by Brant Burkey, MS '97

Associate professor Alan Stavitsky has been named to fill the vacancy left by associate professor Tim Gleason when Gleason became dean following the resignation of Duncan McDonald. Stavitsky was named to the post in June for the 1997-98 academic year, until the post is permanently filled in 1998.

"I know Al well and I think he's an excellent choice. Al is an outstanding teacher and is both a leader and innovator in the use of technology in teaching. He can accomplish whatever he sets out to do and clearly knows the School and what needs to be done," said John Moseley, the University's provost and vice-president for academic affairs.

"It's been a fascinating summer," said Stavitsky. "I'm still getting used to the administrative duties, but as associate dean there are so many things to get involved with. There's the business of academic requirements, dealing with adjunct faculty, and the main duty of scheduling 100 different sections of courses for the entire academic year. This is quite an undertaking because there's the question of what needs to be offered, the times the course will be available, and coordinating the availability of rooms. The associate dean is also the point person for petitions, such as course waivers, so there is a lot of student contact."

A member of the UO SOJC faculty since 1990, Stavitsky was promoted from assistant professor to associate professor when he was granted tenure in 1996.

Prior to beginning his academic career, Stavitsky held numerous positions in television and radio news. His experience includes working as a sports director, news reporter, news director, news anchor, investigative reporter, and public affairs producer.

Among the many grants and awards he has received are the University of Oregon's Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1995 and the Jonathan Marshall Award for Innovative Teaching in Journalism and Communication in 1994.

In his seven years on the School's faculty, Stavitsky, who received both his master's (1983) and doctoral (1990) degrees from Ohio State University, has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses ranging from mass media and society to mass communication theories.

"I'll still be teaching, but my responsibilities as associate dean will cut it in half in terms of a course load," Stavitsky said. "I am trying to balance my time to remain active as a researcher of public telecommunications."

Stavitsky has published in such professional journals as Journalism Quarterly, American Journalism, and Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. His book, Independence and Integrity: A Guidebook for Public Radio Journalism, was published in 1995. Stavitsky is currently working on two books dealing with further issues facing public broadcasting and National Public Radio. He also serves as a consultant to public radio organizations, including the Finnish Broadcasting Co. and Public Radio International.

Stavitsky sees several areas of growth for the School. "We've been doing some interesting things in revising the curriculum, and I want to do what I can in this role to support the faculty in these efforts. Another exciting opportunity is the development of production tools in the Carolyn S. Chambers Electronic Media Center.

"The curriculum is state-of-the-art in teaching about the impact of the digital revolution, and the Chambers Media Center will give us a unique opportunity to use the tools we are learning about."