AEJMC News-July 2022

AEJMC NEWS, JANUARY 2022 | PAGE 1
VOLUME 55.4 | JULY 2022
AEJMC 2022 Election Results
The AEJMC membership has voted to
elect the 2022­23 leaders of the association.
Leadership elections are a vital part
Teresa Mastin
of the association. Member participation
in the process is valued. There were
2,011 members who were eligible to
vote. There were 618 members who voted online for a 31% return
rate. The official start date for all new officers is October 1,
2022.
Teresa Mastin, Michigan State University, is the newly elected
vice president. Mastin will go through the leadership ladder and
serve as the AEJMC president for 2024­25. When asked about
being elected, Mastin stated, ‘’I am honored and humbled to
have the opportunity to serve and represent the AEJMC membership.
I look forward to all of us moving the organization forward
for the greater good of all.”
Credit: Andrii Yalanskyi
Deb Aikat, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will be installed
as AEJMC president during the 2022 Conference.
Suzanne Horsley, Alabama, was elected as Accrediting Council
Representative.
Maria De Moya, DePaul, Chelsea Reynolds, Cal State Fullerton,
and Sun Young Lee, Maryland were elected to the Publications
Committee.
Sabine Baumann, Jade University, Germany, Colleen Connolly­
Ahern, Penn State, George Daniels, Alabama, and Katie Place,
Quinnipiac were elected to the PF&R Committee
Summer Harlow, Houston, Jasmine McNealy, Florida, Radhika
Parameswaran, Indiana, and Yong Volz, Missouri were elected to
the Research Committee
Tracy Everbach, North Texas, Tiffany Gallicano, UNC Charlotte,
Chris Roberts, Alabama, and Amanda Weed, Kennesaw State
were elected to the Teaching Committee.

PAGE 2 | AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022
FROM
THE
PRESIDENT
may not be what you’re used to where you live or teach—is to
keep everyone as safe as possible, including members who have
health issues or care for vulnerable people. Although the association
has been very fortunate with its recent in­person gatherings—the
Board of Directors meeting in New Orleans in
December, the Midwinter Conference at the University of Oklahoma
in early March, and the Southeast Colloquium at the University
of Memphis in mid­March—we know that there has
been some COVID spread among attendees at other academic
conferences. That spread might have been worse had there not
been requirements for masking in conference spaces.
Second, because it’s impossible to wear a mask while eating and
drinking, we’re moving to give attendees options at the opening
reception. This event—scheduled for 8 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday,
Aug. 3, after the keynote session—typically draws hundreds of
attendees who enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres. Unfortunately, the
Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, a hotel selected long
before the pandemic began, does not have an outdoor space
big enough for the opening reception. So the AEJMC staff is
looking for ways to make “grab­and­go” food options available
that would allow attendees to chat with others and then take
food to eat outside or elsewhere.
Third, because we know that many of you will be eager to catch
up with friends and collaborators, there will be 30 minutes between
conference sessions, rather than the usual 15. You’ll have
time to take a walk with a collaborator on the Detroit Riverfront
or visit one of the new support spaces that will be available at
the conference: a room for student attendees, with snacks and
lunch provided daily; a parents’ room, with private spaces
where children can be fed or changed; a children’s room, where
caregivers can take children to play; and a quiet room. You can
learn more about those spaces at
https://community.aejmc.org/conference/outreach/supportspaces
By Susan Keith, Rutgers University
2021­22 AEJMC President
By the time you read this, it will be just a few weeks until
AEJMC’s first in­person annual conference since 2019. I can’t
wait to see many of you in Detroit for a conference that will look
a lot different from our virtual 2021 conference—no sitting in
front of your computer screen for eight hours! —and somewhat
different from our last in­person conference in Toronto. AEJMC
is incorporating several innovations into the 2022 experience.
First, to promote the health and safety of attendees, AEJMC
2022 will be a masked conference, with noses and mouths covered
in conference spaces, such as paper and panel sessions,
scholar­to­scholar/poster sessions, meetings, exhibition spaces,
and the routes between them. Our goal with this policy—which
Fourth, at the registration desk, you’ll be able to choose a colored
badge lanyard—red, yellow, or green—indicating your level
of comfort with interactions. You’ll see me in yellow. I really
want to meet those of you I don’t know and talk to people I
haven’t seen in three years. For this year, however—after my
own early­June bout with COVID, which I’d rather not repeat—
I’ll try to hold off on hugging.
Fifth, the member meetings for all divisions, interest groups and
commissions will be held virtually the week before the conference,
so that even members who cannot join us in Detroit may
attend. If you’re a member of a group, you’ll receive an email
with the date of the business meeting. If you’re not a member
of at least one of these groups—which I urge you to join, as they
are the heart of AEJMC—you can contact the head to get a
Zoom link to the business meeting. You can read about AEJMC’s
divisions and interest groups and find out the heads’ names at
https://www.aejmc.com/home/about/groups/
Finally, if you’re not able to join us in Detroit, you will have a
chance to see some sessions via livestream. Although it was not
financially possible for AEJMC to make our conference fully hy­

AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022 | PAGE 3
brid—for details on why, download my March column at
https://t.co/QXLnLIwY—a few sessions, including the keynote conversation
and the general members meeting, will be available live.
Making membership more equitable
One of the sessions that will be livestreamed is the general
AEJMC members meeting, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, Aug.
5. At that meeting, we will begin what I believe is important
work to make membership in AEJMC more equitable.
Right now, all AEJMC faculty members pay the same membership
fee, $140—with a $20 discount for members outside the
U.S.—regardless of whether they are deans earning six­figure
salaries at well­resourced universities or lecturers on short­term
contracts at very small schools. With an eye toward making this
situation more equitable, the AEJMC Board has approved and
will soon bring to the membership for a vote a proposal to
adopt tiered membership fees based on self­reported total
yearly income. Under this structure, which the National Communication
Association uses, most members’ fees would remain
about the same. But members with larger incomes would pay
more, while those with smaller incomes would pay less. You can
see the full proposal at http://www.aejmc.com/home/wpcontent/uploads/2022/07/xxTieredMembershipFlyer.pdf
I believe this proposal represents a key move toward equity for
our association. Before we can vote on it, however, we have to
tackle a problem of inclusion in AEJMC’s bylaws.
AEJMC’s bylaws, which guide all our processes, say that changes
to dues, like changes to the bylaws themselves, can be made
only after a “two­thirds vote of the membership present and
voting at any annual meeting.” Yet, in any year, many of our
members cannot attend the annual meeting, perhaps because
they did not have a paper or panel accepted, which means their
schools will not cover the cost of attendance, or because they
have other obligations during the dates of the annual meeting.
In a world where we have all learned to teach online, we should
not keep members who are unable to attend a specific annual
meeting in person from taking part in decisions about the future
of our organization, when online options for voting are available.
Another problem with voting at the annual meeting is that
there is no way to assess at that meeting whether everyone
present is actually a member; typically, we have merely asked
those present to vote by a show of hands.
So, in Detroit the membership will first be asked to vote—at the
Friday morning business meeting, as required by the current bylaws—on
a proposal to amend the bylaws to allow for online
voting for changes in the bylaws and dues. Then, if that proposal
is approved, the membership will be asked later to vote
online, in a form accessible to all members, on the new membership
fee structure.
Thinking about the future
This moment of transitions is a good time, too, to think about
the future in connection with the fields of practice that we
study and our association.
AEJMC NEWS
Newsletter for the Association for Education
in Journalism and Mass Communication
www.aejmc.org
AEJMC 2021­2022 Board of Directors
AEJMC President
Susan Keith, Rutgers University
President­elect
Deb Aikat, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Vice President
Linda Aldoory, University of Maryland
Past President
Tim Vos, Michigan State University
PF&R Committee Chair
Jeannine Relly, University of Arizona
Research Committee Chair
Celeste González de Bustamante, University of Texas at Austin
Teaching Committee Chair
Emily Metzgar, Kent State University
Publications Committee Chair
Sandra H. Utt, Professor Emerita, University of Memphis
Council of Divisions Chair
Jan Lauren Boyles, Iowa State University
Council of Divisions Vice Chair
Meredith D. Clark, Northeastern University
Council of Affiliates Chair
Nancy L. Green, America’s Newspapers
ASJMC President
Al Stavitsky, University of Nevada, Reno
ASJMC President­elect
Raul Reis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Commission on the Status of Minorities Chair
Nathaniel Frederick II, Winthrop University
Commission on the Status of Women Chair
Meg Heckman, Northeastern University
AEJMC/ASJMC Interim Executive Director
Amanda Caldwell
AEJMC STAFF
AEJMC/ASJMC Interim Executive Director
Amanda Caldwell — Amanda@aejmc.org
Assistant Director/Council of Divisions Liaison
Felicia Greenlee Brown — Felicia@aejmc.org
Website Content/Graphic Designer
Kyshia Brown — Kyshia@aejmc.org
Project Coordinator
Lillian S. Coleman — Lillian@aejmc.org
Communications Director
Samantha Higgins — Samantha@aejmc.org
AEJMC News, a publication of AEJMC,
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PAGE 4 | AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Continued from 3
Two events that I will draw your attention to include
one of those fields of practice. First, this year’s keynote
session, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, will
consider the future of nonprofit journalism, in its many
forms, through a conversation with Sarah Alvarez,
founder and editor in chief of Detroit­based Outlier
Media, and representatives of other nonprofit outlets.
Then from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, I will give the
Presidential Address, a talk titled Rethinking Local: A Research
Agenda for Studying News. Although most
scholarly association meetings feature an address by
the president—something that was a regular part of
AEJMC conferences for decades—this tradition seems
to have been dropped at AEJMC in the 1980s. It’s important
to resurrect, I think, as a symbol of our commitment
to research at the highest levels of the leadership.
Two events at this year’s conference will look inward, at
our association, in different ways.
The President’s Panel, What’s in a Name: A Conversation
with the Task Force on AEJMC’s Name and Identity,
will highlight some of the work done this year by
the task force, which has been chaired by Ryan Thomas
of Washington State. The panel, scheduled for 4:30 to 6
p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, will feature members of the task
force sharing its ongoing research into AEJMC’s identity
in an increasingly crowded field of academic associations.
The Past President’s Panel, An Exercise in Reimagining
AEJMC’s Future, which will take place from 8:30 to 10
a.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, will showcase some of the “blue
sky” proposals for how we might re­imagine AEJMC’s
structure that were submitted in response to a call from
Past President Tim Vos of Michigan State. They represent
only the beginning of a conversation about
AEJMC’s structure; any changes in our association
would, of course, have to be approved by the membership.
I look forward to seeing you at these sessions and
others.
AEJMC Members
Log into Your Community Today!
community.aejmc.org
An Exercise
in Reimagining
AEJMC’s Future
This year’s Past‐President’s Panel will be An Exercise in Reimagining
AEJMC’s Future, which will feature five member‐submitted
proposals for changing how AEJMC configures its
divisions, interest groups, and commissions. The proposals,
which were selected through a double‐blind review process,
are meant to represent a variety of approaches and a starting
point for association‐wide discussions. The session will be from
8:30 to 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, during the Detroit conference.
AEJMC leadership has long heard complaints or misgivings
about the association’s structure. As Past President Ted Glasser
put it in 2001, “AEJMC’s current constellation of divisions and
interest groups … represents the triumph of history over logic.”
The idea behind this year’s exercise was to think about what
AEJMC might look like if we tried to inject some logic back into
the association’s structure.
But the exercise is also more than this. The goal is to have a
frank discussion of the shortcomings (and merits) of AEJMC’s
structure in a way that isn’t merely abstract or void of a constructive
outlook. An essential step in bringing about change is
to imagine what change might look like.
Presenters include George Daniels, Amanda Weed and Matt
Haught, Matt Carlson and Seth Lewis, Nicole Kraft, and Jacqueline
Lambiase. Past‐President Tim Vos will moderate the session.
By putting members’ ideas at the center of the discussion, the
desire is to tap into the lived experience and wisdom of our
membership. The proposals offer up ways to address a range of
perceived problems, such as “a medium‐specific, siloed structure,”
“a committee‐driven, top‐down structure,” “growing competition
from peer associations and professional associations,” a
structure “too rooted in platforms rather than areas of substantive
academic inquiry,” and “overlap or duplication in coverage
areas.”
What are the solutions to those problems? Plan to attend the
panel session to find out.

AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022 | PAGE 5
Get Registered Today!
The AEJMC 2022 Detroit Conference is an in­person event.
Conference attendees MUST be AEJMC members before
registering for the conference.
community.aejmc.org/conference/registration/aejmc­register
General Registration Rates (Beginning July 16)
$325 — Regular, International, Spouse, Associate
$200 — Student, Retiree
Join us at the AEJMC 2022 Conference in Detroit
#AEJMC22
August 3­6 • Pre­conference day: August 2
community.aejmc.org/conference/home
AEJMC’s Commitment to Health
and Safety during the Conference
To promote the health and safety of attendees at the 2022
AEJMC Conference in Detroit, masks WILL BE REQUIRED in all
conference locations, including paper, panel and scholar­toscholar/poster
sessions; meeting rooms; and exhibition spaces.
We expect attendees to be vaccinated and boosted, if eligible. We
strongly recommend the use of N95/KN95/KF95/FFP2 masks.
Conference
Registration/Information
Hours
Monday, Aug. 1
5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 2
7:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 3 — Friday, Aug. 5
7:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 6
7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
AEJMC will provide some N95 masks, a limited supply of COVID
self­tests, hand sanitizer and disposable gloves. You can pick
them up at the AEJMC 2022 conference registration desk if
needed; however, we encourage all members to bring their own
personal protective equipment.
In areas outside the conference locations, AEJMC will follow
guidelines stipulated by the City of Detroit and the (Conference
Hotel) Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. For example,
as of mid­May, Detroit Marriott policy says: “We ask that all unvaccinated
guests continue to wear face coverings and practice
social distancing when they are in public spaces inside the hotel.”
As you no doubt have experienced during the COVID pandemic,
the prevalence of the virus in any community can be fluid. If
guidelines issued by the City of Detroit or other governmental
entity change, we may need to change our conference policies.
Hotel guidelines may be viewed here: What to Expect in the Age
of COVID­19 (https://whattoexpect.marriott.com/dtwdt)
City of Detroit information may be found here: Coronavirus ­
COVID­19 (https://detroitmi.gov/departments/detroit­healthdepartment/programs­and­services/communicable­disease/coronavirus­covid­19)

PAGE 6 | AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022
AEJMC Key Conference Sessions
AEJMC Keynote Session
Keynote Panel Session: The Future of Nonprofit Journalism
Wednesday, August 3
6:30 to 8 p.m.
Moderating/Presiding
Susan Keith, Rutgers, president, AEJMC 2021­22
Panelists
Sarah Alvarez, Director, Outlier Media, Detroit
Lila Mills, Cleveland Editor­in­Chief, Ohio Local News Initiative
Nonprofit journalism initiatives have multiplied across the United
States over the past 20 years, taking various forms. Some have attempted
to fill the voids left as commercial newspapers have retrenched.
Others are seeking to serve communities that commercial
news media have historically ignored, often relying on foundation support
to fulfil their missions. This conversation examines the future of
nonprofit journalism with journalists at the forefront of the movement.
Award(s) Recognitions
­ 2021 Scripps Howard Journalism & Mass Communication
Teacher of the Year Award Recipient
­ 2021 Scripps Howard Journalism & Mass Communication
Administrator of the Year Award Recipient
­ 2022 AEJMC Equity & Diversity Award Presentation
Cornerstone Panel Session
Persisting in Spite of State Legislative Efforts that Harm Marginalized
Individuals at Work and Home
Thursday, August 4
10:30 a.m. to Noon
AEJMC Elected Standing Committee on Professional Freedom and Responsibility
Moderating/Presiding
Rhonda Gibson, North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Panelists
Erica Ciszek, Texas at Austin
Dane S. Claussen, Nonprofit Sector News
Althea Delwiche, Trinity
Rachel Grant, Florida
Marquita Smith, Mississippi
Various state legislatures have enacted new laws designed to further
marginalize individuals and exacerbate cultural rifts within society. This
panel will explore the impact this legislation is having on academics
from marginalized communities. This panel will also acknowledge and
celebrate the 20th anniversary of the LGBTQ Interest Group.
Kappa Tau Alpha and AEJMC
Awards Luncheon Session
(Pre­registration required.)
Thursday, August 4
12:30 to 2 p.m.
Moderating/Presiding
Beverly Horvit, Missouri, executive director, KTA, and Susan Keith, Rutgers,
president, AEJMC 2021­22
AEJMC Presidential Panel Session
What’s in a Name: A Conversation with the Task Force on AEJMC’s
Name and Identity
Thursday, August 4
4:30 to 6 p.m.
Moderating/Presiding
Susan Keith, Rutgers, president, AEJMC 2021­22
Panelists
Ingrid Bachmann, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Stephanie Craft, Illinois
Cheryl Ann Lambert, Kent State
Alan Stavitsky, Nevada­Reno, president, ASJMC 2021­22
Ryan Thomas, Washington State, chair, Task Force on Name & Identity
Tim Vos, Michigan State, past president, AEJMC 2021­22
AEJMC Business Session
General Business Meeting
Friday, August 5
10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Moderating/Presiding
Susan Keith, Rutgers, president, AEJMC 2021­22
AEJMC Awards
­ Hillier Krieghbaum Under­40 Award Recipient
­ Dorothy Bowles Public Service Award Recipient
­ James A. Tankard Jr. Book Award Recipient
­ AEJMC­Knudson Latin America Prize Recipient
Research Committee Awards
­ Paul J. Deutschmann Award for Excellence in JMC Research Recipient
­ Nafziger­White­Salwen Dissertation Award Recipient
Other Awards
­ Lionel C. Barrow, Jr. Award for Distinguished Achievement in Diversity
­ 2022 News Audience Research Paper Award Winner
­ 2022 Gene Burd Urban Journalism Award Recipient
­ 2022 Gene Burd Award for Research in Urban Journalism Studies Recipient
Installation of 2022­23 AEJMC President
Deb Aikat, North Carolina at Chapel Hill
AEJMC President’s Address
Friday, August 5
2 to 3:30 p.m.
Moderating/Presiding
Susan Keith, Rutgers, president, AEJMC 2021­22

AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022 | PAGE 7
105th Annual Conference Awards
AEJMC Awards
AEJMC Equity & Diversity Award
Department of Communications at California State University,
Fullerton
Presented Wednesday, August 3 at 6:30 p.m. (Keynote Session)
AEJMC First Amendment Award
Steven Waldman, Report for America
Presented Friday, August 5 at 4:00 p.m.
Dorothy Bowles Award
for Outstanding Public Service
Joe Grimm, Michigan State University
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
Krieghbaum Under­40 Award
Linjuan Rita Men, University of Florida
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
Lionel C. Barrow Jr. Award for Distinguished
Achievement in Diversity Research and Education
Sharon Bramlett­Solomon, Arizona State University
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
Paul J. Deutschmann Award
for Excellence in Research
Annie Lang, Indiana University Bloomington
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
AEJMC­Knudson Latin America Prize
Celeste González de Bustamante, University of Texas at Austin,
and Jeannine E. Relly, University of Arizona, for Surviving Mexico:
Resistance and Resilience among Journalists in the Twenty­
First Century (University of Texas Press)
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
Nafziger­White­Salwen Dissertation Award
Rana Arafat, City University of London
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
Tankard Book Award
Celeste González de Bustamante, University of Texas at Austin,
and Jeannine E. Relly, University of Arizona, for Surviving Mexico:
Resistance and Resilience among Journalists in the Twenty­
First Century (University of Texas Press)
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
2022 Emerging Scholar Recipients
­ Desirée Schmuck, School for Mass Communication Research at
KU Leuven, Belgium, for Modern Political Educators or Sources
of Fake News? Influencers’ (Mis­)Information about Political
Topics on Social Media
­ Jieun Shin, University of Florida, for Evaluating the Quality of
News and User Engagement on Social Media
Presented Friday, August 5 at 2:00 p.m.
2022 Senior Scholar Recipients
­ Carolyn A. Lin, University of Connecticut, for Assessing the Effectiveness
of Interactive Disaster Communication: Piloting a
Storm Preparedness Mobile App
­ Kimberly Mack, University of Toledo, for Rock Criticism in Black
and Brown Publications
Presented Friday, August 5 at 2:00 p.m.
2022 Collaborative Scholar Recipients
­ Amy Huber (student) and Rachel Bailey, Florida State University,
for The Influence of Mediated Healthcare Environments on
Preventative Healthcare­Seeking Intentions
­ Haley R. Hatfield (student) and Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn, University
of Georgia for Do Black Lives Matter in the Empathy Machine?
Creating a Shared Reality to Disrupt Whiteness with
Immersive 360­Degree Videos
­ Teodora Trifonova (student) and Joy Jenkins, University of
Tennessee, Knoxville, for Getting the Truth out: The Professional
Practices and Roles of Central­Eastern European Foreign Correspondents
Covering the War in Ukraine
Presented Friday, August 5 at 1:30 p.m.
Best Practices Competition 2021 Winners
­ 1st Place: Todd Henneman, California State University, Long
Beach, for Invisible No More: Elevating Historically Marginalized
Voices through Audio Storytelling
­ 2nd Place: Adrienne Wallace, Grand Valley State University,
and Regina Luttrell, Syracuse University, for Shifting the Paradigm:
A ‘Diversity First’ Approach to PR Campaigns
­ 3rd Place: Harrison Hove, University of Florida, for Outside the
Box
­ Honorable Mention: J. Caleb Walters, The University of West
Alabama, for Rural Community Engagement: Understanding Difference
Through an Experiential Communications Course
Presented Wednesday, August 3 at 2:30 p.m.
2022 AEJMC News Audience Research Paper Award
Justin Martin, The Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha,
Qatar and Krishna Sharma, Northwestern University for The
Diets of Newsjunkies: Intrinsic Need For Orientation and Hard
News Consumption, Soft News Consumption, and Use of Partisan
and Less­partisan News Outlets
Presented Wednesday, August 3 at 2:30 p.m.
Continued on page 9

PAGE 8 | AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022
Teaching Tips
MANAGING POST-PANDEMIC EXPECTATIONS
FOR OUR STUDENTS — AND OURSELVES
By Emily T. Metzgar,
Professor & Director, School of Media & Journalism, Kent State University
“A ‘Stunning’ Level of Student Disconnection.” “The Great Faculty
Disengagement.” “An Epidemic of Student Disengagement.” The
headlines require no further explanation. We’re operating in a
completely different world than the one we inhabited in early
March 2020. More than 2 years after the first lockdowns and
we’re still trying to figure out what it all means – for us, for our
students, for our institutions. TL;DR: Nobody knows.
But here’s what we do know: We see our students – even the best
among them – struggling to meet deadlines. We see events – Free
food! Free entertainment! — that may have drawn large crowds
in the past now attracting little more than passing interest. And
sadly, we see some of the most vulnerable, least connected students
melting away altogether. Meanwhile, on the faculty side,
we see many of our fellow educators — and perhaps even ourselves
— struggling to maintain earlier levels of enthusiasm. We
see colleagues seeking ways to continue working from home – or
from the road or wherever – rather than seeking to reconnect on
campus. And we find many of our past strategies for engaging and
motivating and encouraging students to be frustratingly ineffective.
If nothing else, the last 2+ years have taught us that we have control
over precious little. But that doesn’t mean we’re powerless.
As instructors, we have the power to exercise flexibility in our
classrooms. We used to meet students halfway. Can we now meet
them two­thirds of the way? This doesn’t mean lowering standards
or expectations. But it does mean showing some grace.
Don’t require students to provide written excuses for absences.
Offer them a certain number of absences with no questions asked.
Welcome them when they show up; follow up with them when
they don’t.
We also have the power to demonstrate leadership. In recent
years it’s been fashionable to lament the lack of grit among our
students. Now that we’re all living through difficult times, this is
our opportunity to show students what perseverance looks like.
When you’re struggling, let them know about it. Let them know
how you’re pushing through. Use the experience as a teachable
moment. Model responsible adult behavior. And remember that
sometimes you may be the only person in their lives who’s doing
that.
As human beings, we seek and thrive on connections. Pandemic
disruptions interrupted – and even destroyed – many forms of
connections. All of us — including our students — are looking for
new ways to connect. To feel that we belong. To nurture ties that
tether us to others. Show your students how it’s done. Share with
them opportunities for connecting with others in your department,
school, college, university, community and beyond. How do
you connect with others? Tell your students about it. Show them
a path forward.
You’ll note that none of this has anything to do with teaching journalism
and mass communication. It’s not about what we teach.
It’s about how we teach. And lead. And live.
It may sound crazy, but I think we are the cure for the current pandemic
of disengagement. What do you think? Agree? Disagree?
On Wednesday, August 3 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. AEJMC’s
Standing Committee on Teaching will host its annual The Doctors
Are In session. This year’s topic is “Re­Engaging After Pandemic
Disruptions.” We don’t pretend to have the answers, but
we do believe that an open and wide­ranging discussion focused
on the myriad challenges associated with engagement (or
lack thereof) can help set us all on a productive path as we look
forward to a fresh start in the 2022­2023 academic year. We
hope you’ll join us on August 3 in Detroit. Check your program
for details about where we’ll be convening this timely discussion.
Emily T. Metzgar is Director of the School of Media and Journalism
at Kent State University and chair of AEJMC’s Standing Committee
on Teaching. She can be reached at emetzga1@kent.edu

AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022 | PAGE 9
105TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE AWARDS
Continued from 7
AEJMC Partner Awards
2022 Gerald M. Sass Distinguished Service Award
Peter Bhatia, Detroit Free Press Editor and Vice President
Presented Thursday, August 4 at 10:30 a.m. (ASJMC General Session)
2021 Scripps Howard Foundation Administrator of the
Year (Awarded in 2022)
David Boardman, Temple University
Presented Wednesday, August 3 at 6:30 p.m. (Keynote Session)
2021 Scripps Howard Foundation Teacher of the Year
Award (Awarded in 2022)
Nicole Smith Dahmen, University of Oregon
Presented Wednesday, August 3 at 6:30 p.m. (Keynote Session)
2022 Gene Burd Award for Excellence in Urban Journalism
Natalie Moore, WBEZ in Chicago
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
2022 Gene Burd Award for Research in Urban Journalism
Studies
Ayleen Cabas­Mijares, Marquette University, and Joy Jenkins,
University of Tennessee, for For the Neighborhood: Examining
the Role of Local Digital News in the Creation and Disruption of
Territorial Stigma
Presented Friday, August 5 at 10:30 a.m. (AEJMC General Business
Meeting)
2022 Frank Luther Mott/Kappa Tau Alpha Research Award
Celeste González de Bustamante, University of Texas at Austin,
and Jeannine Relly, University of Arizona, for Surviving Mexico:
Resistance and Resilience among Journalists in the Twenty­First
Century (University of Texas Press).
Presented Thursday, August 4 at 12:30 p.m. (KTA Awards Luncheon
Session)

PAGE 10 | AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022
AEJMC Senior Scholars
2023 Research Grants
Application Deadline: Friday, September 30, 2022
The AEJMC Senior Scholars Program will award up to two $5,000 grants to senior scholars to fund
PROGRAM INFORMATION innovative and timely research projects in journalism and mass communication. Senior scholars who
are AEJMC members may submit proposals for these grants in the fall of 2022, and selections will be
announced by early January 2023.
The AEJMC Senior Scholars Program is designed to support researchers in a wide area of study. These funds may support research
assistants, travel to research centers or relevant locations, or pay for supplies and services associated with the research. This program
seeks to recognize senior (typically tenured) scholars who aim to engage in extended research projects. For at least one of the two
awards, priority will be given to a project that requires travel. Members holding an endowed professorship or an endowed chair are not
eligible to apply.
Proposals should outline the applicant’s significant research project. Proposals may also be submitted by a team of scholars who would
share the award if selected. AEJMC will showcase initial results from the projects selected for the 2023 grants at a special session at
the AEJMC 2023 conference in Washington, D.C. In addition to the $5,000 grant, AEJMC will also provide $750 for each selected proposal
to assist scholars with travel expenses to that conference.
Deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, Sept. 30, 4:59 p.m. Eastern Time. All application materials should be emailed as one
attachment to Lillian Coleman at lillian@aejmc.org (attachment MUST have a document suffix, such as .doc, .docx or .pdf). All material
should come in ONE file in the order outlined under the “Application Process” section of this call. Incomplete proposals will NOT be reviewed.
See the complete call: aejmc.com/home/wp­content/uploads/2022/07/23­Senior­Scholars­Call.pdf
AEJMC Emerging Scholars
2023 Research or Teaching Grants
Application Deadline: Monday, October 3, 2022
The AEJMC Emerging Scholars Program will award $3,500 research and teaching grants to up to
PROGRAM INFORMATION four research or teaching proposals to encourage innovative and timely projects in journalism and mass
communication. AEJMC members may submit proposals for these grants in the fall of 2022, and selections
will be announced by early January 2023. Deadline for submitting proposals is Monday, Oct. 3, 4:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
The AEJMC Emerging Scholars Program is designed to develop and nurture JMC teachers and researchers by fostering an intellectually
stimulating environment. This program’s mission is to identify, encourage and recognize some of AEJMC’s most promising emerging
scholars by providing funding for research or teaching projects. If requested, proposals selected for funding will be matched with a
recognized scholar to serve as a mentor throughout the project. The mentor would serve as a resource and sounding board for the
project. Proposals should outline an individual’s own significant research or teaching project. Proposals may also be submitted by a research
team, which would share the award amount if selected.
AEJMC will showcase initial results from 2023 grants during a session at AEJMC’s 2023 conference in Washington, D.C. In addition to
the $3,500 grant, AEJMC will also provide $500 for each selected proposal to assist with travel expenses to the conference.
See the complete call: aejmc.com/home/wp­content/uploads/2022/07/23­Emerging­Scholars­Call.pdf

AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022 | PAGE 11

PAGE 12 | AEJMC NEWS, JULY 2022
AEJMC News
234 Outlet Pointe Blvd.
Suite A
Columbia, SC 29210­5667
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Permit No. 198
AEJMC 2022 Conference • Detroit, MI • August 3­6
2022 AEJMC Career &
Graduate Program Expo
AEJMC will host a Graduate Program Expo and a
Career Expo during our 105th annual conference.
The Expos will be a great opportunity to
meet and discuss your organization with our anticipated
2,000 talented attendees, many who
are looking for graduate school and career opportunities.
Your participation in our Expos can
highlight your organization’s activities and programs
or promote a specific program. There are
several avenues for exposure at the AEJMC Conference.
The Graduate Program Expo will take place
Thursday, August 4, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m..
The Career Expo will take place Friday, August 5,
2022, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Take AEJMC’s Career Survey
The Standing Committee on Teaching wants to know what
you think about your career and concerns about your job
and media education.
The goal of this survey—an update to research from more
than a quarter cen tury ago—is to see how concerns have
changed and what is new. Our topics include teaching, research,
service, workplace issues, and other vital issues.
The committee will report preliminary findings during the
annual conference at noon Friday, Aug. 5., and update with
final results later.
Let us (anonymously) hear from you!
Take the survey at this link:
https://universityofalabama.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV
_9mM8DRwn5C95IW2
Or click on the QR code: