Butler CCOM Alumni

Butler University CCOM Alumni

“Dawgs Helping Dawgs” – Chicago Style

“Dawgs Helping Dawgs” – Chicago Style

There is no substitute for experience. Julius Caesar claimed it is the teacher of all things. And as a teacher for my entire professional life, I can tell you how accurate that statement is. A recent example is the Oct. 11-13 Butler Career Trek in Chicago during fall break. 

Or maybe I should instead refer to the trek as fall break-through based on the myriad opportunities Butler students had to visit a variety of companies and learn from top-notch professionals while building their networks in a structured experiential setting. 

Accompanying 13 students, representing numerous Butler colleges, for a snapshot of what life after graduation in the Windy City could be like was exciting, especially as we entered each new building—immersed in impactful brands. Two powerful stops during the trek were relative but distinct global strategic communications firms in the heart of downtown. 

Edelman is a global communications firm that partners with businesses to evolve, promote, and protect their brands, while Publicis is a global creative network, driving strategy, messaging, and the ads and digital experiences we all see every day.

I was particularly impressed with Butler alumni Catrina Cranfill ’15 and Rachel Berner ’20 who both work at Edelman. They crafted an engaging and informative presentation regarding what they do at Edelman and  the importance of internships, preparing resumes, networking, and refining interview skills. Rule #1: Know your audience—It was the perfect message to students gearing up to launch their careers. These are foundational elements you find in classrooms across Butler, but this experiential extravaganza hosted by former Butler students was filled with helpful hints, interesting anecdotes, and compelling stories that reinforce classroom learning but hit differently in this “real-world” environment shared by members of the Bulldogs community. 

And there may be no better example of a Windy City warm-welcome than a visit with Corey McPherrin ’77, longtime Chicago news anchor.  Corey may have stepped away from the news desk a few months ago, but he was right at home guiding our students through his natural habitat, the Fox32 newsroom. His access to former colleagues, who were preparing stories and packages for air, showed the power of relationships and an eagerness to pay it forward. These busy professionals spoke with students about their careers, and even managed to interview an anchor who was delivering the noon show at the same time (don’t worry, all Corey’s questions occurred during commercial breaks!).

The Chicago Career Trek program is in its third year at Butler and costs students just $50 each. I may not be in the Lacy School of Business at Butler but I see that the return on that investment is incredible for the future leaders and the stewardship of the entire university.  I look forward to experiencing the program’s trips to Detroit (this was the sixth time for the Motor City) and New York City in the future.

The offices and studio were great but there’s also value in socializing with friends, and friends of friends. On Wednesday night we gathered at Chicago’s Gaslight Bar and Grill where the students had a chance to meet and talk with some of the numerous alumni from throughout the city. Personally, I cherished the opportunity to talk with Stacy Hodge ‘00, David Fryrear MS ’03, Jacqueline Wishau ’10, Jessie Surridge ’21, and her mother, Mary Surridge, just to name a few.  They shared their memories of Butler and their excitement for this week’s Homecoming, but mostly peppered the current students with questions about the campus and how they could help prepare them for their futures. The idea of “Dawgs helping Dawgs” is something special, and it truly warms my heart to see it at work when our current students meet our alumni. 

Experiences, and alumni, like those found on Butler’s Chicago Trek, are a huge reason why our university is such a special place. I could not think of a better way to spend fall break than with these curious, driven students. Exploring their options for the future and networking with alumni just a few hours northwest—I know they all feel like it was worth the price of admission!

Butler CCOM: Where Great Stories…Live

Butler CCOM: Where Great Stories…Live

From left, Lawrence Taylor, IJHF executive director; Stephanie Salter, IJHF board president; Joe Valenzano, Butler University College of Communications dean; and Steve Key, IJHF board member, announced the partnership between IJHF and Butler University Sept. 12.

I raced against my father and four brothers to claim the sports section of the The Bergen Record every morning while growing up. Lifting it in the air, on successful days, like I had just captured the opposing team’s flag on the playground. The runner-up would happily settle for the feature stories, recaps, and scores from the New York Daily News, as the rest waited for the remaining second-hand scraps of knowledge. 

Whether it was those journalistic institutions, or as I grew older, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, one thing remained consistent. A connection between me and the men and women crafting the words and collecting the quotes and facts as they documented and explained day-to-day history. These storytellers became my earliest heroes and made a moment from earlier this summer that much more impactful. The College of Communication at Butler University was presented the opportunity to partner with the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame (IJHF), and I couldn’t be more honored for CCOM.

This hot scoop came from Steve Key ’77, the retired Executive Director of the Hoosier Press Association and a member of the CCOM Dean’s Advisory Board. He shared that the IJHF was looking for a new home and asked if Butler and CCOM would have interest in hosting their mission-driven operation to honor women and men whose lives and careers make them standouts among Hoosier journalists. I didn’t skip a beat in saying “we sure would!” and our meetings commenced.  

IJHF leaders Stephanie Salter, president, and Larry Taylor, executive director, met me on campus two weeks later at Chatham Tap. We discussed Butler’s history of producing quality journalists, and CCOM’s mission to educate the next era of journalists for more than an hour. As a recently transplanted Indiana resident I wasn’t previously aware of the long and storied history of journalists from the Hoosier state. The IJHF celebrates more than 250 inducted members and maintains an archive of their work. As Stephanie and Larry shared more details and anecdotes it was apparent that Butler, CCOM and the IJHF were a tremendous fit. 

Eventually we did the final dance of “i” dotting and “t” crossing, reaching a late-summer agreement signing. CCOM is excited to welcome the IJHF to their new home in Fairbanks at Butler. It is a powerful step having the archives of the Hall available to faculty and students but there are more inherent benefits. 

Their annual IJHF induction ceremony will have connections to student work, which may also include video interviews and productions for the members. We will also partner internally with students, faculty, and staff to develop more meaningful ways to help celebrate, study and promote the work of Indiana’s finest journalists and media innovators—those already inducted and the active media members who make up incoming classes. To me, this is one of the best aspects of the IJHF. Of course they celebrate journalists from the past, but the process of inducting active, working journalists into their annals brings a special energy while recognizing the leaders of this critical profession.  

From left are new Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame 2023 inductees Steve Inskeep, Dorothy Leavell, Jim Shella, Linda Graham Caleca and Mike Lopresti. Not pictured is the sixth inductee, the late Ida Husted Harper. (Photo by IJHF board member Gena Asher)

As the IJHF settles into its new address in Fairbanks, we will continue to explore ways to connect our students with its members and its resources, further cementing the strength of the Pulliam School of Journalism and Creative Media and what it offers to the journalists of tomorrow.

Our CCOM student-focused tagline is “great stories begin here.” Now we can also say great storytellers are recognized and their work lives here, thanks to this partnership with the IJHF. And it’s downstairs from my office so I don’t need to race family members down there to get the information that I’m eager to read.

For more information on IJHF moving to Butler please visit Butler Stories and the official website of the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. 

Doghouse Treasures

Doghouse Treasures

Relocating is a way of life in some professions. My higher ed path has taken me from New Jersey to Chicago; Providence, R.I.; Orono, Maine; Atlanta; Las Vegas; Dayton, Ohio; and now Indianapolis. The process of moving can be stressful but there is an element of excitement and adventure for us lifelong learners. When packing and unpacking boxes there are time-capsule moments of nostalgia as certain board games, comic books, pictures, and personal keepsakes sweep us back to different points in time. I like to think this is the case with most people, and that finding these seemingly lost memories fills their hearts with joy as they reminisce.

Butler’s College of Communication (CCOM)—well before being named the College of Communication—was quilted together with a fabric of groundbreaking ideas, experiences, and individuals who have nurtured our college evolution.

I’ve learned that CCOM, as a young college of only 13-years-old, has a rich history from when its departments resided in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Lacy School of Business, and the Jordan College of the Arts. Sifting through these stories has underscored why I made the correct decision to become a Bulldog.

Multiple university leaders and proud alums have shared stories with me of the tremendous impact of three former faculty members: Jim Phillippe, Art Levin and Ann Harper.  Each, whether through their advising, encouragement or even tough love, left an indelible mark on students and, in many cases, changed the course of student lives for the better.  As amazing as these institutions of Butler’s history are—it is the details and story extensions I discovered later that feel most like the lost treasures found during a move.

Two months ago, I received a package in the mail from Norm Wilkens ‘57 (headshot in image below). He had worked at the university’s former radio station, WAJC. Norm sent me a box filled with photocopies of news clippings and stories from his time working at the former campus radio station.  

He also included a self-published book, appropriately titled Treasures, that told various stories from his life, including a detailed accounting of his time at Butler and WAJC.  Norm told the stories of Robert L. Montgomery, the faculty member who, in the middle of the 1950’s, worked to keep the station on air; John Krom, the station’s chief engineer who worked with local businesses to find a way to fix an issue that would have taken WAJC off air; and, of the board they used at the station which reportedly came from a World War II destroyer.

Norm and I were scheduled to meet in person a few weeks ago when he visited Indianapolis for a Butler Alumni Association meeting. He was unable to attend but made it a point to keep the get-together going through trusted friends and family. His daughter and Barry Hohlfelder ’66, a friend of Norm’s and fellow WAJC alum, met with me. It was unfortunate not to spend time with Norm but it’s safe to say that some of the initial treasures I’ve found during this move are Barry, Norm and his daughter, and the memories shared of WAJC and Butler.

I look forward to finding more opportunities to honor the past while supporting the present and planning for the future, and creatively showcasing the treasures that have paved the way for Butler CCOM.

Bulldogs: Barking From Atlanta to LA

Bulldogs: Barking From Atlanta to LA

Butler University is home. I felt it even before accepting my role as the Dean of the College of Communication (CCOM) seven months ago. The campus is beautiful, and Indianapolis is the perfect backdrop for educational experiences and entertainment. But it is the authentic consistency of the hard-working people that makes this university, and specifically our college, so special.

It is energizing to work with our innovators, educators, researchers, advocates, analysts, citizens, and creators—all making impactful, positive contributions to the communities in which they reside. But even as I consider Indianapolis home base now, I have come to learn that the Bulldogs of Butler roam and succeed across the country.

After a brief trip to Los Angeles, it’s easy for me to recognize alumni star power, starting with former Trustee, Rick Cummings ’73. As president of radio programming since 2009, he is still impacting the global media landscape after more than 40 years at Emmis Communications. But he is far from the only CCOM leader making a mark in the City of Angels that I was fortunate to spend time with.

I met with Patricia Mays ’93 (Image above), now the Executive Editor of The Hollywood Reporter, whose dedication to her alma mater is evident in her work on the CCOM Dean’s Advisory Board.  I had dinner with fellow DAB member, Sharon Everitt ’98, an accomplished director who wants nothing more than to provide a unique experiential opportunity to CCOM students interested in film.  I felt the passion of Brendon Holl ’15, Meredith Burns ’15, and Amy Ulrich ’98 who followed their hearts into the entertainment industry with the confidence only a CCOM Butler degree can provide.  And I watched each of them take five current undergraduate CCOM students under their wing.

Ava Turner ’24, Logan Leve ’25, Elizabeth Dixon ’25, Maddy Campbell ’26, and Katerina Anderson ’25 are spending this summer in LA and putting their foundational education into practice—taking classes and working on an internship in the Entertainment Capital of the world.  They spend nine invaluable weeks working and learning at Preach Records, Bang Zoom Studios, Studio City Sound, East West Studios, and Maison Privee PR.  And thanks to the generosity of Grammy Museum president, Michael Sticka, they also experienced the Shakira exhibit at the Grammy Museum!  It’s a trip they will remember long after they collect their degree in Clowes Memorial Hall.

Immersive trips like this also require planning and passion above the norm. The dedication of Cutler Armstrong ’99, MS ’03, CCOM Senior Lecturer in Music Industry Studies, needs to be recognized—even if we know he does it for the good of others.  Cutler works hard to make this summer experience both educational and special for each of the students.  He is a testament to the quality of faculty I have only just come to recognize at Butler.  As I flew back from The Golden State, I felt that thanks to Butler, “Indy Rocked it in LA.” And I intend to make it possible for more students to participate in special experiences like those this summer surrounded by the Hollywood Hills.