Guest Speakers - Spring 2008

Each semester the Gaylord College hosts guest speakers from around the world.  Dean Joe Foote and other faculty members invite professionals with distinguished careers in each of the College’s areas of emphasis to give students a broader view of their potential career field and the world. These guests spend time working with students in practicums, lecturing in classes and speaking in sessions open to the general public.

Vince Aversano, editor in chief of The Rotarian magazine

April 10, 2008

Vince Aversano spoke to Kathryn Jenson White's Magazine Writing class and to Dr. Katerina Tsetsura's Introduction to Public Relations class about the challenges of working for a nonprofit and the similarities to the for profit world.

Aversano was born in New York City and graduated from Marquette. For the past six years he has worked at Rotary International in Evanston, serving as the editor in chief of The Rotarian magazine. Additionally, he manages the activities and personnel of the entire Communications Division encompassing publishing, broadcast media, internet, and photography. He oversees a full-time staff of 50 employees including magazine editorial and advertising, publications, web site, and film departments. He also manages the 31 editors of Rotary’s licensed international magazines. Vince has more than 20 years in the publishing and communications world, much of which has been devoted to launching and re-launching consumer, custom, and association publications and web sites.

Phil Harding, retired executive, BBC

March 24-27, 2008

Phil Harding, former executive and editor at the BBC, visited the Gaylord College of Journalism & Mass Communication at the OU the week of March 24-27. Harding spent time working with broadcast news students in the OU Nightly newsroom. Harding also had the opportunity to attend the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters annual convention in Oklahoma City with Dean Foote and other faculty members.

Harding retired from the BBC in 2007 and is now a professional journalist and media consultant speaking at colleges and conferences worldwide. He has recently been made a fellow of the prestigious Society of Editors. Harding’s career at the BBC began in 1969 and encompassed a variety of editorial and managerial positions that placed him in charge of many of the BBC’s most prestigious programs on radio, television and in recent years online. Harding served as the BBC’s chief political adviser in 1995 and 1996, when he left the BBC, he was in charge of all English language output on the BBC World Service.

Nicholas Kristof, two-time Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist

March 3, 2008

New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof was the opening keynote speaker for the "Dilemmas of Global (In) Security" symposium hosted by the School of International and Area Studies. Prior to his keynote address, Kristof met with Gaylord College students for an intimate Q & A session and discussed his career and the challenges of reporting in Darfur. Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his groundbreaking work during China's Tiananmen Square democracy movement and for his recent work uncovering the genocide in Darfur.

For more about Kristof, see the article in the March 3rd Daily.

Doug Feaver, Change in the communications industry

February 18-22, 2008

Doug Feaver, veteran journalist with 29 years of experience at The Washington Post newspaper and former president of the Online News Association, was at Gaylord the week of February 18-22. He talked to students and the campus community about some of the significant changes in the communications industry that he has seen over the past two years. Feaver is a graduate of OU and former Norman Transcript reporter.

Orville Schell, Covering the War in Iraq and China

February 12, 2008

Orville Schell was invited to the OU campus by the Gaylord College and Pete Gries, Director and Associate Professor, Institute for US-China Issues. Dr. Schell spoke about issues with U.S. Press coverage of the War in Iraq and of China. Schell is currently the Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley, and the incoming Arthur Ross Director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society.