SSU to host Southern Regional Press Institute



Savannah State University (SSU) will host its 58th annual Southern Regional Press Institute (SRPI), “Career Opportunities in the Age of New Media,” from Feb. 26-27, on the SSU campus.

The institute is a twoday mass media conference for high school and college students. Special workshops for elementary and middle school students will also be provided. Registration, available on-site, will begin at 7:30 a.m., Feb. 26, in the lobby of the Kennedy Fine Arts Building.

Media professionals and educators

will lead workshops on media ethics, online journalism, sports writing, career preparation, digital photography, opinion writing, newspaper design, and editorial cartooning.

Other topics include magazine publishing, documentary production, editorial skills and tools, as well as public relations, marketing and advertising.

Topics for middle and high school students include Photoshop 101, InDesign, film and video production, and interviewing and reporting techniques.

Michael Lewellen, vice president of Public Relations for Universal Orlando Resort and former head of Corporate Communications for Black Entertainment Television (BET Networks), will deliver the keynote address during the Milledge-Owens Awards Luncheon starting at 11:30 a.m., Feb. 27, in the King-Frazier Student Center ballroom.

Prior to serving at BET, Lewellen held a number of strategic communications and management roles for companies such as FOX Sports Network, Turner Sports, Nike, and Southwestern Bell Telephone. He holds an undergradu- ate degree in journalism from Arkansas State University and is an accredited public relations practitioner with both the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators.

Kim Gusby, anchor of the Coastal Sunrise morning show on WSAV’s News 3, will deliver the opening address at 9 a.m. on Feb. 26 in the Kennedy Fine Arts Building auditorium. A former instructor with the King- Tisdell Cottage Foundation’s “Legacy” Black History

Program, Gusby has a longstanding record of being active in the Savannah community. When she’s not on the air, you may find her in a local classroom volunteering or making presentations on topics of interest to area students. Also, she has participated in several Christian missions trips to Haiti, where she helped provide food and clothing to some of the nation’s children.

The Southern Regional Press Institute, hosted by the SSU Department of Mass Communications and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, offers workshops in journalism, broadcasting, public relations and other related fields.

Professionals from some of the nation’s most elite newspapers, magazines, public relations firms, community activist groups, and educational institutions serve as presenters.

For more information about this year’s Southern Regional Press Institute, contact Professor Reginald Franklin, general chair and director, at 912-356-2747 or franklir@savannahstate.edu.


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