CCI is now on Pinterest!

By: Emily Horne

Pinterest, a virtual bulletin board, seems to be the new “it” Web site and social media outlet that many people are talking about. While it has not entirely reached the business and organization audience, Kent’s College of Communication and Information (CCI) is now on Pinterest. Like some other universities, CCI has been researching the best ways to utilize Pinterest. There seem to be mixed opinions on whether universities need to be on Pinterest yet or not but why shouldn’t Kent’s College of Communication and Information be one of the first?

What other universities are doing:

1. Contests
2. Showcasing its Personality
3. The Student Experience
4. Study Abroad Destinations
5. Dorm Room Decorations
6. Artwork Created by Students
7. Achievements from Alumni

What can students gain from CCI’s Pinterest profile?

1. CCI Student, Alum and Faculty Successes: Many people with connections to CCI go on to do great things during or after their time with the college. On this board, followers can see what these people are doing.
2. School of _________: There is a board for each of CCI’s four schools that showcase information about the school and stories that relate. Pay attention to these boards if you are a prospective student, a current student, or a former student!
3. Facilities: This board showcases the great facilities each of CCI’s programs are housed in. From the recently renovated facilities in Franklin Hall to the Resource Room in the Art building, CCI’s programs offer their students the best.
4. Study Away: CCI offers a variety of study away programs. Here, we are pinning information about various programs.
5. Why CCI Kent Blog: Here we are reposting blogs posted here on our Why CCI Kent blog to reach more students.
6. For Future Students: Students interested in CCI, whether current college students in other majors or current high school students, can look to this board for basic information.

Send us your work:

We would love to begin showcasing student work (artwork, photography, research, Web site design, etc.) on Pinterest. If you are interested in seeing your work on our page, please send an E-mail to ccikent@kent.edu with your work, a caption, and a link (if applicable) to attach to the pin.

Follow CCI Kent State:

Follow us on Pinterest to keep up on the latest information.  http://pinterest.com/ccikentstate/ Also, please help us to promote our Pinterest account. Share it on Facebook, Twitter and repin our pins that interest you!

Electronic Media Course Produces Video to Show Benefits of Upward Bound Program

By Jayne Fenton

A video produced by students of Danielle Wiggins, an adjunct professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University, who also serves as an instructor of electronic media for Upward Bound, appeared on the Council of Opportunity in Education’s Facebook page this fall. JMC Assistant Professor Gene Shelton recommended Wiggins as an instructor for an electronic media elective course in the Upward Bound Program.

“It was my first time serving as an official instructor for a course and I fell in love with it.” Wiggins said. Wiggins has taught the course each summer since 2009.

Wiggins earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She worked for WEWS-TV in Cleveland as an associate producer, and began her journey as an adjunct instructor for Kent State in fall 2010. Wiggins has also started her own business, Vision Ideal Media, where she assists small businesses and non-profit companies with producing multi-media materials.

Upward Bound is a Federal TRIP Program which gives high school sophomores and juniors the opportunity to work in a collegiate atmosphere, ultimately encouraging them to continue onto college after high school graduation.

According to the U.S Department of Education, “The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.”
Wiggins’ electronic media course produced a video that explains the benefits of Upward Bound for students. She said her goal for the class was to show the power of the media. “Many of the students were in tears when they spoke of the impact the Upward Bound program is having on their lives,” she said.

Because of the federal budget crunch, Upward Bound is in danger of losing its funding, Wiggins added.

“The students had a unique opportunity through the mini-documentary to be the voice for students empowered to achieve at high levels because of Upward Bound.”

On Sept. 7, the Council for Opportunity in Education posted Wiggins’ class video on its Facebook page.

“It was my hope that the video would spread virally and be used as an advocacy tool to support Upward Bound in front of power players in Washington and locally,” Wiggins said. “I’m glad that we reached our goal.”

To watch the video Wiggins class created, click here.

 

Cell Phone Photography Course Teaches Students to Tell Stories with Pictures

By Nicole Gennarelli

Every day people use their smart phones to take pictures and videos that are later uploaded to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other social media accounts. At Kent State University, a course is offered that teaches students how to refine these skills to produce quality photography.

Cell phone photography, taught by JMC Lecturer David LaBelle, aims to teach students about composition and light, how to anticipate action and emotion and to tell stories with pictures. Students must complete a picture story with captions as a final project. This spring is the second semester the class has been offered, and it is proving to be quite popular.

“The course was born out of discussion in a faculty meeting about classes that we would like to offer to those outside of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication,” LaBelle said. “Recognizing how many people had cell phones with cameras, the growing interest in cell phone photography and the increased quality of image files, I felt the time was ripe to offer students the chance to learn the basics of photography without having to invest in a digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera. It looks like the class is here to stay.”

LaBelle teaches the class like a basic photography course, with discussions of light, timing, color and composition. He focuses on topics like portraiture, landscapes, dealing with motion, ethics of cell phone photography, ways to deal with low light situations, color correction, transmitting images and storage.

“The file sizes on the cell phones and smart phones make it possible to create some amazing images, many comparable to 35mm SLR,” he said. “We also talk about different applications available for different phones. We look at different types of images being created today – art, commercial and photojournalism. The camera phone is no longer a toy or a novelty; it is a very real tool used by beginners and professionals.”

This course is open to all students on campus. Part of the purpose for the class is to introduce non-JMC students to the department and specifically the photojournalism sequence, LaBelle said.

“I learned you don’t need a nice camera to take good pictures, and that a picture is more than an image; it holds value, emotion, tells a story, supports a cause,” said Casey Engelhart, sophomore electronic media major. “Photography is more than images; it is life.”

LaBelle loves seeing students get excited about photography and learning new things.

“Teaching this class also reminds me how much I love photography, without all the expensive, intimidating gear,” he said. “If I could teach a point and shoot film camera class, I would like that even more. I truly believe less is more. Beyond this, I truly love the students.”

Photos by David LaBelle.

Nicole Gennarelli is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.

Information Architecture and Knowledge Management to Celebrate 10th Anniversary

By Nicole Gennarelli

The Information Architecture and Knowledge Management (IAKM) program will celebrate its 10th anniversary this November.

IAKM takes a holistic approach to how knowledge is managed, interpreted and retained through the graduate program’s three concentrations: knowledge management, user experience design and health informatics. The program is administered by the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) and is designed to keep students informed of new information skills that will help them find career opportunities that are relatively new yet growing — and are highly in demand.

The Master of Science in IAKM originated as an interdisciplinary program with partners from the schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, Library and Information Science, Communication Studies and Visual Communication Design, along with the College of Business Administration and Graduate School of Management and the Department of Computer Science.

“It was and is a truly innovative program that strived to anticipate new roles for information professionals,” saidThomas Froehlich, Ph.D., IAKM founder and former program director. “It has done so quite successfully, though at the beginning it was challenging to encourage applicants to sign up for fields that were just emerging and for which there were few job ads. Yet, there were many students who, upon searching the Internet for a good program to suit their interests, happened upon the IAKM site and knew they had found an educational home.”

The original concentrations were in information use, information architecture and knowledge management. In keeping with the evolution of the information professions, the concentrations now are user experience design (which encompasses usability and information architecture), knowledge management and health informatics, a new concentration that started this year. In addition to offering the M.S., IAKM also offers certificate programs in these concentrations.

“The program was designed to be innovative, progressive and adaptive, and in its 10-year existence, it has changed courses, curricula and requirements in response to the dynamic and changing environment for the need for information professionals,” Froehlich said. “The number of students enrolled in the program has been growing steadily, and the program is poised to rapidly increase enrollments in each of the concentrations, mainly due to the concentration advisers and their plans and realizations. Leadership has evolved to the advisers in each concentration: Denise Bedford, Ph.D., in Knowledge Management; David Robins, Ph.D., and Karl Fast, Ph.D., in User Experience Design; and Professor Michael Bice in Health Informatics. They all have considerable expertise in their respective fields and can lead these concentrations to maturity.”

Richard Rubin, Ph.D., associate provost for extended education who served as SLIS director from 1999 to 2010, attributes much of the program’s success to Froehlich.

“Dr. Froehlich’s energy and commitment made IAKM possible,” Rubin said. “During my time as director, I strongly supported IAKM’s work. SLIS has also enthusiastically supported IAKM with both fiscal and human resources.”

IAKM was ahead of the curve in recognizing the need for both knowledge managers and information architects, Rubin said.

“Although it had a relatively slow start, it now has substantial enrollments as the need for such individuals has become apparent in the workplace,” he said. “Over the years, the curriculum has changed as the needs for such individuals have changed, and its contemporary curriculum makes it highly desirable for those going into the field. IAKM is a tremendous interdisciplinary asset to the university community.”

James Gaudino, Ph.D., former dean of the College of Communication and Information who is now president of Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash., remembers IAKM as a cutting-edge program with the potential to gain an international presence.

“I saw it as a practical extension of changes in information and communication sciences generated by digital technologies,” he said. “I was particularly impressed by its interdisciplinary breadth and its attractiveness to a broad range of professions. Without question, it held the potential of providing a framework to integrating the disciplinary and professional program that were the basis of the college.”

Being at the leading edge of such a pioneering program at Kent State has been challenging and rewarding, Froehlich said.

“One of the greatest pleasures of the program is to see how many graduates have found successful and prestigious jobs, mainly because they were creative, energetic and hard-working persons,” he said. “The program became a vehicle for them to shine, making the program look good and attracting more employers. A program is known by its graduates and if the IAKM program sparkles, it is due to the aura created by its graduates.”

The graduates – along with Froehlich – will be the focus of the 10^th anniversary celebration reception, said Don Wicks, Ph.D., SLIS interim director. “We’re delighted to honor Dr. Froehlich’s leadership, without which IAKM might not exist. And we look forward to welcoming back some of our alums, including our first ever IAKM alumnus of the year.”

The reception will take place on Nov. 29 in Rm. 330 of the Kent State University Library from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. RSVP athttp://bit.ly/iakm10th-rsvp.

Nicole is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.

VCD Team Runs Akron Marathon

VCD Akron marathon team

By Nicole Gennarelli

A team from Kent State’s School of Visual Communication Design ran in the Akron Marathon this September.

The five-person team consisted of two VCD faculty members, Joan Inderhees and Bryan Rinnert, two VCD graduate students, Sarah Rutherford and Jason Goupil, and one mutual friend. The majority of the team members had run marathons before or had prior running experience.

“I have run the Akron Marathon three times with friends at my church, and I wanted to see if we could get a team within VCD,” said Inderhees, a VCD assistant professor. “It’s a fun race — about 16,000 runners participated and about 100,000 spectators watched, as reported in theAkron Beacon Journal. Each leg of the relay is a different distance, so each of us could choose a distance that suited us.”

Rutherford started running in May and talked with Goupil and Inderhees, both experienced runners, to get their advice.

“Joan mentioned that the marathon relay was a fun event, and I thought it would be a good motivator to sustain me through the summer,” she said. “I began training in early June for my hilly course through Sand Run Park.”

The members decided to pick a clever team name that correlated with running and their department — Step and Repeat.

“Step and Repeat is a function from a design program we use, literally repeating the same image in a step fashion,” Goupil said. “As a group we considered about 20 other names, but this one rose to the top.”

Of the mixed relay teams, Step and Repeat came in 94th of 753 teams and 175th of all relay teams, Inderhees said.

“The race went really well,” Rutherford said. “There was so much going on in the stadium, I missed seeing Jason cross the finish line!”

Nicole is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.

Design Team Starts Practitioner Website

By Nicole Gennarelli

Ken Visocky O’Grady, and wife Jenn, used their experience and knowledge about the design industry to start Parse, a website that aims to make sense of issues and information relevant to design practitioners.

Photo Courtesy of Pablo Contreras http://www.bebop-ad.com

Ken and Jenn, both Ohio natives, graduated from Kent State University with an undergraduate and graduate degree in visual communication design. Ken is an Associate Professor at Kent State University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in VCD. Jenn is Chair of the Art Department and an Associate Professor at Cleveland State University.

According to Parse’s website it “aims to make sense of issues and information relevant to design practitioners, regardless of the disciplines they work in. Parse makes big ideas useful, actionable and applicable. It distills jargon, reduces complexity, pares words, omits gobbledygook. It’s open-source, approachable and friendly.”

“There’s a lot of great stuff being written about design research and design thinking today,” Ken said. “However, that content is lengthy and written in a way that is not directly applicable for professionals. We created a platform where the information is broken down into 500 word posts that professionals can read quickly and easily.”

Parse started off as a source for just designers, but has evolved and has many business professionals reading the content, said Ken.

“The concepts addressed on Parse could be applied to anyone in a small business,” he said. “We felt that there were a lot of people talking about design research, but the information only got out to a small handful of people. There were a lot of the same old voices talking about the same old things. Parse is platform for new, innovative voices.”

Not only did Ken and his wife start Parse, but they also founded Enspace in 1988, a company that offers many services from advertising to production management.

“We thought in order to engage in national dialogue, national conferences and write for industry publishers about design we needed to have professional experience to do so,” Ken said. “We eventually brought in business partners, our graduate school friends from Kent State, and gave the business over to them. Enspace was a stressful experience, but one of the most rewarding. We learned a lot from our mistakes.”

 

Nicole is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.

JMC instructor Gary Harwood wins UPAA Master of the Profession award

By Nicole Gennarelli

This June, University Photographers’ Association of American celebrated its 50^th anniversary, and during its annual symposium it introduced the UPAA Master of the Profession award. Gary Harwood, Visual Storytelling instructor in Kent State’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and former Kent State University photographer, was one of the inaugural awardees.

According to the UPAA’s website, “To be eligible a member must be in good standing for 10 years, have a history of quality images in UPAA competitions, and exhibit dedicated service to the organization.” Each year the award will recognize two members. However, on this inaugural year it awarded five individuals, Jim Dusen (SUNY Brockport), Phil Szczepanski (University of Maryland), Steve Mangione (Buffalo State College) and Mark Philbrick (Brigham Young University), along with Harwood.

“The Board of Directors looked at the organization and saw several talented photographers,” said Board of Director’s President and photographer at Moraine Valley Community College, Glenn Carpenter. “After two years, we came up with an idea to recognize outstanding photographers and their photos. These photographers are good at what they do and dedicated to being a university photographer.  Looking back at different photographs, we came up with about 18 people deserving this award and Gary’s name was close to the top.”

Gary Harwood

Harwood, a member of the UPAA and university photographer for 26 years, said the selection was a complete surprise to him. The organization based the award on his career of work over the years.

“Fifty years is a long time,” Harwood said. “To be among the first five awarded is an honor. I’ve always loved photography, and never thought I’d make a career of it. I’m glad it turned out the way it did.”

In our group, all the imagery is judged by the members. You receive the award from people who do the same thing as you, said Carpenter.

“They understand what was involved in making that photo,” he said. “My hope would be that any award(s) you receive from our organization, you would hold in higher regard. In the world of university photography these are giants, and Gary is one of them. While Gary produces beautiful and emotional work, he is also an educator and mentor.”

“Dive in with two feet and make it happen,” is the advice Harwood gives not only photography students, but any student, in order to achieve their goals.

“I think younger photographers, and any student for that matter, need to do what they love in order to achieve their goals,” he said. “Take internships, apply for scholarships, and enter contests. Do anything that would advance your career. Network and connect as much as possible, and take advantage of all the opportunities that profession offers you. Be passionate, be persistent and follow your dream. It will provide you with experiences you never thought you’d have.”

Nicole is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.

Kent State Professor Shares Her Experiences in Good Enough is the New Perfect

By Brianne Kimmel

 JMC Assistant Professor Jan Leach is one of dozens of working women featured in Good Enough is the New Perfect: Finding Happiness and Success in Modern Motherhood.

 Since her arrival at Kent State University in August 2003, Leach has shared her journalistic background and personal experiences with hundreds of Kent State University students.

 “I enjoy every minute at Kent State,” Leach said. “I’m still a professional journalist; I maintain professional contacts; I study journalism trends, and I also have the opportunity to interact with great students and people within the university.”

 In October 2008, a professional contact surprised Leach with a rare opportunity.

 “I was very honored Becky [Beaupre Gillespie] wanted to include me in the larger story of women finding self-worth,” Leach said.

 Good Enough is the New Perfect by Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple features research on today’s working women and a number of firsthand accounts from working mothers balancing success in the office and at home.

 Leach was interviewed about experiences after having twins, “finding myself after pregnancy was a very important lesson for me,” Leach said.  “Being on bed rest for 29 days, while also having a three-year-old daughter was challenging. I remember thinking after I gave birth, what does Jan want to accomplish with her life.”

 After leaving her position as managing editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Leach became editor and vice president of the Akron Beacon Journal where she coordinated coverage of the September 11 attacks, including publishing an “Extra” edition, covering the local impact, and helping to launch and promote the “Fire Truck Fund” that raised more than $1.3 million for new safety equipment in New York City.

 Leach currently teaches media ethics, copy editing and other news courses and is director of Kent’s Media Law Center for Ethics and Access. She is also an Ethics Fellow at the Poynter Institute for Journalism Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla.

 Leach was the editor of two books by Terry Pluto. She is the author of four chapters in the book The Edge of Change: Women in the 21st Century Press, published in 2009.

Visit the Web for additional information on Good Enough is the New Perfect and Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

School of Communication Studies Celebrates Top Students

By Emily Carle

On March 9, 2011, the School of Communication Studies awarded its top students at the Celebration of Success. Students were invited to take part in a light reception with refreshments and mingle with current students, faculty and staff while being recognized for their scholastic achievement.

The students who were awarded included all seniors graduating in May or August who achieved a 3.50 or better grade point average while at Kent State University.

Senior organizational communication studies major Arianne Gasser noted that, “I was honored to be invited to the Celebration of Success! Though I am excited to take the steps after graduation in May, I am so thankful for everything that the School of Communication Studies has done for me over the past four years.”

“I enjoyed the opportunity to talk to my professors and the faculty about what I plan to do after graduation. Their guidance along the way has been significant to my success and it was nice to be able to share in celebrating with them”

The School of Communication Studies graduate students will be awarded at their own reception, April 14, 2011.

Emily is a senior applied communication studies major and a marketing assistant in the College of Communication & Information.

CCI invited to Kent State Day at the Ohio Statehouse

 

Last Wednesday, March 16, Kent State University was invited to the Ohio Statehouse to highlight Excellence in Action for Kent State Day at the Statehouse. Approximately 130 faculty, staff and students from all eight campuses joined together to represent KSU.

The College of Communication and Information was invited to display during the “Impact and Innovations Exhibit” which showcased newest advancements from around the University.

Emily Carle, Dawn Burngasser, Dr. Stan Wearden

Dean of CCI Dr. Stan Wearden, Jennifer Kramer, and students Dawn Burngasser and Emily Carle represented CCI with the tags: Innovative, Competitive and Entrepreneurial.

CCI displayed the ScanPath technology used in the Usability Lab through the School of Library and Information Science as well as the newest, award-winning web courses offered at the undergraduate and graduate level in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Dawn Burngasser