T w o Pa c i f i c G r a d u at e S t u d e n t s W i n P R S c h o l a rs h i p Awa r d S

INSIDE

Letter from the chair, Dr. Dong 2

JON SCHAMBER RETIRES 3

PRSSA YEAR IN REVIEW 4

REFLECTIONS ON A MASTER'S DEGREE 4

REFLECTIONS ONAN INTERNSHIP 5

FACULTY UpdateS 7

U n i v e rs i t y o f t h e Pa c i f i c ' s D e pa rt m e n t o f C o m m u n i cat i o n B i a n n u a l N e ws l e t t e r

SPRING 2014

Every year, the San Francisco Public Relations Round Table (SFPRRT) awards the Philip N. McCombs Scholarship to talented Bay Area univer-sity students studying public relations. Candidates are required to com-plete an application that includes their resume, a letter of recommendation by an advisor, a personal essay, and interview. Winners are selected by a committee of SFPRRT members. The University of the Pacific is proud to announce that the 2014 winners include Laura Hong and Connie Xu, Communication graduate students at the university. Both students were advised by Dr. Heather J. Hether.

Laura was the social media coordinator for Pacific’s Public Relations Stu-dent Society of America, and acted as a teaching assistant for courses in interpersonal communication and public speaking. She regularly blogs for various sites, and was a social media intern for SmartRecruiters, a San Francisco startup, last summer. Connie, an international student from China, has worked in TV in China. She participated in the Clinton Global

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Graduate students Laura Hong (L) and Connie Xu (R) with Professor Hether (center).

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On April 23, the Department held a Senior Awards Ceremony in the President’s Room to celebrate our graduating seniors and gradu-ate students’ accomplishments. The Department selected nine out-standing graduating seniors and two outstanding graduate students. Here I want to highlight three outstanding graduating seniors for their accomplishments.

Chad Reed, a veteran student, has an amazing academic record with a 4.0 GPA and he presented a research paper on Transitional Agents Related to Veteran Students at the Bay Area Undergraduate Com-munication Research Conference at Santa Clara University in April. His paper was highly rated by the panel and many sought a copy to use to help veteran students on campus. Chad will begin his master’s degree with us in the fall.

Mustafa Babak of Afghanistan had a fantastic experience here at Pa-cific. He had an amazing internship opportunity in Washington, DC in a research organization and he received one research fellow-ship to support him to collect both survey and focus group data in Afghanistan. His research in Afghanistan enabled him to present two research papers at NCA conferences. Mustafa is planning to go to graduate school to further his research on Afghanistan.

Julema Perez is the first in her family to attend university. Her faculty members highly appreciate her hard working spirit and eagerness to learn. She pursued opportunities here at Pacific and completed two great internships to gain more working experience. With an excel-lent academic record, Julema will attend California State University, Long Beach Communication Graduate Program in the fall.

These are just a sample of our Communication students’ profiles. These students reflect the commitment of an outstanding Commu-nication faculty to cultivate student achievement in the past and indicates a strong, dedicated Department that will continue to culti-vate more and stronger outstanding graduate students. Here I want to thank our faculty for their outstanding scholarship and teach-ing excellence; our Communication students for their great attitude to further their education; and our alumni and the community for their support to the Department. I am looking forward to seeing a fantastic new semester and new academic year.

—Qingwen Dong

L e t t e r F r o m T h e C h a i r | D r . D o n g

Stay In Touch! If you’ve moved to a new position or have some news you would like to share please email us at COMMent@pacific.edu.

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Dr. Jon Schamber, who has been a faculty member of the Department of Communication since Septem-ber 1980, is retiring from Pacific at the end of this academic year. Dr. Schamber’s connection with Pa-cific predates his employment as a professor at the University. In fact, the University’s beloved forensics coach, Dr. Paul Winters, recruited him to debate for Pacific after grad-uating from Stagg High School in 1970. Four years later, after win-ning scores of debate tournaments, Dr. Winters asked his debate stu-dent to stay at Pacific for another year to complete a master’s degree and serve as his assistant debate coach. Schamber then worked for two years as the Director of Debate at UC Berkeley prior to enrolling in a Ph.D. program at University of Oregon. At Oregon, he served as Director of Debate and Assistant Editor for the Quarterly Journal of Speech.

When Dr. Winters retired as Pa-cific’s Director of Forensics, Dr.

Schamber applied for the position and returned to Pacific in 1980. During the next 34 years, his ca-reer evolved from one decade to the next. He served as Director of Forensics for nine years, Chair of the Communication Department for four years, and Director of Graduate Studies for twenty years. In 1994, Dean Robert Benedetti recruited Dr. Schamber to work as the Associate Dean of the Col-lege. In this position, he managed the College budget, hand-certified the GE programs of all COP stu-dents, and ran the College orien-tation programs. Following his four-year tenure as Associate Dean, Dr. Schamber agreed to serve as the University’s “part-time” Director of General Education from 2000 to 2004. As Director, he revamped the Mentor Seminar program by expanding service learning oppor-tunities for students. During his last year as Director of General Ed-ucation, 43% of the freshmen class signed up for community based learning sections of Mentor Semi-nar II. It was also during this peri-od that Dr. Schamber embarked on an ambitious assessment research agenda with Dr. Sandy Mahoney. Their research resulted in the publi-cation of a series of articles on high-impact educational practices in the Journal of General Education and many presentations at conferences of the Association for American Colleges and Universities. More recently, he served as the Director of Educational Effectiveness and Assessment for the College.

Dr. Schamber is the recipient of many awards, including the Faye and Alex G. Spanos Distin-guished Teaching Award (2002), the Distinguished Faculty Award (2003), the Judith M. Chambers Excellence in Student Life Award (2004), the Hoefer Prize in Expe-riential Learning (2007), Pacific Seminar I Teaching Excellence Award (2007), and the Pacific Alumni Association Faculty Men-tor Award (2011).

J o n S c h a m b e r R e t i r e s f r o m Pa c i f i c

ALUMNI UPDATES

Jennifer Chan, (MA, '13), is currently working at Symantec on their social media team.

Tye Davis, (MA, '13),accepted a position as a business analyst for software applications product mar-keting at Hewlett-Packard in Mountain View.

Kelsey Lynch, (BA, '08), is currently a public rela-tions manager at LA-based entertainment brand man-agement company, Saban Brands. In this role she heads up the public rela-tions efforts across many brands including the Power Rangers, Paul Frank, Digi-mon, Julius Jr., Vortexx and more.

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P RS SA : T H E 2 0 1 3 - 1 4 Y E A R I N R E V I E W

(L to R) Laura Hong (graduate student); Sarah Hong; Jared Chernila; Veronica Lynch; Cortney Ceccato; Jonathan Bruce; Punam Sandhu (graduate student).

By Veronica Lynch

The 2013-2014 year has been fantastic for the Pacific chapter of PRSSA. From workshops and guest speakers, to a mass media panel and a PR firm tour, our chapter has been steadily generating more interest in potential members and Communication students.

Highlights of this year’s activities include guest speakers, such as Clau-dia Morain, Director of Communications for University of the Pacific and Trent Allen, Director of Community Relations for San Juan Unified School District and a Pacific alumnus. Pacific PRSSA also hosted “The Art of Mass Media” panel, which featured three panelists from Good Day Sacramento, KWIN Radio, and the Stockton Record.

In January, PRSSA members had the opportunity to tour the San Francisco office of Edelman Public Relations, the world’s largest pub-lic relations firm. While there, we were able to speak one-on-one with some of the office’s top executives and learn more about a career at Edelman PR.

With four members of the Executive Board graduating, PRSSA held elec-tions to elect new officers. I am proud to announce the new 2014-2015 Executive Board: Jonathan Bruce, President; Otto Kafka, Vice President; and Sarah Hong, Social Media Coordinator. These individuals will, with-out a doubt, take the organization to another level. Congratulations to all!

Although graduating will be bittersweet, I am certain that the tools I’ve accumulated as a PRSSA member and Pacifican have prepared me for the “real world.” I look forward to seeing the many great things that Pacific PRSSA will achieve.

Brian McCoy (formerly with Stockton Record); Amanda King (KWIN Radio);

Marianne McClary (Good Day Sacramento).

By Brian De Rhen

A master’s degree in communica-tion at Pacific is about learning big ideas with a more intense focus than you might be used to. Under-graduate students don’t have to be communication majors to apply to graduate school. I studied sociol-ogy at CSU Stanislaus and had a great transition here. Many of the methods, from surveys to ethnog-raphies, are used in both fields, and many familiar names and theories emerge in the readings, too. It wasn’t the subject matter that sur-prised me—it was the heightened expectations that the professors have of your academic work. This program is a chance to get very close with some areas of research that really interest you, and the topics you study are of your own choosing.

There are three concentrations to choose from but I decided on po-litical communication. I took the title course my first semester and worked on a political advocacy project while studying rhetorical scholars, political theory, and how public debate facilitates democra-cy. My own project was on wildfire safety on private land in the Sierra Nevada. Since then, I’ve conducted a survey and a focus group while learning quantitative methods and mass media research.

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R e f l e c t i o n s O N A M AS T E R'S D E G R E E

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R e f l e c t i o n s O N A N I N T E R N S H I P E X P E R I E N C E

By Viviana Castellanos

As an intern for one of Sacra-mento’s most prestigious news stations, KCRA 3, I had a valuable experience that gave me knowledge and the inspi-ration to strive in a fast-paced, challenging environment.

At the station, I was fortunate to receive a lot of one-on-one time with influential professionals. Producers worked individually with me to teach me how to write packages, summarize logs, and put together voice-overs. Over time, and with the help of some practice assignments, I was involved in the process of writing and airing material. I was actually allotted voice-overs for live segments! While I still have a lot to learn about the industry, this was a great experience. Moreover, being a Com-munication major, this internship reminded me that writing is essential in so many career paths. Whether it is on television, in a newspaper or a magazine, or even in an email to a client or a boss, writing effectively is a crucial part of so many job descriptions. As an intern, I was able to improve my writing skills, and I received constructive feedback from elite professionals in the field.

I enjoyed the active roles I was given throughout my internship. I was able to collaborate with “Special Projects” producers and work on com-munity engagement and special events. I co-produced a town hall meet-ing that was broadcast. At this meeting, active neighborhood asso-ciations and medical experts engaged in a lively discussion about the new health care proposal: Covered California. I was also able to go on location with reporters. This was, perhaps, my most notable memory throughout the entire experience. I was interested and excited to spend time with reporters in their quest to script and record a story, and there was nothing more thrilling than being in the middle of the action.

I was extremely pleased that this internship turned out to be such an educational experience. I learned a great deal and created professional relationships with the experts that I was lucky to work with (including prestigious anchors, producers, and team members). It was a time of growth, opportunity, and experience, which I would have never been able to attain otherwise.

Viviana Castellanos (BA ’14), former intern at KCRA 3.

K PA C

KPAC Radio/TV has recently re-ceived a generous donation from Pacific alumnus Tom Zenner (’90) to update the studio equipment and facilities. In the fall, KPAC will stream audio and video with the latest AV system to insure a quality HD signal to its campus and online communities. Col-laborations for programming from Athletics, the Conservatory of Music, Entertainment Manage-ment, and Theatre are planned in the coming semesters.

During this past year, KPAC held a canned food drive during the holiday season and sponsored a spring fundraiser to help a lo-cal Stockton high school Special Needs class hold its own prom. KPAC staffers Laura Magallanes and Hope Bidegainberry attended the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System convention in New York City in March.

Both Magallanes and Bidegain-berry will continue their roles as station manager and operations manager in the 2014-2015 school year. The station programs 24/7 with both automated shows and live broadcasts from students. KPAC can be heard online via kpac.pacific.edu.

Stay In Touch! If you’ve moved to a new position or have some news you would like to share please email us at COMMent@pacific.edu.

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To attempt to summarize everything that Pacific Speech and Debate did this year would be futile, but here goes anyway! In the 13-14 Academic Year, the Speech and Debate Team traveled to fourteen tournaments all around the world! We started in Missouri in September, hosted the largest collegiate tournament in the country in November, travelled to Chen-nai, India, over winter break and, after preparing all year long as well as giving up their Spring Break for all day long intensive preparations, the Pacific Speech and Debate team travelled to Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ) to compete in two national debate championship tourna-ments. At the first tournament, the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence (NPTE), where only the top 64 teams in the nation are invited to compete, Pacific sent three teams: Pacific BJ (James Birlew & Ben Jamison), Pacific BE (Jonathan Bruce & Katherine Schmits-Earley), and Pacific HR (Evan Haynes & Reed Ramsey). Pacific did well, but none of the teams advanced to elimination rounds. However, out of the 128 debaters there, Reed Ramsey (‘16) won 15th Speaker! An amazing accomplishment!

At the second tournament, the National Parliamentary Debate Associa-tion’s (NPDA) National Championship tournament, 151 teams from 52 schools (and 28 states!) participated. Pacific sent six teams: Pacific BJ (James Birlew & Ben Jamison), Pacific BE (Jonathan Bruce & Kather-ine Schmits-Earley), Pacific HR (Evan Haynes & Reed Ramsey), Pacific BrEn (Nick Brummel & Daniel Enas), Pacific KM (Otto Kafka & Chelsea Moso), and Pacific HH (Tazeen Hussain & Charlotte Harris).

Pacific qualified two teams to the elimination rounds: Pacific BE made it to the Triple-Octofinal round (think of this at the “Round of 64” in the NIET) and Pacific BJ advanced to the Octofinal round, or the “Sweet 16”

S P E E C H A N D D E B AT E T E A Min NIET parlance. They also de-feated the NPTE National Cham-pion in the round prior! Pacific, as a squad, finished 12th in the national championship and 16th (out of 158 schools) nationwide in season-long sweepstakes! Also, Dr Marlin Bates, the Director of Forensics, was awarded a Lifetime Leadership award by the NPDA for his seven years of service on the national council!

Pacific Speech and Debate then traveled to the National Forensics Association Championship tour-nament in Eastern Michigan in April 16-23 for its final tourna-ment of the season. All of our stu-dents did well there and we came back for a much needed break and finished our semester! We look forward to next year when Steve Farias (COP BA ’09 & MA ’11) is coming back as the Associate Di-rector of Forensics!

Top row: Evan Haynes; Middle Row: Tazeen Hussain; Jonathan Bruce; Kate Schmits-Earley; Josh Ramsey (graduate student and assistant coach); Reed Ramsey;

Bottom Row: Josh Harzman (graduate student and assistant coach)

H O N O R S O C I E T Y

The new officers of our chapter of the Lambda Pi Eta undergraduate honor society are Kayley Brown (President), Otta Kafka (Vice Pres-ident), and Megan Griffin (Secre-tary/Treasurer). This promises to be an interesting year as the honor society explores its potential role in revisions of the university un-dergraduate honor course system and considers ways in which our chapter might encourage and as-sist students in achieving academic excellence. A number of career ex-ploration trips are being planned, including one to LinkedIn.

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FA C U LT Y U P D AT E S

Dr. Paul Turpin had a busy year of service to the University on hiring committees in addition to the usual round of classes and advising. He en-joyed meeting new majors in his sections of COMM 31, Media & Society, (and in visits to COMM 25!) and continued to teach PACS 1 and PACS 2. This spring his graduate seminar in political communication had a good mix of students from different areas of interest, and his undergraduate version of the course, COMM 117 Public Advocacy, is slated for offering next spring.

Professor Turpin’s summer plans turn to research. He is completing a book chapter for an edited volume on economist Milton Friedman and con-tinuing to work on a new book about rhetoric and ideology. The panel he organized for last fall’s National Communication Association convention in Washington, D.C., was a success, and he has two proposals for next fall’s annual convention under review now.

Dr. Alan Ray continues to teach media production, media writing, and serve as faculty adviser to KPAC radio/TV. He is active as a faculty repre-sentative on the Pacific Media Board, and with the College Media Associa-tion. He also chaired a panel on student media issues at the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System conference in New York City in March of 2014.

This spring, Dr. Heather J. Hether taught a new Special Topics course on Health Communication. The course was well-received by students. Dr. Hether also attended the annual conference for the International Network for Social Network Analysis in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida. At the conference, Dr. Hether presented her social network analysis of the networks formed around Kaiser Permanente’s Twitter handles. Dr. Hether also discussed this research at the annual on-campus event, Research Day, in April. This fall, Dr. Hether is looking forwarding to teaching Social Media for Public Rela-tions and Principles of Public Relations.

Dr. Teresa Bergman had a very busy spring giving lectures about her book, “Exhibiting Patriotism: Creating and Contesting Interpretations at American Historic Sites.” She gave six guest lectures, which were at CSU, San Bernardino; Regis University in Denver, CO; Modesto Johansen High School, CSU, Stanislaus; Public Historians National Conference in Mon-terey, CA; and at Pacific as part of National Women’s History month. Dr. Bergman’s book also won the 2013 Jane Jacobs Urban Communication Award from the Urban Communication Association. This summer, Dr. Bergman plans to continue research for her new book on U.S. commemo-ration of women. In the fall, she will begin in her new role as Graduate Director for the Communication Department.

T w o Pa c i f i c G r a d u at e S t u d e n t s W i n P R S c h o l a rs h i p Awa r d S (continued from page 1)

Initiative and the Asia-Pacific Eco-nomic Cooperation Summit, and has had internships with two in-ternational PR firms in Shanghai. Laura and Connie graduated with their master’s degree in Commu-nication with a concentration in Media and Public Relations this past May.

Previous winners from Pacific in-clude Jennifer Chan (MA, 2013) and Lily Penfold (MA, 2013). Jennifer is currently working as a social media business analyst at Symantec in Mountain View and Lily works at Duarte Nursery as a marketing manager.

R e f l e c t i o n s O N A M AS T E R'S D E G R E E(continued from page 4)

I’ve also gotten well acquainted with post-modern and critical studies in areas such as feminist theory, structures of power, and the meanings present in cultural images. I am now working on my thesis, a rhetorical criticism that explores how metaphors serve ideological functions in economic policy discourse. There’s no limit to what you can study in the Com-munication graduate program and this kind of creative control makes for a very inviting option to those willing to further push themselves after graduation.

O u t s ta n d i n g C o m m u n i cat i o n S t u d e n t s o f 2 01 4

University of the PacificDepartment of Communication3601 Pacific AvenueStockton, CA 95211

(From L to R): Chad Reed; Kevin Oliveira; Mustafa Babek; Connie Xu (graduate student); Julema Perez; Nathaly Martinez; Cortney Ceccato; Chelsea King; and Allison Jones. Not pictured: Brian De Rhen (graduate student) and Megan Birch.

COMMent is a newsletter for students, faculty, alumni, and friends of the Communication Department at the University of the Pacific. The newsletter is published bi-annually in the fall and spring semesters.

University of the Pacific's Department of Communication Biannual Newsletter

Editor Dr. Heather J. Hether Designer Ashley Richards