The Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communication is hosting its inaugural Sports Media and Communication Week to promote its new major.
“SMC (Sports Media Communications) Week is our inaugural event series designed to promote the Greenlee School’s new Sports Media and Communication major, which students can declare for Fall 2025,” Jan Boyles, associate professor at Greenlee, stated.
Furthermore, she sent a list of the events via email, which are included below. All events are free and open to the public.
“Monday, Sept. 30: Sports Media/Sports Movie Trivia Night
Time: 6-7 p.m.
Location: 172 Hamilton Hall
The Greenlee School and ISU Screenwriting Club will host dinner and a sports media/sports film trivia event. The Club’s advisor and Greenlee Assistant Professor of Teaching, Prof. Tony Moton, will also foster a discussion around the classic sports film, “Field of Dreams.” Moton will read some of his sports columns written about the film’s actors.
Wednesday, Oct. 2: Join the Team! SMC Major Recruiting Day
Time: 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (drop-in any time)
Location: Hamilton Hall Commons
Students can meet our SMC faculty and obtain academic information about the new SMC major. We will also offer sports-themed snacks.
Wednesday, Oct. 2: SMC “Touchdown in Dublin” Information Night
Time: 5-6 p.m.
Location: 172 Hamilton Hall
Next summer, a group of SMC faculty (including Associate Teaching Professor Gary Sawyer, Teaching Professor Brenda Witherspoon, Assistant Teaching Professor James McNab and Associate Professor/Associate Director Jan Lauren Boyles) plan to lead a study abroad experience to Dublin, Ireland to cover the ISU/K-State football game. Students will learn more about the proposed trip slated for August 2025, as well as hear about other experiential learning activities to be offered in the new major.
Friday, Oct. 4: SMC Keynote: One-on-One with ESPN’s Clinton Yates
Time: 11 a.m.-Noon
Location: Memorial Union, Room 2630
ESPN’s Clinton Yates — host of the network’s “ESPN Daily” podcast and panelist on television programs, such as “Around the Horn” and “Outside the Lines” — will serve as SMC Week’s keynote speaker. Yates will participate in a Q&A session (co-sponsored with the ISU Committee on Lectures) focused on strategies for launching a sports media career.”
Additionally, Boyles said faculty hopes this provides a ‘sneak peak’ of the academic programming.
“As a faculty, we are committed to helping SMC students build successful careers in the press box as writers, on the sidelines as photojournalists and at post-game press conferences as sports information experts,” Boyles stated. “In future years, we anticipate that this event series will continue to bring the industry’s best and brightest SMC professionals to our campus, so that our students can be inspired by what their future can hold.”
She said when planning this series of events, they had several ambitions.
“First, we wanted introduce ISU students to our talented SMC faculty, who will be leading instruction in the new major,” Boyles stated. “We also wanted to highlight the SMC degree’s unique focus on high-impact practices. From the first semester in the major, our students will be working in the SMC industry through practicums with campus media and other partners. SMC students will also be required to complete a 300-hour internship, which will help grow their professional portfolios for employment.”
Students who want to learn more about the new major can email [email protected].
