Letter From the Chair

Greetings alumni! This is our second edition of Compendium, the CSUDH Communications Department's alumni magazine. It is our ongoing commitment to connect with you, to keep you informed about student and alumni successes, new programs and faculty accomplishments, and to celebrate your achievements and activities post-graduation.

First, let me share some exciting news about our curriculum. The Chancellor's Office has approved our new degree programs and we are ready to share them with the campus and alumni communities. We will now have three distinct degree programs: Advertising/Public Relations; Film, Television and Media; and Journalism. We welcomed a record 225 new students this summer, and with the help of our academic advisor will move them into their new degree programs. To learn more visit our website this fall at www.csudh.edu/communications.

This fall we welcome a new faculty member, Dr. Ana de la Serna (journalism and public relations), who recently completed her doctoral studies at the University of Kentucky. Dr. de la Serna is a former photographer and community relations professional with the Mexican government, serving two presidents.

Our student clubs continue to hold stellar programs, including the Story Slam and World Press Freedom Day, in which the Society of Independent Student Journalists hosted Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Ruben Vives of the Los Angeles Times and Megan Garvey of National Public Radio, and Melissa Etehad, a Middle East conflict reporter.

An exciting new product produced 100% by Communications students is Bulletin TV, our broadcast news channel that covers stories from around campus and the surrounding community. Spearheaded by alumna Kalie Calder, Bulletin TV began as an extra-curricular activity shot mainly out of a small classroom. This fall the crew will have their own space in LCH. Check it out on YouTube.

This past May we held our 31st annual Communications Department Student Awards Banquet at the Reef Restaurant in Long Beach. We awarded almost $10,000 in scholarships, and honored outstanding students in several categories. Media Studies alumna Erin Hardimon, who works at Paramount Pictures, delivered an inspiring keynote address.

On a personal note, I was honored to receive the 2018 Presidential Outstanding Professor Award this past April. My research continues to gain media attention, with appearances on "America Inside Out with Katie Couric," Good Morning America and the BBC program Panorama. I am also featured in a Buzzfeed production that will be shown on Netflix starting in September.

Finally, we would love to hear about your successes and accomplishments. In a few weeks you will receive an email from me with a link to our alumni survey. Please be sure to complete the survey so we can learn more about you after graduation. Also, you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and we have a new website coming out very soon. If you have something to share or would like to be featured in our next edition, please contact Dr. Brant Burkey at bburkey@csudh.edu. I hope to see you at a future banquet, and you can always call or stop by our office. We look forward to hearing from you and reconnecting.

Dr. Nancy A. Cheever

Chair, Communications Department