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Volume 31 Fall 2012

“Communication... it’s not just talk.”

C O N T E N T SWords from the Dept. HeadFaculty Profile, Daniel Dunn, Ph.D.Spotlight on Creativity

Alumni Perspective, Chris KosovichStudent SuccessFaculty and Staff NewsAlumni News

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Students in Professor Tom Roach’s Problems in PR class are answering the call of community service involvement by volunteering at a local animal shelter. The idea originated with the students themselves, who felt a need to offer their services in a productive and helpful manner.

In addition to Richard Chambers and Jim Komarowski, PR students Brianna Sheppard and

Problems in Public Relations StudentsGetting Involved in Community Service

Richard Chambers, left, and Jim Komarowskiphoto, © 2012 Julie Sipek

Darcyana Moreno, a 2000 graduate of Purdue University Calumet, is quickly becoming the newest triple threat in the business of Hollywood feature films. Moreno has written, produced and directed Dark Amazon, an exciting new feature film.

The story hinges on a cure for cancer discovered deep in the Amazon, and a documentary

crew that follows a group of researchers deep into the rainforest. After a series of unexplained occurrences, the medical samples are destroyed, and the crew and researchers must fight their way through the rainforest back to the safety of

Purdue Calumet Alumnus Writes, Directs and Produces New Hollywood Feature Film

civilization. In addition to her extensive work on Dark Amazon, which premiered at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival on Oct. 31, 2012, Moreno directed the 2013 film Arkon Games; directed, edited and produced the 2011 short A Vidente-The Psychic, and edited the 2008 documentary, Johrei.

Dark Amazon was co-written with Peter Aranda, a 2003 Radio/TV graduate of Purdue University Calumet. Peter currently lives in Los Angeles and has spent the last six years working in new media. He is employed at a Latin lifestyle YouTube network, and he is also busy writing his next feature film manuscript.

Darcyana Moreno at the Premier of her 2013 Feature Film, Dark Amazon

Aaron Dormio also took part in the service activities at the Humane Society of Northwest Indiana, located in Miller. In an interview with The Times newspaper, Sheppard stated, “I not only had fun doing the physical walking, petting, and playing with the dogs, but just knowing that I was contributing to the well-being of the dogs was great I am so happy that I was able to help out with the happiness and well-being of the dogs, and if I could do it again, I definitely would not hesitate.”

THE

The Department of Communication and Creative Arts

Fall 2012 vol. 31

Department HeadDr. Yahya Kamalipour

Managing/Publication EditorKenneth P. Bronowski

Additional ContributorsC/CA Faculty and Staff

Guest WritersBrittany FosterChris Kosovich

PhotographyKen BronowskiJulie Sipek

Production ConsultantsDr. Yahya KamalipourDr. William RobinsonDr. Neil NemethProf. Mary Beth O’ConnorDr. Danniel DunnKristine Mihalic

The Communicator is published by the Department of Communication and Creative Arts at Purdue Univer-sity Calumet. A biannual newsletter for alumni, students and friends of the department, its goal is to provide its readers with the latest news and events happening within the depart-ment. Questions and/or correspon-dence are welcome, and should be directed to:

Kristine MihalicPurdue University CalumetDepartment of Communication and Creative Arts2200 169th StreetHammond, IN 46323-2094

www.purduecal.edu/ccaor emailkmihalic@purduecal.edu

© Purdue University Calumet, 2012

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Professors Carilli and Campbell’s New Book Investigates How the Media Portray Women

Yahya R. Kamalipour, Ph.D.Professor and Department Head

A few words from our Department Head...

Department of Communication and Creative Arts Professors Theresa Carilli and Jane Campbell have announced the publishing of their new book, Challenging Images of Women in the Media: Reinventing Women’s Lives.

Through a compilation of 15 articles, the final entry written by Carilli, the book explores projected images, myths and impacts of how our worldwide mass media portray women. Topics explored include

women’s social roles, politics, westernization of women, and racial and sexual identity issues.

When asked about her thoughts on the book’s publication, Carilli said, “Professor Campbell and I unite our interests in feminism and media studies with our second book that addresses issues pertaining to women and

the media. The book strengthens this burgeoning discipline and contributes to a growing curriculum on feminism and globalization.”

Welcome to another informative issue of The Communicator, in which you will read about the accomplishment of alumni, professors, and current students.

I am pleased to report that the department is in the initial phase of a comprehensive “program analysis” with the ultimate goal of strengthening the quality, breadth, currency and timeliness of our degree programs, concentrations, and course offerings.

Highlighted in this issue are the impressive accomplishments of many alumni, colleagues, and students, including a documentary, Dark Amazon, written and produced by Darcyana Moreno; a co-edited new book, Challenging Images of Women in the Media, by Professor Theresa Carilli; a community project by Professor Thomas Roach’s students in Problems in PR course; several photos and graphic designs by the

Visual Communication Design students, and other noteworthy achievements.

As always, we are eager to hear from you! Please feel free to share your good news for publication in the future issues of The Communicator, and also consider contributing to

our Department’s “Gift Fund.” Your contributions will allow us to continue supporting the outstanding scholarly and creative activities of communication majors, such as participation and presentation of papers at regional and national conferences. On behalf of the entire faculty and staff of the Communication and Creative Arts, I congratulate everyone noted in this issue and wish you and your loved ones a Healthy, Prosperous, and Peaceful 2013.

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Daniel Dunn, Ph.D.Faculty Profile a chat with...

“Communication... it’s not just talk.”

A passion for communication drives a rewarding career in education

Daniel M. Dunn, Ph.D., professor of communication at Purdue University Calumet, has had many accomplishments, but considers interacting with students his favorite part of the job.

When Dunn began thinking what he would like to do with his life, he first considered law because of the high income it could provide, and for some people this might work as a career move. But for him, it did not.

“It was the seventies, so I wanted to save the world. I tried sociology, history, but then I met my communications mentor,” he said.

The communication mentor Dunn referred to is Loren J. Anderson. Dunn says he took every communication class that Anderson taught. He explained that he was impressed by the way Anderson identified with his students.

“He helped shape my teaching philosophy. There was no distance, and he helped me with an independent study,” Dunn said.

Having lost both parents at a young age, Professor Dunn believes his greatest accomplishment was beating the expectations of others. He feels he was fortunate to have received an education, but is proud of the fact that he financed it with a job selling shoes. He continued to work throughout his time in college, while still mainly focusing on his studies.

Dunn earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in speech communication from Wayne State University, located in Detroit, and is, to this day still a fan of the Detroit Tigers.

After graduating, Dunn moved to Northwest Indiana to begin teaching at Purdue University Calumet, where he has worked for the past three decades. His extensive range of communication knowledge has allowed him to teach rhetoric and social influence as well as persuasion and communication courses that he currently teaches at Purdue. Dunn has also served as executive dean of Purdue Calumet’s Graduate School, as well as assistant vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, and acting

dean of the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science.

Dr. Yahya Kamalipour, communication department head, has been a colleague of Dunn’s for 26 years, and said that Dunn’s classes are popular and fill up quickly.

“He’s great. Very easy to work with, and amicable,” Kamalipour said. In 2002, Professor Dunn was appointed dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. As dean, his duties included the handling of budgets and allocating of funds to the department. He said that having the opportunity to actively contribute

to problem solving within the school represents a great deal of personal satisfaction.

Further adding to already impressive and still growing list of accomplishments is the fact that, after completing a management development program at Harvard, in 2007, Dunn was asked to teach the program, and he said he enjoyed it.

As much as Dunn enjoyed administrative positions, he loved teaching even more, and this passion brought him back to the classroom in the fall of

2010. He said, “I love the interactions I have with my students. It’s fun. I wanted to get back to my roots.”

Lyndsey Crowley, a former student of Dunn’s Fundamentals of Speech class said,” He made class so fun, I looked

forward to going every week.”

When he’s not busy with teaching responsibilities, Dunn enjoys spending time with his family and friends, watching sports and politics, and staying healthy by running and working with a personal trainer.

Dunn believes that his success in education is a result of his treating others as he would want to be treated, as this helps him to maintain strong interpersonal relationships with his students. In spite of his extensive and wide-ranging list of accomplishments, Dunn does not prefer titles.

Dan Dunn firmly believes that, “Education is the great equalizer.”

“Education is the Great Equalizer.”

byBrittany Foster

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Communication student and avid photographer, Craig Shimko captured the lights, colors and water reflections of Chicago with his photo Chicago Night 1, from the perspective of the Adler Planetarium peninsula.

In Black Star Mountain, Shimko demonstrates his ability to create drama and texture through the use of grayscale natural landscape photography.

Design student Courtney Ballard offers a product package and logo design for a hand sanitizing product, presented in an aesthetically lit and composed photograph.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa provides the image content for a Warholesque silk screen-style graphic treatment in a stamp project by graphic design student Tiara Stout

It is interesting looking back at my overall college experience and seeing how it has prepared me for the work I do today. Even though I am on a different track from where I started out as an undergraduate, all the courses and work experiences I had along the way continue to help me evolve.

While my coursework in under grad focused on behavioral sciences, my work experiences were focused in media related jobs like taking photos and writing stories for the campus newspaper where I later took the role of editor in chief.

Additional part-time media jobs during college included working as a video camera operator and running a local cable access studio for Comcast. I also worked very briefly for a local newspaper. Still other part-time work in college focused on web site development and web technology projects.

These work experiences helped me to see the complexity of communication and the various forms it takes. It helped me see the opportunity that exists for using my expertise to give shape to communication through these various formats.

My undergraduate studies in behavioral sciences provided a good foundation for understanding human behavior but my studies in the Communication and Creative Arts graduate program really helped me to refine my professional understanding of communication. My focus in graduate studies helped me to look differently at the professional work I began doing with web development. It wasn’t strictly about the technical aspects of the web, it was also about the messages that appeared in those websites, the crafting of those messages and connecting those messages with the audiences.

During my graduate studies I worked on more specific web-focused projects like the Global

Alumni Perspective - by Chris Kosovich

Chris earned his bachelor’s degree from Purdue Calumet in 1999 with a major in psychology and minors in sociology and women’s studies. He went on to earn his master’s degree in communication in 2008.

He is currently the founder and lead web communication strategist at Kosovich Media Group LLC.

He volunteers with the Indiana Sailing Association, a non-profit youth sailing organization based on Lake Michigan. He also enjoys the adventures of wilderness backpacking and exploring international travel.

Media Journal website where we began to organize all the issues of the journal which help set the

initial benchmark for the various 18 international editions that exist today.

This work led to other web projects like the Global Fusion conference website and the establishment of the Common Good Journal website along with the initial launch of the Globalization for the Common Good website. I began working professionally with all websites within Student Affairs at the university, balancing multiple projects and focusing on more specific audiences.

I increasing saw how content management systems would play a role in the internet environment that exists today. I wrote a paper about how nonprofit organizations could leverage content management systems to enhance their communication efforts. I presented that paper at an international conference in Istanbul, Turkey.

These experiences helped me to think about the career path I would eventually like to take, and that included thoughts about the start-up of my own business. I recall one particular class in my graduate communication studies that seemed to tie so many things together. It was a course offered by Dr. Robinson about consulting. It helped to shape my current life path as I work today building a business specializing in web communication consulting.

The course helped me to put all the learning I had been doing into a context where I could constantly continue

learning, continue adapting, and open new doors to rewarding opportunities. It also helped me to create a framework where I could use all of the unique experiences I had in and out of the classroom to build something new.

The themes of adaptability and lifelong learning were reinforced during all the stages of my college career. I credit the professors in Communication and Creative Arts with sharpening the focus that has helped me to launch an evolving business with a bright future.

Chris Kosovoch

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“...my studies in the Communication and Creative Arts graduate program really helped me to refine my professional understanding of communication.”

Faculty and Staff News

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Student News

Continuing Lecturer Corya Channing announced that The Purdue Theatre Co. produced a play written by Dr. Theresa Carilli, “The Perfect Garden,” in YJean Chambers Hall. Performances took place on Nov. 9, 10, 11, 17 and 18, 2012.

Directed by Channing, the comedy concerns a “same sex domestic partnership” and a beautiful garden. When an elderly relative requests a special last wish, their world is thrown into disarray.

This is the second collaboration with Dr. Carilli. Her play, “Cat Hoarders Anonymous” was premiered by the company in 2008. That play was recently produced off-Broadway.

Dr. Lee Artz reports the publication of “21st Century Socialism: Making a State for Revolution” in Triple C: Communication, Cognition, Cooperation: Journal for Global Sustainable Information Society, 2012, 10.2, pages 532 to 554.

Artz is also currently serving as 2012-2013 NAIA Faculty Athletic Representative and Athletic Compliance Officer for Purdue University Calumet, and researching and finishing his upcoming book, Diversity without Democracy: Global Media Hegemony and the Culture Industry.

Professor Mary Beth O’Connor recently chaired a panel, “The Dark Side of Teaching: What Ever Happened to Classroom Civility,” and presented a paper, “Classroom Etiquette: Tips for Establishing an Effective Classroom Climate,” at the Broadcast Education Association Convention.

Last semester, O’Connor worked closely with Communication and Creative Arts Department advertising students on their presentation for the American Advertising Federation Student Advertising Competition. The presentation earned a second place in their district.

Dr. Lisa Goodnight has been awarded a yearlong fellowship in the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Office for 2012-2013.

As a Faculty Fellow, Dr. Goodnight is working with Vice Chancellor Ralph Rogers on projects including a campus wide Program and Degree Review, attending various senior-level meetings, and developing new faculty initiatives.

In addition, Dr. Goodnight was one of twelve faculty members selected to participate in the Faculty Leadership Academy in Spring, 2012. The Leadership Academy was sponsored by the Faculty Senate and the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Office to encourage the development of leadership skills.

Marketing students Autumn Cueller, Josh Spiekhout, and Celina Lewis performed a complete overhaul of the Discoveries Unlimited marketing materials over the last three months.

Some aspects of the project included a new sales folder, sales sheets, updates to both their Facebook and Twitter pages. The students also developed a completely new website that can be found at www.discoveriesunlimited.org.

Agency 429, Purdue University Calumet’s Advertising Club, recently launched an expanded website, designed to provide a more comprehensive and interactive outlet for the students to promote their work, as well as a site where agencies can familiarize themselves with the award-winning work that is being done by Purdue University Calumet students.

“These students have been working together as a fully functioning agency for some time now,” said Adviser Matt Hanson. “Building an agency-focused website seemed to be a logical next step. The new site is a reflection of the growth and expansion that we’ve accomplished over the past six years. By next spring, it is our goal to use the website to help influence agency recruiters to head to campus to see us.” To learn more about Agency 429, visit the

“Communication... it’s not just talk.”page 7

Attention Purdue University Calumet Communication Department Alumni! We want to hear from you...

• Name• Name while at PUC, and if changed since graduation• Year of graduation and degree• Address• Home Phone

Please keep us informed about your latest accomplishments and your current contact information. Email your information to,

cca@purduecal.eduPlease email information for the following categories...

• E-mail Address• Information about spouse if an alumnus• Your current business and position• Suggestions for future issue content.

Alumni News

Dr. Constance Harris, Ph.D. successfully defended her dissertation defense on Oct. 19, 2012.

Constance Harris, Ph.D.

Jacqueline Manga Bernardo, a 2012 Communication graduate in Radio and TV production, has been busy producing short promotional videos for Bosak car dealerships. She also keeps their internet presence updated. Further, she recently complete production on convocation videos for PUC, and began an internship at FyeBye Social Media Development group in Merrillville in Nov. 2012. At FyeBye, Bernardo will be training employees in the art of production, and they will train her in social media marketing skills.

new website at www.agency429.com.

Purdue Calumet Alumna Patryce Adria Smith, PhD, recently contacted the department to say hello and to keep us posted on her recent activities. She received her Master’s Degree from Purdue Calumet in 1999, and recently earned her Ph.D. in Natural Health from Clayton College in 2011. Smith is currently working as a Holistic-Natural Health Educator at Aha Moments-Intutive Idea Developments in Collinsville, Okla.

Dr. Dwight K. Perry (M.A., Communication, 1990), has been appointed as the Dean of Academic Affairs, Indiana Dabney University, Hammond, Ind. In this position, he is in-charge of overseeing all aspects of the university’s academic and non-academic operations, including program assessment, faculty development, recruiting, hiring, and other administrative responsibilities.

Harris’ program of study is Learning, Design, and Technology at the College of Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette. The dissertation is titled, Learning about sustainable development: An examination of social network practices of first-year engineering students.

Communication graduate student Laura Roach presented a research paper at the National Communication Association annual conference in Orlando Fla., Nov. 15. This was Roach's second research conference presentation, her first on a national stage. Through the lens of rhetorician Kenneth Burke's Dramatistic Process, the paper she presented detailed the fall of the Kennedy/Johnson administration in the 1960s and the rise of Nixon to the presidency in 1968, a paper initially written for Dan Dunn's political communication class.

"I was extremely excited to share my work on such a recognized level," Roach said. "Dr. Dunn was very supportive in the whole writing process and suggested right away that I try and do more with the paper beyond the classroom assignment," she added. Roach graduated Dec. 2012 and hopes to work in the public relations field.

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Purdue University CalumetDepartment of Communication & Creative Arts

2200 169th StreetHammond, IN 46323

(Return service requested)

Department of Communication and Creative ArtsPurdue University Calumet

www.purduecal.edu

© Purdue University Calumet, 2012