March 2016 College News

students with access to the South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival as part of the Advanced Online Media course for the past nine years. This year, the Texas State Innovation lab reception featured various student projects from across campus. SJMC students have had success winning Mark of Excellence Awards in the SPJ Region 8 competition. They will now compete in Nationals. Alumni Accolades Texas State alumnus Christopher Henry has recently landed a job at Edelman, the largest public relations firm in the world, in New York City. Henry is a part of the public affairs team and works with clients such as Microsoft, McGraw Hill Financial and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development (MEDEI). Henry is the former executive director of Bobcat Promotions, a student-run public relations firm on campus, and said that it taught him many valuable skills before graduating. BCFS, a global system of health and human service nonprofit organizations, has named Texas State Alum Yvonne Paris Rhodes as Vice President – Communications. In this role, Rhodes will manage various internal and external communication systems for BCFS and its entities, including multiple nonprofits and social service programs. Before serving as BCFS’ Director of Communications, Rhodes served as Account Executive with an advertising agency in Austin. As Program Director at Southside Community Center in San Marcos, she helped manage the nonprofit’s community relations and marketing efforts, as well as operations at the homeless shelter and social service programs for low-income families. Department Accolades The Texas State University System Board of Regents has approved a new degree in Digital Media Innovation (DMI) in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The new degree, which is scheduled to launch in Fall 2016, is pending final approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in May. At the heart of the Digital Media Innovation degree is the professional demand for graduates who possess an intersection of technology expertise and strong communication skills – for jobs that include news application developers, data and social media analysts and mobile experience producers. Graduates with excellent communication skills are also in demand at technology companies and in startups, and the new DMI major will prepare students with the conceptual, strategic and practical skills for new and emerging careers. Dale Blasingame and Graduate Students covering South by Southwest (SXSW) Yvonne Paris Rhodes BCFS Vice President - Communications