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In Brief
Charles C. Edwards, Jr., former president and publisher of The Des Moines Register, has been named dean of the SJMC. Edwards will join Drake March 25. "Charlie Edwards's experience and passion for the communications industry, combined with his long-standing commitment to education and many years of service to Drake University, make him uniquely qualified to lead the School of Journalism during this time of revolutionary change in the communications industry and in journalism education," said Drake University President David Maxwell. Edwards has 26 years of industry and administrative experience with The Des Moines Register and Tribune Co. and the Gannett Co., Inc., including 12 years as president and publisher of The Des Moines Register. During his tenure as publisher, the newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes, was named the best of Gannett's 97 daily news-papers three times and was named Publisher of the Year. "Journalism faculty and students have tremendous enthusiasm for Charlie's appointment. They were an integral part of the nationwide search that was conducted to select a new dean. We believe that Charlie brings not only outstanding professional experience, but also vision and leadership that will be vital to preparing our students for rapidly-changing careers in journalism, advertising, public relations and new media," said Provost Ron Troyer. Edwards led The Des Moines Register during some of the most challenging times in the newspaper's history, including its 1985 sale to Gannett, one of the country's largest communications companies. Edwards also led The Register during the floods of 1993, when the lack of power and water in the city of Des Moines forced The Register to set up emergency news bureaus, production and printing facilities without missing a single edition. Edwards left The Register in 1996 and spent the 1996-97 academic year teaching at Drake as the visiting professional in residence in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In 1998, Edwards joined Visionary Systems Ltd., a Des Moines-based software development company, as an owner and manager. In 2000, Edwards formed a second company, Iowa Title Plant LLC, which builds searchable databases of indexed public records and operates four Iowa abstract and title offices. "I am honored and excited to be named dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications. It is a rare opportunity to bring my years in the communications industry full circle toward strengthening the future careers of students, collaborating with an outstanding faculty, and being involved with the community of learners that makes Drake such an outstanding university," said Edwards. Edwards, who holds a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Colorado, serves on numerous boards and commissions, including the State Board of Education, the Iowa College Foundation and the Iowa Education Roundtable. He has been a member of Drake's governing board for 13 years and chaired the board's Academic Affairs Committee before taking a leave of absence to apply for the dean's position. 515 MAGAZINE WINS TOP PRIZE 515 magazine's 2001 edition, published last spring, won first place for overall editorial excellence and first place for its online version, www.515mag.com, from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication's student magazine contest.
Judges said the issue was "a credit to these students, very strong in design and photography, a professional job with good concept development." "I was especially pleased, since this was my first year advising the magazine," said Lee Jolliffe, associate professor of journalism. Students
who published the magazine include Editor-in-Chief Anne Mathey, who now
works for the Des Moines Business Record; Print Editor Mark Harbeke, now
a Web editor for Visionation; Creative Director and Photographer Lynn
Walters, now a freelance writer, editor and photographer; Editor Kim Warner,
now a Decorating Magazine staff writer; Section Editor Abbie Hansen, now
an editorial assistant at The Iowan; Online Managing Editor Nick Bryan
now a marketing director of Louie Lighting; and Tara Turney, currently
a production editor in the children's book department of Publications
International. Bryan Hall, a senior broadcast news major from Altoona, IA, received the Radio-Television News Directors Foundation (RTNDF) Scholarship. Hall is the eighth Drake RTNDF scholar since 1980. The scholarship honors professional achievement in electronic journalism and includes a $1000 prize as well as a free trip to the annual RTNDF conference, held this spring in Las Vegas. In addition to his studies at Drake, Hall works two part-time jobs---one, as a longtime announcer at KIOA radio, and the second as a weekend news producer at KCCI-TV.ALUM RECEIVES FOIC AWARD The Iowa Freedom of Information Council honored two veteran Iowa journalists---including a Drake alum---for their contributions to open government in the state. Mark Bowden, JO'75, executive editor of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, and Randy Evans, assistant managing editor of The Des Moines Register, were honored during the Iowa FOI Council's annual meeting Oct. 5 in Des Moines. Bowden and Evans are the first recipients of the Council's Friend of the First Amendment award in memory of Harrison "Skip" Weber, a longtime Iowa newspaper journalist and a founder of the Council. Weber was long associated with the Drake SJMC as news director of the Iowa Daily Press Association. Many Drake students had their first stories published through the press association. When Weber died last year, his family requested that memorial contributions be made to the FOI Council. The Council's executive committee set some of the funds aside for an occasional award in Weber's name to honor Iowans who have contributed to open government and freedom of inform ation in the state. Bowden and
Evans last year organized a statewide audit of local government compliance
with the state open records law. The results of the audit, which showed
widespread ignorance of and disregard for the law, were published in newspapers
throughout Iowa last fall and heightened public awareness of access issues. KNOT MAGAZINE EARNS RECOGNITION Knot magazine,
an independent online magazine (www.knotmag.com) published by journalism
students, has been awarded a $10,000 Seed Capital Grant. The grant, sponsored
by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, is awarded annually to Drake
students to fund their creative and original business ventures. "It feels wonderful to go up against online magazines and newspapers at Harvard and Northwestern and come out on top. It's hard to keep the faith, sometimes, starting an independent magazine, and it's reaffirmation like this that really make it all worth it," Jennie Dorris, the magazine's creator and editor-in-chief says. The magazine, which caters to the college-age generation, also took third place in the Association of Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication's online magazine category in its annual student magazine contest. Aboutpolitics.com chose knotmag.com as their Political Site of the Day for May 4, 2001. In 2000, the magazine won a Merit Award in the Writer's Digest's Zine Publishing Contest. In the Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence Awards, they won second place in the category of Best Student Magazine published more than once a year. "Though
this magazine is independent from the University, I feel like it couldn't
be where it is without the help of amazing professors and resources,"
Dorris says. Students from Drake spent May 2001 in Switzerland, France and Germany as part of Drake's International Advertising course. Activities included watching the production of Porsche cars, sampling delicious Lindt chocolates, test driving a Smart car, tasting fine French wines, and visiting the European Parliament. Once again, Birgit Wassmuth, professor of advertising, and David Thompson of Loras College led a group of 14 students (11 from Drake and three from Loras) to visit advertising agencies, advertisers and local
"We followed a tight schedule and offered a full spectrum of activity to facilitate a great immersive experience for the students," explains Wassmuth. Shopping, getting a European haircut and visiting museums, cathedrals, the opera, and a mineral water spa were among the leisure activities of choice by some. One of the highlights was attending a European fashion show, a new experience for all. "I have learned more about me, about business, about the world, about relationships than I ever thought I could" on this trip, says Angela Casale, a senior business major. Megan Sucher, a senior majoring in media studies at Loras, sums up her impressions of this class: "I believe every student should study abroad at one time during their college career. This trip gave us the opportunity to do so in a group setting for a short amount of time during the summer rather than the school year." "I can't
wait for the day I come back to France with one of my friends or a family
member" says Celina Mohovich, a junior advertising major. Once again, the basement of Meredith is buzzing about basketball. SJMC electronic media faculty and students, in conjunction with the Drake Telemedia Center, recently began production on a fifth season of basketball coach's shows. Before the 1997-98 season, Head Men's Basketball Coach Kurt Kanaskie approached Todd Evans, director of DTC and associate professor of journalism, about producing the men's show on campus. The project was woven into the curriculum of the advanced production classes, but not without some trepidation. "It was scary," says Evans. "Not only had we never produced a program of such scope and magnitude, but it would be airing on a network affiliate. Twelve shows in three months. We suspected our students were up to the task, but until you try it, you just don't know for sure." The students met the challenge, and then some. As "The Kurt Kanaskie Show" was finishing the second season at Drake, former women's coach Lisa Bluder approached Evans and Associate Professor David Wright about p roducing her show, as well. One season of "The Lisa Bluder Show" was p roduced in Meredith Hall before Bluder left for the University of Iowa. Current Head Women's Basketball Coach Lisa Stone is wrapping up her second season of production with SJMC and DTC. More than
70 episodes later, Evans says it isn't as scary anymore. But, it still
raises his blood pressure a bit. "The rush we all get when it's over
makes all the work and the stress worthwhile." Three SJMC students---junior Pamela Henkel and seniors Cara Hall and Lauren Luftman---represented the Drake chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists at its annual 2001 National Convention in Bellevue, WA. The SPJ convention, "A News Odyssey," focused on coverage of terrorism, trauma and disaster; the changing demands placed on America's newsrooms by consumers; media convergence; Wall Street and new technology. The SPJ Western Washington Pro Chapter hosted the annual convention. Frank Blethen, publisher of The Seattle Times, Mike DeGeurin, lawyer for jailed writer Vanessa Leggett; Eric Nalder, two-time Pulitzer winner; and Geneva Overholser, syndicated columnist for The Washington Post delivered keynote speeches. Hall, Henkel and Luftman also received the opportunity to participate in interviews with Knight-Ridder, the Bureau of National Affairs, the Associated Press, The Seattle Times, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and other potential employers, and to offer their resumes for critique by news industry leaders. Hall, Henkel and Luftman enjoyed a brief sojourn in Portland, OR, where Henkel appeared on a local news station in a spot interview on how America heals. Drake's SPJ
student chapter is active in the Des Moines community. They annually host
a Reverse Press Conference, as well as several public speakers and mentors
for high school journalists. Thanks to student technology fees, Meredith grant money and earnings from the National Advisory Board's Technology Fund, SJMC continues to upgrade hardware and software. Lab computers now communicate via fiber optic lines to printers, servers and the University pipeline through an intranet that allows large files to move very quickly. Twenty-one new iMacs were installed. Labs are equipped with Elmo document cameras and LCD projectors. The graphics lab contains high-end publishing software, a color printer, scanner and other peripherals. SJMC has added to its inventory of still digital cameras. Students enrolled in radio-TV or broadcast news use mini-DV digital video cameras. They edit their stories and other projects on G4 computers equipped with Final Cut Pro. This improved technology yields professional quality plus experience with tools Drake graduates are likely to encounter in the workplace.
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