New chair, faculty-in-residence bring new life to communication department

Janel Shoun | 

 

A former Federal Communications Commissioner, the president of a national public relations firm and a professor from one of the top journalism schools in the nation will join Lipscomb University this fall as faculty in a re-focused Department of Communication and Journalism.
 
Former University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty member Craig Carroll has been appointed as new department chair. He will be joined by seasoned professionals in an expanded faculty-in-residence program, including:
    Deborah Taylor Tate
    Amy Seigenthaler Pierce
    Tim Ghianni
  • Deborah Taylor Tate, executive-in-residence and former Federal Communications Commissioner, will teach communication, law and regulation;
  • Amy Seigenthaler Pierce, executive-in-residence and president of Seigenthaler Public Relations with offices in Nashville, New York and Chicago, will teach introduction to public relations;
  • Nelson Eddy, executive-in-residence and creative director at Dye Van Mol & Lawrence, one of the Southeast’s largest public relations and advertising firms, will teach writing and storytelling across media;
  • Tim Ghianni, journalist-in-residence and former entertainment editor, columnist and senior writer at The Tennessean, is working closely with students to operate a multi-media student news service — the LUmination Network; and
  • Jeff Barrie, filmmaker-in-residence recently released the documentary, Kilowatt Ours.
 
The department now offers three majors: journalism and new media, organizational communication and public relations, and public communication and leadership. In addition, the department established three concentrations within those majors: health care, sports/entertainment and sustainability and the environment.
 
“The university has wisely reframed its communication offering to address a new world of media convergence and digital formats,” Carroll said. “Lipscomb’s academic programs are designed to focus specifically on issues that young journalists entering today’s quickly changing communications landscape need to be expert in, including ethical communication in a digital world, issues surrounding persuasion and advocacy, writing and storytelling across media, cross-cultural communication and law and regulation. These are all emerging areas that are playing a defining role in reconfiguring the world’s communication industry. Future communicators need to be able to navigate all these situations.”
 
“With the communication field changing so rapidly, just having skills is no longer sufficient,” said Norma Burgess, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences that oversees the communication and journalism department. “Refocusing the communication department is just one example of how our college is preparing students to be creative problem-solvers, innovative thinkers and leaders comfortable with change and evolution in an industry. These are the skills that will carry them into leadership positions.”
 
Before teaching at UNC Chapel Hill, Carroll taught at the University of Southern California in the top-ranked Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Carroll has conducted extensive research, along with undergraduate students, examining the influence of the news media on corporate reputation.
 
In preparation for the fall 2010 launch of the revamped program, Lipscomb had already hired highly experienced communications professionals such as Linda Schacht, a former White House communications staffer; LaVern Vivio, a long-time Nashville radio personality; and Deb Turner, general manager of NewsChannel 5.
 
Last spring, the department also established a new student news service – LUmination Network – which currently produces a daily news website (www.luminationnetwork.com). Eventually all student broadcast, audio, Web and print reports will come out of one fully converged 21st century newsroom in the Mullican Studios on campus.
 
The faculty-in-residence program is designed to deliver one-on-one professional experience as well as deepen the exploration of current communication issues such as the BP oil spill, federal regulations affecting children and the management of corporate reputation.
 
Students will also have the opportunity to hear communications and political experts speak through the department’s MediaMasters and Pizza & Politics speaker series, launched last year. These programs bring leading national communicators and contemporary communication conversations to the Lipscomb campus.
 
In spring 2010, the communication and journalism department served more than 100 declared communication majors. Also serving students in the department are current faculty members Ray Harris, James McCollum, Paul Prill and Jim Thomas.