Butler CCOM JR

Butler CCOM Journalism (Major/minor)

CCOM Student Post: Paris is great, but you have to get through Indy first

CCOM Student Post: Paris is great, but you have to get through Indy first

With CCOM Dean, Joe Valenzano, enjoying a well-earned European family vacation we are thrilled to have rising senior Sarah Hohman ‘25 contribute the first student guest post to CCOM Pawprints.

Oui oui! The U.S Olympic Swimming Trials are taking place in Indianapolis this week and the city is embracing its hosting duties—complete with a smaller replica of the Eiffel Tower on Georgia Street. Butler students are playing a role as Professor Bob Shultz gathered a group of student volunteers to help the Indiana Sports Corp produce their latest ground-breaking event.

Sarah Hohman ’25 with 2-time Olympic swimmer Kaitlin Sandeno and three of her Olympic medals won during the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece in 2004.

In honor of the Trials in Indianapolis, I was proud to attend the Economic Club of Indiana’s luncheon with a talented panel discussing the impact of swimming on their lives. I even got to hold a gold medal won by Kaitlin Sandeno at the Athens Games! The panelists consisted of medal-winning Olympians Sandeno (2000; 2004), Cullen Jones (2008; 2012), and Brendan Hansen (2004; 2008; 2012). Nic Askew, the Director of Swimming and Diving and Tennis at Howard University, and a recipient in 2023 of the Indiana Sports Corp Pathfinder Award, rounded out the group, with OneAmerica Financial Vice President Karin Sarratt moderating the event.

The topics varied but the panel was centered around what it takes to be a champion and competitor. The main question of the day was, “Are you a champion or a rainmaker?” By definition, a champion is a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in a competition. A rainmaker is a person whose influence can initiate progress or ensure success. While the panelists debated which of the two they were, the athletes shared stories of success, but most importantly failure—and overcoming it.

The Economic Club of Indiana’s swimming-focused panel (from left), Karin Sarratt, Brendan Hansen, Kaitlin Sandeno, Nic Askew, and Cullen Jones.

This week, many athletes will be left humbled and defeated. A maximum of 52 swimmers can qualify for the U.S. national team, 26 men and 26 women. More than 1000 swimmers are trying to squeeze into these cherished spots. The opportunity only comes every four years, so I can’t imagine the pressure these athletes feel. It certainly has to be more than my eighth-grade volleyball tryouts. No matter how excited we are for these athletes to get to Paris, they have to get through Indianapolis first.

Jones said something during the panel session that stuck out to me. 

“I think we are in a society where we are afraid to start.” 

Failure is scary, we all know that, but I think never failing is scarier. Learning how to fail is learning to succeed. I relate to this in my journey in sports media and journalism so far. As a woman in sports it can be scary to try something new or be outgoing in a field dominated by men. I just know that never trying at all seems a lot more scary to me. These athletes know the pressure that they are under, but not folding is their biggest accomplishment, even when they may not qualify. It’s important to remember that these athletes are human when they are trying to qualify in Indianapolis this week. When you are watching swimmers compete in Lucas Oil Stadium, don’t just cheer on those in the lead, cheer on those who need the extra boost to finish.

Butler CCOM students while volunteering for Indy Sports Corp during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming in downtown Indianapolis.

Circling back to the Econ Club luncheon, most of the panel considered themselves rainmakers. At their level of personal success, I think it makes sense that they want to help the entire sport of swimming to progress. I think we should all strive to be rainmakers one day, helping to initiate progress in areas that need improvement. I certainly hope I can someday and maybe even earn my own version of a gold medal.

A special thank you to Butler’s Office of Strategic Engagement (OSE) for providing this opportunity.

A Taylor, a Rose, and a Bridge

A Taylor, a Rose, and a Bridge

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.

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.