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SDSU vice president pledges major gift to JMS
Mary Ruth Carleton, SDSU vice president for University Relations and Development, and her husband Bruce Hunt have pledged $100,000 to establish the Carleton-Hunt Endowed Internship Fund in the School of Journalism & Media Studies. The gift will provide support to upper-division journalism majors for internships in print, broadcast and online news operations.
"This major gift will help position the School of Journalism & Media Studies as a premier resource for providing community-based learning opportunities for students, linking their classroom education to their experiences in the newsroom," said Diane L. Borden, director of the School. "We are immeasurably grateful to Vice President Carleton and Mr. Hunt for their generosity."
Carleton has served in her present position at San Diego State for two years. Previously, she was the senior associate vice president for university advancement at the University of San Francisco and before that was the assistant dean for development in SDSU's College of Health and Human Services. Earlier, she spent nearly 20 years in journalism, working as a news anchor or reporter for ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox in five different media markets. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master's degree in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley.
Hunt is the executive director of the Rotary Club of San Diego, a service organization comprising more than 550 of San Diego’s business and community leaders.
JMS and KPBS partner for reporting project
The School of Journalism & Media Studies has launched the JMS Kaplan Journal, an online journal of enterprise reporting by JMS students. The journal also provides content for Envision San Diego, a community journalism project produced by KPBS TV/FM/Online. Three JMS seniors began working with KPBS reporters and editors during the spring 2008 semester to produce print stories and slideshows for the Envision Web site. Each month, KPBS identifies a key issue impacting San Diegans and produces Web, television and radio stories related to that theme. Local media outlets, including Channel 10 News and the San Diego Union-Tribune, also contribute to the Envision site.
Backpack journalists Megan Burks, Steve Plantz, and Josh Babin helped inaugurate the JMS Kaplan Journal. Photo: Nathan Gibbs/KPBS
The JMS Kaplan Journal became an Envision media partner as part of an independent studies project taught by JMS lecturer Rebecca Coates Nee. Journalism seniors Megan Burks, Josh Babin and Steve Plantz, SDSU's "backpack journalists," covered stories ranging from recycling to Alzheimer’s disease and global warming. Their work was featured prominently on the Envision San Diego Web site and on the Kaplan Journal Web site. The students also co-hosted a radio show on Sign On San Diego with JMS Professor John Eger. The Envision/Kaplan partnership will continue this fall.
Journalism alum leads Daily Aztec to 12 SPJ awards
The Daily Aztec, San Diego State University's campus newspaper, took home 12 Excellence in Journalism Awards at the annual banquet of the San Diego chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The ceremony was at the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island on July 16. Giselle Domdom, editor of the 2007-08 Daily Aztec and a 2008 Journalism graduate, along with incoming editor Amanda Strouse, accepted the awards for the newspaper.
The list of awards included: Best College Newspaper, honorable mention; Best Sports Story or Series, Joe Giovanetti (journalism major); Best Arts and Entertainment Story or Series, Brad Haering (advertising major); Best Layout and Design, Sean Bacon (graphic design major); Best Column, Devin Kunysz (marketing major); Best Photo, Andrew Huse (political science major); Best of Show Story, Devin Kunysz (marketing major). The newspaper also received an honorable mention for Best Photo and second-place awards for Best News Story or Series, Best Review or Criticism, and Best Sports Story or Series.
Dozier, Kim present crisis communication research
At the AEJMC Conference in Chicago in August, JMS Professor David Dozier and John Kim from SDSU's College of Sciences reported the findings of a two-year fire prevention community education project in North County San Diego. The community education project was part of a larger crisis communication feasibility study, using a network of heat sensors, video cameras, and an Internet Web site to detect and communicate about wildfires on the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve. The SMER is a research field station run by SDSU. The community education study tested Grunig's situational theory to determine whether this theory from public relations was applicable to a community education program. Findings indicated that willingness to actively participate/communicate about fire safety in a public setting strongly predicted a positive change in fire safety behavior over the two-year period of study.
Fourth cohort of military PAOs begins master's program
Ten military public affairs officers from across the country have enrolled in the School of Journalism & Media Studies master's degree program in mass communication and media studies for 2008-09. The customized program for the fourth cohort of military students began on July 22. This year's students follow in the footsteps of 37 previous graduates from the Navy, Air Force and Marines.
The program allows the PAOs to complete the two-year master's program in 10 months by taking summer courses and doubling the usual number of seminars during the academic year. Each student must complete 30 graduate-level semester units of course work and pass a comprehensive examination before being awarded the degree.
"This program gives us the resources to operate and conduct public affairs more effectively," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Tamara Lawrence, a 2008 graduate of the program. "We have a public affairs mission in the military. It has gained more importance over the last several years with both the media and the communities we live and operate in."
JMS lecturer begins doctoral program at Pepperdine
JMS lecturer Rebecca Coates-Nee has been admitted to the doctoral program in educational technology at Pepperdine University. The coursework, a hybrid of online segments and face-to-face meetings, is focused on advanced learning theory and special issues related to technology and education policy. This summer, Coates-Nee completed a weeklong “TechCamp” introduction to the program at Pepperdine’s West Los Angeles campus. Her research interests include the impact of digital technology on journalism practices and education. A former TV news anchor/reporter, Coates-Nee will continue teaching JMS 420 and JMS 550 at SDSU while working on her Ed.D. She hopes to complete the program in three years.
