Happy 2014 all. Life churns on here in Strickler Hall. For all of you out there familiar with our program, you will be interested to know that we have a new graduate director. Dr. Steve Sohn has assumed those duties after being handed the reigns by Professor Jennifer Gregg, who did an outstanding job in building our program. And we have a new addition to the Communication family--well technically Lindsay Della has a new addition since she gave birth to her first child, a strapping baby boy, just before the holidays.
Professors Joy Hart, Kandi Walker and I are in the process of finishing up our book, "Talking Tobacco: Interpersonal, Organizational, and Mediated Messages." This edited volume will be published by Peter Lang out of New York very soon in the spring of 2014. We will be glad to have that off our plate--it has been a long road getting this book ready to go.
That means I need a new project to work on. After doing years of "heavy" research on "heavy" topics like tobacco and cigarettes and smoking, I'm ready for something a bit lighter and more fun. So I'm getting ready to launch into a project involving some aspect of epicurean research; that's food in plainspeak. Something having to do with food and communication. Not sure exactly what but looking forward to working with my old KMOX/CBS colleague Dave St. John on this, even though he lives near Syracuse and for some reason continues to root for the Orangemen. Also looking forward to having the assistance of my new GTA Sam Hughey; she is enthused about the project as well so good to know I've got several people on board already even though the idea at this point is rather vague.
Sam is also helping me with my Comm 303 Intro to Communication Technology class so if any of my students are reading this, you'll be intersecting with her soon. And I have put a link to her blog on our Blackboard site so you can get to know her a bit.
I continue to direct our internship program--looks like a record number of folks doing internships this semester at locations as varied as the local TV stations, to the Kentucky Derby Festival, to local agencies and everything in between. More and more students seem to be getting the message that this experience is crucial to their professional future. And as our friends with the i2A program at UofL stress, this experiential learning is a phenomenal way to build critical thinking.
My daughter is now 16 and driving, my little guy has turned 14, I've been happily married to my wife now for 23+ years, and we've lived in Louisville now for closing in on 19 years. Jeez time flies when you are having fun....
Strickler 310 signing off for now.
