School of Communication Studies Alumnus Earns Distinguished Teaching Award

Baker University awarded School of Communication Studies alumnus Joe Watson, Ph.D., one of its prestigious teaching awards for his extraordinary dedication to broadening the horizons of students and exhibiting superior moral judgment and character in the classroom.

Watson, associate professor of mass media at Baker, was honored with the Jennie Howell Kopke and Verda R. Kopke Award for Distinguished Teaching during the university's May 2014 commencement ceremony at in Baldwin City, Kansas. "It is an incredible honor at my institution to receive this award," Watson said. "I think what makes it all the more meaningful for me is that we truly have exceptional faculty at Baker."

Watson earned his Ph.D. in Mass Media and Organizational Communication from Kent State University's School of Communication Studies in 2005. He views his time at Kent State as invaluable to his growth as both an academic and a professional. "I knew they had great faculty in the School of Communication Studies," Watson said. "I knew if I went there, I would come out with a great experience and a valuable degree. I never felt like I was just a number because the faculty were always interested in what I was doing."

Watson, a 15-year television news veteran, two-time Emmy Award recipient and former public information manager for Cleveland Metroparks, has worked for several networks around the country, including Cleveland's WUAB-TV and WKYC-TV. He worked as a reporter, producer, executive producer and managing editor before relocating to Kansas to teach broadcasting, media law and public relations at Baker.

Reflecting on his time in academia as both a student and a professor, Watson said, "I have found that when students recognize there's more to college than just getting to the finish line, they really enjoy and value the process. Embrace it, and try to get the most of it."

POSTED: Friday, September 12, 2014 04:32 PM
UPDATED: Thursday, March 28, 2024 07:17 AM
WRITTEN BY:
Dylan Bolino

Strong written and oral communication skills are essential to the practice of law. Communication Studies is one of several majors that students at Kent State can choose for the university’s 3+3 partnership with area law schools. We caught up with three alumni from the School of Communication Studies to explore how an undergraduate communication studies major prepared them for the study and practice of law.

The class, Global Perspectives Book Club, has become a refreshing classroom experience for students; it’s structured as a student-led, seminar-style class, so the students have an important role in deciding the course content and discussions. In addition to expanding their reading library, they’re gaining exposure to new cultures and learning how to empathize with those they are reading about through a storytelling and communication lens.  

As a Kent State student, Michael J. Houser, ’11, learned the value of good communication, and those lessons have propelled him throughout his career.

"From the first class to the last," he says, "you are assisted in learning the necessary skills to advocate and organize."