School of Mass Communication
New Director for SMC: Dr. Olaf Hoerschelmann
The School of Mass Communication is pleased to announce that its new director, as of July 1, will be Dr. Olaf Hoerschelmann, of the Department of Communication Studies of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill.
Dr. Hoerschelmann received his doctoral degree in mass communication from Indiana University, his M.A. in communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and his B.A. in American Studies from the University of Tubingen, Germany. At EIU, he has been the graduate program coordinator since 2009. He is particularly interested in cultural history of the media, among other research areas.
The former director of the SMC, Dr. Jamie Byrne, is now associate dean of the College of Professional Studies. The unit has been led by interim director Dr. Linda Pledger, faculty emeritus from the UALR Department of Speech Communication, since August, 2011.
Students Publish First-Ever Forum Focus
The Forum staff, whose members include many students from the School of Mass Communication, published the first-ever Forum Focus magazine this spring. Two articles focus specifically on the work of students in two classes in the School of Mass Communication.
The magazine highlights some of the contributions by people in the campus community who have worked to bring awareness to and combat the issues of hunger and poverty.
“Working on The Forum we regularly see efforts by groups on campus to make a difference in the lives of the hungry and impoverished,” said Jennifer Ellis, executive editor. “So, creating a magazine that allowed us to focus on what we thought were valiant efforts seemed like a great way to challenge ourselves. It turned out to be a lot more work than we expected, but we are happy with the results. We hope to turn The Forum Focus into an annual publication in which we can highlight other important topics.”
Sonny Rhodes, Forum adviser, had high praise for the students’ efforts. “It was an ambitious project,” he said, “especially given that their work on the Focus was in addition to the many hours they put it in each week on The Forum. But they succeeded exceedingly well. I could not be prouder of them.”
Motion Picture Curriculum Expanded
A motion picture option has been added to the SMC curriculum to take effect in fall, 2012. Its formation was in response to numerous student requests, recent motion picture activities in Arkansas, and the opportunity to join forces with Pulaski Technical College as PTC begins to offer courses in film and digital content for off-camera professionals.
Students who finish the new PTC program will be eligible to continue studies with SMC in the motion picture option that will emphasize screenwriting, directing, and cinematic techniques. The new option will fall under the Media Production and Design emphasis in SMC.
Along with the unit’s leadership, Dr. Mark Giese and Professor David Weekley took the lead in strengthening the ties with industry, with the Arkansas Film Commission, and with other educators at PTC and elsewhere during the last several years. SMC has long had a highly successful film minor, and it will build on that minor and its already-existing production courses as it launches the new option that is anticipated to be popular.
Giese and Weekley Win College Excellence Awards
Each year the College of Professional Studies gives Faculty Excellence Awards in three categories—teaching, public service, and research—and this year SMC faculty are taking home two of those awards. The winners are Dr. Mark Giese and Professor David Weekley, and they are eligible for university-wide honors in April.
Dr. Giese, who teaches production courses primarily, and who has led the Summer Media Camp activity that brings high schoolers to UALR, has won in the public service category. Among his other accomplishments are extending UALR’s reach to work with the Arkansas Education Association to help secondary school teachers broaden their technical expertise, coordinating an estimated 50 technology-related seminars, and generously assisting community organizations, in keeping with the spirit of an urban university.
Professor Weekley, a longtime teacher of production courses, winner of 
awards for his own professional work, and supervisor of numerous interns and studio productions, has won in the category of teaching. By involving his students in productions both on campus and off, he has extended the classroom experience by helping students apply concepts and techniques learned there to help clients and organizations complete deadline-based professional projects. This hands-on teaching approach helps students prepare for post-college work in the field.
Other SMC Faculty Excellence Award winners in past years include Dr. Bruce Plopper, winning in all three areas in various years, Professor Sonny Rhodes for teaching, and Dr. Jamie Byrne for public service. Professor Tim Edwards won in the teaching category several times, and Professor Jeanne Rollberg has won in public service twice, also winning the university-wide award.
The Faculty Excellence Awards come with cash awards of $1,000 at the college level, and $5,000+ at the university level. Congratulations to Dr. Giese and Professor Weekley!
School of Mass Communication
The School combines the strengths of the radio, television and film program and the journalism program to provide students with exposure to a broad spectrum of media studies. Dr Linda M. Pledger, Ph.D. Interim Director, School of Mass Communication. lmpledger@ualr.edu 569-3250.