Media College News

Nine PR capstone students are applying skills learned in the classroom to increase public awareness of a local nonprofit organization.

Students in Dr. Rita Colistra’s public relations campaigns course are working with Garth Lindley, founder of Green Earth Event Services, formerly known as Eco Race Events, to launch a campaign to promote the importance of environmental waste diversion before, during and after events.

Nix, who teaches mobile marketing for the WVU IMC program, will discuss marketing strategies that span mobile, video, display, search and social platforms.

In addition to Nix, conference attendees will hear from managing director of Integrated Marketing Communications for NASCAR, David Higdon, and nationally-recognized communications leaders, authors and highly-respected social media professionals.

STEEL CITY BUZZ INTERNSHIP
This social media internship is a high profile and hands-on experience that demands creativity, good judgment, analytical skills, and a LOVE OF PITTSBURGH SPORTS. Candidates should have an excellent understand of multiple social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others) and knowledge of major Pittsburgh sports franchises. If you do not know how many Super Bowls the Steelers have won or which Pirate won the MVP vote last year, please do not apply.

Responsibilities

Crisis Communications: A Critique of the Charleston Chemical Spill Response
Experts in strategic communications will overview the crisis, discuss lessons learned and forecast future issues that will affect the state.

Date: Monday, March 24
Time: 5 p.m.
Location: Martin Hall, room 205

The discussion will be a LiveTweet session allowing students to engage real time with panelists and peers.

Caitlyn Alexander and Christa Barvinchak with Howard Hannah real estate in Morgantown are hiring a marketing coordinator/administrative assistant. The position is available immediately and requires good computer skills, great customer relations skills, a willingness to learn, the ability to multitask, and a positive attitude. Hours are flexible, and candidates must be available for 20 hours per week. 
To apply, submit a resume to christabarvinchak@howardhanna.com and caitlynalexander@howardhanna.com.

On Jan. 9, some 300,000 residents of the Charleston, W.Va. area feared for their safety when thousands of gallons of a toxic chemical leaked into the Elk River, contaminating the water supply. Journalists covered the story relying on traditional “boots-on-the-ground” reporting and using social media. Through their reporting and engagement, they held industry and government officials accountable, provided immediate updates on the developing story, and gathered information from people affected by the disaster.

On March 24, the West Virginia University P.I. Reed School of Journalism will present, “From Beats to Tweets: Media Coverage of the Elk River Spill,” a moderated panel to address local and national coverage of the event and to examine how crisis coverage has changed in today’s 24/7 digital media environment. The event will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Mountainlair Ballrooms. It is free and open to the public.

Full-time students – sophomores, juniors and seniors – majoring in journalism, English, communications and related fields are invited to compete in the Women’s Press Club annual scholarship contest on Friday, March 21 at 9 a.m. at Point Park University. This year the students will interview JulieHera DeStefano, producer and director of “Journey to Normal,” a documentary about women returning from military service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Students will have one hour to interview Ms. DeStefano and two hours to write a feature story based on the interview. The club has up to $2,000 to award to the winners this year, with checks written directly to students to defray their tuition and other costs.

The entries will be judged by Pittsburgh journalists, and the winners will be announced prior to the club’s anniversary dinner on Saturday, April 12 at the Rivers Club, Pittsburgh. The students must be Western Pennsylvania residents or attend Western Pennsylvania colleges and universities. The contest is not limited to female students.

Young people are often referred to as the leaders of tomorrow. Katie Heller, an aspiring leader and student at West Virginia University, created a logo design as part of a class project that helped inspire the official WVU Extension Service 100-year celebration logo.

The centennial-year emblem will help recognize the University’s land-grant roots and help set the path for the future.

Earlier this month, the student-run IMC agency, Martin-Hall Agency, signed a contract with Travis Braden, a WVU mechanical engineering student and professional racecar driver.

The Wheeling, W.Va., native was just eight years old when he first wanted to race a small ATV at a local county fair. In 2011, he was named NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model National Rookie of Year.

Magazine writer Josh Dean will visit Martin Hall on Monday, March 17 and Tuesday, March 18. Dean will give a public talk at 6:30 p.m. in rooms 101 & 102. 
Dean’s talk will focus on his work and how he’s made his profession out of being a freelance long-form writer in the digital journalism age.