September 2, 2009

New faculty add fresh perspective to School's mission

by Tenisha Waldo

Three fresh faces – Drs. Kathy Roberts Forde, Miron Varouhakis and Sei-Hill Kim – are helping the School of Journalism and Mass Communications move forward in its mission to offer top-notch education from top-notch educators.

This fall, the new faculty are bringing a wealth of knowledge to the J-school, each shining in his or her element.

Dr. Kathy Roberts Forde
Dr. Forde, a media historian interested in literary journalism and media law, is an award-winning author working on her second book.

But she found herself at a crossroads years ago when she considered becoming an attorney. Her interests were in poverty law and the death penalty, and although she had applied and enrolled at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to pursue a law degree, she decided at the last minute that she would rather study and write about law than practice it. She reapplied to Chapel Hill’s journalism school, where she studied media law and history in earning her doctorate.

The assistant professor earned her bachelor’s from the University of the South (Sewanee) in Tennessee and obtained her master’s degree from Middlebury College in Vermont. Her work has been published in several national publications.

Dr. Forde taught at the University of Minnesota for four years before coming to SJMC. She and her husband, Jack, were eager to move their 8-year-old daughter, Zada James, closer to family back South and away from the chilly weather.

She said she was attracted to the state’s flagship school being a major research institution. An additional perk, she said, is being able to work with the J-school’s director Dr. Carol J. Pardun, who was one of Dr. Forde’s mentors at Chapel Hill.

“Being able to work with her again was incredibly appealing,” Dr. Forde said. “I’m really lucky it all worked out.”

Dr. Forde’s bubbly personality and innate enthusiasm for helping her students become analytical thinkers are telltale signs of her love for her new job.

Besides teaching, her other loves include reading, spending time with family and running. She competed in Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota last summer and is training to race in Charlotte’s Half Marathon in December. See full bio>

Dr. Miron Varouhakis
Dr. Miron Varouhakis, a visiting assistant professor, is sharing with his students his ups and downs from working seven years as journalist in the field. As a foreign correspondent for The Associated Press, he has covered everything from security of the 2004 Olympic Games to the Iraq War to international politics, among other things. His professional experience also included working for a daily newspaper in Greece where he covered defense, foreign affairs and human rights.

He said working for the AP was certainly high pressure but rewarding. “It was a lot of work, and I mean a lot of work,” he said with a chuckle.

In academia, Dr. Varouhakis has had his work about qualitative and quantitative research techniques published in several peer-reviewed publications. He created a manual for interviewing victims of torture that was published online by the Victims & the Media Program at the journalism school of his alma mater, Michigan State University.

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to be able to do those kinds of stories in a way that is humane and respects the victims or survivors,” he said.

His goal is to train future journalists on how to have compassion for victims of trauma, rape and torture. They are special cases and professional journalists should approach their interviews delicately, Dr. Varouhakis said.

He said students taking his research methods and writing courses should expect to take away critical thinking processes and an ability to identify and execute stories.

The J-school’s growing popularity and the program’s national recognition brought him to Carolina, he said, adding that “the faculty is excellent. I felt at home right away.” See full bio>

Dr. Sei-Hill Kim
Dr. Sei-Hill Kim has traveled the world and has developed an impressive catalog of tastes: Guam is far away but is a good place for shopping and golfing. Cheju Island of Korea is beautiful, an ideal place for golf. All of Japan is amazing. Try the sushi and Japanese ramen, if you go. Careful at the casinos in Macau! But enjoy the fabulous mixture of Chinese and Portuguese cuisines there. Hong Kong is always No. 1 for shopping and dining.

Oh yeah, and, “Alaska is a place you must travel in your 50s when you can truly understand ‘being a part of the nature,’” he said.

Dr. Kim is truly a character, and his students may look forward to being entertained but certainly engaged in his classroom. The associate professor described his teaching style as Informative and rigorous, but still enjoyable.

Dr. Kim has had his research about communication campaigns published in a number of journals. Dr. Kim joined SJMC’s advertising and public relations sequence after teaching at Auburn University in Alabama for the past five years.

The J-school had piqued his interest. “I have heard so many great things about how the School is taking off, including support for research and great teachers,” Dr. Kim said.

Outside of the classroom, he said he likes to spend time with his family – wife, June, and children, Paul, 8, and Leanna, 4. He loves playing video games and enjoys “learning something amazing” when he watches Animal Planet.

“Did you know that some birds are intelligent enough to use tools (small wood sticks) to catch worms?” he said, excited to share the little known fact. “Did you know that an albatross sometimes flies 5,000 miles, without landing, to find food?  Did you know that hippos are vegetarians?”

That’s Dr. Kim for you. Asked to describe his personality in three words, he answered, “You will see.” See full bio>