The University of Oklahoma • Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Comunication
DOW JONES NEWSPAPER WORKSHOP STUDENTS: Fourteen high-school students from Oklahoma and Texas took a break on the OU campus in July from their work in the 2006 Oklahoma Institute for Diversity in Journalism’s Dow Jones Minority Newspaper Workshop. During the two-week program, students learned newspaper journalism, from writing to design to production. Their work culminated in the production of the Red Dirt Journal, a 20-page tabloid. Photo providedVisitors to Gaylord Hall
The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors met at Gaylord Hall in June. Harry Hix, former Engleman/Livermore professor of Community Journalism, and his wife, Carol, served as the college hosts for the conference. ISWNE brought in weekly newspaper editors and publishers from around the country and overseas. During the conference, Hix became the 2006-2007 president of the organization. Hix retired from OU in May 2006.
Eric Newton, head of journalism initiatives for the Knight Foundation, came to Gaylord Hall in May. During his visit, he toured the building, met with President David L. Boren and listened to proposals on an ethnic media project and Native American doctoral fellowship. Newton came to campus at the invitation Bob Ross, president of the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.
Dayna Dunbar, author of “The Saints and Sinners of Okay County” came to campus in April. Dunbar’s book was selected for Oklahoma Reads Oklahoma Books for 2006.
The executive committee of the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication met at Gaylord Hall in March. The SWECJMC is a regional affiliate of the national professional organization, AEJMC, and offers a regional network for scholars at all levels to meet and interact. Associate Dean Meta Carstarphen is president of the organization.
Jim Bittermann and his wife, Pat Thompson, came to campus in March. Bittermann is CNN’s senior European correspondent based in Paris. Since joining CNN in 1996, he has covered the death of Princess Diana, air strikes on Kosovo, the earthquake in Turkey and the World Cup soccer championship. He also covered Pope John Paul II’s first day as pope and his funeral 26 years later. Thompson, former ABC and NBC producer, joined him while promoting her PBS documentary, “Cheese Nun,” a story about Sister Noella Marcellino, a Benedictine nun who is a traditional cheese maker in a cloistered convent in Connecticut.
William Wertz, international spokesman for Wal-Mart Inc., visited OU in April to speak to Gaylord College public relations students about a variety of issues, including how companies of Wal-Mart’s size are managing global-local relationships, handling various types of media relations and crisis management.
Chief Chadwick “Corntassel” Smith, principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, came to Gaylord Hall in March. He spoke about the rich history of education in the Cherokee Nation, as well as the impact of No Child Left Behind, language and sovereignty issues and the relationship between tribes and local schools.
