Seated left to right: Andrew Oppmann, Vice President of MTSU Marketing & Communications; Bill Church, senior vice president for GateHouse Media; School of Journalism Associate Professor Jennifer Woodard; Greg Luft, chair of the Journalism and Media Communication Department at Colorado State University; Zeny Panol, associate dean of the College of Media and Entertainment.
Standing left to right: Chris Bacon, SOJ Assistant Professor; SOJ Director Greg Pitts; Thom Storey, chair of the Media Studies Department at Belmont University; Tracey Rogers, Vice President and general manager of WKRN-TV Nashville and an MTSU alumna; Val Hoeppner, WMOT executive director and director of the Center of Innovation in Media; Deborah Fisher, interim director of the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies; Ken Paulson, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment; Eric Ludgood, assistant news director and journalist, Fox 5 News Atlanta; Dianne Lynch, president of Stephens College; Ron Roberts, CEO and managing parter of DVL Seigenthaler and an MTSU alumnus; Ken Blake, SOJ associate professor; Allan Richards, professor of the School of Journalism at Florida International University in Miami; Martin Kaiser, senior fellow, Democracy Fund; and Leon Alligood, SOJ associate professor.
The School of Journalism hosted a Future of Journalism Education Roundtable in October in the Bragg Media and Entertainment Building.
The event began with a keynote presentation by Dianne Lynch, president of Stephens College and author of the Knight Foundation Report “Above and Beyond: Looking at the Future of Journalism Education.” Lynch related her findings to the group, identifying three guiding principles that serve to benefit today’s journalism students. To read her report, click here. https://www.knightfoundation.org/features/je-conclusions-and-recommendations/
Throughout the rest of the day, MTSU alumni, journalism faculty and guests — ranging from award-winning journalists to academics from across the country — discussed topics such as “The state of journalism schools, needs and the path ahead,” “How to instill and create real change and innovation in journalism programs” and “Positioning journalism programs for a new generation.”
Allen Richards, associate professor of journalism and media in the School of Communication+Journalism at Florida International University in Miami, also presented his work entitled “JMC Innovation Project,” a website that tracks how journalism and media schools across the country develop curriculum and adapt to new technology.
Deborah Fisher, interim director for the John Seigenthaler Chair of Excellence in First Amendment Studies, organized the roundtable. Greg Pitts, director of the School of Journalism; Ken Paulson, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment; and Val Hoeppner, WMOT executive director served as co-moderators for the discussions.
A Media Arts student television crew, under the guidance of Assistant Professor Bob Gordon recorded the sessions in the large television studio. The final video will be made available as a resource for other journalism and communication universities.
The Leading Edge 
You must be logged in to post a comment.