Hello everyone and welcome back to our “Good News” outlet. Sit back, relax and enjoy the read!
Alumni
- TCOM Alumna and songwriter Tiara Thomas (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) was invited to join the Music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- Compositing supervisor and TCOM Alumna Sherry Hitch (“Mank,” “The Irishman”) was invited to join the Visual Effects branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- Journalism Alumna Rebecca Slezak earned Second Place at the 2021 National Hearst Journalism Championships.
- TCOM / Sports Link Alumna, Jordan Nemeth joined NASCAR as a production assistant.
- TCOM Alumna Abby Walton earned four awards at the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists Awards:
- Best Consumer/Financial Report for a piece on a beauty salon that was unable to stop receiving unemployment payments after they all went back to work
- Best Health Report for a story on mental health and first responders
- Best Health Series for continuing coverage throughout the year on Florida families fighting to gain access to their loved ones in long-term care during COVID
- Best News Anchor for her work as the 5:30 and 11:00 p.m. anchor on @wctvnews in Tallahassee
Students
- Congratulations to our summer 2021 graduates!
- Grace Medrano (Journalism and Telecommunications) and Isaac Miller (Telecommunications) earned 2021 Philanthropy Awards from the Ball State Foundation.
- Transatlantic Storytelling, an immersive learning, global storytelling project between students at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and Cardiff Metropolitan University in Cardiff, Wales, has won three international awards. The 76-minute feature documentary was named a Silver Winner in Student Television at the 42nd Annual Telly Awards. The documentary also earned a Silver Award of Distinction at the 2021 Communicator Awards and was awarded the top honor (Platinum) in student video at the 2021 International MUSE Creative and Design Awards.
- Eloka Agwuegbo is the first recipient of CICS’s Eric Talley Award for Community Service.
CCIM Units
- Effective August 1, 2021, Ball State PBS and Indiana Public Radio will return to CCIM. We will leverage content producers and distributors across student media, our media educational experiences and BSU Public Media, while retaining each as independent. These efforts also build on our University’s mission to provide an excellent educational experience for our students through immersive learning, and mobilizing and leading partnerships that revitalize and sustain our community and region. Additionally, CCIM is currently searching for a new Assistant Dean of Media and General Manager of Operations to support this innovative integration.
- CICS hosted the Alumni and Advisory Board meeting in person and honored the 2021 Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees.
- CICS celebrated the 2021 graduates with hors d’oeuvres and an award ceremony.
Faculty & Staff
- Welcome to the new faculty and staff!
- Dr. Scarlett Hester – Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies
- Mr. Spencer Cole – Assistant Lecturer and Director of the Speech Team, Department of Communication Studies
- Dr. Elizabeth Pike – Assistant Professor, Department of Telecommunications
- Mr. Michael Jefferson – Assistant Lecturer, Department of Telecommunications
- Dr. Faisal Kalota – Assistant Professor, Center for Information and Communication Sciences
- Ms. Desiree Soptelean – Secretary to the Director, Center for Information and Communication Sciences
- Seven faculty members were promoted/or granted tenure!
- Dr. Katherine Denker – promoted to Professor, Department of Communication Studies
- Dr. Kyle Heuett – promoted to Associate Professor, and granted tenure, Department of Communication Studies
- Dr. Gabriel Tait – promoted to Associate Professor, and granted tenure, Department of Journalism
- Mr. Michael Bauer – promoted to Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication Studies
- Ms. Mary Moore – promoted to Senior Lecturer, Department of Communication Studies
- Dr. James Rediger – promoted to Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Communication Studies
- Mr. Chris Taylor – promoted to Associate Lecturer, Department of Telecommunications
- Peggy Fisher, recently retired Associate Professor of Communication Studies, earned the LEAP Indiana Award of Excellence!
CCIM in the News
- Ball State Debuts New Esports Center (Sports Video Group)
- Ball State University Cuts Ribbon on New 3,611 Square-Foot Esports Center (The Esports Observer)
- Ball State University Debuts Esports Center (Pioneering Minds)
- Ball State University Debuts Esports Center (Spaces4Learning)
- Ball State University to open esports center, ceremony set (WISH-TV)
- Ball Sate to Cut Ribbon on Esports Center (WISH-TV)
- Cardinal Esports members give an inside look on what goes on beyond the screen (Ball State Daily News)
- Area roundup: Ball State to celebrate new Esports Center (Star Press)
- Ball State to cut ribbon on Esports Center (InsideIndiana Business)
- Ball State Univesity inaugura centro de esports (RTParena)
What to Watch
Cardinal Compass is a show produced, edited, and hosted by CCIM students. Each month, the 30-minute program featuring President Mearns and his guests explore the connections between Muncie and Ball State. Now in its third season, watch episode 4, the ‘best of’ edition, revisiting highlights from this past academic year.