Internships

You will be strongly encouraged to participate in an internship that will give you hands-on experience in real-life situations that will be invaluable in future employment or entrance into graduate school. Recent internships have included the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Fox-TV News in Philadelphia, Williamsport Sun Gazette and Citizen's Voice newspapers, Trenton Thunder Baseball public relations, Philadelphia Force sports broadcasting, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts, Sherman Advertising Associates, XM Satellite Radio, Comcast SportsNet, Clear Channel Radio, Beholder Productions, RDF Media in New York, The Franklin Institute, BET Network, and more.

Facilities

You will learn by experience while participating in campus media. The campus newspaper has a modern computer production facility including desktop graphics and scanners, CD-ROMs, digital photography, Web interface and the page-assembly program used in commercial newspapers.

The 2,300 sq.ft. digital color television studio
is supported by a 16-input chromakeying switcher, a graphics computer supporting
Adobe Photoshop CS and After Effects software, and a complement of field production equipment. There are several editing bays and a teleprompter system. The digital radio studio is equipped with compact disc and mini-disc recorders and a PC-based computer system for digital audio editing.

Hands-on Learning

The Eagle Eye
The campus newspaper, the Eagle Eye, is staffed entirely by students. You can join the staff your freshman year even if you don't have reporting experience. There are positions available for editor, staff reporters or photographers, ad sales representatives, financial manager and guest writers.

Havenscope
This TV news magazine program is produced entirely by students and is taped every Wednesday afternoon in the modern, state-of-the-art TV studio. Here are some of the positions available for you:

• Anchor - news, sports, weather, entertainment
• Show Host
• Cameraperson
• Audio, VTR, video editing
• Producer, director, graphics specialist

WLHU Radio
You can have your own radio show with
WLHU, the university's radio club. The format
is left to our students' creativity and programs are broadcast daily on the Internet from 3 pm to 1 am.

Clubs and other Opportunities

You may join the Society for Collegiate Journalists (SCJ). Activities include field trips
to media hotspots such as ABC News or the New York Times.

In addition, you may join HavenCast, a club associated with the university's Sports Information Office. You will get experience in sports announcing and production by handling various positions in the cable TV and Web
radio coverage of LHU sports.

You may also write for the university's marketing and communications or sports information offices or contribute to the university's yearbook, Praeco.

Our Faculty

All Communication Department faculty have their doctoral degrees and years of teaching experience. Your small classes are taught by these professors, not graduate assistants.

Dr. Matthew Girton (2001) Department Chair
Ph.D. Florida State University
Specializing in leadership, conflict management, organizational communication, training and development.

Dr. Patrizia Hoffman (2002)
Ph.D. Penn State University
Specializing in reticence, communication incompetencies, diversity, and intercultural communication.

Dr. Karen E. Kline (1987)
Ph.D. Penn State University
Specializing in broadcast, media studies, and advertising & public relations.

Dr. Connie Reece (1998)
Ph.D. Penn State University
Specializing in humor, business and organizational communication, job interviews, and resume writing.

Dr. Lisa Riede (1998)
Ph.D. Penn State University
Specializing in performance, interpersonal communication, public address, and
rhetorical studies.

Dr. Sharon B. Stringer (2000)
Ph.D. Penn State University
Specializing in print and radio journalism, advertising, and media studies.

Clubs

You may choose to join the LHU Communication Club which offers you opportunities that may include performing oral interpretation at university events, helping with Earth Day activities, and assisting students in general education classes.

By joining the Rho Delta Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta, the honors society of the National Communication Association, you can pursue leadership opportunities at the regional and national level.

You are also welcome to join the nation's oldest national collegiate forensics organization, Pi Kappa Phi, which conducts forensic events such as debate or poetry readings, on and off campus.

Real World Experience

Many Communication courses send you outside of the classroom to demonstrate what you have learned... analyzing and evaluating the communication at the Post Office, developing a public relations campaign for the YMCA, or organizing a volleyball tournament for charity, for example.

Internships & International Learning

Internships are required for our majors to gain hands-on experience in real-life settings. Recent internships have included the Center for Psychology and Counseling, Switchback Public Relations and Marketing, the First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem, and Hershey Foods. You are also encouraged to study abroad for a semester at one of more than twenty partner schools in countries such as Morocco, Mexico, and Russia.

Career Opportunities

Recent graduates are employed at Centre Daily Times, Millbrook Playhouse, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. and Blue Cross of Northeast Pa., to name a few. Our alumni are also working in higher education administration, corporate training, and the ministry. Others have pursued graduate degrees in human resources, theology, counseling, and communication studies at schools like Drexel, Kent State, and the Princeton Theological Seminary.

For more information, contact:
Dr. Matt Girton, Chair
Department of Communication

What our
graduates say...

Andrew Shearer '85
President & CEO,
Royal Broadcasting, Inc.

Lock Haven's “electronic sandbox” was truly an opportunity to develop skills that are applicable in today's broadcast landscape.The curriculum led right back into the campus newspaper, television station, and radio station, where I got the chance to try news, sports, sales, programming, management, on air,
and even events planning. The opportunity was there,
it was simply up to me
to take it.

To me, Lock Haven has always been a step ahead in connecting the in-class work with the in-the-field work. Bigger schools may have more “stuff,” but your opportunity for hands-on may be limited due to competition. Smaller schools may not be able to offer the full array of opportunity available at “The Haven.” What is needed in today's competitive media environment is the opportunity to try, and
I got that at LHU.

Becca Gregg
Metro Reporter, Reading Eagle Company 
"One thing I really enjoy about the program is that it's large enough to offer a great selection of courses, while at the same time being small and intimate enough that the professors really know you and care about your progress. Classes teach you the fundamentals, and extracurricular activities give you the experience needed to truly understand what
you are doing and feel comfortable doing it. I've been involved with Havenscope since the first semester of my freshman year and am now executive producer. I was selected for a great internship at a Pittsburgh television station. I probably never would have been so successful in my internship had it not been
for the confidence and skills
I learned through the Communication Media program."

Adam Roberts
Print Journalism
"The Communication Media program is eclectic, which is really important for a field that is so vast. The way the program is set up, a student can get a taste of three different career paths
(print, broadcast, and advertising/public relations) and still graduate in four years. The courses are designed to give you real world practice with specific
skills, and the connection between classes and extracurricular activities is very important. Getting involved is the most important thing you can
do in college. With what
Lock Haven has to offer, there is no better place
to find your niche and expand your talents.

Clifton Lorzier
Broadcast
"I enjoyed all aspects of the Comm Media program, including TV/radio production as well as advertising and the laws and ethics of hard news. I worked with the HavenCast sports broadcast club, wrote for the Eagle Eye, and hosted shows for WLHU radio. I want to be a sports writer and analyst for ESPN or work in radio or public relations/advertising.
The program has given me knowledge that is applicable
in all of these fields."

Justin Walker
Advertising/Public Relations
"LHU is a great place to learn, because the class sizes are kept small. You are able to work more hands-on with the teachers and gain close ties with the students in your major. I did an internship working as the sole public relations and advertising employee for an entire museum. It was a great experience where I got to use what I learned from LHU in the real world. I learned a lot and was able
to bring that knowledge
back to my classes."

Marcelle Stoppay
Advertising/Public Relations
"The small class sizes provide students with one-on-one attention which strengthens the student's ability to perform successfully. Our faculty
are professionals who are eager to serve students, whether it is about an assignment or about your future plans in the field.
I enjoy how diverse the program is. Every class had projects and assignments that allowed me to use my creativity and think outside-the-box. I fell in love with Advertising and PR. I enjoy creating my own ads and newsletters, as well as working with a team to create campaigns."

Erin Hipple
Print Journalism
The extracurricular activities at LHU really help to enhance the Communication Media classes, bringing to light the concepts you learn in the classroom. I have been involved on campus with
Havenscope as a news anchor, the Public Relations office as the student activities editor, the Admissions office as a student ambassador, the Crucible literary magazine
as an editor, and the Eagle Eye campus newspaper where I started as staff reporter and became
editor-in-chief. Off campus,
I was a radio news reporter for 92.1 The Mountain and a staff writer for the Lock Haven Express.

Bryan Janke '04
WPVI-TV/DT -
Action News, Philadelphia
Chyron Super User/Operator

I pursued many different avenues at LHU to help me narrow down my career choices. My professors and club advisors were there to give me pointers and help me turn what started as something I did for fun, into a career. My classes at LHU gave me a strong foundation in writing, and working in the TV studio gave me a well rounded knowledge of what really happens behind the scenes. This “jack of all trades” style of learning paid off when I was able to fill multiple roles in my first job out of school. I have worked with people who have attended much more expensive schools, and they are still working their way up the News ladder, moving from one small market to another. Out of school, I started at a small cable station and after less than 2 years was able to land a job at the top station in the nation's 4th largest market. I attribute much of my success to all that I learned at LHU.

Daniella “Dani” DeLuca '06
Communications Specialist, New Mexico State University

I have used virtually every piece of information I picked up at Lock Haven University to get where I am now. The Communication Media professors were nurturing and knowledgeable. I submerged myself in nearly every club or organization having to do with writing, broadcast or journalism. My internship in Washington, D.C. and part time hours at the local newspaper and in the university public relations office gave me the hands-on experience necessary to start on my communications career path. If you have a passion for what you do, you will go very far. My passion for communications began at Lock Haven.

Erin English Palermo '99
Producer, abc27 News Daybreak, Harrisburg, PA

A producer must be able to work in a high-stress environment, be organized, and have good attention to detail and excellent communication skills. What I love about my job is knowing that viewers counton ME to tell them what they need to know before they head off to work or school. I also love the fastpaced environment and writing last-minute breaking news under deadline pressure.

I chose LHU because of the hands-on opportunities and the range of classes the Communication Media program offers. Working in the campus TV studio helped me prepare for my career in TV news because I got to experience first-hand what goes into putting together a show and getting it on the air.

Jeff Fleishman '81
Cairo Bureau Chief, Los Angeles Times

My coverage territory is the Middle East. My day depends upon the story: a profile of a Nile fisherman; children living through the war in Iraq; terrorist cells in North Africa; human rights struggles in Saudi Arabia; Palestinians fleeing across the Gaza border into Egypt; the black market sale in human organs. I enjoy traveling to different lands and cultures. Journalists, especially foreign correspondents, are storytellers. It's about twining together details, places, voices, people into snapshots and narratives of life.

LHU taught me to think sharper, analyze better, and to write with perspective, voice and authority. I learned about the wisdom of the First Amendment, the ideals of Jeffersonian democracy and the importance of a free press. But most valuable was how to look at news
from all perspectives so stories would have resonance and impact.

Jennifer Keaton '98
Public Relations Manager
Republican Caucus of the Pa. House of Representatives

The Communication Media program provided me with the strong foundation I needed to become successful. It was there that I wrote my first stories, conducted my first interviews, covered my first local government meetings, dealt with my first criticism from readers in the local community and reacted quickly when my first sources fell through and Plan B was needed - fast. Someone interested in journalism need look no further than LHU to find a well-rounded and diverse media program. The best training for a future journalist is to write, and that is strongly emphasized at LHU. When I switched careers from a print reporter to a public relations professional in 2002, I was one step ahead of other applicants because of my diversified background.

Jennifer Rickard '97
Editor, The Daily Times, Salisbury, Md.

Because the news is constantly changing, every day is a new challenge: how can I present stories and information in the best possible way for readers? There's a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. I like the fast-paced nature of the job, working on deadline each night, as well as the fact that tasks are wrapped up daily and the next day begins with something new. LHU prepared me very well for my career. The courses taught me everything from the basics -- writing a lead -- to the more advanced aspects of story writing and editing, including communication law. I was able to learn the skills I needed for a successful career in journalism. The opportunities for hands-on experience in my case, at the Eagle Eye were great. I learned to use the newspaper layout software that I still work with today and generated clips that helped me land my job.

Karlo Ruiz '00
Public Information Officer
State of Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission

A lot of other institutions put PR and Advertising into separate majors. That forces you to choose a single dedicated path rather than learning all of these things. LHU's program allowed me to delve into these areas and more, making me an asset to all of my employers. I'm able to develop both advertising and public relations strategies. I can write copy for collateral materials and effective press releases. The Communication Media program broadens your field of knowledge, making you more likely to get a job regardless of business conditions.

LHU offers a complete communications program but at a scale that allows for personal interaction between students and professors who are willing to put in the time if you're willing to put in the effort. You'll find bigger programs but you'll be hard-pressed to find a better one.

Sarah Wojcik '08
Staff Reporter, Easton Express-Times

I absolutely love my job's variety. Writing feature stories about individuals overcoming hardships or controversial issues in the community never bores me and luckily, there are always plenty of both. A career in journalism means you will always be learning and discovering new perspectives about the world around you.

Without a doubt, LHU's wide-range of programs, classes and extra activities have prepared me to succeed in our multi-media world. The Communication Media program is full of open doors. The intimacy of the program is part of its strength. There is no limit to the different areas where students can try their luck, talent and passion.

Tanya Henderson '88
Advertising & Membership Relations Director
Suburban Newspapers of America (SNA)

My major was Journalism and I love to write so that helps me every day in my position. I also was the advertising manager for the Eagle Eye and was able to utilize my creative skills and learn the newspaper business along with my internship at the local newspaper office. I really enjoyed my time at LHU. The classes were very relevant and I moved directly into the newspaper business, starting the day after graduation. I never changed careers. I love what I do!

Take a good look at Lock Haven University, it's a great place to learn, make longlasting friendships and envision your bright future.