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Kent State alumnus Richard Batyko, M.A., ’12, has committed his life and career to making the world, specifically Greater Cleveland, a better place. This year, he and the YMCA of Greater Cleveland (for which he serves as Chief Marketing Officer) are working with Kent State University advertising and public relations seniors in the capstone class, Campaigns in Advertising and Public Relations, to raise awareness about the organization's mission.

Kent State’s School of Media and Journalism (MDJ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mizell Stewart III as professional-in-residence.

Earlier this year, Stewart served as the keynote speaker for MDJ’s annual David and Janet Dix Lecture in Media Ethics. Previously, he was the Vice President of News Performance, Talent & Partnerships for Gannett and the USA TODAY Network. Stewart will serve both Student Media and MDJ in his role as professional-in-residence.

While completing a two-month journalism fellowship in Arizona the summer after her college graduation, Anna Huntsman, ’19, found herself nostalgic for Ohio.

“I was around a lot of people from all across the country,” she remembers. “They would ask me, ‘What’s so special about Ohio?’ and I would have this answer about the camaraderie, the sports, the work ethic. I just found myself having these answers of really missing my home.”

Kent State alumnus Chase Wilcox, ‘21, began his career through a direct message on social media to his now-employer, DNC Media, while he was still a student.

An advertising major, Wilcox completed his degree during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Kent State and other universities across the world ceased the majority of in-person activities and moved to online instruction. Attempting to make the best of an unusual situation, Wilcox decided to take all online courses and moved to Florida, where he began successfully doing social media content for smaller brands on TikTok.

For future filmmakers and video production professionals, there’s almost nothing like being immersed in the film industry in Los Angeles: the creative energy, the professional connections and the buzz of activity.

During summer 2023, that dream learning environment came to life for four Kent State Media and Journalism students who interned in Los Angeles at 1895 Films, an Emmy and Peabody award-winning film and documentary company co-founded by alumnus Tom Jennings, ‘85.