Doctor Convergence
Prof. Augie Grant: USC's Face Behind Convergence

by Georgia Williamson and Gretchen Burrack

A crazy work ethic and a pile of published research have earned Dr. August “Augie” Grant recognition among his fellow academics as a forerunner in the discussion and teaching of convergence journalism. His passion to be on the cutting edge of changing communication technology has helped the School of Journalism and Mass Communication become an academic leader. 

“Dr. Grant is the face behind convergence. He is out there leading the discussion,” said Dr. Carol Pardun, the School's director. “We get to stay abreast because Dr. Grant stays abreast.”

Grant, who would rather focus on his research, generally blushes when fellow faculty members call him “Dr. Convergence” or the “Convergence King.”

“We should be a convergence hub, but you can’t be the leader of something that is changing every week,” Grant said, explaining that to stay on top, he and other faculty members must continue studying the changing telecommunication environment.

Still, Pardun says Grant’s leadership is undeniable and that the J-school’s annual convergence conference is a prominent example of that leadership.

The 2008 conference in October was the largest since Grant proposed the idea of a yearly convergence conference seven years ago. More than 60 academics and professionals attended to present papers and discuss research related to interactivity and how the Internet is changing the role of journalism.

 In 2003, Grant also launched The Convergence Newsletter to help students, researchers and professionals keep up with technology developments related to mass communication.

After 4 1/2 years as executive editor, Grant passed the torch to his friend and colleague, Doug Fisher, an instructor in the J-school. Under Fisher and a graduate student editor, the number of subscribers has reached 1,000, Grant said.

The same year he founded The Convergence Newsletter, Grant also created the School’s Newsplex Summer Seminars, week long sessions that he says “teach teachers to teach convergence. ” He looks forward to the seminars as a means to expose others to new teaching techniques.

The seminars are taught at the IFRA Newsplex, designed as a training and research tool to help news organizations and communicators understand how audiences use media to stay informed. The J-school is also proud of Grant’s more traditional accomplishments as a professor, such as his three books written, compiled and edited in the past year.

Grant is especially excited about his newest book, Understanding Media Convergence: The State of the Field, published in November by The Oxford University Press. He says it is the first compilation of theoretical work surrounding convergent journalism. Grant co-edited the book with Jeffery Wilkinson, dean at United International College in Zhuhai, China.

Grant and Wilkinson also collaborated with Fisher on the textbook Principles of Convergent Journalism, published in April by Oxford. Grant’s third 2008 book is Communication Technology Update and Fundamentals. Now in its 11th edition, the biennial review is one of the top-selling textbooks in communication technology, providing the latest developments in consumer electronics, electronic mass media, telephony and satellite technology.

Known simply as Augie to his students, Grant is more of a mentoring colleague than a professor. His students rave that his teaching style prepares them for the “real world.” 

“Augie is great. He really cares about his students getting more than just a grade out of the class,” said Tedra Coakley, a master’s student studying marketing management with Grant. “These days it’s rare to find teachers who are passionate about their students' learning, but Augie is definitely the exception.”