1 2009-11-05T15:29:00Z 30 false false true true false false false true false 577 false false false false 1 Angie Goff, BA Communication 2001, is in motion at all times. Goff, traffic anchor, entertainment correspondent, lifestyle blogger and morning fill-in anchor for WUSA-9, joined the Washington, D.C., CBS affiliate in 2007 and has solidified her spot among the area's top media personalities. image/jpeg 2009_June_Hauschka_AngieGoff_Finals-8-666x999.jpg 19154 2009-11-06T15:40:03Z http://news.gmu.edu/articles/1047

1 2009-10-30T13:26:00Z 1 false false false false false false false false false 570 image/jpeg npr.jpg 27881 false false false false 1 With a week to go before Election Day in Virginia. Candidates for Governor will make their final rounds in the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, pundits and party leaders are speculating about the national impact of the race. Mason's Steve Farnsworth joins WAMU's Morning Edition Host Matt McCleskey to talk about the races. image/jpeg npr.jpg 27881 2009-10-30T13:36:38Z WAMU http://wamu.org/news/09/10/26.php#29751

1 2009-06-29T14:22:51Z 1 false false false false false false false false <p>The Department of Communication is busy preparing for the new cohort of MA and PhD students expected to arrive Thursday, August 27th for orientation. Directly following the <a href="../../gradorientation">Graduate Student Orientation</a> for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the department will host a Welcome Reception at 7:00 on August 27th in Student Union Building II (SUB II) (<a href="http://eagle.gmu.edu/map/fairfax.php">see campus map</a>), where students and faculty will have a chance to meet and discuss important issues for the upcoming semester. Please email <a href="mailto:mverdino@gmu.edu">Maria Carabelli</a> to verify your attendance at this important event.</p> <p>All new MA and PhD students should be enrolled in COMM 600 - Introduction to Graduate Studies. Doctoral students who have not previously received permission from Dr. Botan to enroll in COMM 750 should be enrolled in COMM 650 - Research Methods. Students are free to enroll in any other classes for which they have met the prerequisites.&nbsp; Information on course registration can be found on <a href="https://patriotweb.gmu.edu/">Patriot Web</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Parking passes can now be purchased online from <a href="http://parking.gmu.edu/">Parking Services</a>, and student IDs can be picked up in Student Union Building I (SUB I) on the main level. All students should be aware that the department will be housed in Thompson Hall for the 2009-10 academic year, but courses will be taught in various locations around campus. Check your schedule to find the best parking location for each of your classes.</p> <p>All graduate students who will be teaching for the first time at Mason will need to attend the Teaching and Learning Academy during the week of August 24-29. Please email <a href="mailto:btalking@gmu.edu">Brigit Talkington</a> if you have not received information about this important event. The Graduate Student Lounge in Thompson Hall will be open for business beginning August 24th, so stop by and hang out with your new classmates.</p> false 528 image/jpeg iStock_000004429036X.jpg 171074 false false false false 1 The Department of Communication is busy preparing for the new cohort of MA and PhD students expected to arrive Thursday, August 27th for orientation. Directly following the Graduate Student Orientation for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the department will host a Welcome Reception at 7:00 on August 27th in Student Union Building II (SUB II), where students and faculty will have a chance to meet and discuss important issues for the upcoming semester. Please email <a href="mailto:mverdino@gmu.edu">Maria Carabelli</a> to verify your attendance at this important event. image/jpeg iStock_000004429036XSmall.jpg 28288 2009-07-03T17:07:02Z

1 2009-06-09T15:04:41Z 1 false false false false false false false false false 508 false false false false 1 Mason’s Kreps is principal investigator for training contracts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 2007, George Mason University’s Center for Health and Risk Communication has helped public information officers at CDC take their health communication skills to the next level. image/jpeg flu.jpg 29755 2009-06-09T15:40:18Z http://news.gmu.edu/articles/224

1 B.J. Koubaroulis 2009-05-26T15:10:59Z 1 false false false true false false true true <p>So you can't throw a spiral like Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell or make a cutback move like running back Clinton Portis. That doesn't mean you'll never share a locker room with them.</p> <p>This fall, George Mason University's new sport communication minor will offer students the opportunity to gain an understanding of sport mass media, sport reporting, interpersonal and organizational communication.</p> <p>The minor will be particularly helpful for those students seeking employment in sport management or sport media.</p> <p>"This minor provides students with the opportunity to focus on their communication skills and learn something about the sports world from both sides of the business," said Steve Klein, communication instructor and former sport journalist who spent time at USA Today before coming to Mason. "The top three things employers look for on a resume are internships, skill set and knowledge base."</p> <p>Through a cooperative relationship between the Communication Department and the Sports Management program in the School of Recreation, Health and Tourism, students can achieve the minor in 18 semester hours.</p> <p>"It's a natural extension of current interests in both units," said Robert Baker, Director of the Sport Management Program. "This program combines the expertise in sport management with the expertise in communication to enhance student learning and better prepare them for related professional careers."</p> <p>Requirements include COMM 303, COMM 320, SPMT 201 or 304, SPMT 430 and two electives.</p> <p>With a strong local media market in the D.C. metropolitan area and several professional sports teams like the Redskins, Nationals, Mystics, D.C. United, Wizards, Capitals and many other semi-pro teams and marketing organizations, the sport communication minor prepares students for the "reality they will face with an educational background that will help them to be competitive in a difficult, but attainable, workplace," Klein said.</p> false 504 The top three things employers look for on a resume are internships, skill set and knowledge base. This minor combines the reality the students will face with an educational background that will help them to be competitive in a difficult, but attainable, workplace. Steve Klein, director of Mason's electronic journalism program true false false false 1 Communication Department and The School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism team up to offer students more opportunities in sports and journalism Communication Department and The School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism team up to offer students more opportunities in sport and journalism. image/jpeg sportscomm.jpg 33166 2009-08-06T20:22:47Z

1 The Communication Department 2009-05-26T15:07:49Z 1 false false false false false false false false <p>During the annual meeting of the Eastern Communication Association, George Mason University professor Dr. Gary Kreps was honored as one of the of the association's Centennial Scholars.<br /> <br />Participants in the ceremony to honor Dr. Kreps highlighted examples of how he has personally influenced their work, their lives, and the field of health communication.</p> <p>His successful teaching, mentoring and scholarly publications have had a profound impact on countless students, faculty, and health care consumers and practitioners. His unique ability to identify future scholars and help them successfully mold their careers has significantly contributed to the health care communication profession.</p> <p>As an internationally known scholar, Dr. Kreps has personally developed a prolific line of research and has promoted the communication discipline both in the United States and throughout the world.</p> <p>His career has spanned prominent universities and government agencies. He was employed by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, Hofstra University, University of Nevada, Rutgers University, Indiana University at Indianapolis, and Purdue University.</p> <p>Dr. Kreps currently has more than 300 publications, including books, monographs, edited volumes, scholarly articles and book chapters.</p> <p>Dr. Kreps has become one of the country's leading experts in Health and Risk Communication, Health Promotion, Interactive Health Information Systems, and Multicultural Relations.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> false 503 false false false false 1 Mason Communication Professor Honored Dr. Kreps Wins Eastern Communication Association's Centennial Scholar of Health Communication Award. Mason Communication Professor Honored image/jpeg kreps.jpg 10652 2009-06-08T12:53:24Z

1 B.J. Koubaroulis 2009-03-10T14:27:54Z 1 false false false false false false <p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/19/AR2009021901780.html">Washington Post Article</a></p> false false <p>Ryan Allen never thought he'd actually win, but the 22-year-old senior communication major decided he'd run for homecoming queen anyway. Following through on a joke he and his friends had batted around since they were freshmen, Allen entered the Ms. Mason competition as "Reann Ballslee" - a drag queen persona he uses when performing at local nightclubs.</p> <p>He earned more votes than two other women who competed for the crown.</p> <p>Allen, who is openly gay, said he received an overwhelming show of support from the crowd at Patriot Center on Feb. 14, when he was crowned during the men's basketball team's 64-53 victory over Northeastern. Allen, who came to Mason from Goochland - a small Virginia county with a population of about 20,000 located between Richmond and Charlottesville - said that "Mason's diversity creates an amazing learning environment." Since being crowned homecoming queen, Allen has been the subject of a media swirl, but he said that life on campus hasn't changed.</p> <p><strong>Why did you decide to enter the homecoming queen contest?<br /></strong><br />"My friends and I had joked about me running since we were freshmen. As I'm graduating, we figured this was the last chance."<br /><br /><strong>When you entered the contest, did you think you had a chance at winning?</strong><br /><br />"I never thought I would win. I was sure someone would find a loophole in the rules. But, with no protests after the pageant for my name being on the ballot, I was luckily crowned."<br /><strong><br />During the event, how did the Mason student body react to you?</strong><br /><br />"The student body for the most part has been very supportive. There are, of course, those who feel this is a disgrace to the university and they're entitled to their opinion. For me, though, this shows that Mason is a university that celebrates its diversity."<br /><strong><br />Were you shocked by the media attention that followed your winning the crown?</strong><br /><br />"I'm still shocked by all the media attention. I think, for the university, it was no big deal. We have drag events throughout the year. I think the media is blowing this into something bigger than it really is and, personally, I think that if you don't go to Mason, it doesn't affect you, so why does it matter?"<br /><strong><br />How have you been received by the Mason student body since the media attention that followed?</strong><br /><br />"I've had more people recognize me since my interviews and I had over 100 Facebook friend requests."<br /><strong><br />Do you think Mason's diversity allows for a more accepting learning environment?</strong><br /><br />"I think that Mason's diversity creates an amazing learning environment. I think that, by being at Mason, we hear other views and stories that can help us learn more about who we are as people and more about being global citizens."<br /><strong><br />What is your advice to any student considering Mason?</strong><br /><br />"I think that everyone should consider Mason as a great school to look at. There are lots of rumors and misconceptions about the students, the parking, the commuting, but every university has these issues. The one thing [other schools] don't have is the diversity. As one of the most diverse universities in the country, everyone's sure to find some like-minded friends."<br /><strong><br />What are your future plans? Career interests and other interests?</strong></p> <p>"After graduation, I hope to get a job in special events or advertising/promotions. I'm not limiting myself in anyway."&nbsp;</p> <p><em>Photo by Teddy Meyer/Broadside</em></p> false 458 Teddy Meyer/Broadside image/jpeg ballslee_large.jpg 115017 I think that Mason's diversity creates an amazing learning environment. I think that, by being at Mason, we hear other views and stories that can help us learn more about who we are as people and more about being global citizens. Ryan Allen false false false false 1 Allen says his time at Mason has made him a better “Global Citizen.” Ryan Allen, a 22-year-old senior communication major from Virginia, has found what he called an amazing learning environment at Mason. An openly gay drag queen who performs at local nightclubs, Allen recently won Mason’s homecoming queen contest, kicking off a media swirl. But Allen said life on campus is the same as it ever was. Q&A With Ryan Allen – Mason’s Drag Homecoming Queen image/jpeg ballslee_small.jpg 34307 2009-03-16T14:33:54Z

2 2009-02-09T21:43:48Z 1 false false false true false false false true false 442 image/jpeg ResearchSymposiumIcon.jpg 2826 false false true true 1 The College is pleased to announce the 2009 Undergraduate Research Symposium. The symposium will showcase some of the excellent research and creative activity of CHSS undergraduate majors. The symposium is scheduled for April 14, 2009 from 12:30 – 4:00 p.m. in the Dewberry Hall Lobby of the Johnson Center. Additional information and application materials can be found <a href="http://chss.gmu.edu/symposium">here</a>. If you are a Facebook member, the information is available on the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/cp69r5">CHSS Facebook Events Page</a>. 2009-03-18T14:23:48Z http://chss.gmu.edu/symposium

1 Jim Greif 2008-10-01T12:00:00Z false true false false false false false false <p>As the United States enters the final weeks of the 2008 presidential election campaign, the media and the candidates are in full gear exploiting each other, often at the expense of public information and debate on substantive issues, a Mason professor argues in his new book. <br /> <br />In "Spinner in Chief," Stephen J. Farnsworth, assistant professor of communication, details how presidents and presidential candidates use traditional and new media to promote their policies and themselves, even as they are manipulated by the same media they desperately seek. <br /> <br />"Regardless of what the founders intended, American politics now centers on the White House," media scholar and former journalist Farnsworth says. <br /> <br />"With this focus, the modern presidential obsession with public relations and marketing controversial policies undermines the country's long-term ability to deal with crucial problems." <br /> <br />Distributed by Paradigm Publishers, "Spinner in Chief" provides a comprehensive look at presidential communication during the Internet age, paying particular attention to the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. <br /> <br />By detailing media strategies relating to the Iraq War, health care reform, tax and budget debates and the Lewinsky scandal, Farnsworth examines how presidents shift the direction of the news and limit the amount of public debate over policies. <br /> <br />In addition, "Spinner in Chief" looks at how the 2008 presidential candidates are using new media and online communications &ndash; and how rivals and special interest groups are using the same techniques to sling mud and false accusations. <br /> <br />Prior to joining Mason this fall, Farnsworth taught at the University of Mary Washington and Georgetown University, and has served as a Canada-U.S. Fulbright Research Scholar at McGill University. <br /> <br />The author or coauthor of three other books on mass media and U.S. politics, Farnsworth also worked for 10 years as a daily newspaper journalist, mostly with the Kansas City Star &amp; Times. He has led reporter training seminars in India, the Philippines, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on programs funded by the U.S. government. <br /> <br />His current research project compares how domestic and international media cover the U.S. government.</p> false 433 Regardless of what the founders intended, American politics now centers on the White House. false false true false 1 <p>As the United States enters the final weeks of the 2008 presidential election campaign, the media and the candidates are in full gear exploiting each other, often at the expense of public information and debate on substantive issues, a Mason professor argues in his new book.</p> Presidential Politics and the Media image/jpeg sfarnsworth_square.jpg 35732 2009-10-28T00:23:41Z Mason Gazette http://gazette.gmu.edu/articles/12552/

2 Emma Epstein 2008-03-13T15:09:28Z false false false false false false <p><a id="&quot;http://www.gmuforensics.org/pg4results.php|&quot;" onmouseover="&quot;&quot;" onmouseout="&quot;&quot;" href="http://www.gmuforensics.org/pg4results.php">Patriot Games Results</a></p> <p><a id="&quot;http://www.gmuforensics.org/|&quot;" onmouseover="&quot;&quot;" onmouseout="&quot;&quot;" href="http://www.gmuforensics.org/">GMU Forensics Web Site</a></p> false false <p>Although George Mason University has received a great deal of press coverage in recent years for its students&rsquo; success on the basketball court, there is another less-publicized team with a long history of success: The Forensics Team.</p> <p>During the first weekend of December 2007, Mason&rsquo;s forensics team reached out to the community and hosted the fourth annual national invitational Patriot Games tournament for their high school counterparts. Competing teams hailed from 62 high schools representing 20 states across the country, from as far away as California, Iowa, and Florida. The students competed in twelve different events, ten forensics events, including poetry interpretation or storytelling and two debate events.</p> <p>Head Coach Peter Pober founded the competition after arriving at Mason five years ago and said it has become a valuable way for high school and college students to interact within the common context of forensics.</p> <p>Pober said that during the planning of the Patriot Games weekend, Mason students shift their role from competitor to mentor. &ldquo;High school forensics competitors are gaining skills for the first time and as such the learning curve is huge,&rdquo; Pober said. &ldquo;In college, it&rsquo;s those who have done it before taking their skills to another level.&rdquo;</p> <p>Mason students also gain valuable event and project management skills by planning the logistics of all aspects of the competition, from arranging for the provision of food to printing ballots. They also gain composition practice by writing questions for the two improvised forensics events with the guidance of Assistant Director Jason Warren, who Pober named &ldquo;one of the most prominent extemporaneous coaches in the country.&rdquo;</p> <p>Pober also touted the interaction with younger students as a helpful means of identification and recruitment of strong freshman members. &ldquo;In many cases, they [the members of Mason&rsquo;s team] are better recruiters than I am,&rdquo; he said.</p> <p>The champion of the individual sweepstakes was Mike Dahlgren from Holy Ghost Prep, with Matt Wilson from Randolph in second place, and Nick Bateman from Loyola-Blakefield coming in third. The winner of the team sweepstakes was Ridge High School from New Jersey, with Holy Ghost Prep, from Pennsylvania coming in second place, and Loyola-Blakefield from Maryland in third. For full results visit: <a id="http://www.gmuforensics.org/pg4results.php|" href="http://www.gmuforensics.org/pg4results.php">http://www.gmuforensics.org/pg4results.php</a></p> <p>The Forensics Team is the university&rsquo;s most successful academic team. Since its inception in 1971, the team has won more than 14,000 trophies, recently finishing second overall in the most competitive intercollegiate forensics competition of the fall semester, the 60th Annual L.E. Norton Forensics Tournament at Bradley University, Peoria, IL. Learn more by visiting the <a id="http://www.gmuforensics.org/|" href="http://www.gmuforensics.org/">GMU Forensics Web</a> site.</p> false 411 image/jpeg forensics_1.jpg 45798 true false false false 1 The Mason forensics team reached out to the community to host the fourth annual invitational Patriot Games tournament for their high school counterparts. Competing teams hailed from 62 high schools representing 20 states across the country, from as far away as California, Iowa, and Florida. Forensics Hosts High Schools 2008-08-26T13:58:57Z