AEJMC 2008 Election
Jan Slater's Platform
Well, here we are in another election year! You’ve no doubt heard plenty of debates, seen too much advertising, and more than enough sound bites from stump speeches. David Mindich and I agreed to not spend a lot on our campaigns, and as of this writing, neither of us have been endorsed by anyone. We have yet to find anyone to drive us to work each day, or anyone to write our speeches. This will probably be the only “news” coverage we earn. You get one opportunity to hear from us. No doubt, this will be the most civilized contest of the year.
When describing my first AEJMC convention experience, I relate it to having a back stage pass at a rock concert. I was in the presence of the scholars whose work I was reading in my graduate classes. Oscar Gandy was the discussant at my very first paper presentation. In just one session – Ted Glasser, James Carey, Ellen Wartella, George Gerbner, Sharon Dunwoody, and Mel DeFleur were on the same panel. I was star struck! But the big impression was yet to come – when these “stars” went out of their way to engage me, a graduate student, in conversation. The comments Oscar made in my paper session continue to influence and guide my research. James Carey welcomed me into a conversation he was having with George Gerbner about the rituals of television violence. By the time Ted Glasser joined in, I thought the AEJMC convention must be the greatest place on earth. Disneyland for scholars!
I enjoy telling this story now to my own graduate students and new professors coming to the academy, because I believe the generosity and accessibility of these scholars is one of the endearing qualities of AEJMC and our annual meeting. Here our most accomplished scholars and our newest recruits come together for a journalism and mass communication “love-in”. I never fail to leave the convention excited and full of new ideas for teaching and research. Each year I am re-energized to meet old friends and new colleagues as we join together to face the new challenges in our industries and within our own university communities. This is what frames my loyalty to our organization, and would guide my work as your vice president. This organization has been both a teaching resource and a scholarly foundation for me since I entered the academy almost 14 years ago. As an officer, I hope to help the organization continue to be this haven for others.
Our members are excellent scholars and the most outstanding teachers. We are making incredible strides in managing the lightening speed changes occurring in our industries, while trying to enhance, keep up, effect, understand, and incorporate the new challenges in our classrooms and in our scholarship. How do we keep AEJMC distinctive and yet adapt and incorporate “what’s next”? That must be our focus in the years to come.
For the past four years, I have worked within the Council of Divisions to represent, support, and strengthen one of the most important pillars of this organization. This is a true strength of our organization – the diversity of disciplines and scholarship, and the respect for our differences.
Today, I serve as a member of the AEJMC Strategic Planning Design Team. For more than a year, this group has worked with our members and our constituencies to gain insights and set goals that will help determine our practical vision and where the organization could be or should be in the next 3-5 years.
Where do we go from here? In the recent strategic planning sessions, the discussions range from how can we have more of an international presence to how do we make AEJMC the “go to” source for the industries we serve. We have a strong membership who shares the common goals of a free press with the highest ethical standards keeping watch on a democratic society. How do we use our scholarship and our teaching to make a difference in the professions that we serve, in the world in which we live? How do we respond to the daily challenges of our professions, while teaching the next generation of journalists for jobs that don’t yet exist and channels of distribution that have yet to be discovered?
The point of course, is that our world will be in constant change. We must be prepared to manage it. It would be an honor and a privilege to help strengthen our future. Fundamental values and competencies will remain, but we cannot be “traditional” journalism and mass communication programs – because there is no such thing as “traditional” journalism. We should be driving the future and be a resource for those who are directing traffic. We should be a voice – perhaps not THE voice – but a voice – for the industries we serve. We need to promote excellence in scholarship and quality education and make them more valued by our university officials as well as industry members. All of this comes under the umbrella of this fine organization. Let’s make journalism and mass communication education and scholarship important beyond the confines of AEJMC. Let’s make AEJMC a prominent voice in the advocacy of a democratic press. Let’s be the leader in producing the next generation of scholars and practitioners. Let’s build this future together – and continue to be in awe of those who went before us and leave the breadcrumbs as they did – for those yet to come.