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First
year at KU: 1984 |
Degrees:
BA, Communications
-- Broadcast and Film, Stanford University;
MA, journalism, University of Missouri;
PhD, education, University of Kansas |
Classes
taught: Introduction
to Graduate Study, Advanced Broadcast Reporting,
Broadcast News, Broadcast Writing and Production,
Special Projects in Broadcast Journalism,
graduate seminars |
Honors: Kappa
Tau Alpha |
How did you become interested in your particular area
of journalism?
Goes way back. I got involved in radio when I was in
high school. I continued it in college and also learned
film. While I worked in the record industry for several
years (back when music did come on "records") I did a
little public radio work. Then I did a master's in broadcast
journalism and went to work as a television news producer,
which I continued until I came to KU. As for teaching
in the graduate program, my doctoral program sparked
an interest in the way the results of research are both
used and abused in journalism and education. I try to
pass along a healthy skepticism of bunkum and an ability
to cut through it.
How
do you like to spend your time away from school?
Playing and listening to music -- just about anything with a dirt or gravel
road in it... blues, bluegrass and old time country, Celtic. I also do some
model railroading and train watching. I get most of my exercise walking our
dog -- we've had several pretty large dogs and we always have several cats,
so pets are a big interest.
Describe
what you believe to be the most important things
a student can gain from completing your sequence.
A real appreciation for and ability to do visual storytelling -- using pictures
and words to take the viewer someplace or introduce the viewer to something.
For graduate students, an appreciation of how their undergraduate and personal
experiences can contribute very nicely to a profession.
There
are a lot of places to teach journalism. Why did
you choose the William Allen White School of Journalism?
It's the only place that I've ever seriously considered teaching. I was recruited
for a job here while I was the executive news producer of KMGH-TV, Denver.
What
is your favorite class(es) to teach and why?
Whichever one I've just put together a new presentation for.
What
advice would you offer an incoming freshman interested
in pursuing a journalism education?
Learn to write clearly, learn to write clearly, and learn to write clearly.
For incoming graduate students, realize that your undergrad studies have taught
you how to be a student (for the most part), so you shouldn't be intimidated
by graduate studies. Oh, and, learn to write clearly, learn to write clearly,
and learn to write clearly.
What
advice would you offer to a graduating senior about
to embark upon a career in journalism?
Learn how to keep learning on the job. I hope that's an ability we've aided
people in acquiring. If you get to the point where you think you know how to
do it and there's nowhere else to take your craft, you haven't gotten anywhere
at all.
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