Semester Sneak Peek - Jerry Goodwin - TCC Connection - a podcast by The TCC Connection

 

Semester Sneak Peak is a new series that provides a preview of courses available at Tulsa Community College (TCC) this coming fall semester. 

As a series about upcoming classes, these episodes will feature interviews with many of the instructors tasked with teaching them. 

Today's episode features Jerry Goodwin, TCC Connection Advisor.

 

Edited by Sam Levrault

Music by The Odyssey, "75 to Ramona"

 

Check out The TCC Connection online at http://tccconnection.com/

The TCC Connection is a student newspaper based at Tulsa Community College in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

 

Transcript by: Bethany Solomon

 

Bethany: Welcome to semester Sneak Peek, a new series that provides a preview of courses that are provided this coming semester. I am your host, Bethany Solomon, associate editor of the Northeast Campus at the TCC connection.

Since this series is about upcoming courses, we thought it would be best to the interview instructors tasked with teaching them.

Today we have a special guest, our very own faculty advisor, Jerry Goodwin.

How are you Jerry Goodwin?

 

Jerry Goodwin: I’m doing great Ms. Solomon, how are you?

 

I’m good. Thank you for joining us today.

 

Thank you for the invitation.

 

We’re going to be learning a bit about your background, your history in one of Tulsa’s most historic communities, how you came to be involved in your field, TCC, and the classes and programs you are involved in this coming fall.

Let’s start with your background and earlier years in education that lead up to your professional pursuits and accomplishments.

 

I started in 2000, teaching as an adjunct at TCC. I had a partner teaching at TCC as an adjunct and recommended I consider applying or at least working at TCC and I did. I served as an adjunct for seven years and then an opportunity presented itself for me to apply for a full-time position.

Others reached out to me and let me know that this full-time position was available to teach in the journalism field. In 2007, I applied to serve as an assistant professor in journalism and mass communications.

If you take into consideration my adjunct years, next year, that would have been two decades. Prior to that I was working for my family’s business, the OK eagle newspaper, and I was with them for 15 years professionally. That was the foundation that lead me to pursuing what turned out to be a career in journalism and communications.

 

Okay. Good, so without that foundation do you believe you would have studied mass communications or journalism at all?

 

Perhaps not, I had aspired to go into law and have been involved with politics, and so it was blessing and what better opportunity to work in a field, and from those experience in the field, then go and teach the next generation of young people what you have learned. It was natural and it’s a blessing and I could not be any more pleased and excited with this trajectory and course I am on.

 

So you enjoy politics and just ran for city council. Can you tell us a little about your experience?

 

Yes I was not new to politics, fortunately in my early years, worked for a congress man so I truly appreciate the value of public service. That experience was eye opening in more ways than one. What I enjoyed the most about that experience is meeting and becoming acquainted with the individuals of the community. I did a lot of door to door knocking and ended up falling short of a three-person race and came in second. When we combined my results and the results of the person that came in third the outcome was 55% of the winner and 45% to the remaining two candidates. It had been determined the candidate, or at least the city counsel is vulnerable, so I am looking at here in the near future rerunning and just trying to put together the recipe of victory, what I can learn from this previous experience, and how I can use that to my benefit so that I will be more successful this next go around.

 

What can you tell us about The Connection and you leading as the faculty advisor? What experience has helped you see communication differently or understand how to lead students to what they eventually want to pursue?

 

Very good! What I did when I worked for my family’s newspaper. When I started working with them at a full-time capacity and graded by other newspapers in the state, we were ranked as number 13. Just recognition and awards and things of that nature.

 By the time I left we were ranked number 3 in comparison to awards received in recognition. I brought that experience to the TCC connection, where I would like to see each and every one of you as members of the staff, leave with some degree of recognition and value from this experience because I believe it adds so much more to your resume, and your level of confidence whether you pursue a career in journalism or any other career.

When you demonstrate excellence, it prepares you for greater opportunities in the future, so it has always been my mission and my commitment to make sure each one of you, as members of the newspapers staff receive as much as you can get out of it. If you can get recognition with your peers, state, and region I have done my job.

 

So, for your current lineup of courses, what do you have planned for the fall semester?

 

For the fall semester I will be teaching Intro to Business, Public Speaking, Broadcasting, and of course the TCC Connection Honors course. I am probably one of the few professors here at the college that teaches in three different divisions. I am in the Business & Information Technology school, Liberal Arts, and I am also in the Performing and Visual Arts department, that now is where the journalism program is housed.

So I feel very fortunate to be able to teach across a variety of discipline. Hopefully that experience and that knowledge, I can share with each of you in my classrooms in any of those areas.

 

That is interesting. Since you are teaching in three different divisions, did you find that they integrate in any way?

 

Absolutely.

The most important in all three is interacting and engaging and then understand to the best of my ability while putting myself where the students are. Having non-traditional students, in addition to traditional students, I just try to go as far as I can to where the students are so I can relate to each and every one of them.

What I find so fascinating is that, and you can appreciate this, when I come into a classroom and ask them what they saw on TV last night, what they listened to on the radio, what they read in the newspaper, the chances are slim to none that any of them could understand what I am saying. I always must talk to them in terms of what I think is trending and what is in their newsfeed.

I find it fascinating that I must make the modifications to what I have traditionally and customarily have been used to. So now when I come in and talk about what I saw in the evening news I will be talking to myself, because the chances are very good that no one will be able to identify.

[both laugh…]

At least if I could say I saw it on a feed somewhere, it would increase the likelihood that they will understand what I am saying, and I won’t be just a man on an island by myself. So, it has been interesting to make that transition from the traditional forms of media to where each one of you are getting your information. I make sure I am relevant and pertinent to our discussion and I am not just out here and by myself trying to communicate with you.

 

What do you believe is a pro and con of mass communications today, and media in general, compared to the way you grew up and what you have learned?

 

Traditions individuals were taught to either be in the print discipline, tv broadcast discipline, or radio discipline. Right now, those going into the field of communication are being called upon to be an expert in all those different fields. They developed this new concept called backpack journalism whereby on the spot, you can interview someone, record an event, and type a story to appear online. You can basically do all of that in one setting.

Before you have designated people to write print articles, specific people for television, and specified people for radio, but now we must develop the next generation going into communication that each one of you going into every scenario can do it all.

For those pursuing careers journalism, you need to be as multi-dimensional and multi-qualified to experience. You need to demonstrate a level of competency on a variety of different platforms and cannot think if I go down this track exclusively or that track exclusively, I’m going to be good.

No, you must be, as best as possible, qualified in multiple platforms for the times to come.

 

Since you teach three different divisions it looks like you have put that practice in your own life so in a way, you can relate with your students and be an example for them. As far as your information what are the best ways students can reach you. Email? Office hours?

 

Email, office hours, bat signal, just whatever way that they can, wait, I wasn’t supposed to tell them I was Bruce Wayne Jr.?

[both laugh…]

But if they can’t give me bat signal, they can reach me by way of email, or my office number (918) 595-7086. I spend quite a bit of time in the TCC Connection office, more than I spend in my own office, for a variety of reasons. The TCC Connection office is another way to reach me.

 

Alright, that’s great. Well, we thank you for your time Mr. Goodwin!

This has been Jerry Goodwin and Bethany Solomon at the TCC Connection. You can check us out online and, on our website, tccconnection.com, our podcast hosted by pod bean, which is also available on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

 

 

 

 

 

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