Annual Report
Annual Report
Communication Department (2009-2010)
The following report outlines information and data submitted by the faculty of the Communication Department and compiled by the department chair. It was reported to the School of Arts and Humanities.
Ron Smith, Communication Department Chair, August 2010.
Departmental Highlights
Accreditation. ACEJMC conducted a re-visit in January to review our progress on two standards (curriculum and assessment) for which we were out of compliance, resulting in the previous Provisional accreditation. In this review, they found us in full compliance and reported so to the ACEJMC Accrediting Committee, which in turn endorsed us to the full Accrediting Council. The council voted unanimously in May to extend full accreditation. Our next review will be in six years.
Journalism Program Revision. The department conducted a major revision of the Journalism major, collapsing the two silos for print news and broadcast news and adopting a more converged model in which students will prepare for journalism careers reflecting the current professional practice that integrates print, broadcast and online news delivery. The department faculty endorsed the revision, which will be submitted to the A&H and Senate curriculum committees during the coming year.
Course Revisions. Consistent with the above program revision, the department faculty endorsed the revision of several journalism courses. These also will be submitted to the A&H and Senate curriculum committees during the coming year.
Online Courses. The department developed several new online courses this year, including COM 100 Media Literacy (online), SPC 103 Introduction to Human Communication (hybrid), and COM 215 Introduction to Visual Communication (online). This adds to our existing inventory of on-line offerings: COM 302 Principles of Journalism (hybrid), COM 304 Writing for Broadcast (online), COM 30336 Web Publishing (hybrid).
Scholarships. The department distributed two Buffalo News Scholarships ($1,000 each), the Piquette Scholarship ($1,000), the Roneker Scholarship ($500), and the Adair Award ($500).
Writing Assessment. The department made progress toward implementing a new writing diagnostic program for all majors. Student grades in writing-based courses were compared with incoming SAT/Writing scores which the department has gathered over the past three years. We also refined the Angel-based writing assessment test and have explored ways to implement the test during the upcoming academic year, administering it as part of the COM 210 Introduction to Media writing and separately to incoming transfer students, which the expectation that all students will be required to achieve a satisfactory score on the test prior to being allowed into advanced writing courses. The test probably will be waived for students achieving a yet-to-be-determined SAT/Writing score that, based on current student performance grades, the department will stipulate as indicating success in writing courses.
Sports Communication Certification. For several years the department has been part of on-and-off discussions concerning the creation of an interdisciplinary Sports Management minor. Campus politics and turf issues are delaying this development. Thus the department is acting unilaterally to create its own program of Certification in Sports Communication. The department has voted to offer this to students in the upcoming year. The plan is to provide recognition for students who complete some yet-to-be-determined combination of existing departmental courses, such as COM 392 Sports Public Relations, COM 390 Sports Reporting, COM 401 Communication Research (sports-themed), COM 431 Advanced Field Production (sports-themed), COM 434 Advanced Video Production Practicum (sports-themed), COM 488 Internship (sports organization), COM 495 Independent Study (sports-themed), and COM 499 Independent Project (sports-related).
Interdisciplinary Masters Programs. Communication signed on as a sponsoring department in a new masters program (Professional Applied and Computational Mathematics) by allowing our existing COM 610 Strategic Public Relations course to be listed as a recommended course. We similarly agreed to allow students in the Adult Education masters program to take our four courses in Public Relations Management as the 12-credit specialty area for their degree.
Service Learning. Clients for course-related projects included Buffalo ReUse, Journeys End Refugee Services, Joan A. Male Family Support Center, Catholic Charities Service Corps, Jericho Road Ministries, Gloria J. Parks Community Center, Asarese-Matters Community Center, and others.
Alumni Recognition. The department inducted Don DePerro of Columbus, Ohio, into our Communication Hall of Fame. A newspaper editor and publisher and a media advocate, DePerro is the 15th inductee since the Hall of Fame was introduced in 1999.
Honor Society. The department inducted 20 juniors and seniors into the Rho Psi chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the student honor society affiliated with the National Communication Association. The department also refined its mechanism for identifying eligible members and for incorporating them into the campus chapter in a timely manner.
Faculty Highlights
Part 1: TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS
Bryski: With the retirement of a Political Science professor, Bryski blended COM 424 Media Criticism in Presidential Campaigns with PSC 326 Media and Politics to create a cross-listed course for both Communication majors and all BSC students
DeWald: Modified COM 388 Broadcast Practicum into COM 434 Advanced Video Production Practicum, incorporating an ACEJMC accreditation framework for the course and integrating both journalistic and production elements into a course oriented toward public service programming
DeWald: Partnered COM 429 Advanced Multi-Camera Studio Production with TFA 450 Senior Projects II to produce original programming associated with Television and Film Arts program
Deutschman: Revised syllabus for COM 630 Applications in Public Relations with focus on new technology and advertising media
Franczyk: Bended COM 319 News Editing with COM 405 News Lab into a single course simulating an online newsroom
Franczyk: Developed COM 302 Principles of Journalism as hybrid/online course
Knowles: Developed new course, COM 433 Advanced TV Documentary Production, with the inaugural version taught as a Service Learning project with a theme of environmental documentary
Liao: Added SPC 307 Group Communication to her repertoire of course offerings
Marren: Taught COM 100 Media Literary I conjunction with a learning community themed as American Sojourn: From Jim Crow to Barak Obama and Beyond
Marren: Taught COM 100 Media Literacy as on-line course
Marren: Taught COM 390 Journalism writing topics course as Sports Reporting
Marren: Developed HUM 100 Intro to Humanities as online course for Air Force reservists from Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station
McCray: Revised syllabus for SPC 315 Media Performance with continued building of six books of scripts for use as student models
Niman: Taught BSC 101 Foundations of Inquiry with theme of Lies My Teacher Told Me
Rabin: Developed SPC 103 Introduction to Human Communication as hybrid/online course
Raffel: Revised his syllabus for COM 450 Communication & Society with focus on audience fragmentation and incorporation of critical-thinking model and emphasis on ethics and professional responsibilities
Raffel: Taught BSC 101 Foundations of Inquiry with theme of Should I Join the Military?
Raffel: Revised syllabus for IST 100 Introduction to International Studies to include visits to various intercultural venues in Toronto
Silverman: Converted COM 308 Public Relations Writing to online format
Silverman: Revised syllabi for both COM 301 Principles of Public Relations and Advertising and CM 418 Campaigns in Public Relations and Advertising to reflect a Service Learning base
Smith: Revised syllabus for COM 450 Communication and Society with inclusion of more Angel-based elements with an eye toward eventually piloting a model for this as an online course
Rera: Taught new course, TFA 420 Senior Project I and TFA 450 Senior Projects II with focus on short films working from original scripts. Partnered this course with COM 429 Advanced Multi-Camera Studio Production
Rera: Developed COM 215 Introduction to Visual Communication as an online course
Part 2: SCHOLARSHIP (PUBLICATIONS AND CREATIVE / PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY)
Books
Bryski: Revised Public Speaking for Success: Strategies for Diverse Audiences and Occasions published in 3rd edition by Hayden-McNeil Publishers
Book Chapters
Niman: Die Zombie Newspapers Die: The Dailies Really Died a Generation Ago, and Now Their Corpses Are Following Suit. 2010 Project Censored Yearbook
Niman: You Cant Be Nonviolent Without Violence: The Rainbow Familys Nonkilling Nomadic Utopia and its Survival of Persistent state Violence. Nonkilling Societies, Center for Global Nonkilling
Niman: The Political Tsunami: Not All Death and Destruction is Natural. Tsunami Communication: Interpersonal/intercultural, Mass Media, and Philanthropic Responses. Hampton Press
Smith: "Campaign Design and Management." SAGE 21st Century Reference Series: Communication, Sage Publishing
Academic Articles
Knowles: Walk, Journal of Short Film
Liao: Political Efficacy and Campaign News Attention as Catalysts of Discursive Democracy: The Case of the 2004 U.S Presidential Election. Web Journal of Mass Communication Research
Marren: One Monks Message: Establishing an Enlightened Ethic for the Media. Media Ethics Magazine
Marren: The Prescription for Communication: A Chinese Communist View of the US Press. International Journal of Communication
Marren: The Business of Segregation in Baseball. Outside the Lines (Business of Baseball Committee of the Society for American Baseball Research)
Marren: Delivering on a Literary Promise (review of K.R. Fordes Literary Journalism on Trial: Masson v New Yorker and the First Amendment). Jhistory online
Rera: Creating and Sustaining Media-Based Learning Environments. Educause Review
Academic Presentations
Marren: Art and Artifice, Reportage and Reportifarce in James Joyce. Joint meeting of the American Journalism Historians Association and the History Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Marren: Sojourn to the Past Experiential Study Tour 2009: Students Thoughts and Reflections. Faculty/Staff Research and Creativity Fall Forum, Buffalo State
Marren & Rera: Language Is Violence. Ann Frank Project, Buffalo
Niman: The Heather Ellis Project. New York Sociological Association
Niman: Invited presentation on alternative media at New York Sociological Association
Silverman: Panelist for Investor Relations, Real Estate and Ethics: Making Money Matter while Balancing the Benefits, Public Relations Student Society of America
Silverman: Moderator for The Crash of Flight 3407: A Crisis Communications Case Study, Public Relations Society of America/Northeast District Conference
Silverman: Panelist for Master Class in Public Relations Ethics. Public Relations Society of America/Northeast District Conference
Silverman: Moderator for Publish or Perish: Tips for Starting Your Scholarly Research Agenda. Association for Educators in Journalism and Mass Communication
Rera: How IT Saved a $100,000 No Budget Project. New Media Consortium, Los Angeles
Professional Publications and Presentations
Bryski: A Guide to Presentations: Ice Breakers, Energizers and Visual Aids. CDHS, 2009
Deutschman: 12-page full-color annual report and script for 15-minute visual presentation on Campus and Community Partnerships at Buffalo State
Franczyk: Panel moderator at Lippes Speaker Series US Health Care: In Search of a Cure. University at Buffalo
Knowles: Curator for Environs/Environmental Documentary Screening Service. Burchfield Penney Art Center
Knowles: Oral History and Autobiography in Termite TVs Life Stories Project, Oral History Association, Louisville, Ky.
Marren: Citizen Journalism in the Newsroom and Ad Office. Convergence Newsletter, Newsplex, University of South Carolina
Niman: The Heather Ellis Project (long-distance investigative report of a racial incident in Missouri). The Progressive Populist
Niman: Naked Pumpkins, Sex Offenders and Terrorists. The Humanist
Silverman: Education: A Top Priority for PRSA in 2010. PR Educator
Silverman: A Community Comes Together: The Crash of Continental Flight 3407. Public Relations Strategist
Professional Development
Franczyk: Poynter Institute workshop on journalism curriculum
Academic & Professional Consulting
Rera: Consulting for United States Postal Service, design concepts for digital signage for postmaster-general, Washington DC
Smith: Academic Consulting for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities with the Province of Ontario, Canada, assessing the proposed Bachelor of Public Relations degree at Humber College in Toronto
Video Productions
Knowles: Producer for workplace violence training video, CDHS
Knowles: Producer-director for Retro-spectacle animated video; producer for Sideways House video; director for Runaway feature-length documentary in production; and producer-director for Restoring Community documentary on Asarese-Matters Community Center
Niman: Consulting producer for Rainbow Documentary Film Project, award for Best Documentary. LA Shorts Film Festival
Raffel: Producer for video introduction for tours of Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda
Rera: High-Wire Dancer Special Effects Sequence (multimedia video editing). Graz, Austria
Video Exhibitions, Juried Festivals, Collections
Knowles: Solo Show Here & Now WNY Artist Showcase: Meg Knowles Retro-spectacle; Civic Media Center, Gainesville, Fl.; Media Bureau, Philadelphia; Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, Buffalo; Institute for Research on Women & Gender, Buffalo; Midwest Three Film Festival, Farmington, Mich.; Little Theater, Rochester; Creative Alliance at the Patterson, Baltimore
Manuscripts & Research-in-Progress
Bryski: Completed manuscript submission for a proposed book, Presenting Effectively for Every Occasion
Liao: What Motivates Students to Stay in College: An Examination of Self-Efficacy and Motivation among Community College Students
Liao: Speech Efficacy and Collaborative Learning
Liao: Student Engagement in a Service Learning Course: The Implication of the Flow Theory
Liao: Learning about the Environment from the News
Niman: Completed manuscript for 2nd edition, People of the Rainbow: A Nomadic Utopia
Raffel: Ongoing research into newspaper coverage of early history of The Riviera Theatre, North Tonawanda
Silverman: Manuscript in press for Crisis Communication Lessons Learned: The Crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. Accepted for Public Relations Practices: Managerial Case Studies and Problems (8th edition)
Smith: Manuscript in preparation for 4th edition of Becoming a Public Relations Writer (Routledge/Taylor & Francis)
Smith: Manuscript in preparation (with co-authors) for 4th edition of MediaWriting (Routledge/Taylor & Francis)
Smith: Manuscript in preparation for The News About Sovereignty: A Study of New York State Media Coverage on the Sovereignty of Haudenosaunee, conference presentation at Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Smith: Ongoing research focused on media news representation of American Indians and sovereignty issue
Academic & Professional Awards
Bryski: CDHS Distinguished Faculty Service Award for training manuals on public speaking, leadership and presentation skills
Silverman: National board, Public Relations Society of America
Silverman: Gold and silver Excalibur awards by Buffalo-Niagara chapter of Public Relations Society of America
Silverman: SuPRStar Award by Public Relations Division of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Smith: Board of Directors Distinguished Service Award from the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter of Public Relations Society of America for 19 years of service toward the PRSA professional accreditation (APR) program
Part 3: COLLEGE, COMMUNITY & PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Boards & Committees
Bryski: UUP Executive Board, UUP statewide delegate
DeWald: Developed oral history with Colored Musicians Club
Deutschman: Director of Campus & Community Partnerships, board/committees of League of Womens Voters, Commission on Reform of County Government, Alzheimers Association, BIREC/Buffalo Immigrant Refugee Empowerment Coalition, and Bistro Bookers
Franczyk: Board of Society of Professional Journalists
Franczyk: Judge, AEJMC Community Journalism Interest Group
Knowles: Board/committees of Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, NYS Council on the Arts, Experimental Television Center
Knowles: Judge, Society of Professional Journalists
Knowles: Collection committee of Burchfield Penney Art Center
Knowles: Coordinated workshop on video blogging for CEM Star Afterschool Program
Liao: Coordinated workshop on presentations to Girl Scouts
Marren: Board/committees of Journalism History Club and Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
Marren: Judge/reviewer for American Journalism Historians Association, Science & Health Journalism Interest Group/AEJMC, Community Journalism Interest Group/AEJMC, Newspaper Research Journal, and Dow Jones Newspaper Fund Summer Internships
Marren: Buffalo State College Senate
McCray: Voice-over narrator for web-based virtual tour of new construction on campus
McCray: News anchor & co-host of Good Morning Buffalo on WECK Radio
Niman: Creator and curator of government-documents electronic archive on Rainbow Family
Niman: Columnist, ArtVoice
Raffel: Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Internal Studies minor
Raffel: Buffalo State College Senate
Raffel: Host of Saturday Rounds classical-music program on WNED Radio
Raffel: Emcee with Legion Band of the Tonawandas
Rera: Board/committee of Television & Film Arts program, Technology and Teaching Round Table, TFA Film Forum Fundraiser
Smith: Director of American Indian Policy & Media Initiative
ACADEMIC & PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Deutschman: Public Relations Society of America, League of Women Voters, Advertising Club of Buffalo
Franczyk: Society of Professional Journalists
Knowles: Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center
Niman: Buffalo Association of Black Journalists, Union for Democratic Communications
Rera: New Media Consortium
Silverman: Public Relations Society of America
Smith: Public Relations Society of America, Native American Journalists Association, Society to Protect Journalists, Committee of Concerned Journalists, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication