The Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communications is hosting its inaugural Sports Media and Communication Week to promote its new major.
“SMC (Sports Media Communications) Week is our inaugural event series designed to promote the Greenlee School’s new Sports Media and Communication major, which students can declare for Fall 2025,” Jan Lauren Boyles, associate professor and associate director at Greenlee, said in an email.
Furthermore she sent a list of the events which are provided below:
“Monday, Sept. 30: Sports Media/Sports Movie Trivia Night
Time: 6-7 p.m.
Location: 172 Hamilton Hall
The Greenlee School and ISU Screenwriting Club will host dinner and a sports media/sports film trivia event. The Club’s advisor and Greenlee Assistant Professor of Teaching, Prof Tony Moton, will also foster a discussion around the classic sports film, “Field of Dreams.” Moton will read some of his sports columns written about the film’s actors.
Wednesday, Oct. 2: Join the Team! SMC Major Recruiting Day
Time: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (drop-in any time)
Location: Hamilton Hall Commons
Students can meet our SMC faculty and obtain academic information about the new SMC major. We will also offer sports-themed snacks.
Wednesday, Oct. 2: SMC “Touchdown in Dublin” Information Night
Time: 5-6 p.m.
Location: 172 Hamilton Hall
Next summer, a group of SMC faculty (including Associate Teaching Professor Gary Sawyer, Teaching Professor Brenda Witherspoon, Assistant Teaching Professor James McNab and Associate Professor/Associate Director Jan Lauren Boyles) plan to lead a study abroad experience to Dublin, Ireland to cover the ISU/K-State football game. Students will learn more about the proposed trip slated for August 2025, as well as hear about other experiential learning activities to be offered in the new major.
Friday, Oct. 4: SMC Keynote: One-on-One with ESPN’s Clinton Yates
Time: 11 a.m.-Noon
Location: Memorial Union, Room 2630
ESPN’s Clinton Yates — host of the network’s “ESPN Daily” podcast and panelist on television programs, such as “Around the Horn” and “Outside the Lines” — will serve as SMC Week’s keynote speaker. Yates will participate in a Q&A session (co-sponsored with the ISU Committee on Lectures) focused on strategies for launching a sports media career.”
Boyles also mentioned that all events are free and open to the public.
Additionally, Boyles said faculty hopes this provides a ‘sneak peak’ of the academic programming.
“As a faculty, we are committed to helping SMC students build successful careers in the press box as writers, on the sidelines as photojournalists and at post-game press conferences as sports information experts. In future years, we anticipate that this event series will continue to bring the industry’s best and brightest SMC professionals to our campus, so that our students can be inspired by what their future can hold,” Boyles said.
She said when planning this series of event they had several ambitions.
“First, we wanted introduce ISU students to our talented SMC faculty, who will be leading instruction in the new major. We also wanted to highlight the SMC degree’s unique focus on high-impact practices. From the first semester in the major, our students will be working in the SMC industry through practicums with campus media and other partners. SMC students will also be required to complete a 300-hour internship, which will help grow their professional portfolios for employment. At the same time, integrating global experiences into the new major has been an intentional focus of SMC faculty. Our SMC “Touchdown in Dublin” opportunity aligns with how the Greenlee School is increasingly emphasizing global engagement. Finally, we wanted to host an elite SMC practitioner on our campus, so that our students can witness first-hand the kind of career they can build. We’re lucky to have ESPN’s Clinton Yates serve in this role for our inaugural SMC Week,” Boyles said.
Boyles said students who want to learn more about the new major can email [email protected].
“We are incredibly thankful for the dedication of our SMC faculty and staff (Moton, Sawyer, McNab, Witherspoon and Assistant Teaching Professor Beth Haag, Program Specialist Kaylee Phillips Wellik and Communications Specialist Kristine Perkins) for their efforts to make this week a success, as well as Amanda Knief and the team at the ISU Lectures Program. We also salute two student organizations — ISU’s Sports Media Club and ISU’s Screenwriting Club — for their contributions,” Boyles said.
