EDWARD MULLINS (ED)
Professor Emeritus of Journalism (effective January 2007) Adjunct Faculty (current) Department of Journalism Box 870172 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 3818 Oak Colony Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 Cell: 205-246-3334 Home: 205-349-2006 E-mail: mullins@jn.ua.edu, lemullins13@aol.com Born February 26, 1936, Enterprise, Alabama |
 |
Dr. Ed Mullins |
Married, Penelope H. Mullins
Four children, 11 grandchildren
Education
1974, Ph.D., Mass Communication Research
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cognate areas, political science and psychology
Major professor, Dr. Maxwell E. McCombs
Dissertation: “Mass Communication on the Campus during the 1972 Presidential Election: A Descriptive and Causal Analysis”
1966, M.A., Journalism
The Ohio State University
Cognate area, political science
Major professor, Mr. Paul Barton
Thesis: “The New Journalism: An Investigation of Interpretive Reporting”
1958, B.A., Journalism
The University of Alabama
Minor, English
Major professors, Mr. Charles Scarritt and Mr. John Luskin
Current
• Professor Emeritus, Journalism
• Active member of UA graduate faculty at The Teaching Newspaper, a UA/Anniston Star program leading to a master’s degree in community journalism
• Associate, Center for Community-Based Partnerships, a program of the UA Office of Community Affairs
• Director, Multicultural Journalism Workshop
Career
50-year career in higher education, professional journalism and the military
25 years in administration, teaching, research and outreach during our College and University’s rise
to national prominence
Major team accomplishments (shared with many colleagues)
• Achieved national accreditation for all mass communication programs
• Recruited an internationally acclaimed faculty in a comprehensive college
• Completed major fund drives, facility renovation and equipment upgrades
• Increased enrollment while raising admission and curriculum standards
• Increased scholarship and program funds
• Developed nationally acclaimed multicultural program
• Established Capstone Poll (with political science)
• Expanded high school media and outreach programs
• Achieved top 20 ranking among similar schools and top 10 in research
• Gained approval to offer Ph.D. program, now one of nation’s highest rated
• Joined top endowment peer group (UNC-Chapel Hill, Florida, Missouri, Texas)
• Developed active alumni association
• Established nationally acclaimed research center
• Continued reputation as national leader in public television and radio
• Upgraded to fully digital college
• Received “college” status after approval of Ph.D. program
• Expanded career center that attracts employers from throughout Southeast
• Became campus leader in student affairs and advising programs
• Won national journalism, advertising and debate competitions
• Received $5 million grant to establish “Teaching Newspaper” master’s program
• Established Alabama Center for Open Government, founding co-chair.
• Directed state’s first open records survey (2003) and co-edited report
• Made online journalism a key component of curriculum
Summary of Administrative Experience, Awards and Honors
At Ohio State, supervised the campus daily, The Lantern, and taught advanced undergraduate courses. At Chapel Hill, directed the Ph.D. program for two years; at UA, served as associate dean for 6 years (including two as director of the Capstone Poll and three as coordinator of research for the College), dean for 13 years and chair of the journalism department for 8 years.
From 2001-2006, was the Blair and Nan Behringer Distinguished Professor of Communication. Served as chair of our re-accreditation self-study committee every sixth year from 1977-2006.
Chaired ACEJMC national accrediting committee, which oversees all site visits for first time and re-accreditation, 1985-86.
Established Alabama Center for Open Government in 2000 and received that organization’s first Sunshine Award, which subsequently was named for me, in 2004.
Received UA’s Outstanding Journalism Alumnus (1995) and the College’s Distinguished Service Award (1996).
Received Auburn University’s Distinguished Special Achievement in Journalism Award for leadership in journalism education and community journalism in 2007.
Received AEJMC’s Robert P. Knight Award for Multicultural Recruiting for leadership of UA’s Multicultural Journalism Program in 2007.
Production Skills
Adobe CS 3 – InDesign, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, Illustrator, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Soundbooth
QuarkXpress
iMovie
Final Cut Express
Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint
Panasonic PV-GS320 Mini DV Digital Camcorder
Canon EVS Digital Rebel XT Camera DS126071
SPSS 13
Video iPod.
Undergraduate courses taught (some cross-listed as graduate courses)
Beginning, advanced, specialized, public affairs, depth and multimedia reporting
Beginning, advanced, magazine and online editing
Feature, editorial and magazine writing
Community journalism (editorial, circulation, management, finance, advertising, leadership)
Newspaper, magazine and online design
Internships (setting up, supervision and evaluation)
Visual journalism, including still and video journalism
Media management
Teaching of journalism and school publications (jointly with College of Education)
Journalism issues and ethics
Graduate courses taught
Producing community journalism
Communication theory
Communication research methods
Political communication
Thesis direction
Project direction
Directed 11 master’s theses at UA and 40+ master’s project. Served on 6 dissertation committees at UA. Directed two dissertations at UNC.
Innovations at The University of Alabama
• Introduced engagement learning to journalism classes. Students cover news in local communities in partnership with local media, helping people tell their stories in under-served areas.
• Directed community journalism field trips to small newspapers to help improve grassroots journalism in state and spread UA brand.
• Conducted readership studies, redesign and other services for small newspapers under grants from Alabama Press Association and/or host newspaper. With Jim Stovall and students, developed Dateline Alabama, award-winning news Web site of the College.
Professional Media Experience
• 2007. Directed special reports for The Teaching Newspaper published in The Anniston Star
• 2007. Edited and designed special publications and produced Web sites for Black Belt Community Foundation, Center for Community-Based Partnership and other clients
• 1958-1959. Reporter and city desk editor, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution
• 1960-1963. Reporter, then editor, the Fort Hood Sentinel, in Texas, a military weekly, while on active duty. Served as editor during Reserve Duty summer campus, 1961-64.
• 1961-1964. Reporter (one year), managing editor (two years), Temple Daily Telegram. Covered local government and politics for 21,000-circulation newspaper. As managing editor supervised 18 full-time staff and two bureaus. Paper won dozens of state press awards. My stories won first place awards in spot news (Hurricane Carla, 1961) and community service (1962). Supervised major stories: Hurricane Carla, Kennedy assassination, and NATO training exercises in Europe. Served as newspaper, TV and radio reporter for our group. Taught journalism and advised student newspaper of Temple Junior College (1963-1964).
Part time, Consulting, Professor in Residence
• 1957-1958. Sports correspondent, the Dothan Eagle
• 1962-1964. Public affairs officer, 90th Infantry Division, reserves, Austin, Texas
• 1964-1969. Copy editor, special assignment writer or coach for the Dayton Journal Herald, Dayton Daily News, Columbus Citizen-Journal, Columbus Dispatch and publications of the American Dental Association
• 1969-present. Editorial, research, training or operations consultant for mass media and other industries. Have served as consultant for more than 100 newspapers, magazines and other media operations. Frequent expert witness in legal cases involving readability, intellectual property and journalistic standards.
Selected Presentations, Seminars and Workshops for Industry Groups
• Conducted more than 250 workshops and seminars for industry and academic groups on topics ranging from writing and layout to interpersonal communication to newsroom leadership.
• Selected as one of nation's top 20 communication deans in the 1980-90s by the Freedom Forum to study needs of journalism education for the 20th Century.
• “West End Journal: Building Bridges to Advance the Democratic Arts,” presentation, Outreach Scholarship Conference, October 7, 2007, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI.
• “Teaching the Causes of Poverty in the Journalism Curriculum,” Poverty Coalition, Raleigh, NC, January 10, 2004, with Carmen Brown.
• “Alabama Center for Open Government: A State-Wide Resource, ” Alabama Broadcasters Association, May 2001.
• “Alabama Center for Open Government: a State-Wide Resource,” Alabama Press Association Annual Convention, July 2000
• “Effects of Brief Work Trips on Students’ Career Choices and Publishers’ Attitudes Toward Journalism Education,” National Newspaper Association, Boston, September 1999.
• “Journalism Alumni Publications Can Boost Program’s Image,” with Jim Terhune and Meg Lamb, ASJMC Workshop, San Antonio, December 1998
• “Strategy and Elements of Successful Capital Campaigns,” ASJMC Winter Meeting, Atlanta, December 3-5, 1993.
• “What Journalism Education Needs from Newspapers,” Southern Newspaper Publishers Association Journalism Education Committee, New Orleans, March 15, 1991.
• “New Directions in Journalism Education,” Circulation and Readership Committee, American Newspaper Publishers Association, Washington, DC, September 28, 1990.
• “Marketing and Selling Newspapers in the 1990s,” seminar, Multimedia Newspaper Advertising Directors (with Alan Dennis), Montgomery, AL, September 25, 1990,
• “Attracting Students to the Newspaper Profession,” SNPA Education Symposium, New Orleans, June 1989,
• “Fund-raising in Journalism/Mass Communication,” to Journalism Education Symposium, Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, Atlanta, July 1985.
• “Mass Media Usage in Alabama: Report of a Statewide Survey,” to convention of Alabama Broadcasters Association, Tuscaloosa, AL, January 1983.
• “Community Newspaper Readership in Alabama: Report of a Statewide Survey,” to convention of Alabama Press Association, Montgomery, AL, February 1982.
• “Newspaper Research in Journalism Programs, ” to Education Committee, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington, DC, February 1978.
Frequent State of the College reports to constituencies (Alumni Association, Alabama Press Association, Alabama Broadcasters Association, COC Board of Visitors and others).
Selected Research and Other Publications
Articles and chapters
“Make My Day and Other Tactics for Gaining Access,” Quill Magazine, February 2004
“Value of Napping,” Tuscaloosa News, April 8, 2003.
“Changes Needed in UA Athletic Department, Tuscaloosa News, February 2, 2002
"Powerful Speech," Tuscaloosa News, October 2, 2001.
"Will Sept. 11 Change the Face of Journalism," Birmingham News, October 21, 2001.
"Coverage of Poverty by Alabama Newspapers," in Poverty Coalition Proceedings, 2000, pp. 28-40.
“Journalism Alumni Publications Can Help Program Image,” ASJMC Insights, Summer 1999.
“Community Journalism Course Increases in Popularity,” Alabama Publisher, Winter 1999.
“Accept the Challenge,” Ideas Magazine, February, 1997, Vol. 10, No. 7, p. 23.
“The Next 125 Years for Alabama Newspapers,” Alabama Publisher, July 1996, pp. 10-11.
“Empathy: antidote to media’s unacknowledged bias,” Mobile Press Register, P. C-1, C-6, July 14, 1996.
“First, We Are Free to Express What We Think,” New York Times Regional Newspapers Group commissioned article, November 17, 1991 (appeared in 18 Sunday newspapers of the NYTRNG), celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights.
“What Journalism Programs Need from Newspapers,” SNPA Bulletin, November 1991, Special Report, pp. 1-5.
“Diversity in Journalism and Mass Communication Education,” ASJMC Insights, Spring 1991, pp. 25-29.
“In Favor of Accreditation,” ACA Bulletin, January 1991, pp. 32-35.
“The Basics of Accreditation Under ACEJMC,” ACA Bulletin, April 1988, pp. 54-57.
“Task Force Report on Liberal Arts and Sciences in Journalism/Mass Communication,” ASJMC Insights. October 1987, pp. 3-14. Also reprinted in Journalism Educator.
“First Person Reporting Yields Good Stories, But There are Hazards," Journalism Educator, July 1976, pp. 36-38, with Richard R. Cole.
“Content and Format Characteristics of Competing Daily Newspapers,” Journalism Quarterly, Summer 1975, pp. 257-264 , with David Weaver.
“A Spelling and Grammar Crisis,” Editor & Publisher, August 16, 1975, pp. 34-35, 42, with Thomas A. Bowers and Richard R. Cole.
“Stop Throwing My Paper in the Petunia Bed,” Grassroots Editor, March-April 1975, pp. 3-8, 23-24.
“Competing Daily Newspapers: A Comparison of Content and Format," ANPA News Research Bulletin, December 1974, pp. 3-36, with David Weaver.
“Young Voters and the Mass Media,” ANPA News Research Bulletin, August 1974, pp. 13-20, with Max McCombs.
“Why People Subscribe and Cancel,” Mid-Atlantic Circulation Bulletin, November 1974, pp. 4-5.
“Why People Subscribe and Cancel: A Start-Stop Survey of Three Daily Newspapers,” ANPA News Research Bulletin, April 1973, pp. 1-28, with David Weaver.
“Consequences of Education: Media Exposure, Political Interest and Information-Seeking Orientations,” Mass Comm Review, August 1973, pp. 27-31, with Max McCombs.
“Journalism is its ownself,” in Wm. David Sloan, et. al., Mass Communication in the Information Age, Vision Press, Northport, AL, 1996, p. 439.
“Organizing and Planning for Research,” in Nancy W. Sharp, editor, Communications Research: The Challenge of the Information Age, Syracuse University Press, 1988, pp. 145-148.
“Agenda-Setting and the Young Voter,” in Donald L. Shaw, et. al., Emergence of American Political Issues: The Agenda-Setting Function of the Press (St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing Company, 1977), pp. 133-147.
“Journalism and the New Technology,” in Roy L. Moore, et. al., Gathering and Writing News: Selected Readings (Washington, D.C.: College and University Press, 1975), pp. 153-159.
“New Reporting Techniques: The Sample Survey,” in Moore, et. al., Gathering and Writing News (1975), pp. 127-148, with Rebecca Denny.
Textbooks
The Complete Editor, Alynn and Bacon, 2006, 325 pages, second editor with Jim Stovall
On-Line Editing, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1984, 291 pages, with Jim Stovall and Charles Self
Gathering and Writing News: Selected Readings (Washington, D.C.: College and University Press, 1975), 296 pages, with Roy L. Moore and Richard R. Cole
Research Reports
• Newspaper Readership in Alabama: A Statewide Community Press Survey, Communication Research and Service Center, The University of Alabama, 1981, 52 pages.
• Telephone Solicitation of Lapsed Member-Viewers of the Alabama Public Television Network, Communication Research and Service Center, 1981, 52 pages.
• Where They Went to Work, How They Got There: A Survey of School of Communication Graduates, 1976-1978, Communication Research and Service Center, The University of Alabama, 1980, 87 pages.
• Public Perception and Mass Media Coverage of the Energy Issue: An Information Shortage? Communication Research and Service Center, 1978, 26 pages, with Ray Carroll.
Served as editor of a series of research reports published and distributed by the Communication Research and Service Center from 1980-1983.
Book Reviews
Zay N. Smith and Pamela Zeckman, The Mirage (New York: Macmillan, 1979), in Journalism Quarterly, Summer 1980, pp. 354-355
Phillip Knightley, The First Casualty (New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1975), in Journalism Quarterly, Summer 1976, pp. 350-351
Jonathan Daniels, The Gentlemanly Serpent and Other Columns from a Newspaperman in Paradise (Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1974), in Journalism Quarterly, Summer 1975, pp. 359-360
Otto Lerbinger, Designs for Persuasive Communication (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1972) in Journalism Quarterly, Winter 1972, p. 763
Other Conference Presentations
“Telling Your Story: the Advantages of Class,” Leadership Alabama Conference, Tuscaloosa, 2002
“Bridging the Digital Divide,” Leadership Alabama Conference, Demopolis, Ala., May 1, 2001
“Increasing Pluralism in Journalism and Mass Communication Education,” presentation to Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication Convention, Los Angeles, April 21, 1991
“What Should Be in a J-School, Anyway?” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, August 12, 1990, Minneapolis, MN
“Report on Liberal Arts in Journalism/Mass Communication Programs,” Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication, New York, April 1987
“Doctoral Education in Communication at The University of Alabama,” American Journalism Historians Association, Charleston, SC, 1987
“Public Perception and Mass Media Coverage of the Energy Issue: An Information Shortage,” U.S. Public Policy Forum, Tuscaloosa, AL, October 1978, with Ray Carroll
“The Spelling and Grammar Crisis Revisited,” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Madison, Wisconsin, August 1977, with Thomas A. Bowers and Richard R. Cole
“The Wayward Bus and the 1976 Presidential Campaign,” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Madison, Wisconsin, August 1977, with Robert Friedman
“Spelling and Grammar: Their Importance to Journalism, What J-Schools are Doing,” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Ottawa, Canada, August 1975, with Richard R. Cole and Thomas A. Bowers
“The Coming of Age in the 1972 Election: Media, Messages and the Images of Youth,” Conference on Agenda Setting, Syracuse, NY, October 1974
“Agenda-Setting on the Campus: The Learning of Issue Importance in the 1972 Election,” Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Fort Collins, Colorado, August 1973. First place graduate student paper, Mass Comm and Society Division, AEJMC.
Other Publication and Editing
Various articles, columns and commentaries on issues in communication, media and education in The Birmingham News, The Tuscaloosa News, The Mobile Press Register, alumni publications and other newspapers, magazines and newsletters. Wrote regular column on coaching the professional writer for Newspaper Division Newsletter, AEJMC, 1988-1990.
Major Grants and Contracts (since 1983)
Gannett Foundation, Knight Foundation, Hearst Foundation, Dow Jones Newspaper Fund, Alabama Press Association Journalism Foundation, Alabama Broadcasters Association, Mercedes-Benz International, Medical Association of Alabama and others for Minority Journalism Program, Community Journalism Network and others totaling $1.5 million, 1983-present.
As director and co-founder of the Capstone Poll, conducted surveys and produced reports for state agencies, media organizations and professional associations. Clients included Mobile Press Register, Birmingham News, University Relations Office, Auburn Extension Division, Alabama Public Television, a number of political candidates, WUAL-FM, The Tuscaloosa News, the Alabama Press Association, Alabama Power Company, $250,000, 1978-1983.