NEWS

Celebrated department recognizes 20th anniversary
Michelle Ward | Staff Reporter

The MSU Mass Communications department celebrated its 20^th anniversary in fall 2005.

Since 1985, the department has become the single most awarded mass communication department in Texas.

The department combines close faculty-student interaction with the thorough academic preparation and hands-on training that employers and graduate schools prize, said Carla Bolin, mass communication professor. Its purpose is to educate undergraduate students in various areas of mass media and mass communications, preparing them for a career or graduate school. Not one student has been denied acceptance to graduate school, Bolin said.

Bolin founded the program in 1985 and served as chair of the department from 1991 until 2004. She designed all of the curriculum and goals for the mass communication program approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 1983. She also supervised a staff of 12 within the College of Fine Arts and managed all equipment when the program began. She was the only professor and taught all of the classes.

Bolin supervised all productions in the MSU2 television studio, developed all budgets, hired all personnel, wrote all accreditation documents, developed all programming and approved all purchases from 1985 through 2004.

She began her career at MSU in 1983 after she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 and Master of Arts degree in 1985. Some of her many awards include The Excalibur Award for Excellence in Public Relations in 1999 and Top Paper Award from Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication in 1997.

Students credit the program’s success to the close faculty interaction. Training in the department includes video editing, news writing, studio camera work, newscast experience, anchoring and public speaking. Eighty-nine percent of the graduates in the department get a job within their first year out of college.

“The faculty attempt to reach all of the students on a personal level and go out of their way to help students inside and outside of the classroom with whatever questions they might have,” said Ashley Thomas, magnet information specialist for the Wichita Falls Independent School District and class of 2003.

“The department offers hands-on projects that become very applicable in the workplace. The small class sizes allow for closer interaction between professors and students,” said Shelby Hausler, marketing communications coordinator for EmCare Inc. in Dallas and class of 2001.

Faculty members work side-by-side with students as they discover their talents and students are exposed to equipment and training early in their college career, Bolin said. This instruction takes place the moment a student arrives.

“The department maintains state-of-the-art equipment that students will see and use in the field,” she said.

It has been difficult to maintain this one-on-one aspect because of the limited number of professors and the growth of the department, according to Bolin.

There are five professors for 160 majors and numerous mass communication minors. She believes advising students is one of the best ways to keep this personal mindset. The advancement in technology has changed the equipment and structure of the classes, but the theory behind the program has remained.

“The philosophy of the program is a blend of practice and theory,” Bolin said. Students receive practical, hands-on training through The Wichitan and MSU2. She said other schools model their mass communication programs after MSU’s because of its development and success over the last 20 years.

Students must have accumulated a 3.0 GPA in their major and minor before enrolling in the exit course. Currently, the department has about 160 declared majors, Bolin said.

Alumni of the mass communication program have earned employment with newspapers, television stations, advertising and public relations firms and a host of communication corporations. They are also accepted into the finest graduate and law schools.

Another MSU graduate, Darrell Franklin, KFDX reporter and KJTL anchor, said his most memorable experiences at MSU were within the mass communications department. He said he cannot thank the teachers in the department enough. They helped him tremendously by taking the time to work with him.

“Students are able to do things they will do in the real world,” Franklin said. “They get in front of the camera and behind the scenes.”

He believes this real world aspect is a great benefit for the program. If MSU were to lose the program the school would suffer because there are many students interested in journalism and other areas of mass communication, he said.

“The program has proven itself as a successful department. It would be a loss if it were dropped,” Franklin said.

Students of the mass communication department have recently interned with The Dallas Morning News, Southwest Airlines, Ebony magazine, Sen. John Edwards’ office, KXAS-TV Dallas, WABC-TV New York and the Dallas Cowboys, according to the MSU Web site.

In the future, the success of the program will continue because the practical experience that students receive will continue, Bolin said. “The survival of the program depends on it,” she said.

College students should learn process of investing now
Leisha Wolf | For The Wichitan

Imagine having money flowing into your pockets and becoming rich.

College students have great opportunities to learn about investing and dealing with their finances, according to Dr. Adam Y.C. Lei, business finance professor.

Taking advantage of business finance and money management classes will definitely benefit those who are interested in making money. Investing in stocks has made numerous people rich.

Tyler Hawkins, MSU student, is involved in stocks and points out a few tips. He said investing money into the stock market is one way for students to become aware of cash flow. An easy way to begin is through your own bank. Most banks offer access to a money market fund, which is an account your money stays in and draws interest in preparation for investments.

Stocks provide a source of funds for companies to expand and grow and for investors, a channel to invest money into the companies.

Different people have different risk thresholds. All it boils down to is your tolerance when it comes to stocks, Lei said. You have to be just as willing to lose money as you are to gain money. All emotions have to be thrown out.

“Risk always goes with return,” Lei said.

Lei touts foreign stocks. He emphasizes you must have the stomach for such investing. He said that college is the place to gain knowledge about investing and understand how the system works before ever jumping in. He called investment a personalized decision, allowing many possibilities.

Investing money in stocks can end up lowering your income tax, Lei pointed out. A problem college students have is that they never pay themselves first. Hawkins suggested putting aside a certain percentage of each paycheck. Even if it is only $5 a check, six months down the road you will be better off with what you accumulated.

“Buying stocks requires an initial investment about $2,000 to $3,000. The advantage to a money market account is that it provides more interest than a savings account and is very liquid,” Hawkins said.

College students usually don’t have much money, but Lei said they should learn about investing now.

“Stocks are risky, but buying a new stereo or a set of new wheels for your car will never take you anywhere,” Hawkins said. “Think of what you could have possibly turned the $2,000 into if you had invested the money into stocks instead. You could have doubled the amount you had before and earned money you didn’t even work for.”

Some, however, see this as gambling and throwing money down the drain.

“Since knowledge is present it is not just gambling, but if you don’t understand stock then it is more of a gamble,” Lei stressed.

Lei said he learned stocks by reading books and studying the process on his own. It has now become his hobby.

“An important thing to keep in mind if you do become involved in stocks is knowing when to sell,” Hawkins said.

When you buy stock, always keep in mind that you are buying it with the intention of selling it for a profit some time in the future.

Money is involved in almost every situation and can give one power. Relying on money just being handed to you to you won’t get you very far. Social Security may not even be around in 30 years. Lei mentions college students who are skilled with money management skills will succeed.

A stock is only one example of investment. Lei believes that those that take the business finance or money management classes will be appreciative in the long run.