By Steven Krolak

(NEW ALBANY, Ind.)—Adam Maksl, assistant professor of journalism, has won the “Ginger Rudeseal Carter Miller Teacher of the Year” award from the Small Programs Interest Group of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

He received the award at the AEJMC convention in Chicago on August 11.

Maksl was selected for his diverse and highly organized teaching skills and creative assignments, hallmarks of his teaching philosophy, which is rooted in providing journalistic experiences for students that are closely aligned with the demands of the profession in the real world.

Both in classes and in his role as faculty advisor to The Horizon, Maksl makes a point of treating student journalists as journalists, and giving them both the freedom and responsibility to live up to the task.

According to the SPIG, the Ginger Rudeseal Carter Miller Teacher of the Year Award, named for a former SPIG president and long-time group proponent, honors a SPIG member who demonstrates excellence in teaching and advising.

For Maksl, the award is especially significant in that it recognizes the good work of educators and, by extensions, their students, at smaller institutions such as IU Southeast.

“Teaching at a smaller school certainly has its advantages and challenges, but I think in a rapidly changing field, students surely benefit from the ability of our teaching to reflect changes in the industry,” Maksl said. “It’s like the difference between a speed boat and an tanker ship – we can turn a lot more quickly in response to changes in the environment.”

The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) is a nonprofit, educational association of journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals. The Association’s mission is to advance education, foster scholarly research, cultivate better professional practice and promote the free flow of communication. The Small Programs Interest Group within the AEJMC is a forum primarily for those faculty in small programs whose primary emphasis is teaching, advising and mentoring undergraduate students. Over the past six years, the Small Programs Interest Group participation in AEJMC’s annual convention has focused on helping educators maintain their edge in a rapidly changing field while honoring the timeless principles of sound mass communication no matter what its platform.