Nov 2004 - Nanyang Technological University

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Dean’s Message Dear SCI Graduate, Greetings from my colleagues and me here at the School of Communication & Information! I am writing from a newly completed fourth floor extension on what used to be the school building’s roof. More on this in a later article. Let me begin by saying that I am not asking you for money in this newsletter. Often, when I tell alumni that the School wants to make a stronger connection with them, a common response is a look of concern that we are asking for money. So let me repeat: I am not asking for money in this newsletter. Now that I’ve clarified that and gotten it out of the way, let me tell you why we want the connection. A top university requires three elements: good infrastructure, good faculty and good students, including the alumni. Of the three, good students and a strong alumni connection may seem the least likely to contribute to the makings of a great university. But, in fact, good students challenge the faculty to stretch themselves intellectually, making teaching a joy. Whisperings of our excellent student body and teaching environment, in turn, attract more first-rate faculty, which attracts more good students and more top-notch faculty and so on, creating a virtuous cycle. This virtuous cycle brings fame and recognition to the programme and the University. The biggest triumph for a programme is a great alumni body that contributes to society in research, employment, and ideas. The quality of these contributions determines the programme’s and university’s buzz. A good buzz makes fresh graduates hirable and sets off another virtuous cycle of attracting good faculty and students. So you see, a a strong student and alumni body is an essential part of a great programme. Alumni Day is on November 27th and I hope to see you there. We’ll be giving tours of the building to show you the new fifth floor, the renovated fourth floor, and changes in the School. I’m also looking forward to seeing familiar faces and hearing about what you are doing now. I will be updating you twice a year about developments in the School and facilitate connections among alumni through this newsletter. There is much to be proud of in SCI, and I want you to be connected with it. Best regards, Ang Peng Hwa Connexscions - Connecting You and Us Who would have thought that choosing a name for a newsletter is so difficult We met. We brainstormed. We threw ideas back and forth, debating the good, the bad and the ugly, considered and consulted numerous people: the teachers, the students, the Dean, and of course, the alumni. Only the best names could have made it through such stringent criteria. Out of the dozen names we came up with: “Connexscions”, “@SCI” and “SCIdeas” made the cut. Ultimately, it was YOU, the alumni who made the choice. Close to 50% of the alumni voted for “Connexscions”; 30% chose “@SCI” while the remaining picked “SCIdeas”. “I like Connexscions, it’s sophisticated and stylish.” Nizamudheen Ishak, one of the alumni, said. “Connexscions”, derived from the word connexion in French, essentially means connections. It represents the hope that current students and faculty of SCI will connect with ex-students who once, like us, studied and played in SCI. This newsletter serves as a bridge between the school and the alumni. We look forward to hearing your feedback. Please contact us at connexscions@ntu. edu.sg. Even the name of the newsletter has yet to be cast in stone. CALLING ALL ALUMNI! Come celebrate NTU Alumni Day with us this November 27! NTU and SCI will be planning a day of exciting activities for you. Take the opportunity to catch up with faculty members, or simply take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about your time in SCI with fellow alumni. Also, come admire the sparkling new facilities on SCI’s top floor! Refreshments will be provided. For more details, contact Ms Chew Ying Ying at asyychew@ntu.edu.sg or Assistant Professor Lee Wai Peng at sd-sci@ntu.edu.sg. -- CHY SCI Name Change Positions It as Asia’s Leading Institution The School of Communication Studies (SCS) was renamed the School of Communication and Information (SCI) in 2001 as it expanded to include the Division of Information Studies, like many communications schools in the West. The new name has positioned SCI as a leading institution in Asia, incorporating both tracks in communication and information. With its well-rounded academic focus, the school is also able to attract more researchers 2 and professors from Asia and the West. “The name ‘SCI’ indicates that communication is the process while information is the content. The key outcome is innovation and ideas,” said Dr Lee Chun Wah, Division Head for Public and Promotional Communication. Apart from gaining international recognition for the many winning projects, SCI is equipped with a very strong program. Dr Ang Peng Hwa, Dean of the School of Communication and Information says, “Alumni should know that our work is being recognised for their significance and they can therefore hold their heads high when they meet competition from other programmes.” -- GC
PRISM Awards Comes to SCI making waves Think big – that was their inspiration. Indeed, they made it big. SCI students Lye Peixian, Deng Yihan, Nai Ying Jiin, Jasmine Yang and Yang Yanni received the prestigious 2004 Public Relations in the Service of Mankind (PRISM) Award for their project Colors for Life 2003: Campaign for Club Rainbow Singapore. The campaign project, completed in 2003, topped the “Students project” category and received an award of excellence. Group leader Lye Peixian, a fourth-year student, said, “It was a sweet bonus for us because when we were conceptualizing and executing the campaign, we did not expect to participate in PRISM, and (to) eventually win the award.” The group was motivated to work with Club Rainbow Singapore (CRS) on a public campaign after the organization had to cancel a fund-raising event 2003 due to SARS. While they are thrilled to have received the recognition, Peixian and her group remain firmly rooted to the ground. “We were very thankful for a supportive client. We had little restrictions and were given plenty of freedom in all aspects of the campaign. They were helpful and supportive and it wouldn’t have been a success if it weren’t for them,” she said. Dr Krishnamurthy Sriramesh, the project supervisor, was all praise. “This group of SCI Team at the PRISM Awards They were extremely cooperative and worked as a true team, sharing all the toil and fun of a demanding campaign,” he said. The PRISM Awards, now in their eighth year, were created by the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore in 1987 to recognize and reward excellence in public relations and communications in Singapore. The awards, which are presented bi-annually, aim to encourage creativity, originality, and best application of public relations and communication practices across all sectors of the economy, in commercial as well as non-profit activities. -- AY Two SCI Second-Year Student Projects Selected For Prime-Time National TV Parkour and Hall Privacy Broadcast on Channel i SCI students continue to make the school proud. Last semester, two second-year student video news stories were selected by Channel i for their 8:30 news bulletins on May 5 and 6, 2004. The two broadcast projects, Parkour and Hall Privacy, were given priority time during the news program and acknowledged as SCI student projects with the student producers’ photos shown at the end of the clip. This was the first time that a professional news broadcast has given credit to independent producers for their work. The two stories were chosen out of a group of 22 final term video projects from the Broadcast Journalism class. Jennifer Lewis, editor of SPH Channel i news, was invited to view and comment on the Broadcast Journalism class projects. She singled out Parkour and Hall Privacy as news stories worthy of broadcast because Parkour was an eye-opener to many viewers -- few knew of the existence of such a group! (And) Hall Privacy was a well-told story that gripped the attention of many.” Parkour, an energetic sport invented in Paris 16 years ago, was recently introduced to Singapore. Practitioners of the sport are called tracers. The story showcased a group of players called “tracers”, their gymnastic ability and passion for the sport. Hall Privacy delved into the controversial issue of privacy in campus hostels. It brought to light the concern of the Office of Student Affairs for protecting and taking care of students who may be in danger inside their rooms and the students’ dissatisfaction of the free access of hall managers to student rooms. To view the selected projects, please go to SCI’s website or go directly to http://www.ntu.edu. “Parkour” producers from left to right: Cheong Kai Lin, Lim Tian Yun, Cheong Fung Wai Angela, Lan Gek How Communication Research FYP Published At JCMC An FYP from the graduated batch of 2002 was selected and published in April this year in an acclaimed scholarly journal, the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (JCMC), Volume 9 No.3, after passing its stringent peer-review process. The three students from the Division of Communication Research (CR) who wrote the paper are Lee Bee Hian, Sim Li Chuan and Trevor Tan Mon Kiat “It’s very gratifying to see that SCI undergraduates can make a contribution to the scholarly community by publishing in this prestigious peerreviewed journal,” Dr Benjamin H. Detenber, head of CR division said. Published by the International Communication Association, JCMC is a Web-based journal founded almost a decade ago that focuses on the emerging field of computer-mediated communication (CMC). The publication, produced quarterly, is a premier journal for CMC research in the world today. The study - periment. The findings p extent than they can in face-to-face interactions. For all the help they received during their final lap in SCI, Lee said, “To the faculty, thanks for all the guidance and patience with the less than academically brilliant, but normal people like us.” If you are interested in taking a look at the published work, please check it out. http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol9/issue3/detenber.html -- WP 3
Page 1: July - Nov ʻ04 | Issue 01 Co A sem
Page 5 and 6: Students Produce Radio Program For
Page 7 and 8: new SCI buidling building Reaching
Page 9 and 10: Helping to Bridge The Journalistic
Page 11 and 12: Not Your Average Graduate Student m
Page 13 and 14: Events Professor Grunig sharing his

Nov 2004 - Nanyang Technological University

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