Kick Off I-Comm Week VIII with Us
There was a radiant double rainbow over Columbia the other day
after one heck of a storm. I’m perfectly content to extract
all the symbolism we can out of that. Have we weathered the storm,
and are the days ahead graced with a spectrum of brightness? I
would never stretch the analogy or resort to cliché to speculate
as to what might lie at the end of the rainbow.
But there are a few nuggets that lie ahead as the college prepares
for its annual I-Comm Week, the eighth edition, on Oct. 3-6. The
presentations cover all the disciplines of both our schools with
an array of professionals, alumni, faculty and students participating.
You’ll find a calendar of events here
We love it when alumni such as Lou Kennedy and Stephen Brown return
to campus to share their experiences in public relations, advertising
and the corporate executive suite. We’ll tackle intellectual
freedom, war and censorship, and the Pentagon’s information
strategies. And we’re staging a homecoming for MSNBC anchor
Craig Melvin, returning to Columbia where his broadcast career
was launched at WIS. Craig is this year’s Buchheit lecturer.
I-Comm Week — it’s “I” for information
and “Comm” for
communications — always seems to surprise us, even though
co-chairs Lisa Sisk and Dr. Kendra Albright have been working for
months to assemble the program. The fall calendar is just that
busy. As I write, we are roughly a third of the way through the
fall semester. The first four football games have all been Gamecock
victories and nail biters. Auburn’s here this weekend. Hang
on.
There’s construction going on in Davis College, preparing
for the installation next summer of a new HVAC system for our really
cool and famously hot School of Library and Information Science.
We’ve cleared the first hurdle — the Board of Trustees
Building and Grounds Committee — toward approval of moving
the building for the School of Journalism and Mass Communications
into the construction phase.
In short, we’ve been busy this fall. Things are happening
here. Not somewhere over the rainbow.
Alumni News
 Wagenheim Hired as Publisher of Glamour
Advertising alumnus Jason Wagenheim, ’95, is the new vice
president and publisher of Glamour. Prior to joining the Condé Nast-owned
monthly fashion magazine, Wagenheim served as the publisher of
Time Inc.’s Entertainment Weekly. Wagenheim is a former Outstanding
Young Alumnus award winner from the School of Journalism and Mass
Communications.
Alumnus Scott Palmo Publishes First Book
Scott Palmo, ’09 MLIS, has had his first book published
by Closson Press. In “Twisted Fury,” Palmo, a librarian
at Sumter High School, tells the story of what happened in his
native southwestern Pennsylvania on June 3, 1980 when seven tornadoes
hit communities in the Allegheny-Kiski Valley.
 Brown to Oversee Cohn & Wolfe’s Atlanta Office
Stephen M. Brown, ’95 public relations, has been named executive
vice president of Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations, a global public
relations firm headquartered in New York City with clients ranging
from Walmart to Smucker’s. Brown will serve as the managing
director of the firm’s Atlanta office.
Brown also recently
earned the Accredited in Public Relations credential from the Public
Relations Society of America. He joins Cohn & Wolfe after previously
serving as senior vice president for MSLGROUP.
 Johnston Hired as Director of Harvin Clarendon County Library
SLIS alumna Charlotte Johnston, '06 MLIS, is the new director
of Harvin Clarendon County Library in Manning, S.C.
Johnston previously served as the
children’s services coordinator for the Dorchester County
Library System where she was responsible for planning and coordinating
system-wide programs and services for children and teens.
Public Relations Alumna Publishes New Book
 Susanne Dusenbury Sartelle, ’84 public relations, has written
a new book titled “God People Money: Proven Ideas to Translate
Your Faith Into the Workplace." Published by Evergreen Press,
the book profiles business owners who integrate their religious
beliefs into all areas of their lives, including work.
Sartelle
has served as a chamber of commerce professional for more than
20 years, working in five cities throughout North and South Carolina.
She now heads up 21st Century Leadership, a company based in Greenville,
N.C., dedicated to helping businesses and communities.
 Loftis to Serve as Union County Carnegie Library’s Interim
Director
Benjamin Loftis, ’10 MLIS, has been hired as the interim
director of the Union County Carnegie Library in Union, S.C.
Loftis
previously worked at the Middle Tyger and Woodruff branches of
the Spartanburg County Public Library.
 SLIS Alumnus Named Director of Marion County Library
Philip Alan Smith, ’07 MLIS, is the new director of Marion
County Libraries. Smith moves to Marion from Horry County Library
System’s Socastee Branch Library.
College News
Annual Literacy Leaders Awards
A high school student and two organizations were honored by the
University of South Carolina and the state’s library community
Tuesday, Sept. 13, for their work to improve literacy in South
Carolina.
This year’s Annual Literacy Leaders Awards recipients are
the Spartanburg County Public Libraries' Children's Department
for its "Real Mommies Read" program, Junior Achievement
of Central S.C. and 17-year-old Sarah Katherine DeVenny of Lancaster.
The Spartanburg County Public Libraries' program encourages teen
mothers to develop their informational literacy as well as the
literacy of their babies. It is funded by the Mary Black Foundation.
Junior Achievement was hailed for its work teaching students about
financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.
DeVenny was honored for developing and implementing a sustainable
literacy project with community organizations in Lancaster. Her
efforts included the launch of a family reading night and a book
fair. She also worked with organizations to build bookcases, which
were placed in a school, a food bank, a homeless shelter and literacy
cooperative.
The fifth annual presentation of Annual Literacy Leaders Awards
was hosted by USC’s School of Library and Information Science
and Time Warner at the S.C. State Library, with USC journalism
alumna and local anchor Darci Strickland as emcee.
Video and photo gallery
J-school to Receive Boost for Business Journalism Programs
The School of Journalism and Mass Communications will host a visiting
business journalism professor next semester after being named one
of four journalism schools nationwide to receive support from the
Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism at Arizona
State University. The Reynolds Center selected USC’s J-School
as a recipient due to the priority the school places on increasing
its emphasis on business journalism. Currently, the school has
two endowments to enhance teaching of business journalism. In March
of 2009, the Baldwin Business and Financial Journalism Fund was
established to support teaching, research and other activities.
Last year, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers
established the David J. Morrow Scholarship. Read more
Former SLIS Professor and Student Collaborate on New Book
 Retired SLIS professor Virginia L. Wallace and current SLIS student
Whitney Husid are co-authors of a book published by Libraries United.
Titled “Collaborating for Inquiry-Based Learning: School
Librarians and Teachers Partner for Student Achievement,” the
book is a step-by-step guide to collaborative lesson planning that
promotes interactive learning among students of various ages and
abilities.
Dr. Kenney Blogs From Georgia
During his year teaching at the Caucasus School of Journalism
and Media Management in Tbilisi, Georgia, J-School professor Dr.
Keith Kenney is sharing his observations and experiences in the
Eurasian nation via a blog on his personal website. Dr. Kenney's
early postings include his classroom observations and encounters
with Georgian culture, down to whether or not formal attire means
tie or no tie. Dr. Kenney’s blog is at: http://keithrkenney.wordpress.com/blog/
Student News
SLIS Students Earn Honor from Google
A team of SLIS graduate students reached the semi-finals in the
2011 Google Online Marketing Challenge for their marketing research
and campaign for the South Carolina Digital Library. The team,
comprised of Grace Barth, Michelle Cloer, Anna Zacherl, Michael
Lawing and Christiana Scott, all students in Dr. Ron Brown’s
Seminar in Applied Information Systems for Information Specialists,
scored among the top 100 teams globally and among the top 15 in
the competition’s Americas Region. The challenge drew more
than 4,000 teams and 35,000 students from 95 countries participated
in the competition. Google’s challenge tests students’ abilities
in advertising, ecommerce, integrated marketing communication,
management information systems, marketing and new media technologies.
Participants explore marketing strategies through Google AdWords.
Upcoming Events
I-Comm Week
Oct. 3-6
I-Comm Week is set for next week, Oct. 3-6! We’re bringing
noted professionals in the information science and mass communications
fields to campus to share their knowledge and expertise with our
students, alumni and community partners.
Wednesday’s Buchheit Family Lecture will once again highlight
the week with MSNBC anchor and NBC News correspondent Craig Melvin,
a former anchor at Columbia’s WIS-TV, returning to his hometown
to deliver his lecture titled “From ‘Craig Cam’ to
MSNBC: How Technology and Viewer Tastes are Changing Broadcast
News.” The lecture is set for 7 p.m. in Gambrell Hall auditorium.
It is free and open to the public.
The full schedule of events for I-Comm Week with speaker bios
can be found here: http://sc.edu/cmcis/news/icomm/2011/index.html
InfoCamp
Oct. 1-2
IT-ology, 1301 Gervais Street, Suite 200
SLIS is a major sponsor for this weekend’s “unconference” for
the information community in Columbia. InfoCamp is an interactive,
community-driven event where the participants create the agenda.
Topics include user experience, information architecture, information
design, library and information science, and more. For more information,
go to www.infocampsc.info.
Gamecocks on the Green
Nov. 11, 4:00 p.m.
Gibbes Green
We hope you’re making plans to join former classmates, faculty
and friends for Gamecocks on the Green, our college's Homecoming
celebration and our tradition since 2005!
We'll gather on Gibbes Green near Davis College on Friday, Nov.
11, from 4:00 - 6 p.m. Rain location: Campus Room in Capstone House,
900 Barnwell Street. RSVP to Elaine Taylor - taylorem@mailbox.sc.edu - by Nov. 3. Bring the kids.
Spotlight
Dr. Kathy Roberts Forde
By Joshua Joiner, SJMC Graduate Student
Throughout her career as a professional educator and researcher,
Dr. Kathy Roberts Forde has worked with dedication in two areas.
During the 11 years she spent teaching at the middle and high
school levels, Dr. Forde worked to educate students and improve
scholastic journalism. In her current role as a media historian
and assistant professor in the University of South Carolina School
of Journalism and Mass Communications, she focuses on teaching
and researching the history of journalism and the effects media
has on public life.
 Dr. Forde’s dedicated work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
In August, the National Scholastic Press Association recognized
Dr. Forde for her continued service to scholastic journalism by
naming her one of seven recipients of its Pioneer Award, the top
honor given to individuals who contribute to scholastic journalism
outside regular job requirements.
Also in August, Dr. Forde was named associate editor of American
Journalism, a quarterly journal produced by the American Journalism
Historians Association.
While Dr. Forde says that the close timing of the two honors is
coincidental, she feels being recognized for her work in both areas
indicates that she’s successfully upholding her responsibilities
as a professor.
“It’s very rewarding to be recognized for your work,” Dr.
Forde said. “Professors in higher education are meant to
perform in three different areas; one is scholarship, one is teaching
and one is service. These three broad areas are important in our
careers and what it means to be a professor. To be recognized in
two of the areas around the same time is very fulfilling, and it’s
nice in a sense that it suggest that my work has had an important
impact.”
The impact of Dr. Forde’s current work is seen in different
forms. With her research of the history of journalism and media,
Dr. Forde hopes to help the industry today and in the future. With
a constantly evolving media landscape, Dr. Forde hopes her research
will help media managers better deal with the issues the changing
industry faces, while also better preparing current and future
journalist on how to handle the unforeseen challenges of the future.
For all of this to be achieved, Forde says researchers must first
start by studying the past.
“History is not only about the past; it’s about how
the past informs the present moment,” she said. “Having
that historical knowledge helps us think better when approaching
the crises we’re facing in journalism today. Studying media
history is an important way for us to begin grappling with some
of these problems.”
While Dr. Forde always had aspirations of working at the university
level, she didn’t always know she wanted to work in journalism
and media. After studying English in both her undergraduate and
masters degree work, it was her work on journalism projects at
the high school level that kindled her interest in her current
field.
“I always thought I would work with literature in an English
department or in some similar role,” Forde said of her early
career ambitions. “When I taught middle and high school English,
I was involved in journalism and literary magazine projects. Over
time I became more and more interested in the role of media and
journalism in public life, and it’s become something I really
enjoy researching.”
Dr. Forde joined the faculty of USC’s School of Journalism
and Mass Communications in the fall of 2009 after four years as
an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. Her book “Literary
Journalism on Trial: Masson v. New Yorker and the First Amendment” won
the Frank Luther Mott-KTA book award and the AEJMC History Division
award in 2009.
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