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Teaching Tips – the Annual Pedagogy Panel

“Fun”-damentals: Problems and Creative Solutions in Teaching Mass Communication

  • The Complicated Relationship Between Undergraduate Students and the Syllabi

Maria Ortega, Texas Tech

  • Virtual Reality & Innovative Technology in the Communication Classroom

Trey Guinn and Susanna Alvord, Incarnate Word

  • Communication Essentials for Essential Communicators

Trey Guinn, Incarnate Word

  • Muddiest Point Cards and Practice Quizzes

Nate Fisher, Oklahoma

  • Applying Strategic Thinking and AI in Public Relations Case Study Approach

Alec C. Tefertiller, Rosalynn A. Vasquez, Kim Patterson, Elizabeth Bates, and Matthew Brammer, Baylor

Moderator: Kelly Kaufhold, SWECJMC President, Texas State University

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WiFi access at Texas State

You’ll be able to use the TXST-Visitor wifi network but you’ll need to agree to terms and conditions and enter a phone number for authentication. You’ll find the instructions here.

https://itac.txst.edu/support/network-wifi/join-visitor.html
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SWECJMC Announces 2024 Award Recipients

The Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication (SWECJMC) is pleased to announce the 2024 winners of our prestigious Pioneer and Educator Awards.

Dr. Mia Moody, professor and Chair of the Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media at Baylor University, earned this year’s Educator Award. Dr. Amal Bakry, assistant professor of advertising and the Advertising Sequence Coordinator at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, is this year’s recipient of the Pioneer Award.

The Educator Award

The Educator Award, which was created in 2021, honors a faculty member at a SWECJMC member institution who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to journalism and mass communication education, and an exceptional commitment to undergraduate and/or graduate education through innovative practices, excellent student outcomes, and/or classroom-focused research. These attributes essentially describe Dr. Moody’s career.

Dr. Mia Moody

Dr. Moody – who has four college degrees – has served on the faculty at Baylor University since 2001, where she teaches a variety of classes, including Reporting and Writing for Media, Public Relations Media Planning, Gender, Race and Media, and Theory of Mass Communication. In addition to chairing the department, she previously served as director of the graduate program. She has authored four books, and four dozen articles in top journals, including Journalism Mass Communication Quarterly, Howard Journal of Communication, Journalism Educator, Journal of Black Studies, and Public Relations Review. Many of her studies examine media portrayals of race and how that intersects with society, especially through stereotypes in social media.

As examples of her outstanding contribution to JMC education, she led her department to a successful reaccreditation, just oversaw the launch of a broadcast sequence, and her department enjoys first-year student retention of over 90%. She has long been recognized as an important role model and mentor for women and people of color. She has served, for 20 years, as faculty advisor of Baylor’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and her name is on a scholarship awarded to an NABJ member each year. She has served on committees for two doctoral dissertations and 17 master’s theses.

She was head of the Minorities and Communication Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), was an officer for three years on the AEJMC Commission on the Status of Women, and is the current vice-president elect of AEJMC and will become president in 2026. She has previously been honored as Professor of the Year at Baylor (2021) and won the 2018 Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity Research and Education.

Dr. Moody won two top paper honors at one conference just last year – only the latest in many awards for her research. She is equally deserving of this honor for her exemplary teaching and mentorship.

The Pioneer Award

Dr. Amal Bakry

The Pioneer Award was created in 1993, and honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to journalism and mass communication education in one of the 11 states represented in the SWECJMC. The Pioneer Award is not awarded each year but rather is bestowed on an academic who is recognized for unique and important contributions to JMC education. Dr. Bakry certainly fits this description.

Her research has focused on public diplomacy and often captures resonant social topics which are “ripped from the headlines,” including numerous studies on diplomatic branding of Egypt and a recent study on the Hijab-wearing Barbie doll and social identity, published in the Journal of Consumer Behavior.

Dr. Bakry has worked as a communication professional for more than twenty years in Egypt, with the prominent DDB Agency and with the British Council. She returned to school for doctoral studies at the University of Florida. She has been at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for seven years, where she teaches public relations, advertising and media planning. In fact, she was just awarded a $3,000 ADVANCE Course Development Grant, a competitive internal initiative from the University. 

She teaches fundamental courses (Principles of Advertising, Communication Research) but, more importantly, courses on emerging and creative media, including Advertising Creative Strategy and Trends in 21st Century Communication. Dr. Bakry also serves in important service roles, including as current Research Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), and as a longtime officer in the International Communication Division. And she has authored two dozen scholarly articles.

About SWECJMC

SWECJMC is a nonprofit, official affiliate of AEJMC. Each year, the executive committee of SWECJMC intends to honor faculty members at SWECJMC member institutions who demonstrate outstanding contributions to journalism and mass communication education. This year, the committee members are privileged to recognize these two outstanding educators for their impact on students’ success and celebrate their accomplishment in journalism and mass communication education in the Southwest. Both awards will be presented at the 2024 Southwest Mass Communication Symposium held at Texas State University in Round Rock on October 25-26.

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SWECJMC Announces the 2023 Award Recipients

The Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication (SWECJMC) is pleased to announce the 2023 Pioneer Award Winner, Dr. Jacqueline Lambiase, professor (retired)of strategic communication and director of the Certified Public Communicator Program at Texas Christian University (TCU), and the 2023 Educator Award Winner, Dr. Tracy Everbach, professor of journalism at the University of North Texas (UNT).

The Pioneer Award

Dr. Lambiase is the recipient of the Pioneer Award for her significant contribution to journalism and mass communication teaching, research, and service as well as her exemplary role in promoting the recognition, welfare and progress of journalism and mass communication education in the Southwest.

Before joining academia, Dr. Lambiase served as a spokeswoman for Potomac Edison and worked as a wire editor, business reporter and news editor at suburban newspapers in Texas. As an associate professor at UNT (1996-2009) and professor at TCU (2009-2023), she consulted with or spoken to diverse groups about earning their share of discussion in social media and public relations opportunities.

At TCU, Dr. Lambiase taught campaigns, diversity, writing, research, ethics, case studies, and advocacy. She also co-authored and co-edited two scholarly books, as well as published or presented more than 70 refereed journal articles, refereed presentations, book chapters, and other scholarly work that focuses on public-sector communication, public relations ethics, and representations of gender and sexuality in media and advertising.

Over the course of Dr. Lambiase’s career, she received the 2023 Dean’s Award for Teaching at TCU, and in 2020, she received the UNT Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism Distinguished Professional Achievement Award. In 2017, she was named the Bob Schieffer College of Communication Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Teacher-Scholar. Other awards include the Jean Giles-Sims Wise Woman Award from TCU Women and Gender Studies, Schieffer College of Communication Faculty Member of the Year from TCU Student Government Association, and Cheryl A. Soward Communicator of Distinction Award from the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers. She also served as a treasurer and board member for SWECJMC from 2000 to 2003.

The Educator Award

Dr. Everbach has been selected for the Educator Award for her exceptional commitment to undergraduate and graduate education in journalism and mass communication through innovative teaching practices, excellent student outcomes, and classroom-focused research.

Prior to academia, Dr. Everbach worked for 14 years as a newspaper reporter for the Dallas Morning News and Boston Herald. During her career in journalism, she covered several important news events, including the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and the 1993 federal raid on the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, and won many professional journalism awards, including the Carole Kneeland Award from the Texas Governor’s Commission on Women, and the PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency.

At UNT, Dr. Everbach teaches hands-on classes in writing and reporting as well as gender and race in the media, and graduate classes in media studies and qualitative research. Her research mainly focuses on gender and race in media, newsroom management and sports coverage. She has published her research in top-tier journals in the field and coauthored three books: Mediating Misogyny: Gender, Technology & Harassment (2018), Testing Tolerance: Addressing Controversy in the Journalism and Mass Communication Classroom (2020), and Not Playing Around: Intersectional Identities, Media Representation, and the Power of Sport (2022).

Dr. Everbach is former faculty adviser to the North Texas Daily: UNT’s student newspaper. In 2019, she was the recipient of the UNT Presidents Council Service Award and Donna Allen Award for Feminist Advocacy from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

SWECJMC is a nonprofit, official affiliate of AEJMC. Each year, the executive committee of SWECJMC intends to honor faculty members at SWECJMC member institutions who demonstrate outstanding contributions to journalism and mass communication education. This year, the committee members are privileged to recognize these two outstanding educators for their impact on students’ success and celebrate their accomplishment in journalism and mass communication education in the Southwest. Both awards will be presented at the 2023 Southwest Mass Communication Symposium held at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro on October 27-28.

 

 

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Call for Papers

The Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication (SWECJMC) cordially invites you to submit a paper, abstract, or pedagogy best practice to be considered for presentation at the 2023 Southwest Symposium to be held at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro on October 27 and 28, 2023. Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Central time on Sunday, July 16, 2023. Authors will be advised on paper selections by Sunday, August 27, 2023.

Faculty and graduate students are invited to submit English-language-only, completed research papers on any topic related to journalism and mass communication. To encourage graduate student scholarship, we will once again present an award for the top graduate student paper. All scholarly methodologies are welcome. Authors whose papers are accepted will be invited to present at the 2023 Symposium. All papers will be refereed, and the top six complete research papers will be honored with awards and are eligible for publication in the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal spring edition without additional review.

As we did in 2022, SWECJMC will also accept extended abstracts for the 2023 Symposium. Extended abstracts should be 750-1,500 words in length, and they should summarize completed or in-progress research projects. The top paper abstract will be honored with an award at the conference.

Additionally, we encourage faculty to submit pedagogy tips for SWECJMC’s Pedagogy Best Practices session. For this session, submit no more than two pages, double spaced, detailing your best practice teaching tip. Address how you discovered the approach, how you implemented it, and the outcome of the implementation.

2023 Southwest Symposium Submission

DEADLINE:
Sunday, July 16, 2023, 11:59 p.m. CST

Additional Requirements for Papers:

Submissions are restricted to faculty members and graduate students of academic institutions in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. You must use your University email address to register at the conference paper submission site. Co-authors from schools in other states are acceptable.

Accepted papers, extended abstracts, and pedagogy papers must be presented at the Symposium by the author or co-author. All presenters and panelists MUST pre-register and attend in person to present. Presenters and panelists who fail to PRE-REGISTER will be removed from the program.

Authors’ names, academic institutions, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses will be entered into our online system. Please do NOT include a title page on your manuscript.

Complete papers, extended abstracts, and pedagogy best practice papers must be prepared for blind review. Remove any identifying marks in the document submitted. Manuscripts with identifying marks will be rejected immediately.

Authors are strongly urged to observe the publication guidelines of the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal (see: Submission Guidelines). Typically, no more than five tables will be published in a single manuscript. The journal requires adherence to APA 7th edition guidelines.

No completed paper, including tables, graphs, figures and citations, should exceed 30 pages. Papers selected from the fall Symposium for the Conference Edition of the journal must be made to conform to this length requirement during final modifications before publication.

Extended abstracts should be 750 – 1,500 words maximum, not including references or tables; but abstracts should include a reference list. Extended abstracts should summarize the study’s purpose, literature, methodology, results or expected results, and discussion. In addition, extended abstracts should clearly indicate the progress of the study, including how much data collection and analysis remains. References, tables, and figures should not be included in the word count. Authors whose abstracts are selected for presentation must submit their completed, full paper to their assigned discussant by Sunday, October 15, 2023.

To be considered for the top graduate student paper, submissions must have been authored by only graduate students; even having a faculty co-author excludes consideration for top graduate student paper award, but studies co-authored by students and faculty will be eligible for top six paper consideration. The top paper abstract will not be eligible for publication in the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal spring edition without additional review.

Papers and extended abstracts submitted for consideration should not be submitted elsewhere until after the conference ends or the authors must withdraw the submission from other considerations if the paper is selected for presentation.

Attendees whose universities or organizations are institutional members of SWECJMC will receive a $10 discount when registering online. Please encourage your university to support scholarship and professional development by joining SWECJMC through a nominal $100 annual contribution. Visit https://swecjmc.wp.txstate.edu/ or contact SWECJMC treasurer T. Phillip Madison (phillip.madison@louisiana.edu) to join.

For more information, contact Kelly Kaufhold at kellykaufhold@txstate.edu and please use SWECJMC in the subject line.

 

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Call for Editor-Elect

Call for Nominations and Applications
Southwestern Mass Communication Journal Editor-Elect Overseeing 2024-2026 volumes

The Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication invites applications for an editor of the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal. Since 1982, Southwestern Mass Communication Journal has published peer-reviewed mass communication and journalism research. Published twice a year (May and December), the journal seeks an editor to begin in January 2024, on a renewable three-year term.

Duties include but are not limited to the day-to-day management of the online journal, indexing publications, shepherding manuscripts through the double-blind review process on the Open Journal System 3.0, timely processing of manuscripts through the editorial process and publication, cultivating new reviewers, and communicating with authors, reviewers, database liaisons, the SWECJMC webmaster, and SWECJMC board. Each year, the May issue includes the Top Papers from the Annual SWECJMC Research Symposium.

The journal editor serves in an ex-officio capacity on the SWECJMC board and would be expected to attend two board meetings per year (virtual attendance accepted). Additional indexing and marketing the journal to a new generation of scholars for submissions and readership are areas the next editor is expected to tackle.

Applicants need to be employed in a full-time position by a university located in the SWECJMC region (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, or Wyoming) and the university should be, or be willing to become, an institutional member of SWECJMC. The new editor will be able to appoint associate editors and graduate assistants from SWECJMC member institutions to help with the workload. The editor, associate editors, and graduate assistants would not be able to submit any publications to the journal during their term.

The search committee will evaluate applicants based on their experiences related to original research, varied methodologies, and the academic publication and editorial process. Preference would be given to applicants with a doctorate, experience as an editor, associate editor, or review board member, experience managing an academic publication or refereed conference, and/or experience
with online workflow management systems (such as OJS 3.0).
The completed application should be sent to Dr. Po-Lin Pan (ppan@astate.edu) with subject line “SMC Journal Editor” by April 1, 2023. In one pdf, include the following:

  1. a letter of application stating your interest and qualifications
  2. a CV of five or fewer pages highlighting research and editorial experience
  3. a letter of support from your department head/chair and/or dean

This is not a paid position and applicants should approach their institutions for potential course release or other accommodations for this service to the academy.

Applications will be reviewed by the search committee members from the SWECJMC board. Questions about the editor role and expectations should be directed to Dr. Jenny Dean (dean@txwes.edu), who is the current editor.

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Call For Papers

The Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication (SWECJMC) cordially invites you to submit a paper, abstract, or pedagogy best practice to be considered for presentation at the 2021 Southwest Symposium to be held virtually on October 15-16, 2021. ​Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Central time on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.​ Authors will be advised on paper selections by Friday, Aug. 13, 2021.

Faculty and graduate students are invited to submit English-language-only, completed ​research papers on any topic related to journalism and mass communication. To encourage graduate student scholarship, we will once again award the top graduate student paper. All scholarly methodologies are welcome. Authors whose papers are accepted will be invited to present at the 2021 Symposium. All papers will be refereed, and the top six complete research papers will be honored with awards and are eligible for publication in the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal spring edition without additional review.

This year, SWECJMC is also accepting ​extended abstracts​ for the 2021 Symposium. Extended abstracts should be 750-1,500 words in length, and they should summarize completed or in-progress research projects. The top paper abstract will be awarded at the conference.

Additionally, we encourage faculty to submit pedagogy tips for SWECJMC’s ​Pedagogy Best Practices session​. For this session, submit no more than two pages, double spaced detailing your best practice teaching tip. Address how you discovered the approach, how you implemented it, and the outcome of the implementation.

SWECJMC 2021 submission page:

https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/SWECJMC2021

DEADLINE:
Wednesday, June 30, 2021, 11:59 p.m. CST

​

Additional Requirements for Papers:

Submissions are restricted to faculty members and graduate students of academic institutions in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

  • Co-authors from schools in other states are acceptable.
  • Accepted papers, extended abstracts, and pedagogy papers must be presented at the Symposium by the author or co-author. All presenters and panelists MUST pre-register. Presenters and panelists who fail to ​PRE-REGISTER​ will be removed from the program.
  • Authors’ names, academic institutions, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses will be entered into our online system. Please do ​NOT​ include a title page on your manuscript.
  • Complete papers, extended abstracts, and pedagogy best practice papers must be prepared for blind

    review. Do ​NOT​ include any identifying marks in the document submitted. Manuscripts with identifying marks will be rejected immediately.

  • Authors are strongly urged to observe the publication guidelines of the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal (see: ​Submission Guidelines)​. Typically, no more than five tables will be published in a single manuscript. The journal requires adherence to APA 6th edition guidelines.
  • No completed paper, including tables, graphs, figures and citations, should exceed ​30 pages​. Papers selected from the fall Symposium for the Conference Edition of the journal must be made to conform to this length requirement during final modifications before publication.
  • Extended abstracts should be ​750 – 1,500 words maximum​, and they should include a reference list. Extended abstracts should summarize the study’s purpose, literature, methodology, results or expected results, and discussion. In addition, extended abstracts should clearly indicate the progress of the study, including how much data collection and analysis remains. References, tables, and figures should not be included in the word count. Authors whose abstracts are selected for presentation must submit their completed, full paper to their assigned discussant by ​October 1, 2021​.
  • Completed papers co-authored with both graduate students and faculty will not be considered for the top graduate student paper award, but will be eligible for top six paper consideration. The top paper abstract will not be eligible for publication in the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal spring edition without additional review.
  • Papers and extended abstracts submitted for consideration should not be submitted elsewhere until after the conference ends or the authors must withdraw the submission from other considerations if the paper is selected for presentation.
  • Submissions selected from institutions not currently members of SWECJMC may be presented; however, nonmember presenters will be required to pay an additional $10 upon registration. (Encourage your institution to become a member if it is not already.)

For more information, contact Alec Tefertiller at ​alec_tefertiller@baylor.edu​, ​and use SWECJMC in the subject line.

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Jenny Dean, Ph.D, Named New SWECJMC Editor

DENVER ― Jan. 26 2021 ― The Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication (SWECJMC) today announced it has appointed Jenny Dean, Ph.D., as editor of the Southwestern Mass Communication Journal. In this role, Dean will oversee the double-blind review process, cultivate reviewers and lead the production of the online journal, published twice per year since 1982.

Dean is an assistant professor of mass communication and director of student media at Texas Wesleyan University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art and anthropology from Luther College, a master’s degree in photography from Syracuse University, a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a doctorate in communication and society from the University of Oregon. Before launching her career in academia, Dean served as a news designer for the Charlotte Observer and the Florida Times-Union newspapers.

“Research is crucial to the advancement of journalism and communication,” said Dean. “Working with the SWECJMC as journal editor allows me to help foster a greater body of evidence to identify industry trends, best practices and improvements to how we teach the next generation of professionals.”

Michelle Baum, president of SWECJMC, introduced this year’s Board of Directors, which includes the addition of Alec Tefertiller as vice president. Tefertiller, an assistant professor in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media at Baylor University, will lead the research paper competition for the 2021 Symposium that will be held this fall. Symposium details and the call for papers will be announced in April.

2021 SWECJMC Board of Directors:

  • President: Michelle Baum, Metropolitan State University of Denver
  • Past President: Raluca Cozma, Kansas State University
  • Vice President: Alec Tefertiller, Baylor University
  • Treasurer: T. Phillip Madison, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
  • Secretary: Lauren Auverset, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
  • Board Member: Sarah Maben, Tarleton State University
  • Webmaster & Web Editor: Jon Zmikly, Texas State University

“SWECJMC brings together dedicated higher education faculty members who are passionate about exploring all realms of journalism and communication in an effort to understand their influences and to foster the next generation of leaders in these fields,” said Baum. “The SWECJMC annual conference and journal provide meaningful outlets to network and share ideas with colleagues. We are preparing for a productive year of impactful programming and camaraderie.”

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New Vice President on Board

Raluca Cozma of Kansas State University has been named the new vice president for the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication (SWECJMC).

Raluca Cozma (Ph.D., Louisiana State University) joined the A.Q. Miller Schoo of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kansas State University in 2017. She has professional experience in local television news and international communication from Romania and the United States. Cozma combines her professional background with her scholarship in international, political, and science communication to teach journalism and research skills in an age of evolving global and electronic media.

Prior to joining K-State, Cozma taught at Iowa State University, where she won the Early Achievement in Teaching Award and the Harry Heath Distinguished Adviser Award and served as faculty adviser of ISUtv. She earned two professional-development grants that funded summer externships at local TV stations. At the national level, she served as chair of AEJMC’s Newspaper and Online News Division in 2015. She currently serves as vice chair of AEJMC’s Standing Committee on Teaching, and in October 2018 she was elected vice president of SWECJMC.

Cozma’s research examines the state and evolution of foreign news, social-media use by foreign correspondents and political leaders, news trust and credibility, as well as the importance of frames and news sources in international, political, and science communication. One of her research goals is to actively involve graduate students in her scholarship and then provide them with the tools and opportunities to create their own strains of research on related topics and theories. Her research has won top-paper awards at AEJMC, ICA, BEA, and AJHA and has been published in venues such as the Newspaper Research Journal, Journalism Studies, International Journal of Press/Politics, The International Communication Gazette, the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Journalism History, and Journalism Practice, as well as in several book chapters and encyclopedia entries.