Dr. Mangun Accepts Joint Appointment

Communication Associate Professor Kimberley Mangun has accepted a joint appointment with the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center which she will begin on July 1. As the Center's Associate Director, she will work with faculty at the University of Utah to expand community-engaged learning (CEL) opportunities for them and their students.

She discovered the power of CEL when she joined the Department of Communication in Fall 2006. She redesigned the intermediate-reporting class to give students hands-on experience with beat reporting of Salt Lake City's diverse communities. After hearing how the experience positively impacted students' sense of self, community awareness, and civic responsibility, she successfully applied for CEL designation for the class. The course has since become known as Voices of Utah for the website by the same name that features the students' reporting and multimedia items.

Professor Mangun will continue to teach this course and conduct research on the Black Press as part of her joint appointment. Currently, she is writing a book about editor Emory O. Jackson, the Birmingham World, and the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama.

"I look forward to continuing my role in the Department while also supporting faculty across campus to develop CEL courses," Professor Mangun said. "These experiential-learning courses enable students to connect classroom concepts, knowledge, and theories by working closely with community partners to meet their needs."

Congratulations to Dr. Mangun!