Jargon Fall 2013

fall 2013 | Volume lXXIV | Issue 1

Landscape change Excellence in Action

Kent State University School of Journalism & Mass Communication 204 Franklin Hall, P.O. BOX 5190, Kent, OH 44242

Phone: 330-672-2572 | Fax: 330-672-4064 | E-mail: [email protected] JARGON is also available online at www.kent.edu/jmc.

m a n a g i n g e d i t o r / Stephanie daneS Smith

a r t d i r e c t o r / Jennifer KeSSen

p h o t o e d i t o r / melinda Yoho

p r o d u c t i o n m a n a g e r / Katie BarneS

03 Director’s Note

jmc news04 National Awards

Recapping JMC’s most successful year ever

05 New FacultyNew colleagues strengthen focus on research, multimedia

06 Taylor AwardRoe captures top alum honor

07 Fast Track AwardsTwo early achievers make their marks

08 Student Success WeekCelebration, recognition and free food

digital landscape change10 JMC’s New Website

www.kent.edu/jmc breaks new ground

physical landscape change12 University Esplanade Extension

Franklin Hall gains new prominence

learning landscape change14 Campus Lifeline

Shedding light on college suicide

15 Career-Launch SupportButte leads JMC career services

16 Diversity Speaker SeriesAcclaimed photo editor visits JMC

global landscape change17 JMC Journeys Abroad

Spring in Brazil and London

alumni profiles20 Luis Sanchez Saturno

‘One-man show’

21 Alisha WilliamsDesigning America’s favorite weekly

faculty & alumni news22 Mother, Mentor, Muse

Marquis to Retire in December

23 Faculty and Alumni News

24 Come Home AgainJMC to celebrate Homecoming

contentsFall 2013

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non the CoVer: The front cover photograph of Franklin Hall, as well as the photos on page 3 and the back cover, was taken by President Lester A. Lefton in July 2013 exclusively for JARGON.

direCtor’S note

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Change is the theme of this edition of JARGON. If you ascend the steps of Franklin Hall, you will notice significant changes to your School. If you have not been to campus in the last couple of years, you would be amazed.

The physical landscape change to downtown Kent as well as the new University Esplanade extension that connects campus with downtown has made Franklin Hall the gateway to the University (see the article on page 12).

The digital landscape change is highlighted by our new website, www.kent.edu/jmc. The site launched on July 1, 2013, and is a significant improvement for JMC (see the details on page 10). It was built to be responsive to any screen, and is now regarded as a model for website development across

campus. You can read JARGON right on your laptop, tablet or cell phone on the website.

The global landscape change has included a new course in which students traveled thousands of miles to study, research, write and report in London and Brazil (see pages 17-19).

The learning landscape has changed in JMC as well. We welcomed two faculty in new positions. Federico Subervi, one of the most respected scholars of Latinos in the media and diversity issues, joined JMC as Professor. Susan Zake has transitioned to Assistant Professor of Journalism, where she can better utilize her talents in multimedia. Learn more about both faculty members on page 5.

steps to changeThe only thing constant is change.” Those words by the Greek philosopher, Heraclitus,

around 500 B.C.E. (some give credit to the 17th century French classical author, Francois de la Rochefoucauld), accurately describe both the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and Kent State University of today.

Our students also help expand the learning landscape in remarkable ways, including through multidisciplinary projects like the nationally recognized Campus Lifeline: A Student Report on College Suicide (see page 14).

And this brings us to the “constants” of our School.

Our faculty—who work diligently to educate students and to further their research and creative production.

Our staff—who are tireless in their pursuit of serving our students (both future and current) and alumni better than any program anywhere.

Our students—who continue to amaze with their dedication to succeed and set new standards of excellence.

What a great time to be in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication! I invite you to become part of the tremendous change in our School through contributing financially to our scholarship fund or serving in other ways.

Finally, I want to thank President Lester Lefton for contributing the images you see on the cover as well as on this page and page 24. His vision for this University has helped our School move forward. And, as Dr. Lefton enters his final year leading this great University, we can once again be assured that Heraclitus was right.

Thor Wasbotten Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication

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News of JMC awards is regularly updated on www.kent.edu/jmc.

after a Strong Start in intercollegiate journalism award programs (detailed in Spring 2013 JARGON ), the 2012-2013 academic year came to a remarkably successful conclusion, with JMC students having their most successful year ever in national competitions. Our major awards include:

William R. HeaRst Foundation’s JouRnalism aWaRds PRogRamJMC finished in eighth place overall in the national Hearst awards championship, our highest ranking ever in overall Hearst competition. JMC also earned seventh place in both the photojournalism and multimedia categories.

The Hearst competition, often called the “the Pulitzers of college journalism,” is open to 106 accredited schools of journalism across the country and draws more than 1,000 entries.

With these placements in the top 10, JMC earned three Hearst medallions.

Public Relations student society oF ameRica (PRssa) aWaRds JMC public relations students finished in second place in the national prSSa 2013 Bateman Case Study Competition. The Kent State “Blue Team” (KSU Blue), consisting of five seniors, topped 66 college teams from across the country that submitted entries. Eighty teams originally entered the competition. Each year, the Bateman Case Study Competition calls for PRSSa college chapter teams to research,

plan, implement and evaluate a public relations campaign. This year’s case study involved childhood bullying.

society oF PRoFessional JouRnalistsJMC earned 24 top placements in 19 categories of the region 4 “Mark of Excellence” awards – the highest number of winners among entrants in our region, which consists of Michigan, Ohio and parts of Western Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh.

oHio neWs PHotogRaPHeRs association Our Photojournalism program had its most award-winning year in the last 30 years. adding to the winning streak were impressive regional successes in the ohio news photographers association competition, where JMC student photojournalists and photojournalism instructors won 12 awards. Senior photojournalism major Chelsie Corso won “best of show” and first place in the feature category; Hannah Potes, ’13, won the larry Fullerton Photojournalism Scholarship; Potes and senior visual journalism major Coty Giannelli placed second and third, respectively, in the Student Photographer of the Year competition; and senior magazine journalism major Alexis Pfeifer placed first in the pictorial category.

collegiate eFFie aWaRds In our first year of entry, a team of JMC advertising students finished in the top 10 for the MINI (Cooper) USa Brand Challenge of the Collegiate Effie awards. The competition gives undergraduate students a chance to create comprehensive marketing communication cases addressing real-world marketing challenges.

ameRican society oF magazine editoRs 2013 magazine inteRnsHiP PRogRamJMC senior news major Kelli Fitzpatrick was selected for a summer internship at Reader’s Digest magazine in New York City; only 10 percent of applicants are selected for this highly competitive program.

Student placements in these prestigious national award competitions were celebrated at an award ceremony during JMC’s first Student Success week (page 9).

a highlight of the evening was a video tribute from CNN anchor and JMC alumna Carol Costello, who commended students for their achievements and their passion for storytelling. “Your work ethic will carry you forward,” she said.

our championship season JMC Posts Historic Year in Student Awards

JMC won a record

three Hearst medallions

in 2013.

photo/ Melinda Yoho

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photo/ Melinda Yoho

SuSan KirKman ZaKe is a new assistant professor of journalism. Her selection will help JMC move forward with its multimedia curriculum.

Zake has a notable tenure with JMC, serving as the first Web adviser for KentNewsNet at its launch in Fall 2007, and guiding it through its evolution as KentWired.com in Spring 2010. She currently serves as the adviser to the award-winning student newsroom, where she works with the Daily Kent Stater, KentWired.com, TV2 and an array of niche websites and mobile apps.

She teaches all aspects of newsroom production and management, with particular emphasis on the integration of digital and mobile news platforms, multimedia and social media. She also teaches photojournalism, multimedia storytelling and Web programming for multimedia journalists.

Zake is the former managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, she worked as an assignment editor, picture editor, graphics editor, assistant metro editor and assistant managing editor.

The recipient of numerous awards for her photojournalist images, Zake also shares in three Pulitzer Prize team awards: for coverage of the attempted takeover of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.; for “a Question of Color,” which examined local attitudes toward race; and for coverage of Hurricane Katrina as part of a Knight Ridder editing team working for the Biloxi Sun Herald.

jmc names two new faculty membersSharpening our focus on research and multimedia journalism with two new faculty appointments.

federiCo SuBerVi, ph.d., an internationally respected researcher on latino media and audiences and a media consultant and scholar, joins JMC as a full professor.

Subervi’s distinguished academic appointments include serving as professor and director of the Center for

the Study of latino Media & Markets at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University-San Marcos (2005-2013); professor and chair of the Department of Communication Studies at Pace University (2002-2003); associate professor and graduate advisor, Department of Radio-TV-Film, University of Texas at austin (1992-2002); and visiting assistant researcher and director of the Spanish language Communication Project at the Center for Chicano Studies,

University of California at Santa Barbara (1989-90).

a native of Puerto Rico, Subervi has taught internationally as a visiting professor at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil; at Zeppelin University in Germany; at The amsterdam School of Communications Research at the University of amsterdam; at the Universidade Metodista de Sao Paolo, Brazil; and at Universidad Diego Portales in Chile. He also served as UNESCO professor at the Universidade Metodista de Sao Paolo, Brazil.

His recent media consulting ranges from The National association of Hispanic Journalists and the Spanish Broadcasting System, to the PBS series “The Misadventures of Maya & Miguel” and Nickelodeon’s “Dora the Explorer.” He is also the past chairman of the board of directors of Latinitas, Inc., a web-based magazine and organization dedicated to empowering latina youth via media and technology.

Subervi was the editor and an author of The Mass Media and Latino Politics: Studies of U.S. Media Content, Campaign Strategies and Survey Research: 1984-2004.

Our newest cOlleagues help JMc strengthen twO critically iMpOrtant areas in diversity issues and MultiMedia.”– jmc director thor wasbotten

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photo/ Alex Garcia, Chicago Tribune

during hiS firSt weeKend on CampuS in 1978, Sam Roe, ’83, walked through Taylor Hall one evening looking for his classrooms, and he noticed a plaque in a glass case.

“As I looked at the plaque in that case, I noticed it contained the names of the winners of the William Taylor Award,” Roe said. “Seeing those names was awe-inspiring. As a new student standing in some darkened hallway, I felt excited, yet intimidated and scared. Winning that award was a bar I saw as aiming high. I would trade my Pulitzer for it.”

Fast-forward 35 years, and Roe is the 2013 recipient of the William D. Taylor Award. The award is JMC’s highest alumni honor. Roe will be honored during JMC’s Taylor Award ceremony on Oct. 4.

An investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune, Roe won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 2008 and was a finalist three other times—2000, 2011 and 2013.

Roe’s journalism days began in high school.

“Seeing my name and work in print was a real thrill,” he said. “Things were different back then. Today kids can blog and post things online. Back then, the school paper was their only chance.”

He chose JMC because of the School’s reputation for excellence. He cited numerous professors who inspired him—Evan Smith, Bruce Larrick, Judy Myrick, Fred Endres and Joe Harper.

Roe rose through the ranks of student media and served as editor of the Daily Kent Stater for a semester during his senior year. He credited his fellow staffers with teaching him the value of hard work and determination.

“Some of the staffers worked on fumes to get their jobs done and to maintain their other responsibilities to class and outside activities. I was

inspired to be surrounded by folks with such a high degree of work ethic.”

Stater experiences cemented for Roe the importance of perseverance. Following graduation, he worked as a copy editor for a paper in Elyria, Ohio. After that, he joined The (Toledo) Blade as a copy editor and was then moved to the investigative desk about a year later. In 2000, he moved to the Chicago Tribune.

Roe, along with a team of reporters from the Tribune, won the Pulitzer in 2008 for a package of stories about unsafe children’s products, including toys containing illegal amounts of lead.

One of the projects he’s most proud of occurred while he worked at The Blade. Roe received a tip from a former factory worker at a beryllium plant that helped make Cold War-era weapons. The tipster noted so many of his colleagues were either severely ill or dying from exposure to the toxic metal. Following the paper’s two-year investigation, the Department of Energy created a national compensation plan worth $8 billion for those affected by beryllium disease and related illnesses.

Roe stressed that such outcomes in the public interest should be the goal of every investigative journalist.

“The biggest thing to consider when deciding whether a story is worthy is, ‘Will the reporting change things in society for the better?’”

Roe described the best investigative reports as a trifecta—they must be hard-hitting, true and fair. Those core characteristics remain relevant even though technologies change.

Roe encouraged students to remember that the “nuts and bolts” of learning the profession will remain the same for years to come. He said this starts with reading and absorbing good journalism.

“In all of your reporting, aim high,” he said. “Don’t just do the greatest story you could do about a certain topic. Do the greatest story that’s ever been done about that topic. Aspire to do public service journalism that makes the world a better place.”

winning the taylOr

award was a bar i saw as aiMing high. i wOuld trade My pulitzer

fOr it.”

sam roe named 2013 taylor award winnerby trevor ivan, ’07 and ’13

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when it ComeS to entertainment, it may be difficult to know when a broadcast journalist has “made it” in the industry. Has he made it when actress Bette Midler can recount the details of his Central Park wedding? Has he made it when R&B artist Ne-Yo knows his daughter by name?

Shannon Lanier, knows these and other celebrities personally thanks to his work in New York television.

After graduating in 2003 with a

master’s degree in media production and media management, Lanier moved to New York to live with his future wife Chandra (Phillips), ’02.

“When I came to New York, I didn’t have a job,” Lanier said. “It was a leap of faith.” By chance, Lanier met the president of CBS and was invited to interview with the network. A week later, he broke into the New York broadcasting scene as a producer at CBS.

Lanier kept climbing, aspiring to work in entertainment news where he could interact with celebrities on a daily basis.

“I knew I was going to be doing something big. I just didn’t know what or how,” Lanier said.

After working as a reporter for “Verizon Fios 1 News” and a national correspondent and senior producer of “Black Enterprise,” Lanier settled into a job at “Arise Entertainment 360,” an international entertainment show.

Lanier will soon be featured on Style Network’s upcoming unscripted docu-series “Power House,” where realtors sell multi-million dollar properties to celebrities.

Lanier said his JMC education helped prepare him for the multifaceted world of broadcast. “I was able to do a lot of different things within my industry,” Lanier said. “I got to do documentaries, I got to edit, I got to shoot. Kent prepared me for the multifaceted, multimedia world I live in. All the skills I learned I was able to put to use.”

Lanier is thrilled to be returning for JMC’s Homecoming celebration. “I’m truly honored, and I want to thank JMC for having a ceremony that honors alumni,” Lanier said.

– by meghan caprez

For Jenn Yokley, corporate communications manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena (The Q), the first steps on the fast track were

planted before graduation. As a senior PR major, she realized that she wanted to be involved in sports and entertainment, so she began taking sports management classes to sharpen her skills. In September 2010, she landed a job as a corporate communications assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “It was an entry-level job, and I was happy to get it,” she recalled.

Yokley’s passion for arena promotion and her social media savvy quickly propelled her forward. Within two months, she was running all of The Q’s social media accounts. “I learned a lot about social media at JMC, and my ability to build online engagement strategies helped me make my mark quickly with the Cavaliers.”

Within four months, Yokley was promoted to corporate communications coordinator, managing promotion for many events at The Q, working with concert promoters, arranging interviews with media outlets and building online communities of interest.

In June 2012, Yokley was promoted to her current management role. “It’s been a crazy, amazing three years,” she said. Indeed. In that short time span, she has grown the Quicken Loans Arena social media accounts by more than 70 percent and implemented public relations programs that have given The Q a strong sense of brand affinity across the community.

Yokley credits JMC for positioning her for success. “I always talk about JMC and about professors Bill Sledzik and Michele Ewing. They required me to give 100 percent. They challenged me to be a stronger writer, and that really matters.” She also values her JMC co-curricular experiences. “The Bateman and PR Campaigns classes changed my life. They opened my eyes to what PR really is, taking me from textbook to reality.”

Like the Fast Trackers before her, Yokley is committed to helping current JMC students prepare for their professional transitions. “My advice is simple: intern early and often. Learn to get along with everyone, and develop an understanding of how organizations work. Speak up with confidence when you have an idea. And be brave!”

two ‘early achievers’ to receive fast track awardsJMC alumni Shannon Lanier, ’03, and Jenn Yokley, ’10, are the 2013 Fast Track Award winners for early and significant achievements in their fields.

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What does student success look like?

At JMC, it looks like a hotel ballroom filled with students and prospective employers, networking for hours. Or, like students enjoying dinner and conversation with generous scholarship donors. Or, like faculty and students celebrating national awards. Or, like scores of hungry students, lured into the Franklin Hall lobby by free donuts and pizza. (And yes, free food tastes better, just like it did when you were in college.)

All these activities were part of JMC’s first Student Success Week (SSW), which marked the end of the Spring semester. The week recognized the hard work and achievements of our students. Highlights included:

CCI JobExpo2013

The College of Communication and Information’s (CCI) first job and internship fair designed specifically for junior and senior communication majors was held at The Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland. More than 70 CCI undergraduate students met with 50 industry

professionals who represented 25 top firms, including advertising, PR and marketing agencies; TV and radio stations; newspapers and magazines; healthcare organizations, banks and corporations; and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Cleveland Cavaliers. Several JMC students were invited for follow-up interviews, and at least three students were hired for paid internships or post-graduation jobs.

The Expo was organized by John Butte, JMC’s new coordinator for Career Services (see profile on page 15), and met with terrific reaction from participants. “As job fairs go, this one was exceptional for what we need. The narrow focus on communication and media is fantastic!” said Susan Pace of WJW Fox 8.

Students also gained valuable insights. “I learned how to show myself in the best light, and I learned different ways to make my resume stand out,” said Matt Orszag, senior PR major.

FrEE Donut anD pIzza Day

Twenty (baker’s) dozen donuts and 40 pizzas fed a crowd of JMC students, faculty and staff who found

left/ JobExpo2013 attracted 25 top media and communication employers, including the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Celebration, recognition ... and free food

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their way to the Franklin Hall lobby for a morning and afternoon of free food and great conversation. The carbo-loading helped fuel students as they headed into finals week and gave everyone in Franklin Hall a terrific excuse for unwinding.

2012-2013 StuDEnt awarD CErEmony

Celebrating JMC’s most successful year ever in national journalism and communication competitions was the order of the evening for the 47 students who won, placed or were nominated for the most prestigious national competitions. Faculty and staff joined in the celebration (see page 4).

Kappa tau alpha natIonal InDuCtIon CErEmony

Twenty top juniors and seniors were inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha (KTA), the national honor society for journalism and mass communication, and

Estee Chase-Hodge, ’13, was honored as JMC’s top scholar for 2013 at another SSW recognition event. Former JMC director and professor Jeff Fruit, a KTA member and JMC’s KTA adviser (see also page 23), congratulated students on being inducted into “an exclusive club that sends a good signal to future employers.” JMC pays the entrance fee for every student inducted into KTA, and students are inducted as lifetime members.

SCholarShIp anD awarDS DInnEr

Fifty-one JMC students won a record-setting $64,000 in endowed scholarship and gifts and were honored at JMC’s Scholarship and Awards dinner, where they spent the evening with the donors who made their gifts possible, including JMC alumni, faculty, parents and siblings of former JMC students, members of the media and communication industries and JMC’s Professional Advisory Board.


Director Thor Wasbotten announced two new endowed scholarships at the Scholarship and awards dinner in May, nearly doubling JMC’s scholarship and gift fund.

Two New Scholarships Announced

The College of CommuniCaTion and informaTion (CCi) STudy abroad award, established by CCI associate Dean Dr. LuEtt Hanson and JMC professor Gary Hanson, will support a student who will be studying abroad. Preference will be given to the student who has never been overseas prior to their study abroad experience, has demonstrated financial need and is a CCI student in good standing. For the past three years, the Hansons have led students on international storytelling expeditions, most recently to Brazil, and the new scholarship will enable more students to study abroad (see page 17).

This is not the first scholarship the Hansons have established. For the past six years, they have generously endowed a scholarship in memory of their fathers, lloyd W. Hanson and Harvey E. Rahn, which so far has supported five promising JMC students.

The Carol CoSTello SCholarShip, established by JMC alumna Carol Costello and her husband, Dr. Timothy Law Snyder, will support the scholarship of an incoming, full-time, first-year student who has demonstrated financial need and a minimum weighted GPa of 3.5. First preference among recipients will be given to a JMC applicant from Minerva High School in Minerva, Ohio, Costello’s alma mater. Second preference will be given to a JMC applicant who is a resident of Stark, lucas or Carroll

counties. Final preference will be given to a student applying to KSU in any major who is a graduate of Minerva High School.

In a videotaped message from CNN Headquarters in atlanta, Costello told students and donors about her background as a financially strapped student from Minerva. Being able to earn a degree with the help of

others inspired Costello and Dr. Snyder to endow a fund for students “who yearn to attend Kent State but are struggling financially.”

JMC offers many giving opportunities, and donors have great flexibility in determining the best method of giving. Every gift is an investment in the future of our students. Learn more about giving opportunities by contacting Christine Isenberg at [email protected] at 330-672-2767.

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a quiCK ViSit to the new Site will immediately reveal our vibrant new look – a distinct visual change from our former site. But the change is more than a makeover. JMC’s new site is the first website within Kent State’s content management system to use responsive design, allowing the site to conform automatically to all types of browsers and screens — desktops, laptops, tablets, smart phones or other mobile devices.

“Re-imagining and redesigning our website has been a significant undertaking, and it is significantly important to our future,” said JMC Director Thor Wasbotten. “We knew that

we needed to give our current and future students a better online experience — one where they clearly see themselves, their work and their future possibilities. Our students are mobile and want Web content that allows for easy browsing, no matter what platform they use. We also recognize that the website is a natural extension of our brand. It needs to represent what makes JMC distinctive, important and successful. I am pleased that the new website addresses these needs.”

“The new JMC website sets the stage for other Kent State websites through the use of responsive architecture and

high-quality graphics, making content available to all users, regardless of their choice of devices,” said Chris Hallahan, ’08, the interactive designer and developer for UCM.

The research, design and development of the site was a seven-month collaboration involving IdeaBase (the student-run integrated marketing and communication firm formerly known as The Tannery), University Communications and Marketing (UCM), the Information Services Web Presence Team and JMC’s Marketing and Media Committee.

Extensive research — which included focus groups, depth

digital landSCape Change

he physical landscape surrounding Franklin Hall is changing in exciting ways, with the opening of the University Esplanade Extension. Now, JMC is changing its digital landscape, with the launch of www.kent.edu/jmc, our new website.

charting new digital terrainJMC Launches www.kent.edu/jmc

image/ IdeaBase


interviews and surveys of current and future students, faculty, staff and alumni, as well as usability testing — provided invaluable insight into how students use our website, as well as a clear blueprint for improvements. Research also reinforced the importance of our three brand pillars: respected, relevant and real. As a result, these brand attributes help shape the content and navigation of the new site.

The new site is being launched in phases. Phase I, which launched in July, contains several changes and improvements designed to meet the specific needs of our users — current and future students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, donors, prospective employers and friends.

VISual pop.

The new site features larger, higher-resolution photos that fill display screens regardless of the size of the viewing device. The net effect is immersive — users are drawn into the site from their first browse. The new site also will promote more use of video and multimedia, the tools driving the communication industry today.

StuDEnt-CEntErED ContEnt.

For the first time, the JMC site has pages devoted to future students, as well as enhanced pages for student media, student organizations and the overall student experience at JMC. The future careers section helps students understand the broad range of career opportunities available to those who graduate with JMC degrees.

Current students expressed frustration with outdated or inaccurate curriculum information,

so the new site links directly to Kent State’s Graduation Planning System (GPS), allowing changes to curriculum or graduation requirements to be updated immediately. The student work gallery — a rotating showcase of the best of print and multimedia work — helps students build their brands and enables prospective employers to see the quality of student performance. And the new site offers expanded alumni content, as well, with alumni profiles, alumni award winners and online access to JARGON.

SlEEKEr, SImplEr naVIgatIon.

JMC users will benefit from global navigation that has the same look and feel as other Kent State sites, and local navigation that meets the specific needs of JMC users. Intuitive cross-links help users find content from multiple access points. The new site also links to JMC’s social media outlets, including Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.

bEttEr SEarCh toolS.

JMC content can be accessed via search from any Kent State site. The old JMC website had a standalone search capability that was not integrated with the rest of the university.

FaStEr, EaSIEr upDatES.

Breaking news and content changes can be added quickly through the efficiency of Kent State’s content management system. With the old site, changing or refreshing content required coding knowledge and could take extra time to update. Additionally, JMC news will be tied into the University’s Web news system, making content sharing easier.

grEatEr branD authEntICIty.

Students told us they wanted to see the website reflect JMC’s national and international achievements, so the “Respected” section prominently features JMC awards, honors and industry leaders. JMC’s relevance is reflected in pages that feature student media and other co-curricular learning opportunities. And the site demonstrates the real-life experiences JMC offers by emphasizing internships and career opportunities.

“The site’s new features offer something for everyone and better portray the Kent JMC brand to prospective students. Also, being part of the University’s overall Web presence provides our School with access to analytics and other website improvement tools so we can continue to evaluate what’s working and address what’s not,” said professor Stefanie Moore, a member of JMC’s Marketing and Media Committee who helped develop content, provided social media integration and served as a liaison between JMC, IdeaBase and UCM.

“We were excited to be part of the research, design and implementation of a visually appealing site created with the end user in mind and to work with JMC, the creative designers of IdeaBase and UCM,” said Kristin Dowling, business development manager of IdeaBase.

Later phases of website development will include new FAQ and calendar features, a new internship site and new career-prep tutorials.

image/ IdeaBase

For user convenience, traffic to the old JMC website will be automatically redirected to the new site.

redesigning Our website has been a significant undertaking, and it is significantly iMpOrtant tO Our future.”

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landscape changeEsplanade Extension Gives New Prominence to Franklin Hall

The most significant landscape change for JMC since our move to Franklin Hall in 2007 unfolded this summer, with the opening of the Kent State University Esplanade extension, a $3.4 million project that now links the Kent State campus and Kent’s newly revitalized downtown business district. The extension expands the western edge of campus and gives new prominence to Franklin Hall and the other university buildings that line Hilltop Drive.

// The emergence of The UniversiTy esplanade exTension: november 2012 To aUgUsT 2013.


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landSCape Change

left/ What a difference a year makes in the landscape surrounding Franklin Hall. JMC students, faculty and staff enjoyed front-row seats to the construction and its impressive aftermath, as these photos demonstrate.

the original uniVerSitY eSplanade threads across campus, ending at Hilltop Drive. With the new extension, the walkway now goes beyond Hilltop, crosses Lincoln and Willow streets, and flows seamlessly into downtown, ending in a large oval green on the eastern side of Haymaker Parkway, near the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The extension brings downtown into clear view from Franklin Hall’s yard. It also provides students, residents and visitors a spacious, tree-lined path for walking, running and biking. Best of all, the extended University Esplanade brings Franklin Hall a new centrality on the university landscape: It will be one of the first buildings visitors and pedestrians see as they take the easy walk from downtown toward campus.

The extension is the result of six years of planning and construction — and more than 20 years of envisioning a stronger physical connection between campus and downtown Kent.

Adding to the boulevard appeal of the University Esplanade extension is a park-like setting with new lighting and benches, as well as a prominent brick and stone archway that marks the point of entry onto the Kent Campus. Eventually, the University Esplanade will include the new Poetry Park, part of Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center, which will feature outdoor exhibits and an amphitheater; and a new building for the College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

The University Esplanade extension opened after the new Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center on South Depeyster Street and PARTA’s new Kent Central Gateway multimodal transit center, the hub for PARTA buses and its parking garage.

The University Esplanade is more than a physical link between campus and town; it is a symbol of the successful partnership between the University, the city of Kent, the state of Ohio and partners

like the Akron Metro Area Transportation Study. The partnership has regenerated downtown Kent by attracting scores of new restaurants and retail outlets, new apartments, the development of Acorn Alley and Acorn Corner and the new buildings for Davey Tree and AMETEK.

These changes are part of the University’s transformational “Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future” campaign, which is constructing and refurbishing buildings across many Kent State campuses to create a state-of- the-art academic environment, according to Michael Bruder, executive director, Kent State Facilities, Planning and Design, who worked on both the Franklin Hall refurbishment and the University Esplanade extension.

“In the 1990s the university set a goal of preserving and rehabilitating the original campus buildings along Hilltop Drive by its centennial celebration in 2010. Franklin Hall was the final piece of that ambitious plan and is an exceptional example of historic preservation architecture combined with state-of-the-art technology,” says Bruder. “The completion of the University Esplanade not only strengthens our campus connection to downtown Kent, it also reinforces the prominence of Franklin Hall as part of our historic front campus.”

Bruder is not alone in recognizing the connection between Franklin Hall and the new University Esplanade extension. “From Franklin Hall, we’ve watched the University Esplanade extension take shape over the last several months, so we feel a vital connection to this project and all that it represents,” said Thor Wasbotten, JMC’s director. “We see it as another asset that draws the interest of prospective students and parents and adds to the appeal of campus for all students, faculty, staff and visitors. The extension of the Esplanade literally begins in our yard — starting just beyond the StarSphere 2010 sculpture that represents our mission. It also allows us to link to the downtown in important ways.”

Wasbotten says that the best way to understand the impact of the University Esplanade extension is to experience the University Esplanade extension. “We hope our alumni will return for our Homecoming celebration on Oct. 4 and 5 to see these amazing changes for themselves,” he said.

“the extensiOn Of the esplanade literally begins in Our yard.”

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wentY-one StudentS from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the School of Digital Sciences spent spring semester learning how the endless possibilities of multimedia journalism could help them report on a serious and sensitive subject: college suicide.

The result of their inquiry was Campus Lifeline: A Report on College Suicide, the first comprehensive, journalistic exploration of suicide undertaken by Kent State University students. The project has been honored with a prestigious national award: The Associated Press Media Editors’ (APME) Innovator of the Year for College Students.

While JMC student journalists conceived, researched and wrote stories, programming and design students developed the look, feel and functionality of the website, www.campuslifeline.com. Their collaboration was part of JMC’s Web Programming for Multimedia Journalism course, which is co-taught by instructors in the schools of Journalism and Mass Communication and Digital Sciences each spring.

While working on the site, students spoke to leading experts on suicide to learn how to approach the topic. They learned that it was important to not talk about suicide casually or sensationally.

The site contains data-driven articles, feature stories and interactive raphics. Students produced video stories from the first-ever American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Out of Darkness Walk on campus and told the story of one student who took his life at Kent State. They augmented personal stories with deeper coverage, such as a timeline that shows experts have been concerned about college students committing suicide as far back as the 1930s.

During the course of gathering data from four-year universities in Ohio, students quickly found out that many university and police reports on suicides were unclear.

Students found that there is no standard way for city or campus police to report if someone has attempted suicide, and news organizations are usually hesitant to report on these cases because suicide remains

a sensitive, misunderstood and stigmatized subject.

Campus Lifeline sought to address these issues through original, in-depth reporting and storytelling.

The site also tackles issues associated with suicide and explored the struggles of at-risk groups, such as international students dealing with being far away from family and friends and veterans who are re-adjusting to civilian life while attending college. Campus Lifeline also explores the role of social media as both an aid and threat to suicide prevention and offers recommendations on reducing

suicides and improving the overall mental health of college students.

The Campus Lifeline website was fully operational on deadline in early May with the help of JMC professors Jacqueline Marino and Susan Zake and senior media specialist Joshua Talbott.

Students left the class with first-hand experience in progressive, web-based journalism. “I’ve worked on many journalism projects in my four years at Kent State, but none have given me the sense of fulfillment that Campus Lifeline did,” said Kelsey Misbrener, ’13. “I signed up for the class to get out of my comfort zone and learn more about the Web and multimedia side of journalism. I had no idea the sort of impact our finished product would have on those affected by suicide. Many of our interviewees, whether they were professors, police officers or people who lost loved ones to suicide, were thankful that we were letting their voices be heard. After months of hard work reporting sensitively, analyzing data critically and arranging content visually, we came out with a website that addresses suicide in a way no other site does. We started a conversation about the taboo topic. I hope our efforts have made some people more comfortable talking about mental health or simply just asking a friend who seems down, ‘Are you OK?’”

Grant Engle was a student in Web Programming for Multimedia Journalism and a contributing reporter to Campus Lifeline: A Report on College Suicide.

multimedia, multidisciplinary impactCampus Lifeline: A Report on College Suicide by grant engle, ’13

learning landSCape Change


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When it came time for Jake Corcoran, ’13, to find a job after his career as a JMC student, he wasn’t sure where to start. Fortunately, JMC was organizing CCI’s first career fair (see page 8). Within a few hours at JobExpo2013, Corcoran had interviewed with nearly 30 organizations and made several invaluable connections. He is now the associate producer for WOIO, CBS 19 Action News, in Cleveland.

“The career fair was brilliant because it gave me the opportunity to learn how to talk about myself,” Corcoran said. “It was like having 30 mini-interviews in one afternoon. It helped me figure out what to say and also [gave me] an idea of what kind of questions employers ask.”

As a School committed to the success of its students, JMC recently created a professional position to help students like Corcoran. JMC’s Practitioner in Residence, John Butte, was named Coordinator of Career Services by JMC Director Thor Wasbotten in Spring 2013. Butte is an adjunct broadcast journalism instructor and advises the Student Media television station, TV2.

Butte brings extensive media experience to his “career services” role. He’s been a general manager (WEWS, Cleveland) and news director in major television markets across the country including Baltimore, Tampa, Indianapolis and Cleveland. He created the Ohio News Network (ONN) and is the recipient of national Edward R. Murrow and Investigative Reports and Editors (IRE) awards for

jmc names first career services coordinatorby meghan caprez

investigative reporting. He is also currently a media consultant specializing in TV talent representation and career coaching, which gives him a keen understanding of how to navigate the job market.

“The employment climate is aggressive,” Butte said. “Just getting an education is not enough anymore. Students have to start thinking about the courses they take, the activities they’re involved in, the friends they surround themselves with, and the internships they take to set themselves up for their future.”

In his first months as coordinator, Butte has hosted resume writing and development workshops, as well as organizing JobExpo2013.

Monique Zappa, ’13, a Gannett Producer Trainee at KUSA 9 News in Denver, also benefited from the JobExpo2013 and its related services. “It was nice to go to a job fair that had what I was looking for because often times they don’t cater to journalists and PR [practitioners].”

Butte encouraged Zappa and other participating students to speak with industry representatives at each table at JobExpo2013, even if they weren’t necessarily interested in the positions the companies were looking to fill.

Butte did more than advise, however.

“I made an initial connection with WOIO, but John is the one who made it more than a connection. He talked to those folks and gave them a recommendation for me. The next Monday, John told me to call the news director because they really ‘liked’ me. John talked me up,” Cocoran said.

The students Butte advises recognize that he regularly goes above and beyond to help them figure out how to be successful in their job searches and during interviews.

“He doesn’t do the work for you, but he guides you and teaches you the skills you need to stand out in the crowd,” Zappa said. “He was very willing to help. I could stop down in his office anytime, and he’d answer any questions and offer any advice he could.”

In addition to planning a Fall 2013 resume workshop, Butte is currently developing a program to track JMC alumni.

“We want to understand the progress of our alumni,” Butte said. “How well are they doing? We need to assess their success to see what we can be doing to better prepare our current students.”

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“for a photo to Be effeCtiVe, it has to be affective. A picture has to move you in some way. It must evoke a visceral reaction in the viewer – crying, laughing, thinking.”

Internationally renowned photo editor Jim Colton, who recently retired after a distinguished career at Sports Illustrated (SI), Newsweek and The Associated Press (AP), spent an evening with JMC students, faculty and guests at the end of spring semester, reflecting on the power of photography and the digital evolution. During his 15 years at SI, Colton edited the popular “Leading Off: Pictures of the Week” section at the front of the magazine – prime real estate reserved for the very best photos and photo essays.

Colton’s appearance was the third in JMC’s new Diversity Speaker Series, which exposes students to successful minorities who can serve as role models in the professions they are studying.

Colton engaged students with iconic photographs and the stories behind them.

diversity speaker seriesSports Illustrated photo editor focuses on ‘visceral’ power of photography

His multimedia presentation spanned a significant range of world and photographic history, from the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima during World War II through 9/11. “When you think of any of these historic events, you think of these images,” he said. “The power of photography is hard to gauge, but it builds your visual history, what you remember.”

Colton described changes in photography in the last decade as “an evolution, not a revolution. What’s happened in the last 10 years has not been seen before in our industry. And it’s not finished yet.” Colton told the audience, “The total number of pictures in the last two years equals the total number of photos ever taken in history.” AP, Reuters and Getty receive between 15,000 and 20,000 photos a day. As editor of “Leading Off,” Colton had the responsibility of choosing just three photos out of 250,000 available photos every week. “The bar was set really, really high,” Colton told the crowd.

Quantity should not be confused with quality, Colton cautioned. “We have so much to look at, and a lot of it is crap. We need photo editors to filter and make sense of it. Photo editors are treasure hunters who find

the gem in the box and get it published,” Colton said.

He spoke candidly about his background. “I have a passion for photography, but I wasn’t technically as strong. So I put all my soul into photo editing and looking at the world through other people’s eyes.”

Colton closed his presentation by answering questions from students, faculty and guests. “You can’t set out to take an iconic image. You can only set out to take the best photo you possibly can. Some of it comes down to luck,” he counseled.

He encouraged students to find their passions. “Have passion for whatever you do, whether or not it’s photography. If you don’t have passion for what you do, don’t do it. You need to satisfy your heart, your soul and your rent.”

Colton’s counsel and generosity to JMC photojournalism students continued the next day, when he spent hours reviewing and critiquing portfolios.

Colton’s visit was arranged by JMC photography instructor Scott Galvin, who met Colton during his junior year at Kent State. Since that time, Galvin has submitted photos to Colton, two of which were published in SI’s “Leading Off.”

Renowned photo editor Jim Colton challenged students to follow their passions.


A group of 16 students, accompanied by professors Gary Hanson and Mitch McKenney and CCI Associate Dean LuEtt Hanson, Ph.D., traveled to Curitiba, Brazil, this spring to report on Latin America’s largest country. The study abroad opportunity was the latest installment of the annual International Storytelling Course. Central to the experience was a working partnership with students from Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR) in Brazil. by angela pino, ’13

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the global landscapeJMC Student Accounts from spring study-abroad assignments.

// international storytellers report from brazil

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gloBal landSCape Change

after 32 hourS of traVeling, 15 in the air and 15 in layovers, the International Storytelling students landed in Curitiba, where they were greeted by PUCPR students. The excitement of the Brazilian students revived the jet-lagged Kent State travelers, and friendships were quickly formed. For some JMC students, the trip to Brazil was their first time out of the country, while others had studied abroad previously.

Before their journey to Brazil began, the students met for class twice a week for 10 weeks to develop story ideas and potential sources, collaborating with Brazilian students via Skype and social media. The class also benefitted from guest lecturers like Kent State Senior Vice President and Provost Todd Diacon, who has lived in Brazil and

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» continued from page 17 has family there. He helped students prepare for the cultural differences they would encounter — including the Brazilian habit of parking cars on sidewalks when no other parking spaces are available.

During their two weeks in Brazil, students spent long days and nights developing news and feature stories, finding and interviewing sources, photographing, filming, writing, editing and reporting. Students followed stories well beyond Curitiba, including one team who took a plane hundreds of miles away to Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. Students covered a broad range of topics, from a feature on Itaipu Dam, the world’s leader in electrical power generation; a news story on Brazil’s unseen battle with pesticides; and a profile of a Curitiban athlete hoping to break into the NFL.

No matter where the story took them, JMC student reporters found their Brazilian peers enthusiastic to help. Molly Devaney, ’13, senior news major, said she did not know what she would have done without her student translators.

“We partnered with an intelligent bunch of Brazilian students who wanted to learn just as much about us as we wanted to learn about them,” Devaney said.

It was not all work, however. Students got to experience Brazilian culture firsthand by going to night clubs, underground concerts and a soccer game. During a weekend break, students went to Ilha do Mel – Honey Island – for the night. The last few days of the trip were spent in Rio de Janeiro, where students visited iconic Brazilian destinations like the Christ the Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf Mountain.

For JMC’s student storytellers, the experience was transformational. “It’s crazy to think how significant a two-week time period can be. We developed our journalism skills, expanded our horizons and formed close friendships,” said Alyssa DeGeorge, ’13.

The experience is designed to be transformative for the students, according to Gary Hanson. “The International Storytelling project combines two experiences that I think are central to the ‘JMC Experience.’ Students get to hone their reporting and storytelling skills in a real-world, high-stakes environment. The

opportunity to work in teams across storytelling platforms and to produce under strict deadlines fits JMC’s mission to provide experiences that are respected, relevant and real. The international component of the trip was equally important. The students were forced to get out of their comfort zones and interact with partner students and story subjects that were in a different country, told in a different language and based on a different cultural history.”

The International Storytelling experience has also left lasting impressions on instructors. “For three years, we have been able to see some of JMC’s best students as they report from one of the world’s emerging economies. Each time I have been impressed at how much they have overcome — everything from jetlag and language barriers and interviews falling through — to put together a site of really interesting stories,” McKenney said.

After returning to Kent State, the students prepared their stories for the course website, www.datelinebrazil.org.

The exchange program continues this fall, when PUCPR students come to the United States and will spend a week in Kent, reporting on Brazilians living in Northeast Ohio and reuniting with their JMC counterparts.

it’s crazy tO think hOw significant a twO-week tiMe periOd can be. we develOped Our JOurnalisM skills,

expanded Our hOrizOns and fOrMed clOse friendships.”



organiZed BY profeSSorS Danielle Coombs, Ph.D., and Michele Ewing, Global Ad & PR challenged students with the task of independently conducting research to develop self-selected areas of expertise. Students were expected to find experts to interview in their chosen areas. Global Ad & PR students created blogs to showcase their interviews, key findings and research.

“The students were interested in an array of topics,” Ewing said. “For example, students researched social media and communication strategies in the fashion, entertainment, sports industries; in nonprofit agencies and social issues. They also examined best practices in communication planning, creative development and account services.”

The course was staged in two phases. The first phase was held twice a week at JMC during the spring semester. The class then traveled to London during the last two weeks of May.

To supplement the students’ areas of expertise, the class visited a number of private

and public PR, advertising and social media organizations, including We Are Social, a global conversation agency; Ketchum, a global PR agency; the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the ministerial department of the U.K. Government responsible for economic growth; Mother London, an advertising agency; the London College of Communication and the Houses of Parliament.

For PR graduate student Autumn Gilliam, the London experience has led to a potential internship in London in summer 2014. She applied her knowledge of the planning process for fashion PR branding, her selected area of expertise, during an interview with B Public Relations.

“The JMC program has helped keep me grounded in the public relations field,” Gilliam said. “It taught me how to be comfortable in the field and act professionally, which made my study abroad experience more successful.”

“This class was created to offer students the best of both worlds: exposure to some of the top

agencies and organizations in the world while also developing their own personal brands,” Coombs said. “Students come out of this experience with websites that showcase their work and demonstrate their expertise, and these have proved invaluable on the job market. Our goal is to help students transition into working professionals, and we think the program really does that well.”

“Taking Global Ad & PR was a great professional and personal experience for me in my last semester at Kent,” said senior advertising major Danielle Wargo. “It was exciting just to be able to go to London, but it was even more rewarding being able to come back with a great piece of work that I created while I was there.” Wargo focused on a global comparison of humor in advertising between the United States and the United Kingdom.

Gilliam and Wargo, as well as the other students, achieved two of the course’s main goals: to gain a competitive advantage over peers and to produce work that will elevate their portfolios for internship and job interviews.ph

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gloBal landSCape Change

// a journey across the pond: global ad & pr in london

London called, and 19 JMC students answered, as part of the Kent in London: Global Ad & PR course. The course helped students understand global communications and grow professionally and personally.

by shannen laur

To learn more about the class and view student work, visit kentinlondon.com.

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when he Started as a photographer in high school for the teen page at the Warren (Ohio) Tribune Chronicle, Luis Sanchez Saturno, ’02, never dreamed he’d one day be a photojournalist.

“Working on the teen page was just something to do at first. It’s what all my friends were doing,” Saturno said. “I never actually thought I could make my living doing journalism.”

But Saturno has done just that. Today, he is a photojournalist for the Santa Fe New Mexican. His work captures in visual form everything from community events to complex issues like drug abuse and illegal immigration. The New Mexico Press Association and the Associated Press Media Editors (APME) have recognized and awarded his work.

Saturno believes those early experiences set the stage for his success today. His first photo assignment for the teen page was to cover a golf tournament. The photos did not turn out well, but the editor ran them anyway, and Saturno felt a rush from having his first published clip. He kept taking more assignments in the coming months, and then one day the paper’s director of photography wanted to see him.

“Here I was, this kid with the ripped jeans and the grunge look so popular in the late ’90s, and I was going into the photo boss’s office,” Saturno said. “He offered me the job of maintaining the photo lab. I mixed chemicals and made sure everything was in order so when photographers came in on deadline, they had everything they needed.”

When the photo staff was short photographers one night, the photo editor sent Saturno to cover a spelling bee. He began to learn about the storytelling aspect of photography that night.

“The editors didn’t budget space for the photo because they didn’t think I’d get anything usable. I didn’t either,” he said. “However, I just kept taking pictures of every kid who came to the mic, and finally I got a shot of a kid who shrugged his shoulders at the judges like saying, ‘I don’t know’ when they gave him his word. The editors ran that shot.”

Saturno, a native of Venezuela, came to the United States at age 13 to visit some of his father’s family. He decided to attend high school here and then came to Kent State to major in physics. However, his time at the Tribune Chronicle led to a shift in his plans, and he decided to major in photojournalism. His experiences at Kent State and the internship experiences he subsequently secured at major papers across the country — including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The Philadelphia Inquirer — clinched the career choice for him.

Today his work at the New Mexican involves telling stories with still photos, audio and video. He urges students entering the profession to be a “one-man show” with multiple storytelling skillsets. In 2004, Saturno was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize based on a multimedia story he worked on about a local heroine dealer.

“Talk about being an early adopter,” he said. “That story included video before we were using video to tell stories.”

About two years later, Saturno spent a month along the U.S.-Mexico border telling the stories of those immigrants trying to cross the border in the middle


Visual storyteller:Alum discovers creative outlet through photojournalism, art by trevor ivan, ’07 and ’13

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alumni profileS

faSt-paCed deadlineS, last-minute design changes and creative, quirky work events are the norm for Alisha Williams, ’09. Williams has found a home in New York City at People, the weekly with the largest circulation of any american magazine.

Williams began her immersion in North america’s largest media market as a student at Kent State University, majoring in information design. Williams completed internships and worked at All You, This Old House, InStyle and Kraft Food & Family magazines, steadily making contacts in New York’s magazine industry. after four years of design experience in New York-based magazines, Williams earned her coveted job in early 2013 as a designer at People.

“The opportunity at People opened up from my other job at InStyle,” Williams said. “There is such a small network of people who work in magazines. Once People heard the recommendations from my former creative director at InStyle, they contacted me about the job.”

The transition from a monthly fashion magazine to a weekly human interest magazine was daunting. The deadlines and designs are demanding. Williams creates the layout for specialized content in People, like the front-of-book sections

and beauty pages, and often receives content immediately before deadline.

“It’s fast for a weekly publication, and I was surprised by how much everything changes on the layout side,” Williams said. “You can’t repeat designs and placement because there is so much new content every week.”

Williams credits her student media experiences with the Daily Kent Stater and The Burr

for preparing her to work on deadline. “These experiences were invaluable,” she said. “It’s such as small niche community in design, so it was great to narrow my focus on design when I was at Kent State. Student media helped me find my niche, so I knew what I was looking for when I graduated.”

Williams also thoroughly enjoys the work climate of People. People fosters fun and creativity in the workplace, hosting events like workday movie previews.

“The coolest thing about working at People has to be the work events that we have,” Williams said. “There’s trivia and ping pong tournaments, and it’s a cool way to meet everyone and hang out, but it’s a work event. Those kinds of things are awesome.”

Williams wants current JMC students to know that “dream jobs” are out there.

“It’s never too early to apply for internships, and don’t be afraid to apply for big things,” she said. “It might be a little intimidating to go from Kent to New York City, but the connections you make along the way will be invaluable. Your dream job is attainable; you just have to go out and look for it.”

» continued from page 20 of the Sonoran Desert. Some died in the attempt to cross. The work involved talking to immigrants, smugglers and agents on both sides of the border to better understand what these people endured and the dangers they faced.

“Sometimes we thought we were going to die. It was 120 degrees in the shade,” he said. “But we needed to tell the story of those who were perishing as they attempted to cross the border in the middle of the desert.”

Saturno’s passion for photography is not limited to journalism. His garage is a makeshift studio for photographic art projects that serve as a creative outlet and allow him to experiment with the settings on his camera. He often uses models and different light settings in the hope of creating “images people haven’t yet seen.” His work has been featured in four local art exhibits.

He is also creating a calendar for a local motorcycle racing group. To complete that project, he has mounted cameras on their bikes as they race at nearly 150 mph to capture their feats in their truest form.

Saturno said the School of Journalism and Mass Communication was integral to his success as a visual storyteller.

“The professors led by example. It would have taken years to learn on my own what I did in one semester in JMC,” he said. “The way you approach your assignments has to be learned. Sure you can make an exposure, but can you tell a story? That’s the real question.”

Despite changes in the industry, Saturno emphasizes: “The core of our job is always the same—to tell stories and deliver content. We’re historians. We have an important role to play. Someone 50 years from now will be looking at what we have created.”

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designer’s dream:Grad Takes on NYC Magazine Industry by meghan caprez

Jargon | FALL 2013 | Issue 1

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faCultY & alumni newS

since 1968, give or take a few months when she tried to retire in the early 2000s.

But she’s “leaving” – again.

“I’ll have about 44 years of watching the Stater grow and change and be ‘digital’ now, and I am sure I will miss it.”

And while Marquis promises to be available to answer questions after she leaves, she seems to prefer that they come via email at [email protected].

That’s where you can reach her should you have an extra ticket for a ball game or just an invite to a fun time.

“I came here as a 21-year-old girl, sitting at the desk just inside the Stater office and saw decades of news just fly by,” Marquis said, reflecting on the hundreds of students she watched grow into adults. “It’s been so rewarding to see so many of them become successful.”

Marquis stops in mid-thought, saying she didn’t want to offer a long list because she might miss someone. But if she sat with the photos of previous Stater staff, she’d be able to tick off many of their names, she said. That said, she did tick off a few JMC illuminaries such as Nancy Lee, ’75; Susan Murcko, ’76; Connie Schultz, ’92, Howie Ruffner, ’71; Bob Sorino, ’83 … Her voice trailed off again. “So many good people, but I’m thinking I can’t name even most of them!” So if you see her, remember to introduce yourself because while Marquis might look nearly the same (no lie), you don’t. You have

a beard or you may even be a little heavier or wrinkly.

One group that doesn’t need to be introduced much is the team that was at the Stater on May 4, 1970. Marquis lived nearby and had just gone home for lunch. She got a call there from Dr. Harold Van Winkle, telling her not to come back to the building. Shaking her head, Marquis said the newspaper got bomb threats “all the time, but this... this…,” she said as her voice trailed off. “It changed us.”

Marquis has seen many directors and even more faculty members come and go, but she still has a warm spot in her heart for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of journalism students in her care.

Marquis’ family – Steven and Samantha – grew up in and around the Stater offices as has her granddaughter, Stacey.

“What I have really liked is wherever I’ve been able to travel, I open up the newspaper and there you have it – another byline I recognize. Working here has made me so news conscious. It’s been amazing!”

She has never grown tired of watching the commitment of students to news, protecting democracy and openness. The students have changed, but she’s still very positive about more than six decades of editors and writers.

For faculty, fellow staffers and Stater workers who ate, loved and slept in the journalism world at Kent State…Sharon has only one parting message, “Goodnight people.” (Insert smiles.)

JMC’s Mother, Mentor and Muse:Marquis to retire…er…‘leave’

by barb hipsman springer

rememBer the ChiCKS left overnight in a particular Taylor Hall office? (Insert snicker here.)

Or maybe it was the inability of particular Stater editors to get to class – ever. (A broad smile goes well here.)

News, features, some bills, kids coming in as freshmen, but growing into adults who cared about the world. Add it all up and throw in a little breaking news to make life exciting and you’ve got Sharon Marquis’ career.

“And this time, just say I’m ‘leaving,’ not retiring.”

What Sharon Marquis wants, Sharon Marquis — mother, mentor, muse — gets. After all, she knows where all the skeletons are in JMC – literally, as she has been in the JMC saddle

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marK S. BiViano, m.a., ’98, senior vice president of akron’s Rubber City Radio Group, recently completed an assignment as a Fulbright Senior Specialist with the University of Cambodia, where he helped design a curriculum for the new School of Media and Communication.

BrooKe didonato, ’12, has been selected for the prestigious Eddie adams Workshop, a four-day gathering of the top photography professionals and 100 carefully selected students.

Janelle hall-elliS, ’01, is the new noon news anchor at WTaE-4-aBC in Pittsburgh, where she also serves as the morning traffic and breaking news anchor.

JaCK hiCKS, ’60, was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Journalism Hall of Fame June 26 by the Cincinnati Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. His career spanned all or parts of six decades, and included working at the Record-Courier, Portsmouth Daily Times, Newark Advocate and Columbus Dispatch. He was Kentucky editor, political writer and columnist for The

photo/ Melinda Yoho

faCultY & alumni newS

faculty news

alumni

miChele ewing has been selected to participate in the College of Communication & Information (CCI) administrative Fellowship program. Ewing will work with dean Stan wearden, ph.d., and associate dean luett hanson, ph.d., to learn about the roles, responsibilities and protocols related to University administration. CCI administrative Fellows also work on a project during the fellowship. Ewing plans to examine the advertising and Public Relations curriculums and lead efforts with identifying appropriate opportunities for collaboration to align with industry changes and trends.

Jeff fruit is the 2013 chapter adviser of the year for Kappa Tau alpha (KTa), the national college honor society for journalism and mass communication. He received the William H. Taft Outstanding adviser award in august during the annual convention of the association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Washington, D.C. Fruit has served as adviser of the Kent State KTa chapter for nine years.

marK goodman was selected by the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism to be part of a team of national researchers and educators that produced lessons plans, classroom activities and research assignments for high school, community college and college teachers interested in journalism’s digital transformation. The new curriculum was presented at the association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (aEJMC) Conference in Washington, D.C., in august.

JaCqueline marino was honored with an IPPY award for her first book, White Coats:

donald f. (donnY) SoBnoSKi, ’07, won an Emmy from the Ohio Valley Regional Chapter of the National academy of Television arts and Sciences in the category of “Video Essay” for his work on “Battle of Blacklick Creek,” a single-camera video essay he shot for WSYX Channel 6 in Columbus, where he works as a photojournalist.

[ I N M E M O RY ]phil miraCle, ’57, died in March 2012. Phil resided in Brandon, Miss., with his wife, the former June thomaS, ’58. Phil and June met at Kent State, where they served together as editor and managing editor, respectively, of the Daily Kent Stater. after graduating and serving in the U.S. army, Miracle began working in PR at Roadway Express in akron and as a sportswriter and city hall reporter for the Wadsworth News. later, he joined Westfield Companies in Westfield, Ohio, becoming vice president for advertising and serving as president of the Insurance advertising Conference. He then became manager of PR for the Babcock-Wilcox Company (BW) in Barberton. When McDermott, Int. acquired B&W, Miracle was asked to head the Three-Mile Island crisis management team in New Orleans and served as director of external communications. later, he managed communication and advertising for the nuclear division of Entergy in Jackson, Miss. He retired in 2000 as vice president of Corporate Communications for Entergy in New Orleans. at age 70, he attended the Reformed Theological Seminary. For 20 years, Miracle worked on a book of humorous and inspirational articles, Miracle in the Corner Office (Service Printers, Inc., 2012), which June compiled for publication after his death.

heather wellS, ’12, was crowned Miss Ohio 2013 in June.

“Kent State does an amazing job in preparing you for the real world so I knew I’d be able to handle the stress and the pressure of the Miss Ohio competition. This was my sixth and final trip to the Miss Ohio pageant, so winning was not only a huge shock but also a big relief,” Wells said. “I am ready and willing to work very hard. I want to represent Ohio and Kent State to the best of my ability.”

Wells will represent Ohio at the Miss america pageant that will take place in September in atlantic City, N.J.

(Excerpted from an article written by Danielle DeBord that first appeared in Kent State’s e-Inside.)

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Three Journeys Through an American Medical School. Marino won a silver medal in the Education II category (Commentary/Theory). The book was featured in the Spring 2013 JARGON. Marino’s was one of four books published by the Kent State University Press to receive an IPPY at the 17th annual Independent Publisher Book awards that took place in New York.

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Cincinnati Enquirer and a Kentucky Post columnist.

King hill, ’83, senior vice president and digital strategist at Marcus Thomas llC, was inducted into the american advertising Federation Cleveland Chapter Hall of Fame.

marK J. priCe, ’85, a copy editor and staff writer for the Akron Beacon Journal since 1997, recently published The Rest Is History: True Tales from Akron’s Vibrant Past (University of akron Press). Price’s popular weekly column, “This Place, This Time,” has appeared in the Beacon Journal since 1998 and explores the history of akron and Summit County.

COME HOME TO KENT STATE.YOU WON’T BELIEVE THE CHANGES.THE VIEW STARTS AT JMC.

Join us for …

Friday, OctOber 4, 2013JMC Alumni Award Ceremony4:30 P.M. to 6:30 P.M.FirstEnergy Auditorium, 340 Franklin Hall

Saturday, OctOber 5, 2013Hospitality Tent/Parade10:30 A.M. to Noon, Lincoln and Main Streets

JMC Lunch/PRSSA AuctionFollowing Parade, Franklin Hall

Kent State vs. Northern IllinoisDix Stadium, 3:30 P.M.

Watch www.kent.edu/jmc for more information.

photo/ Lester A. Lefton

P.O. Box 5190 Kent, OH 44242-0001

100164 School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Documents

Jargon Fall 2013