The Department of Communication in the news -- we're making headlines!
Zhuojun (Georgie) Fu, a public relations major, has been named International Student Leader of the Year by the Golden Key International Honour Society, the world's premier collegiate honor society. A former president of the SUNY Fredonia Golden Key chapter, Ms. Fu received a $2,000 award. Read more . . .
SUNY Fredonia’s Fredonia Radio Systems has gained national attention following an article in the New York Times. An article focusing on college Internet radio featured Fredonia's all-Internet station, WDVL 89.5, as an example of a college station using social media and other platforms to remain on the cutting edge of college broadcasting. The article followed Jud Heussler, FRS general manager and senior audio/radio production major at Fredonia, through hosting the Buffalo syndicated morning show, "The Morning Inferno," and communicates with listeners to share their ideas via “text” or “Facebook.” Read more . . .
Associate Professor Linda Brigance was selected as a “celebrity reader” for a nationwide reading of the children’s book, “Llama Llama Red Pajama,” that broke a world record on Oct. 6. The Read for the Record campaign was held to draw attention to literacy and broke the world record for the largest number of people (more than 2 million) reading the same book the same day. Reading at the Boys & Girls Club of the Northtowns, Dr. Brigance was one of 66 readers in the Buffalo area who participated in conjunction with Read for Success Buffalo, a nonprofit organization focused on preparing children for school by helping to improve their language and literacy skills from birth through age 5. Research shows that children who start behind in school tend to stay behind leading to poor academic achievement, high dropout rates and often a lifetime of struggle.
Assistant Professor Bond Benton performed on "The Paper Machete" show in Chicago in September. The show has been named “Best Comedy/Variety Show” in Chicago, beating out noted performance groups such as Second City. Dr. Benton performed an essay on popular Chicago wrestler C.M. Punk that lead to broader implications about media and manipulation. The performance was well-received and was later broadcast on WBEZ, one of America’s premier public radio stations. Over 250 people attended the sold-out show, which also featured Julia Sweeney of "Saturday Night Live" and film fame.
Assistant Professor Laura Johnson received the bronze radio award for Best Sound in the Craft and Technique competition at the New York Festival's 2011 World's Best Radio Programs held in New York City. Dr. Johnson, coordinator of SUNY Fredonia's audio/radio production major, won for her sound production in "Lillian," a play about author Lillian Hellman. The NYF awards honor radio programming and promotions in all lengths and formats from radio stations, networks, and independent producers from around the globe.
Faculty from the Department of Communication present in the fall 2011 Arts and Sciences Brown Bag Series, a series of lunchtime talks on new scholarship and creative work. This year's theme is "America: 10 Years Later." Dr. Linda Brigance, associate professor, who proposed this year's theme, will present and moderate the panel "Who Are We and How Did We Get Here?: U.S. Cultural Identity in a Post 9-11 World." Dr. Laura Johnson, assistant professor and coordinator of this year's series, and Dr. Bond Benton, assistant professor, will present on the panel "America: 'The Brand' in a Post 9-11 World." Dr. Tracy Marafiote, assitant professor, will present on the panel "America: The Cost of Conflict." Read more . . .
Assistant Professor Mark Kiyak is directing a documentary on the 20th anniversary of the Great Blue Heron Music Festival, held annually in Sherman, N.Y. Kiyak and a team of SUNY Fredonia students attended this year's festival held on July 1 - 3 to videotape the event. Associate Professor Jane Jackson is producing the documentary. Read more . . .
Dr. Ted Schwalbe, chair of the Department of Communication and coordinator of International Learning, has been named a Distinguished Service Professor by the SUNY Board of Trustees. He is one of only seven faculty members throughout SUNY to receive the designation in 2011. It is the highest honor that the SUNY Board of Trustees can confer to instructional faculty for extraordinary service that extends over many years to their respective campuses, to SUNY and the state. Read more . . .
Faculty from the Department of Communication participated in the 2011 Media Day sponsored by the Western New York Student Press Association. Assistant Professor Elmer Ploetz led a workshop on "Features: Getting the Real Story" and Associate Professor Ann Carden spoke on "Entering the Blogosphere." More than 100 student journalists attended the annual event, hosted at SUNY Fredonia, to attend workshops and meet notable area journalists. The event culminated with an award ceremony recognizing outstanding student journalists for their work at their schools' publications. View the event program here.
Fredonia Radio Systems, SUNY Fredonia's student-run radio station network, has won three awards from the Intercollegiate Broadcasting Systems. The station won for best on-air personality, best event promotion and most creative show. Read more . . .
Students in the public relations major's capstone course are partnering with two nonprofit organizations for their final project. Thirty-three students, mostly seniors, will work throughout the spring semester with CASA of Chautauqua County and the Campus and Community Children's Center to develop public relations campaigns.
Read more . . .
Linda Brigance has been named as one of two Council on International Educational Exchange scholars at SUNY Fredonia. She was chosen from a number of applicants to attend a CIEE international faculty development seminar next summer; the program is sponsored by SUNY Fredonia's vice president of academic affairs and administered by the coordinator of international learning. Dr. Brigance will attend the seminar “Ruin and Revival: History, Modern Memory, and Identity” that will take place in Poland and Germany. She hopes to use the seminar to further her exploration and analysis of the rhetoric of public history. She currently teaches a course in rhetoric and also plans on developing a course for SUNY Fredonia's Honors Program.
A former U.S. State Department employee is the newest faculty member in the Department of Communication. Bond Benton has resided in Austria for the past six years and will teach public relations at SUNY Fredonia. Read more . . .
The prestigious Princeton Review is shining the spotlight on the Department of Communication in its "2011 Best Colleges: Best of the Northeast." SUNY Fredonia is one of 218 institutions The Princeton Review recommends in its latest edition. Its profile on SUNY Fredonia mentions the university's "great degree programs" in "education, theatre, and communications." Read more . . .
Two Department of Communication students have received the top scholarships presented by two regional professional organizations. Phil Ginley, a double major in video production and public relations, was selected as a winner of the 2010 Don Nichols Scholarship sponsored by the Advertising Club of Buffalo. Applicants were asked to express their thoughts on how a disaster can impact society and civilization. Ginley's short film, "Stretched Pennies: An American Tale," was created for an experimental video class and submitted to the competition; it can be viewed on YouTube. Emily Bird, a public relations major, was selected as the recipient of the May C. Randazzo Memorial Scholarship presented by the Buffalo Niagara chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic achievement and campus/community involvement. Both scholarships are worth $1,000.
Associate professor Ann Carden has released the third edition of her textbook on public relations writing. Co-written with Joseph Zappala of Cornell University, Public Relations Writing Worktext: A Practical Guide for the Profession was released in September 2009 by Routledge publishers. Shortly after its release, the book was named by MyMediaInfo.com to a top 10 list of "must have" books for the public relations profession.
SUNY Fredonia's PR seniors are getting real-life experience by partnering with two nonprofit organizations to create strategic public relations plans. Read more . . .
"Grey's Anatomy." MTV. "Law and Order." PBS. Broadway. Those are just a few of the places our video production alumni are working. Read more . . .
Mark Kiyak, winner of two EMMY awards, is the newest member of the video production faculty. Read more . . .
Recent communication alumnus John Machowiak Jr. was recognized by the chancellor of the SUNY system at graduation. He was one of four SUNY Fredonia students to receive the 2009 Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence. The award is given to students who have demonstrated their abilities to integrate academic excellence with accomplishments in the areas of leadership, athltics, creative or performing arts, and community service. Read more . . .
The Leader, SUNY Fredonia's student-run newspaper that is co-advised by Assistant Professor of Communication Elmer Ploetz, has received two awards from the New York Press Association. Read more . . .
SUNY Fredonia Communication Department chair Ted Schwalbe (left) and Associate Professor Ann Carden were guests lecturers at Izmir University of Economics in Turkey in March. The university, located in Izmir on the Aegean Sea, has partnered with SUNY Fredonia to develop a dual degree program in public relations. Under the program, IUE students will spend their sophomore and senior years at SUNY Fredonia stuying public relations.
SUNY Fredonia Communication Department faculty members Nefin Dinc (left) and Ted Schwalbe (right) are heading the Youth Filmmaking Project in Turkey. Turkish students in six cities are being trained to use digital video to create films about important social issues in their country as part of an 18-month project that is being funded by the U.S. Department of State. Read more . . .
SUNY Fredonia Associate Professor of Communication Ann Carden, APR, has been named by The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to its College of Fellows. This is the highest distinction offered by PRSA, the world’s largest organization of public relations professionals, with more than 22,000 members and 109 chapters. Read more . . .