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Speakers highlight launch of new research center

Speakers from across the globe will converge on campus this weekend to help launch the University's new Global Media Research Center.

The center is designed to generate and focus scholarly and creative research within the College of Mass Communications and Media Arts and the University.

It unofficially began forming in January, when the college recruited its director, John Downing, from the University of Texas at Austin. Although the launch is scheduled for this weekend, the center is still awaiting approval from the Graduate Council, which could come in November.

MCMA Dean Manjunath Pendakur said when he came to the University three years ago he had plans to capitalize on the strengths of the college, one of which were its deep international roots of the college through its faculty, students and research.

"We wanted to create a center to deal with current issues with globalization and the media industry, which are not separate categories anymore," he said. "What happens in one part of the world is immediately visible because of 24-hour newscasts and satellites."

John Koropchak, vice chancellor for research and development, said the center would be beneficial to the University's research culture as more SIUC research becomes international, including his own recent trip to Russia.

"We're living in an increasingly smaller and smaller world," Koropochak said. "This center has high aspirations to take national and international leadership in this area, and that would be of great benefit to the University."

Already reaching across the world, the center is attracting speakers from Hong Kong and Australia for its launch program Friday and Saturday.

A colloquium program will begin tonight at 7 p.m. in the Lesar Law School Auditorium with "The Fourth World War," a 2003 documentary about the human cost of war from Mexico, Argentina, Palestine, Korea and the "War on Terror."

Downing said the future of the center could include collaboration with researchers in Egypt, China and India. He said its advisory board also includes researchers from various departments across campus.

Research is already beginning in the center including a project that Downing brought with him from the University of Texas on global advertising. Another project Downing said he wants to begin is a scholarly journal review of media books, providing greater immediacy than the current reviews in place.

Although the center is awaiting approval, it has also published a one-volume encyclopedia of alternative media.

Downing said he chose to leave his 13-year teaching position at the Texas institution because he needed a change, and said he was excited to work with a college that has always had strong international ties.

"This will build on that and take it to a new level," Downing said. "This was a challenge to start something fresh and see if I could help lead the creation of something new here."

 

 

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