The day after new Geneva College Professor Richard Talbert signed his contract and officially joined the faculty of the Communication Department this summer, he started plans for bringing integrated media to the forefront at Geneva. Professor Talbert′s focus is on the integrated media concentration for communication majors. "Integrated media is using various communication tools at your disposal to craft a message for a specific audience through a specific medium," he explains.
Even before he started teaching, he began a project worthy of Extreme Makeover-transforming the former WGEV studio into the new Integrated Media Center.
"I ripped out three walls and filled three dumpsters with garbage", he says of his work. "The lobby, one office and two rooms have been gutted and redone." Now the center is spacious, bright and elegant, boasting a roomy study space, stylish main office and well-equipped audio and video production suites.
His overall goal is for "Geneva to be the place where students want to go to study Integrated Media. We already rank high in Google searches for Integrated Media schools, and I want to bring that to the forefront."
Plans to accomplish this are in the works. "Right now the Communication Department is reviewing all of the current courses in the Integrated Media emphasis," he says. "We have several ideas for modifying and creating courses that will benefit students who enter the marketplace as communication professionals."
Professor Talbert is an experienced teacher and scholar. He received a master′s degree in Corporate Communication from Duquesne University, where he is currently working on his dissertation for a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Philosophy of Communication. As an instructor, he has taught classes such as Media Literacy, Principles of Media, Mass Communication and Journalism at schools including Grove City College, Thiel College and Clarion University. His knowledge of the many facets of communication is complemented by his conversational teaching style and down-to-earth sense of humor.
All of this reworking began with that first day tearing out walls in the Integrated Media Center, which is still in the process of being updated. Professor Talbert′s hope is that the new surroundings will help students "get used to the formality of the program. I believe students will appreciate the changes coming, and that the changes will equip them for the 21st century marketplace."
Professor Talbert lives in Grove City with his wife Marcy and their two children. He is an avid hunter, drummer, cyclist and Pirates fan.
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