CAFÉ fellow 2021-2022 Why did you want to be a CAFÉ fellow? What are you excited about?
After years of UMKC budget crises, followed by a global pandemic that greatly shaped how we teach and conduct research, and, in a few cases, as deliverer of bad news while I was Chair of the College of Arts & Sciences faculty, I was thrilled to learn about the creation of CAFÉ. Finally, we have a university-wide, faculty-focused structure that shows great promise in promoting faculty research, both nationally and internationally. As I enter the final years of my academic career at UMKC, I applied for the CAFÉ fellows program because I aspire to do something consequential for members of the faculty, especially for those who are early in their careers. It is also a rare opportunity to combine my years of teaching, research and experience as a Fulbright scholar with my previous professional experience as an international correspondent for PBS.
What do you hope to accomplish this year? Are there any particular goals? What do you think the legacy of your work will be?
UMKC has an impressive community of faculty members and alumni of world stature, international background and global expertise. We are in the process of creating CAFÉGlobal, a new structure that will serve as a primary virtual hub for established and new faculty members from all units, including the professional schools, who are interested in global activities. We will include a faculty networking platform, a repository of useful information for those seeking international research partnerships, teaching opportunities or prestigious international awards. CAFÉGlobal will also provide workshops of interest for faculty and will promote the work of UMKC’s international scholars.
How does your research or role as faculty member inform your interest and work as a Café fellow?
I have taught courses in journalism and mass media (including digital media) at UMKC for 22 years. As a Fulbright scholar and Senior Specialist, I taught at universities in Ethiopia, Russia and Eswatini (in southern Africa.) I also conducted US State Department sponsored workshops for practicing journalists in those countries. As a part of my research efforts at UMKC, and as contributing correspondent for KCPT and regional PBS, I produced four internationally recognized and award-winning documentaries. Before joining UMKC, I served as PBS correspondent in Europe for 15 years and covered many world events, including the uprisings against communist rule in eastern and central Europe, the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, the breakup of the Soviet Union, the war in Bosnia, the siege of Sarajevo, and UN famine relief efforts in Somalia, among others. As CAFÉ Fellow for international activities, I am well suited to support CAFÉGlobal.