Public Radio
From 2015-2018 I worked as a reporter, producer and morning newscast anchor for mid-Missouri public radio station KBIA.
SPOT NEWS
University of Missouri faculty and staff now have a specific timeline for decisions on whether to close more than a dozen graduate programs.
In an email Wednesday, Chancellor Alexander Cartwright said final decisions on the closures and consolidations will be made by May 16.
A report released February 15 recommended the closing, consolidation or review of several graduate programs in response to budget and enrollment challenges. It cited reasons such as low numbers of graduates and research productivity.
But several faculty members present at a meeting Monday said the report’ results focused on quantity instead of quality.
Charles Presberg is an MU Spanish professor. The Romance Languages doctoral program is one of the recommended closures. He says he is glad the chancellor is open to talking directly with faculty about the decisions.
“The task force report is something like an aerial view from 6,000 feet of the university,” Presberg said. “Well now it’s time to speak in real conversations, substantive dialogue, with people on the ground.”
MU English professor Andrew Hoberek said that most faculty understand that tough decisions will have to be made, but he also wants some accountability with them.
“To the best of the administration’s ability to provide this information,” Hoberek said, “we’d like to know how the changes that they make will actually help with the budget crisis.”
Additional data and updates will be made public as they become available, according to the email. Cartwright will continue to work with members of the university community, and faculty can provide input until April 9.
SHOW PRODUCING
TALKING POLITICS
In 2017, I hosted a weekly political segment where I aimed to take a local lens on national topics. I hosted community leaders in panels and interviews as well as supervised staff reporters in investigative stories. In the episode below, I spoke with Dave Dillon with the Missouri Hospital Association and Tim Wolters with Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar, Missouri, about what these funding cuts would mean for the patients across the state.
NEWSCASTING
From 2016 to 2018 I worked as a live morning and afternoon newscaster at KBIA. My responsibilities included reviewing all of own content along with wire service and member station content to make editorial decisions of what stories aired on which newscasts. In addition, I rewrote copy for clarity and length, fact-checked, and reported breaking news.