Indianapolis Star Associate Editor Russ Pulliam is becoming a familiar face in Elder Hall, as he makes regular trips to visit with IWU Convergent Journalism majors. Pulliam is one of several professionals speaking to the “Advanced Newswriting and Reporting” class this semester, taught by Dr. Kyle Huckins. “I believe in staying current with the trends in the professional world, and talking with those on the front lines of news is a great way to do that,” Huckins said.
The class is made up mainly of junior and senior journalism majors. Many of them also heard Pulliam speak last spring at a special IWU colloquium dealing with convergence across media platforms.“I appreciated how engaged the students were in understanding the changes we are going through in the news business, and they asked very good questions,” Pulliam said.
Students said they enjoyed the visit., particularly the personal attention from the seasoned newsman.“Part of the difficulty in the field of communications is knowing the right people. Pulliam was extremely helpful in providing me with contacts I’ll use as I prepare to enter the international journalism field even while I’m still a student at Indiana Wesleyan,” said Molly Meyer, a senior journalism major. “In the end, it might be one of the names he gave me that makes all the difference in getting my dream job.”
Other journalists slated for the semester come from Hispanic Link News Service, Salem Radio Network, NBC News and other local, regional and national outlets. A new guest will come each week of the semester.