VOL III, No 6

FEBRUARY 1997

COORDINATOR'S CORNER

This month we present Dr. Raj Kumar in the faculty profile. A member of the Communication Department, he will teach "Minorities, Women and the Media" during Spring Quarter.

There are several events of interest coming up this month. The Middle East Center at the Univ. of Utah will host a panel discussion on Women in Middle East Society on 8 Feb.; call 581-6181 for more information. DLSU meeting events include a presentation by Kathryn MacKay and John Lamborn (2/6), a video "Marching for Freedom" (2/13), and a panel on The Barony (2/27) as well as a Valentines Dance. Call 1-888-230-8240 for more information.

On 27 Feb., we have the distinct pleasure of joining a large group of other sponsors in presenting Dr. Michael Kimmel, a sociologist and author who has received international recognition for his work on men and masculinity, including both professional and public articles. He will present a 3:30 pm lecture in Special Collections in the Stewart Library, followed by a buffet and reception from 5 - 7 pm. Still in the planning stage is a possible classroom lecture the following morning. I encourage you to come and to bring students and colleagues for a very enjoyable and informative experience.

Note on your calendar that the Statewide Meeting of Utah Women's Programs will hold its fourth annual meeting on 8 March on the campus of the University of Utah. More information will be forthcoming on the details.

Over the holiday break, we heard from WS graduate Natasha Kap, currently in a master's program at Washington University in St. Louis. She sends her greetings and invites communications with Weber Staters; her e-mail address is nkap@artsci.wustl.edu.

FACULTY PROFILE

Dr. Raj Kumar has been a member of the Weber State faculty since 1974 and he is a Professor and Director of Broadcasting in the Department of Communication. In addition to his departmental teaching responsibilities, he has offered his up-coming course, "Minorities, Women and the Media", for the Women's Studies program on two previous occasions. Prior to his faculty appointment at WSU, he taught and was involved in designing and implementing the broadcast curriculum at Ohio Univ., Boise State Univ., and as a graduate student at Kent State University, where he received his Master's degree in 1971. His Ph.D. degree in mass communication was awarded in 1989 from Ohio Univ., where he studied educational broadcasting in the "third world." In addition to teaching in higher education, Raj also holds secondary school teaching certification and an M.Ed. from Government Central Pedagogical Institute in Allahabad, India, and has experience with public school teaching in India and the U.S. A glutton for education, he holds both Intermediate and Bachelor of Science degrees from St. John's College and a Master's Degree in Science from Agra University, both in Agra, India. Prior to coming to the U.S. for further graduate education, Raj also worked for All India Radio as transmission executive, assistant producer and program executive.

Raj's scholarship efforts encompass many aspects of mass communication with an international and intercultural focus and he has published and presented his work for professional audiences for more than fifteen years. He has recently authored chapters in two books, Cultural Diversity and Global Communication and Communication and Social Development: Perspectives on Theory and Application, and is also currently co-authoring a text in mass communication with Dr. K.V. Nagaraj of Mangalore University, India. He has been a member and/or officer in numerous professional organizations as well. On a recent sabbatical leave, Raj traveled to India to develop an international business communications course that will form part of a new certificate program in international business and economics. His sabbatical activities were supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. While in India, he delivered several invited lectures to university mass communication and journalism departments on the conflict between Indian and Western (notably American) cultures and values and the new communication technologies, just now arriving in India. In the past, Raj has received funding for studies of media in other countries as well.

Raj is active in service to his communities of all natures and at all levels. He has served on many WSU committees and participated as a reviewer of scholarly contributions in his discipline. He has presented public lectures to many groups on India and its culture. He has applied his expertise on mass communication to issues of interest to the community in guest commentaries in the local press.

Raj is married to Priti Kumar who teaches in the English Department as well as for the Women's Studies program. Together they planned for the course in Introductory Hindi offered at WSU this year. They are currently somewhat distracted, however, by the presence of a new grandson, born last summer. Like his namesake, a Sufi poet of ancient India, Kabir has been overfilling their lives with love and joy. Raj can almost make a listener believe that this child really could receive his doctorate and become (like his grandfather) internationally recognized for teaching, scholarship and service, probably within the next ten years!

Congratulations(!) to Dr. Kathleen Herndon who recently became a member of the National Board of Directors of the National Association for Multicultural Education.

CALENDAR

1 Feb. - Phoenix Scholarship applications due.

5 Feb. -Thought Continuum Bookstore presents: City Art from Salt Lake City. Seven writers & poets will read, call 392-3949 for more information.

6 Feb. - Executive Council Mtg. Rm SS137, 3:30pm

- DLSU mtg: Kathryn KacKay & John Lamborn, "Gay & Lesbian History"

13 Feb. - CAREER FAIR, SU Ballroom: Volunteers needed from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. Call 626-6393.

- DLSU presents "Marching for Freedom"

17 Feb. - Presidents' Day Holiday

20 Feb. - DLSU mtg., panel on The Barony

27 Feb. - Presentation and reception, Dr. Michael Kimmel, Stewart Library Special Collections, 3:30 pm.