Published on: Wednesday, March 03, 2010

By Karen Carmichael

Ambivalent journalism majors don’t need to worry about switching schools, an alumni panel told current journalism and communications students at the University of Maryland on Feb. 23.

The panel of four graduates of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism said they’ve applied their journalism training to careers in academia, law and public relations.

Patrick Grzanka, an associate director of Honors Humanities at the university, realized he wanted to go into research and long-form writing while covering “amazing stories I didn’t want to let go of,” he said. The writing and technology skills he gained through the journalism program were extremely useful in earning his doctorate, he said.

“My journalism training here is something I’d never give up,” said Grzanka, a 2004 graduate of the Merrill College. “It’s tough, and it taught me how to work.”

David Hubbard, ’97, was convinced he wanted to be a radio sportscaster in high school. He changed his mind after attending a summer broadcast camp.

“I didn’t love it,” he said. “I just didn’t love the work they had to put into it.”

Hubbard concentrated on public relations in the journalism school, and after graduation he earned a law degree from Georgetown. Now the assistant general counsel for Verizon, Hubbard said he uses his journalism skill set every day to confidently write, argue, litigate and deal with other companies.

“I think that foundation was all created here,” he said.

Like Hubbard, Ike Richman, ’88, also wanted to work in radio. He left his first job out of college as a Philadelphia sportscaster for a public relations position, however.

Radio is “a lonely job,” Richman said. “It’s just you and the microphone.”

Now the vice president for public relations at Wachovia, Richman finds his ability to write under pressure essential in his work. Journalism 101 “taught me how to write,” he said.

John Seng, president and CEO of Spectrum Science Communications, said he lasted a single semester as an engineer at Maryland before switching to the public relations track.

“I really enjoyed the art of persuasion,” he said.

A 1979 graduate of the Merrill College, Seng said that journalism taught him how to identify the fundamentals of a good story and analyze controversial issues.

Although good writing is essential, the panelists urged students to look beyond the humanities. Seng said he wishes he’d taken more business courses and perhaps gotten an MBA; Grzanka said he got to graduate school and realized “I needed statistics.”

All four panelists stressed to students the importance of gaining online skills and taking advantage of the career resources offered by the university.

In a job market with shrinking opportunities, Grzanka said, “My Web skills have been the ticket in the door.”

Changing social technology has also deeply affected their industries, the panelists said. Richman considers Twitter and Facebook their own medium.

“It’s bigger than we even think it is,” he said.

Hubbard agreed, noting how he’s found it much harder to control how the Verizon brand is circulated due to social media. Richman and Seng criticized the much-faster pace of news and lack of editorial oversight. The “cut and paste media” will republish items first seen on Facebook and Twitter without checking the facts first, Richman said.

Print journalism student Christian Kloc felt the panel was rather unfair in its criticism of social media. Quality journalism is still being produced, he said, even with the rushed pace.

A senior from Frederick, Kloc said he enjoyed the panel discussion overall. It was “cool to see how people have used their journalism skills from this college,” especially their writing skills, he said. With the current focus on multimedia, it’s good to know that excellent writing is still a valuable asset, he said.

Michaelle Bond, a sophomore print journalism major from New Jersey, found the panel discussion inspiring, she said.

“I’m not really sure what I want to do, so it’s reassuring that they didn’t either,” she said.

Bond felt that the range of careers represented by the panel was rather limited, however.

“I knew coming into it that public relations and law were options” for journalism majors, she said, and was looking for other examples.

“I don’t think any of those are for me,” she said.

Biology major Victoria Seng, a senior from Rockville, is a member of the Student Government Association that helped organize the event and the daughter of panelist John Seng.

Such alumni panels are important, she said, “not just for [specific] majors but just the thought process of exploring different careers and seeing what’s out there.”

The panelists “wouldn’t come unless they were excited to share with Maryland students and passionate about their fields,” she said.