Nontenure Line Faculty Accomplishments in 2015
Bob Bajackson, senior lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, launched Texas State University’s entry into the Global News Relay, an international collaboration of college journalism students, in 2015. He assembled a team of print journalists to write, video, tape and edit the show. It was the first time Texas State had an entry in the program. The theme focused on poverty.
In 2015 Dale Blasingame, lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, had multiple articles published and presented at several conferences throughout the year. Including: Royal, C.L. and Blasingame, D.C. (2015). Data journalism: An explication. #ISOJ, 5, 24-46.; Blasingame, D. (2015). How TV newsrooms should use Facebook and why. Mediashift. April 16, 2015.; Blasingame, D. (2015). How TV newsrooms are pushing original video content on Facebook. May 12, 2015. ; Blasingame, D. (2015). The difficult ethics around showing a murderer’s video. Mediashift September 1, 2015. Blasingame also presented at the 2015 International Symposium on Online Journalism, the 2015 ACP/CMA National College Media Conference, and at the 2015 Fox News General Manager Social Media. He also taught at the MediaShift/DigitalEd webinar “How publishers can engage on social and drive revenue.” Continuing his work in digital media Blasingame was a featured guest for the EdShift chat: “Posting original content to social media,” and the EdShift chat: “Tech predictions for 2016.” He was also interviewed twice by the San Antonio-Express News for two articles regarding social media and appeared on KENS-TV and Texas Standard radio program for his work with Texas Parks and Wildlife and the state park system. He became staff writer for Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine in 2015 as well as wriintg an article in the San Antonio Express-News, “Big Bend well worth the drive.”
Jennifer Buschorn, senior lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, was a strategic development research associate on the $448,000 funded state contract MIPPA grant with the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Buschhorn worked with two independent study students to create Experience and Pricing White Paper for GSD&M. GSD&M is using the research report to work with clients on how to price products and services for future success.
Worked with two independent study students to create Travel and Millenials White Paper for Chiat Day, Los Angeles.
Beth Clark, senior lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, won an Excellence in Online Teaching Award, presented by Office of Distance Education for her online course MC3383-Editing for Clear Communication.
In March, Clark presented a program, “Future Tense: Messages from my students,” at the national conference of the American Copy Editors Society in Pittsburgh. Her research and presentation were based on nine semesters’ worth of input (presented anonymously) from MC3383 students regarding terminology related to people with disabilities and to racial, ethnic and gender diversity. She also participated in ACES’ fundraiser spelling bee. In April, Clark presented a Powerpoint of her online course at the awards program for the Award for Excellence in Online Teaching. In May she served as a judge for the AEJMC’s annual International News Story Writing Contest. A freelance writer and editor, Clark produced a feature story in the summer for the San Antonio Express-News about expansion and renovation of the Witte Museum of Natural History in San Antonio. Published July 6 in print and online, the piece was subsequently reprinted in the coffee-table book, “San Antonio: Our Story of 150 Years in the Alamo City,” published in 2015 by Trinity University Press/San Antonio Express-News. Also in the summer, Clark served as copy editor and proofreader for a self-published book by sports journalist LaTasha D. Miles of Burlington, N.C.: “When Football Season Turns You Into His Side Chick.” The author and her book were spotlighted on Fox News 8 in High Point, N.C.
Rachel Davenport began teaching the first ever hybrid (half online) biology course at Texas State University in the summer of 2015 and was selected as a “Favorite Professor of 2015” by students in the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. She attended multiple workshops and seminars to continue teaching development, and volunteered for the American Physiological Society. She served as a member on several committees, including the University Honor Code Council and the College of Science and Engineering Scholarship Committee, and chaired the committee for new textbook adoption in the biology non-majors courses. Davenport is a senior lecturer in the Department of Biology.
Dr. René De Hon, Geology Program, Dept. of Geography
De Hon, R.A., 2015, Loess cave habitats on Mars, Second Planetary Caves Conference, Flagstaff, AZ (Poster)
De Hon, R.A., 2015, Searching for Alcoves on Mars, Second Planetary Caves Conference, Flagstaff AZ (Talk)
De Hon, R.A. and R.A. Earl, 2015, Reassessment of features in the Aden lava flows, Dona Ana Co. New Mexico, New Mexico Annual Fall Conf., Socorro, NM. (Talk)
Over the past year, Journalism Sequence Coordinator Kym Fox, associate professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, had her first book published, presented at an international conference and was promoted to associate professor of practice. The book, for which she was an editor, presented research on the status of scholastic journalism in the United States and is titled “Still Captive? History, Law and the Teaching of High School Journalism.” She also was part of a team that published instructional materials for the 2015-16 Common Experience at Texas State. The materials are used by faculty members who teach University Seminar, a required course for all Texas State freshmen – more than 5,000 students in 2015. On the international front, Fox coordinated Texas State’s involvement with the Global News Relay, an international effort featuring journalism students from 10 universities around the world. In the spring, the students produced stories for a joint newscast on poverty. In the fall, Fox traveled to London, England, with several colleagues to share the project at an international conference on eLearning. She is on the international planning committee for Global News Relay 2016 and again will help coordinate the effort at Texas State.
Charles Kaufman, senior lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, contributed seven chapters and co-authored with Bruce Smith the fourth edition of Engaging Public Relations: A Practical Planning Approach, with Kendall-Hunt Publishers. Kaufman also authored the textbook IdeaPower: A Practical Guide to Winning Public Relations Campaigns, with Kendall-Hunt Publishers.
Ted Lehr, Department of Computer Science
The White House selected Austin as a "TechHire City." I'm a data architect with the City of Austin and was the staff member leading this effort for Mayor Adler's office. I'm third from the right in the photo or video of the Mayor's press conference.
In 2015 Dr. Nolan, associate professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and Mass Communication Sequence Coordinator, was recognized nationally and at the University for his teaching. He received the National Press Photographers Association Robin F. Garland Educator of the Year Award for outstanding service as a photojournalism educator and the 2015 Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching at Texas State University. In June Dr. Nolan presented research at the annual meeting of the American Association of University Professors Annual Conference in Washington D.C. with two other colleagues from Texas State University. Their paper was titled “Enhancing Resources and Appreciation for Nontenure Line Faculty at Texas State University.” In the fall of 2015 Dr. Nolan was promoted to Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
In October Dan Schumacher, senior lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, was a panel member on the panel, 50 Promotions Ideas in 50 Minutes; and Radio Show and Tell, at the CBI National Student Electronic Media Convention in Minneapolis, MN.
Gale Wiley, lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, produced six videos for the College of Fine Arts, one about the college itself, and five about each of the Fine Arts’ schools: art, music, journalism, theatre, and communication studies. In addition, he produced videos that served his home community of Wimberley. He shot and edited several videos about the Halloween and Memorial Weekend floods. KVUE News used his footage. He also produced a seven-part video series for the Riparians (sponsored in part by Texas States’ Meadows Center for Water and the Environment) about ways to save and regenerate plant life along the Blanco river. In addition, He served his local community by producing videos for their community radio station’s need for donations and the Wimberley Lions’ international student exchange program.
In 2015 he also shot and edited four promotional videos for TxACT, The Texas Screening Alliance for Cancer Therapeutics, at Houston’s Medical Center and Austin’s University of Texas campus.
In 2015 Holly Wise, senior lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, had several books and book chapters published. She had a chapter in the book Hair Goddess: A kinky, curly, wavy, straight anthology and a creative book titled And Then This Happened. She also had several articles published in PBS’s MediaShift: 8 Ways that Having a Startup Is Like Having a Baby; How to Foster Frank Dialogue in Class on Sensitive Subjects; and What if Teaching Started With The Why? Wise also presented a refereed paper at the College Media Association Conference in Austin titled VoiceBox Media at Texas State University. She was invited to and spoke at the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media in India on the topic “Solutions Journalism.” She also spoke at the Wabash Innovative Summit for Education in Wabash, IN, on “The Power of Vulnerability in the Classroom.”