The holiday season is the perfect time to reflect on why we are thankful in the Baylor Department of Journalism, Public Relations and New Media. After completing my first semester as chair of this wonderful unit, I took a walk down memory lane and—although short—it was crammed with reminders of why I am grateful to be a part of the Baylor University family.

Most notably, we have some of the best students on the planet. The profiles in this newsletter highlight the accomplishments of just a few of our alumni—Claire St. Amant, Christi Soto, Lindsey Draper, Tom Belden, Bailey Brammer and Molly Atchison. Many more JPRNM alumni are thriving in the workforce. We would love to hear from you all.

Baylor alumnus Tom Belden, one of the first recipients of the Wilson Fielder Jr. Scholarship, has had an extensive career in journalism, having worked for notable news publications such as the Dallas Morning News and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Having gotten his start at The Baylor Lariat, Belden said that he was able to take what he learned and apply it to professional work outside of college.

For the past five years, Lindsay Draper has made strides in the rankings at the Dallas Cowboys organization, becoming the weekly co-host for the press conference replay. She produces and edits video packages for weekly shows and produces daily reports at the NFL training camp.

Draper graduated from Baylor in 2012 with a BA in journalism. She was in Delta Epsilon Iota Honors Society and Pi Beta Phi sorority. Along with her commitments to schoolwork and clubs, she said she never missed a Baylor football game.

The George’s restaurant on Speight Avenue features a mural of famous Georges that was designed by a Baylor student.

The mural features six famous Georges: boxer George Foreman, country singer George Strait, comedian George Lopez and three presidents – George Washington, George W. Bush, and George H.W. Bush.

Bailey Brammer and Molly Atchison are two recent graduates of Baylor University who are looking to make a difference in the journalism world. They both work as news producers for KXXV-TV in Waco in the Scripps Journalism Career Program (JCP).

The JCP is a program created by Scripps – KXXV’s parent company -- to involve recent graduates in many different parts of the journalism field and give them first-hand experience. This is the first year the program has been in place at KXXV, and Brammer and Atchison were the first two Scripps employees in Waco to enter the program.

Dedicated, committed and perseverant, KWTX-TV news anchor Christy Soto continues to carve her journalism path toward a successful future.

Now in her second year at News 10, Soto said she’s always wanted to work in journalism, and her passion and belief in God opened doors for her to be where she is today.

Claire St. Amant was involved in many things during her time at Baylor, including being a staff writer and city editor for The Baylor Lariat, a member of the club lacrosse team and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

It was her time at the Lariat that eventually led her to her current position as a field producer for 48 Hours.

Baylor alumna Sommer Ingram Dean interviewed NPR’s Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg, discussing the beginnings of her journalism career and her longtime coverage of the Supreme Court.

Two Baylor journalism professors will be presenting their research at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication annual conference in Toronto, Canada from Aug. 7-9.

Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., professor and chair of the journalism, public relations and new department, was one of hundreds selected to participate in the 2019 World Journalism Education Conference, held July 6-9 in Paris, France.

June 16, 2019
(First item) The Black Gospel Music Restoration Project at Baylor University is preserving more than just gospel music. In the past few years, Baylor journalism professor and former Billboard gospel music editor Robert Darden and his team have undertaken the project of restoring and preserving recorded sermons from black preachers in addition to the gospel music. While both are equally important to preserve, finding sermons to preserve comes with a unique set of challenges.

Each summer, we take a look at some of the freshmen who will be joining the Baylor Family come fall. Here’s your first look at some of the members of Baylor’s Class of 2023: * What can’t Lauren Nealy do? Nealy graduated sixth in her class at Denton’s Liberty Christian School, having served as a …

June 5, 2019
Longtime NFL writer with the Houston Chronicle, John McClain, B.A. (Journalism) ’75, is among eight writers and broadcasters who will be honored later this year by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. The eight honorees are the first media representatives selected for induction into the state hall since 2004.

Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez has accepted the position of new department chair for the department of journalism, public relations and new media. She is starting her new position this summer after Dr. Sara Stone retires on May 31.

It is a special joy for me to look back at the accomplishments of our faculty and students this semester because it will be the last time I do so. I am retiring on May 31 after 36 years of being at Baylor.

May 16, 2019
Baylor students Bradi Zapata, Britian Scago and David Humphrey led by Carol Perry, senior lecturer of journalism, public relations and new media in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, created a mural that adorns an outside wall at the original George’s Restaurant at 1925 Speight Ave. Featured on the mural are country music legend George Strait, boxer George Foreman, comedian George Lopez and Presidents George Washington, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

This semester marks the end of a 36-year era at Baylor University for Dr. Sara Stone, who will retire at the end of the semester, and a scholarship has been established in her honor.

The relationship between a student and teacher is unlike any other, particularly in a collegiate environment due to the transformative four years that turn a teenager into a young adult ready to take on the professional world. College professors have a rare front row seat to countless students’ lives as they embark on their first steps toward independence during a vital chapter in their lives. Such an environment provides great potential for students and their professors to have a lifelong relationship, and in several instances in the department that’s proven to be true.

After the retirement of Dr. Sara Stone, Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez will be the new department chair and she appointed Dr. Neill as the new graduate program director.

Dr. Neill said she hopes to continue to keep the excellent record that the graduate students have doing quality research and presenting their findings in conferences and publishing work in journals.

Baylor Student Media continues to be recognized for excellence as the Baylor Lariat, Roundup Yearbook and Focus Magazine racked up numerous awards throughout the 2018 to 2019 school year.

JOU 3376 has gotten a facelift. Dr. Brad Owens, senior lecturer and political science expert, revived the course History of American Journalism and added an innovative twist on the curriculum for the spring semester.

April 23, 2019
Baylor researchers Cassy Burleson, Ph.D., and Mia Moody-Ramirez, Ph.D., reflect on the scheduled execution of one of the three men responsible for the 1998 murder of a black man, who was chained to the back of a pickup and dragged to his death in the small town of Jasper, Texas. Over the past 20 years, the researchers have conducted more than 30 in-depth interviews with those directly affected by the murder, publishing numerous articles as they worked with Baylor’s Institute for Oral History and the American studies program. Burleson is a senior lecturer of journalism, PR and new media in the College of Arts & Sciences, while Moody-Ramirez is a JPRNM professor and graduate program director.

March 17, 2018
AUDIO: Marlene Neill, Ph.D., assistant professor of journalism, public relations and new media in Baylor’s College of Arts & Sciences, discusses top ethics issues facing PR professionals, ethic skills PR professionals are lacking and how other PR professionals can help. (Podcast link at the end of the transcript.)

Professor Macarena Hernández – our Fred Hartman Distinguished Professor of Journalism – interviewed the talented Kenya Barris, creator of Black-ish and overall Hollywood trailblaizer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2019 Sharing Knowledge to Build a Culture of Health Conference taking place in Houston, Texas.

Baylor senior lecturer in the department of journalism, public relations and new media Maxey Parrish received a huge honor on Monday as he was inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America’s (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame. Parrish is one of six new inductees.