Thum Participates in Media Literacy Program

Posted on 06/30/2020 by jmcward

During the fall 2020 semester, JCCC student journalists and Gretchen Thum, associate professor and chair of the Journalism Department, will participate in a media literacy program funded by the U.S. State Department.  Steven Youngblood, director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University, received the grant to fund a project titled, “Media Literacy for Students: Lessons from Covid-19.”  According to Park University, the project, which will take place throughout the Kansas City area, will use “virtual seminars and projects to educate and inform students about the information challenges posed by Covid-19.” Projects include a student-produced magazine and podcast.  In addition to participants from JCCC, students will also come from Center Middle School, Center High School, and Park University.  Other instructors in the program include Lewis Diuguid, multicultural educator and journalist with the Kansas City Star, and Allan Leonard, founder of FactCheck NI in Belfast and editor of Shared Future News. 

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Recent English Department Awards

Posted on 05/28/2020 by jmcward

A few members of the English Department recently earned awards from JCCC:

Diane Davis, professor of English, received the BNSF Award for classroom teaching and scholarship.  Specifically, recipients are judged on the basis of their innovation, contributions to the profession, quality of interaction with students, currency in their professional field, and college service.

Andrea Broomfield, professor of English, has been selected as a College Scholar for the 2020-21 academic year.  This program “showcases faculty excellence in research fields that go beyond the classroom to make scholarly contributions to knowledge within the professor’s academic discipline.” As part of this award, Broomfield will give two presentations next year.

Michael Carriger, assistant professor of English, received the 2020 Outstanding Honors Course award for his Composition II honors class.  According to the Honors Program, this award “recognizes honors courses that student have found inspiring and who’s instructors’ teaching was particularly effective.” Instructors are nominated by the students, and Carriger’s course was praised for “inspiring good writing” and providing “insights to daily life.”

Janice Hodgkin, adjunct professor of English, was nominated for the Lieberman Teaching Excellence Award.  Since 1998, this award has recognized outstanding performance by adjunct or College Now faculty.  This year’s external judge was Dr. Cheryl Carpenter, Vice President of Academic Affairs, from Cleveland University-Kansas City.

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New Mind’s Eye Published

Posted on 05/26/2020 by jmcward

The 2020 edition of The Mind’s Eye has been published.  Tom Reynolds, professor of English, is the Faculty Sponsor for the JCCC student literary/arts magazine.  The Mind’s Eye features poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and artwork.  This year’s guest judge for poetry and non-fiction was Melissa Fite Johnson, whose first poetry collection, While the Kettle’s On, won the Nelson Poetry Book Award and was listed at a Kansas Notable Book.

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Workman Publishes New Short Story

Posted on 05/18/2020 by jmcward

Craig Workman, adjunct associate professor of English, recently had his short story “The Rusty Doors” published.  It appears in issue 856 of Bewildering Post, a journal for all genres of “speculative writing.” Readers can access Workman’s story online here: http://bewilderingstories.com/issue856/blurb.html

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Bill Carpenter Retiring

Posted on 05/15/2020 by jmcward

Bill Carpenter, adjunct professor of English, is retiring from JCCC after more than 33 years–that’s teaching 101 consecutive fall, spring, and summer semesters!  Before coming to JCCC, Carpenter taught at the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, and Fort Hays State University.  He received his master’s degree from the University of Arkansas and did Ph.D. work at Kansas State University.  Eventually, Carpenter intends to move with his wife back to Louisburg, his hometown where he grew up.  According to Carpenter, “My acquaintances and colleagues at JCCC are the high point of my academic career, along with meeting my wife in CC 323.”  Though he will not have email once he retires, he can be reached at P.O. Box 134, Louisburg, KS 66053.

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