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McLemore, Niswonger selected for inaugural Teaching Excellence Institute

Dr. Dylan McLemore, assistant professor of public relations, and Laura Niswonger, lecturer II of writing, were selected for the inaugural Teaching Excellence Institute.

The institute is offered by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership and the Faculty Support Working Group that is part of the Council for Student Success. It will be held June 21-25, 2021.

Dr. Dylan McLemore and Laura Niswonger

According to CETAL, the institute will focus on four primary themes.

  • a deep dive into the characteristics of the UCA student body
  • the science of learning and memory
  • inclusive pedagogies
  • socioemotional skills.
Posted in: Awards, Faculty, Public Relations, Writing on April 30, 2021 Tagged:

Gardner, Brown selected for inaugural Global Learning Institute

Adriian Gardner

Adriian Gardner

Adriian Gardner, senior lecturer of communication, and Dr. Riva Brown, associate professor of public relations, were among 10 UCA faculty members selected for the inaugural Global Learning Institute scheduled for June 17, 2021.

This year’s focus will be Collaborative Online International Learning, or COIL. The Office of International Engagement is working with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Academic Leadership to add a COIL unit into an existing class in fall 2021 or spring 2022.

Posted in: Awards, Communication, Faculty, Public Relations on April 29, 2021 Tagged: , ,

Brown wins inaugural faculty civic engagement award

Dr. Riva Brown

Dr. Riva Brown

Dr. Riva Brown was recognized April 20, 2021, with the first Distinguished Faculty Advocate for Civic Engagement award from the Division of Outreach & Community Engagement.

Dr. Lesley Graybeal, director of service learning, said the new recognition was created by UCA’s Vote Everywhere team to recognize the increased importance of civic engagement as a type of community engagement on our campus.

From the award announcement: “The Distinguished Faculty Advocate for Civic Engagement recognizes a UCA faculty member who displays a commitment to the civic engagement of students by developing students as citizens through intentional design of curricular and co-curricular experiences. Our inaugural award recipient not only relentlessly pursues civic learning outcomes in her public relations courses but has also modeled active citizenship in her role as advisor for the campus chapter of the NAACP and a member of the Civic Action Coordination Committee.”

Graybeal said: “Dr. Brown has been an incredible asset to civic engagement work on our campus. The way that she ties together innovative teaching, advocacy, and collaborative research for the public good is inspiring, and our students benefit so much from her support and the way that she models active citizenship.”

Posted in: Awards, Faculty, Public Relations on April 29, 2021

Journalism lecturer elected chairman of legislative task force

Rob Moritz

Rob Moritz, a lecturer in the journalism program, has been elected chairman of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Task Force.

The task force was created by the Arkansas Legislature in 2017 and is responsible for making recommendations on bills that would affect the state public records and open meetings law.

Moritz was appointed to the nine-member task force by then-Senate Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang. He was elected chairman of the panel during a meeting earlier this month in advance of the Arkansas Legislative Session that began Jan. 11.

Moritz, who is also treasurer of the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, spent more than 30 years as a newspaper reporter for papers in Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas before being hired at UCA in the fall of 2014.

–Rob Moritz (originally published on UCA Inform)

Posted in: Faculty, Journalism on February 18, 2021

McLemore’s public scholarship results in multiple media appearances

Dr. Dylan McLemore’s Al Jazeera appearance

Dr. Dylan McLemore, assistant professor of public relations, has made recent media appearances with Al Jazeera Newshour, CNN’s Reliable Sources, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Relevant Magazine regarding the social media ban on Donald Trump and the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He also appeared on the Metamorphosis podcast discussing Christian nationalism.

 

 

How long have you been at UCA?

This is my fifth year.

Which courses do you teach?

Introduction to Public Relations, Media Law and Ethics, Public Affairs, and Portfolio

How did you connect with Al Jazeera?

I connected with AJ over Twitter (naturally). Last summer, a producer saw some of my commentary on Trump and the media and they reach out to me on occasion for that niche. I love public scholarship – getting our expertise out to general audiences – and one of the silver linings of the pandemic has been the simplified logistics of making that happen. I literally Skype into London from my spare bedroom.

Dr. Dylan McLemore speaks with Al Jazeera anchor

How do these pieces connect with courses taught/research interests?

Content moderation by social media companies will always be relevant to our public relations students as social media management becomes a greater part of their careers. I also talk to journalism and PR students about understanding their audiences, which includes the social identities and filter bubbles they view our messaging through.

I’m conducting ongoing research into how fringe partisans use social media, and how algorithms feed that extremism (some of the preliminary findings are in the ADG column). The religion piece is an application of my dissertation research, which looked at the effects of fused religious-political social identities on information processing. It’s also a place where my research can intersect with my personal faith. I’m a Christian and care deeply about the future of the church in America.

Anything else to add?

I’m thankful to be in a School with colleagues who appreciate and encourage this type of work.

Dr. Dylan McLemore’s tweet published in CNN’s Reliable Sources

-Tami Phillips

Posted in: Faculty, Public Relations on February 18, 2021 Tagged: ,

PR, the Press & Public Affairs class reports on BLM protests in central Arkansas

This semester COVID-19 prevented our PR, the Press & Public Affairs class from holding a campus/community event as we have in past years. Nevertheless, the class knew what they wanted to focus on from Day One – the summer Black Lives Matter protests in central Arkansas. So, students did original reporting to capture the protests through the eyes of activists, aid workers, police, journalists, small business owners, educators, and more.
Their work is published here: https://ar2020protests.wordpress.com/
–Dr. Dylan McLemore
Posted in: Faculty, Journalism, Public Relations, Students on December 9, 2020

Tim Wise visits UCA as Artist In Residence Nov. 16-17

Posted in: Artist in Residence, Faculty, Students on October 27, 2020 Tagged: , , , , ,

Scroll inducted into Walsworth Gallery of Excellence third time

The University of Central Arkansas Scroll has been inducted into the Walsworth Gallery of Excellence for the third consecutive year. The Walsworth Gallery of Excellence is a collection compiled every year of the most distinguished yearbooks Walsworth prints. The selections are based on quality, demonstration of theme, coverage, design, photography and copy.

Representative Terry Smith presented Adviser Will Oldham and the Scroll staff a plaque on Monday, Aug. 24 during the first class meeting of the new school year.

Smith informed the students that extra copies of their book were printed for sales representatives to share as examples and loaned to schools as idea generators. Gallery of Excellence books are also displayed at regional, state and national conventions.

The cover, spreads, photos and coverage ideas from this book will also be used in Walsworth’s educational resource materials, such as the Possibilities Idea Book, the Yearbook Suite curriculum and Idea File Magazine.

      
Posted in: Faculty, Journalism, Student Media on August 25, 2020 Tagged: , ,

Echo editor-in-chief elected to SPJ Arkansas Pro Chapter board

Ronak Patel, editor-in-chief of The Echo, UCA’s student newspaper, was elected to the board of directors of the Arkansas Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists during the organization’s annual membership meeting in July.

Ronak Patel

Also during the meeting, Lauren McCabe, a recent UCA graduate and former Echo editor, was elected secretary, and Rob Moritz, Lecturer I in the journalism department, was also re-elected treasurer.

Patel, an English major and journalism minor, has previously worked as photo editor, online editor, social media editor and associate editor for The Echo. McCabe, who recently received a B.A. in English, was editor-in-chief of The Echo in the fall of 2019.

The Arkansas Pro Chapter is an affiliate of the national Society of Professional Journalists, whose mission statement states that it is “dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.”

A UCA campus of SPJ was recently created and about 15 students are members. For more information about joining the campus chapter email Rob Moritz at rmoritz@uca.edu.

–Rob Moritz

 

Posted in: Alumni, Faculty, Journalism, Student Media, Students on August 13, 2020 Tagged: , , , ,
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