Murphy Spring 2016 UniversityReporter of Minnesota School of Journalism & Mass Communication The Essential Art of Storytelling Journalism degrees open doors GIFT ALLOWS SJMC TO BREATHE NEW LIFE INTO THE CURRICULUM ALUMNI SOCIETY PAYS TRIBUTE TO DAVID CARR Murphy Reporter SPRING 2016 1 S Murphy Reporter INSIDE THIS ISSUE Spring 2016 DIRECTOR 4 HEADLINES Albert Tims SJMC welcomes three new EDITOR faculty members to the fold .............4 Larissa Mavros, Elizabeth Larsen Tims named Scripps DESIGN Administrator of the Year .................6 Abbey Kleinert, Jeanne Schacht Alumni spotlight: Jason Bakker .......9 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS The essential art of storytelling ..... 10 Barb DeGroot, Larissa Mavros, Erin Peterson, Valory Schoenecker, 7 From big vision Sarah Wiley to concrete impact ........................ 14 JOHN EIGHMEY RETIRES PHOTOGRAPHY 17 EVENTS Peter Beck, Elizabeth Brumley, Sarah Howard, Bill Kelley, Jay Larson, An activist and scholar .................. 17 Larissa Mavros, Amanda Snyder See Change sees success ............. 18 STUDENT ASSISTANTS Creating communicators ............... Abbigale Stark, Alida Tieberg, 18 Shannon Yurick The branding of politics ................ 19 COPY EDITOR Pairing up for success ................... 19 Carolyn Gross Spring Showcase salutes ALUMNI RECORDS students, donors and alumni ........ 20 Mary Achartz, Kaylee Highstrom, 8 Lynne Nelson, Eva Widder David Carr ..................................... 21 TRIGGERING A SHAKEUP SJMC celebrates 10th year PRINTING of Murrow Program ....................... Modern Press 22 30th Annual Silha Lecture 2015–2016 SJMC Alumni with James Risen ........................... 24 Society Board Members Amy Nelson, president Jim Hammerand, president-elect 26 STUDENT NEWS Heather Arntson, secretary Carolyn Ahlstrom Matt Burgess 27 FACULTY NEWS Victoria Hoshal Faculty research: David Mackereth 10 John Maher Rebekah Nagler ............................. 27 Tim Nelson THE ESSENTIAL ART OF STORYTELLING Rim earns three honors Jennifer Sorenson Mary Tan to advance CSR research .............. 29 Tanya Wright 30 The Murphy Reporter is published ALUMNI NEWS & NOTES semiannually by the University of SJMC Alumni Board honors four Minnesota School of Journalism & distinguished graduates ............... Mass Communication for alumni, 30 faculty, staff, students and friends of Alumni board ................................ the school. 31 Why I give to SJMC ...................... Send questions or comments to 32 [email protected] or In Memoriam ................................. Murphy Reporter, 111 Murphy Hall, 34 206 SE Church St., Minneapolis, MN 55455 CONNECT WITH US! The University of Minnesota shall provide 14 equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities and employment facebook.com/umnsjmc without regard to race, color, creed, FROM BIG VISION TO CONCRETE IMPACT religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance twitter.com/umn_sjmc status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. youtube.com/umnsjmc This publication is available in alternative Cover & Feature Illustration by Abbey formats upon request. Kleinert with icons by Bucky Clarke, PA Melvin Direct requests to [email protected] U of MN School of Journalism and Claire Jones from thenounproject.com & Mass Communication Alumni 2 Murphy Reporter LOOKING FORWARD Photo: Peter Beck As the College of Liberal Arts launches new collegiate initiatives and search firm has been retained to help identify promising candidates goals, we’re pleased to find strong alignments with the longstanding with the academic and professional credentials, vision and energy to student-focused culture in Murphy Hall. Our faculty and staff are con- lead us forward. I hope to help facilitate a smooth leadership transi- tinually reshaping the curriculum, expanding opportunities for com- tion during the coming year but will then exercise a sabbatical leave to munity-engaged learning and scholarship, cultivating new internship prepare for what comes next in my academic career. opportunities, helping students develop readiness for career success, I’m writing to our Murphy Reporter readers about this early in engaging top professionals as adjunct faculty instructors, emphasizing the process because I believe our alumni and donors should be among learning abroad and helping students identify synergistic double majors the first to know about plans for leadership transition and because ranging from design to management to computer science and more. I believe you can help ensure that SJMC continues to be among the This student-focused culture, for example, is instrumental to our University of Minnesota’s signature programs. I hope our next direc- success in achieving an impressive undergraduate major four-year tor enjoys the same support and loyalty that I’ve found so helpful, graduation rate of 86 percent (versus 61 percent for the Twin Cities indeed inspiring. campus overall) and why 92 percent of our majors report they find Early in my tenure as director I developed a little ritual of tapping open channels of communication between faculty and students. All on the big oak entry doors to Murphy Hall each morning as a remind- faculty help undergraduate majors develop programs of study and as- er to myself that my priority must always be to do the right thing for sist with advising. I believe this issue of the Murphy Reporter pro- students. I’ve tried to honor that commitment over the years. But vides a glimpse of how this focus serves students and community. the truth is that our student-focused culture has nothing to do with I am proud to have so many positive student outcomes to high- those doors—the vitality, commitment and passion comes from the light, exceptional new faculty colleagues to introduce, new curricular faculty and staff who come to us and stay with us because they too initiatives to share and so many notable scholarly distinctions to ac- place a high priority on doing the right thing for students. Yes, it has knowledge. And while my passion for our mission is a strong as ever, been a privilege. the time has come for me to help set the stage for a new leader. I have been privileged to serve as director of the School of Journalism & Best, Mass Communication for the past 18 years; a period during which we have strived to honor and preserve those things that make Murphy Hall such a special place for generations of students and scholars. At the same time, we have worked to stay at the forefront of curricular Albert. R. Tims evolution and programmatic transformations essential for ongoing Director, School of Journalism & student success, both graduate and undergraduate. Mass Communication The dean of the College of Liberal Arts, John Coleman, is launch- ing a national search for the next director of SJMC. An academic Murphy Reporter SPRING 2016 3 HEADLINES SJMC welcomes three new professors into the fold Katz, O’Connor and Kanihan bring outstanding academic and professional credentials to the strategic communication program. of making. I would ask what type SHERRI JEAN KATZ of message is going to be most suc- STACEY KANIHAN cessful in that context.” Katz combines a wide-ranging Stacey Kanihan is an expert in strategic professional career with an exceptional ac- communication research methods —sur- ademic record. She started out in advertis- veys, focus groups, in-depth interviews ing for Broadway and Off Broadway shows, and content analyses. The associate teach- before simultaneously handling advertis- ing professor has applied them all through- ing and marketing for the North American out her extensive career in the worlds of tour of “Fame the Musical.” academics and business. She then switched her focus to faculty Kanihan returned to SJMC in the fall to and donor relations in the Arts and Sci- teach communication theory and research ence Dean’s Office at New York University. methods in the Strategic Communication While there, she earned an M.A. in Culture Professional M.A. program. and Communications in 2004. Katz also “We’re not just conducting one research started her own communications company project, we’re dong several, using different and did freelance work in public relations methods,” Kanihan said. “When it’s time and marketing for clients in the technol- for students to do their capstone project ogy, real estate and environmental conser- Photo by Wally Swanson Photo by Wally or conduct research on the job, they’ll be vation sectors. able to use these techniques and apply the If your long-term goal is to eat healthy food, Katz holds an M.S. and Ph.D. in Com- results to make smart decisions based on but every afternoon you reach for a treat munication from Cornell University. Dur- facts, evidence and information.” from your refrigerator, Sherri Jean Katz ing her doctoral work she was awarded a Kanihan was most recently director of wants to know what type of message will National Science Foundation grant for re- research at Padilla Speer Beardsley (now compel you to reach for the apple instead of search on abstraction in decision-making PadillaCRT), where she was responsible for the piece of chocolate. and message effectiveness. implementing and managing comprehen- Katz, an assistant profes- She served as a research sive market and communication research sor in strategic communication, "It’s the idea assistant and postdoctoral to help clients achieve their strategic goals. focuses her research in persua- associate on a National In- sion, technology and