When
asked
to
describe
their
program,
Lander
University's
mass
communications
faculty
will
all
respond
with
the
same
phrase:
"hands-on."
Paul Crutcher, lecturer of media and general manager of Lander's student radio station, XLR, remembers an instance where one of his earlier students dropped the microphone during an interview his very first week of class.
"He's now soaring in his career," said Crutcher.
That's just how learning works at Lander. While similar programs at other institutions require that students wait until their junior or senior year before participating in student media, Lander's students can begin receiving that hands-on experience as early as their fresh-man year. It's something that Crutcher, who founded XLR in 2009, and the rest of Lander's highly credentialed mass communications faculty take a lot of pride in.
In addition to radio experience, the program provides several other outstanding student media opportunities for mass communi-cations students, as well as students of other majors. Cory Carpenter, assistant professor of digital media, serves as the general manager of LUX Studios, which provides students with the technology and studio space to create content and collaborate with other students on larger projects. Meanwhile, Dr. Robert Stevenson, professor of journalism, serves as faculty advisor to The Forum, Lander's student- produced newspaper.
And each year, the department hosts the annual Lander Univer-sity Film Festival, which celebrated its 10th year in April. The festival includes a two-week short film competition, and requires film direc-tors to use a unique line of dialogue, written by Hollywood writers and directors. It's the only student film festival in the entire country that requires lines of dialogue provided by industry professionals.
"We
take
a
real-world
approach
to
education,"
said
Laura
Hester,
associate
professor
of
mass
communications
and
department
chair,
noting
that
while
other
academic
disciplines
may
focus
on
learning
done
inside
the
classroom,
Lander's
mass
communications
program
focuses
on
experiential
learning
that
is
done
outside
of
the
tradi-tional
classroom
setting.
Hester also emphasized the program's comprehensive course struc-ture. Students are required to take courses in oral, visual and written communication, in addition to coursework in communication through media technologies such as print, radio, television and web. Hester believes the well-rounded program helps produce skilled candidates who are ready for a plethora of job opportunities after graduation.
If you visit the Department of Mass Communications yourself, you would first be greeted by a wall proudly displaying dozens of success stories. Recent alumni have gone on to work for Radio Disney, Fox and NBC TV news affiliates, regional newspapers and theatres, and in marketing and public relations for non-profits, corporations and health care systems. "We love hearing from our graduates, and being able to keep up with what they're doing in life after Lander," said Hester, who updates the alumni wall regularly.
Not every graduate, however, ends up working in a traditional mass communications field. Yet, Crutcher insists that is just another sign of the success of Lander's program. "The principles that we teach can be utilized in any field," said Crutcher. "If I can communicate more effec-tively, it makes me a better employee."
The Forum
Lander
University's
Department
of
Mass
Communications
is
the
official
home
to
the
LU
Forum,
Lander's
student
newspaper.
Run
primarily
by
students
under
the
advisement
of
Dr.
Robert
Stevenson,
professor
of
journalism
at
Lander,
the
Forum
posts
articles
regularly
on
its
online
format,
which
can
be
found
at
www.luforum.com.
In
the
spring
of
2018,
the
Forum
relaunched
its
monthly
print
edition
thanks
to
the
support
of
Greenwood's
Index-Journal,
which
generously
offers
its
press
operations
to
Lander
for
2,500
issues
that
are
distributed
to
students
on
campus,
as
well
as
alumni
and
friends
of
the
university,
and
the
university's
Board
of
Trustees.
After receiving the encouragement of President Cosentino, a campus survey was conducted which found that, contrary to popular belief, students still enjoy reading the printed version of the LU Forum as much as they do the online format. New copies of the paper can be picked up each month at several locations around Lander's main campus.
This story is featured in the Fall 2019 edition of Lander Magazine. Read more at www.lander.edu/magazine.
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