Lee Clarion Newsletter 2009
Content
Research grant funds close-up photography
Student Media Lab evolves to suit student needs
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New costume and scenic shops provide just the fit
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to reach. Last fall, public relations students in professor Kevin Trowbridge’s planning and management class developed a donor awareness campaign for the Cleveland branch of Habitat for Humanity and an awareness campaign for the Ocoee Region Multicultural Services. “Our client-based service learning projects cultivate amazing partnerships in the community,” said Dr. Michael J. Laney, department chair of Communication and the Arts. “These partnerships bring mutual benefit for both students and community nonprofit entities that may not otherwise be attainable or affordable.” Senior theatre students are also involved in client-based service learning. Recently, Dr. Mark Burnette’s theatre capstone students partnered with The Museum Center at 5ive Points to tell the story of Cleveland and Bradley County. Dr. Burnette’s students developed a composite character, Lucy Ratcliff, to typify life during the Civil War era and wrote a dialogue between Lucy and her older brother Luke to reflect the Union-Confederate tension found in many Bradley County families during the Civil War time. The resulting dialogue was then performed at local elementary schools to help elementary students visualize Civil War history in our community. Transforming our community residents Area nonprofits are not the only ones being transformed by the Communication and the Arts department’s service learning emphasis. Individuals in our community are being touched as well. See COMMUNICATION, page 3
Volume 63, Issue 12
Students serve through communication
Lee University requires undergraduate students to complete 80 hours of service learning during their undergraduate tenure. The department has taken this requirement and infused it across its curriculum, developing a learning environment that extends beyond classroom walls and builds relational intersections between students and our community. The result is a transformation of Communication and the Arts students and our community nonprofit agencies, our community residents and beyond. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our public relations classes. Transforming our community nonprofit agencies Public relations has always benefitted from a client-based approach to prepare students for a professional career. The addition of the public relations major in the fall of 2008, however, provided a broader platform for service learning partnerships. According to Dr. Patty Silverman, public relations discipline coordinator, these partnerships give public relations students the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the classroom to real world public relations situations. In return, nonprofit agencies benefit from public relations counsel. For example, one student group in Dr. Christie Kleinmann’s public relations writing class partnered with New Hope Pregnancy Care Center to assess their public relations needs and develop public relations materials to meet these needs. Students developed a brochure and a newsletter, in both English and Spanish, and several news releases to target an audience that New Hope had previously been unable
Lee begins streaming Department offers new opportunities for community involvement broadcasts
At a Glance: Communication & the Arts
TALENT & CREATIVITY: Students and faculty in the Communication & the Arts department use their gifts to serve God.
A few years ago at graduation, an international student walked across the stage with her cell phone in her hand so that her parents and family back home could hear the ceremony. In 2009 friends and families will be able to watch commencement activities live over the Internet thanks to a new online streaming service. The Lee University Video Production Center recently announced the new capabilities to stream live events as well as archived video on demand through an agreement with Multicast Media streaming service. “Concerts, recitals, special events and chapels are only the beginning,” said Ron Gilbert, director of the Video Production Center, located in the Dixon Center. “This new media outlet is a huge gain for telecommunication students as well as departments involved in recruitment, alumni, public relations, student services, music and athletics.” The Lee video streaming website address is www.leeuniversity.edu/ video. Viewers can choose to watch in 100k or 500k streams, depending on their Internet connection speed. Lee Waller, assistant director of the Video Production Center who is responsible for editing, production coordination of the studios and graphics, will manage the streaming operations. Lee continues its tradition of creative innovation by being among the first institutions of its kind to embrace online delivery of media on a global scale. Multicast Media has an impressive client list. Last year they live streamed an event featuring presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.
Newspaper making impact online
LeeClarion.com melds blog, video and social media
the social sites have contributed to the dialogue, enabling readers to participate in conversation with the Lee Clarion by commenting on posts and submitting story tips. The Lee Clarion currently has nearly 2,550 fans and followers across the two services. Both Facebook and Twitter allow readers to subscribe to news updates from the Lee Clarion on their cell phones for instant coverage. The Lee Clarion has also used its Facebook page to show off the award-winning talent of the Lee University Student Media photography staff. During the 2008-2009 academic year over 9,000 pictures of campus events and news stories were uploaded to the Lee Clarion Facebook page, engaging fans with high-quality photos. Every time a new album is uploaded, readers receive an invitation to view the latest album, tag their friends, share the pictures and write comments for others to see. Instead of keeping Lee’s talA relatively new competitor among collegiate news Web sites, LeeClarion.com, the online edition of Lee University’s student news media, is already winning awards. LeeClarion.com debuted in 2008 to compliment and expand upon the print edition of the Lee Clarion by providing easy access to up-to-date information, a digital archive of articles and helpful features including polls and realtime weather results. In recent months LeeClarion. com has expanded to include a full video gallery, serving as a news station to the campus, and a blog operated by the newspaper editors. LeeClarion.com won first place for the Overall World-Wide Web Site at the 2008 Collegiate Journalism Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. More recently, LeeClarion. com was selected as a 2009 Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker finalist. Competition winners are scheduled to be announced this November. In the first eight months of operation, LeeClarion.com received nearly 60,000 page views alone. The Lee Clarion has made a splash in social media in recent months, opening accounts on services like Facebook and Twitter. The result is two-fold. In addition to providing readers with faster breaking news, ented photographers’ work constricted, the Lee Clarion encourages fans to view the archives and share the content. The Lee Clarion recently launched a video news station on LeeClarion.com bringing in well over 5,000 views since its inception at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year. The video gallery encourages student journalists who are interested in video news to learn how to report on-camera and tell a story through visual means. By utilizing social media including blogs and profiles as well as finding new ways to deliver fresh photos and video news reports, the LeeClarion is on the forefront of the digital media revolution. Student journalists at Lee University have an outlet to engage their talents, in writing, editing, reporting, designing, or taking photos for the Lee Clarion. The student media newsroom (located at PCSU 104) provides students working on the Lee Clarion with a highly-equipped office filled with the proper technology and software necessary to produce quality and awardwinning news.
Lunch Learn
Communicating The Story
Edna Minor Conn Theatre Welcome Dr. Michael Laney, Department Chair Visualizing the Story Ron Gilbert, Telecommunications Relating the Story Patty Silverman & Christie Kleinmann, Public Relations Selling the Story Megan Moe, Advertising & Communication Studies Staging the Story Christine Williams, Theatre Darlia Conn Centenary Room Lunch Sodexo Publishing the Story Kevin Trowbridge, Journalism Proclaiming His Story The Kingdom Players Benediction Joel Kailing
May 8, 2009 • 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
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ONLINE: LeeClarion.com is an ACP Online Pacemaker finalist.
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Lee cLarion SPeciaL eDiTion faculty Students research domestic violence 2
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In addition to their priorities of teaching, department faculty members are actively involved in scholarship and service to the community and the profession. Ms. Catherine Bradley was selected to present at the Association of Theatre Higher Education conference in August in New York City. Her paper explores ways theatre programs can connect with K-12 programs. Dr. Christie Kleinmann, APR, received a research minigrant from the Faculty Research Committee for research on “An Examination of the Co-creation of Gender Meaning in Sport Communication.” Dr. Megan Moe-Lunger received a research mini-grant from the Faculty Research Committee to continue the Voices and Violence program that explores domestic violence. Mr. Jeff Salyer defended his thesis for a Master of Arts in TV and Film Critical Studies from Regent University. Salyer is the associate director of the Video Production Center and is responsible for videotaping, editing and productions including the “Inside Lee Basketball Sport Show” shown in 12 states to more than 6 millions homes on Charter Sports Southeast. Dr. Patty Silverman, APR, serves as president of the Cleveland Media Association. Mr. John Simmons represented Lee University at the Alabama Clay Conference in Huntsville. There were several internationally known presenters and it was a very worthwhile and educational experience. Mr. Kevin Trowbridge serves as president of the Public Relations Society of America Lookout Chapter. Additionally, he was selected to participate in the 2009 New Media Academic Summit, a collaboration of Edelman Public Relations and PRWeek, June 9-11 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Christine Williams, assistant professor of theatre, presented at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) annual meeting in Denver, Colo., on ways in which theatre faculty can utilize social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Williams was elected to the At-Large Committee for ATHE. She also presented as part of a panel at the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) discussing new play development projects at Lee University. Williams coached acting students attending the American College Theatre Festival Region IV conference in February. She is currently working on two articles for publication in her field of Tudor theatre history.
Three communication students recently obtained a Mellon grant through the Appalachian College Association (ACA) under the direction of Dr. Megan Moe, assistant professor of communication. The grant enables them to research women who have been targets of domestic violence. Although domestic violence is a common problem that transcends socio-economic boundaries and traditional family structures, many are unaware of its prevalence, and the victims are often marginalized in the United States. Carly Chaney, Lacey Stokes and Rebecca Krese joined Moe to provide a forum for the women who have been targets of violence but who have made the choice to seek help to leave the situation. Moe said she hopes the Voices and Violence research study will impact both community and academia. The research team interviewed
PHOTO-ESSAY: Carly Chaney created an anonymous project using close-ups of abused women. 10 women in southeast Tennessee at local resources agencies. They asked seven open-ended questions that gave the women the opportunity to guide the interview. Once they completed and transcribed the interviews, they analyzed them for common themes and patterns. Krese examined why the women chose to stay in abusive relationships and why they left. Stokes evaluated the communicative frame that precedes the decision to leave, looking for commonalities among the women. Moe analyzed the use of passive and active verb choices that the women use, to determine if there are shifts in verb when they decided to leave the violent relationship. Chaney, a photographer, participated in the project by creating a photo-essay of abused women. She created an anonymous project using close-up shots of particular body parts such as feet, hands, ears and hair to create a unique view of
the women. “I’m excited about it, particularly because of the very real aspect the research is going to provide,” Chaney said. “I’m going to use it to its full potential.” All students will present their research at the University of North Carolina at Ashville on September 25, 2009, at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. “This in-depth original research project helps prepare these women for graduate school.” Moe said. “They are conducting the type of original research graduate students do in their master’s program.” The Mellon ACA grant also provides for three playwriting students, under the direction of Professor Stacey Isom, to participate in the project. They conducted domestic violence interviews and will use the information to write monologues. Their production will be mounted in Fall 2009.
PR major growing steadily since launch
With an economic recession looming, that first step into the “real world” for Lee public relations graduates has become more uncertain and daunting than in previous years. With fewer jobs and stiffer competition, students will have to be excellent in their field and prove themselves better trained and qualified than ever before. In May 2009 the first class of public relations majors will receive their diplomas backed with client-based projects, internships, service-learning courses and cross cultural experiences. Additionally, public relations professors who have poured their lives and talents into these aspiring new practitioners will watch the first class of students receive their B.A. in Public Relations, a major launched in fall 2008. “Lee has one of the most excellent public relations programs in the nation,” said professor Kevin Trowbridge, who served as vice president for communications at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities in Washington, D.C., before joining the Lee faculty in 2005. “You won’t find another program as well-developed that challenges students to integrate their Christian faith and service with the practice of public relations.” The public relation major has approximately 100 students and PRSA Chapter and volunteered with the nonprofit Ronald McDonald House. “Attending PRSSA National Conference in Detroit this past fall showed me how well developed and comparable our public relations major and PRSSA chapter is to larger universities,” said Ellie Pfahl, PRSSA Vice President for the 2009-2010 school year. Public relations is in the relationship business. It’s those studentfaculty relationships that also make the public relations major at Lee unique and special. “My professors in public relations have had such an impact in my life. They have nurtured and cultivated gifts that I didn’t even know I had,” said Amy Maddox, a May 2009 graduate. Alex Noll, a rising junior said, “A great strength of our department is the passion of our professors. Each public relations professor cares deeply about the field of public relations and even more deeply about their students.” With a mission “to prepare students to fulfill their calling as public relations professionals who think critically and creatively with a biblical worldview,” Lee public relations May graduates will begin their next step into the real world as practitioners as they take their last steps as students at Lee University.
CALLING AND CAREER: Public relations students pose as reporters and concerned callers during a crisis drill with Tennessee Valley Authority. continues to grow every semester. “We wanted to strengthen our program to make our public relations students more competitive in a tough economic and highly aggressive marketplace,” says Dr. Patty Silverman, public relations discipline coordinator. “We added more writing requirements, strategically created core foundational courses and expanded our electives to include social media, sport communication and crisis communication, skills needed in today’s society.” Coupled with a strong curriculum are the client-based and service-enhanced classes that make the Lee curriculum unique. Spring 2009 graduate Jessica Eldridge said, “What I enjoyed about the public relations major is the hands-on aspect, working with clients outside of the Lee campus. I believe the public relations program has prepared me for life outside the ‘Lee bubble’.” Outside of the classroom, students are encouraged to join the Lee Chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Students are not only actively involved in their campus chapter but have attended national conferences, developed mentoring partnerships with the local Lookout
Shop ‘til you drop
Theatre gains new spaces for scenic and costume design
Over the past year and a half the Lee University Theatre program has gotten to develop two theatrical workshops. The scene shop, where all of the sets are created and stored, was recently relocated from a space in the Old Woolen Mill to a closer facility located in the American Uniform Factory. Catherine Bradley, the theatre technical director, spends most afternoons in the scene shop and says that the new location gives the theatre a dream space for a scene shop. This new shop is located one mile from the theatre and has access to a great loading bay so sets can be loaded easily in and out of the space. “It is large enough for set creation, furniture storage, construction, metalworking and props creation,” Bradley said. “The students have a safe, close and functional location to help build their shows. It’s a perfect fit for our program.”
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TROJAN SCENERY: Anna Cook sits on a stone basin on the set of Trojan Women, a Greek tragedy performed at Lee last fall. Most recently a costume shop was created in the Mayfield Annex for the Theatre Program. Having a costume shop allows Lee to create, maintain and store costumes. “Previously costumes were sewn in the Great Room of the Dixon Center when temporary tables were set up during shows,” Bradley explained. After receiving a dedicated room for a costume shop Dr. Christine Williams quickly added costume designer to her directing duties at Lee. She has overseen the organization of the new space and will continue to develop it over the next year. Both shops are dedicated to the creation of quality theatrical goods. These shops also provide the theatre program with the opportunity to help local theatres and churches outfit their productions. Lee props and costumes are often rented, or loans at no cost to local artists and recent theatre graduates. “As the Lee University Theatre Program increases its own stock, it directly impacts the surrounding theatrical community,” Bradley said. “It’s a win-win.”
Communication 1997 1999 2000 2002 2001 • Department established with six • First department-sponsored study • Student Publications Lab opens • Public Relations Student Society • PRSSA participates in their first & the Arts full-time faculty members, includ- abroad trip travels to London, Paris in the Paul Conn Student Union of America chapter is chartered. Bateman Case Study Competition. Milestones ing the first full-time art professor. and Prague. to house the Vindagua and Lee • First art history study abroad trip • Drama major is added.
• A general communication major is added. Clarion. • Telecommunications major is added. travels to Italy. • Studio and computer art minors are added.
• Christians in the Visual Arts is formed. • Dr. Michael Laney is appointed department chair.
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special edition this edition is produced to showcase the department of communication & the arts at Lee University in cleveland, tenn. EDITOR Kevin s. trowbridge DESIGNER Harrison Keely WRITERS catherine bradley Mark burnette Joel Kailing christie Kleinmann Michael Laney Megan Moe Patty silverman christine Williams PHOTOGRAPHERS Janchai Montrelerdrasme carly chaney shashank shrestha Patty silverman © 2009 Lee University ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT the department of communication & the arts offers one of the most versatile academic programs at Lee University. students can choose from multiple majors and academic emphases as well as numerous cocurricular opportunities to gain experiences that will hone their abilities as communication professionals. MAJORS • B.A. Communication – communication studies emphasis • B.A. Communication – advertising emphasis • B.A. Communication – Journalism/Media Writing emphasis • B.A. Public Relations • B.A. Theatre • B.A. or B.S. Telecommunications • B.A. or B.S. Telecommunications – Church Media Emphasis MINORS • Art – Studio Emphasis • Art – Computer Design emphasis • Communication • Theatre • Telecommunications OPPORTUNITIES • Alpha Psi Omega • Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society • Lee Clarion • Lee University Theatre • Public Relations Student society of america • Vindagua
SPeciaL eDiTion 3 alumni & student
The achievements of students and graduates are evidence to the caliber of the Communication & the Arts program at Lee. The following are highlights from some recent graduates.
NOTES
Alumnus Jordan W. Lee (2007) was awarded an EMMY for Outstanding New Approaches – Short Format for his involvement with the design of a project for ESPN. “No Love Lost” (http://tinyurl.com/nolovelost) was designed to present a century of Chicago Cubs baseball in a new and innovative way. After serving in the sports department at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, alumnus Jordan Conn (2007) is now enrolled in the magazine program at the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He was selected for an internship at Sports Illustrated in New York during Summer 2009. Michelle Bollman was accepted for a competitive internship with the Washington Times during the summer of 2009. Following the summer experience, Michelle will return to campus as the managing editor of the Lee Clarion. Students from Dr. Patty Silverman’s Crisis and Risk Communication class participated in a crisis drill with the Tennessee Valley Authority Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Students played the roles of reporters and panicked community members following a fictionalized tornado hit at a nuclear plant. The routine simulations give TVA officials the opportunity to test their crisis response plans. Jonathan Cutrell won a silver Student Addy in the Interactive Design category of the American Advertising Federation-Chattanooga Addy Competition. The award recognizes Jonathan’s personal website, jonathancutrell.com, which features videos, designs and original photography. pate in service. For example, the Art Club, under professor John Simmons, offers Art in the Park every fall as a family activity for community residents to enjoy an art show, children’s activities and seasonal delicacies. Transforming our community and beyond The department of Communication and the Arts connects the unique strengths and abilities of our students and faculty, classroom study and service to transform our community; yet, the department’s influence isn’t limited to the Cleveland/Bradley County area. For example, four telecommunications students produced a video for Faith on Wheels Racing. This Atlanta-based ministry combines faith and motorcycle racing and approached professor Mary Dukes’ telecommunications students to produce a video about their program. The telecommunications students shot footage of a motorcycle race in Atlanta and developed a complete branding video for the group. “The Faith on Wheels Racing team was amazed at the professional quality of the production and that is, in large part, thanks to the instruction that our students receive in the classroom,” Laney said. “But it also speaks to the life experiences our students gain outside the classroom.” “Our department strives to do more than just pay lip service to the merits of service,” Laney said. “We intentionally fuse faith and service into the learning experience, and it is exciting to be part of a department, and an institution like Lee University, that is committed to transforming students, alumni, our community and our world for the glory of God.” Shuntrece Noel Byrd was selected as one of only 14 students nationwide to receive a $5,000 Most Promising Minority Student Scholarship from the American Advertising Federation’s Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism and the Home Depot. Dr. Christine William’s Intermediate Acting class conducted an Acting workshop at the Boy’s and Girl’s Club. Fifteen students taught acting exercises and concepts to the children participating in the Boy’s and Girl’s Club afterschool program. Oluwanifemi Afelumo, Cedric Chalmers, Emily Steele and Joshua Warlick were awarded scholarships by the American Advertising Federation of Chattanooga in 2008-2009. Each year the AAFChattanooga presents four scholarships to deserving students in the field of communication.
Communication
Continued from page 1 Communication and telecommunications seniors in Dr. Joel Kailing’s capstone classes worked with Bradley Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center to chronicle the life stories of many of its residents in what was termed the Heritage Video Project. Student groups interviewed and videoed residents who told their personal stories and shared memories of life in Bradley County. Each story was chronicled as a personal memoir on a DVD, and a copy was given to each resident’s family. The unique element to this project, like many of the department’s service learning endeavors, is that this initiative required distinct communication and telecommunications skills. “These projects require specific skills our students learn in the classroom and then are informed by faith and given as an act of benevolence in service to others,” Laney said. Service learning is not only for department seniors. Students at every level of the curriculum participate. For example, communication students in the traditional public speaking course put their newly learned public speaking skills into practice outside classroom walls. Each fall, Dr. Megan Moe’s freshman communication students conduct a public speaking workshop at Michigan Avenue Elementary. Last fall, more than 90 communication students presented a program on public speaking do’s and don’ts to 4th graders and then volunteered as personal coaches for the elementary students. The workshop
SERVICE LEARNING: Rob Entsminger and Samantha Rader present a creative public relations campaign proposal to their client, the Boys and Girls Club. gave Lee students the opportunity to use their public speaking skills to help others. Also this fall, fifteen theatre students from Dr. Christine Williams’ costume and makeup design class and technical director Catherine Bradley’s scene and set design class partnered with the oncology center at T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital. Children at the oncology center often spend long periods of time at the center, and these theatre students wanted to make the children’s stay a little more fun. Working with the center’s child life specialist, Lee students dedicated the entire semester to developing and building a puppet theater and designing and creating puppets for the children. A dragon, a horse, and a king are just some of the fairy tale puppets that children can now choose to play with while at the oncology center. “The project not only benefitted the children at the oncology center, but taught our students how theatre can be used in service,” Laney said. “Our students learned that theatre is more than entertainment and can really make a difference in someone’s life. It is an incredible opportunity to learn and serve simultaneously.” Even student clubs in our major partici-
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2004
• Broadcast Audio Lab opens.
2005
• Two studio cameras, pedestals and teleprompters are added. • Drama scholarship is established.
2006
• Student chapter of the American Advertising Federation is formed. • PRSSA Bateman team wins fourth place nationally.
2007
• Telecommunications adds 25 prosumer digital video cameras and tripods, six professional digital cameras and tripods, four lighting kits and editing equipment. • National Advertising Federation student competition is added.
2008
• Lee Clarion Online (www.leeclarion.com) launches and wins top award at BP Excellence in Collegiate Journalism Conference. • Public Relations major added.
2009
• Student Media Lab updated with new 24” iMacs. • Lee Clarion Online named a finalist in the Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker Competition.
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The new area quickly came to feel like home for the publication staffs with a large space divided between newspaper and yearbook. Each publication editor had a small private office and the faculty adviser’s office was also onsite making supervision much more natural and consistent. The 16 student computers in the instructional area of the lab were regularly occupied with the kinds of specialized classes that the department had not been able to offer in the past, particularly in graphic design. Every discipline in the department, including telecommunications and theatre has used the lab as a classroom at some point. Now that the lab has become such an integral part of the department, faculty and students are looking toward the future. The student computers in the front have recently been upgraded to state-of-the-art iMacs. Video editing software is being added because 21st century media cannot function without an online and multimedia component. The Lee Clarion has already been recognized for the quality of its online presence, LeeClarion.com. Both publications have developed into consistently high quality, award winners, regularly published by a student staff that continually seeks to keep raising the bar of excellence. A course on social media is one of the most recent to be developed and taught in the lab. “The Department of Communication & the Arts cannot imagine functioning without the Student Publications Lab and is grateful to the University and Dr. Conn for generously making the space and funds to equip it available,” said Dr. Joel Kailing, professor of communication. As technology continues its pace of rapid change, the Lab will do everything possible to keep up with it. More than simply a publications lab, the area will be known in the future as the Student Media Lab, in recognition of the variety of media that will be developed there.
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Creativity soars in media lab
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HANDS-ON: A state-of-the-art media lab empowers students to create multimedia projects with the latest hardware and software. Walk past the Student Publications Lab on the lower level of the Paul Conn Student Union any time of the day and you will find it buzzing with activity. Inside the lab, student editors meet Lee Clarion deadlines and design Vindagua yearbook spreads while Communication & the Arts faculty teach courses in desktop publishing, journalism, media writing and different aspects of graphic design. The lab is so essential to the functioning of the department that it is easy to forget how far our technology has come in a short time. Prior to the establishment of the Communication & the Arts Department in 1997, student publications were supervised by a variety of people on campus, most often English faculty from the old Language Arts Department. Dr. Donna Summerlin was the main sponsor of the yearbook in 1994 when it became the first publication to go electronic with the purchase of one computer and an early version of the PageMaker software. Dr. Matthew Melton brought the newspaper, then called the Lee Collegian, into the modern era the following year by adding three computers and creating the Desktop Publishing class. During that period, the publications lived a nomadic existence on campus, occupying at least four different houses that had come along with the school’s property acquisitions. As each in turn was demolished to make room for new construction, the publications moved until they finally landed on the fourth floor of the Walker Memorial Building in 1999. The highlight of that period for the yearbook was the replacement of the aging original computer with four new ones. The low point came when thousands of Vindagua yearbooks arrived ahead of schedule and had to be carried box by box up all the stairs. As the Paul Conn Student Union was being planned, the publication advisors were offered the opportunity to provide input about a more permanent space for the newspaper and yearbook. Melton came up with the basic idea for the current layout, which consists of a teaching space in the front and a newsroom-style workspace in the back, surrounded by storage and office space. Moving into this space in 2000 was a dream come true for the entire department, especially the student editors.
grow up.
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Lee University can equip you with the tools to grow up intellectually and spiritually. Have the opportunity to make a difference, stuby abroad, and face new challenges. For more information, visit www.leeuniveristy.edu So grow up. We’ll help.
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Photo taken from http://www.sxc.hu
this ad was designed for a Principles of advertising assignment by Josh Wilking (‘09).
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to reach. Last fall, public relations students in professor Kevin Trowbridge’s planning and management class developed a donor awareness campaign for the Cleveland branch of Habitat for Humanity and an awareness campaign for the Ocoee Region Multicultural Services. “Our client-based service learning projects cultivate amazing partnerships in the community,” said Dr. Michael J. Laney, department chair of Communication and the Arts. “These partnerships bring mutual benefit for both students and community nonprofit entities that may not otherwise be attainable or affordable.” Senior theatre students are also involved in client-based service learning. Recently, Dr. Mark Burnette’s theatre capstone students partnered with The Museum Center at 5ive Points to tell the story of Cleveland and Bradley County. Dr. Burnette’s students developed a composite character, Lucy Ratcliff, to typify life during the Civil War era and wrote a dialogue between Lucy and her older brother Luke to reflect the Union-Confederate tension found in many Bradley County families during the Civil War time. The resulting dialogue was then performed at local elementary schools to help elementary students visualize Civil War history in our community. Transforming our community residents Area nonprofits are not the only ones being transformed by the Communication and the Arts department’s service learning emphasis. Individuals in our community are being touched as well. See COMMUNICATION, page 3
Volume 63, Issue 12
Students serve through communication
Lee University requires undergraduate students to complete 80 hours of service learning during their undergraduate tenure. The department has taken this requirement and infused it across its curriculum, developing a learning environment that extends beyond classroom walls and builds relational intersections between students and our community. The result is a transformation of Communication and the Arts students and our community nonprofit agencies, our community residents and beyond. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our public relations classes. Transforming our community nonprofit agencies Public relations has always benefitted from a client-based approach to prepare students for a professional career. The addition of the public relations major in the fall of 2008, however, provided a broader platform for service learning partnerships. According to Dr. Patty Silverman, public relations discipline coordinator, these partnerships give public relations students the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the classroom to real world public relations situations. In return, nonprofit agencies benefit from public relations counsel. For example, one student group in Dr. Christie Kleinmann’s public relations writing class partnered with New Hope Pregnancy Care Center to assess their public relations needs and develop public relations materials to meet these needs. Students developed a brochure and a newsletter, in both English and Spanish, and several news releases to target an audience that New Hope had previously been unable
Lee begins streaming Department offers new opportunities for community involvement broadcasts
At a Glance: Communication & the Arts
TALENT & CREATIVITY: Students and faculty in the Communication & the Arts department use their gifts to serve God.
A few years ago at graduation, an international student walked across the stage with her cell phone in her hand so that her parents and family back home could hear the ceremony. In 2009 friends and families will be able to watch commencement activities live over the Internet thanks to a new online streaming service. The Lee University Video Production Center recently announced the new capabilities to stream live events as well as archived video on demand through an agreement with Multicast Media streaming service. “Concerts, recitals, special events and chapels are only the beginning,” said Ron Gilbert, director of the Video Production Center, located in the Dixon Center. “This new media outlet is a huge gain for telecommunication students as well as departments involved in recruitment, alumni, public relations, student services, music and athletics.” The Lee video streaming website address is www.leeuniversity.edu/ video. Viewers can choose to watch in 100k or 500k streams, depending on their Internet connection speed. Lee Waller, assistant director of the Video Production Center who is responsible for editing, production coordination of the studios and graphics, will manage the streaming operations. Lee continues its tradition of creative innovation by being among the first institutions of its kind to embrace online delivery of media on a global scale. Multicast Media has an impressive client list. Last year they live streamed an event featuring presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain.
Newspaper making impact online
LeeClarion.com melds blog, video and social media
the social sites have contributed to the dialogue, enabling readers to participate in conversation with the Lee Clarion by commenting on posts and submitting story tips. The Lee Clarion currently has nearly 2,550 fans and followers across the two services. Both Facebook and Twitter allow readers to subscribe to news updates from the Lee Clarion on their cell phones for instant coverage. The Lee Clarion has also used its Facebook page to show off the award-winning talent of the Lee University Student Media photography staff. During the 2008-2009 academic year over 9,000 pictures of campus events and news stories were uploaded to the Lee Clarion Facebook page, engaging fans with high-quality photos. Every time a new album is uploaded, readers receive an invitation to view the latest album, tag their friends, share the pictures and write comments for others to see. Instead of keeping Lee’s talA relatively new competitor among collegiate news Web sites, LeeClarion.com, the online edition of Lee University’s student news media, is already winning awards. LeeClarion.com debuted in 2008 to compliment and expand upon the print edition of the Lee Clarion by providing easy access to up-to-date information, a digital archive of articles and helpful features including polls and realtime weather results. In recent months LeeClarion. com has expanded to include a full video gallery, serving as a news station to the campus, and a blog operated by the newspaper editors. LeeClarion.com won first place for the Overall World-Wide Web Site at the 2008 Collegiate Journalism Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. More recently, LeeClarion. com was selected as a 2009 Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker finalist. Competition winners are scheduled to be announced this November. In the first eight months of operation, LeeClarion.com received nearly 60,000 page views alone. The Lee Clarion has made a splash in social media in recent months, opening accounts on services like Facebook and Twitter. The result is two-fold. In addition to providing readers with faster breaking news, ented photographers’ work constricted, the Lee Clarion encourages fans to view the archives and share the content. The Lee Clarion recently launched a video news station on LeeClarion.com bringing in well over 5,000 views since its inception at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year. The video gallery encourages student journalists who are interested in video news to learn how to report on-camera and tell a story through visual means. By utilizing social media including blogs and profiles as well as finding new ways to deliver fresh photos and video news reports, the LeeClarion is on the forefront of the digital media revolution. Student journalists at Lee University have an outlet to engage their talents, in writing, editing, reporting, designing, or taking photos for the Lee Clarion. The student media newsroom (located at PCSU 104) provides students working on the Lee Clarion with a highly-equipped office filled with the proper technology and software necessary to produce quality and awardwinning news.
Lunch Learn
Communicating The Story
Edna Minor Conn Theatre Welcome Dr. Michael Laney, Department Chair Visualizing the Story Ron Gilbert, Telecommunications Relating the Story Patty Silverman & Christie Kleinmann, Public Relations Selling the Story Megan Moe, Advertising & Communication Studies Staging the Story Christine Williams, Theatre Darlia Conn Centenary Room Lunch Sodexo Publishing the Story Kevin Trowbridge, Journalism Proclaiming His Story The Kingdom Players Benediction Joel Kailing
May 8, 2009 • 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
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ONLINE: LeeClarion.com is an ACP Online Pacemaker finalist.
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Lee cLarion SPeciaL eDiTion faculty Students research domestic violence 2
NOTES
In addition to their priorities of teaching, department faculty members are actively involved in scholarship and service to the community and the profession. Ms. Catherine Bradley was selected to present at the Association of Theatre Higher Education conference in August in New York City. Her paper explores ways theatre programs can connect with K-12 programs. Dr. Christie Kleinmann, APR, received a research minigrant from the Faculty Research Committee for research on “An Examination of the Co-creation of Gender Meaning in Sport Communication.” Dr. Megan Moe-Lunger received a research mini-grant from the Faculty Research Committee to continue the Voices and Violence program that explores domestic violence. Mr. Jeff Salyer defended his thesis for a Master of Arts in TV and Film Critical Studies from Regent University. Salyer is the associate director of the Video Production Center and is responsible for videotaping, editing and productions including the “Inside Lee Basketball Sport Show” shown in 12 states to more than 6 millions homes on Charter Sports Southeast. Dr. Patty Silverman, APR, serves as president of the Cleveland Media Association. Mr. John Simmons represented Lee University at the Alabama Clay Conference in Huntsville. There were several internationally known presenters and it was a very worthwhile and educational experience. Mr. Kevin Trowbridge serves as president of the Public Relations Society of America Lookout Chapter. Additionally, he was selected to participate in the 2009 New Media Academic Summit, a collaboration of Edelman Public Relations and PRWeek, June 9-11 in Washington, D.C. Dr. Christine Williams, assistant professor of theatre, presented at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) annual meeting in Denver, Colo., on ways in which theatre faculty can utilize social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Williams was elected to the At-Large Committee for ATHE. She also presented as part of a panel at the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) discussing new play development projects at Lee University. Williams coached acting students attending the American College Theatre Festival Region IV conference in February. She is currently working on two articles for publication in her field of Tudor theatre history.
Three communication students recently obtained a Mellon grant through the Appalachian College Association (ACA) under the direction of Dr. Megan Moe, assistant professor of communication. The grant enables them to research women who have been targets of domestic violence. Although domestic violence is a common problem that transcends socio-economic boundaries and traditional family structures, many are unaware of its prevalence, and the victims are often marginalized in the United States. Carly Chaney, Lacey Stokes and Rebecca Krese joined Moe to provide a forum for the women who have been targets of violence but who have made the choice to seek help to leave the situation. Moe said she hopes the Voices and Violence research study will impact both community and academia. The research team interviewed
PHOTO-ESSAY: Carly Chaney created an anonymous project using close-ups of abused women. 10 women in southeast Tennessee at local resources agencies. They asked seven open-ended questions that gave the women the opportunity to guide the interview. Once they completed and transcribed the interviews, they analyzed them for common themes and patterns. Krese examined why the women chose to stay in abusive relationships and why they left. Stokes evaluated the communicative frame that precedes the decision to leave, looking for commonalities among the women. Moe analyzed the use of passive and active verb choices that the women use, to determine if there are shifts in verb when they decided to leave the violent relationship. Chaney, a photographer, participated in the project by creating a photo-essay of abused women. She created an anonymous project using close-up shots of particular body parts such as feet, hands, ears and hair to create a unique view of
the women. “I’m excited about it, particularly because of the very real aspect the research is going to provide,” Chaney said. “I’m going to use it to its full potential.” All students will present their research at the University of North Carolina at Ashville on September 25, 2009, at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. “This in-depth original research project helps prepare these women for graduate school.” Moe said. “They are conducting the type of original research graduate students do in their master’s program.” The Mellon ACA grant also provides for three playwriting students, under the direction of Professor Stacey Isom, to participate in the project. They conducted domestic violence interviews and will use the information to write monologues. Their production will be mounted in Fall 2009.
PR major growing steadily since launch
With an economic recession looming, that first step into the “real world” for Lee public relations graduates has become more uncertain and daunting than in previous years. With fewer jobs and stiffer competition, students will have to be excellent in their field and prove themselves better trained and qualified than ever before. In May 2009 the first class of public relations majors will receive their diplomas backed with client-based projects, internships, service-learning courses and cross cultural experiences. Additionally, public relations professors who have poured their lives and talents into these aspiring new practitioners will watch the first class of students receive their B.A. in Public Relations, a major launched in fall 2008. “Lee has one of the most excellent public relations programs in the nation,” said professor Kevin Trowbridge, who served as vice president for communications at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities in Washington, D.C., before joining the Lee faculty in 2005. “You won’t find another program as well-developed that challenges students to integrate their Christian faith and service with the practice of public relations.” The public relation major has approximately 100 students and PRSA Chapter and volunteered with the nonprofit Ronald McDonald House. “Attending PRSSA National Conference in Detroit this past fall showed me how well developed and comparable our public relations major and PRSSA chapter is to larger universities,” said Ellie Pfahl, PRSSA Vice President for the 2009-2010 school year. Public relations is in the relationship business. It’s those studentfaculty relationships that also make the public relations major at Lee unique and special. “My professors in public relations have had such an impact in my life. They have nurtured and cultivated gifts that I didn’t even know I had,” said Amy Maddox, a May 2009 graduate. Alex Noll, a rising junior said, “A great strength of our department is the passion of our professors. Each public relations professor cares deeply about the field of public relations and even more deeply about their students.” With a mission “to prepare students to fulfill their calling as public relations professionals who think critically and creatively with a biblical worldview,” Lee public relations May graduates will begin their next step into the real world as practitioners as they take their last steps as students at Lee University.
CALLING AND CAREER: Public relations students pose as reporters and concerned callers during a crisis drill with Tennessee Valley Authority. continues to grow every semester. “We wanted to strengthen our program to make our public relations students more competitive in a tough economic and highly aggressive marketplace,” says Dr. Patty Silverman, public relations discipline coordinator. “We added more writing requirements, strategically created core foundational courses and expanded our electives to include social media, sport communication and crisis communication, skills needed in today’s society.” Coupled with a strong curriculum are the client-based and service-enhanced classes that make the Lee curriculum unique. Spring 2009 graduate Jessica Eldridge said, “What I enjoyed about the public relations major is the hands-on aspect, working with clients outside of the Lee campus. I believe the public relations program has prepared me for life outside the ‘Lee bubble’.” Outside of the classroom, students are encouraged to join the Lee Chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Students are not only actively involved in their campus chapter but have attended national conferences, developed mentoring partnerships with the local Lookout
Shop ‘til you drop
Theatre gains new spaces for scenic and costume design
Over the past year and a half the Lee University Theatre program has gotten to develop two theatrical workshops. The scene shop, where all of the sets are created and stored, was recently relocated from a space in the Old Woolen Mill to a closer facility located in the American Uniform Factory. Catherine Bradley, the theatre technical director, spends most afternoons in the scene shop and says that the new location gives the theatre a dream space for a scene shop. This new shop is located one mile from the theatre and has access to a great loading bay so sets can be loaded easily in and out of the space. “It is large enough for set creation, furniture storage, construction, metalworking and props creation,” Bradley said. “The students have a safe, close and functional location to help build their shows. It’s a perfect fit for our program.”
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TROJAN SCENERY: Anna Cook sits on a stone basin on the set of Trojan Women, a Greek tragedy performed at Lee last fall. Most recently a costume shop was created in the Mayfield Annex for the Theatre Program. Having a costume shop allows Lee to create, maintain and store costumes. “Previously costumes were sewn in the Great Room of the Dixon Center when temporary tables were set up during shows,” Bradley explained. After receiving a dedicated room for a costume shop Dr. Christine Williams quickly added costume designer to her directing duties at Lee. She has overseen the organization of the new space and will continue to develop it over the next year. Both shops are dedicated to the creation of quality theatrical goods. These shops also provide the theatre program with the opportunity to help local theatres and churches outfit their productions. Lee props and costumes are often rented, or loans at no cost to local artists and recent theatre graduates. “As the Lee University Theatre Program increases its own stock, it directly impacts the surrounding theatrical community,” Bradley said. “It’s a win-win.”
Communication 1997 1999 2000 2002 2001 • Department established with six • First department-sponsored study • Student Publications Lab opens • Public Relations Student Society • PRSSA participates in their first & the Arts full-time faculty members, includ- abroad trip travels to London, Paris in the Paul Conn Student Union of America chapter is chartered. Bateman Case Study Competition. Milestones ing the first full-time art professor. and Prague. to house the Vindagua and Lee • First art history study abroad trip • Drama major is added.
• A general communication major is added. Clarion. • Telecommunications major is added. travels to Italy. • Studio and computer art minors are added.
• Christians in the Visual Arts is formed. • Dr. Michael Laney is appointed department chair.
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special edition this edition is produced to showcase the department of communication & the arts at Lee University in cleveland, tenn. EDITOR Kevin s. trowbridge DESIGNER Harrison Keely WRITERS catherine bradley Mark burnette Joel Kailing christie Kleinmann Michael Laney Megan Moe Patty silverman christine Williams PHOTOGRAPHERS Janchai Montrelerdrasme carly chaney shashank shrestha Patty silverman © 2009 Lee University ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT the department of communication & the arts offers one of the most versatile academic programs at Lee University. students can choose from multiple majors and academic emphases as well as numerous cocurricular opportunities to gain experiences that will hone their abilities as communication professionals. MAJORS • B.A. Communication – communication studies emphasis • B.A. Communication – advertising emphasis • B.A. Communication – Journalism/Media Writing emphasis • B.A. Public Relations • B.A. Theatre • B.A. or B.S. Telecommunications • B.A. or B.S. Telecommunications – Church Media Emphasis MINORS • Art – Studio Emphasis • Art – Computer Design emphasis • Communication • Theatre • Telecommunications OPPORTUNITIES • Alpha Psi Omega • Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society • Lee Clarion • Lee University Theatre • Public Relations Student society of america • Vindagua
SPeciaL eDiTion 3 alumni & student
The achievements of students and graduates are evidence to the caliber of the Communication & the Arts program at Lee. The following are highlights from some recent graduates.
NOTES
Alumnus Jordan W. Lee (2007) was awarded an EMMY for Outstanding New Approaches – Short Format for his involvement with the design of a project for ESPN. “No Love Lost” (http://tinyurl.com/nolovelost) was designed to present a century of Chicago Cubs baseball in a new and innovative way. After serving in the sports department at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, alumnus Jordan Conn (2007) is now enrolled in the magazine program at the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He was selected for an internship at Sports Illustrated in New York during Summer 2009. Michelle Bollman was accepted for a competitive internship with the Washington Times during the summer of 2009. Following the summer experience, Michelle will return to campus as the managing editor of the Lee Clarion. Students from Dr. Patty Silverman’s Crisis and Risk Communication class participated in a crisis drill with the Tennessee Valley Authority Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Students played the roles of reporters and panicked community members following a fictionalized tornado hit at a nuclear plant. The routine simulations give TVA officials the opportunity to test their crisis response plans. Jonathan Cutrell won a silver Student Addy in the Interactive Design category of the American Advertising Federation-Chattanooga Addy Competition. The award recognizes Jonathan’s personal website, jonathancutrell.com, which features videos, designs and original photography. pate in service. For example, the Art Club, under professor John Simmons, offers Art in the Park every fall as a family activity for community residents to enjoy an art show, children’s activities and seasonal delicacies. Transforming our community and beyond The department of Communication and the Arts connects the unique strengths and abilities of our students and faculty, classroom study and service to transform our community; yet, the department’s influence isn’t limited to the Cleveland/Bradley County area. For example, four telecommunications students produced a video for Faith on Wheels Racing. This Atlanta-based ministry combines faith and motorcycle racing and approached professor Mary Dukes’ telecommunications students to produce a video about their program. The telecommunications students shot footage of a motorcycle race in Atlanta and developed a complete branding video for the group. “The Faith on Wheels Racing team was amazed at the professional quality of the production and that is, in large part, thanks to the instruction that our students receive in the classroom,” Laney said. “But it also speaks to the life experiences our students gain outside the classroom.” “Our department strives to do more than just pay lip service to the merits of service,” Laney said. “We intentionally fuse faith and service into the learning experience, and it is exciting to be part of a department, and an institution like Lee University, that is committed to transforming students, alumni, our community and our world for the glory of God.” Shuntrece Noel Byrd was selected as one of only 14 students nationwide to receive a $5,000 Most Promising Minority Student Scholarship from the American Advertising Federation’s Mosaic Center on Multiculturalism and the Home Depot. Dr. Christine William’s Intermediate Acting class conducted an Acting workshop at the Boy’s and Girl’s Club. Fifteen students taught acting exercises and concepts to the children participating in the Boy’s and Girl’s Club afterschool program. Oluwanifemi Afelumo, Cedric Chalmers, Emily Steele and Joshua Warlick were awarded scholarships by the American Advertising Federation of Chattanooga in 2008-2009. Each year the AAFChattanooga presents four scholarships to deserving students in the field of communication.
Communication
Continued from page 1 Communication and telecommunications seniors in Dr. Joel Kailing’s capstone classes worked with Bradley Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center to chronicle the life stories of many of its residents in what was termed the Heritage Video Project. Student groups interviewed and videoed residents who told their personal stories and shared memories of life in Bradley County. Each story was chronicled as a personal memoir on a DVD, and a copy was given to each resident’s family. The unique element to this project, like many of the department’s service learning endeavors, is that this initiative required distinct communication and telecommunications skills. “These projects require specific skills our students learn in the classroom and then are informed by faith and given as an act of benevolence in service to others,” Laney said. Service learning is not only for department seniors. Students at every level of the curriculum participate. For example, communication students in the traditional public speaking course put their newly learned public speaking skills into practice outside classroom walls. Each fall, Dr. Megan Moe’s freshman communication students conduct a public speaking workshop at Michigan Avenue Elementary. Last fall, more than 90 communication students presented a program on public speaking do’s and don’ts to 4th graders and then volunteered as personal coaches for the elementary students. The workshop
SERVICE LEARNING: Rob Entsminger and Samantha Rader present a creative public relations campaign proposal to their client, the Boys and Girls Club. gave Lee students the opportunity to use their public speaking skills to help others. Also this fall, fifteen theatre students from Dr. Christine Williams’ costume and makeup design class and technical director Catherine Bradley’s scene and set design class partnered with the oncology center at T.C. Thompson Children’s Hospital. Children at the oncology center often spend long periods of time at the center, and these theatre students wanted to make the children’s stay a little more fun. Working with the center’s child life specialist, Lee students dedicated the entire semester to developing and building a puppet theater and designing and creating puppets for the children. A dragon, a horse, and a king are just some of the fairy tale puppets that children can now choose to play with while at the oncology center. “The project not only benefitted the children at the oncology center, but taught our students how theatre can be used in service,” Laney said. “Our students learned that theatre is more than entertainment and can really make a difference in someone’s life. It is an incredible opportunity to learn and serve simultaneously.” Even student clubs in our major partici-
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2004
• Broadcast Audio Lab opens.
2005
• Two studio cameras, pedestals and teleprompters are added. • Drama scholarship is established.
2006
• Student chapter of the American Advertising Federation is formed. • PRSSA Bateman team wins fourth place nationally.
2007
• Telecommunications adds 25 prosumer digital video cameras and tripods, six professional digital cameras and tripods, four lighting kits and editing equipment. • National Advertising Federation student competition is added.
2008
• Lee Clarion Online (www.leeclarion.com) launches and wins top award at BP Excellence in Collegiate Journalism Conference. • Public Relations major added.
2009
• Student Media Lab updated with new 24” iMacs. • Lee Clarion Online named a finalist in the Associated Collegiate Press Online Pacemaker Competition.
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SPeciaL eDiTion
The new area quickly came to feel like home for the publication staffs with a large space divided between newspaper and yearbook. Each publication editor had a small private office and the faculty adviser’s office was also onsite making supervision much more natural and consistent. The 16 student computers in the instructional area of the lab were regularly occupied with the kinds of specialized classes that the department had not been able to offer in the past, particularly in graphic design. Every discipline in the department, including telecommunications and theatre has used the lab as a classroom at some point. Now that the lab has become such an integral part of the department, faculty and students are looking toward the future. The student computers in the front have recently been upgraded to state-of-the-art iMacs. Video editing software is being added because 21st century media cannot function without an online and multimedia component. The Lee Clarion has already been recognized for the quality of its online presence, LeeClarion.com. Both publications have developed into consistently high quality, award winners, regularly published by a student staff that continually seeks to keep raising the bar of excellence. A course on social media is one of the most recent to be developed and taught in the lab. “The Department of Communication & the Arts cannot imagine functioning without the Student Publications Lab and is grateful to the University and Dr. Conn for generously making the space and funds to equip it available,” said Dr. Joel Kailing, professor of communication. As technology continues its pace of rapid change, the Lab will do everything possible to keep up with it. More than simply a publications lab, the area will be known in the future as the Student Media Lab, in recognition of the variety of media that will be developed there.
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Creativity soars in media lab
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HANDS-ON: A state-of-the-art media lab empowers students to create multimedia projects with the latest hardware and software. Walk past the Student Publications Lab on the lower level of the Paul Conn Student Union any time of the day and you will find it buzzing with activity. Inside the lab, student editors meet Lee Clarion deadlines and design Vindagua yearbook spreads while Communication & the Arts faculty teach courses in desktop publishing, journalism, media writing and different aspects of graphic design. The lab is so essential to the functioning of the department that it is easy to forget how far our technology has come in a short time. Prior to the establishment of the Communication & the Arts Department in 1997, student publications were supervised by a variety of people on campus, most often English faculty from the old Language Arts Department. Dr. Donna Summerlin was the main sponsor of the yearbook in 1994 when it became the first publication to go electronic with the purchase of one computer and an early version of the PageMaker software. Dr. Matthew Melton brought the newspaper, then called the Lee Collegian, into the modern era the following year by adding three computers and creating the Desktop Publishing class. During that period, the publications lived a nomadic existence on campus, occupying at least four different houses that had come along with the school’s property acquisitions. As each in turn was demolished to make room for new construction, the publications moved until they finally landed on the fourth floor of the Walker Memorial Building in 1999. The highlight of that period for the yearbook was the replacement of the aging original computer with four new ones. The low point came when thousands of Vindagua yearbooks arrived ahead of schedule and had to be carried box by box up all the stairs. As the Paul Conn Student Union was being planned, the publication advisors were offered the opportunity to provide input about a more permanent space for the newspaper and yearbook. Melton came up with the basic idea for the current layout, which consists of a teaching space in the front and a newsroom-style workspace in the back, surrounded by storage and office space. Moving into this space in 2000 was a dream come true for the entire department, especially the student editors.
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