Butler CCOM CME – CCOM Dean's Pawprints

Happy Holidays (You’re Never “Home Alone” in CCOM)!

December 21, 2024 butlerccom

The email showed up in my inbox in mid-November, innocuously beginning with, “We have an idea for a Christmas season video…..”

The quick follow-up in early December included a unique request: “If you have a black sock hat and an overcoat of sorts to bring on Friday that would be great. Let me know if you don’t have either of those and we will track them down for you to wear.”

Little did I know how creative the CCOM content interns Ross Hollebon brought together are or how on the nose they would be with the role in which they cast me.

Nevertheless, always eager for a fun student-led project—especially focused on the holidays—I did as instructed and showed up with a long black coat, scarf, and black hat. As it happens, David Simon ‘25, Blake Richmond ‘26, and Kyira Duchemin ‘25 took their cue from an idea that had been percolating in Ross’ twisted mind since his initial interview with me almost two years ago. They accepted the assignment and sketched out an adaptation of a character from Home Alone, played by Joe Pesci, appearing during a student dream sequence in the middle of a final exam. My part in the project took approximately twenty minutes to film, and the end product was so worth it!

It was so much fun to get to work with these three creative students not just on this project, but for the whole semester. Each of them brought energy, inventiveness, and a true desire to amplify both Butler and CCOM, and they learned a lot from their mentor, Ross, too.

I first got to meet David Simon ‘25, a senior Creative Media and Entertainment major in CCOM, during Prof. Cutler Armstrong’s inaugural Butler in LA program in May. We talked about the interns Ross would be hiring, while I also learned about his personal passion project on social media involving Rubik’s Cubes. David’s penchant for creative videos was on display during Homecoming in October when we produced a Bulldog Head logo out of 400 Rubik’s Cubes activation at our CCOM tent. Alumni, current students, and kids of all ages engaged with the fun that is part of our DNA.

Fun content is better when it has a business purpose and not only entertains current Bulldogs and alumni but introduces Butler and CCOM to a wider national audience. This CCOM video has earned 7.2k views on YouTube and an astounding 136k views on Instagram! On Instagram it has also garnered 5.5k “Likes,” has reached 110,517 unique accounts and total view time is 28 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes, and 18 seconds as of the morning of Dec. 21, 2024. Much of that had to do with David’s status as an international influencer with his account Captain Cuber (follow him!).

Kyira Duchemin ‘25, a senior double majoring in Music Industry Studies and Creative Media and Entertainment, has been a member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board in CCOM since my arrival. In his/their role this fall I got to know him better. Kyira was always around, taking pictures of student and faculty events, storyboarding cool ideas, and learning from Ross and others—while also teaching Blake the technical side of camera equipment. Perhaps the coolest thing he helped with was covering our first Intensive Industry Experience trip to Nashville with 16 other students, again led by Prof. Armstrong. Kyira’s presence and keen eye for photos and stories helped us capture how great that trip truly was!

*Kyira and CCOM Dean Joe Valenzano at a “Dogs With the Dean” event in September 2024.*

Then there is Blake Richmond, a Marketing major with a Strategic Communication minor, who will be back with us in the Spring after Fall was jam packed with impact. Blake’s first class of his college career was an 8 a.m. Promotional Writing I course, taught by Ross in 2022, and he stood out immediately. Then Blake impressed me with his very first CCOM project, a competitive analysis of colleges of communication at several other universities that helped us identify some areas of distinctiveness and opportunity for CCOM. Always thriving to learn and add to his skillset, Blake has become a go-to-producer for our recent Pawcast episodes, shadowing Ross and even producing his first solo Pawcast in November.

From left: Pawcast guest Grant Leiendecker ‘11, Vice President/Director of Butler Athletics, host CCOM Dean Joe Valenzano, Blake Richmond ’26, and guests, Dr. Bryan Foltice, associate professor of finance, and Randy Brown, a career mentor with LSB, after recording their episodes in Fairbanks Studio 50.

This holiday season, as we prepare for some rest and valuable time with those we love and cherish, I would be remiss if I didn’t say how grateful and glad I am for the time I got to spend with these three interns. Every day they remind me of why we are fortunate to do what we do, and how special Butler students are. I just need to read their request emails more carefully moving forward. 😊

As I close out 2024, I’d like to share two more things. The first is our heartfelt wish for a happy holiday season and healthy and prosperous new year to our CCOM and Butler friends, family, and community across the globe. The second, and this is to David, Kyira and Blake, the casting of me as Harry Lyme is spot on because……Pesci was my high school nickname (he says as his gold tooth glistens 😊).

Happy Holidays!

Dean Valenzano’s 2024 CCOM Top 10

May 16, 2024 butlerccom

From popular music to the top sports plays of any given day or season, Top 10 lists are synonymous with excellence. I witnessed accolades worthy of applause during my first full school year at Butler University as Dean of the College of Communication. There was a whirlwind of excitement, accomplishment, partnership, growing pains, and most importantly learning experiences and enhanced relationships for students, faculty, alumni, staff, and the entire Butler community.

These 10 highlights from the 2023-2024 school year are not in any order of significance but are impactful in my eyes. I’d love to hear about your favorite memories and experiences that didn’t make my list (I know there will be some that I curse myself about not including) but here we go. So imagine your favorite voice actor, as you see the transition frame with a huge one and zero on it. I’ve got the voice of Amy Dichter ‘98 in my head starting us off with an energetic and powerful, “NUMBER 10!” vocalization.

#10 – COMMENCEMENT CELEBRATION WEEKEND

Graduation is the most significant moment of any college student’s career. On Saturday, May 11, 2024, we celebrated 138 CCOM graduates from our undergraduate programs. They were accompanied by another dozen or so students from our Strategic Communication graduate program. In CCOM we like to have fun so we expanded a memorable event into a full Commencement Celebration Weekend. Thursday night kicked-off with the inaugural CCOM Senior Dinner, where about 80% of our seniors, approximately 60 parents, 25 faculty and staff, and six alumni from our Dean’s Advisory Board came to celebrate this year’s graduating class. Experiencing families getting to meet the faculty who shepherded their loved ones to the precipice of graduation was special for everyone and a reminder of why we work so hard for student success! On Friday, our very own Scott Bridge gave a moving and inspirational speech as this year’s University Commencement Faculty Speaker. Finally, on Saturday, students received their well-earned diplomas in Clowes Hall after hearing reflections and advice from senior Micah Horne ‘24, and Professor Amanda Stevenson-Holmes. This was a graduation weekend I will never forget!

#9 – AWARD WINNING STUDENT GROUPS

The Intercollegiate Speech and Debate Team earned 153 different awards throughout the ‘23-’24 season. These awards include a first place overall debate ranking at State, senior Abby Kom’s All-American award, and our overall 8^th ranking in the nation in combined speech and debate at Pi Kappa Delta. The Collegian student-run newspaper brought home 32 awards from the Indiana Collegiate Journalism Association, while also taking home more hardware in the form of Mark of Excellence awards from the Society of Professional Journalism.

#8 – RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, AND A TED TALK

The trophies and medals do not even begin to capture all the cool things our students accomplished this past year. Six students (Eva Hallman, Arie Lihktman, Lauren Browning, Sarah Mahnesmith, Elaine Stribley & Abigail Dame) attended four different major academic conferences this year to both learn about and deliver research. Abby Kom, previously mentioned and now on her way to the graduate program at the University of Tennessee, also delivered a TED Talk entitled “So You’ve Been Called Aggressive.” These students continue to amaze me with their drive to make meaningful contributions to a wide array of fields.

#7 – ELITE ALUMNI

Our current students are not alone in the recognition department. This past Homecoming we celebrated two CCOM alumni who have made significant contributions to their professions, our communities, and Butler. Jacqueline Eckhardt ‘13 was presented the Joseph Irwin Sweeney Alumni Service Award, while John Doyle ‘74 exhibited grace and humility in accepting the Butler Medal, the university’s highest honor. I can’t wait to see this year’s graduates take home these awards in the future.

#6 – THE FAIRWAYS AT FAIRBANKS

It was a moment of pride and joy when CCOM again led the academic pack on the Day of Giving this past February. We didn’t just receive the most gifts among the colleges, nor simply raise the most money among that group. As we strive to do, we led the way in fun too. We turned our classroom building into a miniature golf course with eight unique putt-putt holes created by faculty and student organizations within the college. The bar has been raised for next year.

#5 – BELL RINGS TRUE

The Butler Early Language Literacy program (BELL), spearheaded by Associate Dean Dr. Suzanne Reading and the faculty and students of the Speech Language and Hearing Sciences department received a huge boost this year. Their program received a major leading gift to establish an endowment, ensuring this vitally important, community-facing, clinical opportunity for our students will be a part of CCOM and Butler forever. Additionally, the SLHS students continued their trend of attaining 50-60% more graduate placements for seniors than the national average.

#4 – FAIRBANKS “FOMO”

Fairbanks Center, the home of CCOM, proved that even though we are on the edge of campus, we are a huge part of its heartbeat. From our first “Dogs with the Dean” event to the aforementioned Fairways at Fairbanks, we produced successful events all year. We’ll only grow from this year’s inaugural Chili Cook-Off (who puts peanut butter in Chili, anyway?!), a March Madness viewing party, and even an appearance by the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Dean himself during our Halloween office decorating party. The word is out, and people have a fear of missing out on the fun that is Fairbanks.

#3 – WAJC RADIO REUNION

WAJC Radio was THE experiential learning lab for students in communication for a long time at Butler. The university sold the station in 1993 and unfortunately the station and the students who staffed it seemed to float away like lost radio waves. This year, however, we invited these trailblazers of experiential learning back for a very special reunion in April. I like to think it proved their legacy is a critical piece of CCOM and that the spirit of WAJC lives on today in the DNA of the college. Sharing time with these alumni, from seven different decades, who returned to campus from as far away as California, Texas, and Minnesota to celebrate and reminisce was special. We’ll work on more ways to keep the band back together.

#2 – DOWNTOWN BIKE TOUR (AKA: GOLF CART OFF-ROADING)

No year is complete without something that makes you laugh every time you think about it. For me, it was in Professor Bob Schultz’s Fall Hospitality and Tourism Promotion class. He regularly hosts a bike tour of downtown Indy but had two students who could not bike due to injury. So I stepped up to drive them around the route on a golf cart. What could go wrong? Well, near Centennial Park there were metal pylons that the bikes could get through, but the golf cart? Not so much. It got stuck, and everyone had to push the golf cart back out—a memory that will always make me smile.

#1 – BUTLER ALL STARS WITH THE NBA

CCOM is nimble and hungry to provide unique opportunities for our students. This was epitomized by the same Bob Schultz who got me stuck in the golf cart. 😉 Bob spearheaded an effort to offer 100 students a one-credit experience where they served as hospitality ambassadors for the city of Indianapolis while hosting the 2024 NBA All-Star Game. The weekend was frigid, but these students gave a warm embrace to visitors and finished with stories that will last them a lifetime. This is just the tip of the iceberg for what is possible for students in CCOM going forward.

As I reflect on the year and these wonderful accomplishments, I am so humbled by the hard work, dedication, and care our students, faculty and staff bring every day. CCOM continues to build momentum, and I am eager to see where things go next academic year. But for now, we all can take a short breather. Have a great summer! 😊

A Taylor, a Rose, and a Bridge

April 30, 2024 butlerccom

Stories feed our imagination. A compelling narrative, masterful worldbuilding, and a well-written hero (or villain) stick with readers and viewers—for a lifetime in some instances. I have been fortunate enough to live the culminating on-campus chapters of three award-winning protagonists during the past year and a half as part of CCOM. My time here allows only short story versions of what this impactful trio has developed, nurtured, and shared through their nearly 100 years of combined service to Butler University.

This is a true story about a Taylor, a Rose and a Bridge. They have earned their beautiful and inspiring academic sunsets after so many selfless seconds, minutes, hours, days, and years of preparing Bulldogs to have their own bright, fulfilling futures.

Once upon a time, somewhere in the vicinity of 4600 Sunset Avenue…

*Prof. Christine Taylor spending time with friends and peers at the CCOM Retirement Celebration.*

The Taylor: Tailors mend broken clothes, impact design and fashion, and help make their clients look well put together. Our Taylor, Christine, has also done some mending, lots of designing, and has helped her students achieve their best for three decades in CCOM. Christine has been a faculty member at Butler through ebbs and flows and evolution in her immediate work environment and the discipline in which she resides. She seamlessly assimilated from the Department of Radio and Television in the Jordan College of the Arts, to the Pulliam School of Journalism and Creative Media in the College of Communication. Christine has helped build community, develop curricula, and educate students who desired the feel of a camera in their hands. She has evolved with the times, learning new technology and practices in the broadcasting industry from her days at CNN to her long tenure with Butler. Christine has been a voice of calm, a source of wisdom, and a faculty member her former students never forget—and we hear about that often.

*Dr. Rose Campbell, with her husband Ken, during the CCOM Retirement Celebration.*

The Rose: A single rose can, at times, be more powerful and meaningful than dozens of flowers from a florist. We know it first-hand in CCOM because we only needed our Rose—Rose Campbell. She is actively celebrated by others who have taught me how invaluable her presence and actions have been while building the foundation of our college.

I learned about Rose’s authentically forged connections with students from Trey Meehan ‘14. He told me that her investment was grounded in care, but also high expectations. Her colleagues in the Department of Strategic Communication reflect constantly on her dedication to CCOM and to Butler University. Provost Brooke Barnett echoed this by leaning on Rose as a special assistant the past two years during a grueling accreditation process. That is just one example of her “for the greater good” service throughout an award-winning career. Rose has served as chair for seven years, special assistant for two years, and a mentor to colleagues and students for her entire 25+ year career. She has always emphasized students, and that is an approach I embrace and appreciate. Rose also initiated the CCOM Experiential Learning Fund which has helped numerous students pursue education and resume-building opportunities they otherwise would be unable to take advantage of. Experiencing higher education with Dr. Rose Campbell, as a student, mentor, or peer might be best summarized in the final line of the poem “What A Rose Can Say,” by Margie Driver: “No matter what there is to say, a rose can say it best.” Butler and CCOM know this to be true.

*Prof. Scott Bridge in a moment of reflection, as his wife Maryann proudly watches him at the CCOM Retirement Celebration.*

The Bridge: The bridge is a way to connect people and places, and Scott Bridge has epitomized this during his time as a leader at Butler. He has done transformative work with CCOM’s thriving internship program. I can’t imagine anyone being surprised that during the pandemic he hosted a weekly Zoom meeting with a first-year journalism student to make them feel connected to the campus from 900 miles away. “Mr. CCOM” has done it all—from tours of campus for prospective students to hours spent advising students from all parts of the university during his career. Scott is a two-time graduate of Butler and a longstanding faculty member. His shoes aren’t likely to be filled by any single person.

At the CCOM’s retirement reception for our spectacular trio one alum told me he was explaining to colleagues that he needed to leave early because his college professor was retiring. One colleague commented, “I don’t even remember who my college professors were.” The Bulldog alum responded, “If you went to Butler, you know Scott Bridge.” We all have our Scott Bridge stories, and true to his last name, he connects students to Butler and CCOM.

The vignettes about Christine, Rose, and Scott are endless. They include dozens of mentored colleagues, and thousands of lives changed for the better. Their compelling stories navigate years of hard work and dedication as three heroes in our college—a Taylor, a Rose and a Bridge—take their final, celebratory Butler CCOM bows.

They represent the best of the best in Bulldogs Nation, and I count myself lucky to have worked with them even for such a short time. May their next career be filled with joy, adventure, and fulfillment equal to that which they have given here at Butler.

A Wealth of Experience

September 12, 2023 butlerccom

Writer William Arthur Ward once observed, “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”

I have experienced inspirational guides at every level of my learning. Mr. Frank DeVito, whose encouragement and care in high school showed me education was more than just books and lectures. My undergraduate and graduate school professors included Dr. Sandra Berkowitz, Dr. Lyombe Eko, Dr. George Raymond, Dr. Michael Speigler, and Dr. Joe Cammarano. They taught different disciplines, but each inspired and mentored me in ways I’m still realizing. These higher ed heroes taught me information—but the most important lessons they shared with me were the experiences that helped shape their lives as critical thinkers and contributors to our overall society.

Every educational institution I have attended or worked at has those special individuals. I’m certain most of you have also connected with incredible professors and administrators who remain guides for life as much as they are teachers. In my time at Butler University, I’ve recognized there are so many individuals who fit these criteria across a variety of fields and colleges on our campus. Call me biased, but I think our current team of instructors in CCOM, from various levels of education, professional accomplishment, and life experience, are as good as you’ll find anywhere. And it only gets better as I get to introduce (alphabetically) the four newest full-time faculty members, who join the Class of 2027 in embarking on a new adventure in the Fairbanks Center of Communications.

Mr. Ryan Gautreaux (Communication and Critical Media): Ryan will teach a variety of courses, including Media Literacy, and Sports and Culture. It’s important to note that while Ryan is teaching here at Butler, he also is working to finish his doctoral dissertation at Georgia State University. Ryan loves teaching and knows without it he would have trouble finishing his dissertation. He is excited to be here at Butler to work with our tremendous students and setting a great example as he finishes his own program via a long distance approach.

Mr. Matthew Herbertz (Eugene S. Pulliam School of Journalism and Creative Media): Matthew is a filmmaker originally from Indianapolis but spent several years teaching in Florida before coming to Butler. In addition to teaching in the Creative Media and Entertainment major, Matt also will be the new advisor for Indy Blue Video*, and he has started enacting new ideas for that student organization (the * is there because Matt and his students will spearhead a new name and brand for the organization this semester). He is passionate about teaching, but also about showing students how to operate in a creative environment.

Mr. Bob Schultz (Strategic Communication): Bob joins the Department of Strategic Communication after a long and illustrious career at Downtown Indy, Inc., and serving as a tremendous adjunct and resource for Butler students for almost thirty years. I learned very quickly that there is no one in Indianapolis who either does not know and love Bob, or whom Bob does not know. Given he is not new to campus, he hasn’t missed a beat with his classes, bringing in guest speakers galore, mentoring students 1:1, and even arranging for one class to do a bike tour of, wait for it…….Downtown Indy! I joined them (in a golf cart) and it was quite the experience.

Ms. Mandy Thurston (Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences): Mandy is as professional, energetic and passionate as they come. She has taught part-time for Butler in the past so she knows and loves our CCOM Bulldogs. Mandy is a speech pathologist by trade, a teacher by heart, and a fun and enjoyable person (and sports fan) all the time. I am excited about the expertise she brings, but more so her experiences which will teach our SLHS students even more.

Butler faculty have always been engaged teachers, who remember their students and whose students remember them long after graduation. I see evidence no matter where I am on campus and with every alum I meet. I know that Matt, Mandy, Ryan, and Bob will add to that community and reputation because they fit the mold of Butler and our CCOM teachers—selfless stewards of our future generational leaders.

We have welcomed great new teachers to join our current amazing faculty and we know they’ll all inspire our students.