Leftovers
It was worth the seven-hour drive to have my oldest son roast
the turkey — and make turkey soup the next day — allowing
me to spend more time reading with the 5-year-old twins. Reading
is always part of our visit, though their repertoire of events
is expansive, now including a Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot.
Probably what entertains most, though, is the girls’ capacity
for storytelling, one twin augmenting the other’s inventiveness.
The twins and their older sisters faded to dreamland before the
USC-Clemson game’s late finish. But every Gamecock victory,
especially the decisive ones on national television, raises the
university’s stature and perception. Proud to wear South
Carolina colors in ‘Bama country.
Back on campus now and looking forward to fall commencement on
December 12. I’ll be introducing former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw
as a candidate for the university’s honorary doctorate and
the commencement speaker. Over the years, we’ve crossed paths
on campaign trails. I’ve discovered there are a couple of
Brokaw groupies among our faculty. Brokaw’s much admired
for his writing and tribute to what he’s declared to be America’s “Greatest
Generation.” I’m hopeful there’s still a greater
generation to come, perhaps not one that overcomes a world war,
but a global conquest of poverty, disease, illiteracy.
We’re putting the final edits on the fall issue of InterCom,
our college alumni magazine. Watch for it in the mail and online
in the next few days. If you don’t seem to be on the mailing
list, let us know. As InterCom’s publisher, I’ve enjoyed
working with this semester’s student staff under senior instructor
Lisa Sisk’s direction. Much as we are using undergraduate
students to produce InterCom, we also rely on journalism graduate
student Joshua Joiner to create this monthly eNews.
Before we ended our Alabama journey, we all traipsed through the
fields of a local farm to find the perfect tree. It’s become
a family tradition to work off Thanksgiving dinner by cutting,
hauling and trimming the girls’ Christmas tree. It never
gets done so early in my home.
As you prepare for the holidays, in whatever way you celebrate,
may you have joy and peace and a Happy New Year.
Alumni News
 Charney Earns Adweek’s Brand Genius Award
Jeff Charney, ’81 journalism, was honored as Brand Genius
2011 by Adweek in recognition of his work as chief marketing officer
of Progressive Insurance.
In honoring Charney, Adweek cited his
role in refreshing Progressive’s Flo as a leading character,
introducing the cutting-edge Messenger campaign, launching Progressive’s
Snapshot device and for closely integrating all of Progressive’s
diverse campaign elements under the broad Progressive brand umbrella.
 Hartney goes Social with USA Today
Mary Hartney, '03 news editing, has been hired as social media
editor for USA Today.
Hartney, a 2009 recipient of the journalism
school’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award, previously worked
at The Baltimore Sun and is also an adjunct instructor at the University
of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
SLIS Alumna Accepts Librarian Position at WVU Law School
Ann Stewart Plein, '09 MLIS, has been hired as the special collections
librarian at the West Virginia University School of Law.
While
attending USC through the distance-education program, Plein, a
native West Virginian, won the 2009 Thomas Cooper Library Student
Book Collecting Award for her collection of book-binding designs
by Margaret Armstrong.
 J-school Alumna Publishes New Book
Broadcasting alumna Janice McDonald’s book “The Varsity” was
released on Oct. 24. The book is a history of the famed Atlanta
restaurant known as the world's largest drive-in. McDonald has
authored or co-authored several other books.
Read her full bio
at http://jmacproductionsinc.com/janice.html
Mitchell Named One of Greenville’s Best and Brightest
 Jason Mitchell, '03 advertising and public relations, was named
to the 2011 class of the Greenville First Best & Brightest
35 and Under by Business Magazine Greenville. Mitchell is the director
of sales for Marketplace Staffing Services.
The annual list recognizes
35 business leaders in Greenville, S.C., age 35 and under who not
only have impressive professional careers, but who also possess
humanitarian spirits that propel them into volunteer service.
College News
A Special Invitation from Dean Bierbauer
Dean Charles Bierbauer invites you to join the Dean's Circle, a
giving society committed to meeting immediate needs of the college.
Dean’s Circle gifts are undesignated funds used to support
students, faculty and college activities not covered by the college
budget.
The Dean’s Circle is comprised of alumni, community leaders
and industry advocates who recognize the value and significance
of the college’s two schools, the School of Journalism and
Mass Communications and the School of Library and Information Science.
Throughout the year, Dean’s Circle members have opportunities
to attend and connect with guest speakers and other university
representatives.
A minimum gift of $1,000 designated to the CMCIS Dean’s Circle
will confirm membership. Alumni and friends 35 years and younger
are invited to join with a minimum gift of $500.
Gifts are tax-deductible and may be billed monthly or quarterly
by request. Contact Elaine Taylor for further information at 803-777-7118
or taylorem@mailbox.sc.edu. Online gifts may be made at http://giving.sc.edu/.
Donors should select the “Other” designation and type
in CMCIS Dean’s Circle.
J-school Honors 2011 Alumni Award Recipients
Six graduates of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications
were honored Thursday, Nov. 10, at the School's 2011 Alumni Awards
Dinner held at the Capital City Club in downtown Columbia.
Honored as Distinguished Alumni were Johnny Boggs '84, Western
author and Spur Award winner, George Johnson, ’96 MA, former
VP for BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and a SJMC adjunct
instructor and Clayton Owen, ’82, senior director of media
relations for AT&T Atlanta and founder of Curing Kids’ Cancer.
John Baker, ’01, senior art director for TBWA/Chiat/Day
and Kenneth Moton, ’04, reporter for ABC’s Philadelphia
affiliate WPVI, were honored as Outstanding Young Alumni. Ken Baldwin, ’49,
a retired newspaper executive and loyal donor to the School of
Journalism and Mass Communications received the Excellence in Service
Award. Photos
and video 
College Hosts Annual Homecoming Celebration
Alumni, faculty and friends of the College of Mass Communications
and Information Studies gathered on Gibbes Green on Friday, Nov.
11 for Gamecocks on the Green, the college’s annual Homecoming
celebration. More than 130 people attended the event, which included
visits by Cocky, the university’s mascot, and newly crowned
Homecoming Queen Christina Galardi, a senior public relations student. Photos and video
Student News
Student Photography Group Wins NPPA Award
 USC’s chapter of the National Press Photographers Association
was named the NPPA’s 2011 Student Chapter of the Year, the
organization’s top honor awarded to a student chapter.
The award follows the group’s sweep earlier this year of
the student awards in the South Carolina News Photographers Association’s
annual Pictures of the Year competition.
Chapter vice president
Aaron Middeke took first and third honors in the competition, while
former president Sarah Langdon took runner-up honors.
Check out
some of the chapter’s work at their website: http://uscnppa.tumblr.com/.
Watch
video from the award presentation
SLIS Student Participates in AASL’s Congressional Briefing
SLIS student Kathy Mortimer was one of four American Association
of School Librarians members to represent the organization in a
congressional briefing held in October on Capitol Hill in Washington
D.C. The briefing advocated for the inclusion of the Strengthening
Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLS) Act in
the upcoming Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Mortimer,
a School Library Media Certification candidate, discussed how the
SKILLs Act supports and sustains school libraries by ensuring that
every school is served by a state-certified school librarian.
 J-school Senior Crowned USC Homecoming Queen
Christina Galardi, a senior public relations major from Lexington,
was crowned University of South Carolina Homecoming Queen during
the 2011 Homecoming Showcase on Nov. 8 in the Carolina Coliseum.
Nine contestants vying for the crown participated in the pageant-type
competition that featured a formal wear portion, interviews and
individual talent performances. Galardi performed a clarinet solo
as her individual talent.
Upcoming Events
Carolina Day at the State House
Feb. 8, 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Capital City Club - 1201 Main St., Columbia, SC
It's time to join in and show your support for higher education
on Carolina Day at the State House. Attend a special legislative
briefing, visit with legislators, and have lunch with University
President Harris Pastides at the Capital City Club. There is a
$15 fee or by calling 803-777-4111 or,
toll-free, 800-476-8752 by Feb. 1. Register
now
May Carolina Alumni Weekend
May 10-12
University of South Carolina campus
May Carolina Alumni Weekend is a Carolina springtime tradition
that offers innovative and relevant exhibits, lectures, tours and
receptions. Make plans to join us and let the natural beauty of
the University of South Carolina campus inspire you this spring!
For more information, contact Jane Lavender at janel@carolinaalumni.org or 803-777-4112
Spotlight
SLIS Students Learn Importance of Online Marketing Through Google
Competition
By Joshua Joiner, SJMC Graduate Student
 Online marketing may not seem like a subject area important to
aspiring librarians. However, as five students learned this past
spring in Dr. Ron Brown’s Seminar in Applied Information
Systems for Information Specialists, online marketing is not only
something that’s applicable to today’s librarian, but
it’s also something they’re skilled at.
The class revolved around the Google Online Marketing Challenge,
a global competition in which student teams explored marketing
strategies through search engine optimization and Google AdWords,
Google’s online advertising platform.
Competing against more than 4,000 teams from 95 countries, Grace
Barth, Michelle Cloer, Anna Zacherl, Michael Lawing and Christiana
Scott, all graduate students in the School of Library and Information
Science, received hands-on experience in the field of online marketing
by completing an AdWords campaign for the South Carolina Digital
Library.
The campaign was successful, improving the number of visitors
referred to the SCDL website by search engines by 97 percent during
a two-week period. It also allowed the team to reach the semi-finals
of the competition. In the end, the campaign ranked in the top
100 of 4,000 teams globally and was among the top 15 teams from
the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“This was something that turned out to be great experience
for all of us,” said Zacherl, a former SCDL intern. “I
believe Dr. Brown’s class was probably one of the most important
classes I took in my program. We got real-life experience with
online marketing and promotion, which is something within the library
field. There’s a lot of room for opportunity.”
The team helped promote the SCDL by writing ads that promoted
its lesson plans, metadata, photo/collections, and South Carolina
history. The campaign ran for two weeks with a budget of $200.
The experience of planning and executing the campaign showed the
students just how important a tool marketing is to the success
of a library and how important it is for librarians to understand
how to use that tool.
“It’s really important to learn how to effectively
market and promote libraries if you’re working as a library
professional because that skill adds value to whatever institution
you represent,” said Cloer, a Minneapolis, Minn., resident
who attends USC through the distance education program. “The
public usually doesn’t know what the library can offer them
unless we promote it efficiently.” |
