sales performance has been strong, and we look forward to continued success.

(

Administrative: Jacob Piekarski

)

This fall, the administrative division is helping prepare students for their postcollege careers by collaborating with the Minnesota Daily Alumni Association to hold a résumé workshop and pair students with a professional in their field through a mentorship program. Also this fall, the Daily has rolled out new smartphone apps for Android and iPhone, as well as made significant updates to our website.

26 Murphy Reporter FALL 2011

Staying connected isn’t easy. Heck, I have a tough time keeping tabs on some of my best friends with how chaotic life can get. But whether it’s for job opportunities, advice or suggestions, we all know how important it is to stay in touch with peers in the professional arena. That’s why the Minnesota Daily Alumni Association works to provide Minnesota Daily alumni several outlets to stay connected.

Whether it’s through our website, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, the MDAA has a worldwide forum for you to participate in. We also provide opportunities for face-to-face interaction with both students and alumni.

Our major fundraising event of the year is the Annual Mixer, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 14, 2012. Information will be shared through all our online channels.

Help us provide resources for students while taking advantage of easy ways to stay connected with a vast group of professionals in all fields, who at one time or another played a role in maintaining the Minnesota Daily’s status as the country’s best college newspaper.

–Anthony Maggio, MDAA president

BE IN TOUCH

mndailyalumni.com president@mndailyalumni.com

facebook.com/mndailyalumni The Minnesota Daily Alumni Group @mndailyalumni

VOICES

CHANGING LIVES WHY I GIVE “We have been thrilled to meet and get to know our student scholars . . .

HOW GIVING HELPS “I am incredibly thankful for the care and generosity of Ron and Carol Handberg . . .

Shane Lueck is a wonderful young man who is passionate about journalism and and has been so kind in expressing his gratitude. I wish other alumni could hear the stories we hear from our scholars. We once received a touching letter from a single mother, the parent of our first scholar, who said her daugher would never have been able to attend the University to pursue her dreams without the help of our scholarship. My [Ron’s] career in journalism would not have been possible without the unflagging encouragement of the faculty at Murphy Hall and we are motivated to donate because of the wonderful education I received at the University and the School of Journalism. We hope to pass that kind of experience onto others.”

–Ron and Carol Handberg

Being a first-generation college student, pulling together all of the pieces of the puzzle so that I was able to attend the University was a struggle, but due to the Handbergs’ immense generosity, I’ve been able to afford higher education and push toward my life goals. Every time I’ve sat down and spoken with the Handbergs their genuine care for me has shone through. It is great knowing that I have their support as I continue my coursework at the University — I think having a stable support system is key. I will never be able to say thank you enough for the opportunity they have provided me.”

–Shane Lueck, 2011 recipient of the Ron and Carol Handberg Scholarship

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DONORS TO THE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATION

SUPPORTING QUALITY EDUCATION As I read this list of donors, I recognize the names of so many dear friends to the school and supporters of our excellent journalism program.

Donors come from all walks of life: alumni with fond memories of Murphy Hall, who generously want to help the next generation of students following in their footsteps. Community and industry leaders who recognize the quality of education we offer and the promise our students show as they prepare for successful careers.

And faculty and staff members, who know intimately the importance of our work and the impact of giving.

We are so thankful for our vibrant community of supporters.

You should be proud to know your giving supports truly outstanding students; we continue to recruit students of the highest caliber in academics, community involvement and leadership. Private gifts help our students every day, through scholarships and fellowships, resources in the digital media center and the completely donor-funded Eric Sevareid Library.

These gifts allows our students to experience hands-on coursework and high-caliber research opportunities.

Thank you for your continued support. –Mary Hicks, Director of External Relations, College of Liberal Arts

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In acknowledgement of our donors’ generosity, a list of all current donors who have made gifts to the SJMC between Jan. 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2010 are listed below.

Also listed are members of the Presidents Club (donors who have given $10,000 or more to the school over a lifetime) and the Heritage Society (in recognition of future gifts in any amount).

Presidents Club Members

Allan A. Hietala Deborah L. Hopp $10 million+ Wendy F. Horn Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. John S. & James L. Knight and the Hubbard Foundation Broadcasting Foundation Joseph* & Jacqueline* Kinderwater $1 million+ Mark R. Kriss Elizabeth B.* and John* Cowles, Sr. DJ Leary & Linda L. Wilson Helen F. and Otto A.* Silha Serge E. Logan William D. Wells Lester A.* & Lorraine K.* Malkerson $500,000-$999,999 Midwest Communications Inc. Herbert Berridge Elliston Charles K. Porter Memorial Fund Doris B.* and Raymond O.* Mithun Porter Creative Services Inc. Strother Communications Group Raymond J. & Elvira A.* Tarleton Charles B. Sweningsen $100,000-$499,999 Joyce L. & Daniel F. Wascoe, Jr. Paul S. Brainerd China Times Cultural Foundation William Randolph Hearst Foundation Elizabeth A. & Thomas C. Yuzer David C. & Vicki B. Cox David D. Floren $10,000-24,999 American Broadcasting Co. Inc. Freedom Forum Ann & Thomas L. Friedman Neil D.* & Jeanne K.* Freeman Charitable Fund Audrey H. Kinney Asian American Journalists Joel R. & Laurie M. Kramer Association of Minnesota Carol E. Ladwig* Linda K. Berg Robert W. & Joan* Owens Lily T. & Walter H.* Brovald Jane & Bernard H.* Ridder, Jr. Campbell Mithun Dr. R. Smith Schuneman & Virginia D. & Robert W. Carlson, Jr. Patricia Ward Schuneman Gus L.* & Shirley G.* Cooper Vincent Bancroft Shea* DDB Needham Worldwide Inc. Star Tribune and Star Tribune Professor Hazel F. Dicken-Garcia Foundation Elizabeth D. Edmonds* WCCO AM/TV-WLTE FM Harvey & Gail Dryer Goldberg Muriel & Mark* Wexler Willard A.* & Doris A.* Greenleaf $50,000-$99,999 William F.* & Patricia M.* Greer Adath Jeshurun Congregation Kathleen A. Hansen Keith H.* & Martha S. Anderson Gladys L.* & Robert W.* Hefty Stan W. Carlson* Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation The Century Council Inc. Mary J. & Graham B.* Hovey St. Paul Pioneer Press $25,000-$49,999 Jerome Foundation John & Mary R. Markle Foundation 3M Company and 3M Foundation John Wiley & Sons Brian E. Anderson* KTCA/KTCI Public Television Harold & Phyllis* Conrad Sam H. Kaufman* Ellen R. Costello* William H. & Madoline D.* Kelty Cowles Media Company Steven Krikava & Linda Singer Michael A. Donner* KSTP AM/FM & TV Eastern Enterprises Howard & Roberta Liszt Norma C. & John R. Finnegan, Sr. Mary N. Mullaney* Herman F. Haeberle* The New York Times Co. Foundation Bette M. Hammel Photo Marketing Association Ronald N. & Carol A. Handberg International Patricia J. Heikenen* Hazel H.* & John* Helgeson

DONOR REPORT Harold & Ruth Roitenberg 2010 Donor Roster Falsum V. Russell* Thank you to these S. C. Johnson Fund supporters who made gifts between Selwoc Inc. Jan. 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2010.

Norma B.* & James A.* Smutz Michael & Betty Anne Soffin More than $10,000 Victor N. Stein* Brian E. Anderson* James M. Sternberg & Marsha E.* The Century Council Inc. Sternberg-May Harold and Phyllis* Conrad Patrick J. Strother & Patricia Henning Herbert Berridge Elliston Fund Dare L.* & William F.* White Star Tribune and Star Tribune Milton P. Woodard* Foundation Raymond J. & Elvira A.* Tarleton Presidents Club $5,000-$10,000 Charter Members Campbell Mithun Fast Horse Inc. Gus Cooper* Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. and The William Randolph Hearst Foundation Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation Graham Hovey* Mark and Muriel Wexler Foundation William H. & Madoline D.* Kelty Jorg & Angela Pierach Falsum V. Russell* Muriel and Mark* Wexler Michael Soffin William Randolph Hearst Foundation Victor N. Stein* $1,000-$4,999 John Wiley & Sons Inc. A C B L Charity Foundation Corp Milton P. Woodard* Adath Jeshurun Congregation Asian American Journalists Heritage Society Members Future gifts of any amount Association of Minnesota Brian E. Anderson* Lynn Casey & Mike Thornton Keith H.* & Martha S. Anderson Professor Hazel F. Dicken-Garcia Gertrude L. Berndt Bruce R. Gefvert Stan W. Carlson* Allan A. & Gwynn L. Hietala James D. Catalano Steven P. Krikava & Linda A. Singer Harold and Phyllis* Conrad KSTP AM/FM & TV Ellen R. Costello* Land O’Lakes Foundation Michael A. Donner* Serge E. Logan Elizabeth D. Edmonds* Minnesota Daily Alumni Association Norma C. & John R. Finnegan, Sr. Minnesota Vikings Children’s Fund Neil D.* & Jeanne K.* Freeman S. C. Johnson Fund Sheila M. Gothmann Walter & Leona Schmitt Family Cathy J. E. Gustafson Foundation Herman F. Haeberle* $500-$999 Gladys L.* & Robert W.* Hefty 3M Company and 3M Foundation Patricia J. Heikenen* Brian R. Gabrial Joseph* and Jacqueline* Kinderwater Michael and Betty Anne Soffin Carol E. Ladwig* Phillip J. Tichenor Don R. & Carole J. Larson John W. Wheeler Serge E. Logan Kristi M. & Douglas D. Youngdahl Sandra K. Nelson $100-$499 Carol L. Pine Milton E. & Jean B. Adams Falsum Russell* Leroy R. Anderson Vincent Bancroft Shea* Frank L. Anton Norma B.* & James A.* Smutz Alan Bjerga Raymond J. & Elvira A.* Tarleton Steven C. Brandt & Lynda M. William D. Wells Mc Donnell Elizabeth A. & Thomas C. Yuzer Paul S. & Jane Brissett Susan M. & Edward E. Brustman *Denotes deceased Hannah N. & Stuart J.* Bullion Don R. Casey Kerry F. Casey Marian & Loren L. Chamberlain

Jennifer A. Church Richard H. & Frances F. Compton Cooper Industries Foundation Patricia K. Cullen Paulette M. Deane Dirk G. DeYoung Deanna J. Diebold & Kevin J. Yellick Dan B. Donaldson Steven R. Dornfeld Thomas H. Dupont Steven N. Dzubay Marilyn & Marvin Eckerle Beverly A. Erickson Thomas E. & Sonja A. Eveslage Raymond J. Faust Jessica A. Foth Joan W. Frey Howard M. Fulk Generate Consulting Inc. Robert J. & Nancy C. Goodman Darlene A. Gorrill Patricia C. & William A.* Graham Olive J. Greeley Nancy & Judson A. Grenier Greta C. Guest Roger R. Gustafson James B. Gustafson Chad W. Haldeman Glen A. & Jeanine A. Halva-Neubauer Elizabeth C. & Michael J. Hannaher Barbara S. Haugen Michael E. Hill Doris P. & John R. Hosfield Patrick C. Howe Deborah M. Hudson & Rick Pallansch Eugene F. Huse Lynne K. Jacobson Myril J. & Wilbur F. Jensen Mark L. Johnson Scott R. & Michelle C. Kegler Rolf M. & Marcia L. Kemen Frances V. Killpatrick Marjorie G. King Linda V. Kline James J. Klobuchar Natalie Kochmar Darrel E. Koehler Megan E. Kruse Patrick C. Larkin Chak Chi & Lenora Yin Lau Konnie M. Le May & Robert A. Berg Thomas M. & Rhoda G. Lewin Catherine A. Luther-Yoshioka Margaret M. Maclachlan David J. Madson Cynthia S. Markle L. J. & Lois A. Martin Robert J. Mc Kenzie James E. McAvoy

John S. & Theresa R. McKeon Fred S. Meyer Philip C. Meyer Jonathan E. Miller & Ingrid A. Sanden Melva D. Moline Steven A. & Valerie S. Morawetz Randall L. Murray Geoffrey M. Nathanson Debra L. Nelson Kathryn A. Nelson Daniel A. Ness & Mary L. Bolla Mary E. Niforopulos Seth L. Normington James P. & Judith A. O’Donnell Barbara J. Pearson Lisa J. & David G. Peters Andrea L. & Michael J. Phillips Nancy J. Pierce Richard J. & Virginia K. Plaisance Public Relations Society of America Foundation Patricia J. Reily Katherine M. & Daniel S. Revsbeck Samuel B. Richter Heidi L. Rocke Juan C. Rodriguez David B. Royle Terrance T. Ruane John B. Rumsey Betty B. Ryan Jon F. Scheid Inez M. & Lyall A. Schwarzkopf Cleo M. Sedlacek-Fogal Robert E. Sheldon Samuel Siegel Michael R. Sigelman Mia K. Signorino Mary J. Smetanka Christine E. & Archibald* Spencer David E. Steen Randall M. Stiles Thomas Suddes Gerald R. & Helen L. Taft Tartan Marketing Inc. Mabel L. Thompson John W. & Bonnie V. Thoreen U.S. Bancorp and U.S. Bancorp Foundation Charles G. Vanmeter Caryn C. Vesperman Joy Winkie Viola Jean Worrall Ward Karen D. Waters Christine Weber Lorraine D. Welch Rochele A. Williams Jodi L. Williamschen & Michael C. Dickens Todd S. Zolecki

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Less than $100 A. B. Benson Consulting Stuart P. Aase Brian M. Abbe Carolyn W. Ahlstrom Carl N. Allen Susan M. Alnes Claire H. Amsden Evelyn H. & John R. Anderson Terry P. Anderson & Susan Bonne Anderson Elizabeth M. Anderson Gail M. Anderson Richard W. Anthony Ellen M. Archer Assurant Health Foundation Inc. Kyle A. Beatty Marcia F. & Gary D. Belisle Alan B. Benson John C. Berg Kathleen M. Bergquist Jeanne R. Berney Joan P. Bettenburg & Martin K. Duda Vernon M. Bloom Bernard E. Boland Janet S. Boysen Mary L. Brausen Brenda K. Bredahl Gregory D. Breining Carleton W. & Jean A. Brookins Dean P. Buck Walter K. & Judith A. Bunge Helen L. Carlson Amy A. Carney Donnie C. & Leon C.* Carr Dorothy T. & Bernard A.* Casserly Rachele V. Cermak Karen A. Chernyaev Delane D. Cleveland Joan L. Conners Marsha J. Connor Thomas P. Costello Craig A. Cox Gordon P. & Joyce E. Dahlen Cherie C. Daughton Thomas M. DeFrank Eileen S. Deitcher Janice M. Demarais Kevin M. Deshler Judy & Kevin B. Diaz Patricia L. Dooley Robert E. Drechsel Evelyn C. Duvall Michelle A. Dykoski Stephen P. Earl Katherine G. Eaton Dawn D. Ellertson David R. Elvin Joshua P. Erickson Eileen M. Everett Georgia A. Ewing Fredric E. Fedler Stephen R. Fisher Keith A. Fligge Don H. & Charlene V. Follett Nancy J. Fox 32 Murphy Reporter FALL 2011

DONOR REPORT

John C. Francis Deborah J. Franko Robert C. Fransen Mark L. Friedman Patrick J. Fugina Jeffrey N. Fuller Gannett Foundation Inc. Elaine P. Geelan Timothy P. Gihring Jeffrey H. Gilkinson Thomas R. & Christine J. Gresback Jeffrey P. Grosscup Susan M. Gulstad Richard P. Hames Donald O. & Lisa K. Hamnes Monte J. Hanson Suzanne M. Hart Michael J. & Julie A. Hasslinger Daniel R. Haugen Marlyce F. Helm Ramona Hess Cynthia L. Hill William R. Hoffman Charles B. Holmes Jerome B. & Judith B. Ingber Christopher J. & Nancy C. Ison Harry C. Jackson Cassandra J. & Michael H. Jackson Linda K. Jenny Karin B. Johansson Harlan R. Johnson Lillian C. & Edmund E.* Johnson Megan K. Juffer Timothy E. Jungwirth Thomas F. Kacheroski Emily S. & Douglas A. Kahn John A. Kerans Susan A. Kilian Paul I. Kindem Jacob L. Kittilstad Laurence A. Kivens Elsie J. Kolstad Charlene J. Komoto Todd D. Kortemeier John P. Kostouros Robert K. & Dale J. Krishef Matthew D. Krueger Barbara A. Kucera Marit L. Kucera Brian R. Landwehr Gary L. Larson Maxine & Rodney M.* Larson Karen J. Larson Pamela R. Lary Adam P. LeGrand Jane E. Leonard & Loretto G. Lippert Philip M. Lewenstein Robert F. Lind Robert W. & Linda K. Lindholm Alan Lizee Lloyd’s Barbeque Company Roland C. Lovstad Beverly A. Lyman John R. Lynch Rita J. Lynch Matthew P. Machaiek

Caitlin Madigan Smarrelli Carol E. Mahoney Reynold W. Malmer Richard J. Mann Cynthia A. Matson Duane R. Mattson Colleen J. Mc Carty-Gould Kathryn A. Mc Connell Craig McCaa Meredith A. McNab Patricia J. Meads David G. Mellen Doris B. Menozzi Joan M. Meyer Donna M. & Rand A. Middleton Leonard T. Mitsch Todd H. Mixer Jerimiah J. Moerke Christina M. Morgan & Bill C. Rainey Kay M. Nagel Louise M. Nathe Wallace E. & Marcia F. Neal Becky S. Nelson Amy K. Nelson Sander Kermit L. Netteburg Mark R. Neuzil & Amy J. Kuebelbeck Kevin T. Niemioja Debra J. Noll Margaret W. O’Hara Anne M. & Christopher Obst Krystal L. Ohlhaber Michael W. & Sally A. Olander Shirley S. Olson Dylan C. Olson Catherine A. Paulson Roger F. Paulson Alana R. & Alan M. Perper Jack W. Peters & Bettina M. Luskey Jessica L. Petron Dorothee Polson Karen K. Potter Pamela L. Ramsay Sharon M. Rask Steven M. Ray Jo Anne Ray Julianne E. Raymond Robert J. Rees Nancy L. Roberts James C. Robertson Robert J. Roos Sharon M. Ross Marilyn R. Roth Gerald H. & Cheryl M. Rushenberg Mareena L. Saucedo John L. Schmidt Lisa M. Schnirring Christina M. Schroeder David R. Schuh Lynn E. & Mark O. Schwartz Jeffrey C. Sears Jessica L. Sellers Jane M. Serbus Elaine I. Sestak James A. Shoop Barbara S. & Lloyd M. Sigel Dianne L. Sivald

Roberta A. Smidt Johnson & Cavour D. Johnson Marcia R.* & Richard K.* Smith Theodore C. Snyder Harvey Spelkoman Jason J. & Nicole A. Sprenger Megan M. Steidl Newton H. Stein Theodore S. Storck Joan M. Strimling Ruth E. Stroebel Karen L. Sullivan Vermayne N. Sundem Edward B. Swain & Mary E. Keirstead TCF Corporation, TCF Bank and TCF Foundation Joseph K. & Lisa R. Thiegs Joshua J. Thompson Michele M. Thompson Jack L. & Gloria Tracy John J. Ulku Jo Ann Utz Sharon B. Venema Beth L. Wagner Voigt Garrett M. Weber Rose Weber John B. Webster Marjorie L. & Robert N.* Weed Elizabeth M. Wegele Mark W. Wegwerth Susan M. Wells Marnie B. Werner Donald M. & Beth A. Westphal Brent P. Westra Ashley Williams Thomas H. & Dolores E. Wilson Virginia L. Winker Susan K. Wolfe David P. Woodworth Betsey C. Woody Seounmi H. Youn Larry A. Zamor Jean S. Zamor David A. Zarkin Wade T. Zwiener

PLEASE NOTE: We make every effort to ensure that this list is accurate and up-to-date.

If you have comments, questions or corrections, please contact Sarah Howard at 612-625-8095 or showard@umn.edu.

Donate Now

On your smartphone, search the app store for a QR code scanner such as NeoReader or RedLaser. Scan the image with your phone and you’ll be transported to the website. No smartphone? No worries. Donate online at http://z.umn.edu/sjmcdonate.

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES KAREN M. ALTHEN (B.A., ’96) founded marketing

DOUGLAS D. ARMSTRONG (B.A., ’67) has won the

CARINA ENBODY (B.A., ’08) has moved from San

and advertising agency Station K & Company in Minneapolis. The agency focuses on marketing strategy and planning, brand development, and account service. Althen earned an M.B.A. in marketing after graduation from SJMC and worked for Target, Northwest Airlines and Campbell Mithun Advertising agency before opening her own shop.

Anne Powers Award for book-length fiction from the Council for Wisconsin Writers for his debut novel, “Even Snowflowers Cast Shadows,” which is the story of a little girl growing up in smalltown Kansas in the 1920s. The judge praised the novel as being written with “authenticity, artistry and heart — a towering achievement.”

Francisco agency Butler Shine to a job at Google.

REED ANFINSON (B.A., ’77), publisher of the Swift

ALAN BJERGA (M.A., ’98), an agriculture reporter

County Monitor-News in Benson, N.M. was named the president of the National Newspaper Association in September 2011 at the association’s annual convention in Albuquerque, N.M. Anfinson served six years as the NNA Region 6 director, representing newspapers in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

for Bloomberg News, has published a new book titled “Endless Appetites: How the Commodities Casino Creates Hunger and Unrest.” The book explores how food prices are being absorbed by rich nations taking food from the poor ones and how the farmers most stricken by poverty may be best SARAH BAUER (B.A., ’06) hosted the 2011 Minsuited to end it. Bjerga spoke nesota Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional with farmers in the United Journalists Page One Awards awards program and States, Ethiopia, Kenya, introduced Gov. Mark Dayton.

Thailand and Nicaragua. He is also the past president of both the National Press Club and the North American Agricultural Journalists.

SCOTT THEISEN

KOLINA CICERO (B.A., ’08) recently returned from

Italy, where she was a group leader for The Experiment in International Living, which provides summer programs abroad for high-school Winners included the following SJMC alums: students.

CATHY CLAUSON (B.A., ’90), St. Paul Pioneer Press CHRISTY DESMITH (B.A., ’98), Mpls.St.Paul Magazine MELISSA COLGAN (B.A., ’06) is the associate style ediMCKENNA EWEN (B.A., ’08), Star Tribune tor at Martha Stewart Weddings in New York City.

MARK FISCHENICH (B.A., ’88), The Free Press JIM HAMMERAND (B.A., ’06), Mpls./St.Paul Business BRIAN DEROY (B.A., ’97) is the public affairs direc Journal tor for the South Carolina Office of the State WING YOUNG HUIE (B.A., ’79), freelance photographer, Treasurer. Prior to joining the Treasurer’s office,

Mpls.St.Paul Magazine DeRoy worked with Rep. Joe Wilson’s campaign, KIM JACKSON (B.A., ’03), Mpls.St.Paul Magazine winning a statewide communication (Palmetto) EMILY KAISER (B.A., ’07), MPLS.TV/City Pages award for his multimedia work. DeRoy spent 12 BOB KING (B.A., ’75), Duluth News Tribune years as a TV news anchor and reporter before MICHAEL KOOIMAN (B.A., ’93), City Pages moving into public relations.

KONNIE LEMAY (B.A., ’80), Lake Superior Magazine ANDY MANNIX (B.A., ’09), City Pages NICOLE (WOELFEL) DIETMAN (B.A., ’99) is the ownELIZABETH MOHR (B.A., ’04), St. Paul Pioneer Press er of Buffalo Rock Winery near Buffalo, Minn.

AMY NELSON (M.A., ’02), St. Paul Pioneer Press The artisan-style winery opened in fall 2010 and TONY NELSON (B.A., ’05), City Pages focuses on locally grown fruit, especially hybrid RENEE PASSAL (B.A., ’03), WDIO/WIRT wine grapes developed at the University of MinJENNI PINKLEY (B.A., ’94), Star Tribune nesota. She is also the vineyard manager, the JENNA ROSS (B.A., ’06), Star Tribune wine maker and the tasting room manager.

JOHN VOMHOF, JR. (B.A., ’04), Mpls./St.Paul

Business Journal JOHN WELBES (B.A., ’91), St. Paul Pioneer Press

SHANNON GILLIGAN (B.A., ’08) is a career and

transfer/family orientation services specialist at University of Wisconsin-Superior.

DEVIN HENRY (B.A., ’11) works at MinnPost.com

as a reporter covering developments in Washington, D.C., that are important to Minnesota readers. While in school, Henry was editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Daily.

CHRISTINE (LEISER) HILLS (B.A., ’89) is now a pedi-

atric cardiologist with the Children’s Heart Clinic in Minneapolis.

SARAH HOWARD (B.A., ’06) has left her position

as an associate editor at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine after more than five years to be the communications manager at the School of Journalism & Mass Communication.

ELLIE HUMPHREY (B.A., ’10) works as the market-

ing and promotions coordinator at Broadcast Interactive Media in Madison, Wisc. BIM is the leading provider of revenue, content and technical solutions for local media.

JAIME (CEGLA) HUNT (B.A., ’99) is the director of

web communications for Radford University in Radford, Va. Since graduating, Hunt has earned 16 industry awards for her work, including, most recently, a Platinum Hermes Creative Award for best online publication. Hunt is also one of the editors for LINK, the journal of the Higher Education Web Professionals Association.

JOE LANCELLO (B.A., ’79) is now the afternoon

and evening anchor at KZRG Radio in Joplin, Miss. Prior to this position, he was the news and sports director at WHSM AM-FM in Hayward, Wisc.

MICHAEL LARSEN (B.A., ’05) is pursuing his

Master’s in teaching at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore. with an emphasis in language arts.

VADIM LAVRUSIK (B.A., ’09) has taken a new

position as the journalist program manager at Facebook and is also an adjunct professor at Columbia University in New York City. He most recently worked at Mashable.

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ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES ALBERT LEUNG (B.A., 06) is a senior account

executive at Weber Shandwick in its Technology practice.

FROM THE SJMC ALUMNI SOCIETY BOARD Great things are happening right now at SJMC as students are absorbing the latest theories and practices in our profession. If you walked through Murphy Hall today you’d see the optimism, high energy and enthusiasm of a dynamic group of students.

You’d likely be re-energized being around the bright and confident students who now sit in classrooms where we once did.

The SJMC Alumni Association Board of Directors is the organizing body for the longest standing, and arguably the strongest, student mentor programs at the University of Minnesota, dating back to 1983. This year continues that success with the support of great alumni and other area professionals who lend their time, energy and counsel to nearly 60 seniors in the professional degree program. This effort is the keystone to the Alumni Board, and the impact lasts well beyond graduation date.

The Alumni Board has added a new initiative, with the support of the

RACHEL KERR (B.A., ’08) works for Kraft Foods in

SJMC leadership. The Above the Fold Award recognizes alums at early stages in their careers. Nominees will be sought through our alumni contact roster and through advertisements in various University publications.

Discussions began in 2010 with SJMC Director Al Tims and the Board of Directors. The ideation uncovered the need for public notice of the great work of our graduates — yet at the early peak of their career. This is a time when individuals are often most innovative and blazing new trails.

This recognition complements the Award for Excellence, which is an award to a deserving individual who has had a long-term impact in their field through their work and accomplishments. Both awards will be given during Spring Celebration, scheduled for May 2, 2012 at TCF Bank Stadium.

Award for Excellence nominations will be solicited in early 2012.

We look forward to your continued support of SJMC through your participation and engagement with the Alumni Board.

–Daniel Gore (B.A., ’91), president

NOMINATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED! The SJMC Alumni Society Board accepts nominations for the Award of Excellence and the new Above the Fold Award. If you know of an alum with a distinguished career who should be recognized, nominate them!

Go to sjmc.umn.edu/alumni.

32 Murphy Reporter FALL 2011

Madison, Wisc., as the mobile marketing coordinator for the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile.

SARA KRUSE (B.A., ’02) is traveling and taking

time to learn about local cultures and problems affecting Africa. Through her travels to Africa, she learned of the culture, economic and social issues affecting the continent and has become involved in missions to help with everything from clean water to the HIV/ AIDS epidemic. She has also done fundraising for these various causes.

MOLLY MOKER (B.A., ’06) left her job at Random

House, Inc., where she was an associate editor for Fodor’s Travel, to be an associate editor for Google in its Google Offers department.

LAURA MUIR (B.A., ’05) is an e-commerce copy-

writer at GUESS? Inc. in Los Angeles. Muir writes online copy for both GUESS by Marciano and G

by GUESS, two sister brands of GUESS? Inc. TYREL NELSON (B.A., ’03) has published his third

book, “Those Darn Stripes.” The 94-page collection of 25 personal short stories allowed the Bloomington, Minn., resident to explore his life and emotions, especially as his father was dying from pancreatic cancer.

HOANG UYEN NGUYEN (B.A., ’06) has left KSTP/

KSTC after seven years and is now working at Fox Sports North/Fox Sports Wisconsin (Fox Sports Net).

YURI RAMIREZ (B.A.., ’11) received the Dean’s

Graduate Fellowship at Duke University. The fellowship provides a 12-month stipend, which includes a $5,000 to $7,000 premium over a standard stipend, plus a partial tuition and fee scholarship for the first two years of study. The fellowships are provided to students who, by reason of their background, culture, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, work and life experiences, contribute to a fuller representation of

ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES ALISSA THIELMAN (B.A., ’08) is the events and

marketing coordinator for the Minnesota Swarm professional lacrosse team.

ANDY THIEMAN (B.A., ’01) has completed his final

The inauguration ceremony for University president Eric Kaler featured live and taped segments featuring SJMC alums. KARE-11 reporter BOUA XIONG (B.A., ’08) anchored the program, which was produced by JAKE WALLACE (B.A., ’11). The program featured a conversation with University historian Ann Pflaum. perspectives within the academic life of the university. Ramierz is pursuing a Ph.D. in history with a concentration in modern Latin America, specifically 19th and 20th century Mexico and the U.S.–Mexico borderland.

CLINT SCHAFF (M.A., ’00) has joined GolinHarris

in Los Angeles as a vice president in charge of digital and social-media efforts for the integrated-communications agency. He is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism.

MELANIE NOHR STANEK (B.A., ’86) is director of

corporate communications for Nonin Medical Inc. in Plymouth, Minn. She has generated prominent local print and TV coverage for Nonin, whose pulse oximeters were used in the Chilean miners’ rescue in October 2010.

TERRI YABLONSKY STAT (M.A., ’87) has launched

The Professional Hypochondriac — A Health Writer’s Approach to Feeling Good as Your Body Falls Apart (theprofessionalhypochondriac.com).

The website/blog is geared toward women in their 30s, 40s and 50s who are experiencing changes to their bodies and spirits. She provides daily commentary on issues that affect women, from slowing metabolism to caring for elderly parents. Stat is a freelance health writer and regular contributor to the Chicago Tribune and other publications.

round of chemotherapy for testicular cancer and has raised money for Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG campaign. In October 2011, Thieman rode with Armstrong and other survivors in Austin, Tex. To date, more than $36,000 has been donated to LIVESTRONG on his behalf. To see his journey, go to bloodsweatchemo.tumblr.com.

NIKOLAI URSIN (M.A., ’09) has moved to Miami,

Fla., to be the marketing manager for W Hotels Worldwide.

MATTHEW VOLKMAN (B.A., ’08) is a sales represen-

tative — bakeries and foodservice division for General Mills in Seattle.

LORI WASELCHUK (B.A., ’89) had photographs pub-

lished and featured in a new book, “Grace Before Dying.” In the book, Waselchuk’s photographs tell the story of volunteer inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola who comforted fellow inmates who are elderly or terminally ill.

The program turned one of the most dangerous maximumsecurity prisons in the United States into one of the least violent. The book features an essay

by Lawrence N. Powell, a professor of history at Tulane University, and poignant quotes from the incarcerated hospice volunteers. More information, go to gracebeforedying.com.

TELL US WHAT YOU’RE UP TO We love to hear what our alumni are doing.

Whether it’s a job change, a new book or a move across the country, keep SJMC and your fellow alumni updated.

Email sjmc@umn.edu with your updates.

Please be sure to include your name, degree, graduation year, street address city, state and zip code, and phone number.

IN MEMORIAM Robert Nauer Weed (B.A., ‘40), former director of sales promotion and public service at the Minneapolis Star and Tribune, passed away Aug. 20, 2011 at his home in California.

Weed, an Alexandria, Minn., native, got into journalism as editor of his high school paper. While at the University, he worked at the Minnesota Daily and was later inducted into the Minnesota Daily Hall of Distinction in 1998.

After graduation, Weed worked at the Minneapolis Star and Tribune for 20 years.

During this time, he also enlisted in the Army and served until 1946.

In 1960, Weed was appointed publisher of the Valley Times Today in the San Fernando Valley area. In 1964, he became publisher of the Orange Coast Daily Pilot in Costa Mesa, Calif., a role he held for 18 years.

Weed is survived by his high-school sweetheart Marj, three daughters, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

John Rost (B.A., ‘40), passed away of respiratory failure on Nov. 6, 2011.

Rost attended high school in Cokato, Minn., and served in the Army Air Corp during World War II, receiving numerous medals.

After his service, Rost began his professional career as an account representative with M.H. Jacobs Public Relations Agency. In 1948, Rost and his wife, Thelma, moved to New York City, where he worked as the New Jersey State Director of the United Negro College Fund, as executive director of the Morristown New Jersey Community Chest and then as the assistant manager of public-relations at the Continental Can Company.

In 1956, Rost took a position at J. Walter Thompson Company, then the world’s largest advertising and public relations firm, later becoming vice president as well as management supervisor for such clients as Kellogg’s International. In 1969, Rost started his own public-relations agency, John Rost Associates, with offices in New York City and Washington, D.C.

He is survived by three children and two grandchildren.

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