Update from the Dean- May 2017
Liberal Arts News and Events
May 1, 2017
Dear Colleagues,
It’s that time again: School’s (nearly) out for summer! After the stress of exam week for students and grading of final assignments for faculty, the whole College can take a collective breath and look forward to a change of pace for the summer.
But before we do that, we will celebrate the Class of 2017. In addition to the formal ceremonies, I invite you also to attend the College’s Graduation Receptions. This gives us a moment to meet families and loved ones of our graduating students and to learn about the next chapters in their lives.
We have many other reasons to celebrate in the College of Liberal Arts. If I may shine a light on the Department of Mass Communication, just for a moment – several notable and diverse activities are noteworthy:
1) The Vista was recognized as the 2017 best newspaper in the state for circulation under 25,000 by the Oklahoma Society for Professional Journalists. Students, faculty, and staff are all to be commended for this marvelous outcome, and senior administration to be thanked for their sustained support and promotion of our student newspaper. Kudos especially to adviser Teddy Burch and editorin-chief Kateleigh Mills.
2) For a second year in a row, the UCO Student Advertising Competition Team has taken first place in the District 10 regional event of the American Advertising Federation. With expert advising from Ms. Sandra Martin, the team will move forward to a semi-final round with an eye to participating in the June finals, to be held in New Orleans.
3) Assistant Professor Jeff Palmer continues his work on the upcoming documentary for PBS’ American Masters Series. The project, entitled M. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear, was recently recognized with a substantial grant from the Ford Foundation. The grant has been awarded pending Ford’s legal evaluation, which is standard.
Finally, as you can see, we’re experimenting with a change in format for the monthly newsletter. Down the road, we are looking to make it available to a wider audience, including alumni and friends, and hope to include more content about our faculty, students, and alumni. If you have comments or suggestions, please share them with Chelsi Dennis or me.
With my best for the semester’s end,
Cathy Webster