"What do you teach?"--An itinerary of years and courses--III

1990--Journalism--the late Woody Gaddis, Lu Hollander, Nancy Brown, Ginny Dodson, Susan Gonders, Dennie Hall.

 Front--Mark Hanebutt, me, the late Charles Simmons. 

Journalism Department, Central State University--August, 1990.

Editing, press theory, feature writing. Rooms 212, 210, 214, communications building. From 10 to 15 students each, I think. Those were my first classes.
My office as new chair had a divider for an adjunct, which I tore out with a hammer. I was one of five full-time faculty--one with release time to advise The Vista, with two adjuncts, and two secretaries, one for The Vista and another splitting duties with the yearbook, The Bronze  Book. We had three classrooms and a dingy, moldy darkroom in the basement, plus The Vista offices in 107, and the Bronze Book behind that.  There was one computer in the department.
The rest of the building included the Communication , department (broadcast, speech and debate) which had the same enrollment as ours but more faculty members and more classrooms, the university public relations offices (where our darkroom is now), the university photographer, KCSC, and  the technology/visual offices where offices are now.

Journalism--late 1990s.

I considered my job as chair to teach, and to grow a department so that our students had equal treatment. I'm fortunate to have helped that come to pass over the years.
Other duties which reduced my actual in-class teaching load from three to then two a semester, plus summers, included 19 years as chair of the Journalism Department and then the merged Mass Communication departments--a fight that took me five years; internship director for several years; yearbook director, interim Vista adviser one summer; and directing the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, now my 20th year.
In the early years, I'm relying on memory, but since 2002 the record is on university computers, so I'm guessing there are about 42-45 different courses at what is now UCO. 
My early mainstays were editing(pre-computer)  and feature writing (last taught in 2o14). Since 2010 blogging for journalists is every semester, and since spring 2013 I've taught 10 intersession twitter for media classes.
More important to me in the roughly 80 semesters I've been a professor, are I'm guessing about 4,000-4,500 students I've been privileged to have in class, many of whom have become good friends and professional colleagues.

#clarkclass, most recent twitter class,  me at left,

After 27 years, it's much different, and as I started counting semesters and different courses taught, I realized there are no photographs of me actually teaching. But there are a  few group shots, mug shots reflecting my aging, and photos with award-winning and favorite students or many at graduation--which is more appropriate. I have several of those, but there are too many to single out one or two here.
The different classes, noting that many have been conducted (I like that better than "taught") repeatedly:

• Fall, 1990-- Editing, press theory, feature writing. 
• 1991-1999--Basic photography, reporting, editorial writing, advanced editing, introduction to advertising, community journalism, journalism of Will Rogers, photo essay, journalism of Larry McMurtry (trip to Archer City bookstore), victims and the media, journalism ethics, newspaper journalism, advanced feature writing, internships, Bronze Book director.
• 2000--Oklahoma centennial journalism, New Mexico study tours, cowboy journalism (Fort Worth train trip), senior workshop, media writing, the press in film,  (Co-taught with Dr. James Baker of history--Vietnam and the press, war generations-WWII and 'Nam,  America's 21st Century wars), 21st Century media leadership, photo essay documentary, Vista adviser, blogging and the media, international media, twitter for. media, history of journalism.

 

Mass Communication, 2016-2017

Retirement clock ticking, comments and more

This story and photo appeared in the online student paper at UCO, The Vista, story by my students Caitlyn Striker, Photo by Aryn Robinson, editor Kateigh Mills.  Thank you. It's symbolic and fitting to me that my first retirement story for an old newspaperman appears online. 
(It was especially emotional and stunning for the outpouring of good wishes from many former students in social media yesterday and today. As a journalist, it helps offset being one of the "most dishonest people" in the country, according to Trump. My students and colleagues knew, I am proud to be a journalist, and of my students who give me hope and energy for the future.) Thank you.

(Aryn Robinson/ The Vista).

Dr. Terry Clark, a longtime UCO mass communications professor, is retiring.

Dr. Terry Clark prepares for his next class in his office in the Mass Communications Building on Jan. 19, 2017. Clark, who has worked at UCO for 27 years, will be retiring at the end of the Spring semester.

By Caitlyn Striker 

May 1 will mark the day that Dr. Terry Clark, the University of Central Oklahoma professor known for his unique and enjoyable classes, will retire.
He will be retiring after 27 years in the Mass Communications Department, where he spent his time as a professor and former department chair, contributing to the evolution of the department into what it is today.
“We have a really good program that I’m proud of,” Dr. Clark said. “We’ve come a long way.”
Dr. Clark has been a pioneer, changing the department in ways that students in recent years don’t know.
“Dr. Clark’s leadership to the department has been invaluable. His willingness to merge the Department of Communication with the Department of Journalism eleven years ago illustrates forward thinking and willingness to take risks for the good of students,”  Dr. Mary Carver, chair of the Mass Communication Department, said.
Clark is not only a professor and former chair, but also a prominent figure in the world of Oklahoman journalism.
Some of Clark’s titles include the Director of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, an Oklahoma Publisher column writer and trustee of the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation.
“His guidance and wisdom have been incredibly important to me as a new department chair the past year. He will be greatly missed,” Dr. Carver said.
His time as professor is coming to an end. The decision came after another birthday passed, and he simply realized it was time.
“One day it was just crystal clear. I said, ‘Clark, it’s time,” Dr. Clark said.
The decision to retire wasn’t an easy one, but Clark said that is how he knows he is making the right decision.
“I’ve put it off because I enjoy what I do,” he said. “With any decision, you’ll find that if you’re leaving for the right reasons, you’re going to miss some things. You’re going to have mixed feelings. That’s a good sign.”
The main thing he said he will miss is the students, however, he may still be on campus as an adjunct professor.
Regardless of his future involvement, one thing is for sure – his kind spirit and lovable personality will be missed by the students whose lives he has impacted.
“His passion for teaching and determination to pour into his students is truly remarkable,” said Mass Communication student, Misty Jordan, “I am going to miss seeing him every day.”
He will also be missed by the professors he has inspired.
“I’m sad to be losing him,” said fellow Mass Communication instructor Desiree Hill, “He is a treasure to our department, but he has impacted so many students that his spirit will be in our department always.”