T-D editor, student reporting featured on Iowa Public Radio
Times-Delphic editor-in-chief Tim Webber and Rachel Paine Caufield, associate professor of politics and associate director of citizen engagement at the Harkin Center, were featured on a recent edition of the Iowa Public Radio talk show River to River. Webber and Caufield discussed the issues important to millennial voters and how they might shape U.S. politics. Also featured were interviews of Drake students conducted by SJMC associate professor Jill Van Wyke’s audio and public affairs reporting class (JMC 73/103).
JMC 73/103 students produce first podcast
Students in the Van Wyke’s reporting class also produced the class’ first-ever podcast. “Des Moines: A Day in the Life” features the stories of some of the people in the Drake neighborhood and beyond that students run into every day.
End-of-the-semester presentations
It was a busy week last week for classes doing presentations for the semester’s clients:
Students in SJMC’s Master’s of Communication Leadership (MCL) program presented research findings to city leaders of Perry, Iowa, on Thursday. MCL students in Professor Matt Thornton’s Applied Communication Theory and Research class have been conducting research on the City of Perry as part of a larger collaborative project between Drake University’s Office of Community Engagement and Service Learning, the City of Perry and the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Research conducted by the MCL class focused on aspects of communication and individual perceptions held by Perry residents and potential visitors to the community.
“The students’ presentation was thoughtful and professional,” said Perry City Administrator Sven Peterson. “They reaffirmed several perceptions we had as a community and opened our eyes to many things we were unaware of. We have already started discussions of how we can incorporate initial recommendations from the report in our City communications.”
The research results will help students create a promotional campaign for the City in their upcoming campaigns class.
Students in Professor Thornton’s Public Relations Research class presented results to city officials of Manning, Iowa, on Thursday. Students in the senior capstone class have been conducting research on the city as part of the community engagement collaborative project. Student visited the rural community earlier in the semester to learn more about the city, its culture and its unique attractions. The findings presented to Manning city leaders will be used to develop campaigns to help promote the community next semester.
In addition, PR writing students presented work they had done for the Spina Bifida Association of Iowa, and advertising students presented qualitative research they conducted related to the spring advertising capstone client, DuPont Pioneer.
Semester grades due at 10 a.m. on Dec. 23
Check online for your fall semester grades after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 23. Drake offices will be closed from noon on Dec. 23 until Jan. 4, if you have any questions about your grades or academic status.