Jeff Burnside, a reporter for WTVJ, the NBC affiliate in Miami, and a 1989 graduate of the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication, has been awarded the top 20 market award for investigative broadcast journalism from Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. (IRE). IRE is a grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. Burnside's prize was awarded for "Citizenship for Sale," an investigation of a scam targeting illegal immigrants hoping to gain U.S. citizenship. Others awarded a prize for the piece were investigative producer Scott Zamost, photographers Pedro Cancio and Felix Castro, editor Ed Garcia, and assignment desk editor Maria Carpio. Learn more and view report.
Heather Crandall (Ph.D. '06, interdisciplinary) accepted a position at Gonzaga University as director/assistant professor of the master's in communication and leadership studies program. Crandall writes, "I am especially excited to be involved in the Media Literacy Center aspect of the program as well as the interdisciplinary and nontraditional nature of the program. It is in its third year, and with that comes a lot of creativity and challenge."
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Nicholas Inman
The Northwest Watercolor Foundation honored Nicholas Inman (B.F.A. '07) with the Gold Grant Award during an April meeting. The annual $1,500 scholarship was awarded based on Inman's artistic talent as well as his dedication to the visual arts. At WSU, Inman served as president of the Art Student Union, curated several exhibitions, and was director of Gallery III for 2006–2007. He was also named Outstanding Graduating Senior in fine arts by the WSU College of Liberal Arts.
Carli Schiffner (Ph.D. '04, history) has accepted a job as dean of arts and sciences at Yakima Valley Community College. She previously held a tenure-track position and was executive assistant and chief government relations officer for the president at State University of New York in Canton.
The University of Oklahoma Press will publish Jeff Johnson's (Ph.D. '04, history) book They Are All Red Out Here: Socialist Party Politics and Activism in the Pacific Northwest, 1890–1925. The book is scheduled to appear in the fall of 2008.
Armand Garcia's (Ph.D. '06, history) article "The Language That Legitimized the Persecution of Homosexuals in Castro's Cuba" appears in the spring issue of the peer-reviewed electronic journal Cuban Affairs.
Katherine Aiken (Ph.D. '80, history) has been named dean of the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences at the University of Idaho. Her appointment as dean began July 2.
Dwayne Mack (Ph.D. '02, history) has an essay on "The Black West" in the newly published anthology Making of the American West (ABC/Clio, 2007). The volume is part of the new series Perspectives in American Social History.
Trumpeter Matthew Postle (B.M. '04, music performance—jazz) was awarded the Sir Jack Lyons Research Scholarship from the University of York, where he is beginning his Ph.D. this fall. The award covers full tuition and provides a generous living stipend. Postle's first solo album is due out in August and includes a guest appearance by Ron Miles (cornet), Postle's favorite trumpeter for the past 8 years. Also featured is Seattle-area keyboardist/sampler Derek Terran. Postle is playing a number of Northwest shows in August as well [see schedule]. In May, Postle attended the Banff International Jazz and Creative Workshop, which he described as "incredible.... The faculty was amazing, and we had over 70 participants from all over the world. It was a great oppurtunity, to say the least."
The Chronicle, College of Liberal Arts, Washington State University