Service

Departmental, School and University Service

Presenting at the Department of Media, Journalism and Film’s first senior awards ceremony in 2014.

Service is in my blood. My parents set strong examples of service not only through their work and volunteer activities, but also through their everyday interactions. Although both officially retired, they continued to contribute through nursing for my mother, Carmelie Jordan, and through education for my father, William Rice, a professor at Albany State University. I even had to visit my father’s Spanish class and submit his grades when he died in 2009 — triumphant after vigorously campaigning for President Barack Obama’s first election.

That’s why service is second nature for me. My service to Howard has increased each year — most recently as interim assistant chair and then chair of the Department of Media, Journalism and Film and as co-chair of the School of Communication’s Reaccreditation Committee. And I willingly do so much more behind the scenes.

My evaluations by the school-wide and departmental APT committees, the chair and the dean in the area of service have been consistently ranked as 5 on a scale of 5 (exemplary), which is a reflection of my contributions since joining Howard University in 2001. I have greatly appreciated the praise of students, their families, alumni, faculty and administrators, citing my hard work, dedication and willingness to serve. Much of my service at Howard University has taken place during pivotal periods against a backdrop of budget constraints, academic renewal and a historic media revolution with seismic shifts in journalism, audio, television and film.

Saying farewell to retiring faculty members.

I’m excited about helping to lead the Department of Media, Journalism and Film during this revolution, which is as significant as the birth of radio or television. No one really knows where everything is heading, but I firmly believe that Howard University can help lead the way — not only in academia, but also in each of the professional disciplines represented by our department.

We have worked hard to revamp and fine-tune the curriculum for the entire department. We successfully met the initial goals of our five-year strategic plan. We successful met the demand of ACEJMC reaccreditation, merging information from old and new departments. I co-chaired the reaccreditation committee.

Represented Howard at National Society of Newspaper Columnists’ conference and awards ceremony at Blackburn Center, where the late Roger Ebert’s wife, Chaz, center, accepted an award in his honor, second to first place winner Mary Curtis, right.

In addition, I have served as a member of the University’s Budget Advisory Council and  the school-wide Budget Committee. I have also participated in the job fair, the large-scale information sessions sponsored by Academic Advising, and the university’s suicide training so that I can recognize potential problems.

I am also adviser to the HUNewsService.com, 101 Magazine and the Cover to Cover student magazine association, a role which reflects my strong commitment to working with students outside class. I still make myself available to The Hilltop staff although I am no longer the adviser. The peak of my involvement with the paper occurred, when it had a daily operation.

I am actively engaged in the life of the campus. I attend, support and/or provide coverage of many activities sponsored by other departments and schools throughout the university, including convocations; Charter Day and commencement ceremonies; homecoming; freshman pinning ceremonies; Faculty Senate sessions; town halls; brown-bag sessions; community cleanups; and Learning Community activities.

Here’s a breakdown of my service activities:

Service to the Department

• Serve as Interim Assistant Chair, Department of Media, Journalism and Film, 2013 to 2015
• Serve as Chair, Department of Media, Journalism and Film, 2015 to present
• Serve on MJF Curriculum Committees, 2013 to 2015
• Serve as Print/Online Journalism Sequence Coordinator, 2006 to 2013
• Serve on Department of Journalism Executive Committee, 2006 to 2013
• Provide academic and career advisement for students across sequences, 2012 to present
• Organize ongoing series of guest lectures with prominent journalists, 2012 to present
• Submit student entries for Hearst Awards, Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence, AEJMC Magazine Competition and HBCU Newspaper Conference, 2012 to Present
• Advise Howard University News Service, 2012 to present
• Advise and expand 101 Magazine, 101Magazine.net and the Cover 2 Cover student magazine association to meet the growing demand of students interested in all facets of magazine publishing, 2012 to present

Service to the School of Communications

• 

  Representing the School of Communications and greeting alumni, such as Stacy Anderson, during Howard reception at NABJ.

  Served as chair of the MJF Reaccreditation Committee, 2014 to 2015

• Assisted Committee of the Future Committee on merger of Department of Journalism and Department of Media, Journalism and Film, October 2012 to 2013
• Serve on Search Committee for proposed Department of Media, Journalism and Film, 2013
• Coordinated school-wide coverage of presidential election 2012 and 2013 inauguration. Assisted with coordination of coverage for subsequent local, state and national elections, including Republican and Democratic national conventions.
• Present sessions on critical thinking for Freshman Orientation classes, 2012 to present
• Support and participate in national job fair and conference, 2012 to present

Service to Howard University

• Appointed to University Arts Committee, 2018
• Appointed to the Howard West Working Group, 2018
• Serve on Budget Advisory Council, 2013 to present
• Represented Howard University during the National Society of Newspaper Columnists with opening remarks and Q&A on “How to Write Convincingly About Race,”  Washington Plaza Hotel, and welcome at NSNC awards dinner at Blackburn Center, June 2014
• Worked with Departments of World Languages, English and Afro-American Studies to host pre-inaugural book signing and panel discussion on “The First Lady’s First Family,” featuring with Rachel Swarns, Howard graduate, N.Y. Times correspondent and author of “American Tapestry: The Black, White and Multicultural Ancestors of Michelle Obama,” January 2013
• Assisted The Hilltop, which lacked an adviser, for the 2012-13 academic year
• Serve on departmental team to prepare report for Presidential Commission on Academic Renewal (PCAR); met with PCAR team during departmental visit and representatives at Town Hall
• Participated in suicide prevention training

Public and Community Service

• “Essays, Collected: How to Craft a Dynamic Anthology,” panelist, Baltimore Book Festival, September 2014
• 

  Visiting students at Scott High School in Toledo, Ohio.

  Black History Month keynote speaker at Scott High School and the Ella P. Stewart Academy in Toledo, Ohio, February 2014

• National Advisory Council of the Center for Health Media and Policy at Hunter College, City University of New York, and now George Washington University, assisting in revamping fellowship program (2012 to present)
• Age of Awareness Literacy Fund-Raisers, 2012-Present
• 

  Returning to annual Career Day at Goulson Middle School in Prince George’s County. (Photo: Wendy Jo Williams)

  Black History Month, “Pioneers of the Past and Present,” Clarksville Elementary School, St. John’s Parish Day School, Howard County, Maryland, 2003-2008

• Wellness Warriors, a network of medical professionals and journalists committed to improving the physical, emotional and mental health of our communities; Co-Founder, 2012-Present
• Team Leader, Komen Breast Cancer Walk, 2012-Present

Other Professional Service

• 

  National Magazine Award elephant, aka “Ellie,” by Alexander Calder.

  New York Association of Black Journalisms Board of Advisors, 2013 to present

• National Magazine Awards, Judge,  2013 to present
• Association of Health Care Journalists, coordinated and moderated panel on infertility, 2013, and panel on diabetes, 2012
• National Association of Black Journalists, coordinated two sessions on magazine publishing, 2013

Service Through Professional Presentations

• “Student Internships and Fair Labor Revisited,” AEJMC Research Panel Session, Washington, 2018
• “Think Like a Millennial” presentation during “From Newsroom to Classroom: The Truth About Teaching,” Association of Health Care Journalists, Cleveland, 2016
• Panelist for “Election 2016: Democratic Debate,” WHUT, February 2016
• Fact-checking session at NABJ/NAHJ conference in Washington, panelist, 2016
• “Looking Back/Moving Toward Our Vision: Reporters’ Reflections on Growing Interest in Oral Health as Health Equity Issue and the Evolution of the Dental Workforce,” Community Catalyst and Kellogg Foundation, Portland, OR, 2015
• “Challenges Facing America’s Aging Family Caregivers,” Association of Health Care Journalists, Silicon Valley, Calif., April 2015
• “HU Insight: Verifying the Truth,” during paper session on “Exploring Multiple Facets of Social Media,” Social Media Technology Conference, Howard University, 2015
• Speaker for “The Juneteenth Book Festival Symposium on Black Literature and Literacy” with Ethelbert Miller and Haki Madhubuti at the Library of Congress, June 2015
• “Local Media and Informed Participation: Workshop of Industry and Experts,” invited by Democracy Fund and American Press Institute, 2015
• Magazine Publishing, Digital Media, National Association of Black Journalists, August 2014
• “How to Write Convincingly About Race,” National Society of Newspaper Columnists, opening remarks and Q&A, Washington Plaza Hotel; welcome at NSNC awards dinner at Howard University Blackburn Center, June 2014
• Black History Month keynote speaker for an audience of 600 at the University of Toledo; also gave sermon at the Historic Third Baptist Church and spoke at Scott High School and the Ella P. Stewart Academy, February 2014
• Toledo Blade advance, coverageand gallery
• Sojourner Truth Newspaper front-page story(continued on page 16)
• “As the Page Turns, Swoops and Zooms: The Future of Magazines,” National Association of Black Journalists, August 2013, Storify
• “Productive Trends and Opportunities in the Print and Publishing Industries, Bowie State University, April 20, 2013
• “Waiting for Children: New Stories About Infertility,” Association for Health Care Journalists National Conference, Boston, March 15, 2013
• Capitol Press Club forum before a live audience at WHUT-TV with Internet participants, speaker, February 2013
• “Black Women on Power,” moderator of keynote session of Executive Leadership Council’s Women’s Leadership Summit, Minneapolis, July 10, 2012

Other presentations