Communication Arts News

On Oct. 17 and 18, Ohio Northern University's theatre students Joanna Ginn, Garrett Young, Kara Dombrowski, Valerie Witherspoon, Cassie Rea and Amanda Fanno, along with John Armstrong, assistant professor of theatre arts, travelled to Cleveland for a weekend of theatre at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival (GLTF).

ONU's public relations program is one of fewer than 20 in the nation to hold the Certified for Education in Public Relations (CEPR) designation. This recognition is granted on a six-year cycle by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the largest, most well-respected professional organization in the industry. In 2003, ONU became the first university in Ohio to receive the CEPR designation, and our re-certification site-visit team is scheduled to be on campus Oct. 7-9, 2009.

ONU's chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) will host a visit to campus on Oct. 14 by Dr. (LTC-U.S. Army-Retired) Joseph V. Trahan III, APR, Fellow PRSA. Trahan is president of Trahan & Associates (a leading crisis/media training firm), a former college professor and civilian department of defense contractor. Trahan will present a daylong workshop for our students and area communication professionals. During his time with the U.S. Army, he coordinated worldwide media coverage for the 50th-anniversary celebration of D-Day.

Callie Crum, public relations major of Cardington, Ohio, is a student who understands what it means to be determined. Having been an active member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) in high school, she had familiarized herself with all aspects of competitive public speaking, from tone inflection to choreographing hand movements and walking patterns. Upon her arrival to Ohio Northern University, she was not keen to let that interest die.

“I just have a drive to do it,” Crum says, “and I wanted to get back into competing.”

Ohio Northern University's Fulbright Scholar in Residence Juan Manuel Guerra-Hernandez will speak on "Education in Mexico" in Dicke 137 on Tuesday, April 28, from 7-8 p.m. The presentation is sponsored by Phi Beta Delta's International Forum.

Ohio Northern University senior Ben Roselieb, a broadcasting and electronic media major from Wauseon, Ohio, has been selected to participate in the International Radio and Television Society Summer Fellowship Program in New York City. Roselieb is the seventh ONU student selected to participate in this Fellowship over the past 15 years. More than 1,000 applicants nationwide applied for the fellowship. In the past, IRTS has accepted 30 fellows, but this year, the number of accepted fellows was limited to 15.

Dr. Stephen D. Iseman, professor of communication arts and public relations at Ohio Northern University, has been elected to the prestigious College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Iseman is one of 19 inductees this year to the College of Fellows, bringing the number of members to 455 out of more than 22,000 PRSA members. Election to the College is based on lifetime achievement and is a professional honor awarded to senior practitioners and educators.

Dr. Christine North, assistant professor of communication arts, Alisa Agozzino, visiting instructor in communication arts, Dr. Jennifer Walton, assistant professor of communication arts, and Dr. Matthew Vorell, assistant professor of communication arts, attended the National Communication Association conference in San Diego. North, Agozzino and Walton will be part of a panel on "Adjunct Faculty from Multiple Perspectives: Covering Classes at Bargain Prices."  

Ohio Northern University's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) have received a two-year, $1,500 grant from the AIG Credit Counseling challenge grant program. Dr. Susan Schertzer, associate professor of marketing, and Dr. Christine North, assistant professor of communication arts, are advisors for ONU SIFE and submitted the grant proposal.

William O'Connell, associate professor of English and journalism at Ohio Northern University, has been named to the Adviser Advocacy Committee for the College Media Advisers (CMA).

The newly constituted six-member group helps advisers resolve conflicts encountered while adhering to CMA's Code of Ethical Behavior. Begun by the organization's board of directors in 1998, the committee was expanded this year to better serve media advisers across the nation.