University of Arkansas at Little Rock

One of the program’s main distinguishing characteristics–and a source of pride–is the personal attention faculty members pay their students. Faculty members, all of whom have considerable professional experience, get to know their students on an individual basis as they advise them from their entry to university life to their final placement in the job market. Full-time faculty members include:

JAMIE M. BYRNE, APR
School Director, Professor. B.S., English and Journalism, Murray State. University; M.S., Communication, Murray State University; Ph.D., Communication, Pennsylvania State University.
Teaching experience: UALR since 2002, 18 years at other colleges and universities.
Professional experience: newspaper columnist, educational public relations, municipal public relations, volunteer public relations and training experience at local, state, national and international levels for American Cancer Society.
Specialty areas: public relations cases, public relations writing, public relations campaigns, media law, mass media writing, special event planning, public relations and marketing for non-profits.

TIM EDWARDS
Associate Professor. B.A., Mass Communications with a journalism and public relations emphasis, Southern Arkansas University; M.S.M.C., Mass Communication with a radio and television emphasis, Arkansas State University; Ph.D., Communication, University of Kentucky.
Professional experience: A year and a half newspaper reporting experience, three years radio public affairs production.
Teaching experience: UALR since 1992.
Specialty areas: newswriting, reporting, audio/video production, pop culture.

JON MARK GIESE
Associate Professor. B.A., University of North Texas; M.A., University of North Texas; Ph.D, Pennsylvania State University.
Professional experience: ten years industrial video production; writing, producing, directing, and editing.
Teaching experience: UALR since 2003; 9 years at other universities.
Specialty areas: video production, non-linear video editing, scriptwriting, media technology, mass media and society.

BRUCE L. PLOPPER
Professor. B.S., Psychology, Michigan State University; M.A., Psychology, Southern Illinois University; Ph.D., Journalism, Southern Illinois University.
Professional Experience: Two years public relations magazine journalism; one year media management; and book and newsletter editing.
Teaching experience: UALR since 1990, 11 years at other colleges and universities.
Specialty areas: Media law, media history, public relations writing, scholastic journalism.

SONNY RHODES
Associate Professor: B.S.E. with a journalism emphasis, University of Central Arkansas; M.A., Journalism, University of Mississippi.
Professional experience: 25 years as daily newspaper reporter and editor.
Teaching experience: UALR since 2001; served as adjunct faculty at UALR several times since 1990.
Specialty areas: reporting, design, editing, mass media and society.

JEANNE NORTON ROLLBERG
Associate Professor. B.A., History, Wesleyan College, Macon, GA.; M.A., Journalism, University of Missouri-Columbia
Professional experience: seven years TV news anchoring/producing/reporting; two years radio news anchoring/producing/reporting; twelve years radio public affairs producing.
Teaching experience: UALR since 1983.
Specialty areas: TV reporting, radio public affairs, ethics, mass media and society.

DAVID WEEKLEY
Instructor, B.A. University of Houston; MEd, University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Professional experience: Over 25 years experience in almost every phase of video production; eight years in Australia producing corporate videos for Kodak, Builders Bargain Centre, Reliv Australia, and Sigma Data; in the U.S. he has worked for FOX News, ESPN, Court TV, and Thomas Films, as well as Ron Sherman Teleproductions in Little Rock.
Teaching experience: KvB College in Sydney, Australia, UALR since 1998, where he also coordinates cable Channel 62 and the School’s production unit Specialty areas: writing, shooting, editing, directing.

KWASI BOATENG
Assistant Professor. B.A. Hons. Dip Ed., University of Cape-Coast; MA. International Affairs; MA. Media Management; Ph.D. Mass Communication, Ohio University.
Professional experience: 2 Years in radio as, Studio Engineer, Program Host, 3 years as Web Designer and Web Content Manager.
Teaching Experience: UALR since 2006; 2 years at another university.
Specialty areas: New Media, New technologies, Media, culture, and society, political economy, policy and regulation,
international communication, media management.

AMY BARNES
Assitant Professor. MA. APR.

Amy Barnes has more than 20 years as a broadcast journalist – as a producer, reporter, anchor and assistant news director at KATV and KARK in Little Rock – and more than 15 years in the public relations profession first as Public Relations Director at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, then as Director of Communications at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She received her master’s in journalism from UALR in 1998 and recently joined the faculty in the UALR School of Mass Communication as an Assistant Professor. The recipient of several journalism, broadcast and public relations awards, Barnes became an accredited public relations professional in 1998 and has served on the executive board of the Arkansas Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for more than seven years, including as its president in 2003. She is currently the chair for the Southwest District of PRSA representing more than 2000 members in six states.

DALE ZACHER
Assistant Professor. B.A., Broadcast Journalism with minors in economics and political science, University of North Dakota; M.S., Journalism, Ohio University; Ph.D. Mass Communication, Ohio University.
Professional experience: five years as radio and TV news reporter/assignment editor; 4 years working in government and political public relations.
Teaching experience. UALR since 2007; 10 years full-time at other universities.
Specialty areas: broadcast news, political campaign and government public relations, early 1900s newspaper history.

ADJUNCT FACULTY

Frank Fellone, Deputy Editor, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Ben Fry, General Manager, Public Radio KLRE/KUAR, UALR

Johnpaul Jones, Chief of Imaging, UAMS Creative Service

Rick Peltz, Associate Professor, School of Law, UALR

Yu-li Chang, Ph.D., Ohio University. Five years teaching experience at Northern Illinois University. Five years work experience as national news correspondent for CTS network in Taiwan.

STAFF

Mashona Jackson
Executive Secretary

Jerry Halpain
Instructional Lab Coordinator

EMERITUS FACULTY

Mary Jean Thomas, B.S., M.S., Ph.D., (1977-1992)
Professor of Radio, Television, and Film

Edward Jay Friedlander, B.S., M.A., Ed.D.(1975-1996)
Professor of Journalism

Luther Sanders, B.S., M.A., Ed.D., (1974-2000)
Professor of Journalism

Lynda E. Wilson, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., (1980-2000)
Professor of Radio, Television, and Film

David M. Guerra, B.A, M.S, Ph.D., (1976-2005)
Professor of Radio, Television, and Film