See news from previous columns in the Flash Archives
Dr. David Dozier to receive national award
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has selected JMS Professor David Dozier as the 2008 recipient of its national Outstanding Educator Award. The award recognizes outstanding teaching, research, commitment to students, and involvement in the public relations profession. In particular, the selection committee considers the nominees' “excellence in teaching based on contemporary, research-based knowledge of public relations, outstanding lectures and casework, and the development of teaching aids and methods.” The award will be presented at the national PRSA conference on Oct. 27 in Detroit. Chartered in 1947, PRSA is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals, comprising nearly 32,000 professional and student members.
Dr. Dozier also is the 2008-09 recipient of a San Diego State University Alumni Association award for Outstanding Faculty Contributions to the University. Commonly known as the “Monty,” the award was presented to Dr. Dozier at the All-University Convocation on September 9. Each year, the Alumni Association recognizes one faculty member from each college for their teaching, scholarship, professional activity, or other service. The Faculty Monty Awards have recognized distinguished faculty members since 1972.
Dr. Amy Schmitz Weiss joins School of JMS
Amy Schmitz Weiss has joined the School of Journalism & Media Studies this fall semester as an assistant professor. She recently completed her Ph.D. in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Schmitz Weiss focuses her scholarship on online journalism, media sociology, news production, and international communication. She is a former journalist who has been involved in new media for more than a decade. Her current research explores the role of collaborative processes in newsrooms in the United States and abroad. Dr. Schmitz Weiss also is investigating the importance and benefits of online distance education for the journalism industry as an innovative force in collaborative work and its ability to support journalistic communities of practice. She is teaching JMS 300, Principles of Journalism, and JMS 430, Online Writing and Design.
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.
