Associate Professor Mike Igoe (far right), joined by fellow higher education faculty, at the BEA national conference in Las Vegas.
Department of Communication Associate Professor Mike Igoe served on a panel, “The Role of Student Media in Recruiting,” at the national conference of the Broadcast Education Association (BEA) in Las Vegas.
“Showcasing Student Media” – how to engage students in aiding the recruiting effort – was the focus of the report given by Mr. Igoe, who teaches journalism courses and is the advisor of Fredonia Radio Systems.
Igoe found conference sessions to be helpful in staying current with what’s taking place in the broadcast industry from both academic and media professional viewpoints. “I always bring back a lot of useful information which I do incorporate into the classroom. It's all part of helping my students land a job in media,” he said. “Twenty-first century media has high expectations of the skills students must have in order to be hired.”
The four-day conference featured hundreds of panels and training sessions that addressed numerous teaching, research or technology subjects. Sessions focusing on broadcast regulation developments and marketing were found by Igoe to be especially useful in his role as advisor to the student radio stations.
Serving on the panel alongside Igoe were faculty members from Point Park University, Furman University, San Francisco State University and Pima Community College. BEA features educators from all over the world, he noted.
BEA is considered the premiere international academic media organization driving insights, excellence in media production and career advancement for educators, students and professionals. Its annual convention traditionally produces over 250 sessions on media pedagogy, collaborative networking events, hands-on technology workshops, research and creative scholarship and the Festival of Media Arts.
Members of BEA share a diversity of interests involving all aspects of telecommunications and electronic media. One its goals is to provide training and resources which ultimately prepare students to enter the media.
The conference, held April 15 to 18, was co-located with the National Association of Broadcasters conference that commemorated its own 100th anniversary.
