journoprof

Dateline’s Chris Hansen with our Journalism 1 class.

There’s nothing like a bit of star power to add some zing to a field trip. So when Chris Hansen emerged into the corridors of Dateline’s offices to press the flesh of some very excited SUNY Purchase Journalism 1 students yesterday, I knew the field trip had just gone from great to fantastic.

I had to smile when someone called out,”Thanks for catching all those predators, Chris.” (Was that you, Corinne?) Hansen, a Dateline correspondent, known for the hugely popular series “To Catch A Predator” was extremely charming and spent some time talking to the students about journalism and his job. He gamely posed for endless photographs, which really seemed to be the highlight of the trip.

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SUNY Purchase students in the audience at The Trisha Show as the theater fills up

About 50 SUNY Purchase journalism students were in the studio audience during a taping of The Trisha Show last week, getting an up-close look at a media extravaganza.

The show is in the style of The Jerry Springer Show and The Maury Show and stars a British host, Trisha Goddard. It most certainly is NOT JOURNALISM. But it was educational, and there was a lot to talk about afterwards.

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SUNY Purchase Journalism Faculty, from left to right, Donna Cornachio, MaryAlice Williams, Virginia Breen, Ross Daly, Andrew Salomon and Tara George

Dust does not gather under the feet of the journalism faculty at SUNY Purchase! It’s been a banner year for us this year. Here’s how:

Our esteemed co-ordinator, the unflappable Ross Daly sealed his commitment to this fine institution by earning tenure and promotion. You may now address him as Associate Professor Daly if you bump into him in the hallway. Woo-hoo!

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It’s been a hard slog for SUNY Purchase journalism professor, Andrew Salomon, and his dedicated crew of staffers, but The Beat is finally out and they are celebrating tonight with a launch party. All are welcome: today, Sept. 19, at  The Stood from 5:30 onwards.

There’ll be food and drink. But, more importantly, there’ll be performances by beat-boxer, Spencer Polanco, and Purchase band, Coyote Campus.

Independently funded by 96 backers who donated over $5,000 through Kickstarter, The Beat is what SUNY Purchase has been crying out for: a publication about music and arts on campus that showcases the work of journalists, editors, designers and photographers as well as the artists and musicians they feature in their pages.

To critics who say that print is dead and that digital is the way forward, Prof. Salomon, in his memorable Letter from the Publisher, says: “I don’t care.” And in my experience, neither do many students, who, though they may be digital creatures are often drawn to tangible products like vinyl records and glossy print magazines.

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That’s Mary Alice Williams in blue behind Al Roker looking as comfortable in front of the camera as ever. She was back on the Today show this weekend to celebrate 25 years of weekend broadcasts.

Williams, who is assistant professor of journalism at SUNY Purchase, co-anchored with Garrick Utley from 1989 to 1993.

Here’s the Purchase College write-up on it which gives the highlights of her stellar career in TV, including her stint as one of the founding forces behind CNN.

Mary Alice Williams on Weekend Today before and after

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Journalists Kyle McKenzie and Thomas Falletta (standing). Picture courtesy of Lisa Nguyen.

The journalists trounced the historians 8-1 this year in the Fourth Annual SUNY Purchase KickNic on the Great Lawn Monday afternoon.

Evidently, not only do we journalists write the first draft for them, we have to school those historians in the art of kicking a giant red rubber ball into the wide blue yonder!

Scores of journalism and history majors turned up. Some to play. Others to cheer. Many to eat. Journalism alums were also in attendance, including Jessica Glenza and Mike Zacchio, both gainfully employed as journalists, I might add. Mike as a sports reporter at The Journal News, and Jessica as a reporter at Main Street Connect.

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Update: Weds April 25. They made their target! The Beat is officially funded. But the fundraising continues. The staff would like to raise as much as they can to be able to sustain the magazine and turn it into a permanent institution at Purchase.

Journalism Prof. Andrew Salomon and his dedicated team are sooooo close to making the $5,000 they need to launch a new music magazine for Purchase.

But they still need a little more. Can you help?

Last I checked, 65 people had already donated and they just had $800 to go. Click here to access their Kickstarter site and donate.

The magazine is not set to debut until next Fall, but they already have a Facebook page with updates about the Purchase music scene, and an able editorial staff has been assembled. Purchase journalism alums, Briana Rodriguez and Scott Duwe are heading up the masthead. A slew of the journalism program’s top talent have signed up to be staff. The articles for the first issue have already been written, the photos have been taken, Purchase design students have created the mag’s logo and page design. They just need the money to print.

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