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| Alfred Runte |
Department of History alumnus Alfred Runte (M.A. ’71), a noted environmentalist, is a frequently featured commentator in Ken Burns’ current PBS series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." Runte’s master’s thesis at Illinois State, “The Scenic Preservation Movement in the United States, 1864-1916,” formed the basis of his Ph.D. in American Environmental History from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1976. “Illinois State University was a wonderful place to work,” he notes, “great professors, an excellent library, and simply the highest commitment to teaching I have ever seen.” In 1979, Runte published his doctoral dissertation as National Parks: The American Experience. The preface includes this acknowledgement: “A special note of thanks is also due to L. Moody Simms, Jr., and M. Paul Holsinger, both of the Department of History at Illinois State University, for their initial aid and counsel.” A completely revised fourth edition of National Parks: The American Experience will be published in January by Taylor Trade Publishing, a division of Rowman & Littlefield.
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This past summer, incoming freshmen and transfer students participated in the Summer Common Reading Initiative. Five CAS departments—Communication Sciences and Disorders, English, History, Politics & Government, and Sociology & Anthropology—joined in the program by choosing one book as their focus. Students were asked to read the selection over the summer, respond to the questions sent out by their departments, and be ready for small, faculty and staff-led group discussions during the 2009 Passages Welcome Weekend in the fall. The program was designed to provide new students with the opportunities to interact and establish relationships with faculty and peers, gain a better understanding of the college classroom environment and faculty expectations, and share a common reading experience while actively participating in discussion. The Department of Communication Science and Disorders read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. The Departments of History, Politics & Government, and Sociology & Anthropology all read Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner as a buildup to Levitt's well-received September 17th lecture on campus. Program coordinator Dr. Ron Gifford commented, “The program went very well and exceeded our expectations.”
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| Workshop Participants Display Certificates |
Students, staff and faculty recently earned a certificate in mediation skills after participating in a 20-hour workshop that covered theory and practice of conflict resolution and mediation. The Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies minor program partnered with the ISU Community Rights & Responsibilities office to sponsor the event. Trainers included Ms. Bobbi John (left standing) and Dr. Anne Newman (left kneeling) from the Office of the Dean of Students. For more information about the Peace Studies program, please contact Dr. Michaelene Cox at 438-8923 or mcox@ilstu.edu
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| TV-10 students with Communication faculty |
TV-10, Illinois State University’s student-run television station, won a total of seven awards, more than any other university television program in the state, at this year’s 2009 Illinois Broadcasters Association Student Silver Dome Awards on October 2. This is the second consecutive year that TV-10 has received seven awards. TV-10 won awards in the categories for Best TV Spot, Best TV Photo Journalism, Best TV Sports Package, and Best TV Longform Programming.
TV-10 claimed all three finalists for Best TV Spot. The First Place winner was Jason Boyer ’10, for his promo for ISU Football. Boyer is a Mass Communication major and TV-10’s Creative Services Manager. He is a Twin Cities native. Second Place went to four TV-10 students: Deven DeVore ’10, Ethan Galvin ’11, Scott Helwig ’11, and Meredith Van Kampen ’11. Together they made a Public Service Announcement called “Stay Off the Tracks.” The Third Place winner was Garrett Rabinak ’09 for his promo for The Lineup, a weekly sports show.
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WZND students with Communication faculty
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WZND, Illinois State University’s student radio station, a total of seven awards at this year’s Illinois Broadcasters Association Awards convention October 2. WZND won awards in the categories for Best Radio Aircheck, Best Radio Spot, Best Radio News Story, and Best Radio or TV Promotional Campaign.WZND’s Multimedia Department won first place for Best Station Website. Jena Sprau ’10 of Rantoul, and Caitlin Green ’09 of Quincy, launched a new and improved website in Spring 2009.
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| Terra Brockman |
Department of English alumna Terra Brockman ’81, MS ’85 is a self-employed writer. She is currently in the process of writing a book, The Seasons of Henry’s Farm, which has garnered positive blurbs from luminaries such as Sandra Steingraber and Fred Kirschenmann, as well as a foreword written by Deborah Madison. Brockman has also founded a nonprofit organization called The Land Connection, which is dedicated to preserving and enhancing our rich Illinois farmland, training new farmers to grow healthful, delicious foods, and connecting local growers with local eaters.
Brockman encourages people to consider more about the foods that they eat: Who grew it? Where? How? Asking these questions will cause us to turn to local growers that we know and trust, and also lead us to find the tastiest foods that let you do good by eating well.
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| Kevin Meyer |
Kevin R. Meyer joins ISU as an assistant professor in the School of Communication. He earned his Ph.D. in communication from Ohio University and holds a master’s degree in communication from Illinois State University. Meyer previously taught and coached the debate and forensics squads at Andover High School in Kansas. His teaching interests include instructional communication, small group discussion, argumentation and debate, persuasion, and communication theory. He is a member of the National Communication Association and the Central States Communication Association. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to music, playing fantasy sports, rooting for Reggie Redbird, and settling into the new house he and his wife share.
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