Kim Davis
Senior
Major: Electronic Media Comm.
What are your plans for the future? I hope to continue working in the Twin Cities or another larger metropolitan area. I'd like to work in Christian radio, doing production and possibly some live on-air show production. I'd also like to travel doing some mission work playing music.
What opportunities have you had at Northwestern?
I've been really blessed to get a job as a student worker at KTIS doing operations work. That's really opened the door for me, and I've gotten an internship doing production for KTIS. I've also gained a lot of experience from working on the student-run station, WVOE, doing on-air shows, creating productions and putting on events.
What is your favorite thing about NWC?
My favorite thing about Northwestern is the people. Professors that care about each student, love their field of study and ultimately love God, and friends that are fun, supportive and excited for whatever comes next.
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Drew Gneiser
May 2007
What have you been up to since graduation?
Since graduating, I have booked over 100 rock and roll concerts nationwide, served chicken at hundreds of weddings, launched several social media and marketing blogs and taught people how to change the world while wearing a hairnet. The common theme: people and communication. Currently, I have a great job managing all the social media at Feed My Starving Children. Everyday I get to find ways to create more meaningful connections and tell stories that leave an impact.
What advice do you have for students?
Try new things. Meet people who love their work and find out why. Have fun with others. Failing is okay (and even good). Learn how to use Twitter for more than talking about what you had for lunch. Work hard and don't let a bad economy dictate anything. Sometimes you have to do jobs you hate to get somewhere you love; please don't settle for the first. Drop me a note if you ever want to chat or think I can help in any way.
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Congratulations, December grads!
The following students received their degrees at the December 17 graduation ceremony.
Communication Studies
Electronic Media Communication| Joe Cheesman | Derek Holt | Corey Pederson | | Ben Fast | Brice LaBelle | Alexandra Saye |
Digital Media Arts
Journalism
Public Relations| Kimberly Hereid | Jessica Schoenberger | |
Theatre| Daniel McLaughlin | Lydia Thoreen | |
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 MJMC hosts Minnesota for Marriage production
 What would bring a producer from Pennsylvania and a public affairs pro from California to chilly Minnesota for three days in the Mel Johnson Media Center? The answer is a worthy cause and the opportunity to utilize the Northwestern College TV studio.
This fall, the Communication Department hosted a team from the Minnesota For Marriage campaign as they filmed a series of videos to be featured on the organization's website.
In just a few days, the crew filmed 30 short video segments that promote the Marriage Protection Amendment that's appearing on the 2012 ballot. The videos featured former KSTP-TV anchor and current pro-family advocate Kalley Yanta (aka Kalley King) addressing questions related to the amendment. The videos will be rolled out gradually on the Minnesota for Marriage website as well as their YouTube channel.
Electronic media professor and Broadcast Studio Technician Brad Johnson coordinated the shoot, while senior EMC majors Derek Holt and Ross Fleming and PR major Kim Hereid worked behind the scenes on setup, lighting and running cameras and teleprompter.
Working on the set of the Minnesota For Marriage videos was a learning experience for the students involved. Holt said, "I benefited by getting to watch how the director and producer conducted the set and directed the talent in every detail." |
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Notable Notes
Public relations professional and Former Miss Colorado winner Morgan O'Murray spoke in the PR Principles and Concepts class in November. O'Murray works in PR for Target Corporation and is responsible for Target.com as well as all digital apps.
Senior PR major Emily Barry works at Posh Bridal, doing public relations work part time as well as bridal appointments.
Recent graduate Christine Henne ('11) is Program Director at adult care center Enrich, Inc. and owns her own photography business, Joy Noëlle Photography.
Dr. Kent Kaiser, together with his alma mater William M. Kelley High School, received a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant for $6,000 to publish a book that Kaiser is authoring.
Dr. Kent Kaiser recently judged the Miss North Dakota USA Pageant in Fargo.
DMA grad Lauren Krieger ('11) is a Freelance Production Artist and Animator for VidLit.
Derek Murphey ('10) was recently hired as the full-time Broadcast Network Technician for Life 102.5 in Madison, Wisconsin. |
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Note From the Chair
It used to be said that politics was "the art of compromise." Today, however, compromise is a dying art form. Our nation is sharply divided between "red" and "blue" voters, with "undecideds" becoming an endangered species. According to vote rankings by the National Journal, Congress is more polarized now than at any time in recent history.
From the debate over the federal debt ceiling to the recent Minnesota government shut-down, our political parties are locked in a game of chicken in which both sides would rather crash than turn aside. And from the Tea Party to the Occupy Wall Street movement, both sides are ready to take to the streets, certain that their country is being stolen from them. How did we get here?
I blame 24-hour news channels and the Internet's voracious appetite for new information. Of course, that's a huge over-simplification. But the endless news cycle of the 21st century has certainly played a role in our growing polarization.
When the idea of a 24-hour news channel was first introduced, I remember being amazed at the possibilities. Think of all the news that could be covered once TV journalists were free from the constraints of the 30-minute broadcast! It seemed like we'd be the best-informed people ever.
Of course, eliminating time constraints didn't do anything about budget constraints, and it turns out that doing fresh news coverage around the clock would be prohibitively expensive. A much less expensive approach is to cover the same six or eight stories again and again, interspersed with long segments in which people yell at each other about those stories. That's the kind of news industry we wound up with, and in that kind of industry the way to grab a chunk of the audience is to have your designated yellers target a specific ideological group.
So where do conservatives get their news? They listen to Rush Limbaugh, read NewsMax and watch Fox News. And where do liberals get their news? They watch Rachel Maddow and read The Huffington Post and the Daily Kos. And to make sure they're getting a "balanced" view, both sides also keep up with the Facebook postings of their ideologically similar friends.
The paradox of our time is that never before have so many people had so much access to such a wide range of information, and yet our media choices let us retreat into a comfortable echo chamber where our ideas are only reinforced, never challenged. In communication studies we talk about "confirmation bias" and "selective perception," both of which are cognitive biases designed to protect our existing views, and both of which are nurtured by our polarized media world. But while the echo chamber may seem safe, it can lead to a slow death of one's critical thinking skills.
Let me propose a New Year's resolution for you. In 2012, find time to explore contrary views and seek to understand them. Expose yourself to a wider range of news media. Break free of the echo chamber, and listen to a voice that is not your own. You just might learn something.
Doug Trouten Communication Department Chair
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