West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism alumna Jennifer (Rupinsky) Manton’s mother never went to college, but she knew the value of higher education – a message she instilled in her two daughters.

“I remember her telling us that if we wanted to have rewarding and meaningful careers, financial security and opportunities that we did not have growing up, a college degree was the only ticket to a good future,” said Manton (BSJ, 1991).

Manton fulfilled her mother’s dream. She is now the Chief Marketing Officer at Loeb and Loeb, LLP, a 300-attorney national law firm. Manton lives and works in New York City. Her mother, Madelyn Rupinsky, passed away in 2008 after a battle with cancer, but Rupinsky’s belief in higher education lives on.

“I established a scholarship in my mother’s name to recognize and honor the role she played in seeing that both my sister and I received a college education,” said Manton. “I am proud to be a living legacy of her vision and this scholarship embodies that.”

The Madelyn Jeanne Rupinsky School of Journalism Scholarship is one of four new scholarships established at the School since the Spring semester began. Others include the Frank and Rebekah Ahrens School of Journalism Scholarship; The Ralph and Janet Izard School of Journalism Scholarship; and the Dr. Elizabeth A. Atwater School of Journalism Scholarship.

Frank Ahrens (1987, BSME) and his wife Rebekah believe that with so many changes in the media industry, journalism education is more important than ever. They are “happy to help the School of Journalism educate future generations of journalists.”

Ahrens is Director of Global Public Relations for Hyundai Motor Co. in Seoul, Korea, where his wife, Rebekeh Ahrens, is a diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. Prior to moving to Seoul in October 2010, Frank was a reporter and editor for 18 years at The Washington Post, where he worked in the sports, features and business sections. He spent his last two years at The Post covering the national financial crisis.

Ralph Izard (1962, MSJR; 1961, BSJR) and his wife Janet (1963, BS Home Economics) said they both received scholarships while undergraduate students at WVU, which made all the difference in getting the education that “have served them so well.” They hope their scholarship will give current students the same advantages they had.

Izard is professor emeritus at both the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University and the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. His 32 years at Ohio included 12 years as director, and he served as interim dean of the Manship School for the 2011-2012 academic year. This semester, he is serving as a visiting faculty member at the African University College of Communications in Accra, Ghana.

Samme Gee (1983, JD; 1976, MPA; 1975, BSJR; 1973, AA, Potomac State College) also hopes to inspire future generations of students, just as she was inspired by her former professor – Dr. Elizabeth Atwater.

Gee is a member of Jackson Kelly, PLLC, based in the firm’s Charleston, W.Va., office. She is a member of the Firm’s Health Care and Finance Practice Group, a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) and is listed in Woodward/White’s The Best Lawyers in America®. Gee graduated from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1983, where she was a member of the West Virginia Law Review. Dr. Atwater was Gee’s journalism professor at Potomac State College.

“Dr. Atwater’s commitment to excellence in education and her concern for her students were both an inspiration and a challenge for me,” said Gee. “This scholarship is a very small thank you to her.”

Those interested in establishing a student scholarship at the WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism may contact Director of Development Luella Gunter at luella.gunter@mail.wvu.edu or visit the School’s Website www.journalism.wvu.edu.

For the second year in a row, a WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism public relations student has won a competitive O’Gara Scholarship Award from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Senior Kelli Snedegar accepted the $2,000 award and a certificate at the PRSA-Pittsburgh Renaissance Awards Ceremony held at the Fairmont Pittsburgh Hotel in Pittsburgh on Thursday, January 26.

The annual Renaissance Awards ceremony celebrates the “PRogress” of the past year in public relations, honoring area practitioners and organizations for excellence in public relations campaigns and tactics.

Snedegar, along with a student from Seton Hill, were awarded the scholarship based on a competitive application and nomination process. School of Journalism Assistant Professor Dr. Rita Colistra nominated Snedegar for the award and introduced her at the event.

“The fact that a student from WVU has won the award two years in a row attests to the quality of public relations students we have in our program,” said Colistra.

A full listing of all Renaissance Award winners and Awards of Merit recipients can be found on the PRSA Pittsburgh chapter website (www.prsa-pgh.org).

A new group of seniors will take the helm as WVU’s award-winning television news program “WVU News” begins taping next month. The spring 2012 news team will include anchors Krista Baker (first row, center) of Center Township, Beaver Co., Pa.; Jacqueline Delphin (second row, right) of Fredrick, Md.; Alex Koscevic (second row, left) of Wellsburg, W.Va., and Joshua Marshall (third row, right) of Lewes, Del. Jon Rudder (third row, center) of Wellsville, Ohio and Sebouh Majarian (third row, left) of Watertown, Mass., will anchor sports.

“WVU News” reporters also received their beat assignments today.

WVU Campus Reporters: Cesar Colon and Wayne Haviland
Health/Medical Reporters: Greg Olenik and Kate Barr
Police/Fire/Crime/Court Reporters: Krista Baker and Joshua Marshall
Government and Legislative Reporters: Katiann Marshall and Caitlin Fitzgerald
Economic Development Reporters: Chelsey Corroto and Alex Koscevic
Consumer Reporters: Jacqueline Delphin and Katelyn Mattingly
Education Reporters: Megan Hudock and Matt Casasanta
No-Profit/Senior Citizen Reporters: Jessica Robey and Matt Krauza
Westover/Star City Community Reporters: Ryan Kendra and Jordan Pacella
Entertainment Reporter: Autumn Lonon

“WVU News,” which was recognized in 2011 by the Broadcast Education Association as the best student-produced newscast in the country, will begin taping new episodes in February. The television newscasts are produced by journalism students at the WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism. “WVU News” reporters cover events on the university campus, as well as the Morgantown community. Students report, write, shoot and edit television news stories for the program. They also serve as on-air anchors, producers, directors and technical crew during newscast tapings at WVU’s professional television studio.

The award-winning program provides students with hands-on experience and access to professional, state-of-the-art digital equipment. Students who enroll in the “WVU News” course are well prepared for careers in television journalism after they graduate.

“WVU News” airs statewide on West Virginia Public Television and on Time Warner Cable in North Central West Virginia. The production is available for download on WVU’s iTunesU and YouTube. You can also follow “WVU News” on Twitter or visit the team’s website.

WVU Martin Luther King Jr. event recognizes photographer who shines light on injustice

African Americans came to southern West Virginia for work in the mines early last century.

Underground and covered with coal dust, their skin color was barely noticeable, but when World War I came, most of the 400,000 enlisted African Americans were given the lowest tasks. Those who were allowed to fight went largely unrecognized. McDowell County, W.Va., sent 1,500 African-American soldiers, and later became the home of the only U.S. World War I memorial for African-American soldiers.

For years, a museum exhibit on that time has only been available to those who could travel to southern West Virginia. One West Virginia University journalism professor has brought that story to the world through an online exhibit, one of his many contributions to highlighting inequality and injustice in our society.

Joel Beeson, an associate professor, activist and documentary photographer, is being recognized with the Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award, which is given out every year by the WVU Center for Black Culture and Research to an individual embodying the legacy of King by furthering civil rights, humanitarianism and equality in the state. He received the award at WVU’s Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast held Monday (Jan. 16).

Beeson’s work has of late focused on West Virginia, but has also taken him to Mexico where he documented the lives of workers in Ciudad Jaurez, a dangerous area dominated by drug wars and upheaval; to Alabama where he contributed to a cultural education program and developed a new media workshop to avoid leaving anyone behind in the Internet Age; and to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, where he and students documented the lives of displaced New Orleans residents.

Another recent project of Beeson’s, working with the WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities Fine Arts Program, documents the lives of artists with disabilities.

His documentary “Fighting on Two Fronts, the Untold Stories of African American WWII Veterans” aired on PBS and that, along with his oral history project to collect stories from black veterans of the time, garnered him the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust Award.

Marcus Cranford was one of the veterans featured in that documentary and was part of Beeson’s oral history project. He served two years, two months and 12 days during World War II, participating in the invasion of Iwo Jima and watching the iconic scene of the American flag being raised on Mt. Suribachi.

Cranford said he was asked by Beeson’s wife, Dana Coester, an assistant professor in the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism, to speak on Beeson’s behalf at the breakfast.

“I couldn’t hardly speak because it really elated me, and I felt honored and privileged to do that because I found a friend in professor Beeson working on these projects,” Cranford said. “He has been a friend and a brother to me.”

When Beeson approached Cranford originally about the oral history project, Cranford thought Beeson would get his interview and photos and then leave. Yet Beeson stayed, looking for a deeper story and finding a friendship.

“His work has resulted in new conversations about the role and experience of black veterans and the history of many blacks,” Cranford said.

Also at the breakfast, Benjamin Seebaugh, a senior at WVU double-majoring in political science and international studies, was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship for his work in fighting for student and minority rights.

Seebaugh founded the Student Advocates for Legislative Advancement, which lobbied to establish renters’ rights legislation in the state, a measure that later passed. West Virginia was one of three states to not have legislation protecting renters’ rights. A member of the Student Government Association, Seebaugh is lobbying for a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Studies minor and created an anti-bullying LGBT committee.

The day was ultimately about King’s fight for a “legacy of love,” said Marjorie Fuller, director of the Center for Black Culture and Research.

Patricia H. Lee, director of the WVU Entrepreneurship Law Clinic at the College of Law, walked the audience through King’s life, and spoke of his connection with her own family. When he fought in 1966 against segregated housing during a speech in Chicago, Lee’s family was building a house in a white neighborhood. Three months after that speech, they moved in and like so many others, took a cue from King in fighting for justice.

She said that like King, she sometimes feels discouraged about the injustice in this country. But she and her siblings are part of the legacy of those who fought for justice like King. One sibling has a Ph.D. in education and instructs nurses, one is a special education teacher with a master’s degree, another has a master’s degree in engineering, and Lee herself is a lawyer who for 10 years worked as a corporate attorney for McDonald’s and was the first to form an entrepreneurship clinic at a law school.

King’s example applies to everyone, Lee said.

“To see where we need to head as we march forward, I ask you each this question,” she said. “Where does the injustice lie in your community? Are there individuals or groups of people that are being bullied harassed or hurt?”

“The issue is injustice, today let’s get caught up with what is right and make a sacrifice to help someone. What injustice will you no longer tolerate?”

WVU Vice President for Student Affairs Ken Gray said the University is “committed to realizing Dr. King’s dream on this campus” through its 2020 Strategic Plan for the Future goal to foster diversity and an inclusive culture. He called the celebration an opportunity to renew a commitment to King’s work.

“We continue to share his hope that ‘in some not to distant tomorrow, the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty,’” Gray said.

Visit the WVU Today website for the official press release and photos from the event.

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.

Save the date for the WVU IMC program’s INTEGRATE 2012 Conference

Mark your calendar for June 1-2, 2012 and reserve your spot at the premier conference for integrated marketing communications professionals! Explore the latest IMC techniques and strategies, and transform your career through innovative workshops and breakout sessions.

Learn more about the conference on the IMC website.

Public relations senior Allie Wildstein shared her study abroad experience with local high school students as part of WVU’s Global Culture Series.


Tanya Tandon is Indian, Nigerian and West Virginian.

Huh?

For those with a scorecard handy, Tandon was born in India. She moved to Nigeria at age 8 when her father accepted a telecommunications job there. She spent the remaining days of her youth in the African country before landing in Morgantown in 2008 to study economics at West Virginia University.

That’s three continents in 20 years – quite a mark for even a seasoned globetrotter.

Imagine how youngsters who’ve never ventured outside the Tri-State area must feel when doused with a dose of international flavor.

Tandon has shared her global experiences with University High School students through a collaborative program between the WVU President’s Office for Social Justice and the UHS Library. Called the Global Culture Series, members of the Mountaineer community have visited UHS classrooms since 2008 to discuss their home countries and cultural upbringings.

In early November, Tandon enlightened high school students about India, though she could have just as well offered insight on Nigeria or even Morgantown.

UHS students seemed mostly enthralled by Indian customs such as prearranged marriages, Tandon recalled.

“The concept to them is so foreign,” she said.

The Global Culture Series is one piece of the “Building an Inclusive Community” partnership, created by WVU, the City of Morgantown and the Monongalia County School System. Its purpose is to enhance cultural diversity in Morgantown and pique the global interests of high school students.

The Series began when then-UHS librarian Barbara White reached out to WVU to see if any students could address global diversity to high schoolers.

“She called and asked if we could help students at UHS better appreciate the value of global diversity,” said Jennifer McIntosh, executive officer in the President’s Office for Social Justice. “We thought about it and designed this program. It’s given high school students a chance to interact with real people from other countries.”

More than 1,300 international students from 100 countries attend WVU. Outside of the University community, only 1 percent of West Virginia’s population is foreign-born, compared to 12 percent for the nation. Therefore, any interaction between West Virginia youth and international folks can be scarce.

McIntosh herself has visited the high school to present. A native of Jamaica, McIntosh moved to the United States in 1958. She was 10.

For her presentation, McIntosh brought in ginger beer, a nonalcoholic soft drink flavored with ginger and sweetened with sugar that is a staple of Jamaica.

McIntosh also gave a crash course on her home country – the food, music, language, history, flag, and, perhaps what Jamaica is most noted for, Bob Marley.

“I gave them a real Jamaican experience,” she said. “What we’re really doing is opening up their eyes to different cultures. We all come from different places and we bring these cultures with us.”

The Series is a hit with the high school audience, thanks largely to the in-person interaction. Students aren’t learning about different parts of the world through textbooks, videos or secondhand word of mouth. They’re talking to people who’ve lived the international experience.

“Students who are 14, 15 and 16 – they are very energizing,” McIntosh said. “They’re curious and they ask invigorating questions.”

This year, at least seven WVU students from Bulgaria, Turkey, India, Cameroon, Germany, Australia and Nigeria are presenting. Students volunteer and there is never a shortage, McIntosh said.

The program also serves multiple goals of the University’s 2020 Strategic Plan for the Future. “It covers diversity and outreach,” McIntosh said. “It covers a very broad spectrum. That’s what we’re about as an institution.”

Ellen Rodrigues, a graduate assistant in the President’s Office for Social Justice, coordinates the Global Culture Series and has given five presentations on her native Brazil.

Rodrigues came to WVU through an exchange program. She earned a bachelor’s degree in law in Brazil and later got her master’s degree in sociology at WVU. She’s now working on her doctorate here in political science.

Rodrigues shares stories of her country’s economy, politics, culture, food, festivals and sports.

Both Tandon and Rodrigues expressed that family structure seems much stronger in their home countries. They called the U.S. more “individualistic.”

In Indian culture, family friends may be considered part of the “family.”

“You would call your friend’s dad ‘uncle,’” Tandon said. “It’s respectful to refer to your elders by certain words. Over here, you can call your professors and coworkers by their first name.”

When Rodrigues pictures her family, she includes everyone from cousins to uncles.

“It’s not just my parents and siblings,” she said. “Everyone has a voice in my life. I’m like a daughter of everybody.”

International-born Mountaineers aren’t the only ones giving a global lesson to UHS students.

Allie Wildstein, a senior journalism student from Philadelphia, spoke to high schoolers about her “most life-changing experience,” a semester studying in Barcelona, Spain.

Wildstein said her studies abroad opened her mind.

“We value time and money,” she said. “They’re not as concerned about those things. They value family time more.

“Everyone here is in a rush to do the next thing. There, they take a siesta and nap in the middle of the day,” she said. “All of Europe does it. They close up at 2, go home, have lunch, take a nap and go back to work at 6. Here, Wall Street doesn’t close down for a nap time.”

Providing that kind of perspective to local high school students is just the kind of town-gown connection that benefits and strengthens both.

“It’s great for our high school students because it connects them to WVU and opens their eyes to studying abroad and seeing the world, even if they decide to stay in Morgantown at WVU,” said Becki Lenhart, UHS library media specialist, who helps coordinate the Global Culture Series. “They didn’t want some of the presentations to end. They could’ve spent a few class periods listening to them.”

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Audio clips and photos for this story are available at WVU Today.

What are the chances that two students from the same small town in West Virginia can make it big in network television? Two West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism students, Ashton Marra and Jamie McCracken, are hoping that the odds are pretty good. In fact, the television journalism seniors are off to a great start – snagging internships at ABC and ESPN.

Marra, a native of Clarksburg, W.Va., will be heading to New York City in January to begin her internship at ABC News. During her four months there, Marra will conduct research and team with producers and reporters to coordinate interviews. She may also have the chance to have bylined work on ABCNews.com. Marra, who reported for the School’s award-winning student newscast, “WVU News,” hopes this internship will help her learn what it takes to be successful in network television.

“I’m one hundred percent sure that I want to be in television,” said Marra. “As far as what aspect of television – whether I want to be a reporter or a producer – I’m not certain about that yet. I want to be sure that I’ve picked the right field for me and that I know what I’m getting into.”

Marra said she was inspired by her friend and peer, Jamie McCracken, who was selected for an internship at ESPN in Bristol, Conn., this fall. During his 10 weeks at ESPN, McCracken – also from Clarksburg – collaborated with producers and editors to cut highlights for “College Football Final” and “Sportscenter.”

McCracken said the opportunity to work with some of the “best in the business” gave him a new perspective he didn’t have before.

“The experience was so valuable,” said McCracken. “It wasn’t just another bullet point on my resume. For 70 days I did work. I was producing content and providing something to the network every day.”

McCracken intends to return to ESPN next summer for a second internship and plans to graduate in December 2012.

Marra plans to graduate upon completion of her internship in May 2012.

WVU alumnus William Slocum high-fives Dekota Carter during a successful day of Christmas shopping.

West Virginia University students and alumni spread Christmas spirit by helping the area’s less-privileged children search for toys and other gifts at the Super K-Mart early Saturday morning.

The University’s SHOP Organization, Students Helping Other People, has been participating in the shopping event for the past 25 years.

Volunteers were paired with young children from the area and travelled by bus to their shopping destinations. Each child was given the opportunity to purchase $75 worth of gifts. But the children weren’t the only ones who left with something valuable. Volunteers from the P.I. Reed School of Journalism’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and other WVU students learned the importance of participating in giving back to the community.

“I feel that the SHOP experience is really important for the community because it keeps us more in touch with reality,” said volunteer Michelle Kayda, sophomore PRSSA member. “It’s easy to forget how fortunate you are, so when the community can reach out to help those less fortunate, it really helps to bring us all together.”

Each child also had the opportunity to visit with Santa and meet Brock Burwell, the University’s Mountaineer mascot.

“This is the second year I have worked with SHOP, and I always make time in my schedule for this event because it is wonderful,” said Burwell. “It is just great to see the kids light up during the event and really brings a smile to your face. Christmas is such a joyous time for so many people, but on the flip side, it is a sad time for many people as well. SHOP does a great job of making many children’s Christmas dreams come true.”

One of the six founding chapters, WVU’s PRSSA chapter helps students access professional development opportunities and prepare for a career in public relations. For more information, visit the chapter’s website at www.wix.com/wvuprssa/wvuprssa.

Public relations graduate Karen Delbert was among the estimated 1,500 students who walked across the floor at the WVU Coliseum on Dec. 11, 2011.

On Sunday, WVU hosted its annual December Convocation ceremony during which graduates don their academic regalia and cross the Coliseum as their names are read, shaking the hands of WVU’s president and other members of the platform party and receiving a letter of congratulations.

Prior to the formal convocation ceremony, the School of Journalism held its December Graduate Open House ceremony and reception. In addition to acknowledging the graduating class, Dean Maryanne Reed recognized top graduating seniors and students graduating with Latin Honors. Top graduating seniors included:

• Lauren Dushkoff as the Top Scholar in Advertising
• Kathryn Pappa as the Top Scholar in Public Relations
• Whitney Godwin as the Top Scholar in Journalism

In addition, Whitney Godwin was recognized as the Overall Top Scholar for the School’s December graduating class.

Read more about WVU’s December Convocation and view a slideshow on “WVU Today”: http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/n/2011/12/11/wvu-s-december-convoction-94-feet-from-student-to-graduate.

Visual journalism senior Casey Hoffman tests the new TouchTable for the Soldiers of the Coalfields project at the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources on Monday, Dec. 5, 2011.

In a collaborative effort with WVU computer science students, School of Journalism faculty and students have been developing an interactive TouchTable as part of the “Soldiers of the Coalfields” interactive memorial project in Kimball, W.Va. Visual journalism students have gathered content for the interactive display and created a database narrative mind node map and storyboard for the TouchTable.

As part of their senior exhibition, two computer science seniors displayed their work on the TouchTable last week in the atrium of the new addition to the WVU’s Engineering Sciences building. The TouchTable features interactive narratives based around the book, “War Poems,” written by two young sisters from the WV Negro Collegiate Institute (WV State) in 1918.

Students and faculty will continue to work on the TouchTable throughout the spring semester. Learn more about the “Soldiers of the Coalfields” project online.