Schools to Share Information Technology Expert

Kent State University announced that Josh Talbott will transition to an information technology position in its School of Communication Studies and School of Visual Communication Design.

Talbott first discovered his passion for technology in high school at Kent Roosevelt where he participated in an electronics vocational program. When he began his undergraduate work at Kent State University, Talbott became involved in TeleProductions, Kent State’s professional video production center. He worked there throughout his undergraduate career where he received a reputation for being able to do what full-time employees were doing.

Talbott later transitioned into a position in the university’s audio-visual services where he was able to help with the installation of new technology across campus. After the extensive renovation of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s Franklin Hall in 2007, Talbott was hired as the school’s senior media specialist to aid students and staff in using the building’s new technology. During his first few years with the school, Talbott continued his education, earning a master’s degree in technology from Kent State.
Talbott is currently serving as JMC’s senior media specialist. His new role as the lead IT user and support analyst in COMM and VCD will allow him to better share his knowledge of computer systems and code. “I’m really excited about the new transition,” Talbott said. “I’ll miss what I’m able to do in JMC, but I’m becoming part of a bigger organization of IT professionals on campus.”

He is most looking forward to helping with special projects in his new role, especially those included in student coursework.

“I love doing creative things with computer systems,” Talbott said. “I can’t necessarily invent something with electronics, but I can invent code. I want to help improve how the schools deliver their online classes and how students submit homework online.”

"We are extremely excited to have Josh handling our IT needs," said COMM Director Paul Haridakis, Ph.D. "Josh brings overwhelming depth and experience to us. As a large information and communication school with excessive technological needs, we will draw on all of Josh's IT, audio-visual and media knowledge. I think working with VCD and Communication Studies will offer Josh new and exciting challenges, and it will permit us to continue to grow as we draw on his comprehensive knowledge. I cannot wait to start working with him on a daily basis and to have the opportunity to learn from him."

POSTED: Friday, November 22, 2013 03:33 PM
UPDATED: Thursday, December 08, 2022 12:52 PM
WRITTEN BY:
Meghan Caprez

There’s a Kent State alumna behind the card Jason and Kylie Kelce selected for their family’s 2023 holiday greeting: Megan Cash, ’13. She designed the festive plaid template “Madras” for design marketplace/online retailer Minted.

“The Kelce family went on Minted and chose my card out of a thousand different designs,” Cash said in an interview with Fox 8 Cleveland. “They worked with them to change the color to match the Philadelphia Eagles green.”

Through actively pursuing opportunities to make connections and market herself, Kent State alumna Grace Petitijean, ’21, has found a fulfilling communication-based career she is passionate about. As a Copywriter for FCB Health New York, part of the IPG Health Network, Grace takes high-science medical content and crafts messages that tailor the information to be understood by the general public, ensuring everyone has equal access to health information.

Kent State student Katie Criswell, ’24, is actively engaged in telling the daily stories from Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools classrooms through her communication-focused internship. During the Fall 2023 semester, the Communication Studies major and Honors College student has been to each of the district’s 10 schools, capturing what’s going on and what’s exciting in classrooms. Putting skills she’s learned in her own classes to work, Criswell then takes the content she’s captured and transforms it into social media posts and stories for the district’s Community Connection magazine.