Everything Nac

Special guests Norm Hitzges and Donovan Lewis, cohosts on Dallas sports radio station The Ticket, recently videoconferenced with Stephen F. Austin State University mass communication students about career expectations.

The pair shared their knowledge and experience while answering student’s questions, which included how to adapt to an audience and finding new story angles in the midst of COVID-19.

SFA mass communication students are required to take a capstone course in broadcast. Due to the pandemic, the course was altered this spring to an online format, where special guests were invited to speak with students digitally about their careers.

Dr. Casey Hart, SFA associate professor of mass communication, said he followed the lead of several national television programs, like “Good Morning America,” in making the online shift.

“We transitioned the students’ assignments to take advantage of mobile technology that allows students to produce content where they are,” Hart said. “As online news delivery becomes more and more prevalent, it’s important that our students are experienced and comfortable working remotely.”

Hart also is leveraging his association with several of SFA’s successful radio/TV alumnae to help with the class. Natalie Haddad, associate producer for Fox 4 Dallas; Erika Bazaldua, anchor and producer for “Good Morning East Texas” in Tyler; and Hunter Sowards, anchor for KUSI in San Diego, California; have all participated in video conferencing with students during the capstone course.

“During this time of social distancing, I think it’s important to provide a way for students who are about to enter media to see how other journalists and media professionals are dealing with the COVID-19 situation,” Hart said.

For students, the opportunity to interact with peers has been a semester highlight. Korbyn Lee, a senior radio/TV major, said she appreciates the way her professors are working hard to help ensure students are getting the most from this unique situation.

“I think the most important part of talking with professionals is it makes you realize, especially in the field of radio/TV, everyone has to work their way up,” Lee said. “These mentors have discussed how every job is important, and in order to advance, you need to understand and have experience in a variety of areas within the profession.”

In addition to the broadcasting capstone course, Sherry Williford, mass communication instructor, has videoconferenced with Kara Sewell, SFA alumna and WFAA anchor, for her broadcast performance class. Sewell shared insight and experience with the students, giving them the inside scoop on what it’s like to be an anchor.

Other students said they have enjoyed meeting media professionals who have been an inspiration to them. For Collin Maxwell, senior radio/TV major, growing up listening to Hitzges and Lewis made it even more exciting to speak with them.

“These meetings allow us to hone in on what specific fields we want to work in upon graduation, and it gives us a chance to understand how our field truly works,” Maxwell said.

By Emily Brown, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Master of Arts in mass communication with a public relations specialization was ranked the No. 1 most affordable online degree in the United States by OnlineU, an organization that provides a free and comprehensive guide that enables students to compare all online colleges in the U.S.

“This online degree is designed for working professionals who can’t sit in a traditional classroom at a designated time and earn an advanced degree,” said Dr. John Hendricks, chair of the mass communication department and graduate program coordinator at SFA. “It allows students to work on the degree at their own pace and in their own environment.”

OnlineU researches accredited online colleges and then provides rankings based on data collected about each program’s degrees, tuition amounts and coursework details.

The Master of Arts in mass communication at SFA offers three specializations: advertising and public relations, broadcasting, and journalism.

“Students can focus their attention on any aspect of mass communication by taking an extra class or two,” said Hendricks, “or by focusing their interests in a certain area with the capstone project, which might include a media project, thesis or comprehensive exam.”

In addition to the public relations specialization ranking, OnlineU also named SFA’s master’s degree in mass communication with a journalism specialization as the No. 2 most affordable online degree for journalism in the nation.

To learn more about SFA’s mass communication degrees, visit sfasu.edu/masscomm.

By Emily Brown, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Two students from Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Biology recently placed first for the best undergraduate poster presentation at Texas A&M’s Ecological Integration Symposium.

Jordan Griffin of Chandler and Zachary Hutchens of Nacogdoches virtually presented their poster “Distribution of the non-native Sheepshead Minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus) in the Brazos River, Texas: Implications for niche overlap with its native congener Red River Pupfish (Cyprinodon rubrofluviatilis).”

“This project was my first real opportunity to work with real data in a lab setting,” said Hutchens, a sophomore biology major. “I learned a lot about research techniques and how formal research is conducted. Our data was all the more relevant for conservation when the Red River Pupfish was recently classified as threatened in Texas.”

The presentation investigated the abundance of the Sheepshead Minnow, which is invasive to the Brazos River system, its similarities to the native Red River Pupfish and its ecological consequences.

“As faculty and a mentor, I am proud of our students,” said Dr. Carmen Montaña-Schalk, assistant professor of biology. “They work very hard in the lab and field settings to increase involvement with scientific research. Their participation in these local and regional meetings allows them to grow as scientists.”

The symposium gave students a platform to showcase their research and engage in meaningful dialogue with a diverse group of scientists and undergraduate and graduate students from the fields of ecology, evolutionary ecology and conservation, Montaña-Schalk said.

“I am delighted that SFA students majoring in biology continue to be recognized for the rigor of their research projects and their ability to effectively communicate novel outcomes in the biological sciences,” said Dr. Stephen Mullin, professor and chair of the Department of Biology.

To learn more about the Department of Biology, visit sfasu.edu/biology.

By Joanna Armstrong, marketing communications specialist for Stephen F. Austin State University.