Marshall Award goes to Deb Merskin for helping students stretch through collaboration, discovery

by Brant Burkey, MS '97

Assistant professor Debra Merskin is known for respecting her students' ideas and for letting them discover things on their own. So it is little wonder that Merskin was the only person surprised when she became the eighth recipient of the Jonathan Marshall Award for Innovative Teaching in Journalism and Communication.

"I was completely surprised," Merskin admitted. "It's one of the few times in my life I was speechless. To people who know me, that's a big deal."

"The Jonathan Marshall Award for Teaching is a great symbol of the School's ongoing commitment to excellence and innovation in teaching," said dean Tim Gleason. "Since joining the faculty in 1993, Deb's growth as a scholar and as a teacher has been outstanding."

Now at the end of her fourth year as an assistant professor at the SOJC, Merskin teaches everything from professional advertising courses to women, minorities and media. During the spring quarter, Merskin served as the advisor for the 1997 Ad Team in the annual American Advertising Federation National Student Advertising Competition. Although this was her first experience advising an advertising team, her students say she did an excellent job in turning it into a valuable learning experience.

"She knew when to jump in and help out and when to let us figure things out on our own," Tiffany Trueman, a student in Merskin's advertising campaigns course, wrote in her nomination letter. "I always felt that the work I put into this experience was my own and that I wasn't being 'guided' by an authority figure. She was there, however, when needed and was always willing to listen. She combines a sense of professionalism with friendship and energy!"

Perhaps that is one of the reasons why Merskin had so much success working with the Ad Team last spring. She approaches teaching not by simply talking at the students, but by getting the students involved in a mutual exchange.

"The classroom should be a fun, dynamic atmosphere," explains Merskin. "Whether or not [the students] end up working in the business, they'll always be consumers of it. These people are heading for exciting careers, and the classroom should be reflective of that. During class discussions I like to give students an environment where they can really stretch. Good discussions, getting to know the people in class, and what they're thinking about. It's a collaborative effort, not just me teaching them," she says.

Graduate students also praise Merskin's ability. "She is an excellent instructor who cares about her students and their education, and because of that, she has helped me strengthen my skills as a researcher," said Diane Schuirman, last year's graduate teaching fellow for Merskin's mass media and society class. "More than once as I've struggled to apply media dependency theory [Merskin's specialty] to my research, I've marveled at her patience as she guided me to solutions she probably saw before I did. Deb understands that the process of discovery is a powerful teaching tool, and she helps her students experience that process, always offering support along the way."

For Merskin, the award was a perfect way to end the school year. "It's been an incredible year, both challenging and exhausting," said Merskin. "At the end of the year you take inventory. Getting something like the Marshall Award is really encouraging. It tells you that you're doing the right thing. So it's really appreciated on my part. There were so many people that deserve it."

But true to her teaching style, Merskin refuses to remain in the past. Receiving the '97 Marshall Award now has her looking to the future and what she can do better next year. After all, she says, "All work can be meaningful -- and fun. If it's not, you should be doing something else."

Merskin was selected by a committee of emeritus professors to receive the award. Other professors who have been recipients of the Marshall Award include Tim Gleason, Bill Ryan, Ann Maxwell, Tom Wheeler, Al Stavitsky, Roger Lavery, and Carl Bybee.

The award was established by Jonathan Marshall '62, and his wife, Maxine. The Marshalls were the owners and publishers of the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Progress for 25 years before establishing a charitable foundation in support of nonprofit organizations.

All teaching faculty in the School of Journalism and Communication are eligible for nomination, including tenure-track professors, visiting professors, and adjunct faculty. Nominations are based on specific ways in which the nominee has helped students to gain new insight into fields of study, to see connections between theory and practice, and to strengthen and polish their professional skills. The annual award carries a $1,500 cash prize.