News & Events: As I see it

They’ve got me—I’ve been recruited to enter the Blogosphere. Trust me, I’m one of the most non-technical people I know—I can definitely survive sans computer, Blackberry, PDA and cell phone. (And, I only pretend that I know what a Blackberry is.) But, I’m up for anything, so here I go…

As managing editor of News & Events, I’ve been asked to help offer an insiders view at our newsletter that reaches nearly 7,700 folks every two weeks. While News & Events and its writing staff is dedicated to sharing an accurate account of campus news, I’m often reminded that News & Events is, at its core, a public relations tool serving a variety of masters.

There are many newsworthy stories that I wish we could openly share with the RIT community like the real story behind the now infamous “Colony-palooza” incident (I don’t know the real story, for the record), or several years ago, the behind-the-scenes prep surrounding former President George Bush’s Convocation ceremony appearance. (The Secret Service and bomb—sniffing canines—on campus to ensure our safety—were way cool.)

There are times that I think others lose sight of what’s important to our readers. Don’t get me wrong—the government funding and grant-related stories that we feature are important too, and this money is crucial to the survival of initiatives and programs that have made RIT what it is today—an outstanding institution.

As a news department, we have made significant strides at deciphering what the RIT community really cares to read about, and I hope we’re a little closer to getting it just right. I’m excited when we feature professors who are changing the way we live and work. I’m amazed (and often dazed and confused) when I filter though our Newsmakers section and read that Professor Robert Bowman co-wrote the paper, “A 250µW 0.042mm2 2MS/s 9b DAC for Liquid Crystal Display Drivers.” What is that? And how brilliant do you have to be in order to co-author something like that?

I would love to run more interesting features on our students and staff—I recall the story of a custodian in Facilities Management Services and his wife who emigrated from war—torn Bosnia in 1996, and came to America to find a better life. His passion for drawing and love for American history led him to create a comic book with characters set in 1800s America, but with dialogue written in his native tongue. His previous creations, painstakingly hand drawn, were lost when he fled Bosnia.

I’m a big fan of Steve Hartman, columnist and former correspondent with CBS’ Sunday Morning, who would agree that everybody has a story, and I hope we can continue to bring you the stories that really matter—and inspire.

There…that wasn’t so bad.