Dillard University Degree Programs 2011-2012
Monday, August 22, 2011
Diverse Issues in Higher Education: Maintaining Journalism Tradition, Education at HBCUs
August 9, 2011
by Pearl Stewart
When Gwendolyn Denwiddie graduated from Fisk University in May, her accomplishments exceeded the bachelor’s degree she raised above her head in celebration. Denwiddie had succeeded at something that other Fisk students had been attempting for more than a decade.
She revived The Fisk Forum, a student newspaper that had not been published since 1998.
The English major from Jackson, Tenn., had been determined since her freshman year to restart the paper, and, finally, in her senior year, after watching several other attempts fizzle, she made it happen.
“It was a united effort with the student government association,” Denwiddie says. “I took the position of SGA publications director, and, fortunately, the SGA president was supportive — part of her platform when she ran for office was to bring back the student newspaper.”
So Denwiddie put together a staff and sought the help of a professional, Fisk alumna Nancy DeVille, a reporter with the local paper, The Tennessean. The result was a monthly news magazine, a departure from the erstwhile weekly newspaper, but a publication, nevertheless. “We were only able to get it out monthly, so we couldn’t include real news stories, and we weren’t able to get the website going. That’s the next step for the new editors.”
Denwiddie’s efforts were laudable, given the backdrop of drama taking place at Fisk. President Hazel O’Leary has spent the past five years in a court battle over the historically Black university’s efforts to sell a valuable art collection that was donated to the institution in 1949. Meanwhile, a report by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, an accreditation body, has cited the school for its financial difficulties.
At many HBCUs, students like Denwiddie have invested time and energy into keeping their online and print publications afloat or reviving them from dormancy. In her case, the efforts paid off, but at other schools the results are often less fruitful.
The Meter at Tennessee State was an award-winning weekly just three years ago with a website that was updated frequently for breaking news. This year the print editions were monthly, and the website was down.
“We’re in a transition period right now,” says Meter adviser and Tennessee State assistant professor James Stephens. “It has a lot to do with bodies, just finding students who are interested in working on paper.”
Jaida McKie, a former editor of The Meter, agrees. “We tried to publish weekly, but we weren’t able to because we had such a small staff,” she says.
Stephens says the decline in participation in student media has reflected the decline in print majors at Tennessee State, yet he expects the situation to improve this fall. “We’re moving into our convergence lab this year, and we’re bringing the TV station, radio station and newspaper under the umbrella of student media.”
He is hoping this will solve The Meter’s staffing problems because all mass communication students will be required to rotate through each media operation.
At Jackson State University in Mississippi, The Blue & White Flash former editor-in-chief Vickey Williams experienced similar challenges. She persevered to keep the weekly print edition alive, “even though we didn’t have enough staff to cover events and we had a lack of resources.”
But the online edition didn’t survive. “Our adviser had to post stories online because none of the students wanted to learn how to do it or they didn’t have time,” says Williams, adding that the website has been inactive for 18 months.
Williams was so committed to the paper that after she graduated in December, she returned occasionally as a volunteer to help the staff. As a student, Williams wrote numerous stories, including controversial articles about campus security, but she is concerned about the future of The Flash. “If there isn’t more student interest, I don’t think it will survive,” she says. Williams is enrolled in a master’s program in communication at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
At Langston University in Oklahoma, lack of interest also was a factor in The Gazette’s transition from a weekly to a once-a-semester publication and the demise of the online edition last year.
Former Gazette adviser and journalism professor Chaz Kyser says she required all students in her news writing class to work on the paper, even if they were broadcast majors. “Most of the students said they didn’t want to write — the broadcast students didn’t even want to write scripts — but we always managed to find enough students for the paper.”
Former staff editor Lucia Tayo says Kyser’s departure from the university a year ago adversely affected student media. “She made sure we learned all forms of journalism, and she stressed the importance of writing, even if students didn’t want to write.”
But Tayo says when Kyser left the university did not find another adviser, and when students attempted to publish the paper themselves they were told they had to have an adviser. “No one wanted to be the adviser, so it never got started.” She says the two editions of the paper that were published were not student productions.
Dr. Lisa L. Rollins, chair of the Department of Communication, says students wrote the stories in those editions, but the editing, proofing and layout were done by faculty. “It is our hope that the search committee will find a competent adviser for LU and its students by the close of summer, and then we will be back online and in hard-copy format on a regular basis in the coming academic year,” Rollins says.
Another adviser who has made a difference is Dr. Lona Cobb, a professor of journalism at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. She also has seen an anti-writing attitude among students. “Students are interested in journalism — but not in writing,” Cobb says. “They think they can get jobs on TV and radio without working on their writing skills,” she says in an e-mail message sent from Italy. She has taken five staff members to an international journalism summer program. Like Kyser, she insists that students hone their writing skills.
One of the reasons for the lack of interest in school papers is the perception by some students that the papers are controlled by the administration, the editors say.
At Hampton University, where an infamous showdown between The Script staff and the administration took place in fall 2003, the weekly paper is now produced by an energetic staff without interference — with one exception. They are not allowed to have an online edition. That bothers Talia Buford, the upstart editor who published a story about health code violations in the cafeteria, which led to friction with school administrators.
Since graduating from Hampton in 2004, Buford has worked as a reporter for The Providence Journal and earned a master’s degree from Georgetown. In July she joined Politico’s staff as a reporter covering energy policy for Politico’s subscription-based service PoliticoPro.
Buford recalls that The Script was online in 2004 but the administration put a halt to it.
She says the staff should continue to push. “Students need to learn online skills. Web publishing and producing — that’s what people are getting hired for. It’s important for students to be familiar with that technology.” She also points out that student journalists without online outlets are not learning to cover breaking news.
In the years after Buford’s tenure as editor of The Script, There have been a lot of improvements,” Hampton journalism professor Wayne Dawkins says. “The editors don’t have problems recruiting staff, and there is a lot of energy.”
Dawkins says prospective employers “rave” about his students’ writing but are skeptical about their technological skills because their stories are not available online. “I’m finding other ways to expose students to digital media,” he says, adding that he posts his students’ work on the blog site WordPress.
Dr. Valerie White, a journalism professor at Florida A&M University and chairwoman of the Black College Communication Association, says, “HBCUs need to provide the educational and training tools that students need to be successful in the ever changing journalism industry. And university administrators need to vow not to interfere with journalists as they learn and practice their craft.”
Lewis Smith, journalism instructor at Prairie View A&M University and adviser to The Panther, says, “I’m seeing a decline in the number of students interested in print journalism because of the current state of the industry … they read about the cutbacks.”
So far, however, he says The Panther has continued to attract enough staff to keep its print and online operations going.
Perhaps the best example for student journalists at institutions with struggling or nonexistent media is Denwiddie’s never-give-up approach. “It was a battle sometimes, but the main thing is, we did it.”
Academic Impressions: iPad: Effective Use in the Classroom
October 4, 2011 :: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EDT
Learn how you can integrate iPad technology into your teaching and learning.
The iPad offers endless possibilities for teaching and learning, but that doesn't mean it is always an effective learning tool. A faculty member's purpose for using the iPad is the most significant factor in determining successful use in the classroom.
Join our instructors online as we discuss a framework to help you think about the iPad's potential in your classroom, including:
Exploring iPads
Purposeful uses for learning
Pepperdine's five-step process to help guide faculty members' use of iPads in the classroom
Adding one more step: Assessment
Getting started
Sharing case studies
RELATED WEBCAST
iPad: IT Support Considerations
October 6, 2011 :: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EDT
Learn how you can plan for the adoption and implementation of iPad use on your campus.
BlackAmericaWeb.com: Despite Snags, HBCU Network Plans 2012 Launch
Top-level executives of the upstart HBCU Network and members of the Congressional Black Caucus are slated to convene in Washington later this month in a forum aimed at creating even more buzz for the revolutionary-styled TV network.
Plans still call for the Atlanta-based network to soft launch later this fall, then as a “full fledged 24/7, 365 days a year sports, edutainment and lifestyle network” dedicated to historically black colleges and universities come Black History Month 2012, even though initial plans targeting cable industry giant Comcast as a potential carrier have reportedly hit a snag.
After months and months of exhaustive wrangling with the nation’s largest carrier, talks have stalled amid growing concerns that the first of its kind, all-encompassing network might be passed over by Comcast execs in favor of yet another purely entertainment-themed venture.
But Comcast’s loss could prove to be one of the other MSOs' huge gains, as Clint Evans, HBCU Networks' executive vice president of marketing, said the network is already engaged in talks with other potential carriers.
“Our focus, our commitment and our vision is the same,” said Evans. “We will launch this network and, what’s more, we plan to launch it on schedule.”
If interest alone proves to have any bearing, all Evans’ determination and optimism seems more than justified. Since announcing plans for the network a little more than a year ago, HBCU Network CEO Curtis Symonds says the company has been inundated with calls and emails from students, parents, alumnus and even university presidents chomping at the bit as to what they might be able to do to aid in the fulfillment of what many of them view as one of their own dreams.
And certainly, all the love has not been without reciprocation, as from Day One, Symonds has insisted the network will provide direct financial assistance to all HBCU institutions by providing the 105 institutions a collective 20-percent equity share in the company.
“I’m an HBCU alum myself,” said Symonds, who attended Central State University, “so first and foremost, the idea behind this vision is to preserve and celebrate the African-American colleges and universities, while providing opportunities for their growth and further prosperity. HBCUs are known to be very, very nurturing, and this venture will be no different. Our brand motto is 'Our heritage, our legacy, our channel.' And that’s real.”
So much so, that the likes of fellow HBCU alums and current CBC members James Clyburn of South Carolina (South Carolina State), Elijah Cummings of Maryland (Howard), Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois (North Carolina A &T) and John Lewis of Georgia (Fisk) have had little problem getting on board with advancing the cause, with Lewis having already penned a public letter of support.
With eyes now cast toward their growing future, network execs have also planned a grassroots tour of HBCU college towns early this fall geared toward creating even more buzz.
“The time has more than come for something like this,” said Symonds. “Think about it. Right now, Hampton has the largest NASA program in the country, and North Carolina A&T has one of the best engineering departments in the country. How many of our children know things like that? That’s what this channel will be all about - putting all our varying shades on display, while casting us in our best lights.”
Which leads us back to Comcast, and why the network - or any other one, for that matter - would have any reservations at all about airing the HBCU Network.
“It just doesn’t add up,” said Symonds, a well-respected, life-long industry vet who counts once spearheading the campaign that helped increase BET’s home subscriber base from 18 million to 65 million homes among his many accomplishments.
“Here, you have entertainment channels like TV One and Centric already struggling for survival,” he added, "and you want to add another one at the expense of not only a historical, potentially industry-changing vehicle, but one that also hits upon all the key criteria and demographics that all execs typically salivate over? I mean, what’s the justification or even logic for this?”
But where there’s a will, there can ultimately become a way. And Symonds need look no further than upon the faces of all his trailblazing CBC supporters for added inspiration.
“We’ve really let ourselves down in terms of educating our children on the history of HBCUs,” said Symonds. “This will be something our children can be proud of, a vehicle that can start to change their own minds about just who they are and the great things they’re capable of. How can there not be a thirst for that?”
Jackson Clarion Ledger: University research is a substantial job incubator
By Sid Salter
The results of enrollment growth on the campus of Mississippi State University - and by and large in the rest of the state's higher education and community college system - are tangible and visible.
MSU is dealing with the reality of crossing the 20,000-student threshold this fall. Parking is a challenge. Housing is maxed out on campus and in the private sector. Classes are large. More instructors and graduate assistants are being employed to handle teaching duties both as a means to deal with increasing enrollment and as a budget tool.
It has been observed and correctly so that hard times drive people back to school to gain new skills.
Enrollment at Hinds Community College has increased by 30 percent over the past three years and as Eric Clark, the executive director of the state's community college board told Mississippi Public Broadcasting this week, there are positives and negatives.
"It's a mixed blessing," Clark said. "We're glad that enrollment has boomed because that means we're making more people's lives better, but it's certainly been a challenge because state appropriations have not been able to keep up with enrollment growth."
Despite the best intentions of the Legislature and the state's executive branch leaders, the percentage of funding from state support for higher education in the state has steadily decreased over the last decade while tuition and federal funding increased.
Mississippi universities were beneficiaries of congressionally directed spending or "earmarks" for decades for research and infrastructure spending, but the nation's political climate and the ongoing debate over federal debts and deficits have at best restricted or at worst eliminated that source of funding.
The impact has been for universities to seek to make their research programs that had received earmarks competitive for federal research grants.
But the overall funding impact is substantial, according to National Science Foundation analysis.
In the state's historically black institutions in fiscal year 2009, Jackson State University received $37.3 million in federally financed research expenditures while Alcorn got $10.7 million and Mississippi Valley State got $1.06 million.
In FY 2009, all Mississippi public universities received a total of $255.7 million in federal research spending. The breakdown for the rest of the state's public universities that year was as follows: MSU, 109.2 million; University of Mississippi, $62.1 million; University of Southern Mississippi, $41.5 million.
Conversely in FY 2009, Mississippi state and local governments funded $36.2 million in university research. Private institutions paid for $98 million in Mississippi university research, while private industry paid for $14.5 million.
The correlation between university research and the creation of private sector jobs is obvious and undeniable. When both Nissan and Toyota located auto manufacturing plants in Mississippi, research institutes followed at MSU and at Ole Miss.
The polymer science program at USM is a proven job incubator and the medical research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center creates jobs and saves lives.
The Carnegie Foundation has classified MSU as a "very high research activity university" - the only school in the state with that distinction.
Federal spending on university research has historically been a vital component in funding higher education in Mississippi. The question in the current political climate is whether Mississippi's research institutions can be competitive for federal grants in this new paradigm. The answer is "yes."
In FY 2009, all Mississippi public universities received a total of $255.7 million in federal research spending. The breakdown for the rest of the state's public universities that year was as follows: MSU, 109.2 million; University of Mississippi, $62.1 million; University of Southern Mississippi, $41.5 million.
Conversely in FY 2009, Mississippi state and local governments funded $36.2 million in university research. Private institutions paid for $98 million in Mississippi university research, while private industry paid for $14.5 million.
The correlation between university research and the creation of private sector jobs is obvious and undeniable. When both Nissan and Toyota located auto manufacturing plants in Mississippi, research institutes followed at MSU and at Ole Miss.
The polymer science program at USM is a proven job incubator and the medical research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center creates jobs and saves lives.
The Carnegie Foundation has classified MSU as a "very high research activity university" - the only school in the state with that distinction.
Federal spending on university research has historically been a vital component in funding higher education in Mississippi. The question in the current political climate is whether Mississippi's research institutions can be competitive for federal grants in this new paradigm. The answer is "yes."
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Facebook Success Summit 2011: The Web's Largest Online Facebook Marketing Conference
Fast-track your Facebook marketing success.
Discover how to use Facebook to attract and engage quality customers and quickly grow your business.
Academic Impressions: Using Social Media for Teaching and Learning Webcast
November 7, 2011 :: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. EST
Learn how social media can increase student interactivity, engagement, and learning.
Join us online as we showcase some effective uses of social media that are impactful in student learning. We'll discuss social media approaches that can help you with experiential learning activities, student interactivity and engagement, and developing community and professional networks.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Our expert faculty will share a variety of examples of how social media can be used effectively and share tips and advice on the following:
How to facilitate interactivity and engagement with social media tools
Best practices in using social media including an information guide
Considerations for integrating social media into curriculum
Concerns about privacy in the use of social media
Costs and implementation
Evaluating the impact of social media on student learning
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
This webcast is ideal for faculty, instructional designers and technologists, academic computing services, and student computing services administrators who want to learn how to use social media tools effectively in the classroom.
REGISTER OR PURCHASE A RECORDING
Register online or call 720.488.6800. Want to share this valuable information with your colleagues? Register your institution for a single site connection and an unlimited number of people can participate.
You can also add this event to your training library by purchasing a CD recording of the live webcast and a bound set of the presentation materials. Questions? Call us to help determine if this event is right for you.
ACADEMIC IMPRESSIONS 4643 South Ulster Street, Suite 350, Denver, Colorado 80237
Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc."Fall courses to improve your teaching skills"
Consider enrolling in one of our practical, theory-based graduate courses in pedagogy for higher education.
Preparation for the college classroom involves more than a solid base of knowledge in a discipline; it requires a systematic inquiry into the pedagogies and processes that facilitate learning. The Colleges of Worcester Consortium’s Certificate in College Teaching program is grounded in the latest educational research on best practices in college teaching, and is designed to enhance the teaching and learning experiences for faculty and students at our member institutions. The primary focus of the Certificate is to prepare graduate students, adjunct and full-time faculty who aspire to, or who are currently engaged in, a career in academia. Courses carry Worcester State University graduate credit and may be taken individually or toward completion of the six-credit Certificate. A complete course schedule, full course descriptions, and sample syllabi are available on our website.
FALL 2011 COURSE OFFERINGS:
(All courses carry Worcester State University graduate credit.)
CT 901 - Seminar in College Teaching
(ONLINE) 2 graduate credits; no prerequisites; September 14 - November 1
The Seminar in College Teaching, the first course in the Certificate sequence, is designed to acquaint participants with basic principles and theories of education and instructional practices associated with effective college teaching. These concepts apply across numerous disciplines as the emphasis is on pedagogy, not course content. Learn the basics of college teaching: designing and developing courses, choosing and using a variety of teaching methods, and assessing student work. The foundational course Seminar in College Teaching is a prerequisite for some Certificate courses.
Read what Seminar participants have said about this course!
CT 914 – Learner-Centered Assessment
(HYBRID) 1 graduate credit; CT 901 helpful but not required; September 27 - November 15; Worcester State University and online asynchronous in between class meetings
Students will develop learner-centered intended learning outcomes, devise appropriate classroom assessment techniques, incorporate course assignments/activities that address intended learning outcomes and construct grading rubrics designed to focus on and promote student learning. Prerequisite: CT 901 Seminar in College Teaching suggested but not required.
CT 918 – Developing and Teaching an Online Course
(ONLINE) 1 graduate credit; CT 901 helpful but not required, September 12 - October 28
This course provides an introduction to the theory and practice of online course design and pedagogical practices, and is appropriate for any faculty member interested in teaching a course completely online or who wishes to significantly augment a traditional face-to-face course with online interaction.
CT 933 – Teaching Foreign Languages: Methodology in Practice
(FACE to FACE); 1 graduate credit; no prerequisites; September 12 - November 18; Holy Cross
This course is designed to familiarize participants with theoretical and practical considerations associated with teaching foreign languages. Participants will explore methodology trends from the early 20th century to current communicative approaches including a broad range of alternative methodologies. This course explores ways in which different approaches and methods can be utilized in the foreign language lesson to achieve a rich learning environment for students.
REGISTRATION: Application procedures are described on our website. Follow the appropriate link under "Course Registration" or "Certificate Application Process." When using the online pre-enrollment form (for beginning the registration process) you will have to pay by credit card. Have your card in hand.
TUITION: Tuition for Certificate courses is $299/credit for participants from Colleges of Worcester Consortium member institutions and $479/credit for external participants. In addition, there is a $75/semester pre-enrollment fee. (Because Worcester State University is the CCT program's credentialing host, WSU current students, faculty and staff pay $262/credit.) You must pay for courses at the time of registration, but you may qualify for tuition reimbursement. Consult with your adviser, faculty development center, or HR Department for details about applying for tuition reimbursement before you register for any courses.
Founded in 1968, the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc. is an alliance of 13 public and private colleges in Central Massachusetts that works cooperatively both to further the missions of the member institutions individually and to advance higher education regionally.
For more information about the Certificate in College Teaching program, please visit our website or contact Susan Wyckoff to discuss how this program might meet your needs.
Susan C. Wyckoff, PhD
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc.
484 Main Street - Suite 500, Worcester MA 01608
508.754.6829 www.cowc.org
Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc.
484 Main Street - Suite 500
Worcester
MA
508.754.6829
www.cowc.org
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